Project scope

MAH Steel is a steel fabricator based in Kent, serving the whole South East England, including South East London. Our convenient location in Gravesend makes us a leading steel supplier for South London. This project was located in Lewisham, which is a stone’s throw from our steelwork factory. Let’s take a look at our step-by-steep steel fabrication process.

Loft conversion steels in Lewisham

There’s a big demand nowadays for loft conversion steels in Lewisham. Its popularity for loft conversions stems from several factors. Firstly, with space being at a premium in densely populated urban areas like Lewisham, utilising loft spaces provides an attractive solution for homeowners seeking to maximise living space without expanding their property’s footprint. Additionally, loft conversions offer a cost-effective alternative to moving house. This allows residents to add significant value to their homes while avoiding the expenses and stresses associated with relocation. Furthermore, Lewisham’s architectural landscape, characterised by a mix of traditional Victorian and Edwardian properties, often features spacious loft areas ripe for conversion. It makes it a prime location for such projects. Lastly, the growing trend towards sustainable living and energy efficiency drives interest in loft conversions, as they provide opportunities for incorporating eco-friendly features and improving insulation, aligning with Lewisham’s eco-conscious community ethos.

How we fabricate steel for a loft conversion

First off, we received an order request from our customer.

After that, our trusted supplier delivers steel to our yard. Our loading team safely offloads it. Then it goes to the steel cutting department.

Our cutting and saw operators check the cutting list and cut steels to the required measurements. They also clean up and square off the ends to ensure the correct cut lengths are achievable. Steel cutting is a fundamental process in the steel manufacturing industry, essential for shaping raw steel into desired forms and sizes. Employing various techniques such as laser cutting, plasma cutting, and water jet cutting, steel cutting involves precision and efficiency to meet specific design requirements. Laser cutting, utilising high-powered lasers to melt, burn, or vaporise material, offers exceptional accuracy and is favored for intricate designs. Plasma cutting, on the other hand, employs ionised gas to swiftly slice through steel, ideal for thicker materials. Water jet cutting utilises a high-pressure stream of water mixed with abrasive particles to cut through steel with minimal heat-affected zones, making it suitable for materials sensitive to temperature changes. Regardless of the method used, steel cutting is a crucial step in the steel fabrication process.

CNC steel profiling and steel cutting are related processes, but they are not exactly equal. Steel cutting refers to the broad category of methods used to separate steel material into desired shapes or sizes. This can include techniques such as laser cutting, plasma cutting, and water jet cutting, as mentioned previously.

On the other hand, CNC steel profiling specifically refers to the process of using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology to control cutting tools or machinery for accurately shaping steel components according to predefined designs or patterns. CNC steel profiling often involves precision cutting, drilling, and shaping operations to achieve complex geometries with high accuracy and consistency. CNC technology allows for automation and precise control of cutting parameters, resulting in efficient production processes and consistent quality.

In essence, CNC steel profiling is a subset of steel cutting, focusing on the use of CNC technology for precise and automated shaping of steel components.

The perks of 3D steel modelling technology

At MAH Steel, we employ all these techniques to get impeccable results. So, once the material has been cut, we transport it by a fork lift to the steel fabrication area. Here, it’s ready for our experienced steel fabrication team to start the project. Our workshop manager issues job tickets and Tekla drawings. Tekla Drawings is a software solution widely popular in the steel fabrication industry for creating detailed and accurate drawings, models, and plans for steel structures. It enables engineers and designers to generate 3D models of steel components, connections, and assemblies, facilitating visualisation of the entire structure. Tekla Drawings streamlines the process of generating fabrication drawings, shop drawings, and steel erection plans, ensuring consistency and accuracy throughout the fabrication process. Steel fabricators utilise Tekla Drawings to translate design specifications into actionable instructions for cutting, welding, and assembling steel components. This helps optimising efficiency, minimising errors, and enhancing collaboration between various stakeholders involved in steel fabrication projects.

Needless to say, before our fabrication team start, our in-house inspector performs a quality check on material. After steel fabrication, it gets checked again to make sure the steel beams line up with end plates.

Steel Delivery and Installation in Lewisham

The steel is taken to our paint shop to be painted. This time, it was fire paint. Fire paint, also known as intumescent paint, is a type of coating applied to surfaces to enhance their fire resistance. When exposed to heat, the paint expands and forms a protective char layer, insulating the substrate and delaying the spread of fire. It is then checked for the paint’s thickness and laid out in the yard ready to be loaded onto one of our fleet lorries.

Once again, it’s checked by the loading team that all steel is correct to the delivery notes and then it is loaded onto one of our crane lorries and delivered to site to exactly where they want it. On this occasion it was up to the scaffold.

In the end, the customer was asked if they were happy, and everything was correct. The job was then signed off.