McIver Engineering cuts, folds, welds and finishes sheet metal in house at Smithfield, taking flat material through to a finished part in mild steel, 304 and 316 stainless steel and aluminium.
The bulk of our sheet work runs in mild steel from 1.2 mm through to 6 mm, in 304 and 316 stainless from 0.9 mm to 5 mm, and in 5005 and 5083 grade aluminium sheet. Galvanised and zinc anneal sheet is used where a coating is wanted straight off the machine, and heavier mild steel plate is cut to 25 mm on the laser for base plates and structural gussets.
Grade choice matters more than thickness on most jobs. 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 5083 aluminium is chosen over 5005 where the part is welded and loaded rather than simply folded and mounted.
Material outside our regular stock range is sourced to order with mill certificates where the job calls for traceability. Tell us the grade and finish you need at quoting stage rather than after the sheet is cut.
Flat blanks are laser cut with bend reliefs and punched features in one operation, then folded on our press brake. We set bend allowances against the actual material rather than a nominal figure, which keeps hole positions and overall dimensions where the drawing says they should be once the part is formed.
Standard work includes single and multi hit box folds, hems, offsets, joggles and return flanges. Where a fold radius is critical to the fit of a mating part, or where the grain direction of a stainless finish has to run a particular way, note it on the drawing and we will set the job up accordingly.
Press brake tonnage and maximum fold length are confirmed against your part when we quote, so long panels and heavy gauge folds are checked before the material is ordered.
Folded parts are MIG welded in mild steel for strength and speed, and TIG welded in stainless and aluminium where the weld appearance and heat input matter. Corners are stitched, seam welded or fully welded and dressed depending on whether the part is structural, sealed or visible.
Finishing covers weld dressing, linishing to a consistent grain on stainless, deburring and edge breaking, and preparation for coating. Powder coating, galvanising and anodising are arranged with finishers we have used for years, so a single purchase order covers the part from flat sheet to delivered and coated.
Our 6 kW Bystronic DNE laser cuts mild steel to 25 mm, with stainless steel and aluminium in the thinner and mid gauges. Most sheet metal work runs in 1.2 mm to 6 mm. Folding capacity for the heavier gauges is confirmed per job when we quote.
Yes. We fabricate 304 and 316 stainless enclosures, cabinets and guards, TIG welded and dressed back so the seams are clean for wash down and food processing environments.
Yes. Bring the sample to our Smithfield workshop and we will measure it, produce a flat pattern and quote the fabrication. Supplying DXF, DWG or STEP files is faster and usually cheaper.
No. We fabricate single prototype parts through to repeating production batches for the same clients.
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