Here’s an exhibition stand we recently fabricated components of for Axess 2, who specialise in platform lifts for most purposes you can think of. The following pictures (which I think Axess took) show their entire stand from various angles while they where down at the NEC in Birmingham.

I’ve been told the Butler Sheetmetal guys were responsible for the flooring, the glass posts and the signage.

Floor leading to platform lift.

Exhibition stand interior with shiny logo.

Back of the stand.

Full frontal of Axess exhibition stand.

Somebody enjoying a ride in a lift.

So, to avoid any confusion, if you’re looking for a custom lift get in touch with Axess in Clitheroe; and if you’re looking for an exhibition stand, have a word with us down the other end of the A59.

I know how easily confused some of you people can get.

The closest we ever get to the fabrication and design of buses is beating the living panels out of the local Tyrer fleet after they’ve pranged a bus shelter. Although we (and by we I mean Matt) did happen to design a fuel arm loading bracket to prevent the overspill of diesel while fueling locomotives for Virgin Trains.

Simple Fuel Arm Loading Bracket

Anyway, if you particularly like the sound of free in relation to stainless steel bus and rolling stock fabrication and research therein, you can send off for the following CD-ROM by Euro Inox:

Under the acronym INSAPTRANS, a research report about the use of stainless steel in the design and fabrication of buses and rolling stock is also available now on CD-ROM.

Contents:

1. Introduction: stainless steels in transport vehicles
1.1 Rail applications history
1.2 Current rail applications
1.3 Bus and coach applications
1.4 Future potential

2. Materials
2.1 Grades
2.2 Delivery
2.3 Mechanical behaviour and design values
2.3.1 Tensile properties of the project materials
2.3.2 Design values and physical properties of stainless
2.4 Corrosion properties
2.4.1 Atmospheric corrosion
2.4.2 De-icing and dust-control chemicals
2.4.3 Corrosion resistance evaluation
2.4.4 Corrosion test results
2.4.5 Corrosion test summary
2.5 Stainless steel high-temperature mechanical properties: fire resistance
2.6 Selection of materials
2.6.1 Structural applications
2.6.2 Forming applications
2.6.3 Summary

3. Lightweight structures and design
3.1. Stainless hollow-section structures
3.1.1. Manufacture of hollow sections
3.1.2. Structural design aspects for hollow-section joints
3.2. Sandwich panel structures
3.2.1 Design principles of sandwich panels
3.2.2 Panel cross-section
3.2.3 Elastic response
3.2.4 Strength and deflection criteria
3.2.5 Structural optimisation
3.2.6 Design tools
3.2.7 Special issues in all-steel sandwich panel design

4. Manufacturing issues in lightweight structures
4.1 Bending of high strength stainless steel sheets
4.1.1 Verification of minimum sheet bending radius
4.1.2 Determination of sheet springback behaviour
4.1.3 Guidelines for bending ultra high-strength stainless steel
4.2 Tube bending
4.2.1 Types of mechanical tube-bending processes
4.2.2 Springback model
4.2.3 Rectangular tube-bending results
4.2.4 Design guidance for three-roll tube bending
4.3 Welding and joining
4.3.1 Arc-based welding processes
4.3.2 Laser-based welding processes
4.3.3 Resistance welding
4.3.4 Adhesive bonding

5. Properties of lightweight structures
5.1. Welded joint properties
5.1.1 Static strength
5.1.2 Fatigue and corrosion fatigue strength
5.2 Sandwich panel mechanical properties
5.2.1 Four-point bend testing of full-size panels
5.2.2 Three-point bend testing of panel sections
5.2.3 Summary and conclusions
5.3 Lightweight structure crash properties
5.3.1 Axial impact tests
5.3.2 Side impact tests
5.3.3 Tubular frame crash tests
5.3.4 Panel compression and crash testing

6. Life cycle issues
6.1. Effect of vehicle weight on life cycle cost
6.2. Environmental effects of bus-frame materials
6.3. Life cycle cost evaluation of bus-frame materials
6.4. Summary

In addition to the research report, the CD-ROM contains numerous papers with additional background information given at six regional seminars. These presentations are in English and some of them in French, German, Italian, Polish and Spanish.

