Processes Steel Processing Our diverse range of steel processing capabilities allows us to deliver customized solutions for any order – saving you time and making your job easier. We are constantly updating our machinery to provide you the best value-added services – download our capabilities chart for more information. Contact us for a quote on our steel processing capabilities. Angle Processing The angle processing is typically done through an Anglemaster. The Anglemaster can punch holes and shear material to size. Contractors Steel can process angles up to 6″ x 6″ x .625″ thick. Beam Cambering Beam cambering is the process of bending structural beams to provide additional strength and resistance to deflection. The beam is cambered through a hydraulic press that gradually produces a beam with an arc or a bow. At Contractors Steel, we have the capacity to camber beams from 6” to 36” wide. Blanchard Grinding The process of creating a flat, blemish free surface on a plate, burnout, or weldment by machining the workpiece with an abrasive grinding machine. We can Blanchard grind up to a 60” diameter, 25” high capacity. Coil Leveling Coil leveling is the process of taking a wound coil through a series of dies and rollers that gradually bends the material into a flat, level surface. The leveling process is often used before a coil is cut-to-length or used to fix shape issues. The leveling process helps to relieve internal stresses that can cause the material to twist or bow. After the leveling process, the material exhibits tight tolerances to meet a customer specifications. At Contractors Steel, we can level coil 3/16” – 1/2” thick, up to 72” wide and 80’ long. Drilling & Punching Drilling and punching cuts out shapes and sizes in structural steel, sheet, or plate products. Typical shapes include circles, squares or rectangles. We can drill and punch on a variety of machines at Contractors Steel. Flame Cutting The cutting of shapes from steel plate by “burning” with single and multiple torch setups. The torches create a high temperature flame by burning gases. Torches may be guided by hand, mechanically, by electric tracing eye, or by computer. Laser Burning Laser burning (or laser cutting) is used to cut (or laser) various shapes/sizes/parts out of a steel plate. Laser burning offers tighter tolerances than standard plate sawing. This type of steel processing can produce intricate shapes through the usage of CAD programming. We can laser plate up to 1” thick, 10’ wide and 40’ long and laser cut tubular products up to 6″ x 6″ or 8″ round. Oxy-Fuel Plate Burning Utilizing a variety of gasses and oxygen, oxy-fuel plate burning creates high temperature flames that cut through steel plate as it is guided by a CNC machine. Ideal for thicker plate, oxy-fuel can create simple squares, and rectangles as well as intricate designs. Contractors Steel can oxy-fuel steel plate up to 16″ thick. Plasma Cutting Plasma cutting is a form of flame cutting. Plasma is the term used to describe a state of matter produced when a gas is passed through a high-voltage electric arc. The plasma flame is far hotter than the flame produced in ordinary flame cutting equipment. It hits the workpiece with a thin stream at high velocity and makes a cut that is essentially slag-free under properly controlled conditions. Plasma cutting is used for steel when thin material is to be cut, and heat distortion must be minimalized. Contractors Steel can plasma cut steel plate up to 2″ thick with a max bevel 45°. CAD download capabilities are also available. Plate Rolling Sometimes referred to as roll bending, plate rolling is the process by which a steel plate or sheet is fabricated through a series of rollers and presses to gradually transform a flat object into a new shape, often cylindrical in nature. Plate rolling involves custom round shapes that are often used for large tanks that store oil and gas. These plate-rolled items are larger than traditionally manufactured steel tube. Our 3-plate roller can process plate 3/4” thick by 12’ long. Plate Shearing A process of cutting plate or sheet stock without the presence of chips or burrs. Plate and sheet shearing offers custom sizes of material for specific sizes. We have the capability to shear up to 1/2” x 12’ at our four locations. Press Braking The process by which a sheet or plate is bent to a predetermined size and angle. The term “braking” means to bend, change direction or deflect material which is how the press brake service came to be named. At Contractors Steel, we can press brake up to 750 tons and 20’ long material at our four locations. Python Processing The PythonX Multipurpose Cutting Machine offers the labor and time savings you need to compete in today’s market. With processing capabilities such as plasma bolt holes, cuts, copes, miters, slots and notches, your beams, tubes, channels and angles can be completed faster than ever before. Our newest Python is located at our Chicago facility. Learn more about the Top Five Python Features! Saw Cutting Saw cutting can refer to several different processes. Most often, saw cutting is used for structural steel that are processed from a long length (i.e., 20’, 40’ etc) to shorter lengths to be used in various applications. Saw cutting machines can be used to cut single pieces or full bundles. At Contractors Steel, we have 18 saws available across our network to service the needs of our customers. Tee Splitting Tee-splitting is the process of splitting a wide flange beam down the middle of the web producing two “T” shaped angles that are off-set from one another. The T’s are used in non-residential construction applications such as roof trusses. Contractors can split tee using our rotary tee splitter or our PythonX Multi-Purpose Plasma Cutting Machine. DETROIT, MI 48649 Schooner Drive Van Buren Twp, MI 48111 T: 734.464.4000 lisales@contractorssteel.com CLEVELAND, OH 8383 Boyle Parkway Twinsburg, OH 44087 T: 330.425.3050 clsales@contractorssteel.com GRAND RAPIDS, MI 2768 Dormax S.W. Wyoming, MI 49519 T: 616.531.4000 grsales@contractorssteel.com CHICAGO, IL 1601 E. 165th Street Hammond, IN 46320 T: 219.378.1777 hasales@contractorssteel.com PHOENIX, AZ 11040 N Solar Canyon Way Surprise, AZ 85379 T: 602.610.3218 azsales@contractorssteel.com ABOUT NEWS CAREERS CONTACT © 2021 Contractors Steel