Once upon a time, a roll-former birthed an alligator…

⏱️ 2 min read

When Howick director Hamish Coubray headed off to Orlando, Florida, for the International Builders' Show (IBS) in February, he took with him something a little strange in his luggage. An alligator. Or to be precise, the Alloygator; a life-sized alligator he built almost entirely out of components produced by Howick machines.

At the show, leading construction innovation journalist and podcaster, Dave Cooper, visited Hamish to address the Alloygator in the room.

"Why did you bring an alligator from New Zealand to Florida?"

Dave knows Hamish and the Howick team well, so he cut to the chase and asked about the Alloygator right away:

"We were coming to Florida so we gotta do something local, a bit of local flavour. We decided on an Alloygator. [We] made it almost entirely out of the machine apart from a couple of little snips here and there. I just thought it was something super fun, to make the crowd smile. Show off what we can get through our machine." - Hamish

2 hours, 3 profiles

To build the Alloygator, Hamish used three different profiles: 6 inch [152mm], 3 and 5/8ths [92mm], and 2.5 inch [63mm]. It took him about two hours to make it, which shows how easy it is to create entirely new combinations using standard profiles on Howick machines.

20-foot dinosaur, Frosty the snowman, Rudolf the reindeer

Dave pointed out that Howick machines might be the only ones on the market that can produce this high level of detail. Hamish agrees:

"There's a few tricks around how we made our machines reliable, we reduce jam ups in the machine. Made it really easy to work with. Being able to do something like this just showcases that." 

Hamish plays a big part in making Howick machines easier to use and more versatile. As well as running the manufacturing arm of Howick with 18 machines, he invests time exploring different ways of doing things, and his creations are often an expression of that. As well as a speciality alligator, Hamish has also had a hand in building a 20-foot dinosaur, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, and more:

"Looks like now I'm taking commissions for sculptures!" 

The next big thing in framing

Hamish has worked at Howick for most of his life - three generations have worked in this family business. The company has been innovating in the engineering space for almost 50 years, and grew into a specialist roll-forming technology producer over time. They now sell both standard and custom roll-forming technology.

Something special they have been working on over the last few years is almost ready for its global launch:

"We have our X-CALIBR™ [roll-formed structural] system, which is getting ready to come to market. We're looking at doing commercial warehouses and large span buildings, up to 120 feet or so at this point. It's pretty exciting for us. The biggest one we've gone out to so far is 28 metres [92 feet] ... it's a simple system to put together, it's so fast ... It's extremely unique." 

Small footprint, huge competitive advantage

Howick machines are regarded as the gold standard in roll-forming technology for many reasons. Dave rightly points out that Howick machines are much smaller and, in some ways, simpler than most competing machines, and Hamish explains this is not an accident:

"We've put a huge amount of development into compressing the size of the machine down. There's a whole lot of advantages to keeping it small, not just floor space but the way it performs. We can hold our accuracy to some really high tolerances. Also just making everything as simple as possible. The operator can repair the machine, do the maintenance - you're not getting a fully trained technician every other week - you can do it yourself." 

This means Howick can send machines to remote places like Siberia and Mongolia, where they cannot send a technician easily. Anyone with a basic mechanical knowledge can look after them - if something does go wrong, it is a quick enough fix.

Weird and wonderful creations

One of the best examples of Howick's technology in the wild is the work of STUD-IO. They have created a smart, versatile software for steel framing design, and when armed with a Howick machine, they can create mind-blowing structures.

They helped craft the collar of the Las Vegas Sphere, using automated workflows and digitally fabricated components. They have also built an intricate arch wrapped in porcelain tiles on display at DIFFA by Design, an entryway called 'The Portal' with 32 unique triangular facets, and the bubble clouds at the Universal Studios Mario Kart ride in Hollywood.

Hamish explains that with a little creativity and a Howick machine, you can easily create intricately curved structures or walls that perfectly match your plans. If you combine these with X-TENDA™ 3600 telescopic framing, you can even create curved walls that extend up and out. The limit really is your imagination.

Love the Alloygator? Take a bigger bite at it by watching the full interview here.