Portable Shade Canopy Construction

Survey responses are grouped into three areas: construction, wind-force technologies, and manufacturer recommendations.

Creative Energies, INC. 1607 N. Magnolia Ave. Ocala FL 34475-9106	Flourish Company 3640 Highway 23 St. Paul , AR 72760
International E-Z UP, INC. 1601 Iowa Avenue Riverside , California 92507 USA	KD Kanopy, Inc. 3755 W. 69th Place Westminster , CO 80030
New Venture Products 14115 63^rd Way North Clearwater FL 33760	Newton Display products, Inc. Craft Hut canopy

Is there a unique quality to the materials such as shape, size, thickness (gauge of material) that gives it added strength?

How are the connections between parts made? Corners seem to be a critical connection in a canopy system.

How are your framework corner components secured? Are there any reinforcing flanges or other factors affecting the structural strength of your corner connections?

Light-Dome: We provide is a telescoping aluminum frame. No plastic pipe. There are no loose pins to connect the poles. The connections are done with snap buttons. Our corner frame piece is reinforced with another piece of aluminum when it is bent during fabrication. The top is secured to the frame by a strap with a snap on it in each corner under the horizontal pole. The curtains are attached by an S-hook in each corner and straps with snaps along the horizontal pole.

Trimline:

We use galvanized steel poles exclusively. We have seen that in severe weather the strength of steel means better resistance to wind and far less damage to canopy components. Our horizontal poles are two-piece and snap together, two 5-ft sections making a 10-ft pole. Our legs are three-piece, the center member being a height-adjuster sleeve that permits infinite adjustment between seven and eight feet for set-up on uneven terrain. Joints are welded steel. Poles attach to joints with snap-button; the connections on legs are supported by additional thumbscrews that render the legs completely rigid. We use 1” Schedule 40 PVC poles for rafter, with a steel rafter support pole. These poles are not pre-curved so that they stow flat for transport. The canopy roof attaches to the top of the frame with woven polyester straps with side-release buckles. These straps are intended to hold the top to the frame and not to stretch or tension the top.

EZ-UP: We manufacture high strength steel and lightweight aluminum instant shelters with fillet welded (metal to metal connections), bolts and locking cap nuts (part to part connections), and quick release pins (removable accessories). Metal to metal corners are fillet welded and reinforced with additional metal where necessary. Plastic and metal corners use high strength plastic, with plastic parts engineered for maximum strength. Tops and sides are secured with Velcro on some models and with Velcro and bolts for tops and Velcro and zippers for sides on other models.

KD: Our canopy is a one-piece scissor bar action unit; we are the inventors of the original pop up canopy and hold over 35 patents. Our frame is 16-gauge aluminum connected with special Dynidiom fittings to ensure easy glide and no binding. The Dynidiom caps, which are a fiberglass, reinforced hard resin, allow the canopy to glide easier, where other units use nuts and bolts, which can and will bind. Aluminum makes our unit lighter, stronger and rust resistant. Allan head screws on the Dynidiom caps allow the end user to be able to replace all the separate parts with one Allan head wrench.

Showoff: We provide a telescoping high grade 6061-T6 alloy aluminum frames with welded connections. Corners are an aluminum component casting-the strongest component in our framework. The canopy top is secured with quick release buckles. Side panels attach with YKK marine type zippers.

Craft Hut: The Craft Hut consists of 1-3/8” plated steel pipe. The corners are made from a special strength DOM or “drawn over mandrel” steel pipe. The corners are welded. The roof rafters are made of schedule 40 PVC. Frame assembly is held together with ¼” steel lock pins. The legs, which have steel plates on the bottom are telescoping and also held to the frame with lock pins. The roof is secured to the frame by using hook and loop fasteners. The curtains zip to the roof and each other using #10 marine grade zipper, and the design prevents any pooling of water on the roof.

This article was written by Carl Buehler www.jewelgallery.net and is copyrighted by Sunshine Artist Magazine and may not be reproduced in any form without written permission. www.sunshineartist.com