Desert Metal Works

What Desert Metal Works does

Desert Metal Works is a privately held, vertically integrated metal fabrication job shop founded in June 1990 and headquartered at 2465 N. Huachuca Drive, Tucson, Arizona. The company fabricates custom industrial, scientific, and decorative parts for a broad customer base, operating from a 44,000-square-foot complex on three acres that houses five buildings, including a 17,000-square-foot fabrication shop and a 4,000-square-foot powder coating facility with a 14'x21' booth and 8'x15' oven.

The company's core technical stack centers on CNC laser cutting using two 4,000-watt Trumpf lasers on 60" x 120" tables (the first such installation in Southern Arizona), CNC punching via a Trumpf TruPunch 3000 with 60" x 120" brush table (upgraded in 2022), CNC forming through Trumpf TruBend press brakes with TruBend and TruUnfold offline programming software, certified MIG/TIG/Arc welding across nine material types, and full-service fabrication (shears, rolls, lathes, mills, drills). Capability spans prototype runs of one to production runs of one million parts in mild steel, stainless, aluminum, copper, brass, titanium, and exotic alloys.

Revenue is generated transactionally on a custom quote basis (phone, email, web form), with no tooling charges on laser cutting. The company sells primarily through direct sales, a domain-matched website (lasercutting.com), and word-of-mouth referrals from a 5,000+ customer base that has driven over 80,000 work orders and $100M+ in cumulative lifetime sales. Distribution is direct-to-customer shipping to all 50 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. End markets span industrial manufacturing, mining, electric/power generation, transportation infrastructure, alternative energy, construction and architectural, electronics enclosures, commercial/industrial equipment, safety/infrastructure, and artistic/decorative applications.

Name

Desert Metal Works

Legal name

Desert Metal Works

Website

https://lasercutting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Desert Metal Works is a Tucson-based, vertically integrated metal fabrication job shop operating Trumpf laser cutters, CNC punch, CNC press brakes, welding, and powder coating to produce custom industrial, scientific, and decorative parts for customers across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Fabrication Services

NAICS

All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299), Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3329), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (3328)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444), Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Powder Coating Services (IMAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL)

Keywords

• Custom metal fabrication
• CNC laser cutting
• CNC punching services
• CNC press brake forming
• Powder coating finishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Laser Cutting Services: Revenue generated from custom laser cutting of metal parts for industrial, scientific, and decorative applications. Pricing is competitive and quote-based, with no tooling charges. Operates on a per-job transaction basis, with pricing competitive nationwide due to ease of shipping.
2. CNC Punching Services: Revenue from CNC punching services using the Trumpf TruPunch 3000, capable of processing mild steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and stainless up to 1/4" thickness. Combines high punch speeds with laser precision to deliver higher quality parts at lower costs.
3. CNC Forming Services: Revenue from CNC forming using Trumpf Trubend press brakes. Produces high quantities of precision-crafted parts with accuracy and consistency. State-of-the-art tooling and offline programming enable cost-effective pricing.
4. Metal Fabrication Services: Revenue from full-service fabrication including welding (Arc, TIG, MIG), shearing, rolling, machining, and assembly. Fabricators combine parts cut from lasers, punch, and press brakes into final products per customer specifications.
5. Powder Painting/Coating Services: Revenue from powder coating finishing services. Environmentally friendly process using powder from Cardinal, Sherwin-William, TCI, and Prismatic, available in nearly limitless colors and textures.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Desert Metal Works is a precision metal fabrication job shop that produces custom industrial, scientific, and decorative parts. The company offers a vertically integrated suite of services — laser cutting, CNC punching, CNC forming, full metal fabrication (welding, shearing, rolling, machining), and powder coating — from a 44,000-square-foot facility in Tucson, Arizona. Customers supply drawings (PDF, DXF, IGES) with material, alloy, thickness, and quantity specifications and receive competitive quote-based pricing.

