- Thickness is a stiffness decision, not a price decision.
- A box is folds, welds and a way to clean it, not four sides.
- If you need twenty, build one and then build a jig.
Sheet metal fabrication is the unglamorous half of the Moorebank workshop: drip trays, machine guards, hopper bodies, electrical covers, plinth skins, custom boxes that do not exist in a catalogue. Sydney kitchens and architectural jobs are built from this work. So are the one-off parts a plant manager in Western Sydney walks in with on a Thursday, or a crate we send to Perth or Adelaide.
Start with what the part has to do
- Hold liquid, so it needs a fall, coved corners and welded seams.
- Guard a moving part, so it needs stiffness, fixings you can remove, and no sharp returns.
- Look finished in a room, so grain, thickness and the visible face matter.
- Come off for service, so fasteners cannot be a row of self-tappers into thin sheet.
Thickness is structure
0.9mm is fine for a small cover. A 1200mm tray in 0.9mm oils-can the first time someone leans on it. We will push 1.2mm or 1.5mm, or add a return and a stiffener, because a dented tray is not cheaper. It is a callback.
| Typical part | Starting thickness | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Small cover or trim | 0.9 to 1.2mm | Hem the edge if a hand can reach it |
| Kitchen tray or wet bench skin | 1.2mm 304 | Fall, coves, welded seams |
| Guard or hopper | 1.5 to 2mm | Stiffeners and removable panels |
| Architectural panel | 1.5mm plus | Grain, flatness, how it is hung |
One, then twenty
A single custom cover is a drawing and a brake. A run of twenty is a first-off, a jig and the same welder on the same fixture. Tell us the quantity up front. The unit price only drops if we are allowed to set the job up properly.
Sheet metal looks simple until you open a box that was folded by four different people.
What to send
A sketch or a sample, the overall size, what sits in it or on it, and how it has to come apart. If you have a broken original from a site in Sydney or interstate, bring that. It is still the best drawing we get.