Custom Metal Fabrication in St. Louis: Where Fire, Steel, and Problem-Solving Collide

Welcome to the world of custom metal fabrication — where steel meets creativity, and deadlines meet their match.

At General Machine, we like to think of it as the art (and science) of turning “how are we going to do that?” into “we got it done yesterday” for companies all around Greater St. Louis.

Whether you're building a one-of-a-kind prototype, replacing a part no one has drawings for, or trying to avoid buying a brand-new excavator stick (yep, we’ve done that), custom metal fabrication is how real work gets done in the real world.

So, What Is Custom Metal Fabrication, Really?

At its core, custom metal fabrication is the process of cutting, shaping, welding, and assembling metal parts to build something that didn’t exist before — something built just for you. It could be:

• A replacement bracket for a 30-year-old piece of equipment with no drawing and no part number

• A heavy-duty frame component for a new OEM build

• A precision-welded assembly that holds up to heat, stress, and "who designed this?" levels of complexity

• And often, it’s a complicated part or unit that our customer lacks the capacity, know-how, or capability to make themselves

If it’s made of metal, doesn’t fit in a catalog, and needs to work the first time — we’re interested.

Why Do Custom Metal Fabrication?

Let’s break it down:

1. Your part doesn’t exist anymore. We get this call a lot: “Hey, this piece broke. The company doesn’t make it anymore. Can you guys help?” Spoiler: We can. It’s kind of our thing.

2. Off-the-shelf doesn’t fit your off-the-wall needs. Standard parts are great — until they don’t fit, don’t last, or cost three times more than they should. That’s when custom metal fabrication becomes common sense.

3. You need it fast. No waiting 12 weeks for shipping from a factory on the other side of the world. When your machine’s down, every hour counts. We get it. We move fast. Or we work with you to make sure that part is on our shelf and you can save the day for your customer when their machine goes down.

What We Do (and Why We Love It)

At General Machine, custom metal fabrication isn’t just a service — it’s the heart of how we solve problems for businesses across Missouri and southern Illinois. We’ve got a mix of CNC and manual machines, fabrication gear, and a crew of seasoned machinists and welders who treat each part like it’s going to space (even if it’s just going back to a construction site in Festus).

What we do day in, day out:

• Weld, machine, and assemble custom parts from scratch

• Recreate critical components when no drawings exist

• Reinforce or repair damaged equipment to keep our customers moving

• Build one-off prototypes, small production runs, and legacy parts alike

• Partner with customers to take care of their spare part inventory and make their lower volume production runs

• And we do it fast, clean, and to spec — even when the "spec" is, “Just make it work.”

The Weirdest Thing We’ve Fabricated?

We're not naming names… but let’s just say it involved a 2,000-pound steel part, a customer who said “This has never broken before,” and a rebuild that involved both creativity and geometry we haven’t seen since high school. (We made it work. It still hasn’t broken.)

When You Should Call Us

• You need a custom bracket, housing, frame, or part that doesn’t exist yet

• You want help designing something that can actually be fabricated (shoutout to our CAD-savvy team)

• Your equipment is down, and you can’t afford to wait

• You’re trying to keep your customers happy by delivering quality and speed

Final Thought: Custom Metal Fabrication Means Collaborative

The best part of custom metal fabrication? It’s not just about metal — it’s about partnership. When you work with General Machine, you’re not submitting an online order form into the void. You’re calling a team that answers the phone, asks the right questions, and builds what you need like it’s going on our equipment.

So whether you’ve got a full print or a sketch on a napkin, bring it to us.

We’ll take care of the rest — with welds that hold, tolerances that matter, and zero judgment if you use phrases like “doohickey” or “thingamajig.”

Got a Metal Fabrication Project?

Call us. Email us. Or stop by and bring donuts. We’re here to help.

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