Product overview

Desert Metal Works is a precision metal fabrication job shop providing a comprehensive suite of manufacturing services centered around laser cutting (two Trumpf 4,000-watt lasers), CNC punching (Trumpf TruPunch 3000), CNC forming (Trumpf Trubend press brakes with TruUnfold software), metal fabrication (welding, shearing, rolling, lathing), and powder coating/finishing. The company operates from a 44,000 square foot facility on three acres in Tucson, Arizona, serving industrial, scientific, and decorative applications across multiple industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laser Cutting Precision CNC laser cutting service using two Trumpf lasers at 4,000 watts each with 60" x 120" cutting tables. Cuts mild steel up to 3/4", stainless up to 5/8", aluminum up to 1/2", plus steel alloys, exotic stainless, titanium, and supports tube/pipe/angle cutting. No tooling charges. Serves industrial, scientific, and decorative part customers.
• CNC Punching CNC punching service using a Trumpf TruPunch 3000 with 60" x 120" brush table for large-format material without surface damage. Processes up to 1/4" material including steel, stainless, aluminum, brass, and copper. Over 30 years of tooling library supports short lead times.
• CNC Forming CNC forming and bending service using Trumpf Trubend press brakes with TruBend and TruUnfold offline programming software for bend sequence calculation and simulation. Produces precision contours, folds, and bends using a large library of precision-ground, laser-hardened, segmented Trumpf press brake tooling.
• Metal Fabrication Full-service metal fabrication across a 17,000+ square-foot shop, including shears, plate rolls, shape rolls, sheet rolls, saws, mechanical punches up to 120 tons, four lathes up to 2' x 12', three horizontal mills and one vertical mill, radial drill, drill press, and Arc/TIG/MIG welding. Certified welders work with stainless, mild steel, aluminum, titanium, copper, inconel, hastelloy, duplex, and cast iron. Combines parts cut from lasers, punch, and press brakes into final products.
• Powder Painting / Powder Coating Powder coating finishing service in a 4,000 square-foot facility with a 14' x 21' x 9' booth and an 8' x 15' x 8' oven. Uses powder from Cardinal, Sherwin-Williams, TCI, and Prismatic, with phosphate rinse and reverse-osmosis water pretreatment, plus copper slag blasting for existing coatings or rust. Overhead three-rail conveying system for customizable hanging. Available in nearly limitless colors and textures.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 customers served over 30+ years
• +6 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Xometry: On-demand manufacturing marketplace aggregating thousands of fabrication and machining partners for CNC cutting, sheet metal, and finishing services. Represents a broader platform competitor that could disintermediate traditional independent job shops by offering instant quoting and a wider supplier network.
• Protolabs: Digital manufacturer offering CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding with rapid quoting and global production network. Overlaps with Desert Metal Works on sheet metal cutting and forming but targets customers needing speed-to-prototype and digital ordering workflows.
• Hubs (Protolabs Network): Manufacturing-as-a-service platform that matches buyers to a global network of CNC and fabrication suppliers. Comparable to Desert Metal Works as a competing fulfillment channel for sheet metal and laser cutting jobs, particularly for SMB and prosumer customers.

Direct peers

• Quickparts: Custom manufacturing service providing rapid prototyping and low-volume production in plastics and metals, including CNC machining and sheet metal. Comparable in custom B2B job shop positioning, though Quickparts leans more heavily into digital quoting and rapid prototyping use cases.
• SendCutSend: Online direct-to-customer laser cutting service offering instant quoting, multiple materials (steel, aluminum, stainless, etc.), and nationwide shipping. Most direct comparable to Desert Metal Works' core laser cutting service, though differentiated by a digital-first, consumer-and-small-business GTM model.
• OSH Cut: Online laser cutting job shop specializing in custom-cut metal parts with quick-turn quoting and direct-to-customer shipping. Closely comparable in service scope (laser cutting plus finishing) but competes primarily through digital storefront rather than sales-led estimator relationships.
• Vulcan Engineering: Custom steel fabrication and machining company serving heavy industrial, mining, and infrastructure customers with cutting, forming, welding, and assembly services. Closely aligned with Desert Metal Works on integrated custom metal fabrication and project-based B2B work, though typically oriented toward larger structural jobs.

Others

• Metals Depot: Online distributor of metal products including sheet, plate, bar, and structural shapes, with some cut-to-size capability. Tangentially related to Desert Metal Works as a source of metal stock and basic cutting services for buyers who might otherwise use a job shop for small custom orders.
• Online Metals: Online retailer of small-quantity metal stock and cut-to-size pieces for hobbyists and small businesses. Adjacent to Desert Metal Works in serving the small-quantity custom metal cutting market, but operates as a materials supplier rather than a full fabrication job shop.

Regional players

• Midwest Laser & Fabrication: Midwestern U.S. metal fabrication job shop offering laser cutting, CNC forming, welding, and finishing services to industrial customers. Comparable service mix to Desert Metal Works, but serves a different regional customer base and competes for similar nationwide shipped work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Desert Metal Works