Ultra Machine & Fabrication operates large plate cutting and welding equipment (seen as a background to this article).

Since its founding in Kings Mountain, NC, in 1989, Ultra Machine & Fabrication (www.ufm1.com) has been dedicated to metal fabrication specializing in armor plate. Frank Stewart, President and founder of Ultra, had a vision of making the company a leading precision metal fabrication manufacturer, and set out to ensure that goal.

Wendell Fannin, vice president of Business Development for Ultra, called Frank Stewart a “visionary” whose goal was to make every aspect of the corporation a “standard-bearer” of quality. Gary Farmer, vice president of operations, was charged with establishing a premier welding operation, something he did by first looking at the specifications of Ultra’s customers, then taking that up a level, developing Ultra’s welding operations to what it is today. “We feel like our welding operation is second to none,” said Fannin.

In March, Ultra’s new 101,000-square-foot facility in Shelby, N.C., the company’s headquarters, held its official ribbon cutting. The new plant sits on a 110-acre site. With the new facility, the company now has a combined total of over 365,000 square feet of production and office space, including its Kings Mountain plant. The company has a workforce of 400, which includes 180 welders certified in MIG, TIG, Carbon Arc, Plasma, and Oxy-Acetylene welding.

Farmer explained that Ultra’s expertise in large, close-tolerance, steel armor plate weldments puts the company in a unique niche. “Some of our larger weldments weigh 10,000 lbs. with numerous piece parts welded on them,” Farmer said.

Work pieces of that size become challenge. Fixturing is a critical element in handling these extremely large work pieces. “In Ultra’s new plant we redesigned the process and retooled it to eliminate fork lifts. We now use small trucks to move fixtures around, and in and out of the weld cells,” Farmer explained.

The welding cells are designed to accommodate high-production welding to meet customer demand. Efficiencies are increased by putting identical welding machines in every cell so that welders use the same equipment and are not encumbered with learning new machinery. “Every cell is standardized,” said Farmer. “We have certain production areas designed for specific large weldments. We produce a lot of parts so we allocated large areas of the plant for identical cells for specific parts.”

Ultra is proud of the quality of the welds it produces. “In regard to close tolerances, we can get within 1 mm on a 24-ft. part,” said Farmer. “We have a stringent inspection system with faro arms, the largest and most high-tech inspection equipment using 3D measuring, “We have this equipment at all of our sites, and that investment has really paid off for us.”

In addition to welding, Ultra has recently purchased some of the largest laser cutting and bending equipment in the U.S. including two Tanaka 6000-watt and two Bystronic 6000-watt laser cutters. They have an LVD Press Brake, 40 ft. x 2000-ton, fully automated with a hydraulic die and automated loading and unloading, as well as six robotic weld cells. This new equipment, in addition the company’s seven existing press brakes and four existing lasers, gives Ultra all of the capacity it needs to meet the demands of most customers in the fabrication industry.

At the company’s two Kings Mountain facilities, which have a total of 70,000 square feet, welding cells produce a number of different parts. “That plant is a Lean manufacturing plant that includes ‘andon’ or signal lights in each cell so the welders can signal a supervisor or a material handler, without leaving the cell,” said Farmer. “We’ve made great strides in that plant.” The Kings Mountain plant produces parts to support the Shelby operations, and produces some final assembly of parts shipped directly to the customer.

Many parts that the company produces are shipped to vendors to be painted. To bring that operation inhouse, Ultra is opening a “CARC” or Chemical Agent Resistant Coating facility called UltraCoat, LLC specifically for military applications. That 70,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in May.

Kings Mountain also performs cutting and robotic welding with six robotic welding cells to weld smaller parts. However, one welding machine is suspended under a gantry to make some “decent-sized weldments,” Farmer explained.

To meet its need for a lot of welders, Ultra works closely with the local high schools and trade schools, supplying the welding shops with welding wire and scrap plate to assist in training their students. “Welding is very important to us and we support the training of future welders,” Fannin said. “We also have an on-site welding lab and we contract with the local community college for instructors. All of our welders much meet stringent certification requirements, not only when they are hired, but periodically as well.”

Ultra has also hosted instructors from the American Welding Society to train their own Certified Welding Inspectors. Additionally, specialized instructors have trained welders in nondestructive testing procedures.

Ultra’s goal is to increase production rates and exceed customer requirements with respect to quality. Every part goes to a clean-up area where operators are dedicated to knocking off the spatter and slag, and inspect the weld. “We also have repair welders in the clean-up area, which allows welders in the production areas to continue their work, letting the guys off-line do the cleaning up and repair work,” explained Farmer. “Our goal is zero defects. We manufacture ground combat vehicles, and we are committed to exceeding the weld codes.”

Primarily, all of Ultra’s business is military, which makes zero defects and quality products a major priority. “Our products leave our plant and within 30-60 days they’re in the war theater, exposed to blasts from incendiary explosive devices (IEDs) and mines. Consequently, welds must be perfect,” said Farmer. Ultra employs four AWS certified inspectors and two associate inspectors to ensure that AWS welding standards are met. The company also has 10 employees who specialize non-destructive testing to ensure the quality of the welds.

Fannin said that at Ultra, the dedication of the employees to produce quality products goes beyond loyalty to the company. “Our commitment to our soldiers overseas runs deep at Ultra. We always remind our employees who they’re doing all this for, and perfection is what we strive for.”