About Us

Family-owned. Forty years. Still here.

Our Story

Metal Essence started in 1986 in a garage with a Hardinge manual lathe. Al wanted to prove Florida could be more than a tourist destination — it could be a competitive hub for American machining.

By 2001, the company had grown to 100 employees, operating 30+ CNC machines across 32,000 square feet with 24/7 production. We shipped to 10 countries. One part number alone exceeded 6 million pieces per year.

In 2006, Al and Yvonne shifted from high-volume commodity work to tight-tolerance, difficult-to-machine, medium-volume production — the work other shops avoid. They sold the high-volume assets but kept the Metal Essence name and reputation.

From 2006 to 2010, we ran lean — a Mazak QuickTurn 20 and Mazak FH4800 in a leased facility. In 2010, we bought our current building in Longwood and started adding machines. We've added equipment nearly every year since 2019.

Today, Al leads programming and engineering. Yvonne runs production, admin, and shipping. Their son Justin handles business development, machine setup, and operations. The Hardinge manual lathe that started it all is still in the shop.

Original Hardinge manual lathe used to start Metal Essence in 1986
1986
Established
50M+
Parts Manufactured
9
CNC Machines
6
Industries
2
Generations

Our Mission

"To be our clients' first choice for a quick-response, quality machining company that delivers the most combined value per dollar, while providing a rewarding learning environment for our employees."

Why Metal Essence

Responsive Lead Times

Quote turnaround in 1–2 days. Dual-pallet machines keep parts moving. Capacity available on current shift pattern — we don't have to add overtime to hit your deadline.

Direct Access

You talk to the people who program and run the machines. Family-owned means no layers between you and the decision-makers. Questions get answered the same day.

Engineering Built In

SolidWorks and CAMWorks in-house. DFM review before cutting metal. Cycle-time optimization that reduces your per-piece cost without compromising quality.

40 Years of Difficult Parts

We built the shop around work other shops won't take. Exotic alloys, tight tolerances, complex multi-feature geometries. If it's straightforward, any shop can do it. We take the hard ones.

Certifications & Compliance

Standards and registrations required by aerospace, defense, and regulated industries.

ISO 9001:2015
Certified
View Certificate
ITAR
Registered
AS9100
In Progress
CAGE: 1CCP8
DoD Registered
USA
Made in America

Equipment

Five Mazak HCN 5000 horizontals. Multi-axis turning centers. Swiss-type production. Fowler Baty CMM. All focused on uptime, accuracy, and consistency.

See Our Equipment

Send Us Your Toughest Drawing

Quote turnaround in 1–2 days. Talk to the engineers who will actually make your parts.

Request a Quote See Our Work