Tag Archives: structural steel bending

“Daunting Curves Ahead”- Article in O & M Metal Fabricator

A recent issue of O & M Metal Fabricator Magazine, produced by NOMMA, features a case study written by Jeff Fogel with input from key members of the Albina Team, on the great spiraling feat it took to create the spectacular spiral staircase at the American Airlines Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

We spiral bent Tube Steel 16″ X 16″ X .625″ WALL A500 GR B bent down to a an 18 foot radius, using our induction heating process to create the spiral stringers for the staircase. In addition to the 16″ square, we produced another set of spiral stringers consisting of Tube Steel 14″ x 6″ x .625″ wall REALLY tight, exposed and bent to a 5′-6″ radius on a 45° pitch. These are the type of bends that ONLY Albina can do! The 1.7 million-square-foot complex, dubbed the “Trinity complex,” consists of four seven-story buildings. It cost nearly $300 million to build and houses over 6,500 employees. There were 10 tower cranes on the project and more than 1,000 construction workers on-site during the peak of the project. Viva Railings LLC (Photo credit & Glass/Railing Fabricator). Read “Daunting Curves Ahead”

Custom Spiral Staircase Constructed of Rolled Steel Plate and Steel Tubing

Albina Co., Inc. recently rolled several materials for a custom spiral staircase. Materials bent by Albina Co., Inc. include:
PL ¾” X 14″ A36- spiral rolled to a 5’ 3” plan view radius and a 9’ 3” plan view radius.
PL ¾” x 4″ A36- spiral rolled to a 5’ 3” plan view radius.
PL ¾” X 8″ A36- spiral rolled to a 5’ 3” plan view radius.
1½” OD X .120″ WALL HREW: Rolled to a 8’ 11” plan view radius.

Best Crew in the Steel Business!

Albina Co. Inc. Production Crew

A shout out to these awesome guys for all their hard work and dedication! The shop is super busy right now and they are churning through the work creating top quality steel bends for our customers! We are so busy that we are looking for qualified candidates that want to join us in our steel bending adventures. If you are interested in learning more about the available positions in our shop, please contact HR dwilson@albinaco.com.

WANT TO WORK FOR THE BEST COMPANY IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY? Now Hiring Shipping, Receiving & Purchasing Clerk

REQUIREMENTS:

Candidate must have extensive knowledge of the steel industry.  With a minimum of 5 years’ experience purchasing and shipping in the steel industry.  Candidate must be self-motivated and able to manage multiple projects at any given time.  Must be well connected in the steel industry and have a strong reputation for customer service.  High-level computer and math (geometry) skills required. 

DUTIES:

Read & interpret shop drawings and shop data to determine how items are going to ship.  Candidate is responsible for shipping and purchasing decisions (with direction from project managers).  Work with a team of estimators, project managers, production managers and yard managers to successfully perform duties. 

Compensation package based on experience.  This is NOT an entry-level position.  Please email your resume Attn: HR Director: dwilson@albinaco.com.

Oversized Load of bent structural steel getting ready for shipment

Pumpkin Carving & Steel Bending: What Do They Have in Common?

Carving pumpkins is a family tradition in the Smith House, a tradition that started 20 years ago with one of mine and Jaime’s first dates. But like most events in our household, it is not something we just do without thorough planning and preparation. We follow a strict set-up, we have our designs in mind before we start, we have all of the tools we need at hand, we tackle challenging designs, and most importantly, we have Chinese food waiting for us when we are done! But in all seriousness, the steps we go through to carve pumpkins are very similar to the ones we go through when dealing with a project involving a curved steel component.

Steps for Pumpkin Carving

1) Plan Ahead: Buy Your Pumpkin Shortly Before Halloween

2) Buy Your Pumpkin from a Pumpkin Patch or Supermarket

3) Select a Healthy Pumpkin Free of Nicks, Bruises and Cuts

4) Pick the Size You Need

5) Choose a Design Before You Start Carving

6) Choose a Method for Carving Your Pumpkin

7) Trace Your Design on the Pumpkin

8) Set Up a Spacious Work Area

9) Select the Right Tools

10) Remove the Filling

11) Carve Your Design

12) Display Your Pumpkin

Steps for Steel Bending

1) Plan Ahead: Early Involvement of Key Players, especially Your Bender/Roller.

2) Buy the Steel: Have Us Quote Your Job Labor + Material or Purchase Your Own Steel from a Service Center and Have it Delivered To Us

3) Select the Material that is Right for Your Job: HSS, Pipe, Tube, Angle, Channel, Wide-Flange, I-Beam?

4) Pick the Size You Need: Use our Handy Calculators or refer to our quote indicating the lengths we require to successfully bend your project.

