Roof Grip Access Walkways at Forrest Hill Mall, Centurion

Roof Grip at Forrest Hill Mall

Alifab recently installed their Roof Grip Access Walkway System onto the roof at the soon to be opened Forrest Hill Mall just outside Pretoria.

The project required access across the roof sheets to various plant and equipment mounted in the roof space. The ideal choice for this was Roof Grip.

Roof Grip is manufactured using Ampligrip Type 201 with specially designed bracket to allow easy fixing to the specific roof sheet. The all aluminium construction ensures no maintenance is required for the life of the product. The lightweight aluminium also ensures a reduced live load on the roof structure.

Roof Grip evenly distributes the foot print over a larger area thereby protecting the roof sheets for point load damage. By fitting the walkways in the most beneficial positions you can ensure access takes place where it can do the lease damage.

600mm walkway was used throughout as simple access to the plant was required. 900mm and 1200mm wide platforms are also available. All fixing brackets are non-piercing therefore do not reduce the integrity of the original installation.

For more information about Roof Grip please visit our web site at www,roofgrip.co.za or contact us on +27 (0)33 3869291

Aluminium tops new Durban tower

Local aluminium manufacturer Alpull has been awarded the contract to manufacture the cowl for the new
Millennium Tower in Durban. The cowl stands on top of a 35 m high concrete structure that houses the port
control. It will be mounted on top of a steel carousel that allows it to rotate in tune with the changing wind
direction, while a central spire will indicate the height of the tide.
The cowl will be manufactured using the high-strength-to-weight ratio Amplibeam structural wall manufactured
using the firm's Ampliform process at its factory in Maritzburg. The Ampliform process involves the slotting and
stretching of an aluminium extrusion to create an expanded aluminium product. The beams make efficient use
of the attributes of aluminium by ensuring that the volume or mass of the metal is placed where it can do the
most work.
The cowl tower is 35 m high, with a base diameter of 14 m, and is fashioned from a truncated cone. Vertical
columns are manufactured using the structural wall type ALB 475, the largest and strongest of the Amplibeam
family. This type is a relative newcomer to the range of structural members and its introduction has opened
many doors for the Ampliform design team. The purlin rings will be manufactured using the structural wall types
ALB 365 and ALB 200, depending on the loading requirements. In total, 12 t of aluminium will be used. When
compared to steel, in volume, the amount of steel would be in the region of 36 t, thus making a notable
difference when designing foundations.
Colourful bands of sheet metal and extrusions will be skirted around the outside of the structure to add
character, and the lower portion will be covered in a mesh skin for aesthetic effect. Amplimesh type 102
manufactured by the firm using the same slot-and-stretch method will be used for this purpose, while strobe
lights will be fitted to enhance night-time viewing.
The wind vane, which points out the direction of the wind, will be a welded aluminium fabrication and standard
aluminium section will be used for this feature.
The Bluff area of Durban is considered to be the most corrosive area in South Africa, hence aluminium is the
most suitable metal. Mill- finished aluminium will be used in the construction with some brackets and all the bolts
being manufactured from 316 stainless steel. The oxidation characteristics of aluminium will ensure the structure
has a long and maintenance-free lifespan. The structural design was carried out by Vawda Thornton Consulting
Engineers, of Durban, and the erection will be carried out by Protekon Construction.
The 75 m Millennium Tower will be erected above Durban's Bluff at the cost of some R7-million.3/13/2014 Engineering News - Aluminium tops newDurban tower

Durban has a signal station on the Bluff, which is used to display visual signals to inform ships whether they may
enter or leave port.
This structure, which was built in 1955, is a simple cylindrical tower, but nevertheless has a significant presence
on the Bluff skyline.
At present, the port control function is carried out from the Durmarine building on the T-jetty in the middle of the
port.
However, the acquisition of a sophisticated radar-based vessel-tracking system demanded more space than
was available in the port control facility. The former Portnet decided to incorporate the old signal station and port
control in a new larger structure on the Bluff, at the location of the old signal station.
Apart from fulfilling a functional role, the tower will become the weather centre for the city of Durban, displaying
wind direction and tide.

Amplimesh Bird Proofing

Amplimesh Bird Proofing

Amplimesh was chosen as the bird proof mesh in the recently completed Hammersdale Mall in Mpumalanga. The Amplimesh Type 101A has an aperture of 20mm x 40mm ensuring even small birds find it difficult to enter the shopping area bit it still allows the free flow of fresh air into the public areas.

Amplimesh is manufactured from an aluminium extrusion so maintenance to prevent corrosion is not an issue. The mesh can be powder coated or anodised to various colours in order for it to match the aesthetics of the structure.

Amplimesh can be fitted into most standard window systems or it can be installed using specially designed aluminium extrusions. Either method gives as strong and secure installation.

