Our Story
Built From Welding Experience
SteelArc Design was built on 18 years of hands-on welding and fabrication experience, a strong foundation in technical welding and engineering support, and an unwavering commitment to creating quality work that stands the test of time.
The Beginning
Where It All Started
SteelArc Design was built on more than 18 years of professional welding, fabrication, and custom design experience, including 14 years working closely with engineering teams in commercial vehicle and heavy-duty product development and validation.
Founder Kyle Hunter's background includes operating a dedicated welding lab and supporting engineering teams throughout product development, testing, and validation. His experience includes welding structural axle components for commercial truck, military, crane, and off-highway applications, as well as fabricating specialized fixtures and components used for structural fatigue and dynamometer testing.
Alongside this technical welding and engineering-support experience, Kyle has an equally extensive background developing, designing, and fabricating custom machine guarding systems for structural fatigue testing equipment, dynamometers, and other specialized test systems. This work required taking unique equipment, testing requirements, access needs, and safety considerations and developing practical fabricated solutions around them.
His experience extends well beyond welding and includes fabrication design, weld development, process setup and analysis, troubleshooting, test preparation, custom fixturing, machine guarding, and hands-on support throughout the product validation process.
That background developed an engineering-minded approach to fabrication that remains central to SteelArc Design today: understand how something needs to function, determine the right way to build it, and execute it with precision.
Today, SteelArc Design brings that technical foundation into custom architectural and specialty metalwork. We combine fabrication experience, craftsmanship, design, and creative problem-solving to produce custom staircases, railings, gates, architectural and structural steel, stainless steel, brass details, and one-of-a-kind fabricated pieces for residential and commercial projects throughout Southeast Michigan.
Our technical background also allows SteelArc Design to offer a broad range of specialty welding and fabrication services beyond architectural metalwork. These capabilities include mobile welding and repair, stainless steel fabrication, aluminum welding for marine applications, custom design and prototyping, and small-run production welding for components where consistency, fit-up, and dimensional accuracy are critical.
Whether the project is a one-of-a-kind architectural piece, a prototype, a specialized repair, or a small production run, SteelArc approaches the work with the same focus on precision, function, and quality.
The Journey
Years of Craft
Early Career
Learning the Trade
Started welding professionally, working across structural, ornamental, and industrial projects throughout Southeast Michigan. Every job was a classroom — learning to read metal, understand load, and develop the instincts that only come from years of hands-on work.
14 Years
Engineering & Heavy Industry
Spent 14 years embedded with engineering teams in commercial vehicle and heavy-duty product development — welding structural axle components for commercial truck, military, crane, and off-highway applications, and fabricating fixtures for structural fatigue and dynamometer testing.
The Turning Point
Going Independent
After years of working at the intersection of precision welding and engineering, the decision was made to build something of our own. SteelArc Design was founded on a simple principle: bring an engineering mindset to every project, do the work right, and never cut corners.
Today
SteelArc Design
Now 18+ years of experience deep, SteelArc Design is one of Southeast Michigan's most trusted custom metalwork fabricators. Every project — from a single handrail to a full commercial staircase system — gets the same precision-first approach developed over a career built in demanding environments.
What Drives Us
"Understand how something needs to function, determine the right way to build it, and execute it with precision. That's not a tagline — it's how every project gets done."
Ready to Start a Project?
Whether it's a custom staircase, a gate, or on-site mobile welding — let's talk about what you're building.