Fabrication – Riggs Machine and Fabricating, Inc.

Mill Caps – Handling the Heat and Pressure of the Modern Forge

02/25/2022RMF

As molten billets of steel race through the plant, they are formed into their final shape through a series of ever tightening rolls and presses.

Rolling plates - a hot slab partially finished, Steel Works, Homestead, Pa. - Library of Congress — Rolling plates – a hot slab partially finished, Steel Works, Homestead, Pa. – Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division (rep. # LC-USZ62-69674 )

"Rolling Mill with Coil Box" by mouser-nerdbot is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 — “Rolling Mill with Coil Box” by mouser-nerdbot is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The stands that hold these forming rolls are under extreme stresses as they progressively squeeze the metals into shape; be it flat sheets, bars, round stock or rails.

Mill Cap - Finished - Front Shot — Mill Cap – Finished – Front Shot

Mill Cap - Finished - Rear Shot — Mill Cap – Finished – Rear Shot

At the top of these stands are the mill caps – holding the components together, absorbing constant shock and vibrations as they maintain pressure on the searing metal as it is is worked beneath it.

The original cap was a cast part. This machined version will be stronger and less susceptible to cracks and weak spots due to the possibility of bad casting. It is also made of a finer grade of metal than the old, worn piece.

On Mill - Ready to Start — On Mill – Ready to Start

Using the drawings, we will CNC a new component from a 22 inch burn-out weighing over 19,000 lbs. (Not many suppliers can provide a single piece of metal that large.) Hooks were welded on the sides so the block could be moved throughout the shop.

Burn Out - Top Shot — Burn Out – Top Shot

Burn Out - Side Shot — Burn Out – Side Shot

These higher quality mill caps will provide a better support system and a more dependable and stable stand. In the long run, they will help provide our client produce a better product and maintain a longer running mill.

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Bag Lifter – (Lifting Devices)

07/30/2021RMF

Getting materials and products across your facility, off of trucks, or onto storage takes various methods. Occasionally it will involve using a support structure that can safely manage the load. These devices spread the weight out evenly or allow you to lift multiple items at a time.

New Bag Lifter - Welding Begins — Welding Begins

The unit shown here is a bag lifter. It lifts a single 1,000 lb. bag of dry product manufactured at the facility and allows them to quickly move them to a waiting fork lift.

Original Bag Lifter - End Hook — Original Bag Lifter – End Hook

The original unit was worn and in the redesign, we took the opportunity to reinforce the lifting eye with additional material.

New Bag Lifter - Reinforced Lifting Eye — Reinforced Lifting Eye

Often, such lifting devices have to be load rated. The design will be reviewed by an engineering firm and the final unit structurally tested. At that point, a placard will be placed on the unit noting its load limit.

New Bag Lifter - Arm Detail — Arm Detail

Here you can follow the job as it moves through the shop. From reverse engineering the original unit, to receiving the parts from the metal shop. Next we lay out and inspect the components. The tack-up process happens and then final welding. A coat of safety yellow (you really want to see anything that is lifted from a crane) is applied.

New Bag Lifter - Parts Bundle — Parts Bundle

New Bag Lifter - Parts Layout — New Bag Lifter – Parts Layout

This sturdy, reinforced bag lifter will provide many years of dependable service. That’s the goal of the products we provide at Riggs. They’re the best parts and components in your shop.

New Bag Lifter - Final Unit — Final Unit

Those parts, much like Riggs Machine & Fabricating, are the ones you can count on for dependability.

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

What’s Up with the Price of Steel?

05/11/202105/11/2021RMF

The cost of steel has tripled! This has been a blessing for the mills in the U.S. that had just recently been suffering. Some have been hiring and even running additional shifts to keep up with the growing demands.

Steelworks 62 – Ben Cooper – 2010
Licensed under CC

Profits are up as the price and demand for the products continue to grow – but there is a downside to all of this …

New fabrication and repair costs have skyrocketed. Metal quotes that our vendors once held valid for up to 30 days, are now only good until the end of the day! This makes submitting a large quote that will have to go for budgeting and long-term planning difficult for many companies.

Jobs that we had routinely run for clients, have to be re-quoted and adjusted – upward. Some clients are putting off the work while others are trying to find inventive ways to keep the costs down. At times running equipment that should have been repaired or replaced.

original housing

The analysts see this current price jump as a bubble and believe it will continue for a short time and then drop drastically. How it will affect the mills who have been riding on the higher profits is hard to say. It’s too early to tell.

Steelworks 68 – Ben Cooper – 2010
Licensed under CC

But fabricators and repair facilities are hoping for a stabilization so we can help our clients get over the sticker shock they are now facing and prepare for these large capitol upgrades, outages and major repairs.

Malecon Sunset – Mark McNestry
licensed under CC

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Model 1841 Field Gun Cannon

06/08/2020RMF

1841 Field Gun - Test Fire

Built by Steen Cannons & Ordnance Works of Ashland, KY, (http://steencannons.com/) this is the test firing of a model 1841 field gun cannon. Riggs Machine milled and turned the cannon from a raw casting. This particular model is made out of cast iron. Steen did a beautiful job with the final assembly.

Here is the unit out of the horizontal mill after getting the trunnions machined. It is ready for the CNC lathe.

1841 Field Gun - partially machined

It’s been very exciting working with Steen. They do excellent work and we hope to continue our relationship with them. We never know what type of jobs will hit the shop, but these cannons have been some of our favorites!

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Large Pipe Temporary Strainers (Witch Hats)

04/22/202012/17/2021RMF

Large Pipe Strainers - Chris for Scale — Large Pipe Strainers – Chris for Scale

These temporary cone and basket strainers (the models with the flat bottoms) are impressive. Used during start-ups and repairs, they will protect pumps, piping and other parts of the system from nuts, bolts and other stray debris.

