Award-winning technology & innovation – mechanical engineering…
With our dedicated design team, 3-D scanning, virtual reality suite, fully equipped fabrication workshop and off-site build facilities, Somerset Business Awards Winner for Technology & Innovation 2017, Bridges; offers a complete off-site build solution.
Let us take control
For pumps, pipework, platforms or stairways, let our experienced teams take control. Our mechanical experience is just as extensive as the range of mechanical tasks we undertake.
Our extensive competencies not only ensure work type capability but also complex operations such a tandem crane lifts.
With our in-house mechanical experience, we have repeatedly proven to our customers that with early involvement we can provide the right solution first time.
Our Mechanical Services and Expertise
We operate an extensive mechanical fabrication workshop located at Midsomer Norton for the production of mild and stainless steel fabrications, pipework & structures.
This facility enables us to operate total turn-key installations without the inconvenience and extra cost associated with outsourcing. All fabrication design is carried out in-house with structural calculations verified by third parties where necessary.
3D Mechanical Design
We offer all designs represented in 3-dimensional format.
As a learning and progressive business we pride ourselves as an early adopter of new technologies. We have a 24-strong in-house design department that ensures close collaboration with the customer during design development.
A recent advancement in our design capabilities is the adoption of new digital immersive techniques. These include 360 degree cameras, 360 degree scanners, point cloud surveys, 3D CAD and Virtual Reality models.
At the end of this process our 3D CAD enables us to model stress on the design and also to create fabrication drawings straight from the 3D model – this is a major plus for us because the 3D is a full design, not a representation.
We’ve now taken this to the next level with ‘immersive technology’ that blurs the line between the physical world and digital or simulated world, thereby creating a sense of immersion. We now have the capability to walk around within our 3D models in a cloud-based virtual environment that offers the possibility of a shared experience with multiple users.
We support Gear VR and Oculus Rift and use a GT73VR GRF Titan Pro laptop, with a 6th Gen. Intel Core i7 processor, specified to run the most demanding of virtual reality tasks.
This technology is very new in our field and using a virtual environment, means that we can not only render the resulting structure in stunning 3D, but also experience it as if in the real world. We’ve even created an Immersive Technologies Viewing Room at our headquarters in Midsomer Norton so that our clients can experience this for themselves. Please see a case study here.
3D Scanning Capabilities
We also offer in-house 3-D scanning. We recognise the need for accurate design in relationship to existing assets and levels of ground make-up. Where appropriate we propose a full scan which would then be combined into our new equipment 3-D structures. We study particularly complex arrangements with 3-D scanning and visualisations that allow multiple take-offs for a clearer view.
Bridges’ 3D scanners create a point cloud – a set of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system. These points are defined by X, Y, and Z coordinates and represent the external surface of an object. The point cloud scan is accurate to within 2mm on a distance of 300m.
These extensive capabilities mean that our designers can improve cost/risk/safety/sustainability factors for our clients within our design from the outset.
