These are the questions buyers actually ask us before placing an order — what our sheet metal fabrication lines can do, which process fits a part, what material and tolerance to specify, what it costs, and how fast it ships. Short answers here; each one links to the full guide.
Sheet metal fabrication capabilities
What sheet metal fabrication services do you offer in-house?
Stamping and deep stamping, laser cutting, bending, welding, CNC machining and surface treatment, all on our own four production lines and 76 machines. Metal casting — sand, pressure and precision — runs in the same factory. Nothing is outsourced, so nothing is lost between vendors and one team owns the part from flat sheet to packed carton.
Sheet metal fabrication capabilities
What sheet thickness can you laser cut?
Our 6 kW fiber laser handles thin-gauge through heavy-gauge sheet; the exact range depends on the material. Send your drawing and we will confirm what it cuts in. Laser cutting needs no tooling, so prototypes ship straight from the drawing.
What bending angles can you produce?
Any angle your drawing calls for — most parts use 90°, 45° or a custom angle. Our press brakes handle a range of thicknesses, with the practical limit depending on material and part length, and CNC back gauges keep the angles repeatable from the first part to the last.
Which welding methods do you offer?
MIG, TIG and spot welding, in-house, on both stainless steel and aluminium. Which method is right depends on the material and the joint, so our engineers confirm it before production. Weld areas are ground and finished for a clean surface, with surface treatment following where the part needs it.
What stamping capacity do you have?
40 sets of 80–400 t presses, covering thin-plate precision stamping through deep-drawing forming in a single step — from sheet metal blanks to deep cavity parts.
What CNC machining can you do?
Two five-axis and three vertical machining centres, used both for parts machined from solid and for features machined after stamping, bending or laser cutting. Machining and sheet metal forming are combined in one order rather than split across suppliers.
Choosing the right process
What is the difference between deep drawing and stamping?
Stamping forms shallow shapes from sheet metal. Deep drawing pulls material into deeper, hollow forms. Deep-drawn parts are seamless and stronger, which is why they are used where a welded seam would be a weak point or a leak path.
When should I choose casting instead of sheet metal fabrication?
Sheet metal fabrication builds a part from flat sheet, so it suits thin-wall enclosures, brackets, panels and frames. Casting suits complex solid geometry and thick sections. Both run in our factory, so the answer is a process comparison rather than a supplier change.
Do you review my drawing before production?
Yes, and it is free. Our engineers check material, tolerance and process, then tell you where cost can come out without changing how the part works — bend sequence, radii, flange lengths and tooling options among them. Any conflict between your drawing and what the process can hold is raised before production, not after.
Materials and finishing
Which materials do you work with?
Stainless steel 304, 316 and 410, carbon and galvanised steel, aluminium, brass and copper. The same range is available across stamping, deep drawing, machining and bending, with the grade confirmed during drawing review rather than assumed.
Which grade should I specify — 304 or 316, 5052 or 6061?
In stainless, 304 suits most applications and 316 is for marine and chemical environments, where the added molybdenum is what resists chlorides. In aluminium, 5052 forms and bends well while 6061 is stronger and machinable. If your application does not need the more expensive grade, we will say so.
Which surface finishes can you provide?
Brushed and polished finishes in-house, plus two self-operated lines covering sandblasting, oxidation, spraying, electroplating and powder coating. Parts can also leave our line ready for anodizing. Because finishing runs in-house, the appearance approved on the sample is the appearance of the batch.
Tolerances, quality and inspection
What tolerances can you hold?
It depends on the process, material and part size — laser cutting and machining hold closer limits than welding. In practice CNC machining is accurate to ±0.05 mm and formed and bent parts are typically held to ±0.5 mm on critical dimensions. We review your drawing first and confirm which limits we can hold before production.
Sheet metal fabrication tolerances: a practical guide
Do tighter tolerances cost more?
Yes. Tighter limits need more process control and more inspection, so the cost of a tolerance you do not need is real. We help you put the tight limits only on the features that actually function, and relax the rest.
How tolerance choices change cost
How is quality controlled during production?
Four stages. Incoming Quality Control inspects all raw metal before it enters production. Process Inspection monitors critical operations with first-piece verification and regular checks. Final Product Inspection verifies parts against the drawing after processing and finishing. Outbound Quality Control re-inspects 100% of every batch before packing. Two coordinate measuring machines, height gauges, hardness testers and air-tightness and appearance equipment back it up.
Do you provide inspection records?
Yes — dimensional reports are available on request. Critical features are checked in process and again before shipping, so the report reflects the parts you receive rather than the drawing they were made from.
Quoting, samples and minimum order
What information do I need to send for a quote?
The drawing in any format you have — STEP, DWG, DXF, PDF or a dimensioned sketch — plus the material or grade, the tolerance and finish you need, the quantity, and the date you need parts. Missing a value is not a blocker; we will confirm it with you.
Custom sheet metal fabrication for OEM projects
How fast do you quote?
You get a rough quote within 8 hours of the drawing arriving. The business team is online around the clock and answers within 8 hours, with technical and production staff available at all times.
How we price stainless steel parts
Do you provide free samples before mass production?
Yes. A dedicated sample line produces samples within 72 hours to the same precision as production, and because laser cutting and CNC need no dedicated tooling, prototypes ship straight from the drawing. We recommend validating a prototype before investing in tooling, especially on deep drawing and stamping projects.
What is your minimum order quantity?
There is no fixed MOQ. Prototyping starts from a single piece, and volume orders run on the same lines. Each project is quoted on its design and processes rather than against a minimum quantity.
Stamping from prototype to volume
Cost, tooling and lead time
What affects the price of a custom metal part?
Material grade and thickness, the tolerance specified, how many processes the part needs, the surface finish, and the tooling cost spread across the quantity. Tooling itself depends on part size, depth and design. Send the drawing and we will show you where the cost is actually coming from.
How tooling cost is determined
Who owns the tooling, and do I pay for it before I know the part works?
Tooling ownership is agreed in the project contract, and we store and maintain dies for repeat orders. For prototypes there is nothing to pay — laser-cut and CNC parts need no dedicated tooling. Press tooling and draw dies are built and maintained in our own die shop, so when you do commit to tooling it stays under one roof.
How fast can you deliver once the part is approved?
On one project we cut an eight-week import lead time to three weeks, and 200 metal cabinets were delivered in 35 days — a week ahead of the customer’s plan. Urgent orders can run on a 24-hour production schedule.
Company, factory and export
Who is Weizhi — where is your factory, and how long have you been manufacturing?
We have manufactured custom metal parts since 1999 — more than 26 years. The factory is in Nanpi County, Cangzhou City, Hebei Province, known as “China’s Metal Fabrication Capital”, with a 9,000 m² workshop and 500,000+ pieces of monthly output. Our office is at 2401, Block B, Kuangshi International Building, Xiangluowan Business District, Binhai New Area, Tianjin. The team includes 19 R&D engineers and a 20-person sales team, working to an ISO 9001:2015 quality system.
Take a look inside the factory
Which markets do you serve, and how are parts packed?
We supply automotive, electronics, machinery and energy customers, and ship to over 100 countries — around 85% of annual output is exported. Every outbound batch is re-inspected at packing stage with labels and key dimensions verified, and on a recent 200-cabinet order exactly one unit needed rework because of transport impact.