McIver Engineering cuts, folds and welds metal at one workshop in Smithfield. A flat sheet becomes a finished bracket, guard, enclosure or frame without leaving the building, in mild steel, 304 and 316 stainless steel and aluminium, for manufacturers across Western Sydney and the rest of Australia.
Send DXF, DWG, STEP or PDF files, or bring a sample part to the workshop and we will measure it and produce the flat pattern. Quoting is free. Straightforward cut and folded parts are usually quoted within 24 hours, and welded assemblies with bought in items and finishing can take up to five days, because we price the whole job rather than guess at the parts we have not seen.
Blanks are cut on our 6 kW Bystronic DNE fibre laser, with every hole, slot, cutout and bend relief cut in the same operation, so a feature change is a file change rather than new tooling. Folding is done on our own floor, and where a fold is too thick or too long for our own press brake the job goes to a press brake subcontractor we have used for years, managed by us under the same purchase order. Welding is MIG in mild steel and TIG in stainless and aluminium, by trade qualified welders, at Smithfield.
Every fabrication is checked back to the drawing after welding, because distortion is what most often puts an otherwise sound job out of tolerance. Material certificates are supplied on request for jobs that need traceability. One purchase order and one point of contact cover the part from flat sheet to delivered and coated.
Material comes first: the grade and the thickness. 316 stainless costs more than 304, and both cost more than mild steel, and every step up in thickness adds material and cutting time. Sheet is bought in for your job rather than drawn from a fixed stock range, so telling us the grade and gauge at quoting stage keeps the price accurate.
Then the amount of work in the part: the length of cut, the number of holes, the number of folds and the length of weld. A bracket with four folds costs more than the same bracket with two. A fully welded and dressed seam costs more than a stitched one, which is why we ask whether a joint is structural, sealed or visible before we quote it.
Finish is the next line. Weld dressing, linishing and deburring are done in house. Powder coating, galvanising and anodising are arranged with finishers we have used for years and added to the same purchase order, so they show as a line on the quote rather than a surprise later.
Quantity moves the unit price more than anything else, because setting up the laser, the press brake and the weld fixtures is the same work for one part as for fifty. Single prototypes are everyday work here and there is no minimum order, but the quote will show the setup clearly so you can see what a repeat batch would cost.
Up to about five parts takes two to three weeks. Fifty to one hundred parts takes four to six weeks. Five hundred or more takes six to seven weeks. Quantities between those bands are quoted individually, every quote confirms the lead time in writing, and rush and breakdown work is taken on where the floor allows. If you have a deadline, tell us up front so the work is planned to hit it.
For repeat production quantities of enclosures and folded assemblies that do not need to be made in Sydney, our sister business Global Supply Network sources sheet metal fabrication overseas with engineering oversight from the same group.
The bulk of our sheet work runs in mild steel from 1.2 mm to 6 mm, in 304 and 316 stainless from 0.9 mm to 5 mm, and in 5005, 5052 and 5083 aluminium sheet. Galvanised and zinc anneal sheet is used where a coating is wanted straight off the machine. Heavier mild steel plate is laser cut to 16 mm for base plates and gussets, with stainless and aluminium cut to 8 mm, and thicker plate sourced for the customer.
304 stainless is the default for indoor and general industrial work. 316 is specified where chlorides, coastal air or wash down chemicals are involved, and stainless is kept separate from carbon steel work, with dedicated consumables and abrasives, so a food grade job stays clean. 5083 aluminium is chosen over 5005 where the part is welded and loaded rather than simply folded and mounted.
Yes. One off brackets, frames, guards and enclosures are everyday work, and there is no minimum order quantity. Small quantities cost more per part because the setup is spread over fewer pieces, and the quote shows that clearly.
Yes. Stainless and aluminium are TIG welded, with back purging where the inside of the joint has to stay clean, and mild steel is MIG welded. Our welders hold trade qualifications. McIver Engineering does not hold a company level ISO or AS9100 certification, so if your drawing calls up a specific standard, raise it at enquiry stage.
DXF, DWG, STEP or PDF. DXF is best for laser cut parts and STEP for folded or welded assemblies. If you only have a sample, bring it to Smithfield and we will measure it and produce the drawing.
Yes. Weld dressing, linishing and deburring are done in house, and powder coating, galvanising and anodising are arranged with finishers we have used for years, so the whole job stays on one purchase order.
Up to about five parts takes two to three weeks, fifty to one hundred parts four to six weeks, and five hundred or more six to seven weeks. Every quote confirms the lead time. Rush work is taken on where the floor allows.
Yes, mill certificates and traceability are supplied on request. Ask at order stage so the right stock is allocated from the outset.
Send us your drawings or call our Sydney workshop direct.
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