Precision sheet metal components and assemblies, designed, built and finished under one roof in Dandenong South.
Amapro manufactures precision sheet metal components and assemblies from a 3,090 square metre facility in Dandenong South, with 32 staff and more than 35 years of Australian manufacturing behind the work. Design, prototyping, production and finishing run under one roof, so a part moves from drawing to dispatch without leaving the building.
The work is built with you, not just for you. Engineering input starts at the drawing stage, before the quote, which removes cost that a quote-only supplier passes straight through to the invoice.
Metal fabrication is the process of cutting, forming, joining and finishing raw metal stock into a finished part or assembly built to a drawing. The work starts from flat sheet, plate or section rather than molten material, which separates it from casting and forging.
That starting point decides the commercial case. Fabrication suits precision parts at low to medium volume because no hard tooling is required, so a design change becomes a program change rather than a new mould. Casting suits high volume, once tooling cost amortises.
Material thickness decides which supplier type suits the job. Sheet metal runs from roughly 0.5 mm to 6 mm; plate and structural section sit above 6 mm. Amapro works the sheet metal range, producing enclosures, chassis, brackets, panels and cabinets to close dimensional limits. Frames, mezzanines and load-bearing members belong with a structural fabricator.
Capabilities
Running all of them internally removes the transport, handover and revision-control losses that occur when a part moves between three separate suppliers.
Flat profiles and internal cutouts, with no tooling cost at low volume.
Hole-dense parts, louvres, dimples and countersinks formed in one operation.
Precision bends and formed enclosures.
Fabricated assemblies in mild steel, stainless and aluminium.
Machined features, threads and close-tolerance surfaces.
The final protective and cosmetic finish.
CAD/CAM, 3D modelling, design for manufacture, reverse engineering and file conversion.
Fast design iteration before committing to a production run.
Production without a hard tooling commitment.
Material selection follows the application, the exposure and the finish, not the price list.
Grade matters more than metal name. Stainless 316 resists chloride attack where 304 pits, and aluminium 5052 folds reliably at radii that crack 6061-T6. Specifying the grade rather than the metal removes a clarification cycle from the quote.
Materials
How the three most-specified materials compare across the properties that drive a fabrication decision.
| Property | Mild steel | Stainless 304/316 | Aluminium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | Baseline | Similar to mild steel | Approx. one third the density |
| Yield strength | Approx. 250 MPa | Higher than mild steel | Varies widely by temper |
| Corrosion resistance | Requires a coating | Best untreated | Self-passivating |
| Formability | Folds predictably | Springs back, work-hardens | 5052 folds well, 6061-T6 cracks |
| Finishing | Powder coat or galvanise | Passivate | Powder coat or anodise |
| Relative cost | Lowest per kilogram | Premium | Premium, offset by less finishing |
Capacity
Press brake fold length and tool access constrain more parts than sheet size does. Confirm the part against these limits before requesting a quote.
Parts outside these limits are still worth discussing. Splitting an assembly into fabricated sub-components frequently brings an oversized part back inside capacity. Accuracy also differs by feature: laser-cut profiles and holes within a single flat face hold the tightest limits, while hole positions across a bend accumulate bend deduction variation.
Industries
Precision sheet metal fabrication supplies six sectors in Australia, each buying a recognisable component type. Component type predicts the manufacturing requirement more reliably than sector name.
Rack frames, ventilated enclosures, cable trays and mounting rails.
Equipment housings and mounting hardware, with traceability requirements attached.
Outdoor-rated cabinets, equipment shelves and brackets.
Access panels, covers and service enclosures for outdoor exposure.
Burner components, housings and flue fittings.
Display frames, fixtures and enclosures.
Why Amapro
What separates Amapro from a quote-only fabrication shop. The practical effect shows on revisions: a design change with a single supplier costs programming time and material, but split across a designer, a fabricator and a coater the same change costs three coordination cycles and nobody owns the resulting dimension.
Design, prototype, fabrication and finishing run in one facility, so revision control never fragments across suppliers and nobody hands off accountability.
Design changes run as program changes rather than new hard tooling, which keeps iteration affordable at low volume.
Design for manufacture review consolidates parts, relaxes non-critical tolerances and aligns features to existing tooling.
Global-standard capability through the Prysmian and Warren & Brown affiliation, delivered with local engineering collaboration.
Offshore fabrication adds roughly four to eight weeks of shipping before port delays. Drawings stay in one jurisdiction under enforceable agreements.
Small to medium runs proceed without the minimum order quantities that offshore supply requires.
How it runs
A job runs through five stages from enquiry to dispatch, each with a decision point and a required input from you.
Pricing
Fabrication price is a set of design and commercial decisions rather than a fixed rate. Seven variables move the number, and each moves it in a predictable direction.
Our quotes itemise material, processing time per operation, setup, finishing and freight, so competing prices compare on equal terms.
Lead time
Operation count and finishing drive duration more than part size does. Five factors extend a schedule, and each has an action that recovers the time.
Questions
The questions buyers ask before sending a drawing.
Yes, at indicative level. A dimensioned sketch, a physical sample or a concept with a stated application produces an indicative price. A fixed quote requires a drawing or model, because tolerance and finish drive the cost.
STEP, STP, DXF, DWG, IGES and PDF. A 3D STEP model paired with a 2D PDF drawing is the fastest combination to quote. Export the flat pattern rather than the folded model when supplying DXF, and state the units.
Yes. Prototyping and production run in the same facility on the same equipment, so a design validated at prototype stage manufactures on the process that produced it. Splitting the two across suppliers validates a design against a process that never makes it.
Material and grade, thickness, critical dimensions, tolerances, bend directions and radii, hole sizes and positions, weld details, surface finish and colour, quantity, revision number and target date. Each missing item widens the quote or stops it. A drawing without a finish callout produces a price that excludes coating, which surfaces later as a variation.
Yes, through reverse engineering. The sample is measured, modelled and turned into a drawing you approve before production. Worn or previously modified samples reproduce those faults unless the design intent is clarified first.
Yes. Coating adds film thickness that changes hole diameters and mating tolerances, masking has to be planned before welding, and surface preparation changes how parts are handled. Specifying a finish after parts are fabricated and staged forces rework.
Against material grade and thickness, bend count, tolerance tightness, secondary operations, finish, batch size and freight. Quotes itemise material, processing time per operation, setup, finishing and freight so competing prices compare on equal terms.
Yes. Amapro manufactures in Dandenong South and supplies customers Australia-wide.
Send your drawings, material, quantity and target date and we respond with an itemised quote. Holding only a sketch or a sample is not a barrier.
