Leadership & Operations Team | Garret J. Maino

EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL

Garret J. Maino

Owner & Manufacturing Principal • Plainville, CT

Industry Experience: Over 50 Years of Metalworking

Direct Office Phone: (860) 410-1801

Plant Location: 80 Farmington Valley Dr, Plainville

Direct Specialization: DFM, Laser Nesting, Robotic Arc

Key Executive Directives:

• Direct engineering review of complex prime contractor CAD packages
• Personal oversight of STOPA ASRS & 4000W laser scheduling
• Zero-compromise AWS fusion weld penetration standards
• Hands-on tuning of powder coating wash pretreatment chemistry

Schedule direct consultation: Contact Garret →

THE OWNER'S PERSPECTIVE

A Master Craftsman’s Commitment to American Manufacturing

Garret Maino represents a rare breed in today’s contract manufacturing world: an owner who grew up on the shop floor, understands the metallurgical properties of every alloy from 6061-T6 aluminum to 316L stainless and high-yield armor plate, and personally guides production from raw coil to final cure.

As a longtime automotive enthusiast and precision fabricator in Connecticut, Garret applies the relentless standards of motorsport engineering to every contract Fabtron accepts. Whether producing structural flight brackets for defense primes, high-density avionics chassis, or perimeter transit turnstiles, Garret insists on absolute dimensional accuracy, flawless weld seams, and pristine surface finishes.

“When a customer sends us a drawing package, they aren’t just ordering sheet metal—they are trusting us with their delivery schedule, their reputation, and in the defense world, the safety of flight crews. I don't believe in running a shop from behind a desk. You’ll find me out at the TRUMPF laser, inspecting the bend angle at the 5130 brake, or checking the cure gloss coming off the powder line. When we put our name on a job, it's done right.”

— Garret J. Maino, Owner & Manufacturing Principal

The Motorsport Lineage: Real-World Engineering Examples

How specific techniques refined in performance automotive chassis design translate directly into mission-critical aerospace components:

4130 CHROMOLY CHASSIS NOTCHING • HELICOPTER BRACKETS AWS D17.1 FUSION

In tubular race chassis construction, imperfect notch fitment creates heat-affected zone (HAZ) stress risers. Garret transferred this zero-gap tube notching discipline to aerospace flight hardware, ensuring airframe structural brackets distribute cyclic vibrational loads without micro-cracking.

BAFFLED FUEL CELL FORMING • RADAR ELECTRONICS TRAYS 5052-H32 / 6061-T6

Custom aluminum race tanks demand tight-radius bending without springback deformation and 100% leak-free seam welds. That same hand-forming mastery guides our multi-axis press brake forming on radar cooling enclosures and sealed avionics chassis.

321 STAINLESS EXHAUST HEADERS • JET ENGINE TEST RIGS BACK-PURGED GTAW

High-temperature racing exhaust manifolds experience extreme 1,600°F thermal cycling. Back-purged GTAW (TIG) welding learned on race headers guarantees full internal root penetration with zero sugar oxidation on Pratt & Whitney test cell exhaust hardware.

SHOP FLOOR OPERATIONAL ARSENAL

Operational Departments & Practical Use Cases

Fabtron’s single-facility operational model is structured into six specialized manufacturing cells. Explore the practical applications, real-world parts, and engineering challenges each department solves daily.

CELL 01: DFM & CAD SolidWorks / TruTops

Engineering & CNC Programming

Handles direct 3D CAD intake, sheet metal flat-pattern unwrapping, K-factor bend compensation, dynamic nesting, and toolpath optimization for maximum sheet utilization.

Practical Use Case:

14-Bend Avionics Tray Optimization: Unfolding a complex 6061-T6 chassis in TruTops to recalculate bend deductions, eliminating flange collision during brake simulation and saving 15% in material scrap across a 500-unit production order.

• Scope: STEP/DXF DFM Review • TruTops Nesting

• Turnaround: Same-day engineering feedback

View 25-Point DFM Checklist →

CELL 02: CUTTING & PUNCHING 4000W • 280 Tons

Precision Laser & Automated ASRS Cell

Manages the STOPA 561,000 LB vertical material storage tower, TRUMPF LiftMaster automated vacuum loader, and TRUMPF 4000W high-pressure nitrogen laser cutting bay.

Practical Use Case:

Oxide-Free Marine Deck Brackets: High-pressure nitrogen assist laser cutting of 0.250" 316L stainless steel plates, delivering razor-sharp edge quality ready for immediate robotic welding without acid pickling or manual edge grinding.

• Format: Up to 60" × 120" Sheet Size

• Positioning: ±0.002" Machine Accuracy

View Laser Specifications →

CELL 03: FORMING 143 Ton • 10.5 FT

Multi-Axis CNC Press Brake Forming

Operates the TRUMPF TruBend 5130 and TRUMPF V170 brakes with 6-axis backgauging, dynamic hydraulic crowning compensation, and non-marking tooling for cosmetic alloys.

Practical Use Case:

10-Foot Aircraft Floor Stringer: Multi-bend brake forming of 120-inch structural aluminum channels holding ±0.25° angular tolerance along the entire beam length using real-time hydraulic crowning compensation.

• Bed Length: 127 Inches (10.5 Feet)

• Tooling: Precision-ground segmented dies

View Forming Specs →

CELL 04: WELDING 12'×35' FANUC

Robotic & Certified Fusion Welding

Features the FANUC large-envelope robotic welding cell with dual indexing turntables alongside certified AWS D17.1 (Aerospace) and AWS D1.1/D1.2 structural welding stations.

Practical Use Case:

Heavy Defense Power Skids: Laying 22 linear feet of repeatable, spatter-free fillet welds across a 12-foot military skid in 42 minutes using FANUC dual-turntable indexing, eliminating heat warp and cutting cycle time by 80%.

• Standards: AWS D17.1 Class A • AWS D1.1 Structural

• Inspection: 100% Visual & Liquid Penetrant (PT)

View Robotic Cell Specs →

CELL 05: FINISHING Conveyor • Graining

Automated Powder Coating & Finishing

Continuous overhead monorail conveyor wash, multi-stage degreasing, iron phosphate conversion, electrostatic powder application, and Kuhlmeyer long-belt satin graining.

Practical Use Case:

High-Traffic Transit Turnstile Coatings: 3-stage iron phosphate chemical wash followed by 3.5 mil TGIC architectural powder coat, certified to exceed 1,000-hour ASTM B117 salt-spray exposure on outdoor commuter rail barriers.

• Line: Continuous Overhead Monorail Track

• Graining: Kuhlmeyer #4 Satin Grain (Ra < 16 µin)

View Coating Line Tour →

CELL 06: QA & ITAR AS9102 • MTR Vault

Quality Assurance & Compliance

Calibrated surface plate inspection, First Article Inspection (FAI / AS9102), raw material heat-lot segregation, Mill Test Report (MTR) vaults, and Title 22 CFR ITAR controls.

Practical Use Case:

Flight-Ready AS9102 FAI Documentation: Generating complete ballooned drawing inspection reports with digital height-gauge coordinate verifications and heat-lot chemical certs for immediate Tier-1 defense receipt without incoming inspection delays.

• Security: ITAR Registered • CAGE Code Ready

• Traceability: 100% Mill Test Report Vaulting

View ITAR Security Specs →

Leadership & Engineering Operations

Garret J. Maino

A Master Craftsman’s Commitment to American Manufacturing

The Motorsport Lineage: Real-World Engineering Examples

Operational Departments & Practical Use Cases

Engineering & CNC Programming

Precision Laser & Automated ASRS Cell

Multi-Axis CNC Press Brake Forming

Robotic & Certified Fusion Welding

Automated Powder Coating & Finishing

Quality Assurance & Compliance

Join Our Plainville Manufacturing Team

Connect Directly with Garret Maino and our Plainville Engineering Team