Wheelabrator Group Works Closely with KATANA Industries Inc., Outfits Their New Nebraska Facility with Wheelabrator Technology
Burlington, ON - (June 24, 2009) - On June 17, 2008, KATANA Industries, Inc., opened a new wind generation manufacturing facility in Columbus, NE. The company already operates two (2) windmill tower manufacturing plants in Washington State and they employ more than 150 employees in each of their locations. Manufacturing 80-and 90-meter steel tubular wind towers, the company realized the need to add two (2) surface preparation systems to their new facility. After months of working with Wheelabrator Regional Manager, Kevin Poling, and our local distributor, a Wheelabrator 10-foot plate machine and a Wheelabrator full-recovery floor airblast room were installed in late-Spring 2008.
After the plate steel arrives at the plant, it is cut to size and shape on their plasma table. The cut pieces are then cleaned in their Wheelabrator® Airless Blast System using steel shot abrasive to achieve a near white blast finish. After being transferred to the plate roll machine to form into a section, the sections undergo a welding process. The welded sections are then assembled to maximum shipping size and welded together. Next, these assemblies are taken to the Airblast Room and placed on carts for rotation and blasting using steel grit abrasive. The ring seams and joints are blasted and the rest of the assemblies are sweep blasted Finally, the blasted assemblies are moved on rails into the paint room for the coating application.
"Without the Wheelabrator airless blast system we at Katana would not have the visibility to see defects in our material prior to putting a number of man-hours into forming and welding our product. The airless machine also helps keep our facility, equipment, and employees' clean with all the dirt and scale being removed in the beginning of our process. The airblast room is also an essential part of our process for the required critical surface preparation prior to painting and the operation has had very little down-time.", states Mr. Phil J. Norton, Plant Manager of their Columbus site.
With the full-recovery, steel grate covered floor Airblast Room, there is virtually no clean-up required. Equipped with an Abrasive on Demand (AOD(TM)) system the room offers superior control over abrasive processing for surface preparation. The system can handle both non-metallic and metallic abrasives that range in weight from 50 to 300 lbs. per cubic foot. Depending on the application, this capacity can range from 1 to 4 cubic feet of abrasive per minute over the length of separator. This allows a range of applications from precise finishing of delicate surfaces, to the removal of difficult rust and heat treat scale. Working two shifts daily, a maximum of six (6) operators can work within this full-sized room. KATANA Industries, Inc. has experienced increased productivity, ease of maintenance, and reduced material handling.
Described as a green-field project, Wheelabrator Group personnel worked closely to properly outfit the company's new Nebraska facility. Preliminary drawings, electrical, mechanical and ducting requirements were all closely communicated to ensure the two (2) systems operate at an optimal rate for the new Katana Industries plant operations.
Wheelabrator Group is a global provider of surface preparation and finishing solutions. Committed to offering the broadest array of technologies, products, replacement parts, services and technical know-how, the Wheelabrator Group works closely with customers to deliver the best solutions for their specific requirements. The company's strategically located and electronically linked offices allow Wheelabrator Group to provide unrivalled customer service and support worldwide. For more information on Wheelabrator, visit the website at www.wheelabratorgroup.com or e-mail info@wheelabratorgroup.com
Wheelabrator products are protected by patents issued and pending in the United States and other countries.
Wheelabrator reserves the right to change the specifications referred to in this literature at any time, without prior notice.
Wheelabrator is a registered trademark of Wheelabrator Technologies Inc.
AOD is a trademark owned by Wheelabrator Group, Inc.
