MarsMetal Specialty Casting - a division of The MarsMetal Company

MarShield is a Canadian manufacturer with exceptional experience in nuclear lead castings and nuclear lead pours. We have proven ourselves to be leaders in the field by helping companies from the first stages of product development right though to a completed, lead filled component. At MarShield we have the facilities to pour molten lead in a continuous pour in excess of 100, 000 lbs. This provides a nuclear lead pour consisting of low porosity, high density lead into a customer’s supplied, fabricated weldment. We use only purest lead meeting ASTM B29 standards. We specialize in all types of structural lead pours including nuclear flasks, nuclear storage containers, pipe sleeves and castings.

Mars Metal supplies Marine Ballast Weight products, such as sheet lead, lead shot and ballistic shot bags, and lead ingots. In Stock: Over 300 tons of standard ingot lead bars Learn more about our lead ingots Over 20 tons (18, 182kg) of either bagged shot or bulk lead shot Learn more about out lead shot Over 70 tons of sheet lead Learn more about out sheet lead Our talented and capable sales and engineering staff will work also with you to design a custom solution, manufacture the required weight(s) and deliver them to the site when you need them. Our MarsKeel division specializes in all things marine…custom and production sailboat keels, internal ballast, custom prop shaft struts and much more. Please visit www.marskeel.com for more information. Why use counterweights in the marine industry? Counterweights used in the marine industry are used for two similar but slightly different reasons. When you build a boat of any size, you have to counterbalance the boat. In the case of a sailboat, you have to counterbalance it against the effects of the wind filling the sails. In the case of a motorized vessel, one needs to counterbalance the height and weight of the superstructure above the waterline in heaving seas and strong winds. Sailors might be heard referring to their boat as being “tender”. This is another term for improperly ballasted. Internal ballast is often how this is accomplished. Custom made, specially-shaped lead castings matching the shape of the bottom of the hull are placed at the deepest part of the hull and then distributed evenly fore and aft. Adding the right amount of ballast settles the boat lower in the water making it more stable and significantly safer. This ballasting process can also be accomplished by using standard lead ingots andor lead shot to achieve the desired stability. Another reason that you might need to consider marine ballast weight is to trim-ballast your boat. If you have just installed your new Corian countertops or that new water maker that you have always wanted, but now the extra weight has your boat sitting off level in the water. A few well-placed lead ingots or perhaps some custom-cast ballast shapes will do the trick to bring your boat back to a nice even keel.

Before any new or modified aircraft design leaves the ground carrying passengers it must first undergo rigid testing to ensure the safety of the design. Many of the components are tested to destruction so areas like the wings and tail sections can experience the maximum design stresses and prove the design parameters are being met. Other applications for test weights in the aerospace industry include in-flight testing for uneven loading and load shifting and taxiway evaluation to simulate full loads for brake testing under a variety of situations. Mars Metal Company, Specialty Casting Division provides an industry-approved, easy-to-handle weight to satisfy this requirement. Each weight consists of 25 lbs of lead shot sewn into a denier nylon bag for destructive testing applications or a ballistic nylon bag treated with flame retardant to exceed industry standards for actual in-flight testing applications.

MarsMetal manufactures custom and production Forklift Counterweights to satisfy your specific requirements. Forklift types that commonly utilize counterweights are the stand-up rider and sit-down counter-balanced forklifts. Sit-down counter-balanced types commonly place counterweights in between or behind the rear wheels. Counterweights are used to secure a proper weight distribution and maintain stability, to prevent the vehicle from tipping over and to ensure the safety performance of the vehicle. There are two main groups of forklift counterweights : Bulk type: Specifically designed hollow body part at back end or between wheels that for space savings is typically lead filled. Stack type: Cast metal housings steel canisters or metal plates designed to stack onto a base plate. Stacking or removing enables configuration for maximum lift weight. Capabilities Complex lead counterweight castings for OEM’s Straight lead fills into your fabricated or cast housings All steel and lead filled counterweight additions Designed and fabricated to suit your application Lead Filled Forklift Counterweights and Counterweight Additions When size matters, choose lead filled Lead is approximately 45% more dense than steel Counterweight or Addition can be smaller, shorter, narrower, etc. All Steel Forklift Counterweight Additions When size is less of an issue, choose all steel All steel counterweight additions are generally lower cost than lead filled additions

New elevator construction is not usually done with lead counterweights but when the end user wants or needs to increase an existing elevator’s capacity, it requires a new counterweight. Rarely is there room on the counterweight to increase the stack height due to head room restrictions. This is where lead is an invaluable product to solve the problem. Because lead is so much more dense than steel – approximately 45% greater – the company performing the upgrade is able to remove the existing steel or cast iron weights until they reach the point where a corresponding stacked height of lead counterweights will provide the necessary weight to counterbalance the new weight capacity. Each weight that the contractor removes is being replaced with a weight that is 45% heavier. Re-counterweighting the elevator becomes a simple math problem. Lead is often the only substitute that will do the job. Contact us and let us work out the solution for you. Our talented and capable sales and engineering staff will work with you to design a solution, manufacture the required weight(s) and deliver them to the site when you need them. Challenge us and let us show you what we can do to solve your counterweight problems and smooth the path to completion.

Elevator test weights are essential for ensuring the safety of the elevators that we take for granted in our daily lives. We see them everywhere, we use them without thought or worry (at least most of us) and we take it for granted that they are safe. Elevator test weight carts are a critical component in the testing and certification of elevators. Elevator service and repair companies use them regularly and we supply them to the industry. Each cart is engineered specifically for the elevator industry and is designed with safety, serviceability and durability in mind. Each unit weighs 500 LBS and is balanced for ease of handling. The cart itself weighs 100 LBS and comes with eight, ergonomically-shaped 50 LB weights. Our test carts consist of a rigidly constructed box section fabricated from 14” steel plate and 1¼” schedule 40 steel pipe. The wheels on this cart are a steel core with solid rubber tires and have roller bearings and grease fittings. The cart is painted safety red using an OSHA oxide paint. All carts are equipped with a ¾” diameter steel rod designed to accept a padlock that protects the individual test weights from theft.