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  • Hello! My name is Al Fogel.

  • I’ve been the Operations Manager here at Portland Bolt since 1987.

  • This is an inch and a quarter diameter by 48 inch long, galvanized

  • F1554 grade 36 hex head anchor bolt.

  • We just completed 356 of these anchor bolts for

  • the Caney River Substation project

  • in Howard, Kansas.

  • We've been manufacturing bolts like these by hand since 1912

  • and we would like to take you through our shop

  • to show you how a bolt like this is manufactured.

  • The first step in the manufacturing of any bolt

  • is to cut the round bar to length.

  • Our Peddinghaus shears function much like a guillotine

  • and chop the steel, rather than using a saw blade to cut through it

  • We are capable of shearing round bar up to 2 inches in diameter

  • and up to 100" in length.

  • Bolts that are larger in diameter or longer in length are cut using a band saw.

  • Next, A hex head is hot-forged onto one end of the steel rod

  • An induction heating coil heats the end of the rod

  • to approximately 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • A National Upsetter is used to forge the heated end of the rod

  • into a hex shaped head.

  • Gripper blocks clamp the round bar securely in place

  • while a plunger or die compresses the heated end of the rod

  • reshaping it into the hex head configuration.

  • A second position in the gripper block is used to stamp the head

  • with the manufacturer's logo and grade symbol as required.

  • The hex head of this anchor bolt will be embedded in concrete

  • and is intended to provide pull-out resistance.

  • High speed cutting blades apply a chamfer

  • to the ends of the bolts prior to threading.

  • This beveled end will help facilitate easy assembly of the nut

  • once the bolts have been threaded and galvanized.

  • Landis threaders are used to cut 8" of thread

  • onto the end of these anchor bolts.

  • Rotating heads contain chasers which cut away steel from the round bar

  • to produce the threads.

  • A constant stream of cutting oil is applied to reduce friction

  • and prevent overheating.

  • Threads are gauged by the threading operators

  • to ensure conformance to dimensional tolerances.

  • The bolts must be pickled prior to galvanizing.

  • This process cleans the bolts and prepares the

  • surface of the steel to accept the zinc.

  • Parts are first submerged in caustic soda

  • which removes cutting oil and other organic materials

  • that accumulate during the manufacturing process.

  • The bolts are then rinsed and submerged in sulfuric acid,

  • which removes any scale from the bolts and etches the surface of the steel.

  • The bolts are rinsed again and then submerged in flux

  • which is a chemical that assists in the bonding of the zinc to the steel.

  • After pickling, bolts are placed in racks

  • and lowered into our 12 foot long by 4 foot wide

  • by 7 foot deep tank of 840 degree molten zinc.

  • The bolts remain in the zinc for between 2 to 4 minutes.

  • When the bolts are removed from the zinc,

  • they are spun in a high speed centrifuge

  • to remove excess zinc from the threads.

  • Due to the proprietary nature of this process,

  • we have not included it in the video.

  • Finally, the bolts are cooled in quench tanks

  • so they can be inspected and packaged

  • as soon as they are removed from the galvanizing tank.

  • Blue paint is applied to the threaded end

  • of each F1554 grade 36 anchor bolt to identify the grade,

  • as is required by the specification.

  • In preparation for shipping,

  • bolts are banded to pallets, shrink wrapped, and clearly labeled.

  • The morning after your order leaves our facility

  • you will receive an email that contains shipment tracking information

  • in addition to a copy of full mill test reports.

  • Portland Bolt provides complete certification documents

  • free of charge with every order.

  • Portland Bolt products ship nationwide and internationally.

  • Refer to this page of our website

  • to learn about the geographical distribution of the bolts we manufacture.

Hello! My name is Al Fogel.

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