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Interior of Northern Manufacturing's dedicated stainless-only fabrication area, with a large stainless assembly in progress

Stainless Steel Fabrication

Built in a shop built for stainless alone.

Stainless steel fabrication, plate to passivation, under one roof: a 40,000 sq ft fabrication area that never sees carbon steel. ISO 9001 · AWS D1.6 · Since 1951.

  • ISO 9001:2015
  • AWS D1.6
  • ASME Section IX
  • CAGE 137T8

40,000 sq ft

stainless-dedicated fabrication

Physically separated from carbon steel. Own tooling, consumables, welders. No free iron on finished surfaces.

55-foot

pickling & passivation booth

Entire assemblies pickled in one pass per ASTM A380. No sectioning and re-welding after finish.

60 welders

AWS D1.6 qualified

78 welding stations. Continuous recertification. Continuity logs ship with the drawing package.

Since 1951

75 years fabricating stainless

Third-generation family shop. ISO 9001 certified since 2015. CAGE code 137T8.

What stainless steel fabrication looks like when the shop is built for it

Stainless steel fabrication punishes shortcuts. Free iron from a shared grinding bench shows up as rust bloom weeks after delivery. A weld that ran hot leaves a heat tint that fails a sanitary inspection. The fix for every one of those failure modes is the same: a shop where the tooling, the welders, and the finishing line never touch carbon steel.

That is what the 40,000 sq ft stainless-dedicated area is. Plate arrives traced by heat number, gets cut on one of five laser cells, formed on brakes up to 660 US tons, welded by AWS D1.6 qualified welders, and finished in a 55-foot pickling and passivation booth per ASTM A380. The same building, the same quality system, one accountable name from plate to passivation.

Welder running a GTAW pass on a large stainless steel assembly inside the dedicated stainless fabrication area
GTAW on 316L inside the stainless-only area: 60 AWS D1.6 qualified welders across 78 stations.
Exterior of the 55-foot spray pickling and passivation booth at Northern Manufacturing
The 55-foot booth pickles entire assemblies in one pass per ASTM A380, the final step of stainless steel fabrication done in-house.
Interior of Northern Manufacturing's stainless-dedicated fabrication area

A fabrication room that doesn't see carbon steel

Carbon and stainless share the same shop in almost every fabrication facility. Free iron transfers from grinders, clamps, tables, and weld spatter, then shows up weeks later as rust bloom or pitting on finished stainless surfaces. Our stainless-dedicated room has its own tooling, its own welders, its own consumables. Free iron verification per ASTM A380 on critical service assemblies.

Quality inspector recording dimensional data with a tablet linked to a Leica laser tracker

You inherit the quality record, not rebuild it at final inspection.

Every heat traced by tag. Every welder's continuity log current. WPS, PQR, and welder qualification records pulled with the drawing package, not reconstructed at final inspection. For critical service assemblies: back-purge verification, digital oxygen analyzer readings, Niton XRF PMI, and Leica AT960 laser tracker dimensional inspection. The audit trail ships on the pallet.

Exterior of Northern Manufacturing's 55-foot stainless pickling and passivation booth

Plate to passivation. No subcontracting.

Entire assemblies pickled in one pass: no sectioning, no re-welding after finish.

Most shops outsource pickling, passivation, NDE, or post-weld finishing. Your part travels, waits in queues, and picks up handling damage between stations. At Northern: flat laser, tube laser, 5-axis laser, robotic and manual welding, a 55-foot spray pickling booth, PMI, radiographic testing, hydrostatic testing, and 3D scanning inspection: all in-house. One partner. One schedule. One accountable name.

Booth length
55 ft
Spec
ASTM A380
No sectioning
1 pass
Zero outsourcing
In-house
12 × 12 × 12 ft

max fabrication envelope

80,000 lb

max single-piece weight

1.25 in

max stainless plate, fiber laser

9/16 in

max stainless plate, rolled

Materials we fabricate

Austenitic, duplex, and specialty alloys — P-numbers qualified under ASME Section IX.

Austenitic

304 · 316 · 309 · 321 · 347

ASME IX
P8 · Group 1
Stock
20 ga to 1″ plate · heavy to 2″
Note
2–5 day lead on standard sizes

The backbone of food & beverage, pharma, and sanitary applications. Deep welder continuity on both 304L and 316L. Stocked for fast turn.

Austenitic specs →

Duplex

2205 · 2507 · LDX 2101

ASME IX
P10H
Stock
Mill order · 2–3 week lead
Note
K-TIG keyhole welding with ER2209

Specified for chloride service, seismic loading, and stress-corrosion-cracking resistance. Single-pass full-penetration welds on heavy plate via K-TIG.

Duplex specs →

Specialty alloys

Hastelloy C-276 · AL-6XN · Inconel · Alloy 31

ASME IX
P43 · P45
Stock
Per-project mill order
Note
Dissimilar welds to P8 / P10H on file

For aggressive chemistry, high-temperature, and pollution-control service where austenitic grades are not enough. PQRs available on request.

