We recently joined the USFA (Utah Steel Fabricators Association) to assist in the effort to support and improve the steel fabrication industry in Utah. USFA members are comprised of steel distributors, steel processors, steel fabricators, and providers of many products and services related to metal fabrication. This is an exciting opportunity to network with other folks in the steel industry and to help strengthen the educational core in Utah’s steel industry.
Tag Archives: rolled metal
Albina Co., Inc. Celebrating 80 Years in the Steel Bending Industry!
Albina Co., Inc., located outside Portland, Oregon, has been providing customers with innovative, quality curved steel services and products since 1939. A family owned and operated, third generation business, run by Brian Smith, specializes in structural steel, tube and pipe bending, plate rolling and fabrication. Albina produces virtually any metal component that needs to bend or curve without the use of pre-formed fittings. Albina has provided curved steel for many high-profile buildings, stadiums and structures in the United States and Canada. Albina was the steel bender of choice on the recently completed Amazon Spheres in Seattle,Washington.
Albina is an industry leader in research and development and in 2018, purchased an MCP30 by Davi, the first type of bending machine in the United States with a “iRoll” smart camera system, allowing operators to view the part being bent compared to a radius template on the control screen. The machine has the ability to “learn and remember” how different materials bend, where the rolls need to be positioned, and how much spring back is associated with a bend / material.
Albina also purchased a Bend-Tech Dragon A400 Plasma Cutter, a commercial grade CNC tube cutting ,engraving, and marking machine with the world’s most powerful CAD/CAM software. Other new equipment included new welders, jib cranes, induction heating coils, an electric forklift and 40 sets of tooling.
Albina was an instrumental player in the development of the first ever Design Guide of its kind in the United States offering information on the fabrication, design and detailing of curved members. Design Guide 33 “Curved Member Design” was released in October 2018 by the AISC Bender/Roller committee and is an invaluable resource for the industry!
Albina not only has one of the newest, most technologically advanced machines on the market, Albina also has one of the oldest, custom made bending machines ever created! In honor of the 80th Anniversary, Albina created a museum on site, called “The Smith-sonian”, honoring the family name and housing one of the first ever pieces of equipment that Albina owned and used to bend materials. Brian’s grandfather built the“Model-T” bending machine in the early 1940’s utilizing the transmission and differential from a “Model-T” Ford. This machine was used until the 1990’s to bend various materials such as pipe, tube, and square and rectangular hollow structural steel. “The Smith-sonian” is ready for visitors. Cheers to 80 Years!
Curved Pipe for Oak Harbor Wind Sculpture in Bellingham, Washington
We partnered with Architectural Elements, a specialty metals fabrication shop in Bellingham, Washington to create this wind sculpture for the city of Oak Harbor. Albina bent 3½” SCH40 A53B ERW WHEELED- 10 lengths x 42 feet for the project. The sculpture was designed by Architectural Elements design engineer, Kyle Thomas and the photos below are © 2018 by Melissa Marteny.
Our Davi- MCP30 Master Bender Machine Has Arrived!!!
Our new machine is up and rolling! This master bender machine offers the new and innovative iRoll camera system, allowing operators to view the part being bent compared to a radius template on the control screen. This is a new way to make quality and consistent parts. Another innovation with the master bender is the machine’s ability to “learn and remember” how different materials bend, where the rolls need to be positioned, and how much spring back is associated with a bend / material.
This machine is a great fit for our shop, its size puts it right between our current Roundo R7 and R11 machines. Allowing us to reallocate work from two machines to three machines which should certainly help with our scheduling flexibility.
The MCP30 will allow us to bend up to 8” x 8” angle, 9” square HSS, W16 the easy way / W12 the hard way and 14” Sch20 pipe / 12” Sch40 pipe.
Albina Co., Inc. Teams up with US Marine Corps Reserve for “Toys for Tots”
We collected toys this year for the U.S. Marine Corps, “Toys for Tots”. The team collected $366.00 in toys, and Albina Co. matched that, totaling $732.00 worth of toys! Way to go team!
