STAINLESS-STEEL FABRICATION FOR FOOD PROCESSING

Posted on: June 25, 2020

And why Anderson Dahlen’s SS fabrication capabilities for food processing help us excel in many challenging industries.

Stainless-Steel fabrication is at the heart of most food manufacturing equipment and plant builds. Stainless fabrication is key to food safety; whether it’s used to produce individual components, pressure vessels, mixing equipment, ovens, piping systems, modular or skidded systems, or any other portion of the manufacturing plant.

Because of the complexities of fabricating in stainless for the food industry, a premier stainless-steel fabrication company like Anderson Dahlen is also able to produce high quality, cost-effective work in a wide range of industries. The specifications and quality controls are very demanding in food processing. Other industries such as Pharmaceutical, Nuclear Energy, and Medical Equipment have similarly stringent requirements.

Here are some key attributes to look for in a stainless steel fabrication company if you want excellent long term results from your supplier base.

  • Great quality control system
  • Certifications to the highest standards (ASME, NQA-1, ISO-9001, AWS)
  • Full range of capabilities and experience
    • Welding
    • Weld inspection techniques (visual, dye penetrant, magnetic particle, ultrasonic, x-ray, hydro, and others)
    • CNC and Multi-axis machining
    • Laser and Waterjet Cutting, as well as Press Brake and Roll Forming
    • Material handling and traceability
    • Material property testing and verification
    • Surface finish preparation and polishing
    • Large range of component size capability
  • Documented processes
  • Complete part and system documentation Full component and system test capability Project Management
  • Engineering design
  • Systems engineering and design

That’s a very long list of capabilities not typically found in most smaller fabrication shops, but which Anderson Dahlen has invested in for decades. The cleanliness and contamination requirements for food processing are the most stringent. In systems engineering, the ability to design in reliability and ease of maintenance into process equipment is vital for reducing downtime once in service. These attributes allow Anderson Dahlen, a company traditionally focused on the food processing market, to be fully capable of delivering stainless steel products and equipment across a wide range of industries.

We have a broad range of projects successfully delivered, significant capacities, and resources giving us the ability to respond to a demanding schedule when it’s required, and we do 1-off projects as well as OEM manufacturing for repeat items as needed.

Stainless steel provides many advantages for food processing and other industries:

  • Easy to clean
  • Corrosion-resistant
  • Chemical resistant
  • Strength
  • High Temperature/Pressure capability
  • Relatively easy fabrication (Compared to some more exotic metals) Cost-effective
  • Not difficult to source

Working with stainless steel does present a few challenges that an experienced fabrication company will have mastered:

  • Wide variety of series with different alloy compositions. Each requiring unique processes for welding, cutting, forming, and milling.
  • Carrying cost for stocking the most common sizes creates havoc for smaller companies
  • Welding while sustaining the corrosion resistance properties, and mechanical properties to a lesser extent
  • Contamination by carbon or mild steel is a constant potential. Anderson Dahlen maintains strict physical separation from its stainless operations and other fabrication projects

Anderson Dahlen is a full service and extremely capable stainless steel fabrication company, manufacturing in the USA. We have extensive experience with food processing equipment and across a wide range of other industries and complexity of projects. We are an OEM manufacturer building repeat products and turnkey equipment for our customers. We also provide engineering and fabrication for projects and 1-off requirements. Our track record of extremely high quality, exceeding performance requirements, and meeting delivery schedules is proven.

We are a growing company, adding capabilities and expertise every day. Contact us for more information and to see if we can make your next project a success!

Let Anderson Dahlen custom fabricate components for your next project!