About O’Brien Engineering
Metalworking
know-how.
Generations
in the making.
Laser cutting, sheet metal fabrication, engraving materials and trophy supplies. Australian owned and family operated since 1963, with generations of practical know-how behind every job.
Our workshop, Silverwater NSW
Allan O’Brien · Founder & toolmaker
Our beginnings
Started working
in a family garage.
Still working alongside family today.
In 1963, Allan O’Brien, a skilled toolmaker by trade, started a small business in a garage in Gladesville, Sydney. His expertise was designing and making punch and die sets to produce trophy plates, award shields and custom shapes.
Allan and his wife, Norma, lived and worked in that garage while they established the business. They later built their family home on the same property, where they raised their three children. Family life and the business grew together.
Some of those original die sets are still maintained and used today. Alongside modern CNC machinery, they are a working connection to the ingenuity and care that started O’Brien Engineering.
Australian owned. Managed by second- and third-generation family members.
A family business, carried forward.
John O’Brien followed Allan into toolmaking and operations, while Joanne O’Brien became part of the business in finance. Successive generations have brought their own skills and ideas to the company.
New skills. New possibilities.
The business grew beyond trophy plates into nameplates, engraving materials, products and sheet metal fabrication. Investment in machinery expanded the range of work we could take on and complete for customers.
More connected under one roof.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, operations were consolidated in Silverwater. Work previously spread across locations, including Fountaindale, now comes together with our manufacturing, distribution and customer service teams.
The people behind the work
Experience that stays.
Knowledge that grows.
Our story includes people who started here as apprentices and went on to spend more than 40 years with the business. In some cases, their fathers worked here before them. That knowledge is shared on the workshop floor, in production planning and in conversations with customers.
Tradespeople who understand the whole job.
Toolmaking, sheet metal work, welding and production experience help us look beyond an individual process to the material, finish and practical requirements of the finished component.
A team you can work with directly.
Sales, procurement, production and the factory work together to answer questions, review drawings and coordinate jobs. We value clear advice and relationships built over years of working together.
GENERAL MANAGER
Adam Rhook
A third-generation family leader who joined in 2012 with a carpentry background. Adam oversees the business’s direction, investment and continued growth.
FACTORY MANAGER
Steve Bordock
A sheet metal tradesman with more than 40 years at O’Brien. Steve brings extensive practical knowledge to shop-floor workflow, production and quality.
SALES MANAGER
Luke Rosada
Working with customers to understand their requirements, discuss materials and processes, and find a practical way to get the job made.
PROCUREMENT & PRODUCTION MANAGER
Curtis Lowe
Bringing procurement and production together to coordinate materials, manufacturing requirements and the details that keep work moving through the factory.
Equipment, experience and connected processes
More of your job.
Completed here.
We grew from one laser and an older press brake to a workshop with four industrial lasers and three CNC press brakes. Each investment helped us complete more of a customer’s job, bringing cutting, punching, folding, welding and finishing together in Silverwater.
Cut.
Fibre and CO₂ laser cutting,
CNC punching and die work.
Fold.
Multi-axis CNC bending
for parts up to 3 metres long.
Fabricate.
TIG, MIG, spot and stud welding
for fabricated components.
The equipment behind the work.
Amada CNC machinery works alongside the toolmaking and die capability that has been part of O’Brien from the beginning.
| Equipment & capability | What we can make and process |
|---|---|
| 4 industrial lasersFibre & CO₂ technology | Mild steel, stainless steel, aluminium, brass and copper. From thin-sheet detail to mild steel up to 25 mm thick, with sheet sizes up to approximately 3000 × 1500 mm. Suitability depends on the material and part. |
| 3 CNC press brakesMulti-axis folding | Folding up to 3000 mm for brackets, trays, panels, enclosures, architectural components and other parts that need accurate bends and consistent forms. |
| 350+ standard die setsCNC turret & flywheel presses | An extensive range of standard and custom tooling for trophy plates, award shields, discs, tags and punched components in a variety of materials. |
| Welding & assemblyTIG · MIG · spot · CD stud | Multi-part assemblies, sign frames, custom enclosures and welded studs, including concealed mounting arrangements where the job requires them. |
| Deburring & finishingPrepared for the finished job | Linishing, edge preparation, radius polishing, surface preparation and protective film application, according to the material and finish required. |
Bring us a drawing, CAD file, sample or production challenge. We can discuss the design and manufacturing approach, from a one-off prototype through to repeat production and larger runs.
