Kearny, NJ (PRWEB) June 14, 2012
When the 9/11 Memorial emerged as a revitalizing symbol in Lower Manhattan last fall, one of the centerpieces of this noteworthy addition to American public architecture featured custom extrusions from MAC Metals. Two reflecting pools located on the footprints of the twin towers, boasting the countrys largest man-made waterfalls, are ringed with 152 solid bronze nameplates bearing the names of the victims. These backlit displays feature brass/bronze cutouts provided by MAC Metals.
All 2,998 names — those who died in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania, as well as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing — were stencil-cut into the 5-by-10 foot panels by Service Metal Fabricating of Rockaway, N.J. The process created hollow areas in the letters A, B, D, O, P, Q and R, which were filled with wafers cut and machined from a custom MAC Metals extrusion. MAC delivered 3,500 pounds of alloy C37000 free-cutting, leaded Muntz Metal in eight-foot bars for the project.
Bronze extrusions were the most economical way to complete this portion of the project, said Jim Moretti, owner of Service Metal Fabricating. It saved time and eliminated the machining costs of cutting each insert by other means. Even though each of the14 profiles required separate extrusion dies, it was still the most economical method.
The unique arrangement of the names on the panels — by the location of the victims on the day of the attacks — will help unite associated friends and families and provide what architect Michael Arad calls a meaningful adjacency. Heating and cooling systems integrated within the display will make sure visitors can always make a tactile connection, whether its running their finger across a loved ones name or making a rubbing. At night, light shining through the panels will further illuminate each name.
Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker conceived of the memorial design. Photos of the site and panels, as well as an interactive name finder, are located at: http://www.911memorial.org/names-memorial.
Service Metal Fabricating, located in Rockaway, N.J., is a family-owned machine shop known for component manufacturing, turnkey equipment and system. Co-owners Jim and Joe Moretti are third-generation engineering and manufacturing vendors. http://www.servicemetal.com/
Mac Metals is a fully integrated brass mills located in Kearny, NJ specializing in the production of architectural extrusions with casting, extrusion and fabrication facilities under one roof. Mac serves design/build contractors in commercial, public and residential structures as well as hardware, lighting, memorialization, elevator, handrail/stairs OEMs and fabricators. Visit the web site at http://www.macmetals.com or call 800.631.9510.