Technical Library
Stainless Fabrication, Explained
22 technical guides from a shop fabricating stainless since 1951: alloy selection, welding, ASTM A380 finishing, traceability, and procurement. For engineers and buyers who need answers, not sales pitches.
22 GUIDES · 5 TOPICS · UPDATED JUNE 2026
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Where to start, by situation
Three shortcuts into the library, matched to the job in front of you.
Writing the spec
Tolerances, finish callouts, and alloy choices that survive fabrication.
The Problem with Unrealistic Tolerances A Guide to Hygienic Surface Finishes Duplex vs. 316L: Strength and TCOQualifying a shop
The audit questions and the cost context for choosing a fabricator.
Selecting a Fabrication Partner Evaluating a Traceability Program Why Stainless Fabrication Costs MoreDiagnosing a failure
Weld-zone corrosion, free iron contamination, and mislabeled filler.
The Anatomy of Failure Preventing Stainless Field Failures That 316L Weld Wire Might Be 308Browse by topic
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Request a Quote Or talk to an engineer →Procurement and Sourcing
5 guidesWhat to know before the RFQ: qualifying a shop, setting tolerances that make sense, and understanding what stainless work actually costs.
How we quote-
Guide to Procuring Custom Stainless Steel Fabrications The OEM's guide to procurement, from metallurgy to total cost of ownership. White paper 32 min read · Aug 2025 -
Selecting a Custom Stainless Steel Fabrication Partner What to evaluate beyond the RFQ when qualifying a fabricator. White paper 31 min read · Aug 2025 -
The Problem with Unrealistic Metal Fabrication Tolerances How title-block tolerances drive cost, and where to spend tolerance where it matters. White paper 24 min read · Aug 2025 -
Beyond the Blueprint: Achieving Manufacturing Certainty Why “almost perfect” fails in precision sheet metal, and the process controls that prevent it. 7 min read · Sep 2025 -
Why Stainless Steel Fabrication Costs More (and Why It Should) The cost drivers behind stainless work and what that premium buys. 8 min read · Mar 2026
Alloys and Corrosion
5 guidesWe fabricate the full austenitic family, duplex 2205, 2507, and LDX 2101, and Hastelloy and AL-6XN to spec. These guides cover the metallurgy behind the build.
Materials we run-
Duplex vs. 316L Stainless Steel: A Guide to Strength, Corrosion Resistance, and TCO When duplex 2205 beats 316L, and when it doesn't. 3 min read · Aug 2025 - The Engineer's Guide to Duplex Stainless Steel Fabrication From blueprint to performance: heat control, procedures, and inspection for duplex. 8 min read · Aug 2025
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Hastelloy C-276 vs C-22 vs AL-6XN: Choosing a Corrosion Alloy C-276 for reducing acids, C-22 for oxidizing swings, AL-6XN for high-chloride service at lower cost. New 9 min read · Jun 2026 -
The Anatomy of Failure: Corrosion in Welded Stainless Steel A metallurgical analysis of the most common weld-zone corrosion failures. 8 min read · Sep 2025 -
Beyond the Alloy: A Guide to Preventing Stainless Steel Field Failures Why correctly specified alloys still fail in the field, and the fabrication steps that prevent it. 7 min read · Aug 2025
Quality and Traceability
3 guidesMaterial traceability and PMI run under our ISO 9001:2015 quality system, with a CWI on staff and ASNT SNT-TC-1A Level III NDE.
Our quality system-
The Risk of MTRs: A Guide to Material Traceability and PMI The hidden risk in your stainless supply chain, and how PMI closes it. 8 min read · Sep 2025 -
That 316L Weld Wire You Certified Might Be 308 A real mislabeled-filler case and what it means for your certifications. 5 min read · Aug 2025 - Evaluating a Fabricator's Material Quality and Traceability Program The audit questions that separate a quality system from a quality binder. 3 min read · Aug 2025
Finishing and Passivation
5 guidesCorrosion resistance is won or lost after the last weld. The chemistry and the callouts, grounded in ASTM A380/A967 work from our own 55-foot pickling booth.
In-house pickling and passivation-
A Deep Dive into Pickling and Passivation (ASTM A380) Engineering corrosion resistance into fabricated stainless, per the standard. White paper 26 min read · Aug 2025 -
Why Blasting Must Be Followed by Pickling The misconception that a bead-blasted surface is a corrosion-resistant surface. 5 min read · Sep 2025 -
Pickling vs Passivation vs Electropolishing: Choosing the Right Finish Pickling strips the depleted layer, passivation restores the oxide, electropolishing smooths it. How to spec each. New 8 min read · Jun 2026 - A Guide to Hygienic Surface Finishes for Stainless Steel Specifying Ra, polish, and passivation for food, beverage, and sanitary equipment. 3 min read · Aug 2025
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Specifying Consistent Architectural Stainless Steel Finishes A project manager's guide to finish callouts that survive fabrication. 3 min read · Aug 2025
Welding and Cutting
4 guidesProcess selection decides heat input, distortion, and cost before the first arc strikes. Procedures qualified to ASME BPVC Section IX and AWS D1.6, run by 60+ AWS-certified welders.
Welding services-
Laser Welding Services vs. TIG/MIG for Stainless Steel Where low-heat-input laser welding outperforms the arc, and where it doesn't. 3 min read · Aug 2025 -
Precision Edge Finishing: A Standard for Deburring and Edge Rounding Replacing “break all edges” ambiguity with a measurable standard. 3 min read · Aug 2025 -
Tube Laser Cutting Geometry: Copes, Miters, and Edge Bevels How a tube laser cuts copes and miters, why the default edge is square, and how to call out a weld prep. Reference Reference page - Beyond the Cut: How Advanced Fabrication Preserves Stainless Integrity How improper cutting compromises corrosion resistance and drives hidden cost per part. 6 min read · Aug 2025
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Beyond the guides
Answers, proof, and reference material that back up what you just read.
FAQ
Fabrication FAQ
Materials, certifications, finishing, and quoting, answered the way the shop actually runs.
BrowseVideo
Video Gallery
3D laser cutting, tube laser, laser welding, and robotic welding in motion.
BrowseReference
Alloy Pages
Austenitic, duplex, and Hastelloy and AL-6XN grades we run, with fabrication notes.
BrowseStill have a question about your spec?
Ask an engineer. We answer specification questions before you send a drawing.