Precision stainless weldments for aerospace and advanced-technology programs: rolled cones and transitions for ground-test structures, instrument-grade tube weldments, and airframe tube structures in 304L and 316L, welded by 60+ AWS-certified welders to ASME BPVC Section IX qualified procedures and finished in a dedicated stainless-only production space in Oak Harbor, Ohio.
Northern Manufacturing fabricates custom stainless steel weldments for aerospace and advanced-technology programs: ground-test infrastructure, research and instrumentation hardware, and airframe structures built to the customer’s drawing. Common work includes rolled cones and transitions for test structures, precision tube weldments and instrument housings, airframe and interior tube structures, research tanks and stands, and equipment cabinets and enclosures in 304L and 316L. All of it runs through our 40,000 sq ft stainless-only production space in Oak Harbor, Ohio, where dedicated tooling keeps carbon contamination off corrosion-critical and instrument-grade parts.
This work spans space, research, aviation, and instrumentation programs. The common thread is low-volume, first-article work inspected to the print: parts that have to mate with hardware already built, and weldments that have to pass the film, not just look right.
60+ AWS-certified welders. ISO 9001:2015 certified (AVU Registrations). ASME BPVC Section IX qualified welding procedures for P8 austenitic stainless. In-house pickling and passivation per ASTM A380/A967 in a 55-foot spray booth. CWI on staff.
What We Build for Aerospace and Advanced Technology
Most of this work is ground-based test infrastructure, instrumentation hardware, and structural weldments built to the program drawing. What Northern regularly fabricates:
Rolled Cones & Transition Assemblies
Large rolled cone and transition assemblies for ground-test infrastructure. Segments are rolled and fit up so they mate at assembly, not forced into line in the field.
Precision Tube Weldments
Instrument-grade tube weldments held to tight dimensional and cleanliness requirements, welded full-penetration GTAW and inspected to the print.
Airframe & Interior Tube Structures
Welded 304L and 316L tube structures for airframe and interior applications, jigged for repeatable geometry across a production build.
Research Tanks & Test Stands
Process and holding tanks, tank stands, and support weldments for research and test facilities, built to the drawing and trial-fit before shipment.
Instrument Housings & Sensor Hardware
Precision 316L tubes, housings, and sensor hardware, cut and welded without distorting critical geometry.
Cabinets, Enclosures & Racks
Stainless cabinets, enclosures, and support structures, fabricated and assembled as a unit for electronics and instrumentation integrators.
304L and 316L for Aerospace and Instrumentation Work
Most aerospace and advanced-technology drawings specify the grade, and Northern builds to it. 304L covers structural tube framing, stands, and cabinets. 316L is the choice for instrument tubes, fluid-wetted weldments, and test hardware left outdoors or near the coast, where the molybdenum addition resists chloride pitting. When a spec is open, we point you to a starting grade for the service, but the value we add is holding the geometry and the weld quality, not selecting from the catalog.
On a precision tube weldment, the whole job is holding geometry while the arc pulls against you.
| Grade | Exposure | Typical aerospace / advanced-tech use | vs. 304L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 304L | Dry, controlled environments | Tube frames, stands, cabinets, structural weldments | Baseline |
| 316L | Marine, coastal, or fluid-wetted service | Instrument tubes, fuel-wetted weldments, outdoor test rigs | ~15-20% premium, added pitting resistance |
We stock 304L and 316L sheet and plate from 20-gauge through 1 inch in standard sizes, with tube and heavier plate sourced through our distributor network.
Welding to First-Article Scrutiny
Aerospace and advanced-technology weldments are inspected to the print, not to a glance. Northern runs full-penetration GTAW (TIG) with matching or autogenous filler on tube and thin-wall work, qualified per ASME BPVC Section IX for P8 austenitic stainless, so joints pass visual, dye-penetrant, and radiographic inspection where the drawing calls for them.
Thin-wall tube and long, slender weldments distort if heat input runs unmanaged. We control it with sequenced welding, back-purge on the root where the spec requires it, and jigging engineered for the part, then verify dimensions against the drawing before anything ships. Welders hold active AWS D1.6 qualifications and are recertified on a continuous cadence.
Surface Restoration and Passivation
Post-weld pickling strips heat tint and embedded iron that would otherwise initiate corrosion, and passivation restores the passive layer. Our 55-foot spray booth treats complete assemblies in one pass per ASTM A380 and ASTM A967, so a rolled cone assembly or a long tube weldment is finished whole, without sectioning and re-welding after treatment. For instrument-grade parts, free-iron verification per ASTM A380 confirms the surface is clean before the assembly ships.
How We Work
Built for Low-Volume, First-Article Work
Advanced-technology programs rarely order in volume. The first article is the article: a test-stand section that has to mate with hardware already built, a tube weldment that goes into a one-of-a-kind rig. Northern treats first-article work as its own discipline, with in-process dimensional checks and trial fit and functional testing before parts leave the floor.
Aerospace and advanced-technology work is a fast-growing area of Northern's work, nearly all of it in the last few years, across space, research, aviation, and instrumentation programs.
