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• Material Properties:
  • Commercially pure aluminum with excellent corrosion resistance.
  • Relatively low strength but highly formable.
• Advantages:
  • Commonly used for applications where corrosion resistance is critical, like food packaging and chemical handling equipment.
  • Easy to work with due to its excellent formability.

• According to a recent in-depth report released by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC), Pennsylvania is the sixth most productive state in the nation according to total manufacturing output. At $116 billion in 2022, that high level of productivity accounts for 13.8% of the state’s total GSP.
• Perhaps due to its proximity to the Midwest region, Pennsylvania is often falsely considered to be a farming state. In fact, the agricultural industry is extremely small compared to PA’s manufacturing sector. At 0.7% GSP, you would have to combine agriculture with the entire construction industry (3.9%), the transportation/warehousing sector (4.4%), utilities (1.9%), as well as mining/resource extraction (2.2%) all together to roughly equal the GSP of industrial manufacturing by itself (13.8%).
• We also hold the sixth position in terms of manufacturing jobs, employing 4.5% of America’s total manufacturing workforce. For 2022, that equates to more than 575,000 full-time jobs paying out nearly $41 billion in annual wages to Pennsylvanians.
• Since 2007, the Pennsylvania manufacturing industry’s total output has grown substantially at 49.3%, increasing from $77.8 billion to $116.3 billion annually. While that level of growth is impressive in itself, it’s even more so in context: it far surpassed the growth levels of so-called competing states including Michigan and Ohio (both showing 39.6% growth) as well North Carolina (28.1%) and New York (22.2%).

Increasingly Capable CNC Manufacturing Technology

From conventional milling and turning processes to specialized fabrication techniques like plasma cutting and laser cutting services, computer numerical control (CNC) systems have transformed the way we manufacture many industrial steel products. At Alloy Fabrication, our integrated CNC systems allow us to more easily access customers’ detailed part designs, load them onto the appropriate machine and ultimately bring the product to life – all while maintaining absolute precision and repeatability of all tolerances and specifications.

However, technological progress has not removed the art and craftsmanship from industrial fabrication. These advanced CNC systems and metalworking tools require highly skilled and experienced process engineers, machine operators, as well as quality control experts to continuously monitor the end result. And that’s not to mention all of the art and engineering that goes into designing the product itself…as well as orchestrating an optimized production process that best suits the supply chain of each unique industrial project that comes through our facility.

Advances in Steel Materials Science

Innovations in materials science allow us to fabricate stronger, more reliable and sustainable industrial products than ever before. For example, the development of advanced high-strength steel alloys has allowed for the creation of lighter and more durable structural steel fabrications. Likewise, specialized metal coatings and treatments substantially increase the service life of steel components in many applications, highly resisting oxidation, chemical corrosion, as well as common wear and tear.

Prefabrication and Modular Construction for Industrial Systems

Prefabrication techniques have gained popularity in many industrial applications, allowing for the efficient assembly of equipment on-site to reduce processing time and costs. For example, Alloy Fabrication has manufactured modular process skids that integrate numerous complex production processes into a mobile and/or space-saving configuration. In terms of science and technology, industrial processing equipment is more complex and complicated than ever before, but so are the design and manufacturing methods that we put into it.

More Capable, Precise, and Repeatable Steel Cutting Processes

State-of-the-art metal cutting machines allow us to accurately produce and reproduce the complex shapes and intricate designs required in many modern industrial projects. At Alloy Fabrication, we utilize 3D plasma cutting, laser cutting, as well as waterjet cutting services to offer the most efficient cutting method for various steel thicknesses and product designs. These extremely advanced metal cutting tools allow us to tackle a wider range of industrial fabrications with higher precision and faster turnaround than is possible with traditional equipment.

3D Digital Design and Programming

Accuracy and repeatability in industrial fabrication are achieved through meticulously laying out product designs via computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems. At Alloy, we use AutoCad Mechanical 2011 Drafting and SOLIDWORKS reader to seamlessly access customers’ designs, load them into the proper production machine, and ultimately bring the products to life. is conveniently located right up the road in Reading, PA, and you can reach out anytime to discuss your project directly with our team.

