Frank Li

Starting as an apprentice at 17, Frank has mastered every station of the fabrication process—from laser cutting and bending to precision welding. He founded ShincoFab to give global clients direct access to an ISO9001-certified factory, eliminating trading company markups. On this blog, Frank shares expert insights on manufacturing optimization, cost reduction, and quality control for your custom metal projects.

Frank
Outdoor aluminum electrical enclosure on concrete wall
Frank

Metal vs. Plastic Electrical Enclosures: How to Choose & Avoid Failures

As a fabrication expert at ShincoFab, I’ve spent years reviewing blueprints and manufacturing custom metal enclosures for industrial plants and coastal facilities. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when clients come to us after a cheap plastic box melted in their hot factory, or when they specified the wrong grade of steel for an oceanfront project

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Rain-drenched outdoor metal electrical control box
Frank

IP65 vs IP67: Which Waterproof Rating Do You Actually Need?

As a lead fabrication engineer at ShincoFab, a custom sheet metal manufacturer, I have audited hundreds of outdoor electrical installations, and I see the exact same mistake every day. Buyers ruin expensive gear because they misunderstand waterproof ratings. Most people assume a higher number is always better. They overspend on IP67 when IP65 is actually

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New wall-mounted industrial electrical box with cables
Frank

How to Choose Electrical Enclosure Materials: A Fabricator’s Guide

At our ShincoFab sheet metal facility, our laser cutters and press brakes run all day shaping metal enclosures. Over the years, I have had desperate engineers walk onto our shop floor carrying completely disintegrated, rusted-out boxes they bought just a year prior. Real-world failure: A customer brought this standard carbon steel enclosure to our ShincoFab

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Rows of metal electrical enclosures on factory floor
Frank

NEMA 3R vs. NEMA 4X Enclosures: How to Make the Right Choice

As someone who oversees the sheet metal fabrication floor at ShincoFab, I’ve watched raw sheets of steel turn into these exact enclosures every day. Over the years, I have seen people waste thousands of dollars by picking the wrong box or misunderstanding how they are built. You do not want to fail an inspection or

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Stamped sheet metal part with stiffening ribs and cutouts
Frank

How to Reduce Sheet Metal Part Weight (A Factory Floor Guide)

After 15 years of running press brakes and analyzing scrap bins here at ShincoFab, I have seen the same expensive mistake over and over. When a part fails a load test, engineers instinctively spec a thicker gauge of metal. But adding weight kills your profit margins, increases freight fees, and slows down your assembly line.

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Loading large sheet metal parts onto a freight truck
Frank

Factory Guide: How to Reduce Sheet Metal Shipping Costs

Running the floor at ShincoFab, I’ve overseen the fabrication and logistics of thousands of custom sheet metal orders. Freight bills consume profit margins when shipping 11-gauge steel enclosures. Every extra pound and wasted inch of truck space costs money. In this guide, I will share the exact strategies we use at our sheet metal facility

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Three threading taps and three dies cleanly arranged
Frank

A Practical Factory Guide on How to Thread Metal

I have spent over a decade on the production floor at ShincoFab, our sheet metal fabrication facility, breaking taps, stripping holes, and fixing ruined parts. When you process thousands of metal components a week, you learn what works and what will destroy a client’s project. If you want to understand how to thread metal without

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A laser head cutting metal parts with intense sparks
Frank

Ultimate Sheet Metal Tolerances Guide From the Shop Floor

If you have ever received a batch of parts that refused to bolt together, you know how expensive bad sheet metal tolerances can be. At ShincoFab, we process tons of raw steel and aluminum every month. I have spent years working on the factory floor, standing between our laser cutters and press brakes, fixing broken

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galvanized vs galvannealed
Frank

Galvanized vs. Galvannealed: How to Choose, Weld, and Paint

Choosing the wrong sheet metal will ruin your project. At our ShincoFab facility, we process thousands of pounds of sheet metal every month. Over the years, I’ve seen clients waste thousands of dollars dealing with peeling paint, sputtering welds, and rusted parts simply because they checked the wrong box on their CAD drawings. I know

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Professional welder fabricating a sheet metal enclosure with sparks
Frank

How to Prevent Metal Warpage During Welding (A 7-Step Guide)

Metal warpage is a common frustration when welding. At ShincoFab, we process and weld thousands of sheet metal parts every month. After building custom frames, precision doors, and tight-tolerance sheet metal enclosures for industrial clients, our fabricators learned how to prevent heat distortion at a production scale. In this guide, I will show you exactly

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