Northern Manufacturing fabricates heavy-gauge stainless steel equipment for mining and bulk materials operations: hoppers, bins, chutes, liners, storage and process tanks, conveyor components, and structural platforms. Primary materials are 316L for corrosive wet service and duplex 2205 and super duplex 2507 where abrasion and chlorides attack together. 304 and 316 plate is stocked from 20 gauge through 1 inch with 2-day availability; heavy plate through 2 inches arrives within 5 days.
Founded in 1951, Northern runs a 160,000 sq ft indoor facility in Oak Harbor, Ohio, with 160+ craftsmen and 60+ AWS-certified welders. ISO 9001:2015 certified (AVU Registrations), with welding procedures qualified per ASME BPVC Section IX and AWS D1.6.
What We Build for Mining Operations
- Hoppers and bins. Smooth-finish stainless interiors that keep bulk material moving and prevent flow problems like ratholing and funnel flow.
- Chutes and liners. Heavy-gauge construction in high-strength grades selected to resist the abrasion of raw ore and aggregate.
- Storage and process tanks. Corrosion-resistant 316L and duplex construction for acidic slurries and process chemicals.
- Conveyor frames and components. Frames, supports, and guards that resist corrosion and impact instead of rusting out around the rollers.
- Structural platforms, handrails, and guards. Safety-critical structural work built to AWS D1.6 qualified procedures.
- Custom equipment weldments. Build-to-spec fabrications for processing equipment and pollution control systems.
Why Duplex Earns Its Premium in Mining Service
Mining equipment fails from two directions at once: abrasion thins the material mechanically while slurry chemistry corrodes it. Carbon steel handles neither for long, and standard austenitic grades handle only the corrosion half.
Duplex 2205 carries roughly twice the yield strength of 316L, so a chute or liner lasts longer at the same gauge or hits the same strength at a thinner, lighter section. Its mixed austenite-ferrite structure also resists the chloride stress corrosion cracking that takes out 304 and 316 in warm, chloride-heavy slurries. Super duplex 2507 extends the same logic to the most corrosive streams.
The catch is fabrication: duplex keeps those properties only if the weld zone holds its phase balance. Our duplex work runs under ASME BPVC Section IX qualified procedures (P10H), including K-TIG keyhole welding with ER2209 filler on 2205 and ER2594 on 2507, with heat input controlled to the WPS and ferrite measurement available as verification. A duplex part welded like ordinary stainless is duplex you paid for and did not get.
Heavy Plate, Formed Accurately
Heavy-gauge mining work starts at the press brake. Forming runs on Trumpf TruBend CNC press brakes, with laser-cut blanks coming off Trumpf TruLaser flat and tube lasers in the same building, so cut, form, weld, and finish happen under one roof and under one quality system.
Where it simplifies your site work, we pre-assemble units on our floor and trial-fit mating sections before shipment, so bolt holes line up at the mine instead of getting reamed in the field.
A Stable Domestic Partner for Procurement
Mining procurement teams qualify suppliers for the long haul, and the proof points matter more than the pitch. Northern has been fabricating since 1951. The 160,000 sq ft facility, 160+ craftsmen, and in-house capabilities from laser cutting through forming, welding, finishing, and assembly mean one purchase order covers the full scope instead of three vendors splitting it. Material selection guidance, especially on duplex, is aimed at one number: the total cost of owning equipment that stays in service instead of cycling through replacement.
Quality Documentation
Every mining project ships with a turnover package assembled under our ISO 9001:2015 quality system:
- Material Test Reports (MTRs) traced by heat number from mill cert to final assembly
- Weld maps with WPS references for every joint, plus welder qualification records
- Ferrite measurement on duplex weldments where specified
- Dimensional inspection reports to your drawing tolerances
- Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to your purchase order requirements
When a component is safety-critical, the documentation proves what was built, who welded it, and what it was built from.