Precision CNC Machines

CAD/CAM software goes hand-in-hand with CNC machining equipment. Industrial steel fabricators like Alloy rely upon extremely capable CNC milling and turning systems to machine our customers’ complex product designs into quality metal products. Compared to manual machining, CNC machining services provide higher speed, higher capacity, and much higher repeatability from one product to the next.

Precision Metal Cutting Systems

CNC milling and turning aren’t the only precision metal cutting options available to modern fabrication shops. Perhaps the most high-tech option is 3D plasma cutting – an advanced CNC machine that generates ~40,000° F plasma jets to make accurate metal cuts with 0.01” accuracy. At Alloy, we also utilize highly accurate laser cutting and waterjet cutting systems to fully round out our precision metalworking capabilities.

Industrial Welding Equipment

No industrial fabrication shop would be complete without an integrated full-service welding department. Welding is how we join all of the precision machined/cut parts and components together into complete assemblies. Structural steel welding services and jobsite installation equipment welding are also commonly needed in today’s industrial sector.

Precision Metal Forming Equipment

In addition to machining, cutting, and welding, many industrial components need to be precisely formed into shape. That’s where metal forming and rolling services come into play. At Alloy, our 10’ x 120-ton press brake system accommodates a wide range of plate forming and 5/16” steel plate rolling requirements, offering highly accurate dimensionality and repeatability.

Material Handling Systems – Automated and Otherwise

In the modern fabrication facility, materials are constantly being transported, stored, pulled, and loaded into machines. Likewise, in-process and completed products are constantly being unloaded, reloaded, packaged, and sent out for delivery.

Staying lean, fast, and efficient requires some advanced material handling equipment, with many modern options incorporating automation features to reduce labor and improve workplace safety. Conventional systems for handling huge industrial products are still used as well, such as our facility’s 10-ton-capacity overhead crane system.

Better Response and Customer Service

Anyone who has worked extensively with overseas manufacturers probably knows all too well the pitfalls of communication involved. It can be impossible to get a timely response, and when you do there can often be issues with translation or general back-and-forth inefficiency. In contrast, Alloy’s 14,000 sq.-ft facility is conveniently located right up the road in Reading, PA, and you can reach out anytime to discuss your project directly with our team.

Shorter Lead Times and Turnaround

Being lean and local, we can offer much faster response, shorter lead times, and quicker turnaround. We can also expedite our fabrication services to meet rapid turnaround needs for critical products or other reduced lead time requirements.

Meeting Local Regulations, Compliances, and Quality Standards

A highly experienced American manufacturer, our company is much more familiar with the rules, regulations, and compliances that are relevant to domestic customers. Whether it’s local building codes for structural steel fabrications, specific quality compliances, or adherence to environmental standards, we can help ensure that your products are properly built to every needed specification.

Leaner, More Sustainable Manufacturing

Offshore manufacturing necessitates sprawl throughout your supply chain. Beyond the complicated logistics of international shipping, you often have to contend with different aspects of your project being contracted out to multiple overseas vendors. With Alloy, we handle all of the procurement, production, and secondary processes on our end to offer your project a simpler, single-source solution – always with an eye toward long-term sustainability.

Laser cutting machines produce an extremely intense beam of light that generates enough heat to melt or vaporize the metal in its path. The high-power laser beam is generated by stimulating lasing materials (such as carbon dioxide gas) with electrical discharges in the machine. The resulting laser beam is amplified bouncing between internal mirrors, before a series of additional mirrors reflect the beam through a spherical lens.

The emitted laser beam is then precisely controlled via CNC automation, which robotically guides extremely accurate cuts across the workpiece. Due to the highly controllable nature of laser beam intensity, partial cuts can be made for custom engraving or part marking.

