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!

Preparing for the Outage

09/10/2019RMF

Preparing for an outage can be almost as stressful as the actual event. Gathering drawings, getting materials ready, prepping vendors, suppliers and employees. Trying your best not to overlook any details.

construction workers — Photo by Jess Lis from Freeimages

blueprints — Photo by Fira Anuar from Freeimages

But often it’s not the big ticket items that slow or even stop production, it could be something as simple as missing shims to get a new pump to the correct height, a missing blind to close off a pipe section before adding a new unit, keys for new shafts or custom bolts you swore you ordered and now will take a week to machine.

bleeder blind pump shim

I’ve seen all of these, and more. The excuses are varied, who was responsible for ordering the items, I thought they were included with the quote, the existing ones should have worked with the new unit, and even – I just forgot!

frustrated man — Photo by Marabu from ABSFreePIC.com

So how best to avoid these situations?

– Get current manufacturer drawings for new equipment. Trying to fit a new pump on an old base never works out. Plan for modifications and additions. Make sure everyone has the same version prints. Don’t rely on old drawings someone pulled from the file or had stored on their computer. Verify you are on the same version. If you have to, create a new master set and pass them out to everyone involved.

parts and prints

– Next, and sometimes more importantly, is having a local machine shop who can respond timely, ready for such emergencies. This might require several shops of varied disciplines; one for burn outs, one for custom bolts or nuts, one for blinds and piping…

weld shop

lathes in machine shop

– You might want to get the shops involved early in the process, rather than late one evening when you realize something has gone wrong. They may make recommendations as to what items you may have overlooked. They may need to stock up on certain materials so you don’t have to wait to have them shipped in (and overnighted at an additional expense).

They may also have to juggle their schedule around to make sure they have the manpower available during the outage. Are they normally closed on weekends? Will they have a method to call someone in for a quick job? Are they in the middle of other shutdowns or production runs?

worker drilling

production parts being inspected — Photo by Michael Adkins photography

Some common last minute items:

Blinds (slip/paddle, bleeder and orifice)
Keys for shafting
Shims
Tube Plugs
Custom Bolts and Nuts (or just odd sized)
Non-stock metals (stainless piping or angle, brass bushings)

Benjamin Franklin

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin

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!

Shims – more than just a strip of metal

04/12/201904/17/2019RMF

SHIM – A washer or thin strip of metal used to align parts, make them fit or reduce wear.

These, sometimes extremely slender, strips of metal are very crucial in industrial operations. From getting a pump to line up perfectly or to make a surface level, a shim must be exact.

Shims come in a variety of materials, but most commonly from metals such as carbon steel, brass and stainless steel. And they also vary greatly in their thickness from up to 1/4” thick and down to .001 thick (imagine an industrial foil).

.003 thick shims – for precise applications

And the tolerances they must hold are key to their functionality. They cannot deviate across the surface, their dimensions must be held.

Often industrial shims come in sets of varying thicknesses. They can be added individually to get the final adjustments perfect.

They also come in many different shapes, often having to be custom designed to fit around existing bolt holes and other features. We like to add the small hand holds (show below) to make installation and adjustment easier.

At Riggs Machine and Fabricating we understand Industrial Shims and their importance in setup, maintenance and repairs. We understand the tolerances and design elements that separate a shim from a strip of metal. Yes, there is a difference. If the shop you are working with now doesn’t agree with that, then you are working with the wrong place. Time to call Riggs Machine.

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

Industrial Classroom Training Aids

08/10/201804/17/2019RMF

If you ever wondered where the custom training equipment in industrial classrooms come from, then look no further than Riggs Machine.

At Riggs we can create custom pieces from scratch, like this “oil flinger” demonstration unit. Shown from conception, with 3D renders, to the final unit in the classroom.

And we also often disassemble, create “cut-away” sections, sandblast, paint and reassemble actual pieces of equipment to be used in working classrooms. These units are used for hands-on training before students hit the field. Much better than a video or book based lecture.

Some of these jobs can be more time and labor intensive than actual repairs! But we don’t mind. We’re proud to be part of the team who help educate the next generation who will be keeping our refineries, steel mills and factories running.

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

Engine Case Blower

05/09/2018RMF

This assembly is used in an automobile assembly line. When engine cases come out of a bath after final machining, the fluid needs to be cleaned off before handling and assembly.

This blower unit utilizes a series of Exair Air Knives to create walls of air to blow the cases dry. It also uses a SMC air cylinder to raise and lower the case in and out of the unit.

Riggs Machine and Fabricating, Inc.

manufacturing

Bag Lifter – (Lifting Devices)

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

What’s Up with the Price of Steel?

Preparing for the Outage

So how best to avoid these situations?

Handwheel Extensions & Ease of Operation

Precision Shafts to Get You Running Again!

Shims – more than just a strip of metal

Industrial Classroom Training Aids

Engine Case Blower