Check out these 3/16" thick polished stainless steel shrouds covering steel reinforced concrete bollards protecting the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, Massachusetts!
We have seen it so many times in the movies, a group of criminals drives right up, or sometimes even through the front of a bank. The criminals then take the cash and head for a quick exit. In the real world most of these dramatic entrances and exits would be highly unlikely due to something called a bollard. Sorry Batman fans, the Joker’s dramatic opening scene in the Dark Knight which consisted of a bus crashing through the front of a bank is purely Hollywood at its finest.
So what is a bollard? The most basic definition describes them as a short vertical post. If this seems uneventful or unimportant, think again. Fixed bollards are used to create a stand off area around a vulnerable building. Some of these attackers could be classified as criminals, vandals, activists, extremists or terrorists. Even the American Bar Association (ABA) has stated that bollards are a direct contributing factor to the United States homeland security. The United States capital building is protected by bollards at various locations around the building. Note that the bollards on the far left and right represent flower pots. These flower pot bollards have a much more serious purpose than most people even realize.
In the security world there are two main kinds of bollards. The first type of bollard is a non-crash resistant bollard. The second type is a crash and attack resistant bollard. These crash and attack resistant bollards are used to protect government, military and buildings that require high security. At Gilchrist Fabricating Company we were proud to be involved in creating stainless steel shrouds that covered steel reinforced concrete bollards. These bollards protect the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston, Massachusetts from potential attackers. These bollards are more stylized than traditional bollards and are quite classy if we do say so ourselves!
Bollards come in all different shapes and sizes. Street bollards are created from a variety of metals. These metals include iron, steel and aluminum. In addition some bollards can be created from stainless steel like the Gilchrist Fabricating Company’s steel shrouds at the Boston Federal Reserve Bank. Steel versions of bollards are mainly used for protective purposes while iron and aluminum bollards are used for more ornate designs. In addition most protective bollards are filled with concrete to add extra strength.
Eddy Gabriel’s toadstool bollard in Antwerp, Belgium
Over the years bollards have even inspired artists. Colorful brightly painted bollards have appeared in Geelong, Australia. These decorative bollards created by Jan Mitchell are painted to resemble human figures and have been placed in public areas. The bollards in Geelong are now a well-known feature of the city. In the city of Antwerp, Belgium artist Eddy Gabriel painted a bollard to represent a toadstool. This painted toadstool bollard was the leading inspiration that transformed the quayside of the river Scheldt into an open street art gallery. So the next time your friend asks you “what’s the point of these posts”, you can now enlighten them!
Have you seen the movie Wall-E? The one about the robot whose job it is to clean up what can only be described as the American wasteland? Sure, it was a great movie — but I’m not sure that robots are quite that advanced yet. Either way, robotics has come a long way, and while we might not be capable of getting the service we would get from Wall-E quite yet, when it comes to things like robotic welding, we’re getting closer and closer.
So, what is robotic welding?
In the most simple terms, robotic welding is exactly what it sounds like — it’s the automated welding of two or more metal pieces by a robot. Generally, there are two varieties of robots for robotic welding service. They include articulating robots and rectilinear robots, which are slightly more difficult to explain.
What do you think of when you hear "Robot"?
There are two popular types of industrial welding robots. The first is the articulating robot, which uses arms with rotating joints that move like a human’s arm, complete with a rotating wrist that can move irregularly. Next, the rectilinear robot moves in regular lines along the X, Y, and Z axes, while also taking advantage of a wrist with rotational movement.
Unfortunately, robotic welding robots don’t roll around autonomously like Wall-E, they don’t “feel” either, but they’re capable of some pretty amazing things — such as the flawless welding of aircraft and automotive components. To perform these tasks, the robot performing the robotic welding service performs both the weld and the handling of the part,
Recently, a growing aspect of robotic welding services is robot arc welding. Arc welding robots consist of a mechanical unit, which makes the robot move, and a controller that acts as the robot’s brain. To direct the arms of the machines, Arc welding robots use a number of different coordinate systems.
