In Spring 2022 we manufactured a set of very unique timber connectors for Xylotek Ltd, who were working on a community Shelter project in Westonbirt Arboretum, for Forestry England. Our standard timber connectors are usually made square with a shoe set at a 90 degree vertical pitch but the specification for this project required a range of connectors with parallelogram bases, custom pitches, on a skew. To overcome the acute angles instead of bending the shoes on a press brake we ended up setting our experienced welding team to the task.

The previous community shelter had to be dismantled in 2017 as it was no longer fit and safe to be used but the need for a community shelter was still necessary. In winter 2021 that architect Piers Taylor from Invisible Studio and engineers from Format Engineers got together with Forestry England and Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum to create this amazing new community shelter.

The shelter was designed to be more than just a functional building but one that fits aesthetically into the landscape. The structure is made from a combination of sustainable and recyclable materials, the oak frame being sourced from the mill in Silk Wood where the shelter is situated.

Xylotek was contracted to fabricate the oak lath gridshell made up of a series of complex arches and bracing. The arches and frame work are fixed to the ground with 9 custom timber connectors, supplied and manufactured by our team at Stainless UK.

While our contribution is small in part, we are still very proud and thankful to be part of such an amazing project.

Photos by Martin Phelps

Stainless UK has manufactured and supplied Injection Anchor and Grip Bar for emergency works to secure a landslide above the primary access slipway to the Island. Installation was completed by Colin Jones Rock Engineering ahead of schedule before the restrictive impending nesting and eco-tourism season.

Skomer Island, is a world renowned Wildlife Trust less than a mile off the Pembrokeshire coast. The island is home to a vast range of wildlife which live in the exposed headlands, towering offshore rocks, and sheltered inlets. At 730 acres, Skomer is the largest of Pembrokeshire’s islands. It is owned by Natural Resources Wales and managed by The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales.

Stainless UK specialises in the manufacture of stainless steel anchor bars and tie bars for use in coastal reinforcement, repair and renovation.

Datem are one of the world leaders in CPT systems (cone penetration test). Their units are used for acquiring the properties of the soil, cable routes and gas pipelines under the sea. Sometimes this can be up to 3000 metres below sea level. The majority of the components for their products are made from stainless steel and we at Stainless UK manufacture and supply the back plate for both the Neptune 3000 and Neptune 5000 systems.

The two grades of stainless steel that we normally use in our manufacturing process are 304 and 316. In this project stainless steel grade 316 is the choice as it has a higher corrosion resistance and so is suitable in salt water applications. The main difference between the two grades is the presence of molybdenum and increased nickel content in grade 316 both improve the resistance.

Stainless 304 consists of 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

Stainless 316 consists of 16% chromium, 10% nickel and 2% molybdenum.

We are delighted to announce that we are now an official stockist of Fisher Fixings, complementing our custom stainless steel fabrication service.
Fischer Fixings are recognised in the industry for their quality and they are often specified on the parts lists for orders. We look forward to working with Fischer Fixings to provide a complete fabrication package for your needs.

For a full range of thier products please visit https://www.fischer.co.uk/en-gb/

Sunset House, Situated directly on the Cliff edge, is one of St Ives most iconic properties. A landslip had occurred during the construction phase of this residential building. Georats Ltd. were contracted to design and install slope stabilization.

The solution was to install 110 injection anchors up to 6m deep with a diameter of 90mm. Stainless UK supplied R32 marine grade 316 hollow injection anchors which were install to the full 6m depth and then grouted down hole. Finally 32 tonnes of shotcrete was hand sprayed onto the slope to a minimum thickness of 150mm

Images have been kindly supplied by Georats

Stainless UK are proud to announce they have installed the first ever Esprit 10KW Fiber Laser Cutting Machine. The state of the art machine will sit alongside their existing 6kw Laser and will not only support them with the increased demand of their fabrication services it will also expand their capability.

The new Fiber Laser Cutting CNC machine will reduced production times with it's staggering vector speeds of 325m/min. The machine will also cut 30mm stainless steel plate and create precision cuts and holes down to 2.5mm, further increasing the services that Stainless UK can offer their customers.

Stainless UK have become associate members of UKCSA.

UKCSA was formed as an independent trade association to increase specifiers’ and contractors’ awareness and confidence in cast stone and to establish and maintain the highest standards of product quality and usage

Stainless UK produce stainless steel reinforcement bar and mesh and fabricate bracketry and windposts used in the construction of building facades.

As an associate member to UKCSA our products conform and meet the criteria that is required.

The price of Nickel dropped earlier this year to $16000 (March 2021) just after it reached it’s all time high of almost $20000 a tonne. Since then it’s been sitting in the $16000’s until this week when it jumped up almost $2000 a tonne. This most recent price spike puts it back on it’s steady increase since early 2020.

Stainless steel production uses over two thirds of the global Nickel supply and so the cost of Nickel directly impacts the cost of Stainless Steel. Nickel is an alloying element which improves the formability and weldability of stainless steel while increasing it’s corrosion applications. Grade 304 contains 8% and grade 316 11% .

As a stockholder of stainless steel and manufacture of stainless steel products we are always monitoring the value of stainless so that we can give the best value of products to our customers.

Stainless UK have moved into an new factory and offices on their Newhall Road Works site. With over 50% more production space and newly refurbished offices the move will allow the company to better deal with the increased demand for their of civil engineering products.

Stainless UK have launched a new website featuring Heat Resistant Steels. A wide range of bar and plate is available in austenitic and nickel alloy grades.

Visit www.heatresistantstainless.co.uk/

Stainless UK have launched a new product brochure covering all their range of stainless steel products for civil and geotechnical engineering. This provide specifiers and contractors with detailed information on the company's product range and help select the best product for a each project.

With increased demand for their stainless steel fabricated products, Stainless UK have invested in an additional CNC press brake. The 150t machine will accurately bend stainless steel sections up to 3m long for use in commercial and civil engineering projects

Stainless UK have supplied many interesting and challenging projects with their stainless steel Grip-Bar, Injection Anchor and Reinforcing Bar products. To showcase some of these projects the company has published a new updated brochure giving details of how their products have been used on projects as diverse as coastal defence, bridges and historic buildings.

Stainless UK have taken additional manufacturing space at their Newhall Road Works site to allow the company to expand its operations. The move will allow the creation of a dedicated unit for their Grip-Bar and reinforcing bar products and also create additional space in their existing factory to expand the company's fabrication facilities.

An additional CNC lathe has been purchased by Stainless UK to help increase output of fixings for the company's Grip-Bar product range. Grip-Bar is a unique fully threaded stainless steel anchor and tie bar system. All Grip-Bar load nuts, lock nuts and couplers are made in-house to exacting standards to ensure full strength integrity when in use.

Stainless UK has been successfully audited under the Steel Construction Certification Scheme and is now a CE approved fabricator to Execution Class 2 BS EN 1090-2.

From 1st July 2014 the new Construction Products Regulation legally requires all fabricated steel products manufactured in accordance with BS EN 1090-2 Load Bearing and Structural Steel Components to be CE Marked. This standard covers a wide range of products including wind posts, masonry support systems and fabricated brackets.

In order to achieve CE Marking, manufacturers must have an independently verified Factory Production Control system, approved Welding Procedures and suitably Qualified Welders.

The introduction of CE marked products will give specifiers, contractors and clients increased confidence in the quality of the products they are using.