Auburn, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/18/2012 -- Consolidated Fabricators, a division of Braden Manufacturing, LLC, has announced a new, patent-pending approach to the design and manufacture of replacement doors and panels for gas turbine enclosures. The company’s GT SMARTDOOR™ products are employed to replace leaking, worn-out, corroded or damaged gas turbine access doors. In addition to providing many design improvements over OEM doors, they have been specifically engineered to be easy to order and to be modified or repaired on-site, if necessary.

The new gas turbine enclosure doors feature bolted, formed plate exteriors, eliminating problems associated with the typical welded construction of OEM doors. Previous welded designs created unprotected perimeter surfaces, making them a major source of corrosion and climate exposure. Additionally, welded designs limited drainage and allowed greater thermal transfer, leading to higher surface temperatures.

With their new bolted construction, GT SMARTDOOR products are easily re-insulated or repaired on-site. Insulation tubes are standardized to simplify the process. Additionally, the doors feature a unique tadpole gasket, which reduces leaks by being secured by a clamping bar to create a uniform pressure, seamless door seal.

Ordering has been greatly simplified. No OEM door or panel drawings are required. A standardized form provides a prompt for all relevant dimensions. “These products represent a whole new approach to enclosure maintenance: a better door or panel that’s easy to order and with the capability to be re-gasketed on-site to maintain thermal and acoustic performance,” said Brian Nason, General Manager of Consolidated Fabricators. “Repairing or replacing damaged or worn-out gas turbine enclosure doors or panels has traditionally been a frustrating, time-consuming chore. Because they were non-standardized, welded fabrications, each old door required its own engineering drawing. Digging out these drawings is a real challenge for many turbine operators. We’ve eliminated the hassle.”

Consolidated Fabricators specializes in the design and manufacture of complex mechanical, electrical and fluid systems for gas turbines, including gas turbine exhaust and gas turbine components. The company is a qualified supplier to most major gas turbine original equipment manufacturers, and is a division of Braden Manufacturing, LLC, a world leader in the supply of ancillary equipment for gas turbines for over 40 years. Consolidated Fabricators, like Braden, is a Global Power Equipment Group Company.

Consolidated Fabricators is located at 17 St. Mark St., Fairfax Industrial Park, Auburn, MA 01501. Tel: 508-797-8000 FAX: 508-832-7369 Web: http://www.consolidatedfabricators.com Email: sales@consolidatedfabricators.com