When looking for specialty professional services, you have to ensure that they meet your requirements fully and offer excellent quality at a competitive price. The same applies when seeking the services of sheet metal fabricators. It is best to do some research in advance and to compare three or more companies. Conduct a personal interview with their representatives, preferably in person, and ask a number of important questions.
What kinds of projects have you worked on?
All sheet metal fabricators have portfolios and can present all recent projects they have worked on. Your task is to see whether they have made the products and performed the services which you are looking for. You should certainly evaluate their work as well. Do not miss to request references from previous clients of the different companies. This will give you an even better idea about the quality of their work.
What kinds of materials and techniques do you use?
Most sheet metal fabricators work with all kinds of metals with the main ones being aluminium, stainless steel, mild steel, brass and copper as well as with silver and gold whenever necessary. They should have the necessary expertise, equipment and tools to work with various alloys such as aluminium and chromium ones.
The fabricators should be able to use all available techniques to create the product that you need. Check what kind of cutting they provide. Saw, torch or plasma cutting may be required for different projects. Compare the punching and rolling capabilities of the different companies as well. It is best if the company which you pick can provide both MIG (metal inert gas) welding and TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding.
Do you offer custom solutions and engineering services?
Most projects are different and readymade solutions are rarely the right match. That is why you need to find sheet metal fabricators that can design a product which meets all your requirements and industry safety and functionality standards. Only expert engineers with the proper training and considerable experience can deliver high quality solutions. It is a good idea to get further details about the design and engineering team of a company as well as about their production department before you decide to work with them.
Do you provide assistance with installation?
This additional service is particularly valuable to those customers that order units which have to be fitted and complex systems. It is true that the service will cost you extra, but you will be certain that the product will work exactly as required.
Can you provide a price estimate?
Experienced sheet metal fabricators should be able to produce a price estimate based on the material and labour they will use for the project.