This bent structural steel is the “skeleton” of the main structure at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. The airport was originally constructed in 1942 – 1943 as a manufacturing plant for Douglas C-54s during World War II.
Back then, the rolling and bending processes used to produce these curved beams would have been purely manual. With the use of templates, trial and error and good old fashioned “eyeballing it” the manufacturing processes must have been painfully slow and difficult to repeat.
Today, these types of structures can be manufactured quickly and repeated accurately with the correct machinery in place. The use of computer numerically controlled (CNC) machinery has advanced modern manufacturing to a whole new level. These types of beams can now be made in minutes rather than days. CNC roll benders, NC plate rolls and NC horizontal press brakes provide full automation of the bending process.
Baileigh Industrial offers a full line of industrial NC and CNC machinery. From bending I beam to rolling structural steel, shearing ½” plate to bending 5” angle iron we have it all in one place. If your building bridges, airports or skyscrapers Baileigh has you covered.
