Fabrication Shop
Location
2150 Centre Ave. Building F
Fort Collins Colorado 80526
Shop Supervisor
Paul Irvin
Agricultural Engineer
Phone: 970-492-7497
Fax: 970-492-7498
e-mail: paul.irvin@ars.usda.gov
Shop Area:
12,000 square feet of indoor workspace and storage.
Machining
· Set up for rapid production of very precisely machined parts.
· CNC vertical tool room mill 25”x15”x21”
· 8,000rpm spindle
· 16-tool magazine
· CNC tool room lathe
· 15” swing
· 2.18” spindle bore
· 7.5 horsepower spindle drive
· 20-3000rpm range
· 8 tool turret
· 36” bed
· Vertical knee mill
· Bench lathe
· 11” swing, 24” bed
· Engine lathe
· 14.5” swing x 32” bed
· Drill/Mill
· 2 drill presses
· Surface Grinder
Sheet Metal
· Mechanical squaring shear—1/4”x6’ capacity in A36 mild steel. 7/32” on 18-8 stainless steel.
· Jump shear—42”, 18 gauge A36 mild steel.
· Finger Brake—22”, 18 gauge A36 mild steel.
· Pan brake—6’, 18 gauge A36 mild steel.
· Mechanical Press brake—60 ton x 12’-12 gauge
· CNC plasma cutting system—4’ x 4’ table, 1” thick material capacity
Band Saws
· 1--vertical 12” throat
· 1--vertical 20” throat
· 1--vertical 40” throat
· 1--Horizontal 20” throat
Material handling
Capable of handling 4’´8’ sections of sheet metal and 21’ lengths of stock.
Can do large projects up to 12’´14’in dimension. (Large Door dimensions)
Forklifts:
1---2,300lb. Electric
1---4,000lb. Electric
1---4,000lb. Diesel
1---10,000lb. Diesel
Misc:
1---engine stand
1---engine hoist
1---Leveling fixture table 8.5’x14’
Chains, hooks, clevises boomers, plate dogs…
Welding:
MIG
TIG
Stick
Oxy/acetylene torch
300-amp plasma cutter
Engineering/Fabrication
Sample Projects
By: Paul Irvin
Theoretical tapered clutch designed for a tractor (2001) Colorado State University for an undergraduate project
![Theoretical tapered clutch](http://ars.usda.gov/images/docs/9672_9866/image004.jpg)
Sample from the shops CAD/CAM (computer aided design/computer aided machining) Program (BobCAD/CAM)
The program is used to draw mechanical parts 2D/3D, and generate G-Code, which is the alpha/numeric code that the computer on the CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine reads to cut the designed part.
![Sample from the shops CAD/CAM](http://ars.usda.gov/images/docs/9672_9866/image006.gif)
Drop cone penatrometer: used to measure soil compaction. Built at CSU for Agricultural Engineering Professor, Dr. Paul Ayers (2000)
![Drop cone penatrometer](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image008.jpg)
Soil Infiltration Cylinder-Designed by Phil Bacon, machining process/setup by Paul Irvin (built for USDA-WMR, 2003)
![Soil Infiltration Cylinder](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image010.jpg)
Micro-Precision Scales built for weighing small amount of water drainage from a soil column. Designed and built by Paul Irvin for Dr. Tim Green (USDA-ASR, 2005)
![Micro-Precision Scales](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image012.jpg)
Laser-Point Frame: A frame that contains 10 laser diode modules spaced 10 cm apart on a tripod configuration. Devise is used to measure vegetation parameters, which are treated with statistics to determine the state of the vegetation. Built originally for Lisa Vanamberg and Mark Weltz (USDA-GPSR 2000). 7 units have been made to date and are constantly being engineered and fabricated.
![Laser-Point Frame](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image014.jpg)
Machining Processes
Turning
![Turning](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image016.jpg)
Chasing threads in a cap for a ball mill cylinder
![Chasing threads](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image018.jpg)
PTO flange for a Chevy 4.3 liter v-6 engine. Used to drive a hydraulic pump for hydraulics on a hydrostatic tractor.
![PTO flange for a Chevy 4.3 liter v-6 engine](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image020.jpg)
1” diameter Soil coring bit
![1” diameter Soil coring bit](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image022.jpg)
Turned parts for ball mill assembly: Quality control.
![Turned parts for ball mill assembly](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image024.jpg)
Soil sample cups for mass sampling. Designed to fit a specific laboratory-measuring machine: Quality control.
Milling
![Lifting bracket half for a Lysimeters monolithic soil-retaining tank](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image026.jpg)
Lifting bracket half for a Lysimeters monolithic soil-retaining tank.
![Manual milling of a large chamfer](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image028.jpg)
Manual milling of a large chamfer on a lifting bracket, which is preparation for a multipass weldment designed to hold a 20,000 lb. Tensile loading.
![Lifting eyelet used on lifting bracket](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image030.jpg)
Lifting eyelet used on lifting bracket.
![3D milling capability](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image032.jpg)
3D milling capability demo of the Milltronics RH15 CNC vertical milling center.
![RH15 CNC mill used here to drill lug clearance holes](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image034.jpg)
RH15 CNC mill used here to drill lug clearance holes on an aluminum wheel spacer used for spacing out wheels on a tractor.
![Wrench being cut for use on 5” nuts on large hydraulic cylinders](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image036.jpg)
Wrench being cut for use on 5” nuts on large hydraulic cylinders.
![http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image038.jpg](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image038.jpg)
Bolthole patter cut on a PTO flange.
![Flutes and gullets being manually milled on soil coring bit](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image040.jpg)
Flutes and gullets being manually milled on soil coring bit
![Sine plate work used in pocket milling sockets](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image042.jpg)
Sine plate work used in pocket milling sockets for an array of pockets used to house hold thermal sensors for calibration.
Sheet Metal Work
![Hood for engine compartment on a high-clearance sprayer tractor](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image044.jpg)
Hood for engine compartment on a high-clearance sprayer tractor.
![Brackets for hydraulic cylinders and spray boom on a high-clearance sprayer tractor](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image046.jpg)
Brackets for hydraulic cylinders and spray boom on a high-clearance sprayer tractor.
![Coshocton flume made from 8 and 10 gage stainless steel](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image048.jpg)
Coshocton flume made from 8 and 10 gage stainless steel.
![Coshocton flume throat](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image050.jpg)
Coshocton flume throat
Welding
![Roll cage member on a High-Clearance Tractor](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image052.jpg)
Roll cage member on a High-Clearance Tractor
![Monolithic tank temporary top](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image054.jpg)
Monolithic tank temporary top.
Large Projects
![Rocky Ford Colorado weighing Lysimeter outer retaining tank installation](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image056.jpg)
Rocky Ford Colorado weighing Lysimeter outer retaining tank installation.
![Finished Rocky Ford Lysimeter Monolithic soil tank](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image058.jpg)
Finished Rocky Ford Lysimeter Monolithic soil tank.
![Extracted soil core within the Monolithic tank](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image060.jpg)
Extracted soil core within the Monolithic tank.
![Completed installation of Rocky Ford Lysimeter super structure](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image062.jpg)
Completed installation of Rocky Ford Lysimeter super structure.
![High-clearance chemical application tractor](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image064.jpg)
High-clearance chemical application tractor.
![High-clearance chemical application tractor](http://www.ars.usda.gov/sp2UserFiles/Place/54021000/FabShopImages/image066.jpg)
High-clearance chemical application tractor.
|