Torchmate^® 4800 Turned a Hobby into a Full Blown Business

"Using a Torchmate feels like driving a Ferrari compared to other brands”

Located in Monroe, Washington, lies a unique and impressive family-owned fabrication business, DDR Fabrication. Owners, Brian and Jenny, orginally started creating metal art just for fun. They fabricated the old-fashioned blacksmith way. Eventually, people saw their work and, before they knew it, there was a demand for their creations. Brian began selling different metal pieces while still cutting by hand, however, he was never truly happy with the quality he was providing his customers. The demand was rising and Brian and Jenny knew they needed to capitalize on the opportunity. Thus, DDR Fabrication was born. They took a chance at growing the business by investing in a Torchmate 4800 plasma cutting table. Ever since, their production capabilities have increased by over 100%. Now, DDR Fab is a full time business for Brian and Jenny.

Competition Signs, Custom BBQ Utilities, Farm Equipment, Parts & More

DDR Fabrication can fabricate virtually any project that a customer may desire. However, it specializes in creating custom BBQ utilities such as spatulas, grill gates and more, all made from food-grade stainless steel. Additionally, DDR makes custom signs or trophies for competitions, especially BBQ competitions. The photos below showcase some of the magnificent signs they have made for their customers. Most of DDR’s signs are powder coated and can be displayed inside or outside without rusting. The company also fabricates a lot of farm equipment and parts for numerous machines.

Brian and Jenny have sold and shipped their work to nearly all 50 states. The signs they make are so desirable they even have customers in Canada, Spain and Australia. Nearly every one of DDR’s projects are cut using their Torchmate 4800 table. Brian said, “Our Torchmate runs 5-6 days a week, there’s been times where the machine runs 7 days a week.”

Peace of Mind - Lincoln Electric^® Has Your Back

One of the biggest concerns when investing in a large piece of machine equipment is whether it will be reliable or not, and if not, how to fix it. Lincoln Electric prides itself in providing high quality and reliable machines, especially the Torchmate brand of products. In the event of a machine issue, it is imperative to Lincoln Electric that customers have the means to contact Torchmate’s industry leading tech support.

Whenever a customer has to call tech support, we like to ask them how the experience went. This allows Lincoln Electric to continuously improve, not only our support team, but also the products themselves. During our conversation with DDR Fabrication, we asked if they have ever had to call tech support. It turns out Brian’s machine had an issue that appeared unable to be resolved by phone.

“In no time, a Torchmate professional, Jake, flew down to help fix the table and it ended up just being a wiring issue. We have also talked to a tech support specialist, Ian, a lot and he has helped tremendously. We just call Ian direct for any questions that may arise. I have used every brand of torch and welder, when it comes down to it, the customer service of Lincoln is second to none. I told that to another local fab shop who constantly had trouble with their off brand plasma cutting table. They are now looking into the Torchmate 5100.” No problem is too big to be fixed, Lincoln Electric has your back, Brian! 

DDR Fab’s Favorite Torchmate Features

Everyone loves Torchmate for different reasons. After having his Torchmate 4800 for over a year now, we asked Brian what machine features are his favorite. “I love the Platemarker, that thing is awesome! It gives such a cool look to your projects. Also, the water table aspect is a huge plus. I can have my kids come down to the shop and I feel a lot more comfortable and safe knowing those fumes aren’t flying around everywhere. Another thing I love is the bigger monitor. It’s so much easier to see and work on. I have also noticed that servicing the table is very easy. The entire machine feels like you’re driving a Ferrari compared to other brands. Brian also mentioned being excited for the new laser pointer attachment to launch. We are happy to announce that, just two weeks after our conversation with DDR Fabrication, the laser pointer is available for purchase on Torchmatestore.com.

Torchmate CAD is the Secret to Success

Brian closed out the conversation with some words of wisdom for other fabricators or anyone wanting to start a fab business. “Start getting into CAD before you purchase a table. Pay attention to consumables. Don’t waste your money on the less expensive 2x2 or 4x2 tables, get a good table the first time! As far as TMCAD goes, at first it was a challenge, but the plethora of videos Lincoln Electric provides for free, were super useful and easy to understand. I also attended the TMCAD class which was great and further increased my knowledge. Once I had CAD figured out, my capabilities, when using the machine, were endless.” Lincoln Electric knows the importance of CAD which is why we offer significant resources for people to learn the software, even before they purchase a Torchmate machine.

Torchmate Academy is an online library of TMCAD training videos taught by Torchmate professionals. Torchmate Academy offers lessons that cover the basics of CAD as well as advanced features. These training videos are offered to provide customers with the ability to operate their Torchmate machine to the extent of its capabilities. Check out DDR Fabrication’s social channels. On their Instagram page, DDR displays a wide variety of quality metal fabrications that are available for sale. Additionally, customers can place orders for custom or personalized projects they would like conveniently shipped to them. For more information about DDR Fab, please visit their Instagram and Website.

Check out Torchmate CNC Plasma Tables here and see how you can start growing your business!

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