30
Jun
2020

What Are Pittsburgh Seam Arches?

June 30th, 2020 in Siding and Paneling
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In simple terms, Pittsburgh Seam Arches are a method of using sheet metal to bend around a curve. They are commonly used around windows, curved walls, and railing walls.

You may then ask, well, what's a Pittsburgh Seam?

In sheet metal work, a Pittsburgh Seam is a joint that is created with an extended straight flange and a pocket.

And what's a Pittsburgh Lock?

That's a very common long seam in rectangular duct work. If you take a Pittsburgh Seam and add a right angle or 90-degree flange, then you have a Pittsburgh Lock.

Not everyone does a good job with Pittsburgh Seam Arches, and that's why we're mentioning it in our blog. It's absolutely necessary to do them well if you going to work around curves in buildings. We do them all the time.

Why is everything called Pittsburgh?

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania used to be the steel capital, and around 1900, Carnegie Steel had 3 million tons of capacity. A hundred years before that, Pittsburgh was famous for ship building. Pittsburgh became industrially self-sufficient early on in part because of its location. Rivers could flow through Pittsburgh to bring materials in and out, but there were mountains on one side which limited travel.

Several different sheet metal machines were developed there, and they have kept Pittsburgh in their names.

That's why in sheet metal work, there are many techniques and machines both called "Pittsburgh" something.

Since the collapse of the steel industry, Pittsburgh has reinvented itself. It is now famous for high technology including robotics, software engineering, biotech, pharmaceuticals and it has some famous medical centres and medical research conducted there. 

We just wanted to give you a little background on Pittsburgh Seam Arches, Pittsburgh Seams, and Pittsburgh machines in sheet metal and custom metal fabrication.

Since 2004, Klassen Building Supplies has been a leader in sheet metal fabrication, supply, and installation in the Vancouver area. Klassen also does considerable custom metal work.

If you have any questions about this article or any of our sheet metal supplies, please call us at (604) 543-7331 or use the convenient form on our Contact page. Klassen is based in Surrey, BC. 

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