Welding robots are used by manufacturers to fabricate a variety of products faster and more cost effectively, from cars and trucks to large aerospace components. So while the inspiration of Wall-E might not be as lovable as the robots we see on the big screen, you can be sure that robots, such as those responsible for robotic welding, have a huge impact on our world — helping to more quickly and efficiently produce the things we need.
We were honored to host the Mitt Romney campaign on Monday, January 9th as he spoke about job creation, the economy, and other issues concerning the manufacturing and fabrication industries.
It’s one of those things you can’t do without. Every day, you take advantage of it. But chances are you don’t even know about it. It keeps you safe. It gets you where you’re going. It supports you when you sleep. Chances are it isn’t obvious already, but metal fabrication is one of the most unsung heroes of your life – and it impacts you every day.
Metal fabrication dates back to some of the earliest recorded history, having a place in ancient societies ranging from the Indus River Valley civilizations, the ancient Egyptians, and the Romans. With that said, metal fabrication with its many applications has literally shaped the world, the way we see it, and the way we live our lives on it.
Most historians accept the notion that the first metals discovered and used by humans were iron, tin, and gold. While gold turned out to be much too soft for anything other than decoration (as exemplified by the Egyptians), Tin and Iron were actively mined and utilized by virtually every civilization. In fact, there is a direct correlation between the rising trajectory of many civilizations and the point they each discovered that various ores could be melted, molded, forged, and fabricated to make the tools that make life easier, such as tools, weapons, and rudimentary machinery.
What made the technological development of civilization even more rapid was the drastically growing number of uses each civilization found for metals, which inevitably led to the industrial revolution of the 17th and 18th centuries, making metal fabrication not just a novelty or a minor aspect of society, but a key aspect driving culture and commerce around the world.
While metal fabricators have incorporated advanced computer controlled machinery as well as tools like robotic lasers and cutting tools, the fact remains that they still do the same thing their ancient metal-fabricating forefathers did. They take raw materials and they make it something new and useful.
From the car you drive or the sink you use to wash your dishes to the beautiful artistic metalwork you might witness in a new, modern building – metal fabrications are everywhere. For a more recent example, consider this: with the oil spills of 2010 spreading across the Gulf of Mexico, metal fabrications were used to try and contain the spills. Or for the physics students out there, many experiments conducted to learn more about “dark matter” take place in large pressure vessels used as vacuum chambers, yet another product of precision metal fabrication.
So as you can see, whether you’re looking at a simple screw or a state of the art airliner – it’s all the result of metal fabrication. Even though the tools have evolved and what once took hours now can take mere seconds, metal fabrication with its rich history has undeniably shaped our world and the way we live in it.
Have you ever marvelled at how technology has given us so much? Every day, it seems like the people around us our even ourselves, complain about phones being too finicky, websites being too slow, and technology in general letting us down. But think for a second about how amazing technology is, enabling us to do things that people hundreds of years ago never would have even fathomed.
Robotic welding is a critically important technology that you benefit from every day
Let’s focus on one of those things, something you might’ve never thought about in depth before now: robots. More specifically, the industrial robots responsible for robotic welding. To put it simply, robotic welding is the process where robots are equipped with welding tools to quickly, precisely, and efficiently weld together many of the things you use every day.
In the United States, the automotive industry is one of the biggest users of robotic welding.
The automotive industry is one of the United States biggest buyers of robotics welding systems to produce pipes, manifolds, mufflers, and much more. You drive a car just about every day don’t you? Well that means you’ve been directly affected by robotic welding. What about flying? It’s likely that you’ve been on a flight before. Well, when it comes to welding in tight spaces where precision is key – robotic welding fits the bill, making short work of the cramped and repetitive welding that takes place on the engine and wings.
Ultimately, when it comes to just about any industry taking advantage of robotic welding – what we, the nonrobots get, are better cars, cheaper flights, and the convenience of all the things made possible by robotos that our oldest anscestors never would have dreamed of.
