Curved Laser Welded Stainless Steel Tubes for the Ars Sonora Bell Tower in Tampa
Montanstahl was chosen to supply tailor-made stainless steel tubes for the Ars Sonora at the University of Tampa, presented as the largest instrument of its kind: an artistic bell tower over 30 metres tall with 63 ringing bells. The contribution was 5.2 tonnes of special laser welded tubes for the upper part of the tower. Most of the segments had to be curved, and shaping these custom box sections to the exact profile was the technically demanding part of the job, calling for specialist machinery and tight control over the geometry.
Curved RHS Box Sections in Polished 316L
The brief was a set of special rectangular hollow sections built to the artist’s drawings, in custom lengths from 2.9 to 8.15 metres. The surfaces had to be polished stainless steel 316L to a fine roughness around Ra 0.5 μm, and most segments had to be curved while holding tight tolerances. With the sculpture on permanent public display, the overall quality of the finished sections had to be outstanding. Producing curved box sections to that standard, with crisp corners and a flawless surface, was the core difficulty.
Laser Welded Box Sections from Calendered Plate
The special RHS were produced on Montanstahl’s laser welding lines, starting from cold rolled steel plate for its fine surface finish. Each hollow section was built from a combination of curved cut-outs taken from plate, with a radius of 7700 mm, and calendered flats, then welded together. The sharp corners that come from laser welding gave the sections the clean look the design needed, and the final polishing of the segments was carried out with a trusted German partner. The result was 5.2 tonnes of curved, polished 316L sections ready for the upper part of the tower.
Application Context
This case sits where Montanstahl’s architecture, building and construction work meets public art, where laser welded special profiles are chosen for pieces that are both structural and on permanent display. A monumental sculpture like this shows what custom box sections can do: curved geometry, sharp corners, and a polished finish that holds up outdoors for years. Profiles of this kind are produced to the designer’s drawings and supplied worldwide for facades, sculptures, and other architectural and artistic projects.