AFAB expands edge metal offering with FM approved systems and two new products

40+ years of fabrication, built for today’s standards: FM Approved systems and two new products combining tested performance with easier, more consistent installation.

Applied Fabricators, Inc. (AFAB) is expanding its edge metal offering with a portfolio of FM Approved systems and two new products: StormChaser Gutter, the first FM Approved gutter system with pre-installed internal brackets, and Snap-On EX Coping, a continuous, concealed attachment system designed for high performance and straightforward installation.

The expanded portfolio includes nine fascia, coping and gutter systems that are FM Approved and tested as applicable to ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435/ES-1 and ANSI/SPRI GT-1. To earn FM Approval, products must pass rigorous performance testing by FM Approvals, and the manufacturing facility is subject to ongoing audits to maintain it. Test results for each system are listed in FM’s RoofNav database, where they can be verified directly. AFAB is pairing the focus on tested performance with systems designed to address another challenge facing commercial roofing: continued skilled labor shortages. By simplifying installation and reducing reliance on specialized field experience, the systems are built to make jobs easier without compromising the performance today’s projects require.

Built for today’s standards

Founded in 1984 by Bob and Julie Reeve, AFAB has grown considerably over the past four decades, from a 1,700-square-foot shop to its current 30,000-square-foot facility in Greenfield, Indiana, just outside Indianapolis. Through that growth, the company has remained family-owned and operated and is now under second-generation leadership with their son, Brandon Reeve.

Bob and Julie built the shop and set the standard of work that still runs it. Brandon grew up in the business, learning firsthand that the quality of the work mattered just as much as how customers were treated. When he took over in 2008, he carried that standard forward while putting an even greater emphasis on service: responding quickly, making it straightforward to order and getting material to the jobsite on the day it was promised.

Over the years, that became the way the whole company operates, and it is where the three words on everything AFAB makes come from: Rapid. Responsive. Reliable.

AFAB has built its reputation on precision fabrication, dependable service and the flexibility to keep up with changing project needs. With deep roots and a strong customer base across the Midwest, AFAB works to be the fabrication partner of choice for customers who value responsive partnership, reliable delivery and straightforward support, with capabilities that extend beyond the region. AFAB also manages many deliveries on its own trucks, giving the team greater control over scheduling and helping ensure material gets to the jobsite when promised. That same responsiveness carries through the life of a project. When schedules change, unexpected needs come up or customers simply need an answer, the AFAB team works alongside them to help keep the job moving. It is an approach built around being a reliable partner, not just a material supplier.

As building codes, testing requirements and project performance expectations have evolved, AFAB has continued to invest in the engineering and testing behind its edge metal systems. That work includes the expanded portfolio of FM Approved fascia, coping and water management systems designed to give project teams more tested options across the roof edge.

“For a long time, edge metal was treated as one of the last pieces of the roof system to think about. That has changed. Codes are more specific, owners and consultants are asking more questions about tested performance, and the edge needs to be considered as part of the complete roofing system,” said Karan Patel, Chief Innovation Officer at AFAB. “Our goal is to give project teams more options that meet those requirements while making the system easier to specify, order and install.”

For AFAB, the investment in testing is also an extension of the same standard the company has followed for more than four decades.

“We’ve been fabricating metal since 1984, and the standard has not changed: make it right, and get it there when we said we would,” said Brandon Reeve, Chief Executive Officer at AFAB. “FM Approval is the most rigorous project we have ever taken on, but we did it for the same reason we have always invested in this business: to give our customers better options and help make their jobs easier. That includes introducing our FM Approved offering, and two new products built around some of the challenges we see our customers facing every day. As we expand what we’re offering, we’re still the team that answers the phone, responds quickly and follows through.”

StormChaser gutter

StormChaser is the first FM Approved* gutter system with pre-installed internal brackets, combining tested performance with a design that simplifies installation in the field. Available in multiple profiles and shapes, the system was developed around the person who has to install it.

A conventional gutter often arrives as a set of separate components. External hangers typically have to be measured and laid out on center with two fasteners in each one. The gutter goes up next, followed by the internal bar and strap. The process takes time, requires installation experience and creates multiple opportunities for variation in the field.

