A. Zahner Company

Materials and Process recently traveled to Kansas City to explore A. Zahner Company.  Eric Steel and Gary Davis showed us around this incredible engineering and fabrication company.  Zahner is best known for their metal work in art and architecture pieces.  They have made some of Kansas City’s most well known sculptures and buildings, such as the Bartle Sky Stations, and more recently, the Kauffman Center.   However, their work is not only local, but also worldwide!  They work around the world with architects, designers, and artists.  My group’s tour guide, Gary Davis, explained that the artists challenge the Zahner designers with some of their outlandish ideas.  However, Zahner always manages to make their dreams come to life.  Zahner primarily works with all types of natural metal.  However, they have experimented with many different materials.  One of their experiments I really enjoyed was their glass and copper casting.  That is what I probably liked the most about Zahner, is their devotion and love towards experimentation.  Walking through their warehouse we saw different cuts from experiments during specific projects.  Some of their methods differed from other companies.   For example, they didn’t use laser cutting, but used a water press instead.  This prevents the laser’s heat from altering the edges of a piece.  They also bee-blast their metal with glass instead of sand or other materials.  This helps the metal keep well outside.   Last but not least, I appreciated their creativity.   For example, the structure on the outside of their building was inspired by sand in a receding tide.  This was such an awesome field trip. Their dedication towards experimentation and love for a challenge was completely inspirational.   It was an extremely fun, and dedicated environment.