Specialty specs →

Fabrication capability pages

Detailed pages on the processes behind this work. Each page ships procedures, qualified alloys, equipment, and the questions procurement engineers ask before they buy.

Large formed stainless steel hopper cones staged on pallets outside the Northern Manufacturing facility

3D Laser Cutting Services

5-axis 3D laser cutting on a Prima Optimo: 150 x 80 in envelope, 0.005 in accuracy, stainless to 1/2 in. Cut features after welding. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Rolled stainless steel cylindrical tanks on tubular legs staged outside Northern Manufacturing

Custom Stainless Steel Tanks

Custom stainless steel tanks: one-piece rolled shells, 60+ AWS-certified welders, ASME BPVC Section IX qualified welding, ASTM A380 pickling. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Long multi-section stainless steel enclosure fit up end to end on the Northern Manufacturing shop floor

Laser Welding Services

Autogenous and hybrid laser welding on stainless and carbon steel sheet: low heat input, minimal distortion, full-penetration seams. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Assembled stainless steel rotary drum unit with drive motor staged under an overhead crane while Northern Manufacturing craftsmen look it over

Mechanical Assembly Services

Mechanical assembly services under one roof: sub-assemblies, shafts and drives, kitting and Kanban programs, ISO 9001:2015 verification. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Identical stainless steel tubular arm weldments with drilled clevis end plates stacked on wood blocking outside Northern Manufacturing

Robotic Welding Services

Robotic GTAW and GMAW welding cells with laser vision seam tracking. Multi-fixture setups make small-batch stainless and carbon work pay. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Welded stainless steel pipe headers and rake assemblies staged on pallets after fabrication at Northern Manufacturing

Stainless Steel Pipe Fabrication

Stainless pipe fabrication under the ASME PP stamp (Cert #63198): Section IX qualified welding, tube laser to 10 in OD, 60+ AWS welders. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Multi-section stainless steel trough assembly fit up end to end on the Northern Manufacturing shop floor

Trial Fit and Functional Testing

Shop trial fit and functional testing: Leica AT960 laser tracker verification against CAD, hydro and leak testing, in-house NDE. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Fiber laser cutting system with automated sheet-loading tower in the Northern Manufacturing laser cutting bay

Tube Laser Cutting Services

Tube laser cutting on a Trumpf TruLaser Tube 7000: round, square, and structural shapes from 0.6 to 10 in diameter, up to 20 ft long. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Northern Manufacturing welder in PPE tacking a tube sheet into a large stainless vessel on the shop floor

Stainless Steel Welding Services

Custom stainless welding: 60+ AWS-certified welders, ASME Section IX P8/P10H/P43/P45 qualified. GTAW, GMAW, robotic, K-TIG. Oak Harbor, Ohio.

From drawing to delivery

Five steps. One partner. One accountable name on the PO.

  1. 01

    Share your specs

    Upload drawings (STEP, DWG, DXF, IGES, PDF), tolerances, material, and quantity. We review under NDA on request.

  2. 02

    Engineering review

    8-person engineering team runs DFM, weld-map planning, and WPS selection. Questions come back fast, not at the last-minute quote return.

  3. 03

    Fabrication

    Cut, form, weld, and finish, all in the stainless-dedicated area. 60 welders across 78 stations. 5 laser cells, 5 press brakes, Roundo PS 310 roll.

  4. 04

    Inspection & certification

    PMI verification, weld NDE, Leica AT960 dimensional inspection, ASTM A380/A967 pickling verification. MTRs pulled by heat number.

  5. 05

    Ship complete

    Delivered with full weld maps, heat lists, continuity logs, and quality certificates on the pallet. Flatbed through RGN / lowboy for oversized loads.

Have your drawings ready?

Share your specs

Audit trails, not anecdotes.

Every surface finish, every weld pass, every heat number is traced from plate arrival to shipment. MTR-by-tag. Continuous welder continuity. In-house NDE. Documentation arrives on the pallet, not 'in the mail' a week later.

  • ISO 9001:2015

    AVU Registrations cert #00157-4. Continuous since 2015.

  • AWS D1.6, Stainless Steel

    Primary welding code. Continuous welder continuity logs.

  • ASME Section IX

    P8 (304/316), P10H (2205), P43 and P45 qualified, including dissimilar welds.

  • ASME B31.3

    Process Piping code compliance.

  • API 650

    Welded Tanks for Oil Storage.

  • CAGE 137T8 · SAM UEI

    Federal / defense contract eligible.

Industries we serve

Specified and held to the tolerance your drawing requires

Stainless cylinder for food-grade processing

Food & Beverage

3-A sanitary design and ASME BPE-compliant fabrication. Mixer housings, sanitary tanks, skid-mounted CIP systems, 316L weld finishes that pass crevice inspection.

Stainless equipment for wastewater treatment

Water & Wastewater

Municipal and industrial treatment systems. Troughs, weirs, chemical dosing skids, duplex 2205 storage tanks rated for chloride service and seismic loading.

Stainless components for power generation infrastructure

Power, Energy & Chemical

Exhaust ductwork, reactor internals, process piping, and structural components welded to code-quality procedures. 304, 316, and high-nickel alloys for high-heat and aggressive chemical service.

