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Pretty-Boy-Metal?

| Updated March 19, 2024People ask often, so what do you guys exactly make?

The elevator pitch for that question, even though we have been considering it for years, is not an easy one. All things said, the one phrase that seems to resonate best is simple this: pretty-boy-metal.

Admittedly, this is not exactly PC these days, but it sums things up.

All Metals Fabrication really has its roots in fabricating projects that look nice but are not overwhelming large or heavy.

Certainly, there is a niche for heavy plate & structural metal. Indeed, there are fab shops around us that work with heavy plate that can be as thick as two inches—even thicker.

AMF’s niche is much lighter, and we like fabricating items that take finesse and require top level cosmetics.

It is not uncommon for our work to be found on light rail train cars, museums, universities, labs, airports, commercial office spaces, water filtration plants and a host of other spaces where metal has to not only function but look great.

We sorta’ abhor rust, oxidization, contamination, scratches, dents and dings. In fact, internally, we like to refer to our welders as fabricators. The name difference implies that to be successful at AMF you must be more than a welder. You must be a craftsman & skilled fabricator.

Laying down a bead of weld is not good enough at AMF, it must be a nice-looking weld and the part, when finished, must not only function, but look fantastic.

Clearly, not every job goes perfectly, but that is our aim. If you find a person doing push-ups in the corner of the shop, you will know he is getting punished for something that doesn’t look great. 😊

Fabricating metal that requires great touch is not something that our employees pickup overnight.

Most of our new hires go through months of training to gain the touch which we are espousing.

A few examples of our work might be helpful.

One recently completed project has been a large job for the Salt Lake City Airport where we manufactured, literally, thousands of 16 GA #4 Stainless Steel panels. These panels line all the escalators, moving walkways and stair landings. Each panel was measured from template, laser cut to size, intricately formed, labeled and packaged for the installation crews.

Example of Stainless Metal that looks pretty

SLC Airport, 16 GA #4 Stainless Steel

Obviously, that type of work requires perfection. There could be no scratches, moons, dings or dents whatsoever.

The end result was zero rejected panels and an airport full of pretty-boy-metal that everyone regularly sees but, perhaps, doesn’t even notice.

Pretty also works on technical industrial items like stainless steel wastewater treatment parts.

These types of parts require the strictest adherence to non-contamination. Most people do not know that Stainless Steel can be contaminated by carbon steel particles if not handled correctly. Those carbon steel particles will rust and bleed all over the stainless steel. No one wants to view stainless steel with rust marks.

Example of great looking weld.

Stainless Steel Water Treatment Parts

Special care must be taken to handle the stainless perfectly. It cannot sit on steel tables; it cannot be worked with tools that were previously used on carbon steel; it cannot be subject to nearby grinding on other carbon steel parts. In fact, it is critical to manage even the steel forklift tines when moving parts from place-to-place.

Functionally, a little carbon contamination will not hurt stainless steel, but it doesn’t look good. Once again, we are back to pretty-boy-metal.

Fabrication for AMF is still a craft.

Today’s fabrication requires the latest in speed and technology, but AMF still thrives on manufacturing with a purpose and the art of pretty.

Naturally, in this industry, pretty is not quite the right word but if you are ever caught in an elevator and have just a moment to explain our company, it seems like it might be acceptable.

Lasers, punches, shears, forming brakes, rolls, grinding and welding machines are all at ready to fabricate metal that the world needs and sees regularly. We want it to function perfectly and look fantastic.

When someone asks what we do it is hard to articulate in one quick sentence but take-a-look around and find something fabricated from metal. If it looks great, it might have come from All Metals Fabrication!

About the Author

Rich Marker

All Metals Fabrication Owner and CEO

Rich Marker is an 18 year, skilled professional in metal fabrication and manufacturing. Co-founder, owner and principal of All Metals Fabrication, Rich has helped to sustain the company’s success over a variety of economic conditions. He has extensive background in continuous improvement, training and process improvement, and emotional intelligence—among other specialized proficiencies. He loves to learn, fly fish, watch college football and devour NY style pizza! He has the best family on earth, loves a good plan, great teaching and the opportunity to get better.

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