INSAPTRANS is a joint initiative of stainless steel producers, research institutions and Euro Inox. It was made possible through support from the Research Fund for Coals and Steel of the European Union.

If you do not have the report yet and would like to receive a free copy of the CD-ROM, please return an e-mail to info@euro-inox.org referring to the INSAPTRANS CD-ROM. Please do not forget to indicate your address detail.

Oh and don’t be asking where you can get a copy of the CD or whether we can send you one. Just note the email in bold above and drop those guys a line with the information also in bold.

I thank you.

I have no technical nor functional description about the following other than it’s a metal wall/chair installation affair made from punched sheet.

Alas, the entire shaboodle hasn’t been pieced together as that was being done on site. So, you’ll just have to make do with the 40 or so pictures of the punched metal arrangement here.

You’ll also notice a well lit, freshly painted unit in the photos which is the self-same place they were moving into until somebody offered them a reasonable rapscallion for it and the gypsies next door said they could buy their unit and expand sideways.

I promise there’ll be a tale or two about that little negotiation.

Wycoller Panopticon

Here’s a lovely picture of the Wycoller Panopticon that the boys back at Butler Sheetmetal have just titivated. Wycoller (if I remember rightly) is on the back road to Skipton if you go over the tops from Colne. So it’s the scenic route to Yorkshire, and a rambling point – that is, ramble-able from John’s house in Trawden (erm, it’s here). It almost makes me wistful for a trip home – apart from the fact that I’m sure that picture’s been photoshopped to improve the skyline from foggy, drizzling miserable moor to other-worldly celestial.

Now this is more of an East Lancashire skyscape I’m used to:

Although it doesn’t usually include our new lad, Kaine, obscuring the foreground.

But at least Jasper was at hand to look longingly at a plastic bag.

Hmmm, I’m just trying to work out which globe is the shinier.

Anyway, here’s the feedback from Nick at Lancashire Council on the repair job and clean up we did for the Panopticon:

Just to say thanks for the work on the steel ball – we have had some very positive comments about it since it was reinstated.

The quality of the finish in particular has been commented on, the mirror finish better than the original!

Thank you, sir.

And if you’ve been for a walk round Wycoller way and seen the Panopticon, why not let us know what you think of it in the comments.

As with many smaller sheet metal companies, there tends to be quite a bit of sub-contracting that goes on. Obviously, the smaller you are the less facilities you have in-house. And the busier you get, the more sub-contracting out you need to do.

So, it’s kind of important that you find half decent companies that have a remote idea as to what they’re supposed to be doing. We don’t have any in-house facilities for powder coating, so any planters that require a colour need to be done elsewhere.

The Butler boys recently did a rather large planter job for somebody in London and I think I recall the odd email between the powder coating firm and John fizzing through my inbox. I got an email last week with a few pictures of the planters leaving the powder coaters – Trevon Industrial Finishings in Colne. And, as John succinctly put it in his correspondence: “They really pulled us out of the shit with this one and did a fantastic job.”

Faint praise indeed. Now I have quite a pedantic eye when it comes to finishes, and I have to say that pictures do show a very good paint job. And the bottom line is that the customer is awfully pleased as well and will be sending us even more pictures once they’ve been planted up.

You see, it’s all well and good taking credit for a job well done, but on this one Trevon obviously went above and beyond the call of duty and really helped us out to the point that we’d have been in quite a hole otherwise. The customer isn’t going to care where you get the things painted, powder-coated, or finished. All they care about is the finish once they receive the finished article(s) – and quite right too.

It’s just that you might not be deserving of all the credit lavished upon you. Unless we deserve a pat on the back for sourcing the best industrial finishings company this side of Manchester that is.