President Brian Smith with Albina Co.’s Toys for Tots Donation
Rolled Plate and Pipe Help Customer Construct a “Chute”
We recently received these pictures from our customer. They used our rolled steel materials to construct this “chute.” Albina rolled 6″ SCH40 A53B ERW down to a 12 ft radius (tightest) and also rolled 1/2″ A36 plate to fit to the laser cut plate on the face of the chute. We are hoping to get some pictures of the “chute” in action and will pass them along as soon as we do.
Bending 1″OD Aluminum for Custom Boat Parts
We are making custom boat parts out of 1″ OD X .065″ WALL 6061-T6 ALUM material. Our customer needed 850 parts made for this one project. Each part was bent on a 2½” center-line radius to 90 degrees. Each part had one end flared to 37°. All parts needed to be supplied in a T6 condition upon completion and be anodized for a clean surface condition. Our bent steel can be seen on various applications in the auto, marine, aviation, locomotive, agricultural and food processing sectors. Our bends are used on locomotive frames, boat frames, deck rails and even components for homeland security helping to protect our docks and ports.
Meet Brian and Jaime Smith- There is Always Something for Which to Be Thankful
We live in a very uncertain world right now, but we try to remind ourselves every day that “There is Always Something for Which to Be Thankful.” We can only control what goes on in our own little circles of life and it is more important now, more than ever before, to take the time to say “Thank You” to the people who have made an impact or impression on either our personal or professional lives. We are thankful….
For our Loyal Customers: We truly appreciate your business, and we’re grateful for the trust you’ve placed in us. We are looking forward to another strong year and continuing our joint efforts to add the functionality, beauty, and drama of curved steel to the building and manufacturing worlds!
For our Outstanding Vendors: We are thankful that we have such a strong vendor base to meet, and often times exceed, all of our daily business needs. We value the relationships we have spent years building and hope that 2018 brings continued new projects and growth.
For our New Customers: “Thank You” for giving us a shot to be your steel bender of choice! We hope that your experience was a positive one and that we can continue to service your steel bending needs at the highest level. We are thankful for you giving us the opportunity to show you what we can do for you.
For our Employees: Our employees are part of the Albina family and so many of us have been around for decades battling through the many ups and downs of our economy. We have a very strong team in place right now and we are ready to meet the challenges ahead whatever they may be. We are thankful and grateful for their dedication to the Albina family and the time and efforts they spend servicing our many wonderful customers.
We hope to have the pleasure of doing business with you for many years to come. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you.
We are Thankful for the Opportunity to participate in the Consano Organization- A non-profit crowdfunding
platform for medical research. We got involved in the organization when my father, Bill ,was diagnosed with a
desmoplastic melanoma, that lead to his eventual passing in 2011. Albina is grateful to the Consano
Organization for all of their wonderful work!
CNC Rotary Draw Bending
Albina Co., Inc. is not just a structural steel bending shop! Some of our biggest customers are manufacturing companies that require bent material and repeat jobs of small parts. We recently finished a project that required some complex tube bends on our CNC draw bending equipment out of the following materials:
136 pieces of 1″ OD X .065″ WALL T304 S/S bent to a 2½” center-line radius.
136 pieces of Tube Steel 1″ X 1″ X .083″ WALL T304 S/S bent to a 3½” inside radius.
68 pieces of ½” OD X .049″ WALL T304 S/S bent to a ½” center-line radius.
All parts were cut, bent, washed and packaged by Albina Co., Inc. for shipment. Prior to shipping all parts needed to be free of dirt, debris and oil.
New 2″ and 3-1/2″ Capacity Draw Bending Machines!
Our capacities keep on expanding with the arrival of two new machines! We just received new 2″ and 3-1/2 capacity draw bending machines. Rotary draw, or compression bending occurs when material is bent by rotating it around a bend die (and typically pulled or pushed over mandrel rod). A bend die is formed to fit a specific material size/type and at a specific diameter to fit the bend requirements. The material to be bent is clamped to the bend die and then is drawn, or pulled, around the bend die until the desired degree of bend is met. This method produces clean, tight radii bends and is mainly used by manufacturers or industrial companies.
2″ Rotary Draw Bender
3-1/2″ Rotary Draw Bender