About Us

Our Story

It all started 55 years ago, when the founder of a modest metals foundry begin actualizing the dream of making his own business to provide a better life for his family. He (name?) started with only a small desk and a used die-casting machine in a small garage. While working both days and nights for the first few years, he tried hard to win over his customer's trust and build creditability. Steadily growing from one machine to two and then two machines to four. All the while foregoing the trappings of success and reinvesting every cent back into the business. Four machines grew to ten. Small tonnage machines were exchanged for large tonnage machines. The foundry begin to expand its capability by satisfying the needs of other industries. From raw casting & machining to finished & assembled products, the foundry expanded its capabilities and learned new ones to complete a product with better quality and more efficiency.

For decades now, the foundry has been offering quality manufacturing services to a variety of businesses in over 20 industries, all as satisfied customers, from a long history of experience. Starting a successful company is difficult to accomplish by most regards, but preserving a company's legacy over the decades is even more challenging. In the effort to secure a long legacy for the foundry, the company is dreaming even bigger these days. We strive to make all our lives more enjoyable, using their acquired expertise over the years to provide fine tools & equipment that are, not only highly functional and exceedingly high manufactured quality, but also to create a better quality of life for the end-user. O-LYFE was borne from the need to pass on more than just functional success to our customers - The brand was created to pass on the evolved legacy of the foundry in new ways that can directly benefit the quality of life for new and existing customers. Working with some of the top designers around globe, we are dedicated to create products that will delight and enhance your life while also standing the test of time.

Our Mission

O-LYFE believes in one simple philosophy, a simplified lifestyle, enhanced by metal. We pride ourselves in the craftsmanship and quality of our products, constantly striving to set the high standards for manufacturing quality, without sacrificing the beauty of the design. Premium metal materials offer longevity and superior quality and product feel, which is why we believe design intent should not be compromised by cost and always retain the intended benefits to the customer. At O-LYFE, we are dedicated to create products that we use often in our daily lives, but by utilizing a simplistic design ethos that will stand the test of time and assist in providing a harmonizing balance to the increasingly complex lives of today's population. We hope this timeless philosophy will bring joy and comfort to as many people as possible.

Our Processes and Capabilities

Introduction to Metal Fabrication

Generally speaking, metal fabrication is the process of turning raw metals into pre-made shapes for assembly or use. For example, the panels that comprise the frame of an automobile are made through custom metal fabrication processes, which are usually performed at a fabrication facility and then sent to an auto assembly plant. However, the processes involved are complex and varied.

Ingots

An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of shaping, such as cold/hot working, cutting, or milling to produce a useful final product. Non-metallic and semiconductor materials prepared in bulk form may also be referred to as ingots, particularly when cast by mold based methods. Precious metal ingots can be used as currency (with or without being processed into other shapes), or as a currency reserve, as with gold bars.

Melting

A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron.

Melting, also called fusion, is a transition process that changes metal material status from solid sort to liquid sort by providing enough heat. The melting metal process loosens the tight packing of metal molecules. As the result, the melting gives metal liquid out of the solid material. The pure and solid metal melting occurs at a certain fixed temperature called the melting point while impure metal materials, it is melting at a different temperature that varies depended on the type and impurity percentage. As the heart of the foundry, the melting metal process provides molten fluid that can be used to pour into the mold and solidifies into a range of shapes as required. It is a very crucial step because metal melt not only provides the material for the casting process but also affects greatly on physical and chemical of the final casting products.

The material is melted by heating using at least one burner supplied with oxidizer and with fuel, in order to obtain molten aluminum. In the field of aluminum melting, this melting operation is normally carried out in a rotary or reverberatory furnace.

Casting Process

One of the oldest types of metal fabrication involves casting, where molten metal is poured into a mold and is left to solidify into a specific form. As one of the most flexible methods of metal fabrication, casting is ideal for a wide range of complex shape-making. In some cases, casting provides a solution to fabrication problems that would otherwise take several other methods to solve, such as with assembly parts that would need folding, shearing, and stamping. The most common metals employed in this application are steel and aluminum.

Machining Process

When a machine is used to remove portions from a piece of metal, the process is known as machining. Typically, the process is performed either on a lathe, which will rotate the metal against tools that trim corners and edges to cut the piece down to a desired shape or measurement, or on a flat machine bed, where the workpiece is secured and one or more spinning tools cut into the material in multi-axis operations to create the desired shape. As such, the typical metal drill bit could be classified as a machining tool.

Polishing

This metal finishing process is one of the final steps of fabrication, after casting, forming or bending, deburring and other metal fabrication processes. Polishing removes any remaining small burrs, and then buffs it to a final finish. The end goal of metal polishing is a smooth surface that suits your project.

Metal polishing utilizes an abrasive compound adhered to a wheel or belt that provides friction. The condition of the metal at the beginning of the polishing process is what determines the type of abrasive that we will be used to create the desired finish. We have both in-house expertise and key vendor relationships to accomplish nearly any desired metal finish, from #3 graining to #8 mirror and everything in between.

Coating

Raw metal, on its own, has some inherent characteristics that could be considered drawbacks. For example, without proper finishing, exposed metals can tarnish and corrode. Unfinished parts, fabricated from metal, can be eroded by salts, weakened by ultraviolet light and rusted by rain. Metal fabricators learned long ago that properly finishing components is the key to product durability and long life. They also knew that correctly finishing their metal products gave far better appearances. That made them more valuable, not to mention more pleasing to the end user. It’s a win-win for both fabricator and customer.

For years, metal fabricators had few viable options for finishing products. Liquid paint was the primary choice for most metal projects. Fabricators brushed, rolled, or sprayed solvent-based paint on everything from farm tractors to fence gates. But regular paints, whether oil-based or water-based, had their drawbacks too. Conventional painting took time, required proper conditions and performed poorly unless professionally applied.

Metal fabrication finishes took a giant leap forward in the 1960s. Scientists perfected a finishing process called powder coating that revolutionized the metal products industry. Almost immediately, the great benefits of powder coating in metal fabrication became obvious. Advantages of powder coating over liquid paint and metal plating gave metal fabricators and product manufacturers a leading edge over antiquated finishes.

Powder coating gives finished metal products improved durability, premium appearance, and lowers environmental impact. Once the powder coating process was perfected, metal fabricators maximized production time while increasing functional protective product properties and improving decorative appearances.

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