In a fabrication-only arrangement, the general contractor purchases custom-fabricated metal components from a shop and then takes responsibility for everything else: coordinating the installation sub, managing the field schedule, reviewing shop drawings, and handling any field issues that come up during installation.

This model works well when:

You have a reliable installation sub already in place. If you’ve got a glazing contractor or specialty metals installer you trust — someone who knows how to read shop drawings, work to tight tolerances, and handle field conditions — fabrication-only can be a clean, efficient approach. You’re essentially buying a product and managing the labor separately.

The scope is straightforward. Copings, fascias, simple column covers, standard brake shapes — these are the kinds of items where fabrication-only tends to be efficient. The field execution isn’t particularly complex, and there’s no reason to pay a premium for turnkey coordination on a job that a competent glazier can run in their sleep.

You want direct control over the installation schedule. When you’re managing your own installation sub, you set the sequence. You decide when the metals crew is on site and how they integrate with the rest of the trades. For GCs who are detail-oriented about scheduling, this kind of control has real value.

The trade-off: you own more of the risk. If the fabricated pieces don’t fit the field condition, you’re the one making the phone calls and paying for modifications. If the installation sub has a problem, you’re coordinating the resolution. The fabricator’s job ends when the material ships.

Let’s walk through what a typical wrong order actually costs — not just the dollar amount on the replacement invoice, but the full picture.

Crew time. The moment the crew realizes the material doesn’t work, the clock is running on labor that isn’t producing anything. Depending on what time the material arrived and how long it takes to confirm the problem, you might be looking at an hour or more of labor just sorting out what happened — before anyone even picks up a phone to call the fabricator.

Rescheduling. A glazing crew that can’t install stays on the job site doing fill work, gets moved to another project, or goes home. If they get moved, you now have a sequencing problem on both jobs. If they go home, you’re paying for that too — either directly or through the goodwill you’re spending with your own workforce.

Delay downstream. Glazing is rarely the last trade through a space. If the glass and metal don’t go in on schedule, everything that follows — caulking, paint touch-up, finish carpentry, punch list — gets pushed. Depending on where you are in the project schedule, one day of delay can cascade into a week by the time the GC’s schedule sorts itself back out.

The reorder itself. Custom brake metal isn’t something you pull off a shelf. A reorder means    re-submitting the job, getting back in the fabrication queue, and waiting for delivery. In a busy market, that could mean days. In a very busy market, it could mean longer. And while you’re waiting, the job is standing still.

The relationship cost. This is the one that doesn’t show up on any invoice but matters the most in the long run. Every time a subcontractor shows up to a GC’s job site with a problem that could have been prevented, a little bit of trust gets spent. It might not be enough to cost you the next bid, but it adds up over time. Reputation in this industry is a long game, and your fabricator’s mistakes become your mistakes in the eyes of the people above you in the food chain.

Architectural metal installation companies often intersect with multiple trades on job sites, including glazing contractors, millworkers, drywall installers, flooring installers, and electrical teams.  Without proper coordination, these trades can find themselves stepping on each other’s toes, or, worse, producing work that will later have to be torn out and replaced due to oversight of trade overlaps.  Proper coordination can help to avoid this sort of delay.

Many metals used in construction—especially aluminum and steel—are highly recyclable. In fact:

• Aluminum can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality
• Steel is one of the most recycled materials in the world

This makes metal a strong candidate for sustainable design.

If brake metal is not fabricated precisely, a wide variety of issues can arise.  For one, if long pieces of brake metal are not formed on quality press brakes, the angle can vary along the length of the part.  Or, if a large profile is fabricated with metal that is too thin, the installed piece may exhibit “oil-canning.”  Brake metal that is fabricated on a hand brake may also have a large bend radius, as opposed to a sharp, crisp bend radius that can be achieved on a press brake with sufficient tonnage.  These types of problems can lead to field adjustments, or worse, remakes. 

Custom metal elements help define a space and reinforce brand identity. Common applications include:

• Entryways and storefront accents
• Branded feature walls
• Custom bar fronts and backdrops
• Decorative screens and partitions

These elements create visual impact while maintaining durability.

Picture a room with a large curved overhead furdown that an architect wants to clad in sleek brushed stainless steel.  The classic approach would have been to either (A) Make cardboard templates that could be taken back to the shop and drawn; or (B) Finding the center point of the curve to determine the radius and measuring the arc length, and using those dimensions to re-create the curve.  Being overhead, either approach would have involved multiple ladders or lifts, and at least two people.

With a 3D Scanner, the measuring process is much simpler:  make sure the view is unobstructed, set up the device on its tripod, power it up, and let it go to work!  This will allow you to pick up every nuance of the surface within a couple of minutes, with data that can be taken back to the shop and imported into your CAD program.

MIG Welding – An electric arc is created between a consumable electrode and a metal plate on the weld zone.  The welding pool (made from the melted metal) is shielded by an inert gas, which protects the area from contamination.

This is called “mill finish” for a simple reason – this is the way the sheet looks straight from the mill.  While stainless steel is generally thought of as a shiny metal, a 2B finish is more of a dull, matte finish.  Also, because it is not typically handled in the mill as an architectural product, it frequently has blemishes or hairline scratches visible in the surface.  It also is not a finish that can be re-created by typical finishing tools, so it is not recommended in areas where maintaining this finish is critical.  Think of mill finish as more of an industrial finish, when you need the corrosion resistance of stainless steel without high concerns for the cosmetic appearance of the metal.

In mission-critical environments, systems do not get second chances.

When a longtime manufacturer unexpectedly shut down, a government program was left with an active, in-use A/V cabinet and no way to replace it. There were no original drawings. No documentation. And no tolerance for failure.

Environamics took ownership of the challenge, reverse-engineering the solution and rebuilding the design from the ground up. To execute the fabrication, they partnered with Astro, a precision manufacturing partner known for complex, custom work under demanding constraints.

Together, the teams recreated the cabinet with exacting standards, refining the design for manufacturability, durability, and future production. What emerged was not just a replacement, but an improved, repeatable solution.

This short film captures what’s possible when experience, engineering, and partnership align.

Watch the full film on YouTube
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