Research & Development

In heavy fabrication, progress rarely takes the form of laboratory research. It happens on the shop floor: in how a difficult joint is welded, in the welding sequence chosen to control distortion, in the fixture designed so that a heavy part can be machined in a single setup. Simgetek treats this accumulated know-how as an asset to be developed deliberately, not left to chance.

Our development work is therefore shaped by the requirements of real projects, and its results feed directly back into our engineering standards, welding procedures and production practice.

Our Development Areas

Welding technology — procedure development and qualification for demanding materials, thicknesses and positions; wider use of mechanised and automated welding
Distortion and residual stress control — welding sequences, fixture design and heat treatment planning for large, heavy welded structures
Materials engineering — building up experience with high-alloy, duplex and nickel-based materials and the fabrication practices they require
Design and analysis methods — use of finite element analysis where the geometry or loading falls outside standard code rules
Machining and metrology — multi-axis machining strategies and dimensional inspection methods for large parts
Process improvement — production planning, nesting efficiency, material utilisation and reduction of rework
Digitalisation — deeper integration of engineering, CAM and project management software along the production chain

Equipment We Build Ourselves

The most tangible result of our development work is the equipment we design and build for our own production. Rather than accept the limits of machines available on the market, we developed the equipment our fabrication scope actually needs:

1,000-ton hydraulic dishing press — designed and built in-house; dished head forming up to Ø9,000 mm, 9,250 mm between columns
Overhead cranes — designed and built for the span of our bays, the hook height and the lifting capacities required
Scissor lifts — access platforms built for use in our fabrication bays
Plate turning and rotating fixtures — for the controlled handling and positioning of heavy plates and cylindrical parts during fabrication and welding
Post-weld heat treatment furnace — designed and built in-house; 16.5 m × 7.4 m × 7.2 m internal volume, maximum temperature 1,000 ºC and maximum part weight 120 tons
Spool bevelling machine — developed for the weld bevel preparation of pipe spools, supporting high-volume spool pre-fabrication
Spinning machine (work in progress) — being developed for forming operations within our own production scope
Plate rolling machine (work in progress) — under development, it will extend our in-house forming capability

Designing and building our own equipment gives us more than a cost advantage. When a project calls for a capability we do not yet have, it shortens our response time, keeps maintenance and modification know-how within the company, and allows the equipment to be adapted as our production scope grows.

How Development Work Is Carried Out

How Development Work Is Carried Out
- Requirements arising from projects are assessed jointly by our engineering and production teams
- Proposed methods are tested through calculation, analysis and, where necessary, trial fabrication
- Welding procedures and production methods are qualified before they are applied in production
- Results are documented and incorporated into our standards and procedures
- Improvements are shared across all our facilities, so the experience gained on one project benefits the next

Working with Clients and Partners

A large part of our development work is carried out within client projects rather than separately from them. Depending on the scope, this may include:

Reviewing designs for manufacturability before fabrication starts
Proposing alternative fabrication methods, materials or work sequences
Reverse engineering of existing equipment where original documentation is not available
Developing prototypes and first-article parts before series production
Working with equipment manufacturers, licensors and engineering firms on the technical definition of the scope