The Metal Shop is a complete fabrication and machine shop with laser cutting, waterjet cutting, CNC machining, welding, as well as 3D modeling and sheet bending capabilities. We are experts with aluminum, as 95% of our work is aluminum, and we also work with steel, stainless steel, and other materials when necessary. Our body of work is as diverse as our customers, from custom prototypes to short run production, we have have what it takes to bring your vision into reality.
Our team has a passion for fabrication. We have over 50 years of experience ranging from the machining and mold business to custom carpentry and even professional racing. Our specialty is the fabrication of custom parts and structures for the trade show industry, working in cooperation with Catalyst Exhibits. Our experience in this industry has trained us to do things quickly and accurately due to the very tight work deadlines. Rest assured your project will be given the same attention to time and detail as our exhibit clients.
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Our clients include both large multi-national corporations as well as small privately owned businesses, many of which are return customers. We have earned a reputation for handling projects that other shops can't. Our equipment enables us to complete your project from start to finish with high degrees of accuracy and quality on site. This is not only convenient for us, but also for our customers, as we are better able to control the time and cost of your project.
With our fully equipped facility, highly skilled and experienced staff, tradition of hard work and resourcefulness, and our can-do spirit, you can be confident in choosing us as your metal fabrication and machining resource partner. We take pride in our work and believe that our actions reflect the character, principles, and values at our core.
As one of the largest metal fabrication shops in the midwest, we have made a continuous effort to improve our services and facility to meet the needs of todays industry. We offer a full range of services from design consultation to large scale production fabrication. Founded in 2002, we have expanded our manufacturing space twice and currently have 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space and approximately 10 employees. We are a veteran owned business.
When choosing a fabrication service, it is important to take a close look at the capabilities within the company. See detailed list of our services >
There are lots of fabrication shops with a few welders and some smaller shop tools. When your project calls for complete control of the processes, as well as high degrees of accuracy, we can deliver what others can't. Combining state of the art software, CNC equipment, and years of experience, our fabrication capabilities are virtually endless.
In addition to our fabrication expertise, we also can complete projects that require press brake and roll forming. Used in conjunction with our CNC cutting machines, formed parts can be sequenced and formed very quickly and accurately with high degrees of precision.
It is always easier to keep control of your cost by keeping control of the project on site. TMS keeps this mind and that is why we have the full complement of machines to complete your project. Equipment FAQ >
Our specialty is custom parts and structures for the trade show industry. 95% of our work is aluminum. We can weld mild and stainless steel as well. We have three Miller TIG welders and two MIG welders. TIG welding is our primary type of welding. All parts after that are welded use parts cut on either our laser, water jet or turret press. This allows us the fabrication process to move more quickly and efficiently.
When formed parts are needed we use our Toyokoki APB-5620Wu press brake and our 10' - 100 ton CNC Accurpress brake to complete the job. Our 3D bending and layout software can model and sequence the proper bends so we make most efficient use of the material and time.
TMS has the ability to do many complex machining jobs. Used in conjunction with our Laser or Waterjet we have the means to rough cut large parts, and do the finish machining in house. This makes it very cost effective and convenient for the customer as there is no need to send the part out to someone else for machining. See our press release at thefabricator.com >
With over 50 years of fabrication experience, The Metal Shop has amassed a diverse range of skills and knowledge drawn from a variety of industries, ranging from mold-making and machining to professional racing. However, our specialty is the fabrication of custom trade show exhibits working in cooperation with Catalyst Exhibits. Catalyst relies on the capabilities The Metal Shop offers. We help many of their designs come to life. With the equipment The Metal Shop has, Catalyst's designers have more freedom to create new and exciting projects. Working in this industry gives us the ability to do things quickly and accurately due to the very tight work deadlines. Rest assured your project will be given the same attention to time and detail as our exhibit clients.
The bread and butter of The Metal Shop has been the construction of the metal structure and parts used in making trade show exhibits for many of the largest companies in the world. Some of the clients we are contracted to do metal work for are Siemens Medical, Siemens Wind Power, Siemens Building Tech, Astra Zenica, Brainlab, Mori Seiki, Nokia, Adobe, Sara Lee, Andrew, and many hundreds more.
Catalyst Exhibits is the exhibit company at large we do all this work for. Our growth has been made possible by the hard work and vision of the owners and management of this fine company. Together both companies have grown from modest beginnings to being leaders in the field of trade show manufacturing.
The Metal Shop was started in 2002 by Duane Swift after spending 30 years in the Navy and working for another exhibit company the opportunity to start a small business was offered. From very humble beginnings of one drill press and MIG welder Duane was off and running. Since that date, the company has remained small but has gone from those meager tools to machinery assets of over one million dollars.
The Metal Shop has set course of growth to expand into markets which can use our many years of experience and our never say no attitude. We are actively seeking new partners to work with. We hope to have 50% growth within the next 2 year time frame. This can be accomplished by partnering with companies who have the vision and determination to innovate. With our history of growth over the past 8 years, we are confident that we can reach our goals even in tough times.
All Hands on Deck
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Metal Shop is currently running in full gear as we prepare for RSNA 2010. The team has been working long, hard hours to complete all the exhibit projects on time. Our work load is currently at a maximum, and we apologize to our customers for delayed target dates.
Precision Press Brake
Friday, November 12, 2010
We are pleased to announce the addition of a brand new, 100% electric Toyokoki APB-5620Wu Press Brake to our shop. The new brake was purchased to increase the shops productivity and accuracy (the ram positions to within ± 0.00039 inches. That's 1 micron!) The new brake will supplement our 10’ - 100 ton Accurpress already on the shop floor.
Around the Bend
Recently, we upgraded our Metamation software to MetaCAM-EX with the addition of the bend module. This new module allows us to create extremely precise custom formed parts from concept to tooling paths. It will also allow us to reverse engineer and unfold SolidWorks sheet metal files and many other file formats provided by customers, which in the past required time consuming calculations. This enables us to increase accuracy and precision while reducing quote and production time.