AboutWaterford Tank and Fabrication
WATERFORD'S CAPABILITIES
The entrepreneurial spirit is a driving force at Waterford. The Company is impacting industries through a new lean-manufacturing system, smart product design, talented people and superior quality.
Quality that is built into a product is far superior to one that is “inspected in”. Everything that went into designing our new manufacturing system was driven by quality. It begins with our engineering department where we can customize the design of your tank to your exact specifications. After an intense review process, the final drawings are sent to you to validate all elements of the product to insure your expectations can be met.
Using certified materials, the first step in the production process is to cut out the components on our new CNC high definition plasma on a 16’ X 100’ water table. The complete perimeter burn insures close tolerances on all parts. This produces a tight fit in the assembly process that in turn provides for better welds and minimizes leaks.
The tank sides for storage tanks are rolled in our new vertical rolling machine that produces better concentricity, seam alignment and eliminates flat spots. The vertical seam is welded while still in the machine to insure true alignment of the shell and improves material handling. Pressure vessels are normally rolled in our new heavy plate roll that handles material up to 1 3/8ths thick. Lids and bottoms are manufactured with a flange on our new flanging equipment to provide improved fit-up and to strengthen the tank.
The lean manufacturing process incorporates a variety of weld types including manual, semi-automated, and automated equipment. All tanks are tested using their required pressure to verify their air tightness. Our pressure vessel welds are tested, where required, with our new x-ray weld inspection system. Having our own x-ray equipment allows us to be more responsive to our customers and eliminates the delays when using third party services.
The components from the plasma, rolling and flanging operations are then assembled into a tank using a stack build method where the side shells are stacked one at a time and welded internally.
Each tank or vessel is commercially blasted externally and internally, if required, to prepare the surface for painting.
The tank then enters our new semi-automated paint system where it can be finished with a wide variety of colors. Specialized coatings are also available to be applied in this area.
After final assembly, all products are given a final inspection to insure that all numbering, labeling and supporting documentation is complete. The units are then loaded on our own fleet of trucks to ensure timely delivery to you job site.