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Cameron Steel has been manufacturing large parts since 1975 at its 75,000 square foot facility in Lindsay, Ontario.

Cameron Steel has been in business in Lindsay, Ontario since 1975. Over the years, the manufacturer has grown from a 17,000 square foot shop to a new location that includes a 75,000 square foot manufacturing facility with hook heights up to 30 feet and a 50 ton lifting capacity. The company specializes in the production of large components for the mining, wood, military, pulp and paper, marine, automotive and heavy lift industries, with long-term customers in North America and end users around the world.

Today, the company employs approximately 65 people and provides fabrication, welding, machining, painting, sandblasting and mechanical assembly services, rubber coating, and inspection and testing. The plant is designed to manufacture large and heavy parts weighing up to 50 tons using forklifts, 19 cranes with a lifting capacity of up to 50 tons, and a floor-rail system.

“Our company has evolved over the years to meet the needs of our customers,” said James Bogar, owner and president of Cameron Steel. “We’ve purchased capital equipment and expanded our capabilities to do more work without having to outsource certain processes.”

One approach taken by the shop is to add sandblasting and painting services and create a 7,200 square foot finishing area. Located in the center of the shop, the area includes a 20 x 20 x 40 foot deep eco-friendly spray booth and a 20 x 20 x 36 foot deep eco-friendly sand blast booth to prepare surfaces prior to painting.

With over 30 years of finishing experience, the company specializes in obtaining military standard finishing materials and has extensive experience in enamels, epoxy and resin coatings, as well as sandblasting abrasives.

“When we first started, we would sandblast outside during the day shift and then paint in the shop,” Bogar said. “But it was inefficient and the quality suffered. That’s when we decided to build two larger shops. So now we’re able to sandblast, paint and offer rubber lining services.”

For Cameron Steel, the decision to build a paint and finishing shop was an easy one. Manufacturers need to be able to provide these services to customers, and for such large parts, outsourcing is not an option. Shipping costs alone make it difficult for the company to compete. Bogar noted that having a shop within the shop allows them to control quality and process, especially when working with customers with very specific paint requirements.

“Any time you move something, there’s a risk of damage,” adds Paul Tumlin, sales manager at Cameron Steel. “The less material you have to move, the better. That’s why interior painting and blasting is so cost-effective.” Most shops that take on a lot of big projects know that things can get pushed back to the last minute, making scheduling a paint job difficult. Lead times don’t always allow for off-site painting, so having an on-site spray booth is even more important.

Painting and sandblasting are done in the factory, so the quality is easier to control. However, humidity cannot be controlled.

“We work in high temperatures, but in the summer we can’t control the humidity,” Bogar said. “Sometimes the humidity can be very high. In those cases, we can adjust and schedule the project to ensure a quality paint job. Humidity limits the amount of time you can paint a part after blasting, as parts are more susceptible to rusting in a humid environment. The cure time of the paint is increased because the solvents can’t evaporate as quickly.”

The manufacturer specialises in producing very large components, including this Building Management Unit (BMU) that will be installed on a telescopic crane on the roof of a high-rise building.

Cameron Steel has chosen to use recycled materials in its sandblasting process. The company uses hardened steel shot that is automatically recycled by a system installed underneath the blast chamber.

“The system includes a dust collector that not only supplies dust-free air to the paint booth, but also removes dust as the product is extracted,” Bogar said.

Manufacturers can use other abrasives for blasting at customer request. For example, nonferrous metals can be cleaned with silica-free cullet. Bogar noted that in one case, a customer specified an aluminum oxide medium, which does not stain stainless steel, is more caustic than cullet, harder than hardened steel grit, and is significantly more expensive.

Customers specify the blast profile and the desired result, such as pure white, off-white or commercial blast color. They also specify the exact paint system, including the paint layer thickness and the desired test type.

“It’s all very customer-focused,” Bogar said. “Sometimes, once a part is made and welded, we clean it and prime it before we machine it. That way, we don’t have to spend a lot of time protecting the machined surface from the blasting. Sandblasting can be pretty intense. Other times, we inspect the part completely and then send it out for blasting. Painting is really the last part of the process.”

The sandblasting process creates peaks and valleys called anchor profiles that are important for paint adhesion. The team measures this surface profile to ensure that the anchor profile is correct and within specifications, and that no details are missed before the part is ready to be painted. Without the correct anchor profile, the paint will peel off the metal like paper. The company primarily uses epoxy paints, but sometimes uses alkyds or enamels. Epoxy paint will not adhere to treated surfaces, which is why sandblasting is so important.

Cameron Steel’s rubber coating division, located just a few blocks away, applies rubber coatings to parts to reduce corrosion and wear.

The company also provides rubber lining services in its dedicated facility, which was previously used as a manufacturing facility. The rubber lining plant is an additional service that is growing in demand in the rubber lining market and that the company can offer to its customers.

Rubber is mainly used as a wear-resistant lining to reduce corrosion and wear caused by abrasion. The company offers a wide range of rubber materials according to customer specifications.

Cameron Steel invested in a 20′ x 20′ x 40′ deep eco-friendly paint booth and a 20′ x 20′ x 36′ deep eco-friendly sandblasting system to prepare surfaces prior to painting.

In order to work with clients in the mining, oil and gas, shipbuilding, electric power, water treatment, pulp and paper, pumping and other industries, the company considered it appropriate to add this service and allocated a special room for this.

“Cameron Steel has grown steadily because we are always adapting to our customers’ needs,” Bogar said. “We recently invested more than $1 million in our facility.”

Last year, the company added two pieces of equipment to its machine shop: a CNC horizontal boring machine and a CNC vertical turning center.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve,” Tamlin added. “The products and parts that come out of this facility end up being sold all over the world. That’s because we provide quality service from start to finish, and our customers count on that.”