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More from Eric Lundin
Recruiting, retaining welders with dollars and sense
- By Eric Lundin
- Mar 21, 2016
- Arc Welding
- Article
While the Great Recession was a calamity for many businesses, some also had a bit of trouble recovering from the downturn. Trailer builder Featherlite had trouble retaining workers, but realized that it could compete against higher wages offered elsewhere by improving the way it went about recruiting, hiring, and training newly hired workers.
Plasma provides pleasant parting process for pipeline project
- By Eric Lundin
- Mar 17, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Oxyfuel has been the process of choice for cutting and gouging for field repairs for many years, but the crew on the Seaway 2 project found that a prototype model from Hypertherm provided a faster, quieter, more precise process.
Two bending processes, two directions, four tooling sets, one machine
- By Eric Lundin
- Mar 16, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
As design software becomes more complex, and as engineers strive to differentiate their products from those of their competitors by developing increasingly complex, unique, and aesthetically pleasing products, manufacturers have to keep up. Superior Tube Products Inc., Davenport, Iowa, found that its conventional tube benders weren’t always up to the task, and invested in a twin-head servo-driven machine.
Swaging a war on piping system leaks
- By Eric Lundin
- Mar 16, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
While welding and threading have their place in pipeline systems, mechanical connectors can be a good alternative, especially in applications subject to shock loading, constant vibration, and thermal cycling. Bolt-on flanges are one example; for small diameters, radially swaged connectors can be even better.
Pros and cons of commercial specifications for tubular products
- By Eric Lundin
- Feb 10, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Article
Modern, mass-produced tube and pipe products come in three main varieties: extruded, welded, and drawn over mandrel. The standard specifications that apply to the most common type, welded, occasionally come under scrutiny. Are commercial tolerances tight enough? Editor Eric Lundin captured a discussion on this topic at TPA’s 2015 conference, Pipe & Tube Lincoln (Sept. 23, Lincoln, Neb.)
Refueling, repairing, refurbishing, redeploying a supercarrier
- By Eric Lundin
- Feb 10, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Every aircraft carrier is built to last, and the nuclear propulsion systems mean they don’t need port calls to fuel up, but even the most well-built and durable carriers need an overhaul after 25 years at sea. Editor Eric Lundin visited the USS Abraham Lincoln, CVN 72, to learn about the refueling and complex overhaul process from contractor Newport News Shipbuilding.
Industry 4.0 arrives in Düsseldorf and in the manufacturing sector
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 27, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
The term Industry 4.0 has been a frequently used buzzword for several years, but these days it’s more than a buzzword: It’s a reality, and it has begun to make inroads in the tube and pipe industry.
Cutting processes displayed and debuted at FABTECH®
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 27, 2016
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Article
A tour of FABTECH revealed that many changes are afoot regarding cutting, especially among laser manufacturers. Editor Eric Lundin provides an overview of some of the technologies that were display at the 2015 expo.
- From The Fabricator
Degree or pedigree? That is the question.
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 6, 2016
- Arc Welding
- Article
Metal artist Stephen Christena left Flint, Michigan, but Flint didn’t leave Christena. He has the eye of an artist, backed up by a degree, but the sturdy, industrial look he favors is testimony to his roots.
Not just for analyzing metals anymore
- By Eric Lundin
- Dec 17, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Used for many years to analyze metals, XRF analyzers have been improving over the years. The latest models can detect elements at less than 10 parts per million and are equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and built-in digital cameras, providing many additional capabilities compared to the analyzers of years ago.
- From The Fabricator
Looking out from the inside
- By Eric Lundin
- Nov 9, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Artist and furniture-maker Louie Tozser has enjoyed a rich and varied career, working in metal, stone, glass, and polycarbonate, and does everything from one-off pieces to contract manufacturing. It’s much more than a business, though. Tozser’s latest plan it to introduce local children to art and perhaps inspire some to pursue a career in art as well.
Using a purge dam to cut welding time for UHP applications
- By Eric Lundin
- Nov 4, 2015
- Arc Welding
- Article
In welding high-purity and ultrahigh-purity piping systems, quite a bit of the welder’s time is idle, time spent waiting for the purge system to remove the oxygen from the system. Most purge dams mark or scratch the pipe’s ID, neither of which is acceptable on HP and UHP systems. This led to the development of a purge dam specifically for these applications.
Custom-made tube bender handles challenging shapes, eliminates scrap
- By Eric Lundin
- Nov 2, 2015
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Exercise equipment manufacturer Cybex International makes workout machines with tubular frames from parts it bends in-house. The company has quite a bit of bending expertise, but one problem it couldn’t resolve was the bending of short lengths. A custom-made bender from Unison provided Cybex with the capability it needed.
Small-scale laser cutting for stent, tube fabrication
- By Eric Lundin
- Oct 27, 2015
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Metal fabricators have been using CO2 lasers for decades and fiber lasers for years, but these technologies aren’t optimal for making the ultrafine features needed for medical devices such as catheters and stents. Femtosecond disk lasers recently have emerged as a viable technology for such applications.
A little fabricator grows up
- By Eric Lundin
- Sep 2, 2015
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Under the stewardship of founders Larry and Gloria Dlouhy, Superior Tube Products grew from a small proprietorship into a midsized fabricator. It is entering its 25th year in business with a new management style, a new strategy, and a new outlook on the future.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
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