FABTECH 2018: Welding, Tube & Pipe

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 welding equipment, tube and pipe fabrication systems and more that will be exhibited to help you navigate the show floor and manage your time while you’re there:

Innovative Welding Accessories Reduce Cycle Times and Increase Production
The Gas Management System EWR 2, Fume Extraction Cyclone, ABIMIG AT air-cooled manual MIG torch and ABIROB Cyclone air-cooled robotic torch from Abicor Binzel all reduce operating costs and increase welding profitability.

All-Electric Tube Bending of Multiple Radii in a Single Setup
For tube production in HVAC, furniture, automotive, aerospace and other applications, Elect 9-axis all-electric tube benders from BLM Group are suited for tube diameters from 1.5 in to 6.0 in and have multiple tool stack capability that can produce fixed and variable radii in a single setup.

Material Handling that Increases Welding Productivity and Operator Safety
3D Precision Welding Tables, Standard Rollovers, Powered Manipulators and Floor Rail Systems from Bluco can be configured to optimize welding and assembly fixture operations.

Versatile Forklifts Make Load Handling in Fabrication Shops Easy and Safe
Combilift provides customized equipment with lift capacities from 1,850 lb up to 200,000 lb for safe, space-saving and productive handling and storage of typical loads managed in fabrication shops.

Lightweight, Low Noise Compact Feeder and Resistance Welding Lab Capabilities
The Compact Feeder from Dengensha is a magnet-type rotary nut feeder that operates with 16 db less noise than other vibrator-style feeders, has a smaller footprint than an A3 size of paper, and is about 50 percent lighter than comparable feeders and 50 percent smaller than vibrator styles.

New Automated Machinery, Software and Partnership for Steel Fabrication and Shipyards
The innovative and compact UPC 450 Ship Profiler from HGG increases cutting and pre-fabrication productivity by eliminating the need to cut ship stiffeners and spools by hand.

New Welding Systems Reduce Defects, Improve Productivity, Save Money
Advanced power sources and welding technology from Miller Electric maximizes runtimes and fuel efficiency and reduces expenses in fabrication and construction work.

Resistance Welding Technology Takes Center Stage
The heavy duty Heron 20 kJ Capacitor Discharge projection welding machine from T. J. Snow provides high welding current output and fast rise time to process large ring projection welding applications with ease.

Cobot-Assisted Cutting of Shapes Into 3D Structural Steel Components
The SnapCut integrated cutting system from Universal Robots and ARC Specialties uses a UR10 collaborative robot to manipulate a Hypertherm torch for cutting squares, rectangles, circles, C-channels and more through parametric programming.

High Performance Flap Discs for Aluminum Blending and Finishing
The Enduro-Flex ALU flap disc from Walter Surface Technologies is specially formulated with a superior iron-free, sulfur-free and chlorine-free zirconia alumina grain blend that optimizes blending and finishing performance on virtually any aluminum surface.

Surface Conditioning Tools that Improve Fabrication Quality and Productivity
Cutting, grinding and combo wheels, along with robust resin fiber discs, best-in-class flap discs and other products from Weiler Abrasives provide exceptional performance and improve productivity in metal fabrication.

Ultra-Fast Robots Optimize Spot Welding Productivity
SP-series six-axis robots from Yaskawa America offer ultra-fast axis speeds and improved acceleration/deceleration control to reduce air-cut time and increase production output, with a slim profile to reach into confined spaces for operations in high-density layouts.

New Cut-Off Wheels for Faster Cutting, Improved Operator Comfort, Reduced Cost
Norton QUANTUM3 RightCut Wheels from Saint-Gobain Abrasives boast a more rounded grain for faster cutting action with less vibration that is instrumental in reducing operator fatigue when cutting metal all day.

Intelligent Grinding, Milling and Polishing System for Tool and Mold Making
For ultrafine grinding, the SUNmic 60 micro motor system from Suhner is a multi-purpose tool with a touch panel that can accept a range of micro motors and tool hand pieces depending on the application.