For laser cutting services, the optimal material thickness is generally between 3mm to 10mm (0.12” to 0.39”), though thicknesses up to 30mm (1.18”) or more are generally possible with extra processing time and care.

Essentially, heavy plate steel is just a thick type of metal stock. Technically, pretty much any steel grade could be used for heavy plating. However, for reasons of practical application, there are a number of steel grades more commonly used for heavy plating than others. Extremely strong, sometimes abrasion-resistant metals are often chosen to magnify the high-strength properties of the heavy steel components being manufactured.

Some of the most common types of heavy plate steel include:

S-Beams – The American Standard Beam – S-beams, also known as the American Standard Beam, are rolled beams featuring two parallel flanges and a central connecting web. The flanges are designed with tapered edges to maximize strength – which would otherwise require much wider flanges. S-beams deliver an extremely high level of strength and stability, making them ideal for various commercial building applications, industrial structures and installations, as well as lifting and hoisting equipment.

L-Beams (Angle Beams) – Also referred to as steel angle bars or angle beams, L-beams are relatively simple structural fabrications, featuring two straight legs connected at a 90-degree angle. Angle beams often cost less than their counterparts, generally take up less space, and are ideal for basic bracing, framing, and flooring applications.

I-Beams and H-Beams –I-beams are sometimes referred to interchangeably as H-beams. They both feature parallel flanges with a vertical web and a similar cross-sectional profile. A major difference is that I-beams have tapered flanges, whereas H-beams have a rectangular profile with wider straight flanges. This gives H-beams a greater moment of inertia to resist bending, making them more suitable for use as load-bearing columns. I-beams, in comparison, are generally lighter and offer a higher strength-to-weight ratio due to the tapering.

T-Beams (Tee Beams) – Simpler in design than many other structural steel shapes, tee-beams feature a single flange and stem in a T-shape configuration. T-beams are less commonly used in today’s industrial fabrication projects, generally in favor of I-beams due to their higher strength afforded by the additional flange.

C-Beams (Channel Beams) – Commonly referred to as channel beams or C-channels, C-beams feature a C-shaped profile with one-sided flanges connected to the top and bottom of a wide web. This unique configuration allows for maximum surface contact for flat mounting, and allows the beam to remain flexible while still exhibiting extremely high strength. Channel beams are therefore commonly used for architectural applications like building supports, framework, and even bridges.

Fabricated Storage Tanks – Custom fabricated tanks are used throughout the industry to store a wide range of liquids, gasses, and bulk solids. Special considerations must be made to fabricate a reliable, cost-effective storage tank solution for each unique application. For example chemical processing, wastewater treatment, and food and beverage storage all require vastly different storage tank solutions – not only different in size, shape and design but also in materials, strength and various regulatory requirements.

Custom Welded Pressure Vessels – Welded pressure vessels are designed to contain fluids or gasses with the potential of extremely high pressures. These types of industrial tanks are used across many sectors such as oil refineries, petrochemical plants, power generation, and agricultural processing.

Water and Wastewater Treatment – Specialized industrial tanks are widely used in water processing and wastewater treatment plants. The tanks are integrated into complex systems to accommodate processes such as sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. They can be used for storing raw water, treated water, sludge, or chemicals used in the treatment process.

Fuel Storage – Industrial tanks are commonly used for the safe storage of fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and biofuels. Our fuel storage tanks are custom designed to meet each customer’s required regulatory standards and ensure safety in handling flammable liquids.

Bulk Material Handling – Our quality-built industrial steel tanks are employed for storing and handling bulk materials. This can range from the agricultural storage of bulk food products such as grains, flours, and animal feeds, as well as for storing bulk materials for manufacturing and refinement such as industrial fluids, coolant and other chemicals, as well as minerals, ores, and other raw materials.

Industrial Process Equipment – Industrial processing tanks are fabricated for many unique industrial production processes. Integrated into complex processing systems, our tanks play a crucial role in various petrochemical production processes, chemical manufacturing, and wastewater treatment, to name a few of the most common.