SOLAS Metal Fabrication case studies

SOLAS Metal Fabrication · Put your knowledge to work in context.

The SOLAS Metal Fabrication Craft Apprenticeship is an Irish national craft apprenticeship delivered through the Generation Apprenticeship system, which is coordinated by SOLAS with the Higher Education Authority and the Government of Ireland. It is designed for people who want to build a career in metal fabrication - cutting, forming, joining and assembling metal components - and it combines on-the-job training with an employer with off-the-job training at an education or training provider. The SOLAS Metal Fabrication case studies are 5 cases and about 5,394 words.

2 mm Stainless Tanks: Bowed Panels, Black Roots and Failed Leak Tests

A workshop in Galway is making twelve rectangular tanks from 2 mm 304 stainless sheet, each 800 × 600 × 900 mm, TIG welded with 1.6 mm 316L filler. The jig clamps only the base of each tank.

1,076 words, about 5 min 2

Press Brake Bend Deduction: 120 Brackets Coming Out Oversize and Overbent

A fabricator is producing 120 identical brackets from 3 mm S275JR mild steel sheet, 90° bends with outside flange dimensions of 50 mm and 50 mm, an internal bend radius of 6 mm and a K-factor of 0.42 for the R/T ratio in use. Blanks are sheared to length and formed on a 100 tonne press brake using a 24 mm V-die; the back gauge is set from the outside face of the tooling.

1,095 words, about 5 min 3

Structural Beams: Undersized Fillets and a Delayed HAZ Crack at 4 °C

A fabricator is producing twelve 8 m roof beams from 254 × 146 × 37 UB in S355J2, welded to IS EN 1090-2 execution class EXC2. Stiffeners and end plates are attached with 8 mm leg-length fillet welds using 1.2 mm solid wire MIG with an 80% argon / 20% CO2 mix.

1,024 words, about 5 min 4

Aluminium 5083 Hatch Covers: Porosity, Soot and Crater Cracks

A workshop is building twenty aluminium hatch covers from 6 mm 5083-H111 plate, with fillet and butt welds made by MIG using 1.2 mm 5356 wire and argon. The roller door is kept open for ventilation, and the shop is beside a busy yard.

1,059 words, about 5 min 5

Rolling a 1500 mm Shell: Flat Spots, an Open Seam and the Wrong Blank Length

A workshop must roll eight cylindrical shells from 6 mm S275JR plate, 1500 mm outside diameter and 1200 mm wide, with a single longitudinal butt seam. The plate is cut to 4700 mm length on the guillotine.

1,140 words, about 6 min