Stainless Steel, Steel and Aluminium Welding and Fabrication

Precision Water Jet Cutting

Posts Tagged ‘drawing’

Steel Fabrication for Paignton Zoo

March 16th, 2015

RB Engineering received a new project request for steel fabrication at Paignton Zoo.  The Zoo had designed a background theme for their latest feature Wetlands that was due to open in the summertime.   This gave the team at RB Engineering a month to complete the project.

Paignton Zoo had prepared the design in an art package file which had to be converted to work in the water jet cutting software.   Several meetings were held between the Zoo and RB Engineering to discuss the changes that were required before work could commence.  Health and safety issues were also discussed including the rounding off the sharp points that showed in the original design to make the sculpture safe.

The client also specified that they would like to have the sculpture made with mild steel as this would give a rustic look to the piece.

Drawings were then made for the project and once they were accepted by the client an order was placed for the material.  Once the material had arrived it was loaded into the water jet and cut to the required size.

The client visited RB Engineering to discuss how much roll was required on the plate.  The end result had to be that the sculpture would stand on its own without wobbling.  The plate was then rolled to specification.

On completion of the project the sculpture was then delivered to the site and placed in concrete by staff at the Zoo.  The steel fabrication for Paignton Zoo was a success and the client and designers were extremely happy with the end result.

You can check out the work for yourself as the sculpture still stands at the entry to the Wetlands feature at Paignton Zoo.

Steel Fabrication Paignton Zoo

Steel Fabrication Paignton Zoo

Steel Fabrication Paignton Zoo

Steel Fabrication Paignton Zoo Wetlands Project

Perforated Plate Design Using CAD Software

February 23rd, 2015

RB Engineering received a call from a client who needed help to create a perforated plate design that would stay absolutely flat. In the past it was usual for the client to order the perforated plate from a supplier but, these were usually made by laser or punched which would cause the metal to warp.  This would cause a problem with a build-up of materials being used in the perforated plate. We decided to make the perforated plate using CAD software.

Damaged perforated plate

Damaged perforated plate

Damaged perforated plate

Damaged perforated plate

The perforated plate would be made from 5mm 316 stainless steel.  The advantage of having this profiled and cut on the water jet is that there is no warp age of the metal as it is cut using water. The perforated plate has to be installed perfectly level so the material is always cold.

A qualified designer at RB Engineering created the drawing for the perforated plate design using CAD software.  The drawing when then past to a qualified water jet cutter for profiling and creating the plate. The material was required to be cut to a tolerance of 0.05mm.

Before the work began test cutting was done using scrap material to see if having all of the holes closer together would relieve any stress in the rolling of the stainless steel causing the plate to lift.  This didn’t happen so the material was ordered to begin the work on the perforated plate.

Perforate steel plate with water cutting mahine

Perforated steel plate with water cutting machine

Cutting steel plate

Cutting steel plate

When the work was completed it was scheduled for completion. On completion the client collected the perforated plate and it was fitted by their own staff.  Once installed the customer tested the plate and informed us that it was working to their satisfaction and they were able to put a greater

put through of material.

RB Engineering had solved the problem of the perforated plate design for the customer who was more than happy with the work that the production team had carried out. This type of work will now  be standard on all screen deck machines.

Steel Fabrication and Maintenance Work

February 16th, 2015

Steel Fabrication and Maintenance Work

RB Engineering are experienced in all types of Steel Fabrication and Maintenance Work.  Projects such as Roll Cages, Stainless Steel Storage Tanks, Mezzanine Floors, Stainless Steel buildings and staircases, are just some of the projects that the company has worked on.

When a client contacted RB Engineering for help with rusted trunking the work was carried out to a high standard and the client had more than one problem solved.

The hot air trunking from the furnace to a crushing machine had rusted due to condensation that was caused by constant hot and cold temperatures through the trunking.  It was obvious that the trunking would need to be replaced with a material that could cope with the constant change in temperature.  The materials used were 6mm thick mild steel to handle the heat and chromium content to help alleviate the condensation and prevent corrosion within the pipes.

Drawings were taken onsite and then a CAD model was made and put into our duct forming software which unfolds the drawing into a flat pattern that the water jet can follow to profile the necessary parts.   MAG welding was used on this project to produce the required product for the client.  All of the drawings for this Steel Fabrication and Maintenance work were filed for future reference.

The installation was completed on the client premises at an arranged date, and although the work had taken time to complete because of the complexity of the drawings the client was more than happy with the product.

Hot Air Trunking Repair

Hot Air Trunking Repair

Hot Air Trunking Repair

Hot Air Trunking Repair

The expertise and skill of Steel Fabrication and Maintenance Work offered by RB Engineering helped to provide a first class, longer lasting product for the client.

Stainless Steel Repair Devon

February 2nd, 2015

Stainless Steel Repair Devon

During our work with clients it is often the case that time is of the essence for having work completed in the shortest time possible without compromising quality. Good planning and customer communication play an important part in achieving an agreed timescale.  A prime example of this was when a client called in with a problem they had for unloading bulk materials from a hopper. The hopper was in a bad state, it was very rusty and riddled with holes and it was certainly passed its ‘sell-by date’.

before pic 2 before pic 3 rb engineering before pic

The time scale was very imported as our client was expecting a bulk tanker to arrive and be filled up from the hopper and delivered to their next customer.  We had a six hours to complete the work which included stripping out the chute and fabricating a new one using Stainless Steel. It was imperative that the work was completed as soon as possible.

Before beginning the work we were supplied with a drawing. RB Engineering produced an in house CAD drawing for the top flange for water jet cutting, and then went on to complete a drawing for the whole item.

The materials we used for the work was 6mm Stainless Steel flat sheet which was rolled into shape in house with our hydraulic pyramid rollers.  The mounting flange was profiled on our water jet cutter from 10mm Stainless Steel, it was then welded together using our synergic mag welding machine.   Once the work was finished it was delivered and fitted onsite for the client.   The process from start to finish took five hours to complete.

Throughout the time the work being carried out, communication between our client and ourselves was frequent. This helped to ensure that the client had a good insight as to how the work was progressing.

With hard work and efficiency the job was completed to a high standard and well within the essential time frame and our client was able to make the delivery to their customer in time.

Sibelco stainless steel repair

Stainless steel repair – Before

Sibelco stainless steel repair

Stainless steel repair – After

This is just one example of the many client stories we have to share with you.  Here at RB Engineering we carry out this type of work on a regular basis and pride ourselves on our quality of work and our relationship with our clients.