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Equipment development / Earlston, Scotland

Developing seabed sampling equipment

A structural build bringing together fabrication, machining and manufacturing controls in Terra’s own workshop.

Structural base for Terra’s seabed sampling equipment in the workshop

The structural base forms part of Terra’s in-house seabed sampling equipment development.

Project
Seabed sampling equipment
Location
Earlston, Scottish Borders
Scope
Structural base manufacture
Project type
In-house development

The development brief

Building the equipment. Developing the process.

The first major structural build for Terra’s seabed sampling equipment was an opportunity to put our workshop, manufacturing methods and management systems to work on one substantial component.

Alongside fabrication and machining, the build exercised procurement, supplier selection, goods-in inspection and material traceability. It also identified practical improvements to tooling, handling and workshop workflow.

From material to structure

Four connected stages of manufacture

01 / PREPARATION

Procurement & traceability

Supplier selection, material procurement and goods-in inspection provided the starting point for the structural build, with material traceability carried through the manufacturing process.

02 / MACHINING

Cutting & component preparation

In-house cutting and machining prepared the structural parts. CNC plasma cutting was used for holes within 300 mm channel sections, reducing the machining required for those features.

03 / FABRICATION

Fit-up & welding

The base was assembled and welded in the workshop. Joint access, component positioning and handling became part of the practical learning from this first structural build.

04 / INSPECTION

Preparing for the next stage

The published build update recorded fabrication complete, with weld dressing remaining ahead of magnetic particle inspection. Inspection preparation formed part of the manufacturing sequence.

Inside the workshop

A view through the circular opening in a fabricated steel plate
Structural fabrication and component preparation.
Welding the steel base structure on the workshop jig table
In-house welding and assembly of the structural base.
Terra engineer beside workshop machining equipment
Practical engineering and tooling development in Earlston.

Lessons applied

Investing in how we manufacture

Explore our workshop capabilities
  • 01
    Cutting capacity

    The build identified the limits of the existing bandsaw and led to investment in a larger machine.

  • 02
    Machining capability

    Larger holes drove an upgrade to MT4 tooling, extending the workshop’s practical machining capability.

  • 03
    Workflow and handling

    Manufacturing a substantial structure highlighted the importance of floor space, access and the order in which work is carried out.

A development project

This case study covers the first structural build and the manufacturing lessons documented in our workshop update. The wider seabed sampling system remains a development programme.

Read the original workshop update
CAD model of Terra’s vibrocorer base assembly
Base assembly model from the engineering development record.

Development update / November 2026

The engineering behind the build

The programme has continued through assembly modelling, preliminary static analysis and internal design review. Component and assembly drawings were prepared for review as the design details progressed.

Explore the design work alongside this account of the first structural build. Both form part of the same ongoing vibrocorer programme.

Read the design case study

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