Amplimesh has been used in a wide variety of security and access control applications. It is strong and durable and is capable of meeting most mesh requirements. Should you require any further information please visit our web site or contact us directly on 033 3869291.

Gorilla Aluminium Security Products by Alifab

Gorilla Security Products

Gorilla Security Products manufacture a range of Security Gates and Window Guards. These all aluminium security products are ideal for areas where rust is a problem. Being made from aluminium they are corrosion resistant. The use of high strength aluminium alloys ensures the products preform at the highest security level.

Gorilla security gates are available in 2 types

·         Swing gates

·         Sliding gates

-          The standard swing gate fits directly onto the outside face of a standard door frame.

-          The standard sliding gate fits into the reveal of a standard patio door.

Gorilla Security Products use Amplimesh Type 103, manufactured by Ampliform, in all their products. Amplimesh is an aesthetically pleasing expanded aluminium mesh that provides a perfect screen for a security gate. Gorilla Security Products have designed and developed frames for mounting the gates, simply and effectively.

All gates can be fitted with insect mesh to keep out the other bugs. The effectiveness of this screen always depends on how well the gates are able to be fitted. If they can be fitted well the gates act as a perfect insect screen.

Amplimesh Type 103 is small enough to keep our monkeys and strong enough to prevent baboons from entering through any open door. This now allows people to leave there doors open even in areas where monkeys are a nuisance.

Our Window Guards are manufactured in a similar manner to the gates. They offer the same attributes as those of the gates.  Window Guards are available in 3 different styles, to suit the window type.

For more information on Gorilla Security gate and window Guards please visit our website at http://www.alifab.co.za/products/gorilla

News from Ampliform / Alifab

After a long break it is time to update everyone with our latest news.

After a very tough 12 months where we have had to work very hard to make the books balance it looks like the tide may be turning. There have been a wide variety of projects awarded and we are getting our fair share. Our marketing efforts over the period are at last bearing fruit.

Bad news for the aluminium industry is the increase in the price of aluminium announced by all the extruders recently. We have been fortunate though, in that we have not had an increase for quite a while. The increase has however affected our prices but we have tried to limit the increase as much as possible. Please consult our websites or offices for the latest pricing.

The demands of labour after the recent mining unrest have made us all uneasy and we can only hope that the effect it will have on our workforces will not be too inhibiting to our current progress.

On the employee front we welcome Mr Ray Savin to the company. He has joined us in our marketing and sales department as we intend to take full advantage of the coming upswing. We hope Ray has a long and fruitful relationship with the company.

Should you have any projects or products requiring aluminium input give us a call so we can help resolve you needs.

Till later

Aluminium Frame Marquees

AliFab has reciently completed the sale of two Aluminium Frame Marquees to the Arusha International Conferance Centre in Tanzania. The marquees were required as extra space is required for the expanding central African conferance facility.
For the full story follow this link to the press release
http://www.prlog.org/11885445

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALUMINIUM

Not much is generally known about aluminium so here are some interesting facts about the metal. The metal is spelt ‘Aluminum’ in the USA.

·         Aluminium is by far the most common metal on the Earth’s surface. It makes up 8.1% of the Earth’s crust. However Aluminium never occurs naturally in its pure form. In the ground it is combined with other chemicals as minerals in ore rocks. The major source of aluminum is layers of soft ore called bauxite, which is mostly aluminum hydroxide.

·         Aluminium powders were used 5000 years ago for dyeing. Pure aluminum was first made in 1825 by the Danish scientist Hans Christian Oersted, Aluminium production was the first industrial process to use hydroelectric power when Paul Heroult set up a plant on the river Rhine in 1887. Each year 21 million tonnes of aluminum are made, mostly from bauxite dug up in Brazil and New Guinea. Aluminium oxide can crystallize into one of the hardest minerals, corundum, which is used to sharpen knives.

·         Aluminium is silver in color when freshly made, but it quickly tarnishes to white in the air. It is very slow to corrode. Aluminium is one of the lightest of all the metals. It weighs just one-third as much as steel. Aluminium melts at 650°C and boils at 2450°C.

·         Although aluminum is common in the ground, it is worth recycling because extracting it from bauxite uses a lot of energy. It only takes 5% of the original amount of energy to recycle aluminium.

Name of Element : Aluminium
Symbol of Element : Al
Atomic Number of Aluminium : 13
Atomic Mass: 26.981539 amu
Melting Point: 660.37 °C - 933.52 °K
Boiling Point: 2467.0 °C - 2740.15 °K
Number of Protons/Electrons in Aluminium : 13
Number of Neutrons in Aluminium : 14
Crystal Structure: Cubic
Density @ 293 K: 2.702 g/cm3
Colour of Aluminium : silvery-white