Barair was asked by one of its long-standing customers, with whom it has worked for more than 18 years, to design and manufacture a compact mobile press stand for processing conveyor belting. The stand needed to accept the customer’s existing equipment, including the heat press, electrical controls and pneumatic control system, while also improving handling, mobility and safe operation.
Although this was a relatively small project in terms of physical scale, it was approached with the same engineering discipline, detail, and care that Barair applies to larger and more complex work.
A key requirement was that the stand had to remain open at one end so that continuous conveyor belts could be processed without obstruction. That created a structural challenge, because the frame still had to carry the weight of the customer’s equipment without sagging, bending or losing alignment. Suitable steel sections and gusset supports were therefore required to maintain stiffness and load transfer while preserving the open access needed for the process.
The stand also had to incorporate a counterbalance arrangement to reduce the lifting force required to raise the top half of the press. This meant the design had to function as more than a simple support frame. It had to provide the geometry, strength and practical interface features needed for the customer’s existing equipment and lifting arrangement to work together safely and effectively.
Because the unit was intended to be mobile, stability during relocation formed an important part of the design process. The stand was mounted on lockable castors selected for appropriate size, duty, and spacing to reduce the risk of overturning during movement as far as reasonably practicable. To support this, a centre of gravity study was undertaken at the design stage, taking account of the stand and the added customer equipment, so that the completed assembly could be assessed for safe use and relocation.
Barair developed the project from solid-model design through to detailed engineering definition suitable for manufacture. This included producing the fabrication details needed to convert the design into a practical welded assembly, specifying weld requirements, and ensuring the build intent was clear enough for reliable manufacture and fit-up. The finished frame was then coated with a tough, durable powder coating in the colour specified by the customer, providing a robust surface suitable for industrial service.
The result was a bespoke mobile press stand tailored to the customer’s existing process equipment and operating requirements. By combining structural design, stability assessment, fabrication detailing, and practical usability considerations, Barair delivered a compact unit that supported conveyor-belt processing while improving handling, mobility, and operator confidence in day-to-day use.
