March 17th, 2023
Spire of Dublin, the most iconic Ireland capital landmark was built in 2003 to replace the Nelson Pillar which was bombed in 1966. Dublin's spire also called the Monument to Light, is a stainless steel statue, reaching almost 120 meters and tapering like a pin from 3 m (10 ft) in diameter at the base to 15 cm (six inches) at the top.
Barnshaws was commissioned to press brake and curve polished stainless steel plates ranging in thickness between 10 mm – 40 mm. It was not an easy task and our specialists made every effort to ensure that there were no bends or damage on the surface and no deformation occurred during bending.
Two of our branches were involved in this project. The Hamilton branch in Scotland did the bending of thick segments at the base of the spire using a modern asymmetric plate forming machine. The same machine has been used to bend plates for North Sea oil rigs, reactor vessels, and other high-profile and high-tolerance jobs, so it was ideally suited for this work. The smaller plates, which were too small for conventional rolling, were formed at Barnshaws Plate Bending Division in the West Midlands. One of the largest machines in the UK, a 1000 tonne and 12 m long press brake, formed the top pieces. The tolerances were extremely tight for this thickness of plate and fabrication method, but with careful work and close supervision, it was possible to keep within them.
Thanks to great teamwork and the experience of our operators and engineers, the Spire was assembled, erected, and ready to be unveiled on time to inspire future generations.
