Zinc, which has been used to hot-dip-galvanize steel for 250 years, provides 50 to 75 years of corrosion protection in many environments. Empirical data collected about hot-dip galvanized (HDG) steel field performance from 1940 to 1980—in environments ranging from industrial to marine to suburban—indicates that zinc can prevent base steel corrosion more than other surface treatments. Because of zinc's long-lasting protection, projects require no maintenance and therefore no maintenance costs.

Many alloys—stainless steels, HASTELLOY®, INCONEL®, INCOLOY®, MONEL®, duplex and superduplex alloys—are similar in appearance and easily mixed up after mill test reports (MTRs) and heat stamps are removed in material processing. These mix-ups can have serious consequences to the end user, including product rework, factory downtime, or premature product failure. A single mistake may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in materials and labor to correct. In addition, any loss of consumer confidence resulting from shipping incorrect material carries incalculable costs.

Lean manufacturing is more than a buzzword. It is key to improving a company's floor performance, customer responsiveness, and, ultimately, its bottom line. Yet few manufacturers truly understand what it takes to implement the concept.

Equipment leasing—an arrangement in which a business pays for the use of equipment but does not own it—is growing in popularity for many reasons. Benefits of leasing include flexibility, convenience, and protection from having to be responsible for equipment obsolescence.

Today's job shop market is characterized by unrelenting competitive pressure for laser processing services. Job shops are expanding into niche services such as multiaxis laser processing and thick plate applications to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Others are performing additional services such as forming, welding, painting, and assembly to add value.

Welding around any kind of circular piece can be a challenge. To make a fillet weld in the horizontal position, you will have to maneuver around the workbench, maintaining a constant arc if you wish to make a continuous weld. This type of work may be acceptable if you need only a few pieces, but can become tedious on production runs. One solution is to rotate the workpiece past the welding arc with a rotating welding positioner, such as a small- to medium-size benchtop machine.