High Metal is a family-run business with a history spanning more than 70 years. Steel products are at the heart of the company’s expertise. Makron assists High Metal with the strength calculations for steel pools.
With an experience spanning several decades, High Metal designs and manufactures steel products for various sectors, including the food and energy industries. Pools are a later addition to its service range. “We make stainless steel pools for the public sector, companies, and consumers alike,” explains Erkka Laukkarinen, who is responsible for High Metal’s pool business. The company's deliveries range from small cold-water pools to large-scale public pools.
Steel makes an ideal material for pools. Public sector operators are interested in its use because its life cycle costs are often lower than those of tile pools. Steel has a longer service life and it does not need to be replaced. Another advantage offered by steel is its high level of hygiene as its smooth surfaces are more effective at preventing bacteria from adhering to them than tile is.
As steel can be formed into any shape, pools made from it can be designed to suit the size and dimensions of the space. Therefore, pools for public swimming centers and hotels are, in practice, tailored to the space, enabling even more adventurous designs. Strength calculations are required in the design of such pools, which is more complicated than it may seem at first. “The requirements set by standards related to pools and water treatment must be taken into account,” notes Esko Laakso, High Metal’s principal pool designer.
Makron’s structural analysts assist High Metal in the analysis of pools’ strength properties. The latest collaboration project is the design of the Mustasaari pool, launched last fall. The design and dimensioning of the 25-meter pool’s bottom and wall structures involve strength calculations. In addition to strength, appearance matters: the pool is made of large steel sheets that are prone to bending. “The calculations help us determine the type of support structures that are required for the bottom and walls to ensure that the structure withstands the loads it is exposed to and bending can be prevented,” shares Laukkarinen.
An earlier project that the companies collaborated on involved the design of a pool with a movable floor. Makron was responsible for strength calculations for the scissor lifts and the floors. Calculations were used to analyze structural stresses and movement in various floor positions: in the bottom position as the pool floor, in the top position as a multipurpose level, and at intermediate positions during the raising and lowering of the floor.
High Metal’s designers carry out basic strength analyses for smaller pools but for more unusual applications and official calculations, Makron’s special expertise and tools are required.
Makron is able to meet High Metal’s requirements for an expert analysis supplier. In collaboration, Erkka Laukkarinen appreciates easy communication and open interaction. “With Makron, interaction is quick and hassle-free,” he asserts. The company’s principal pool designer is in direct contact with Makron’s structural analyst.
The smart utilization of materials is one of the focus areas in High Metal’s sustainability program, and to achieve this goal, the company will look into the optimization of pool structures with a view to reducing the use of material. It has set its sights on growth, and the pool business plays a role in that. There are several pool projects being planned in Finland and High Metal’s steel pools are a strong contender. With more unusual projects in the pipeline, the expertise of Makron’s structural analysts will come in handy again.
Do you need structural analysis expertise in your projects? Contact Verneri Väisänen, +358 44 065 9510, [email protected].
Erkka Laukkarinen
Business Director
High Metal
