Putting a Machine Shop in a Cargo Container

I know it's come up before, but I wanted to get some specifics.

One of my pipe-dream fantasies involves (like the title says) building a small manual machine shop into a standard 20' cargo container. It kinda stems back to the idea of having a mobile machine shop, which has come up before with various problems associated with it. IMO you can divide them into two issues:

1. Mobile Business - the simple idea of moving a machine shop closer to the job doesn't make sense when you can often ship items almost anywhere in 24 hours for a reasonable rate. Shop transit time can kill you too. I think it could make sense if you only serviced a nitch product or industry that was always moving around like oilfield, however they tend to be on top of having everything they need on hand or being able to get it quickly.

2. The Logistics - THIS what I want to pick your brains about. For my purposes, I'm not interested in moving the mobile shop every time I get a job, but rather I'm just interested in being able to move the shop as needed. I like the idea of it being a self sustained unit that can be moved without having to box and unbox everything, sell/purchase real-estate, bring in electricians, being down for a month or longer, etc. etc. So regardless of how you would run a mobile business, I'm interested in how you could physically keep a machine shop mobile.

I know they do it in the military and there have been a couple examples of Job-shops built into the back of semi trucks. I like the idea of putting one in a cargo container with a built in power source for when there isn't 60 amps of 3 phase available at the RV park. It could be built to be usable on the back of a trailer temporarily, or have a crane pick it up and put it on the ground. I know there are container companies that modify them with doors, windows, AC, insulation, etc., but I'm curious how much of that can be done before the guys at the port say they won't pick your box up and put it on a ship? Paperwork aside, is anyone aware of any shipping guidelines you can follow when outfitting the box? Similarly, How would you bolt a mill or lathe into a cargo container? Do shipping companies have any standards for how much a container is allowed to tip before they are liable for damages inside? One thought I had was that containers do flex a bit, so it would need to have jacks on the corners to level it between moves. Would it make sense to keep the interior weight evenly balanced, or more on the ends?

So I'm not so much after the "why" as I am the "how." If nothing else, the "why" could be that I decide to move to Nebraska, and then next year set up shop in the Congo.

For one, a 40' container doesn't cost that much more to ship than a 20' IME.

I would seriously* think about pouring a 6" concrete pad under every machine, if not the whole floor.


*providing this conversation is even supposed to be serious.

It is commonly done in the power generation industry. Best to put a floor of 1 " plate if you want rigidity. I have never seen one with self contained power but it could be easily done with a 40 foot container. Most field machining companies have several 20 foot with usually a 16-20X72 or more lathe, a Bridgeport type mill and often a surface grinder. Tooling it up will be a big expense.

How a container is moved is dependent on the weight. A roll-back can move a lightly loaded container, if too heavy it requires a crane to lift. Brother moved a 40ft container some years ago, trucker made it as far as El Paso before getting shut-down for not having proper licensing to move containers across state lines, he had to hire another crane to swap load to a different truck/driver. You might want to look into that.

I've seen a few mobile shops in semi trailers, that is what the film industry uses. If you really want to use a container, get an insulated one, they are heavier, but you, and more importantly the machines, won't sweat to death. I've seen a few over-width containers, they would make a better shop space, but clearly harder/more expensive to move.

My 2 cents:

I would install an I-beam chain fall / crane running centered for the length of the container. That way things you would normally lift with tow-motors or shop hoists can be handled in the small space. Second, I would think about sectioning off grinder area so as not to contaminate the entire space with abrasive dust. Third, think about ventilation / Air for safety and comfort. In small spaces the area will heat up quickly or oxygen levels drop. Think enclosed space safety.

I have often thought of such a plan myself. But I would separate the grinders / sanders from the rest of the shop. Perhaps in another container. Keep us informed of your solution as it evolves.

Interesting subject.

Best Regards,
Bob

More space is always better, but I was considering a 20' container over a 40' as it would be easier to move. I found a company that made rigs like this for sale commercially and they had x2 20' containers side by side with doorways between them. Theirs seems to include Haas machinery in the package.

