Featured Project · Monument Structure
Firefly
Entrance
Arch
46,500 CNC-laser-cut holes. 400 hours of precision fabrication. One arch that transforms at night.
CNC-laser-cut holes
creating firefly glow
Total labor hours
Corten steel plate
precision fabricated
Hidden structural core
The Commission
Built for a Street Sign.
Designed to be a Landmark.
A Utah residential developer came to Yeti Welding with a deceptively simple brief: build an entry arch for a new development. What emerged from that conversation was anything but simple.
The “Firefly” concept grew from a single question — what if an entry arch could come alive at night? The answer was 46,500 individual holes, CNC-laser-cut into 3/16" Corten plate, each one calibrated to cast a specific pattern of light when the interior illumination fires up after sundown.
The structural challenge was equally demanding. The arch needed to carry its own considerable weight across a wide span with no visible bracing. The solution: a hidden HSS steel skeleton buried inside the sculpted Corten exterior — strength made invisible.
The Arch
Day and Night
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The Craft
How It Was Built
Design & Engineering
Every one of the 46,500 perforations was placed with intent. Our team began with structural calculations — mapping load paths through the HSS core and determining the panel geometry that would generate the firefly light pattern after dark. CAD models were iterated until every weld joint, bolt pattern, and cut array aligned with both the structural and artistic requirements.
Precision Fabrication
3/16" Corten plate was CNC-laser-cut to tight tolerances, then formed and fitted to the HSS structural skeleton. Each panel was fully welded in our Springville facility before transport. 400 hours of skilled labor — cutting, forming, fitting, and welding — went into the arch before it ever left the shop.
Installation & Weathering
The arch was craned into position in sections and bolted to foundation embedments. Corten steel self-patinates over 12–18 months, developing the distinctive rust-amber surface that eliminates paint and coating entirely. The arch looks better with every passing season — and at night, those 46,500 holes do exactly what they were designed to do.
Technical Specifications
Built to Endure
Materials & Process
Project Vitals
“Strength made invisible. 400 hours of precision fabrication hidden inside a sculpture that weathers beautifully and never needs paint.”
46,500 laser-cut holes — the firefly pattern
HSS structural core — hidden inside the sculpture
Next Steps
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