THE PROCESS

At Blastech Mobile LLC we also process plate and structural steel sent in direct from customers who may have material in their inventory that needs our attention. Customers will request a quote from one of our friendly sales professionals. Once an agreement is made a Purchase Order is issued and the material is then shipped to Blastech by rail, truck, and/or barge. Material is received into our inventory, processed, and shipped, all within the scope of the previously approved purchase order.

The material handling with SSAB products is completely automated. When an order is entered by the SSAB sales team the information is passed through the system as the plate is made and processed and eventually shipped. All of the painting instructions and part numbers are included with the information. With orders other than SSAB plate the material is manually verified and entered into Blastech’s PLATE-LINE system which then handles tracking the same as SSAB plate.

Upon receipt of the plate it is inspected for contamination or defects then loaded for processing. The plates are loaded on one of two transfer cars that carry up to 200 tons. Once a car is loaded the plates are verified and sent to the control room operator who confirms them in the PLATE-LINE system. The plates are then loaded to the blasting conveyor by a computer controlled vacuum crane. The crane continually loads the plate until the car is empty then swaps to the second car, ensuring maximum utilization. The control room operator then monitors the process and reconfirms the plate identity.

Once on the line, the plates enter the 9 wheel “Wheelabrator" brand blast machine where the mill scale is removed and angular anchor profile of 1.5 to 2 mill is established to the SP-10 standard by sand blasting with a mix of steel shot and steel grit. Following the blasting, the plate enters a series of air cannons and air knives which remove the abrasive material and dust from the plate. Once clean, the plates are transported through the preheat section of the line where the plates are heated to aid the paint drying process. Upon exit of the pre-heat section the plate passes through a series of cameras that are viewable in the main control room which the operator monitors to ensure blast cleanliness.

The plate is now ready to be painted and it enters the painting booth where the customer specified paint is applied by robotic arms moving over and under the plate. An operator monitors this process and manually collects profile readings and test coupons for determining paint thickness. Automated sampling devices constantly measure and record atmospheric conditions. All of the quality data is entered into our QRC computer database for easy retrieval.

Plate Line


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Upon exiting the paint booth the plate rides on a 30 foot section of slat conveyor, while moving through a post heat section while the paint continues to dry. After the plate exits the post heat it passes over another set of cameras that are monitored by the operator at that station. This is the final inspection for paint and surface defects. The plate is then re-stenciled with an automated stenciling machine with all plate identification and customer required information.

The plate is then loaded off the conveyor by a second automated crane onto one of two transfer cars with the use of magnets.

With the processing complete the plates are segregated by shipping mode and customer and shipped.

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