Forming and fabrication for precision tube weldments
From drawing and piercing to forming and flattening, we handle every step in-house to create production-ready components that meet your exact specifications.
Fast quotes
Design for Manufacturing support
Prototype to production
At-a-Glance Specs
Take a quick look at our standard fabrication ranges. If you don’t see something you’re looking for, send the print anyway. We’ll review and advise.
Fabrication services
Drawing,
Blanking
Punching
Flattening
Reducing
Expanding
Swaging
Beading
Roll forming
Flaring
Five-axis CNC and lathe
Outside diameter (OD)
Tube: 0.25”to 5.00”
Solid bar: up to 3.50”
Tube wall thickness
OD 3/8″ to 5″
0.028″ to 0.250″ wall
Sheet wall thickness
Up to 0.5”
Bend method
CNC mandrel bending
Rotary draw
Press bending
Push bending
Bend angle accuracy
±.3° typical
Bend radius (CLR)
Centerline radii up to 24”
Materials
Mild steel
Chromoly
Stainless steel
Aluminum
More exotic materials on request
Tube shapes
Round
Square
Rectangular
Oval
Extrusions
Volumes
Prototype, preproduction, production
Welding processes
Robotic MIG
Manual MIG/TIG
Robotic fixture footprint range
~1′ × 1′ up to ~4′ × 8′ (assembly-dependent)
Part fixturing
In-house fixture design and build
Quality support
First Article/PPAP validation and documentation
File formats
PDF for prints, STEP, IGES, Parasolid, SolidWorks [.sldprt, .sldasm, .slddrw]
What you get from Bauer Tube Fabrication
Single source, fewer handoffs
Avoid the cost and delays of working between multiple providers with complete tube and sheet capabilities under one roof.
Fewer design loops
Our engineering team flags risks early, so you don’t waste time on reworks downstream.
Seamless scale-up
We build with your end goals in mind to smoothly scale production.
in-house Capabilities
END FORMING
- Swaging
- Flaring
- Expanding
- Reducing
- Beading (where applicable)
- Custom end-form tooling and setup support (as needed)
PIERCING
- Punching/piercing
- Blanking (cut-to-shape where applicable)
- Hole/slot features (rounds, obrounds, custom)
- Feature location support for repeatability (fixturing as needed)
NOTCHING AND COPING
- Notching (clearance and fit-up features)
- Coping (saddle cuts/profile cuts for joints)
- Complex cutouts for assembly access
- Dedicated fixturing for repeatable feature placement
- Secondary deburr/edge conditioning (as required)
FLATTENING AND TRIMMING COMBOS
- Flattening
- Trimming/cut-to-length finishing
- Punch and flatten combinations (single flow)
- Blanking and trim sequences (where applicable)
- Flatness/consistency controls via fixtures (as needed)
3D LASER TUBE CUTTING
(PRE/POST BEND)
- 3D laser cutting on straight tube
- 3D laser cutting on formed tube
- Holes, slots, windows and complex profiles
- Laser notching/coping
- Fast design changes
CNC MACHINING
- CNC milling
- CNC turning/lathe operations
- Multi-axis turning and machining
- Complex part manufacturing
See our shop floor
Have a look inside our facility to see how Bauer provides precision and reliability at every level.
DFM guidelines (save time + cost)
A few small design choices can make fabrication faster, cleaner and more repeatable. Upload you CAD files and our team can redline changes to improve manufacturability and reduce cost.
- Feature spacing: Maintain adequate hole-to-edge distance and add internal radii to reduce deformation and tooling wear.
- Operation access: Design slots/notches with punch and fixture access in mind to avoid secondary setups.
- Datums + tolerances: Call out functional datums and realistic tolerances so inspection and fixturing stay efficient.
Precision processes, premium parts
Check out some of our common fabrication patterns, supporting everything from simple designs to multi-step features.
Flatten + pierce combo
Multiple operations, one setup
Five-axis laser cutting
Precision cuts, complex angles
Swaged end
End forming in-house (swage/expand/reduce)
Flaring
Repeatable geometry through forming operations
Notched/coped profile
Built for complex features + tight specs
Bead/roll form
Designed for strength + fit-up consistency
Hear it from our customers
“They’re saving at least $15 on a piece cost and hundreds of thousands on initial tooling.”
Brad
Engineering program manager
$150k
Tooling cost savings
“We’ve never had a quality issue, never had a delivery issue.”
Stephen
Commodity manager
National backup power generation manufacturer
Zero
Quality or delivery issues reported
“If there’s any exceptions or they’re suggesting an alternative material or they’re requesting additional tolerance on something, they’re making sure they do their front-end work, which is good to see.”
Alex
Procurement manager
Global furniture manufacturer
On time
Three-week delays avoided
FAQs
These are the questions we hear most from engineers and sourcing teams. If your question isn’t answered here, please reach out to us for more information.
Yes, our team can handle initial prototyping to full-scale production.
Yes. Bauer in-house capabilities support everything you need to deliver complex weldment prototypes. You can move from prototype to production without switching suppliers midstream.
Integrated processes, tooling templates and real-time communication, engineer to engineer.
.PDF and STEP are preferred, but we can work with most major formats.
Absolutely. Every quote includes manufacturability insights, and we’ll redline files with recommendations.
Expect quote responses within three to five business days. Prototype lead times are often within two to three weeks. Production timelines vary based on part complexity, volume and material.
Yes, our in-house tool shop can produce all check and weld fixtures.
Upload your design files to get started
Send us your part design and get a quote with expert manufacturability feedback. We’ll respond within one business day and return your quote within three to five days.