These are made of 304 stainless steel and custom designed. Riggs Machine can provide them in a variety of materials, styles and sizes.

Witch Hat Strainer - CU

They might seem extreme, but when you realize what they can save, they are worth every dollar!

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Mobile Safety Barrier

01/31/2020RMF

“When a Simple (traffic) Cone Won’t Do”

Movable Safety Barrier - 3D Render

There are several solutions to protecting workers and areas vulnerable to hazards like pedestrian and industrial traffic.

Some companies throw out a few cones, maybe even adding a flag or two for visibility. Then there’s the flimsy plastic folding barriers you might have seen around an out-of-service restroom at the mall.

But these solutions are not suitable for industrial environments. They don’t offer any real protection. They’re just one step up from wishful thinking.

Riggs Machine would like to suggest a better solution: the Mobile Safety Barrier.

This item protects the area around workers while in underground accesses such as manholes and maintenance openings or above ground on ladders.

Movable Safety Barrier - Man in Barrier

Highly Visible – can be see by those walking around the area and in vehicles and forklifts.

Movable Safety Barrier - Side View

Due to its sturdy design, it will not fold or buckle in high winds or bad weather. Can be bumped and still remain in position. It’s solid metal frame can withstand the harsh plant environment. Unlike plastic units, it can be painted any color or modified if necessary.

Movable Safety Barrier - Caster

The Mobile Safety Barrier positions easily on heavy duty casters and can be loaded on a flatbed for quick offsite setup.

This convenient, sturdy, mobile, highly visible unit increases safety in your facility.

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Handwheel Extensions & Ease of Operation

06/14/2019RMF

When a valve handle is not readily accessible, or the distance for proper operation is too great, a Handwheel Extension might be the solution.

Once affixed to the existing valve, workers have quick, ready and safe access to the controls when need arises.

Shown above, an inaccessible gate valve is below a platform. With a bolt-on Handwheel Extension, a worker on top of the platform now has convenient, safe access within reach and can operate the valve freely (without the need of ladders or rigging).

Also, by increasing the diameter of the handle on the Handwheel Extension, the valve may be easier to operate than it may have been with its original smaller handle.

These Handwheel Extensions are custom designed based on the valve size and distance from the valve to the operator’s control location.

Handwheel Extensions are often galvanized to help withstand the weather, elements and possible corrosion from chemicals in the facility.

If you have inaccessible valves that require outside rigging to operate or controls that put your employees in dangerous situations, call Riggs for an overview of the benefits that Handwheel Extensions can offer.

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Precision Shafts to Get You Running Again!

05/30/201912/17/2021RMF

They say “wheels make the world go round”, but without shafts, nothing would ever move.

A shaft connects a mechanical power source to gears, wheels, turbines, rotors and much more. Shafts can be as simple a basic round bar or as complex as containing exacting bearing fits, keyways, sleeves, grease fittings, snap ring grooves and splines.

Often, the shafts we see have been in service for many years, sometimes running non-stop. Unfortunately when these older shafts break (as shown here), there aren’t drawings available and not a lot of time to get the new shaft machined and the unit running again.

This shaft broke and we got it in 2 sections, still in the housing. After disassembly, we made hand sketches. While the housing was cleaned and checked, we created 3D drawings and then machined a new shaft.

Here is the new shaft ready for inspection. After passing final inspection, the housing was reassembled and the unit was ready for production use.

Finished Shaft – Ready for Unit Assembly

Hopefully a broken shaft won’t take one of your machines, or worse, your facility down. But if it does, Riggs Machine has the experience to get you running again.

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

A Fabrication Story – The Bearing Pedestal

03/20/201904/17/2019RMF

There’s a reason for the fabricating in Riggs Machine & Fabricating. Here’s a perfect example. A client has an older machinery pedestal in very poor condition and needs a new assembly. There are, of course, no design drawings for the item, but luckily we can bring it to our shop.

First we make hand sketches of the unit. We review the original design to see if there were any structural defects that should be improved or any new features that the client would like to have implemented in the current design.

Next, these sketches are converted to CAD drawings and then 3D models are created for fit-up and testing. It’s much faster (and cheaper) to test a new design in 3D than it is after cutting 1/2” thick plates. When we are satisfied with the design, the files are sent out to have plates cut.

This is what we get back from the waterjet cutters (Swift Manufacturing), nice pallet of loose parts. Now fabrication begins. If the designers did their work properly, the welders job should go smoothly.

And here we have the final assembly. From hand sketches to CAD to 3D models to cut parts to fabrication in less time than it takes some companies to return your call.

Riggs Machine & Fabricating – Serving industry in KY, OH and WV for over 45 years!

Welcome Gregg Nichols to the Riggs Team!

01/24/2019RMF

We’d like to welcome Gregg Nichols to our staff. Gregg has a combined 28 years in Industrial Distribution & Manufacturing Operations and Sales.

His prior experience includes 5 years with Perfection Rubber (operations manager and sales), 18 years with MSC / Dolin Supply (team leader and outside sales) and 4 years with American producers (outside and industrial sales)

The business segments he previously focused on included:

Coal
Construction
Chemical
Manufacturing
Petroleum
Power Generation
Steel Production

Gregg’s areas of expertise include:

Hydraulic Hoses, Tubes and Fittings
Metal working – Machining – Hole Making
Material Handling (lifting and rigging)
Pipes, Valves & Fittings
Safety

Gregg has jumped right in and got off to a strong start. His outgoing personality and years of knowledge have been a perfect fit here at Riggs. Call him for a visit to your facility and see why he’s an invaluable asset to our team!