While we were in Cobalt, Ontario, we had an
opportunity to take a tour of the Wabi Iron and Steel. Founded in 1907,
Wabi Iron & Steel Corp. has evolved into a leading manufacturer of loading
and conveyance systems for the mining industry and one of North America’s
premier producers of general and abrasion-resistant castings in iron and
steel. During the glory days of Cobalt
they developed products and supplied one
of the most prolific mining camps in the area (Silver Cobalt Camp) and by the
1940’s they were manufacturing products for many Northern Ontario mining
operations and began shipping worldwide.
The Wabi has two divisions, each
responsible for crafting precision equipment and products for specific
purposes. The head office, fabrication facility, machine shop and foundry are
located in New Liskeard, Ontario and by having the entire operation in one
place they can maintain control over the entire manufacturing process and
ensure quality workmanship on each and every project. David Perry (Foundry Foreman)
has spent around 25 years working at the Wabi and has overseen thousands of
projects over the years and was happy to give us an in-depth look at the
operation from start to finish.
Our tour started in the fabrication
shop where the staff was hard at work grinding steel, welding pieces together,
cleaning products and fabricating specialty items with the plasma cutter. We also
had the opportunity to capture some of the men putting the finishing touches on
the products that came from the foundry in order for them to be shipped
out. Starting the tour in the
fabrication shop gave us but a mere glimpse into the Wabi world and how the
operation works from start to finish.
The next part of the tour brings us to the pattern facility and sand molding facility where they design wooden patterns to make sand molds that will later be used to produce castings in the foundry. Sand castings are optimal for production as they can be used to produce a wider variety of metal components with complex geometries. Many of these components, such as mining wear parts, must be resistant to heat, friction and mechanical stress to maintain optimum performance. The casting process involves the use of their induction furnaces, molten metal, and the sand molds. The metal is melted in one of the four induction furnaces and then ladled and poured into a small opening at the top of the sand mold.
Now that we understood how these intricate molds are produced, we made our way over to the foundry where we witnessed many of the above mentioned castings being poured. The poured castings are then placed into one of the heat treatment ovens to harden the steel. Once the steel is hardened and cooled the sand molds are broken away from the newly formed machinery; which range from pump parts to mining wear parts. As wear solution specialists, the Wabi produces long lasting, abrasive resistant products that meet or exceed current applications for aggregate, mining, tunneling and mill processing industries.
The Wabi produces castings
ranging in weight from 50 to 8,000 lbs, and work with over a hundred different
alloys including alloy steel, chrome iron, grey iron, Ni-hard, steel, and
stainless steel. Since they control the entire manufacturing process in one
facility, the superior qualities of their products are able to remain consistent.
Their advanced manufacturing technologies and fabrication processes enhance
production efficiencies which results in improved quality and reduced product
costs.
Finally, once the castings have
been removed from the sand moulds and then cooled, they are brought over to a
prepping area. In this prepping area, any last burs and excess steel from the
casting process are grinded away. Once the machinery is all prepped a
monitoring process is used which is accomplished using Non-Destructive Testing
methods. One of these is Ultrasonic Testing equipment. Ultrasonic Testing,
which uses high frequency sound to conduct analyses, detect flaws, and make
measurements. This testing and reporting can recommend various options to
better predict wear and avoid downtime issues.
Overall our tour through the Wabi
Iron and steel was incredibly fascinating and an opportunity to have a look at
the manufacturing process that goes into mining equipment. It offered us an
entirely new perspective on the amount of work involved in building the
equipment to make modern mining practices viable. The mining industry relies
heavily on companies like the Wabi to design new technology that solves
industry wide day to day problems and produce quality products consistently to
ensure the safety and efficiency of the workers in the mining industry.
The content published on Insidexploration.com is based on current events, historical data, company news releases, sedar filings, technical reports and information provided by the companies we work with. These publications may contain forward-looking statements, including but not limited to comments regarding predictions and projections. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
The publications on Insidexploration.com are for informational and entertainment purposes only and are not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Always do your own due diligence and talk to a licensed investment adviser prior to making any investment decisions. Please be sure to read company profiles on www.SEDAR.com for important risk disclosures.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok