In the steel fabrication business, the process has been exactly the same for a long time. You measure the job site, draft up the plans, order the steel, measure the steel, cut the steel, ship the steel to site, wrangle the steel on site and make numerous variations to get it to fit while cursing the inaccuracies in the original plans, eventually finalise the job, and then repeat.
But what if we told you there was a better way to do it? A cheaper way to do it; a way which gave you so much foresight that you could spot issues with drawings before you ever got anywhere near cutting the steel; a way where the steel all fit together on site like a jigsaw, and the only variations were the ones the client asked for.
No, this isn’t a dream; it’s reality, it’s available for you to take advantage of right now, and its applications go far beyond just steel fabrication!
How 3D can revolutionise your job
When you think about 3D, you’re probably imagining watching Avatar at the cinema with the red and blue glasses on, right? There aren’t any red and blue glasses involved here – this takes 3D to a whole different level.
The normal way of measuring and drafting a job is done in two dimensions (2D) and by a human being, which amplifies the potential for errors. Five millimetres here, two millimetres there, three millimetres there; it all adds up to things that don’t fit together how they should, which spells variations and delays for you.
The 3D way eliminates these issues, and provides detail a 2D plan never could. Rather than being drawn on paper, we use high-resolution and highly specialised cameras to record every tiny detail of a site. This is particularly helpful if you are putting an extension on to an existing structure which may have shifted since the original plans were drawn up, or that you may not even have original plans for. There’s no guess work here, just detailed data.
Once the scans of the site have been taken, this data is compiled into our specialised planning software where we can delete all of the non-essential data, and produce an accurate-to-the-millimetre fully interactive plan.
From here, we can add your new structure in virtual reality, giving you an exact representation of how it will work, and quickly identifying any issues so they can be ironed out well in advance.
Once the plans are finalised, we process the steel. Now you’re probably thinking that this will be where we revert to the old processes, right? Wrong. At BridgeFab, even our steel cutting is done in 3D, which allows us to be accurate to the very tiniest detail, and dramatically reduce wastage. Our state-of-the-art cutting machine is constantly referring back to the 3D plans, ensuring every cut will be the perfect fit.
The outcome of all of this is that when we get to site, everything just fits together and in only a margin of the time the traditional methods take. It also allows us to create structures others would say are impossible, or would take weeks due to tight margins and difficult shapes.
We are the home of 3D steel processing
BridgeFab is proud to be one of only a handful of companies in Australia utilising 3D technology to revolutionise our processes.
The exciting part of this though is that the applications don’t end with just steel. The 3D scanning technology we’re using can be applied in a wide range of construction industries, giving you true and invaluable foresight.
Soon, we’ll be launching a new business venture which will provide an exciting new world of possibility to the entire construction industry. Watch this space!
In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about how our 3D technology can give you better results at a lower cost and in a shorter timeframe, contact us today!