StormChaser arrives as a finished assembly instead. The aluminum brackets are already mounted inside at the specified spacing, and the holes are pre-punched. Installing a 10-foot section requires only six fasteners.

“There’s no guessing where the brackets are, what fasteners to use or how they should be spaced,” Patel said. “It’s designed to be plug and play.”

The pre-installed design does more than save time. By establishing bracket spacing and fastener locations during fabrication, StormChaser reduces the number of decisions that have to be made in the field and helps create a more consistent installation from one section to the next.

Moving the brackets inside the gutter also simplifies fabrication. Conventional external hangers have to be color matched and painted, adding an additional paint cycle to the order. By eliminating the external hangers and the paint cycle they require, StormChaser can significantly shorten fabrication lead times. For example, StormChaser could typically ship a 5,000-linear-foot gutter package in a week or less, compared with approximately three weeks of fabrication plus another week for paint with a conventional system.

That combination of tested performance, installation consistency and shorter lead times is especially valuable as contractors navigate skilled labor shortages and compressed construction schedules. By reducing the number of components, measurements and field decisions required during installation, StormChaser helps crews with varying levels of experience install the system more consistently. Data centers are one example, where roofing systems and warranty requirements can be demanding and the roof edge needs to perform at the same level. Schools present another challenge, with much of the work often compressed into a limited summer construction window.

StormChaser is available on short lead times, and backed by the AFAB Lifetime Warranty, which covers the life of the original roof on which it is installed.

Snap-On EX coping

Snap-On EX is a new FM Approved snap-on coping system designed to bring together high performance, versatility and straightforward installation. Built around an extruded bar and formed cleat with compression pads, the system provides continuous, concealed attachment across a range of wall widths and sizes.

The design eliminates exposed fasteners at the top of the wall, reducing potential water infiltration points and the need for sealants or washers that may require maintenance over time.

“When you’re putting a new roof and coping system on a building, you want every part of that assembly working toward long-term performance,” said Karan Patel, Chief Innovation Officer at AFAB. “With Snap-On EX, we had an opportunity to design out an unnecessary point of exposure while also making the system easier to install.”

Snap-On EX also simplifies what happens in the field. Because the bar is extruded, it requires only one row of holes rather than several. The inner cleat uses the same fastener and installation tool as the outer side, helping keep installation consistent across the wall.

The cap hooks onto the assembly and pushes down, engaging continuously along the run. With the attachment completely concealed, the finished edge remains clean from end to end.

The system accommodates a range of wall widths and sizes without requiring a different design for each condition, helping AFAB maintain shorter lead times while reducing field adjustments. At a time when experienced roofing labor can be difficult to find, designing more of the installation into the system itself helps reduce reliance on specialized field knowledge. For contractors, that means a more straightforward installation. For architects, specifiers and consultants, it provides an FM Approved coping option designed around both tested performance and consistent execution in the field.

Snap-On EX is AFAB’s recommended coping system and a favorite of the team that fabricates it.

What ships in the box

Both systems are designed so that what a specifier writes is what ultimately ends up on the building, without requiring the installation crew to fill in unnecessary gaps in the field.

“We pre-punch the holes, provide the fasteners and try to make the installation as straightforward as possible,” Patel said. “Everything is in the box. That gives the contractor a more consistent installation and gives the specifier and owner greater confidence that the system on the building matches what was intended.”

Both systems are backed by an AFAB warranty covering the life of the roof on which they are installed, and AFAB indemnifies membrane manufacturers on edge-to-edge warranty programs.

Whether a project requires 30 LF to finish a job or 30,000 LF for a major installation, AFAB brings the same approach: responsive service, straightforward ordering and fabrication customers can count on.

For quotes, specifications, test reports or warranty information, contact quotes@appliedfabricators.com.

View the brochure here.

About AFAB

Applied Fabricators, Inc. is a second-generation architectural sheet metal fabricator based in Greenfield, Indiana. Founded in 1984 by Bob and Julie Reeve, AFAB remains family-owned and operated today under Brandon Reeve. Alongside fascia, coping and water management systems for commercial roofing, AFAB fabricates insulated metal panel components for cold storage and brake metal for glass and glazing applications.

Rapid. Responsive. Reliable.