FABTECH 2018: Fabricating, Finishing, Additive Manufacturing (Part Three)

FABTECH 2018 is North America’s largest collaboration of technology, equipment and knowledge in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing industry. This event takes place November 6-8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, where more than 1,500 exhibitors and 35,000 attendees will have full access to special events, presentations, educational sessions and live demonstrations of the latest technology and integrated solutions, along with one-on-one exchanges with exhibitors and networking with industry leaders. There will also be opportunities to attend keynote presentations, discussions on key industry issues that influence manufacturing, and more. You don’t want to miss this!

Here are technical reviews of some of the metal forming and fabrication equipment, finishing tools and systems, additive manufacturing systems and more that will be exhibited to help you navigate the show floor and manage your time while you’re there:

Automated Processing of Angle and Flat Bar Reduces Labor Costs
The Anglemaster-663 from Peddinghaus uses three punch stations per hydraulic press to automate punching, nibbling, shearing and marking of angle and flat bar.

Modular Safety Controller for Flexible, Fast Monitoring of Press Brake Operations
The modular Fiessler Elektronik FMSC PLC safety controller from Press Brake Safety is flexible, fast and easy to configure for monitoring up to 17 axes according to performance level e. Each FMSC module has 12 inputs, four safe outputs and five standard outputs.

Accurately Pinpoint Bottlenecks and Inefficiencies in Coil Processing Lines
The Time Tracker System from Red Bud Industries is a production monitoring system with an organized, easy-to-use interface a supervisor needs to monitor multiple coil processing lines in a single factory or several locations.

In-House Mold and Die Repair Reduces Costs, Minimizes Machine Downtime
The Moldmender Micro Welder from Rocklin Manufacturing repairs molds and dies made of steel by welding the same material onto the affected area to quickly alleviate scratches and other imperfections.

FMS Approach to Industry 4.0 Factory Digitalization
The FlexCell automated kit blanking and short run bending system from Salvagnini combines press brake and panel bending technologies for the fastest, least expensive, most profitable way to form parts.

Augmented Reality Software Improves Maintenance Productivity
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor augmented reality (AR) software from Schneider Electric brings together physical, real-life objects with virtual objects to increase operational efficiency, reduce costs and improve proactive maintenance.

Auto Loading Circular Cold Saw System Saves Time, Reduces Scrap, Eliminates Costly Mistakes
The CPO 350 Auto Loader from Scotchman cuts multiple lengths of tube up to max 3 in diameter using a 5 hp variable rpm speed motor and 315 mm diameter blade, and runs unlimited cut lists from ½ in to 23 ft lengths with accurate cut lengths within ± 0.002 per diameter inch in squareness.

Breaking the Barrier in Multi-Process Fabrication Machines
The Plasma Nova system from Soitaab can combine plasma cutting with a straight or bevel head, oxy-fuel cutting, various kinds of marking, variable size drilling and tapping, and even three-dimensional shapes like pipe cutting, all in a single easy-to-use system.

Band Saw Blades for Cutting Structurals and Bundles, Software Determines Hole Saw and Operating Speeds by Application
Versatix MP bi-metal band saw blades from Starrett feature triple-tempered, high speed M-42 cobalt steel teeth with an alloy steel backing strip, and a patented tooth design that dissipates stress during cutting, reducing tooth breakage and increasing blade life.

Software Nests Packs or Bundles for Greatest Material Yield
For fabricators of windows, doors, furniture, curtainwall, MEP, and more, Dynamic Pack Optimization software from TigerStop mathematically and precisely determines the best order to process packs/bundles of like-profiled material for optimal material yield.

Trilogy Machinery Celebrates Milestone
Ten years of growth in distributing high quality fabricating machinery across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Highly Productive Universal Bending Machines Deliver Superior Performance
The TruBend 5130 universal bending machine from TRUMPF uses a highly dynamic On-Demand Servo Drive with four-cylinder drive technology that runs extremely quiet to deliver significantly more productivity than conventional drives.

Industry 4.0 Press Brake Tool Management
The Smart Tooling App from Wila includes a smartphone app for Android and iOS that allows users access to their press brake tool data anytime, anywhere for major time savings, error-free tool data entry and simplified stock management.

Continuous Chain Mesh Belt Shot Blaster Reduces Operating Costs
Parts are presented to the blast wheels of the MB1824 from Viking Blast & Wash Systems on a manganese woven wire belt conveyor extending 2 ft on the loading end and 2 ft on the discharge end of the vestibules for loading, blasting to specifications in one pass and unloading.

Integrated Visual Work Instructions for The Factory of the Future
The Electronic Work Instruction system from Visual Knowledge Share provides a more visual platform to operators that cuts the time in half that is spent by managers creating and maintaining work instructions.