Mining is one of the oldest technological and engineering fields in existence, and the demand for high-quality mining structures is steadily on the rise.
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the $4 billion mining industry sector has experienced a 6% annual percentage increase in the global export of mining products (2010-2014).
The engineering and construction of mining structures are vital to the discovery and harvesting of raw materials, providing stable and durable structural support for heavy-duty equipment and employee facilities.
Custom concrete and/or steel housing assemblies and equipment supports present many engineering and construction challenges to the mining infrastructure; a construction sector where there is very little commonality, as each mining site application presents its own set of unique construction problems and solutions:
limited available space and varied terrains
exceptional strength and durability requirements
Often custom sheet metal fabrication is required to product complicated HVAC duct work, metal roofs, structural siding or column wraps, and sheet metal shop drawings that contain precise geometry of the folded and flat sheet is required to ensure the the end product is manufactured as needed by the engineer.
This type of drafting is very specialized and requires a true knowledge of the machines that cut, bend and punch sheet metal.
With accurate sheet metal shop drawings, the metal fabricating shop will experience less error and scrap, as often the geometric data is sent from the CAD file directly to a cutting or bending machine.
Sheet metal for duct work is first drafted as required by the HVAC routing plan, along with all junctions, bends and risers necessary.
Our drafters use CAD software to unfold sheet metal parts and have full training in creating corner and edge reliefs; adjustments for bend allowances; creating hems and hinges; and accurate placement of all knockouts, countersinks or tapped holes.
With precise drafting of sheet metal, we can provide the data required for laser cutting, CNC or CAM fabrication machines.
Last month, when Elon Musk’s Tesla announced about the launching of cheap solar roofs, it must have sent a jitter down the spines to fabricators of shelter structures and metal canopies.
It is even tough, to decide which design will be accepted by their customers based on its features, adaptability and usability.
These challenges keep elongating the time between the initiation of order receipt for fabrication and completion of final fabricated product.
Furthermore, B2B software industry is accelerating its transition to software-as-a-service, while industries increasingly adopt 3-D parametric modeling, simulation and collaboration solutions — transforming the way designers, drafters, engineers and many other design professionals design things.
It has brought these professionals to develop only a standardized model in SolidWorks which can then be modified further for customization with developed logical set of rules in DriveWorks.
It also eliminates engineering changes originating from shop floor, since all the designs populated to configurator are according to custom tooling capacity of the fabricator only.