5) Work with the Engineer, Architect or Bender/Roller on the Project to Perfect the Design of the Curved Steel

6) We will Choose a Method for Bending Your Steel Based on Your Needs and the Application of the Product

7) We Bend Per Your Template and/or Drawings.

8) We have a 50,000 sq ft Shop with Ample Room to Handle Large Structural Projects and Smaller Repeat Orders.

9) We have the Right Tools with State of the Art Bending Equipment, Bend Dies, Fab Equipment and a QC Department.

10) No Need to Remove the Filling! We DO NOT fill your HSS with other Structural Members. We are able to Bend HSS Members WITHOUT adding extra Material and Weight.

11) Bend, Roll, Spiral, Fabricate, Form!!

12) Erect, Assemble & Display Award Winning Projects Featuring Curved Steel Members for the Steel Industry to See!

Curved Steel at New Skate Park: “It is So Fun to Drop In!”

“It is so fun to drop in!” Sherwood Skate Park just opened and it is awesome! Filled with kids every day! Albina was thrilled to be a part of the project bending 4 lengths x 20 ft. Tube Steel 2″ X 2″ X .188″ WALL A500 GR B to a 42 ft radius and a 46 ft radius, as well as 3 lengths x 21 ft.: 2″ SCH40 A53B ERW bent to a 12 ft radius and a 5 ft radius, for the lip/rail that runs the perimeter of the park as well as for the benches kids sit and skate on.

skatepark rails
skatepark benches
skatepark rails

Updated Pictures of Basher Pedestrian Bridge at the San Diego Zoo

The August Issue of Modern Steel featured an article titled “What’s Cool In Steel” and one project highlighted was the Basher Pedestrian Bridge at the San Diego Zoo (pages 23-26). Albina Co., Inc. was the bender/roller on this project. Materials rolled for this project included 24 lengths, each measuring 48 feet long, of 16” OD X .0625”  wall tubing rolled to various radii including a 20 foot radius, a 50 foot radius and a 350 foot radius. Check out the pictures below and read the article for more detailed information on the fascinating curved steel bridge.

Signature Curved Steel Sky Bridge at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact

We took our daughter to tour the University of Oregon this week and we were simply in awe of the amazing facilities and buildings on campus! Our tour started on Franklin Boulevard where the University broke ground in early March on the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. Albina Co., Inc. bent 22″ OD x 1″ Wall Carbon Steel Pipe to a 105 foot center-line radius for a signature sky bridge that spans Franklin Boulevard and serves as a connector between campus and other U of O research facilities. The $225 million, 160,000-square-foot first phase is slated to open in early 2020.

Curved Steel Sky Bridge at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact
Curved Steel Sky Bridge at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact
Curved Steel Sky Bridge at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact

Albina Co., Inc. Recognized at “The Spheres” IDEAS2 Presidential Award Ceremony

“The Spheres” in Seattle, Washington have been all the buzz lately! “The Spheres” were featured in the May 2019 Edition of Modern Steel Magazine as the buildings were awarded the AISC’s IDEAS2 Presidential Award for Excellence in Fabrication!  Just this last week, our VP of Sales, Brad Lund, was able to attend the award presentation ceremony at “The Spheres” in Seattle and we were awarded a plaque to display in our office. See below for some AMAZING pictures!


Albina Co., Inc. was the steel bender/roller for the Curved Steel Bio-Sphere buildings in Seattle, WA. Albina bent 750,000# and 1,050 pieces rectangular tube steel bent the easy way and a portion bent off-axis. Almost 8 miles of welding work and grinding was avoided because of Albina’s ability to bend a portion of the project. Almost NO correction was needed during fabrication or erection as the bends fit to the fixtures within 1/32nd of an inch! Albina Co., Inc. also bent the handrails and spiral staircase for the interior of the buildings.

Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Interior Shot of the “webs” used to help create “The Spheres”
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Brad Lund receiving the AISC IDEAS2 Award for Presidential Excellence in Fabrication
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Curved Steel Handrail 2nd floor of “The Spheres”
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
A close up of the “webs” used to help create “The Spheres”
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Curved Steel Handrails and Spiral Staircases on the interior of “The Spheres”
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Curved Steel Spiral Staircase at “The Spheres” (looking down)
Albina Co., Inc. Steel Bender/Steel Roller for "The Spheres" In Seattle
Curved Steel Spiral Staircase at “The Spheres” (from ground level)

Albina Featured as the Bender/Roller on Two “What’s Cool In Steel” Projects in the August Issue of Modern Steel

Check out the August Issue of Modern Steel for “What’s Cool In Steel” Albina was the bender/roller on two of the featured projects including the Basher Pedestrian Bridge at the San Diego Zoo (pages 23-26) and a Des Moines sculpture titled “A Monumental Journey” by artist Kerry James Marshall (pages 30-31). We are working on securing some final install pictures of each of these projects! Stay tuned!

What's Cool In Steel