What Does Gate Fabrication Involve — and Why Does It Matter?

When most people shop for a new driveway gate, they think about how it will look. The style, the colour, whether it swings or slides. What they rarely think about is how it’s made — and whether the person selling it actually made it.

That distinction matters more than most gate buyers realise.

Fabrication vs supply — what’s the difference?

Most gate companies are suppliers, not fabricators. They purchase gates from a manufacturer — often offshore — in standard sizes and configurations, then sell and install them. The gate you end up with is chosen from what’s available, then adapted to fit your opening as closely as possible.

Fabrication is different. A fabricator designs and builds the gate from raw aluminium profiles, specifically for your property and your opening. The dimensions, the infill pattern, the profile selection, the hardware positions — all determined by your brief, not by what’s in stock.

At Ten66, every gate starts as a drawing and ends as a finished product built in our Hastings workshop. Nothing is purchased pre-made and resized to fit.

What gate fabrication actually involves

At Ten66’s Hastings workshop on the Mornington Peninsula, fabricating an aluminium gate involves several distinct stages:

Design to specification

Every gate begins with a detailed drawing based on your opening dimensions, your chosen style, your infill pattern, and your colour selection from the Charisma powder coating range. The drawing defines every component before a piece of aluminium is cut.

Profile selection and cutting

Aluminium gate profiles — the sections that form the frame, rails, and infill — are selected to suit the design and cut to the exact lengths required. Precision at this stage determines whether the finished gate is square, true, and consistent.

Welding and assembly

The cut profiles are welded together to form the gate frame. This is where a fabricator’s skill is most visible. Clean welds, correctly dressed and ground, are what separates a gate that holds its shape over years from one that shifts, sags, or corrodes at the joints.

Hardware fitting

Hinges, latches, lock mechanisms, and automation mounting points are fitted to the fabricated frame. Getting hardware positions right at the fabrication stage — rather than adapting them on-site — is what makes for a gate that operates correctly from day one.

Powder coating

The fabricated gate is powder coated in your chosen Charisma colour. Powder coating is applied as a dry powder and cured under heat, producing a finish that’s harder and more durable than conventional paint. Ten66 backs every gate with a 10-year coating guarantee.

Installation

The finished gate is transported to your property and installed by the Ten66 team. Because the gate has been fabricated specifically for your opening — not adapted from a standard size — installation is precise and the finished result is consistent with the original drawing.

Why fabrication matters for Mornington Peninsula properties

Properties on the Mornington Peninsula present specific challenges for gate installations. Coastal environments accelerate corrosion — which is why the quality of welds, the specification of hardware, and the durability of the powder coating finish all matter more than they might in an inland location.

Driveways on the Peninsula also vary significantly — sloped approaches, unusual opening widths, heritage streetscapes that require a considered gate design. A supplier with standard sizes can’t address these situations well. A fabricator who builds to your specific brief can.

Ten66 has been fabricating custom aluminium gates from the Hastings workshop for eight years. Every gate is built for the property it’s going to — not adapted from something that was built for somewhere else.

How to tell if you’re dealing with a fabricator or a supplier

Ask one question: where is the gate actually made?

A fabricator will tell you it’s made in their workshop, show you the process, and be able to discuss the specific profiles, hardware, and finish options in detail. A supplier will give you a brochure.

If you’re investing in a custom aluminium gate for a Mornington Peninsula property, it’s worth knowing the difference before you sign anything.

Ten66 designs, manufactures, and installs all gate types from the Hastings workshop on the Mornington Peninsula. Every gate is custom-dimensioned to your opening — not adapted from a standard size.

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What does gate fabrication actually involve — and why does it matter?