Quick. Take just 30 seconds to look around you. If you’re at home, look around your home or your garage. If you’re at work, glance around your workstation. Regardless of where you are, keep an eye open for metal products, and chances are you can find quite a few.
“Who cares?” you might wonder, “Things are made of metal, that’s just the way it is.” But it goes much deeper than that. How do you think the earliest tools were made? They were fabricated. Metal fabrication is when any metal is manipulated, turned, pressed, bent, cut, or meltedto take another form. As you probably already guessed, metal fabrication was used to create the earliest tools and weapons used before history was even recorded. That’s right, rudimentary tools and weapons, the ones that are somehow responsible for our existence today, are all the result of metal fabrication.
Metal fabrications are all around you...you just have to know where to look.
For example, the metal arrowheads used to give arrows their killing power were and continue to be created through metal fabrication, where a raw material (usually steel) is manipulated with heat and pressure to form the required shape. While arrows might have been made of stone and bone before early man discovered metal, it still goes to show the monumental impact that metal fabrication has had on the history of the human race, and that’s no exaggeration.
As another example, you could consider the very first automobile or aircraft. Without the first modern automobile or airplane, the world would be a very different place. We would be less connected and our own personal world’s would be much smaller. Because the science behind metal fabrication continued to grow more and more advanced, greater precision became possible and the end products got better and better, ultimately leading to the ability to reliably produce the powerful vehicles we see today.
Most of the time, metal fabrication is used in the industrial sector and high-tech industries, but it is also frequently used when it comes to creating jewelry and other products. However, regardless of industry it is undeniable that metal fabricating of every magnitude is extremely important to modern society – as it was to virtually every society before ours.
Materials Used
As time has progressed, the number of metals available has expanded and evolved as they were discovered and consistently improved upon, eventually giving us materials like stainless steel, carbon steel, and more. Regardless of the type of metal, because metal fabrication is used every day to create many of the things we constantly use, it eventually became obvious which metals worked better for different products. For example, most automobile parts and many appliances are made out of iron and steel that has been manipulated with various turning, bending, and shaping processes. On the softer side, gold and silver are often used inside electronics as a conductor of electricity.
Needless to say, without metal fabrication the world would be a much different place. Your computer couldn’t exist without all the tiny fabricated metal parts that make it tick, your car wouldn’t run, and your house would probably still be made of wood or clay. So no matter how you think of it – metal fabrication is essential to our way of life.
Fabrication is when one thing is manipulated to become something else. Unfortunately, the most common usage of the word might have something to do with the how the truth is so often “fabricated” into something else. However, the most useful type of fabrication has been and most likely always will be metal fabrication.
Metal fabrication helps keep us powered and fed....
It is thought that metal was discovered before people even been to write, and that it was first used to make rudimentary tools and weapons – such as arrowheads and spears. Since then, metal fabrication has come a long way to include metal bending, metal forming, welding, laser cutting, and much more – expanding its utility far beyond the realm of weapons and basic tools.
Metal Fabrication through History
As most high school students know – metal was first used for basic tools. You may picture a primitive arrowhead or a spear, fastened with rawhide with feathers attached– and as far as history can tell us, you wouldn’t be too wrong. These ancient examples of metal fabrication were found in caves, and for the most part every metal fabrication found was created to be used. There was no primitive plasma cutting and metal fabrication done for decorative purposes – only for survival. As far as we can tell, these were the earliest cousins of the modern, technologically savvy, metal fabrications we see today.
The Importance of Metal Fabrication Services
Hundreds of thousands of years ago fabricated metal parts helped ancient humans survive. Today, things aren’t much different. Stainless steel, iron, aluminum, copper, and more are all used to provide us with the products we need every day, from automobile parts to metal fabrications for use by the military, and everything in between. Metal fabrication can include:
Metal fabrication is done for a wide range of industries and applications. Metal fabricated parts include everything from car parts, aircraft components, boat propellers, holding tanks, shark cages, weapons, and much much more.
