The FRAMECAD machine range
The logic of the range
Section titled “The logic of the range”The members of the FRAMECAD range — in the manufacturer’s public listing Steelform Core, F325iT, F325iT-L, F450iT, TF550H, FL650, ST825iT, ST925iT, ST950H and the container-mounted Mobile Factory — are not simply “small” and “large” machines. They differ along two lines.
Single-profile and multi-profile machines
Section titled “Single-profile and multi-profile machines”The manufacturer itself distinguishes two groups: a single-profile machine is built for one fixed section size and thickness range, while a multi-profile machine is adjustable within its own range. This difference determines how many kinds of structure a plant can serve without further investment.
Up to what building height
Section titled “Up to what building height”The models mainly differ in how much load the produced profile has to carry — in other words, how many storeys the building has.
What the manufacturer documents
Section titled “What the manufacturer documents”F325iT
Section titled “F325iT”Profile widths: 63, 89, 92 and 152 mm. Steel thickness between 0.55 and 1.20 mm, with an automatic gauging system that adjusts the forming stations to the thickness. 12 hydraulic and punching functions. It produces trusses up to 15 m clear span. The intended use is 1–3 storey residential, modular and transportable units, and light commercial buildings.
At datasheet level the order of magnitude of production speed is a few hundred metres per hour for joists and close to a thousand linear metres per hour for walls — this figure is quoted from a datasheet, and under plant conditions it is always less.
F450iT
Section titled “F450iT”Profile range 75–150 mm, designed for 1–4 storey structures, tall walls, trusses and floors. 11 tools, with one further custom tool available on request at the time of purchase — this is the point where the machine can serve a non-standard connection detail as well.
The larger machines
Section titled “The larger machines”The ST series targets thicker steel and taller buildings. For mid-rise, 4–8 storey buildings the manufacturer refers to 6 inch, 12–14 gauge (roughly 2.5–2 mm) structural profiles and thinner, 20 gauge secondary profiles.
Why this matters to the designer
Section titled “Why this matters to the designer”The machine type is not a manufacturing detail but a design constraint. The section depth and the maximum steel thickness together determine what span and how many storeys can be engineered economically. If the designer does not know which machine the design is for, two mistakes are possible: specifying a section the machine cannot produce, or spacing members unnecessarily closely because the available thickness is not exploited.
The point
Section titled “The point”The machine first, then the design. The first question on an LGS project is not what the house looks like, but which machine it will be made on — that is what reveals the available profile set.
Sources
Section titled “Sources”FRAMECAD machine range page and the F325iT and F450iT product pages, plus the F-Series Operating Manual (Knowledge Hub), retrieved in September 2026.