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THE BASICS OF SAFETY:
PROCESS-BASED SAFETY
Proactive Prevention: In Part Three of his back-to-basics series on worker safety, Phil La Duke of Rockford Greene examines a safety philosophy based upon engineering injuries out of a process during the design stage when it is far less costly.
WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD:
SOLID STATE OR CO2
Deciding what type of power plant (resonator) will go into your laser machine must be a decision based upon the materials you will be processing and the style of resonator that offers the best performance and the lowest total cost of operation. Al Bohlen of Trumpf explores some specific considerations to think about.
THE FOUR MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SPINDLE REPAIR
In the decision-making process on how best to return a failed spindle into service, Ed Zitney of SKF Services answers four frequently asked questions that are applicable to any operation considering spindle remanufacture.
UNDERSTANDING AND LOWERING WELD COSTS
Given that labor typically accounts for 60 percent to 85 percent of the total cost of any welding operation, fabricators stand to reap significant benefits by better understanding and controlling those costs. However, that’s often easier said than done. Nick Peterson of Miller Electric explores some practical ways to do it.
CHOOSING A GOUGING METHOD
Increasing emphasis on environmental issues and safety has led the welding industry to reconsider how certain tasks are performed. Gouging and cutting metal are primary operations that have come under scrutiny. Robert Fernicola of ESAB Welding & Cutting Products compares carbon-arc vs. plasma gouging for various applications.
QUALIFICATION OF ROBOTIC ARC WELDING PERSONNEL
Geoff Lipnevicius of Lincoln Electric explains why an investment in people and training is a pre-requisite to maximize the value of the automated welding solution that is designed to significantly improve productivity over a manual welding process.
The Biggest Job in Business Today: Turning the Tide in Your Favor
Today’s good news in manufacturing can disappear as quickly as it appeared, so it may be a good idea to prepare for even more demanding conditions. Here is a series of strategies that may help gain a prospect’s attention and solidify a customer relationship.
Why We Violate the Rules
Why do people – including safety professionals themselves – repeatedly ignore safety protocols? Let’ think through why less is more in safety, especially if the problem is the rule rather than the person.
SUCCESS AGAINST THE MESS
Ed Zitney of SKF Machine Tool Services shares universal lessons learned from four success stories of operations that managed to achieve positive outcomes from the machine tool spindle breakdowns they were encountering.
Six Outrageous Marketing and Sales Ideas that Make Sense
These sales truths fly in the face of the traditional marketing – and promise to stimulate your thinking.
DUST IN THE WIND?
The free market price for natural gas is about two-thirds of the subsidy given to wind, yet wind still cannot compete in the open market. With our nation being challenged to reduce its debt and shrink the federal budget, Mike Riley explains how the reality of business economics is beginning to erase some of the hype about this one-time darling of renewable energy.
Label Everything
Labeling isn’t difficult, but it seems to be a part of 5S that’s often overlooked or ignored. Rick Bohan of Chagrin River Consulting examines why it’s easy to get everything straightened up initially, but the work area will revert back to the original mess if labeling isn’t carried out.
