# Custom Machine Bases & Skid Frames

https://kdisplay.com/products/frames-weldments/machine-bases-skid-frames

K-Display, a Chicago sheet metal fabricator, welds machine bases, skid frames, and pedestals from tube, channel, and plate to your equipment drawing, with anchor patterns, lifting lugs, and forklift pockets. Bases ship bare or powder coated, machine pads masked, with leveling feet and studs installed.

## Overview
We build machine bases for equipment that bolts down and skid frames for pumps, compressors, and packaged modules that are lifted in place. They are MIG or TIG welded from tube, channel, and plate in stainless steel, aluminum, or carbon steel, and ship bare or powder coated, with the machine pads masked and leveling feet and studs installed. A frame that carries a drive or a process assembly on plates is Welded Frames & Weldments, and a frame that holds a part for a check is Test Stand & Fixture Frames.

## Process
- Cut plates, set the pads: We laser cut the foot plates, anchor plates, and gussets, then fit the base up around the machine pads and the anchor pattern.
- Weld in sequence: We MIG or TIG weld the base in a sequence that accounts for distortion at the pads and the anchor pattern, with each lug and pocket joint open to the torch.
- Mask, coat, and fit: We mask the pads, threads, and anchor holes, powder coat the base or leave it bare, and install the leveling feet and studs.

## Typical parts
- Machine bases with floor interfaces: Bases with machine pads, plates for leveling feet, and anchor holes on the pattern from your equipment drawing.
- Skid frames: Perimeter skids for pumps, compressors, and packaged modules, with forklift pockets, drain stubs, and tie-down points.
- Pedestals and raised bases: Column bases that carry equipment at working height on a floor flange, with a top plate and gussets.
- Lifting and handling features: Lifting lugs, eye plates, and forklift pockets welded into the base where the lift requires them.

## Design considerations
- Foot and anchor interface: A leveling foot threads in as a stud or takes a bolt from the equipment, so the foot plate's hole and thickness follow that thread. A plate made for the wrong one cannot hold the foot.
- Lifting and moving: A lug or pocket carries the full weight of the base, so plate thickness, hole size, and weld size follow the lift. A lug out of line with the sling is loaded from the side.
- Weld movement on long runs: Shrinkage bows and twists a long frame, more when the welds are large, continuous, or on one side only. The machine pads and anchor pattern move with it, and pads that are not coplanar rock the machine.
- Pads, threads, and anchor holes: Coating builds up on every face it reaches. An unmasked pad sits high, and a coated thread or anchor hole loses its fit.

## Related pages
- [Laser Cutting](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/laser-cutting)
- [MIG & TIG Welding](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/welding/mig-tig-welding)
- [Powder Coating](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/powder-coating)
- [Hardware Installation](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/finishing/hardware-installation)
- [Electrical Enclosures](https://kdisplay.com/products/electrical-enclosures)
- [Panels & Covers](https://kdisplay.com/products/panels-covers)