In 2015 TRJ Engineering Group were approached by the City of Perth to help them with the manufacture of a proto-type drink fountain. Recommended by the City of Melbourne who works closely with TRJ, who currently supply their drinking fountains along with a number of other street furniture components and custom one-off parts, TRJ accepted the challenge.

Initially the design of the drinking fountain was brought to life by Ian Dryden from Dryden & Crute Design and was to be cast in stainless steel. When TRJ explored the possibility of casting the unit they realised the fountain needed to be hollow in a few sections, for the plumbing to be feed through, and the costs around casting were too high for a one-off prototype, so they set about researching other options.

When TRJ looked at fabricating the fountain, they modelled the drawings on their software and investigated how they could manufacture the fountain usitilsing their best strengths and processes. From the 3D models they created TRJ were able to split the fountain into four parts. These parts were laser cut and formed on their presses to get the basic shapes, and from there fully welded the parts and polished them to give the fountain a seamless look. TRJ then modified some off the shelf plumbing components, had them re-chromed, and assembled the fountain. Finally, photos were sent to the Council for approval. After the designer Ian Dryden inspected the unit at TRJ’s premises in Hallam, all were in agreement that the final unit was very impressive.

After a final polish the new drinking fountain was packed off to Perth, where it is to be installed and tested to see if it meets Council’s requirements under real-world conditions. TRJ waits eagerly for the results and hopes to further the opportunity to manufacture a full-scale order of fountains for Perth in the future.

To view the full range of products and services from TRJ Engineering visit www.trjengineering.com.au

TRJ Engineering Group
17-19 Apollo Drive, Hallam  VIC  3803
P | 03 9703 1701