Recommendations for metal chassis manufacturers?

[wmtunate]

At my day job, we're in search of a metal fabricator to make small boxes for us.  90% of what we do is in aluminum, and most of it is hand-held size, typically with simple clamshell designs, various size round holes, and some PEM nuts and standoffs.  A few custom 1U and 2U rackmount pieces also.  Preferably, we'd like a place who handles powdercoat and silkscreen as well.  Small-scale orders, typically 50-100 pieces per year on some of our designs, but we've got about 15 different designs we need to have made periodically.

We've been using a local place for the past year or so who does all the powdercoat and silkscreen in-house, but their quality as of late has been lacking and we're getting tired of having to push deadlines while they correct mistakes.

Any recommendations?  I've explored the mfg.com route and we can't justify their fees based on what little we're doing.

 

[craigb]

I used Rapid Sheet Metal in New Hampshire for a project a couple of years ago. Good quality work, and I believe they do screening and powder coating. They require Solidworks files for production as I recall.

http://www.rapidsheetmetal.com/

 

[JohnRoberts]

I was pleased with the results I got from a metal fab in TX (Athena), but they will not be very happy with low volume orders like that. I suspect you will find it difficult to find, good quality, low prices, and low quantity. Pick any two (sorry old joke). You may be better off, biting the bullet and building some inventory, to get good quality parts.  or not...

Is there any way to standardize on the packaging to reduce the number of different metal parts?

JR

 

[BradAvenson]

I was pleased with the results I got from a metal fab in TX (Athena),

Do you mean http://www.athenamfg.com/?

These guys are right around the corner and I've never seen them before. 

 

[JohnRoberts]

Yup, that's them... I only did one piece with them (the bottom speaker grille for my current product), but it turned out fine...  IIRC it was water cut flat sheet steel, then powder coated, but it was a couple hundred pieces.

I don't know if they make sense for small quantity, but I believe they can do the work. 

JR

 

[BradAvenson]

Did you find them on something like MFG.com or was it a recommendation? 

I've explored the mfg.com route and we can't justify their fees based on what little we're doing.

I thought MFG.com was free unless you want to do more complicated automatic tracking of orders.  I haven't used the service in the last year, so maybe it changed. 

 

[JohnRoberts]

Did you find them on something like MFG.com or was it a recommendation? 

I've explored the mfg.com route and we can't justify their fees based on what little we're doing.

I thought MFG.com was free unless you want to do more complicated automatic tracking of orders.  I haven't used the service in the last year, so maybe it changed. 

It was based on a personal referral from an old friend who lives in Austin and worked at a contract manufacturer at the time. He was pretty dialed into suppliers in that area that support manufacturing from his work in outside sales, and I trust his advice. He used to work for me 20 years ago (at Peavey), and we keep in touch.

JR