A Guide to Large-Scale Fabrication at Custom Engineering
A large weldment can weigh several tons and run dozens of feet long. Your fabricator needs cranes, floor space, and machine tools sized for a part that big. Finding a shop equipped for the whole job can be a challenge.
At Custom Engineering, you get one shop for your large-scale fabrication project from the first cut through final inspection. Our welders, machinists, and inspectors work from your approved drawings, so you receive a finished part checked against your specifications.
Read on to learn more about pricing and quotes in this guide to large-scale fabrication at Custom Engineering.
Get a Quote for Large-Scale Fabrication
What Entails a Large-Scale Fabrication Project?
Large-scale fabrication covers welded and machined metal structures often weighing several tons and running dozens of feet in length. Shops plan nearly every step of these jobs around the weight and length of the part:
- Lifting and Positioning: Crews often lift and flip a large weldment during the build and need cranes and positioners rated for the heaviest of those lifts.
- Fit-Up Surface: Fitters tack long assemblies together on a flat and level floor or fixture to keep small slopes from growing into large errors at the far end.
- Weld Distortion: Welds on thick plate shrink during cooling and can pull flanges and long members out of alignment.
- Mill Size: Shops need a mill with enough table length and axis travel to machine critical features across a long weldment.
- Shipping Limits: Fabricators split some structures into sections to fit the width, height, and weight limits of trucks, railcars, and barges.
Large-Scale Fabrication Services From Custom Engineering
Custom Engineering is a contract manufacturing and machining company based in Erie, PA. We specialize in large metal fabrication and machining for OEMs across the United States and globally. Our customers work in a wide range of industries, including power generation, oil and gas, mining, construction, and aerospace and defense.
We designed our manufacturing facility to produce mid- to large-scale metal fabrications:
- Facility and Weldment Size: Our facility has over 200,000 square feet of manufacturing space and accommodates weldments up to and over 60 feet long and weighing up to 160,000 pounds.
- Precision Fit-Up: We have developed a specialized flooring system for accurate fit-up on a square and level work surface to hold close tolerances.
- Welding Team: Our 30-plus certified welders work from over 180 qualified welding procedures with certified welding inspectors and welding engineers on site.
- Large-Part Machining: We specialize in large-scale heavy industrial machining projects exceeding 720 inches long and 186 inches wide with a team of 30-plus skilled machinists.
- Quality Credentials: Our credentials include ISO 9001:2015 certification by NQA, the ASME U stamp, and ITAR registration.
Our Fabrication Capabilities by Application
Our builds range from 12-inch-square heating platens to weldments over 60 feet long and weighing up to 160,000 pounds. Review the table below to find the weight, size, force, pressure, or flatness rating for each product line:
| If Your Project Needs | What We Build | Capability |
| A base for heavy equipment | Baseplates, soleplates, foundation plates, platforms and skids | 2,500 to 160,000 pounds with flatness of 0.005 inch per linear foot |
| Aerospace or defense ground support | Rocket transport barges or platforms, launch infrastructure systems and ground support equipment | Positioners with capacity up to 55,000 pounds |
| Pressure containment | ASME Section VIII Division I pressure vessels | Internal and external pressures exceeding 15 psig |
| Research or test infrastructure | Piping systems and test stands | Prototypes, replacement assemblies or small production runs |
| Rubber, wood or composite molding | Cooling and heating platens | As small as 12 inches square, as wide as 15 feet and as long as 50 feet |
| Hot form pressing or high-pressure laminating | Up-acting, down-acting, C-frame and 4-post hydraulic presses | More than 2,400 tons of force |
| Long and accurate holes | Bolsters, fixtures and other industrial components | Deep-hole drilling from 0.25 to 2 inches in diameter and up to 20 feet long |
We also fabricate weldments outside these seven applications. Examples include large diesel engine oil pans, electrical enclosures, storage tanks, and amusement park rides. You can compare the machined features on your part against the axis travel and table size of each mill on our Capabilities page.
Our Build Sequence for Large Weldments
We cut plates on our burn tables and form bends on brake presses before fitting the pieces together. Our fitters tack the components in place and check alignment on the level fabrication floor. Certified welders then sequence the welds under qualified procedures to limit distortion across the assembly.
Weld shrinkage can shift mounting points, so our machinists finish critical surfaces and bolt patterns on the cooled weldment. For coated structures, blasting prepares the metal surface for the specified finish. Our team also handles any final assembly included in the order.
How We Verify Large Fabrications
Approved drawings and applicable codes set the inspection requirements before fabrication begins. We use visual examination and any specified magnetic particle, liquid penetrant, ultrasonic, or radiographic testing to check the welds. The FARO laser tracker measures fit-up on large assemblies and checks machined surfaces against the drawing.
ASME vessel work includes a hydrotest and a Manufacturer’s Data Report signed by an authorized inspector. National laboratory orders can add material certifications, welding documentation, and dimensional inspection reports. We keep each project’s records tied to its approved drawings through delivery.
Customer Drawings and Press Design
Your drawings and specifications govern our machine base and pressure vessel builds as well as our aerospace ground support work. We’ll review machine base loads and applicable standards with your team during fabrication planning. Machine base design and engineering remain with your team throughout that review and the build.
We build hydraulic presses from your drawings or design them for your required force and operating temperature. Our engineers use your platen dimensions in the press design and can also design large heated platens. Reverse engineering captures the dimensions of an existing press or platen for fabrication.
What to Provide for a Fabrication Quote
Current drawings and specifications establish the assembly’s material, dimensions, and critical tolerances. An estimated finished weight helps us check lifting capacity and plan handling. We also need equipment loads for bases, design pressure for vessels, and force and platen dimensions for presses.
Design ownership affects the work we quote, so identify the design owner and applicable codes in your request. Inspection requirements determine the tests and records, and shipping limits affect the size of the delivered assembly. Include order quantity and target delivery date with the drawings, then upload the package through our quote form.
Choose Custom Engineering for Large-Scale Fabrication
Large-scale fabrication means planning every lift, weld, and machined surface around the weight and length of the part. Send complete drawings, applicable codes, and inspection requirements up front to get an accurate quote and a part built to your specifications.
Custom Engineering fabricates, machines, and inspects large weldments to your drawings and specifications. Our engineers can also design a hydraulic press for your required force and operating temperature.
Click below for a quote and to learn more about large-scale fabrication at Custom Engineering.