Precision stainless weld for corrosion-resistant pollution control equipment

Pollution Control

Wet scrubbers, quench vessels, stack liners, demister housings. Corrosion-resistant fabrication built for sustained acid dew-point exposure.

Sunset Spectacular: architectural stainless steel structure fabricated by Northern Manufacturing on Sunset Blvd

Architectural

Mirror-polished facade panels, sculptural features, outdoor installations. Surface-quality and weld finish specified and held to the architect's drawings.

Stainless fabrication for pulp and paper mills

Pulp & Paper

Process tanks, chutes, vacuum box frames, heavy-gauge stainless equipment built to survive abrasive, corrosive mill conditions without line-stop repairs.

Projects other shops passed on

Three stainless builds tougher than the average shop takes.

100-foot 304L stainless steel trough for wastewater treatment

A 100-foot stainless trough, straight within 1/8"

Regional wastewater authority needed a 100-foot 304L stainless trough to replace a failed unit during a planned outage. Straightness was specified within 1/8 inch over the full 100-foot length. The previous fabricator couldn't hold tolerance over the span.

304L Stainless Steel
Stainless steel exhaust ductwork at power generation facility

When the original spec was unbuildable

Power generation facility needed large-diameter stainless exhaust ductwork to mate to existing in-plant flanges during a scheduled outage, with zero tolerance for forced alignment on site.

Yours isn't the first tough one.

Share your specs

Frequently asked

Ten answers with evidence — the ones a procurement engineer usually asks first.

Do you fabricate stainless only, or also carbon steel?

Both, but in physically separate facilities. Our 40,000 sq ft stainless-dedicated room has its own tooling, consumables, grinders, clamps, and welders. There is no cross-contamination risk from carbon steel grind dust, weld spatter, or tooling transfer. Free iron verification per ASTM A380 is available on critical-service assemblies.

What stainless grades do you fabricate?

Austenitic (304/304L, 316/316L, 309, 321, 347), P8, stocked with 2-day lead time on standard sizes. Duplex (2205, 2507, LDX 2101), P10H, K-TIG capable with ER2209 filler. Specialty alloys (Hastelloy C-276, AL-6XN, Inconel, Alloy 31), P43 and P45 qualified with dissimilar-weld combinations to P8 (304/316).

What is the largest piece you can fabricate?

Maximum single-piece envelope is 12 × 12 × 12 ft, up to 80,000 lb. We have shipped 45–80 ft assemblies using stretch flatbeds. Larger or oversized loads coordinate through our shipping team ahead of design, flag it at RFQ.

What is the thickest stainless you can process?

Fiber laser cuts stainless up to 1.25 in (Trumpf TruLaser 5040 Fiber). Plate rolling (Roundo PS 310) handles stainless up to 9/16 in. Press brake forming is thickness-dependent by machine, up to 5/8 in on our heavy-tonnage Trumpf brakes. For heavier plate we weld-prep with bevel cuts and K-TIG in a single pass.

Do you handle pickling and passivation in-house?

Yes. Our 55-foot pickling and passivation booth handles entire assemblies in one pass per ASTM A380. No sectioning, no re-welding after finish. We are one of the few U.S. shops this size with true in-house spray pickling.

Are your welders certified to AWS D1.6?

Yes. All 60 of our welders maintain active AWS D1.6 (Stainless Steel) qualifications, along with D1.1 (Structural Steel), D1.2 (Aluminum), and ASME Section IX P-number qualifications. Continuity logs are current and ship with the drawing package, not reconstructed at final inspection.

What industries do you serve?

Food & beverage (3-A sanitary, ASME BPE), water & wastewater (municipal, industrial), power / energy / chemical (exhaust ductwork, reactor internals, process piping), pollution control (scrubbers, stack liners, demister housings), pulp & paper (process tanks, chutes), and architectural stainless (mirror-polished facade panels, sculptural features).

What quality documentation is included?

Standard package: material test reports (MTRs) traced by heat, weld maps with WPS references, welder continuity logs, dimensional inspection records, and pickling / passivation certification. Extended: PMI (positive material identification), radiographic testing, hydrostatic test reports, Leica AT960 laser tracker inspection. All delivered with the assembly, not mailed separately.

How do you handle rush or NDA projects?

Rush? Flag it at RFQ. We route through expedited scheduling and our 15-person second shift (7 second-shift welders). NDA work is standard. We fabricate under NDA for power, energy, defense, and aerospace programs. CAGE Code 137T8, SAM UEI registered for federal eligibility.

Where are you located and how do I ship to you?

Oak Harbor, Ohio. Direct truck access, flatbed, double-drop, lowboy / RGN, and dry van dock. Stretch flatbed capable 45–80 ft. We coordinate inbound freight on request. Plant visits welcome, schedule through the RFQ form.

Request a quote

Most quotes return in 48 hours. Complex assemblies in 5 business days. Share drawings, tolerances, material, and quantity — we'll review under NDA on request.

Drawings (STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF)? We'll request them after we review the description.

Send us your drawing package.

Prefer to talk? Call (419) 898-2821 .