Steinmüller Africa’s fabrication expertise lies at the core of critical infrastructure across sub-Saharan Africa’s power and industrial landscape. Our specialised fabrication involves the design and manufacture of essential components, which are engineered to safely manage and sustain operations under extreme internal pressures and temperatures.
For over 60 years, Steinmüller Africa has supported Africa’s industries with our leading fabrication processes, including assembly, welding, induction bending, cold bending, heat treatment and explosive welding.
Our experts are available to discuss your needs. Call +27 11 806 3000 or fill out the form today.
Explore our expert fabrication solutions today.
We provide high-pressure fabrication for:
To achieve this, Steinmüller Africa has invested in three South African-based fabrication facilities and our team of expert engineers and qualified welders are continuously trained to the industry’s vigorous standards.
Call us at +27 11 806 3000 or fill in the form to learn more about how we can support your infrastructure needs.
Equipment and Capabilities
Steinmüller Africa has invested in the following equipment to power leading fabrication processes.
Equipment
- Welding and Cladding: Oerlikon automated welders, PEMA panel welding machine, explosive welding tools.
- Bending and Forming: Cojafex induction bender, CNC cold bending machines and press brakes.
- Machining and Finishing: CNC Lathes, 4-axis milling machine with a 12m bed, various drilling units, grinding units and shot blasters.
- Heat Treatment: Furnaces, heat treatment ovens and electric local heat treatment.
- Lifting and Logistics: Mobile cranes (5-400 t), trailers, tractors, and rigging gear.
- Site Support: Generators, mobile welding kits, and mobile offices.
Capabilities
- High-Pressure Steam Systems: Specialist piping and boilers for high-temperature, high-pressure applications.
- Licensed for explosive welding.
Fabrication Processes for High Pressure and High Temperature
Steinmüller Africa’s fabrication processes have been developed and perfected over decades of experience in supplying custom-engineered steam generation and piping systems that are required in high pressure and high temperature applications.
Steam Piping and Induction Bending
Master the demands of steam with Steinmüller Africa’s advanced induction bending capabilities that minimise on-site welding.
We provide bespoke, high-integrity piping, engineered for safety and reliability.
Based in Pretoria, Steinmüller Africa’s Piping Division is a one-stop shop for all induction bending requirements.
It offers induction bending of pipes 48-850mm in diameter and a maximum wall thickness of 120mm with a maximum radius of 4 600mm.
Induction bending can be performed on all grades of carbon steel, alloys and stainless steel. Our team also provides shop fabrication after bending, which entails heat treatment, pipe end preparation, spool fabrication, surface preparation and packing.
Advantages of the bending process include high accuracy of shape, custom-made individual bends and fewer butt welds using complex 3D bends.
Many types of pipe profiles have been successfully bent, including:
- Seamless pipes
- Longitudinally welded pipes
- Circumferentially welded spool pieces
Heat Treatment
For critical applications, proper heat treatment of induction bends is non-negotiable. Steinmüller Africa delivers with precision-controlled furnaces reaching up to 1 200°C. Protect the quality and integrity of your high-pressure parts and pipelines with our specialised electrical post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) services.
Services
- Precision Pre-Heating: Electrical or furnace-controlled pre-heating for diverse materials.
- Specialised Furnace Heat Treatment: Advanced furnace heat treatment at our Bethal workshop.
- Versatile Machines: High heat output machines for manual pre-heating and automated PWHT.
Explosive Welding
Steinmüller Africa offers specialty metal joining technology through explosive welding, ensuring the highest quality and integrity for high-pressure parts and pipelines.
This cutting-edge process uses the immense energy of an explosive discharge to fuse tubes to tube plates or headers in high-pressure heat exchangers.
The result? A rapid, expanded, fused, and sound weld that traditional methods can’t match. With weld metal travel speeds exceeding 8 000 m/s, we significantly reduce welding time, plant downtime, and repair costs.
Steinmüller Africa stands alone as South Africa’s only qualified and approved company for explosive welding in the power generation sector.
Services
- Explosive welding for the manufacture and refurbishment of high-pressure heaters.
- Explosive expansion for tubing within high-pressure heaters.
- Explosive plugging to effectively seal leaking tubes.
Take the next step in strengthening your infrastructure – call us now at +27 11 806 3000 or fill out the form to discover how our expertise can elevate your operations.
World-Leading Fabrication Facilities to Power your Operation:
Steinmüller Africa operates three strategically located workshops, each equipped to deliver specialised fabrication, maintenance and repair services for the power and industrial sectors.
Our flagship fabrication workshop spans 50 000 m² (with 30 000 m² under roof) and features tandem lifting capacity of 80-tonnes. The facility comprises 35-metre-wide bays extending over 700 m, enabling up to 1 000 000 productive hours per year.
Strategically located in Mpumalanga, our Bethal workshop specialises in the repair, maintenance and fabrication of pressure parts. It is fully equipped for high-quality tube and pipe bending, welding, heat treatment and non-destructive testing (NDT).
Our Sasolburg facility supports turnkey project execution with a focus on fabrication, repair and maintenance of mechanical components. Located close to major industrial plants, it ensures quick response times and seamless integration with client operations.
Quality, Sustainability and Safety
Key Projects
Our flagship fabrication projects set industry benchmarks.
Eskom – National Power Utility
Medupi Power Station
- Supercritical boiler fabrication.
- Subcontracted by Hitachi for the fabrication of Level 1 high-pressure piping, steam headers, and pressure parts.
Kusile Power Station
- Supercritical boiler fabrication support (same scope as Medupi).
Kendal, Kriel, Hendrina, Duvha, and Matimba Power Stations
- Construction of original boiler units at Hendrina, Kriel, Duvha, and Matimba.
- Extensive boiler and high-pressure piping maintenance services at 11 Eskom coal-fired stations.
- Refurbishment of heat exchangers at Kriel and Arnot, including on-site explosive welding and tube pulling.
- High-volume welding: over 60 000 X-ray–verified butt welds across Kendal, Kriel, Hendrina, and Kusile.
- Duvha: Fabrication and installation of five pulverised-fuel burner openings using advanced tube rolling and bending techniques.
Mondi – Richards Bay Vuselela Mill
- Full boiler assembly including steel structures, pressure parts, ducting, fans, tanks, air preheater, and flue dampers.
- Implemented advanced welding methods including Regulated Metal Deposition (RMD), laser cleaning, gas-handling innovations, and explosive plugging research and development.
- Part of the high-volume weld campaign achieving 20+ X-ray-quality welds per shift per welder.
PetroSA – Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) Refinery
- Fabrication and replacement of Synthol Reactor internal coil U-sections and pipe components during a scheduled shutdown.
- Handled complex sizes (40-90 mm OD, 3-25 mm wall thickness) with precision and quality control.
Contact us at +27 11 806 3000 or fill out the form for more information on Steinmüller Africa’s fabrication services.