Published 5/18/2012

Expert Planning is the Foundation…

…for a machine foundation like the one described in an article about a huge vertical turning and milling machine installed at a Cincinnati area job shop. The Larson & Darby Group, the firm that designed an engineered this foundation, has a checklist to ensure that foundation design meets the requirements of both the buyer and the supplier of the machine. A glance at this checklist shows how much critical detail is involved.

Basics

Mark Albert

Editor Emeritus, Modern Machine Shop

…for a machine foundation designed and engineered to properly support a very large machine tool, such as the vertical turning and milling machine recently installed at Metalex Manufacturing’s Center for Advanced Large Manufacturing. Metalex, based in the Cincinnati area, is a job shop that specializes in large precision components for aerospace, nuclear energy and other industries. We wrote about this installation in our April 2012 issue. This foundation was designed by Bill Waldorf, a licensed structural engineer and architect. He is the CEO of Larson & Darby Group, an architectural and engineering firm in Rockford, Illinois.

As an expert in this field, Mr. Waldorf knows the importance of thorough planning so that the machine buyer and supplier can participate responsibly in the design process. His firm’s partial checklist of items for the machine buyer, machine supplier and foundation designer to consider shows how much detail goes into the planning and design process. Some of these may be surprising, such as making sure the concrete trucks have a place to be washed out on site after a load is discharged.

The cost of some foundations can exceed $1 million. Protecting this investment hinges on selecting the designer with the greatest competence and experience.

To see the full checklist, click here.

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