Explore our capabilitiesA manufacturing partner. A materials supplier.
From trophy plates
to industrial parts.
Our business brings together custom sheet metal manufacturing and a specialist supply range for engravers, trophy makers, signmakers and industry. Alongside fabricated parts, we supply more than 300 material variations, tools and accessories to customers across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
Trophy plates, tags & blanks.
Our TrophyPlate range includes 0.5 mm coated aluminium in Mirror Gold, Mirror Silver and Brushed Silver, with protective film and optional adhesive backing. Standard shields, discs and other shapes are supported by our extensive die range and custom manufacturing capability.
Trophy plates · Award shields · Discs · Tags · Custom shapes
Engraving & identification materials.
Laserfoil, Laserply, Transply, anodised aluminium, engraver’s brass, coloured stainless steel, acrylics and sublimation sheets. Specialist laser-markable materials include DuraBlack and AlumaMark for identification and marking applications.
Engraving · Personalisation · Signage · Industrial identificationTools, findings & workshop supplies.
Hand-operated guillotines, corner cutters, tapes and accessories help customers complete their own work. Our badge findings and fittings range includes pins, magnetic backs, clips, lanyards and trophy fittings, including Bentley Findings products.
Cutting tools · Adhesives · Badge fittings · Finishing accessoriesThe work our customers bring us
Different industries.
Practical problems to solve.
Our customers put the work to use in places as varied as coal mines, high-rise buildings, public artwork and industrial instrumentation. These examples from our customer stories show how different those requirements can be.
01 / CREATE-A-SIGN
Identification for working mines.
Supporting a Central Queensland signmaker serving mining and civil customers with custom stainless steel tags, labels and sign extrusion systems. The job calls for identification products suited to demanding working environments.
MINING & INDUSTRIAL SIGNAGE02 / MORRIS GRAPHICS
Artwork at a different scale.
A photographic mosaic using more than 100,000 individual 80 mm tokens is one example of the detailed work Morris Graphics brings to O’Brien. Consistency, surface finish and careful handling matter when the finished piece will be seen up close.
PUBLIC ART & CUSTOM INSTALLATIONS03 / PC SIGNAGE
Turning drawings into installed signage.
Statutory and wayfinding signage for high-rise buildings requires accurate components and attention to the final finish. Our team helps work through drawing and fabrication details so the design can be made and assembled in practice.
ARCHITECTURAL & WAYFINDING SIGNAGE04 / TEMPERATURE CONTROLS
Parts for industrial applications.
Custom metal plates, tags and enclosures form part of Temperature Controls’ industrial supply requirements. Material selection, consistency and dependable supply are practical priorities for a customer managing an extensive product range.
INSTRUMENTATION & INDUSTRIAL IDENTIFICATIONHow we work
A willingness to try.
A standard to uphold.
A customer’s idea may arrive as a finished CAD file, an early drawing or a problem that needs thinking through. Our approach is to understand what the job needs and use our experience to find a practical solution.
“We take real pride in
Adam Rhook – General Manager
the quality of our work.”
Start with the problem.
We work with customers on material selection, drawings and production requirements. Where a detail could cause difficulty, our team can discuss ways to simplify the design, improve manufacturability or reduce unnecessary work.
Keep the job connected.
Coordinating cutting, punching, folding, welding and finishing through one team reduces the handovers customers need to manage. Sales and production can discuss the details directly as work moves through the factory.
Care through to dispatch.
Everything we do is “gift-wrapped”. From our quality checks to our finishing processes – deburring, cleaning, protective film and wrapping – we make sure everything that leaves our factory lives up to Allan O’Brien’s standards.
Make more of the material.
Our “Little Sheets” approach puts usable sheet offcuts back to work. Reusing suitable material for smaller jobs helps reduce waste and can provide a more economical option for customers.
Let’s put our experience to work
What are you
working on?
A part to make, a material to find or a production problem to solve.
Tell us what you need and let’s work out the next step.