Bolted and plated design – what’s it all about?

Semmco has been designing and manufacturing aluminium access platforms and steps for the aviation and rail sectors for more than 25 years, supplying its designs across the world. The majority of the range of products uses a bolted and plated design concept that ensures a stronger product, requires little maintenance and enables equipment to be modified or repaired easily and on site.

But what does bolted and plated actually mean? It is a modular system, using a unique aluminium profile that is bolted together with square nuts captive in a slot, normally with a supporting joint plate, to produce a stronger, mechanical joint rather than welding joints. Semmco’s competitors weld their structures together. The problem with welded joints is that they are susceptible to stress fractures and cracks. Moving and towing platforms and steps around a workshop, across an airfield or in a hangar naturally creates stresses to the structure. This stress can cause a welded joint to crack and, if this happens, it is extremely difficult to correct, ultimately resulting in the entire product having to be replaced. Additionally, if a welded joint fails it is extremely difficult to effectively clean the joint to prepare it for welding and then a ‘Hot Work Permit’ is required to carry out welding on site and this can be difficult to arrange.

Semmco’s bolted and plated design method requires less welding than our competitors and if a section of a product gets damaged, it can be removed and replaced with a new section, negating the need to buy an entire new product. This process reduces the downtime for the equipment too as the replacement section is made at Semmco’s factory, taken to the customer’s site and fitted in situ.

Semmco’s customers rely on access equipment so that they can carry out essential maintenance to their trains or planes 24/7, keeping their transport systems operational. The last thing they need is for an access platform or set of steps to be rendered unsafe or useless because a weld has cracked or there are signs of stress and fatigue. With Semmco’s platforms and access steps any damaged section can be replaced quickly and easily so that the equipment can be back in action as soon as possible.

As an additional service, Semmco offers service and inspection visits and we would recommend that your engineers or 3rd party inspectors are trained in the inspection methods for Semmco equipment.