Contract assembly: while not specifically “metal fabrication” contract assembly often involves fabrication of some sort. Contract assembly pertains to one customer contracting fabrication, machining, or assembly work to an experience provider who has all the necessary machinery. The contract assembly company usually organizes delivery as well.
Metal bending and forming: hydraulic press brakes are the most common type of machine used to performing metal forming – a long shot from what primitive man would have used. Metal bending is done with shaped dies and mandrels to bend tubular sections without kinking them while rolling machines are used to form plate steel into a round section.
Plasma Cutting: Plasma cutting is one metal fabricating process that ancient homo sapiens surely would have loved. Plasma cutting uses a plasma torch to cut varying thicknesses of metal – usually steel – with extreme accuracy. Through a combination of pressurized inert gas and electricity, metal fabricators create a high powered stream of pressure capable of melting metal and
simultaneously blowing it away before it can dry into the cut
Welding: is a time honored technique of joining two metals. Slightly different than plasma cutting, welding can use a variety of energy sources – including heat, electricity, friction, and even ultrasound.
That white fluffy plant may be the fabric of our lives, but when it comes to our homes, buildings, workplaces, and everything in between – metal is the foundation. While metal architectural fabrication may be the bi-product of centuries of innovation in architectural industry, today it remains the one of the key component of the toughest buildings and structures around the world.
Fabrication, by definition, generally involves building metal structures in a number of ways. These may include cutting, assembling, grinding, milling, bending, and shaping using machines with computer numerical control (CNC) capability as well as welding, laser cutters, press breaks, and more.
Architectural fabrication brings us all sorts of spectacular creations, from bridges to modern buildings
Metal fabrication is one of the key processes responsible for today’s architectural structures, but that’s not exactly where it all began. Take for instance some of the most primitive building materials. It all started with the crudest materials from the earth. Fabric, mud, rock, thatch, clay, and virtually everything early civilizations could get their hands on were the defacto building materials of choice. As it turns out these societies managed to produce surprisingly strong structures from raw materials – but the best was yet to come.
As civilizations began to discover the ability to create more advanced materials metal fabrication was born. This naturally lead to the genesis of metal architectural fabrication, where larger buildings could get the strong foundation needed through increasingly advanced metal fabrication techniques. Metal architectural fabrications are often used as both a structural framework for large buildings and an external surface covering for many components of a building, both inside and out. Typically, steel is the standard metal used for architectural fabrication.
In 1884, the first building to ever be built with a frame of structural steel was the Home Insurance Building of Chicago, Illinois, built in 1884. Save for small amounts of masonry to lend extra protection and stability against the winds of Chicago, this building (later demolished to make room for the Field Building), was the first building to carry both its external walls and its floors entirely on the same metal frame. Coincidentally, this building is also known as one of the first skyscrapers in the world. Begging the question, “did metal architectural fabrication make the skyscraper possible?”
Today, where the historical building once stood stands a plaque that reads, “This section of the Field Building is erected on the site of the Home Insurance Building which structure, designed and built in eighteen hundred and eighty four by the late William Le Baron Jenney, was the first high building to utilize as the basic principle of its design the method known as skeleton construction and, being a primal influence in the acceptance of this principle, was the true father of the skyscraper, 1932.”
As you read between the lines, it’s widely known that the Home Insurance Building in Chicago greatly influenced the future of skyscrapers as we know it. But that’s not all, with the advent of the modern skyscraper as an increasingly metal structure -the architectural fabrication industry came into prominence, leading to all of the intricate and beautiful architectural components you see today, from flowing metal spiral staircases to architectural structures that epitomize form, beauty, and function.
As you can see, metal fabrication and architectural fabrication have literally shaped the world we see every day. Next time you’re in the city, take a moment to notice for yourself the influence it’s had.
Interested in learning more, visit our main site for more information on architectural fabrication .
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