# Short-Run & Low-Volume Metal Fabrication

https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/services/short-run-production

Low-volume sheet metal fabrication builds a prototype, bridge run, replacement batch, or high-mix set with the press brake and any fixtures set up for that batch. K-Display, a Chicago sheet metal fabricator, builds these batches from your drawings and supplies them bare, powder coated, hardware installed, or assembled.

## Overview
A prototype or low-volume batch of brackets, panels, or enclosures arrives cut, formed, welded, powder coated, fitted with hardware, or assembled, in steel, stainless steel, or aluminum. The press brake, the welding fixtures, and the cutting program are set for that batch and built to the revision sent with it. OEM Sheet Metal Fabrication holds a released drawing for the repeat orders that follow, which suits a part whose design has stopped changing.

## Materials
- Carbon steel
- Galvanized steel
- Galvanneal
- Stainless steel
- Aluminum

## Production volume
Prototypes, bridge production, replacement runs, and low-volume, high-mix programs.

## Applications
- First-article brackets and enclosures built to the current revision, so a fit can be checked before the design is released.
- Bridge runs of a panel or bracket that keep a line supplied until production tooling is ready.
- Replacement covers and panels for equipment in service, cut to the mounting pattern of the part they replace.
- High-mix sets of related brackets and plates, several variants ordered together, each built to its own drawing.

## Process
- Cut the parts: We laser cut the flat pieces for every part and variant in the batch.
- Form the parts: We form the flat pieces on the press brake, and set a fixture for the geometry that needs one.
- Weld and coat: We weld the batch and powder coat it, pressing in the threaded hardware before the coat.
- Ship the batch: The batch leaves bare, powder coated, hardware installed, or assembled.

## Design considerations
A replacement cover fits the enclosure it goes on, not its own outline, so its holes come from that enclosure's mounting pattern; with only the outer dimensions, the holes land wrong. We cut the holes to the pattern on the drawing of that enclosure. A tolerance called on every dimension gives a mating hole and a free edge the same weight, so nothing marks which features decide the fit. Call the tolerance on the mating holes and bends that decide it; we form and cut those to the callout and the rest to the drawing's general note.

## FAQ
**What counts as a short run at K-Display?**
There is no universal unit cutoff. Fit depends on geometry, setup, tooling, material, finish, assembly, repeat demand, and the complete production route.

**Can K-Display move from prototype to repeat production?**
Yes. Share the current quantity and expected follow-on demand so revision control, tooling, finishing, and assembly can be reviewed for both stages.

**What should I send for a short-run quote?**
Send the current files, revision, material, thickness, quantities, finish, hardware or assembly requirements, and desired delivery schedule.

## Related pages
- [OEM Sheet Metal Fabrication](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/services/oem-component-fabrication)
- [Single-Source Metal Fabrication](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/services/single-source-metal-fabrication)
- [Laser Cutting](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/laser-cutting)
- [Custom Sheet Metal Mounting Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/mounting-brackets)
- [Custom Cable & Sensor Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/cable-sensor-brackets)
- [Custom Machine Housings & Covers](https://kdisplay.com/products/panels-covers/machine-housings-covers)
- [Custom Test Stand & Fixture Frames](https://kdisplay.com/products/frames-weldments/test-stand-fixture-frames)