SEA BOX | Two Container (20’ x 8’) Mobile Machine Shop

Good insight into a proven design, however I'm certain it would be way out of budget. We own several 20' containers currently being used for storage and as that stuff gets worked through, I might re-purpose one or two for this little project. I like having a single container however as it would be easier to set up camp and could potentially be functional while in transit, but again, more room is better.

I'm thinking it would at least be good to have the generator in an insulated closet of some sort as they can be loud. With that, a partition between precision and fabrication areas would make sense.

The I-beam chain fall is a good idea that would be easy to design into the set-up.

The concrete floor makes sense if it were to remain stationary, but I'd be afraid it would crack in transit. Steel plate would be more flexible in that regard. If weight becomes an issue (20'x7' of 1" plate is close to 6000lbs.), It might be good to only put it under machines that would need more stability under them, like a lathe. For others with rigid machine castings, I wonder if bolting to a thinner plate would be sufficient just to anchor them in place and not worry about the floor flexing? Apparently a 20' container can hold a max gross weight of 28 tons. That can disappear quickly when you pack it with 3 or 4 heavy iron machines, tooling, and material.

Honestly, that sounds like hell on earth in the summertime.

Those portable military shops always looked like a joke to me. Everything is a compromise.

How about another compromise-

Mount all the machinery to flat racks- These are the flatbed equivalent to 20' shipping containers. Drop the flatracks next to each other and surround with shipping containers. Place a modular flat roof over the top that fits inside one of the other containers for transport.

Mainly, I'd just want more of a square, open floorplan than a long skinny one.

I tried to build a shop once that was 36' wide and about 200' long. The layout was a disaster. Nothing fit well. Screwed if I needed to move machines around. I tore that building down halfway finished and built it 66' wide and 120' long instead. Works so much better.

Best to start with an insulated container at the get-go. Garwood is right -hell on earth if the sun hits it in the summer. Insulated container will also slow the temp swing inside and probably eliminate any condensation caused rust.

Note overhead rail for hoist trolley.
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YouTube Note lathe at 2:50

some USA maker built a special pipe frame base for a trailer mounted lathe. The tailstock end angled up to clear the hump of a wheel tub.
Bil lD.

One of the container threads long ago had a linky to the ISO standards, and there
I downloaded a 3-d CAD file (solidworks/inventor et all) of a 40' box (they had all of them there)

Start there, build it with electrons on the screen first.

Bill D said:

Note overhead rail for hoist trolley.
YouTube

YouTube

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YouTube Note lathe at 2:50

some us maker built a special pipe frame base for a trailer mounted lathe. The tailstock end angled up to clear the hump of a wheel tub.
Bil lD.

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I purchased the trailer model of that mobile machine shop, for the Standard Modern lathe that was in it. It was a neat setup, but designed for when people were shorter, if you are 5' tall it will work great, at 6' tall you will smack your head every time you try to move, I've got dents in my noggin to prove it

IMO the military rigs are probably the best balance of quick set-up and mobility. Biggest draw-backs to them I see is that they are heavy on the custom fabrication side, there is little to no room to change the lay-out, and they are exposed to the elements (could be a positive thing too in that you have your surrounding environment to use for work space).

I think fabrication would be fine to do outdoors, but I'd want the machine shop to at least have the option of operating in a closed air conditioned space. As has been noted, containers can be literal ovens to work in, so I think insulated walls and AC would be a must, as well as having a point of access that's quicker than the standard double doors.

This is all still theoretical and I would be a-ways from starting on a project like this, but I think I would start with a Bridgeport sized mill and a long-bed lathe. I'm setting up an old 14x110 cone head lathe in my garage at home, and it's nice having the option of such long work, and while the extra bed is not in use it has a work bench over it.

