The Aotea Event Centre was a well selected venue to the second Steel Innovations Conference during Metals Week held on the 1 – 4 September. First launched in 2013, the biannual Steel Innovations Conference provides a forum for structural engineers, steel industry representatives, academics and students to share the latest knowledge in the design and…
New Zealand’s structural steel fabricators are showing strong support for the industry’s recently launched quality assurance scheme – Steel Fabricator Certification (SFC) – an initiative designed to ensure safety of fabricated structural steelwork. One year on, the number of firms who have achieved SFC certification has doubled to 16, with a double-digit number of fabricators lining up…
In May 2015, Standards Australia senior management was alerted to the fact that the 2014 editions within the AS/NZS 1554 suite contained material that was included without adherence to Standards Australia’s standards development processes. The relevant material relates to specifications contained in the following standards: AS/NZS 1554.1:2014 Structural Steel Welding, Part 1: Welding of steel…
Flame, plasma and laser cutting are widely used in industry. The selection of the cutting process is based on the type of material, economic considerations and quality requirements. Despite some specifics, high quality results are obtainable using all of the cutting processes. The level of quality required for cut surface is determined by the application…
The third edition of the Code of Practice for the Fabrication of Stainless Steel Plant & Equipment referred to as the “Blue Book”, is now available. The “Blue Book”, as it is generally known as in industry, has established itself as a key document for the specification of stainless steel plant in New Zealand. It…
The flux cored arc welding (FCAW) process is widely used in NZ for the welding of steel; the gas-shielded process variation for in the workshop, and the self-shielded option for site work. While FCAW has a proven track record as a productive and reliable process, welds made with cored wires may occasionally have distinctive surface…
A series of seminars on Engineering the Repair and Retrofitting of Steel Structures took place in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in April 2015. More than 60 engineers have attended the events. The seminars were presented by Robert E. Shaw, one of the leading experts on seismic welded and bolted connections, the Chairman of the International Institute of…
As mentioned previously, our Executive supported an ongoing research activity run by us to gather more specific data characterising our heavy engineering industry. This research activity included a proposal for the performance of a benchmarking study of the structural steel fabrication industry as a pilot for other sub-sectors. HERA wishes to confirm that thanks to…
More than 80 professionals attended the seminars jointly-organised by the NZ Welding Centre and SCNZ in March. The seminars were held in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. The seminars provided a comprehensive insight into normative requirements of the existing NZS 3404.1 and AS/NZS 1554 standard framework and included an overview of the Steel Fabricator…
1. Questions… Why do we ask them all the time? Because we want to know the truth. But, quite often, we prefer to be self-deceived, especially in times of crises, when truth of reality confronts our beliefs. Then we stop asking questions. “Humanness came of age when man asked the first question. Social stagnation results not…
Weld access holes are frequently required in the fabrication of structural components. The geometry of these structural details can affect the components’ performance. The size and shape of beam copes and weld access holes can have a significant effect on the ease of depositing sound weld metal, the ability to conduct non-destructive examinations, and the…
As mentioned in our last HERA News, the HERA Executive supported an ongoing research activity run by HERA to gather more specific data characterising our heavy engineering industry. This research activity included a proposal for the performance of a benchmarking study of the structural steel fabrication industry as a pilot for other subsectors subject to…