With over 170 years of engineering excellence, YOU can depend on Badger Industries for a quality product that stands the test of time
Badger Industries’ roots grow deep as our company was established in 1841. The company was a coppersmithing company by trade and Badger has evolved into a leading expansion joint engineering, manufacturing, and service organization.
In 2014 we acquired an adjacent property, adding another 55,000 square foot manufacturing facility.
Our packless type, metal expansion joints are preferred by most modern design engineers.
The performance has been proven over the years, in thousands of applications by government agencies, utilities, original equipment manufacturers, chemical and processing industries and many of the nation’s largest manufacturing plants.
Should your piping, ducting or process system require provisions for controlled thermal growth, contact the company with “170 Years of Excellence” – your expansion joint engineers - Badger Industries.
By the year 1900, the company occupied a large, three story building where they manufactured and sold newly patented fireproof window frames and sashes and hand held fire extinguishers. Metal cornices, skylights and copper and tin roofing were still manufactured, and in their scope of supply at that time.
By 1908 the company expanded into metal goods for plumbing and heating as well as sterilized hoppers, hot water boilers and laboratory equipment for hospitals.
Self-equalizing metal expansion joints first became a large part of their business in about 1916, so the first expansion joints were designed, manufactured and placed into service approximately 100 years ago.
At this time, the reinforcing rings were made from cast iron or pipe but the thin walled bellows were still handcrafted individually from copper sheet.
Throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the metal expansion joint gained universal popularity and was now used by power plants, heating, air conditioning and ventilation and especially the petroleum and chemical industries.
In 1953 the expansion joint portion of the company came to be known as the "Badger Manufacturing Company" owned by Badger Engineering and Construction Co.; it was around this time that because of ever higher pressures and temperatures in piping systems, many applications required a material stronger than copper.
A relatively new material for that age, stainless steel, (and some higher nickel alloys) was used as the new bellows material. Most of these materials are still used today.
Metal bellows forming equipment now took the place of hand crafted copper-smiths.
The product line was acquired by the Hyde Division of Bath Iron Works in the 1960s.
Flowline Corporation purchased the company as an affiliate during 1969, formed a separate company and began manufacturing the product line under a new corporate identity: Badger Expansion Joint Company.
In 1980 we expanded our capabilities with the acquisition of the Sola-Flex expansion joint product line, originally founded by Solar Aircraft Company.
In 1987 the assets of Badger were acquired by Markovitz Enterprises, Inc., the name was changed to "Badger Industries" and we moved our operations from New Castle to a renovated 72,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, approximately twenty five miles north of Pittsburgh.