Here's a 20 foot one. Smaller than you want, but it may give you some ideas. YouTube

M.B. Naegle said:

I know there are container companies that modify them with doors, windows, AC, insulation, etc., but I'm curious how much of that can be done before the guys at the port say they won't pick your box up and put it on a ship? Paperwork aside, is anyone aware of any shipping guidelines you can follow when outfitting the box? Similarly, How would you bolt a mill or lathe into a cargo container? Do shipping companies have any standards for how much a container is allowed to tip before they are liable for damages inside? One thought I had was that containers do flex a bit, so it would need to have jacks on the corners to level it between moves. Would it make sense to keep the interior weight evenly balanced, or more on the ends?

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If it has a CSC certification, they should move it. If you do significant structural redesign to a container, it may need to be retested. Alternatively, you can have a new container made to your specs and they'll handle the CSC cert for you. Honestly, that can be cheaper than doing a significant modification.

As far as how well you need to fasten things, there are numbers for this in the CTU code. It's a pretty substantial acceleration in the forward, aft, and lateral directions.

A big advantage of using a 20 footer is that you can often handle them with a forklift when loaded (depending on the container and load, of course).

DanielG said:

If it has a CSC certification, they should move it. If you do significant structural redesign to a container, it may need to be retested. Alternatively, you can have a new container made to your specs and they'll handle the CSC cert for you. Honestly, that can be cheaper than doing a significant modification.

As far as how well you need to fasten things, there are numbers for this in the CTU code. It's a pretty substantial acceleration in the forward, aft, and lateral directions.

A big advantage of using a 20 footer is that you can often handle them with a forklift when loaded (depending on the container and load, of course).

Click to expand...

I've found the CTU code for packing and unloading containers, but nothing about their construction or numbers about how much tilt to expect. I wouldn't expect the container to go further than 90 degrees... otherwise it's on the ocean floor.

My initial impression is that they don't really care about the balance of weight or what's inside as long as it isn't hazardous or illegal materials. If a cargo container shop were being shipped, I think it would be shipped as a container full of industrial supplies and tools, not a machine shop built into a container.

I should have mentioned to also start with a "high cube" box, these are about 12" taller inside so you get closer to 8' inside headroom. Really helps if you attach anything to ceiling. (lights, I-beam, suction ducts, etc....

M.B. Naegle said:

I've found the CTU code for packing and unloading containers, but nothing about their construction or numbers about how much tilt to expect. I wouldn't expect the container to go further than 90 degrees... otherwise it's on the ocean floor.

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It's in chapter 5 in terms of g. Annex 7, Appendix 5 has the conversions to angles and has a very good picture showing what's expected of the load tiedowns.

M.B. Naegle said:

My initial impression is that they don't really care about the balance of weight or what's inside as long as it isn't hazardous or illegal materials. If a cargo container shop were being shipped, I think it would be shipped as a container full of industrial supplies and tools, not a machine shop built into a container.

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Annex 7 has most of the information on securing the load. The center of gravity ought to be with +-5% of the center.

DanielG said:

It's in chapter 5 in terms of g. Annex 7, Appendix 5 has the conversions to angles and has a very good picture showing what's expected of the load tiedowns.




Annex 7 has most of the information on securing the load. The center of gravity ought to be with +-5% of the center.

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Thanks! (hadn't read that far yet)

A former employer had the bright idea of putting all corporate records in a forty. Before he got around to A/Cing it, all the records were mildewed - so do consider some of these things are very good moisture retainers - especially in S.E. Texas

M.B. Naegle said:

I've found the CTU code for packing and unloading containers, but nothing about their construction or numbers about how much tilt to expect. I wouldn't expect the container to go further than 90 degrees... otherwise it's on the ocean floor.

My initial impression is that they don't really care about the balance of weight or what's inside as long as it isn't hazardous or illegal materials. If a cargo container shop were being shipped, I think it would be shipped as a container full of industrial supplies and tools, not a machine shop built into a container.

Click to expand...

Are you planning on floating this thing ? Or just "preparing" ?
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