One of our clients recently approached us with a unique manufacturing challenge. Actually, it was more of an engineering challenge!

The product is a folding ramp that is used for heavy duty equipment that needs to be loaded. It’s very useful for heavier equipment because of its ability to affect a more gradual ramp slope.

The Challenge

When fully extended, the ramp was not strong enough to manage the heaviest loads. Adding more materials made the ramp assembly unnecessarily heavy and increased the overall cost of manufacturing.

So how do you increase the overall strength of a product like this while not adding to overall weight or cost to manufacture?

The Solution

We set to work strengthening the ramp system conceptually using our Solid Works modelling system. We found that if we added stratigically placed embosses and weldments then the ramp would have enough rigidity to support the specified loads.

We were also able to engineer in material savings by using this methodology. We estimate it cut down material usage by 10% overall. That’s quite a savings over a long run of this product!

We produced the newly engineered prototype in house using our Laser Cutting, high precision forming equipment, and a welding and finishing cell. The client was thrilled with the changes made to the product and is looking forward to producing the ramp for the market place.

Do you have a fabrication challenge that needs a fresh pair of eyes? Not only do we fabricate prototypes and production runs of sheet metal products we also design and engineer using the best tools available today. Give us a call! 800-235-2595

If you would to speak with one of our knowledgeable staff about our services please call us at 1-800-235-2595. We are always looking for opportunities to serve new and existing customers.