November-December 2011
Let There Be Light: Guest columnist Reginald Cook of Johnson Controls explores how advancing technology, rebate incentives, and sustainability imperatives argue strongly for complete industrial lighting retrofits.
With all the benefits afforded by flap discs, it is important to know how to select the right one by understanding all the variables and how they apply to your metal fabricating application. Here are the five variables that will help you pick the correct one.
Green light time is the way to make money operating a machine tool, and it never hurts to go back and review some basic principles for improving productivity in a laser fabricating process. With an eye toward keeping that light on longer, Tom Bailey of Trumpf looks at a few simple strategies that can pay off.
In this second part of our back-to-basics series on coil processing equipment, Jim Ward of COE Press Equipment examines the various conditions or issues that can impact the effective feeding of the coil.
Dr. Lisa Lang of The Science of Business consulting firm explores how typical solutions to improve scheduling address various symptoms, but they don’t address the root cause. So what is the secret to addressing the root cause and dramatically improving your shop scheduling? Her answer will surprise you.
One manufacturing sector economist explains how this phenomenon offers the potential for a mass return of jobs from China to the North American market and will get under way sooner rather than later.
Renaissance For Mexican Manufacturing? The dominant story from Mexico today is one of violence and corruption. The drug wars are a very real part of Mexico these days and nobody would underestimate the challenges that lie ahead for the government. However, there is another story that doesn’t make the headlines yet is perhaps far more important to the future of the country.
FABTECH 2011 exhibited the latest tube bending, ring rolling, tube fabrication and tube end forming technologies, from simple single bends right through to complex welded tubular assemblies. Now our Show-in-Print brings some of those tube and pipe fabrication systems to you!
FABTECH 2011 exhibited bending, roll forming, spinning, deep drawing, stretch forming and other sheet metal forming and assembly technologies that are used to bend, stretch and assemble materials into a variety of complex shapes. Now our Show-in-Print brings some of those metal forming systems to you!
FABTECH 2011 exhibited many production technologies and techniques for OEM manufacturers and contract job shops that add value to sheet metal, coil, plate, tube or pipe stock by shaping, bending, forming, punching, welding, cutting, fabricating, assembling, or other processes. Now our Show-in-Print brings some of that forming and fabricating equipment to you!
FABTECH 2011 exhibited many production technologies and techniques for OEM manufacturers and contract job shops that add value to sheet metal, coil, plate, tube or pipe stock by shaping, bending, forming, punching, welding, cutting, fabricating, assembling, or other processes. Now our Show-in-Print brings some more of that forming and fabricating equipment to you!
An all-in-one real-time machine controller from Baldor Electric manages five motion axes and I/O to simplify the development of this advanced new plasma tube cutter from Techserv Cutting Systems.
Green light time is the way to make money operating a machine tool, and it never hurts to go back and review some basic principles for improving productivity in a laser fabricating process. With an eye toward keeping that light on longer, Tom Bailey of Trumpf looks at a few simple strategies that can pay off.
This NLX2500MC universal lathe from Mori Seiki helped PR2 Engineering overcome a bottleneck in its oil and gas and petrochemical component machining.
The machine sector was among the hardest hit by the economic downturn, but this year is set to be a record for worldwide machinery production with 10.2 percent aggregate growth – a trend forecasted to continue for at least the next three years.
FABTECH 2011 exhibited CO2, Nd-YAG and fiber optics lasers used to cut, scribe and engrave mild steel, aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, exotics, plastics, fabrics and other materials. Now our Show-in-Print brings some of those laser systems and consumables to you!
Randy Pearson of Siemens Industry shows how today’s CNC not only puts a greater degree of energy efficiency at your fingertip, it can also provide you more usable data for running your entire shop or machining department . . . yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus!
Using the PipeworxTM Welding System from Miller Electric, Shinn Mechanical has increased its pipe fabrication quality and productivity with flatter bead profiles, good sidewall tie-in for 30 percent less grinding, and superior weld puddle control – with no wire rejects in over a year.
Resistance is frequently characterized by random and intermittent welding issues that are difficult to repeat. But even though resistance-related problems can have many symptoms, their root cause is always the same – not enough current is flowing in the electrical circuit. Nick Petersen of Miller Electric shares some tips on how to pinpoint and root out this frustrating problem.
The Big Show exhibited the latest advancements in arc, gas, resistance and laser welding for diverse material joining applications, including sheet metal, pipes and tubes, jewelry, plastics and other exotic materials. Now our Show-in-Site brings some more of those welding systems and related equipment to you!
Porosity can be a problem in aluminum welding. Less than 3 percent by volume passes most industry codes and standards. But go over, and costs build, hour by $50 dollar hour.
FABTECH 2011 exhibited the latest advancements in arc, gas, resistance and laser welding for diverse material joining applications, including sheet metal, pipes and tubes, jewelry, plastics and other exotic materials. Now our Show-in-Site brings some of those welding systems and related equipment to you!
Competitive pressures cause manufacturers to research advancements in hardfacing and cladding for surfacing applications that can reduce wear over 50 percent and increase production throughput over 30 percent. Selecting the method best-suited to a particular application involves balancing cost against performance.
Ideal for use when welding boilers, process piping, heat exchangers and other applications subject to high service temperatures for long periods of time, Tim Hensley of Hobart Brothers introduces a formula that helps determine a weld’s resistance to the brittleness that occurs when the weld is slowly cooled through a certain temperature range.
Regis Geisler of Lincoln Electric analyzes the recent occurrence of this situation at a fabrication site, then recommends some remedies for mitigating the effects.
X-Ar exoskeletal arm from Equipois support wins top ergonomics award at 2011 National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition for best potential to increase productivity and profitability while improving workplace health and safety.
Back by popular demand, this classic analysis by Phil La Duke of the issues and problems encountered with conventional safety training also provides some creative solutions that can enlighten your next session – and get the attention of your workforce.
Bad news for all those companies cashing in on Behavior Based Safety; it looks like international Unions have formalized their opposition to it.
Approaching Safety Holistically (Part Two): While safety training is important, Phil La Duke of Rockford Greene explains how the real payoff for investing in training comes from monies spent on imparting the most basic skills workers will need to do their jobs.
Raised Eyebrows: Even with HEM toolpaths, success in machining at Kline Oilfield Equipment still turns on a general purpose end mill from IMCO Carbide Tool.
When Pentagon EMS originally started talking about purchasing a tool crib, several employees thought the end of the world had arrived, assuming they would spend all day trying to get tooling out of the machine. But they quickly discovered the CAP 1000T vending system from MSC Industrial Supply takes only 30 seconds to log in and get their tool.
With all the benefits afforded by flap discs, it is important to know how to select the right one by understanding all the variables and how they apply to your metal fabricating application. Here are the five variables that will help you pick the correct one.
