T BAILEY INC.’s Shop-Built Tank Fabrication Process
As soon as T BAILEY INC.’s design engineers finish modeling your shop assembled tank, the design is passed on to our fabrication division. Shop-built tank fabrication is normally completed in these steps:
- Use CNC plasma cutters to cut out and etch the steel plate.
- Beveling of the weld seams as needed to provide a quality weld.
- Transform the plate into cylinders by passing it through rolling machines.
- Weld the longitudinal seam of the cylinder.
- Weld on one head and join the cylinders to create the tank shell.
- Attach the final head to the shop-built tank using single or tandem head welding manipulators.
- If required, install nozzles in the tank’s shell.
- Attach additional hardware, lifting devices, or structural supports.
- If needed, create and attach platforms, ladders, and other accessories.
- Forward the tank to T BAILEY INC.’s testing division, where the completed shop-built tank will have to pass rigorous testing and quality control
- T BAILEY’s paint division completes the product with all painting and coating requirements before being shipped to the customer.
Shop-Built Tank Testing & Quality Control
T BAILEY INC. keeps a CWB Certified Welding Supervisor and AWS Certified Welding Inspector in house as our Director of Quality Assurance. He ensures that each shop-built tank is able to successfully pass a series of intensive testing before being cleared for shipment.
The testing we do includes:
- Visual inspection and step by step monitoring of all processes to ensure the best possible quality
- Radiographic Testing (RT)
- Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
- Dye Penetrant Testing (PT)
- Magnetic Particle Testing (MT)
- Heat treating and stress relieving
- Hardness Testing
- Impact Testing
- Positive Material Identification (PMI)
- Leak Testing
- Hydrostatic Testing, up to 2,500 psig
- Environmental monitoring and reporting
- Soluble Salt Testing
- Full blast and lining profile measuring
- Dry film thickness testing
- Adhesion Testing
- Lining continuity (holiday) testing
Working with T BAILEY INC. means working with some of the best quality control experts in the world. When you receive a shop-built tank from us, you can rest in the knowledge that your tank has successfully passed intensive and comprehensive testing.
AISC Painting & Blasting For Shop-Built Tanks
What sets T BAILEY INC. apart from the competition is that we are able to perform every step of the shop-built tank fabrication process in-house — including painting and blasting.
Our process-driven professionals will protect the integrity of your shop assembled tank by beginning the painting process in the first stages of fabrication and continuing until the tank’s completion. This ensures that you receive a shop-built tank built to resist corrosion and able to last for many years.
Our AISC painting and blasting services include:
- Prewashing the steel to eliminate soluble salt, oil, and other contaminants per SSPC SP1.
- Prepping the steel for coating by machine or manual blasting.
- Metalizing the tank with aluminum or zinc.
- Lastly, we prime and finish the coating and lining with epoxies, urethanes, zinc, enamels, and vinyl ester coatings.
Because we have our own industrial coating division in-house, you can save thousands of dollars on painting and blasting fees by working with T BAILEY INC.
Shop-Built Tank Shipping Options
T BAILEY INC.’s industry-leading facilities are located 5 miles from the deep-water port at Anacortes, 10 miles from the interstate, and just 7 miles from our rail spur. Our nearness to these delivery options allows you to choose the most budget-friendly shipping option for your shop-built tank.
Our shipping options are:
- Truck: we have our own expert truck drivers who can deliver completed shop-built tanks to local job sites. For farther distances or oversized loads, T BAILEY INC. coordinates with skilled third-party trucking companies.
- Barge: if you are located in Hawaii or Alaska, we can deliver your shop-built tank via barge or steamship.
- Rail: our rail spur allows us to ship anywhere in the continental United States and Canada.
To help you choose the best shipping option for your project and budget, we will provide you with a cost analysis of each of the available options.
Shop-Built Steel Tank Projects
Take a look at one of our completed shop built tank projects or one of the biggest tanks we’ve built in our shop.