Rider Tool Blog

metal fabrication

What Is Intumescent Coating?

Intumescent coatings (also known as intumescent paint, fireproofing and fire stopping) is the next big fire safety technology in the world of custom metal fabrication. This coating gets applied directly to the metal in the steel fabrication process, and acts as an extremely effective insulator in the event of a fire.

While it is definitely a feat of mechanical engineering, what exactly is an intumescent coating, how does it work and why should it be used by contract manufacturing companies?

Intumescent Coating 

The intumescent coating is essentially a slew of chemicals held together in a binder. This slew gets applied to the outside of the workspace in the final stages of the custom metal fabrication process. These chemicals do not affect the strength of the workpiece in any way and lie dormant until a fire breaks out.

In the event of a fire, the heat will melt away the binder and expose the chemicals. These chemicals will react with the heat of the fire and expand to form thick, fireproof foam to protect the metal piece. Some intumescent products can expand to more than 100 times the original thickness. As the product expands it becomes much less dense, which makes it act as in insulator that keeps the high temperatures away from structural members or protected openings.

Rider Tool And Manufacturing Co.

With over 45 years of experience in custom metal fabrication, the Szakasci family is passionate about delivering the best quality products to Oshawa. Whether it is mechanical engineering, steel fabrication or the application of new technologies like intumescent coatings, the Szakasci Family is determined to be the industry leaders. For more information, contact us today.

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metal fabrication

What’s Trending In The World Of Metal Fabrication?

Metal fabrication is a science that is constantly evolving. New and more efficient methods of mechanical engineering are always being discovered and fine-tuned. And, for a contract manufacturing company to stay at the forefront of steel fabrication, they need to keep up with these advances in metal fabrication science. Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co. prides itself on being an industry leader, and as such, here we offer a few metal fabrication trends to keep your eye on:

  • Tube Laser Technology 

    What are tube lasers? And why are they important? Tube laser technology is the next step in CNC machining, allowing you to cut any kind of hole on a tube section. This new process eliminated all traditional sawing, deburring, drilling, lining-up and removal operations carried out on conventional machines, meaning that you can process a lot more metal – faster and more accurately.

  • Additive Fabrication 

    3D printing is no longer a new “flash in the pan” technology. It has proved its value to the metal fabrication and is here to stay. With a strong balance of customization, waste efficiency and speed, 3D printing is tech that you would be wise to incorporate into your business.

  • Reshoring 

    The trade wars continue to be waged, meaning that more and more steel fabrication is taking place in North America. This reshoring of metal fabrication is driving growth in the industry, so a good year can be expected.  

Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co. 

With over 45 years’ experience in the custom metal fabrication industry, Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co. is the industry leaders when it comes to being at the cutting edge of mechanical engineering, custom metal machining and steel fabrication technology. For more information, contact us today.

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Metal fabrication

Quality Custom Metal Fabrication Is About Craftsmanship

When it comes to custom metal fabrication, most contract manufacturing companies are eager to tout their new and latest technology, which will give you a better, cheaper product. The advancement of technology has undoubtedly made custom metal fabrication a lot faster and more accurate, but this is only when the technology is properly applied and checked by the trained eye of a professional craftsman. Companies that hope to cut costs in their steel fabrication process by replacing experienced craftsmen with technology will find that their final produced work is sub-par.

 

The Role of Craftsmen in Metal Fabrication and Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering and metal fabrication go hand in hand. Mechanical engineering supplies the theory, simulation and mathematics to ensure that the final product fabricated by the custom metal fabrication process will be able to support the load intended for it.

While the physical fabrication process can be largely automated, it is up to the experience of the mechanical engineers and craftsman to ensure that the final product is of acceptable quality. The engineers will design the process and do the math to make sure the fabricated steel will be to spec, and the craftsman will check every produced item, streamline the system and ensure that the quality of the final product is up to standard. Without experienced craftsmen overseeing the process, there is a possibility for defects and errors to go unnoticed. Having a trained eye on a lot ensures that catastrophic failures do not happen later on.

 

Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co.

With over 45 years’ experience in custom metal fabrication and machining, Rider Tool And Manufacturing Co. has the advantage of having some of the most experienced craftsmen aided by cutting edge technology to ensure that your order is delivered to spec. For more information, contact us today.

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custom metal fabrication

A Guide to the Environmental Product Declaration for Cold-Formed Steel

Environmental impact has now become a critical design cornerstone in mechanical engineering. Ensuring that a design has the smallest possible environmental impact, that it has supply chain transparency and that the entire system has a mapped out ‘cradle-to-grave’ life cycle, is the responsibility of contract manufacturing companies and the purpose of an environmental product declaration.

 

What Is An Environmental Product Declaration?

An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized way of quantifying the environmental impact of a product or system.  It accounts for the entire life cycle of the product and how each phase of its life affects the environment. The declarations in the Environmental Product Declaration include:

  • Environmental impact of the raw material acquisition
  • Energy use and efficiency
  • Content of material
  • Soil, air and water emissions
  • Waste generation
  • Product and Company information

With this information, a full profile of environmental impact can be generated for every product that contract manufacturing companies produce.

 

When to use EPDs?

Environmental Product Declarations are product specific – meaning each product will have its own standardised way of declaring its environmental impact. This means that a process such as steel fabrication won’t have an EPD, but will be a point in the declaration for a specific product such as a cold-formed stud.

 

Why are EPDs Important?

There has been a steadily growing emphasis on green building transparency. Contract manufacturing companies can help to contribute to green credits in many building systems (especially in Europe). Having an EPD for your product provides the building contractors with metrics to compare the eco-sustainability of the various contract manufacturing companies.

 

Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co.

With over 45 years in the industry, Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co. is the number one source for machining tools in Oshawa. As a contract manufacturing company serving most sectors of heavy industry, you can always expect the best quality in fabrication and machining from Rider Tool. For more information, contact us today.

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metal fabrication

Partner with Leading Mechanical Engineering and Custom Metal Fabrication Specialists

With over 50 years of experience in the metal fabrication industry, the Szakasci family has been providing top quality custom metal fabrication and mechanical engineering solutions to the oil, gas, mining, cement and steel sectors in Oshawa, Ontario. By operating Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co., we have been able to provide our services on both small and large projects, and have handled everything in an efficient and effective manner.

  • Capability
    When it comes to contract manufacturing companies, you need to ensure that you are choosing the right company to handle your project. Not all mechanical engineering firms have the resources or experience necessary to handle all jobs. At Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co., we have both the experience and the resources, which allows us to say that there is no job too large or too small for us.
  • Customer Service
    At Rider Tool and Manufacturing Co., mechanical engineering isn’t just our job, it is our passion. We aim to ensure that the specifications you require are filled completely. As such, we focus on understanding your needs and keep in constant communication with you to ensure that our work is up to standard.
  • Value For Money
    Our team of highly trained engineers always aim to give you your best return on investment. Our prices are fair and our service is superb. You can rest assured that any job you hire us to do will be well worth the money.
  • Central Location
    Custom metal fabrication is heavy, and heavy beams of steel cost a lot of money to be transported. Our central location allows us to deliver all across Oshawa at a cost-effective rate, reducing the expenditure of your project.

With over 45 years in the business, Rider Tool and Manufacture Co. has the capability and experience to ensure you receive the best price and service in Oshawa, Ontario. For more information about metal fabrication, machining or mechanical engineering, contact us today.

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