Plasma pleases plentyTechnological developments in lasers are positioning them as an attractive alternative to plasma. But fabricators are still sticking with plasma cutting for many applications where speed and cost-effective operation are concerns.
|
|
Your best safety resource: The FMA/CNA Safety CommitteeDo you know the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International™ (FMA)/CNA Safety Committee? If not, you should. They're an excellent resource for guidance on workplace safety issues. And they're the force behind the safety focus on thefabricator.com.
|
|
Six dangerous misconceptions about crane safety: Knowing the facts could save your lifeKnowing how cranes should be used, and how they should not be used, is critical to crane safety. Overload, side pull, limit switches, secondary braking devices, using the reverse direction for speed control, and daily inspections are surrounded by myth and mystery in the workplace.
|
|
Gear up for welding |
|
Safeguarding machines with an ergonomic spin: The importance of human factors in indstrial safety standardsHuman factors contain elements of psychology, engineering, statistics, and observation. Safety codes and standards often are written based on some aspect of human factors, and it may be critical to have a full understanding of the human factors behind the code or standard before applying the same concept to other equipment.
|
|
Implementing open-book management: A management philosophy for surviving the global economyToday global competitors are literally willing to work for food. U.S. workers want a car, a home, and a college education for their kids in addition to their meals. Reducing pay and eliminating benefits is not an answer for anything but a lower standard of living. The challenge is not reducing compensation but rather dramatically improving productivity. Making owners out of employees is the ticket to that productivity. Open Book Management is a philosophy—a value system.
|
|
Maximizing a coil fed press: Variables that influence production speed, setupCoil-fed stamping presses are nothing new, but coil feeding processes have changed a lot since the days when press feeders were driven mechanically by crank motion. Influencing these processes are differences between transfer and progressive tooling.
|
|
Taking the heat, keeping the current: Heat sinks provide thermal conductivity, electrical isolation |
|
Virtual tryout: Simulation software simplifies progressive die troubleshooting |
|
Do you use checking jigs and fixtures?: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cureHow do you check tube fabrications to ensure they meet quality standards? Do you ship parts without checking them and hope that the next time the phone rings it isn't a prelude to a tirade from a disgruntled customer? Or do you check finished parts only to realize that your scrap rate is too high and wish you had checked them at earlier stages of the manufacturing process?
|
|
The Bold in Arches: Pipe fabricator uses induction bending to create roof truss assembliesThe phraseobstructed viewis probably most connected with older sports stadiums. For example, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, depending on where your seat is, watching Sammy Sosa in action in right field might be replaced by a view of a rusting steel girder.
|
|
Solving the mysteries of the fin pass—Part 2Editor's Note: This article is the second part of a two-part series about fin passes. Part I, which appeared in the March issue, discussed their location, what they do, and how they do it. Part II focuses on troubleshooting.
|
|
Roll form tooling tryout and troubleshooting: Taking a five-step approachThe secret to developing successful roll tooling—whether for tube production or roll forming—and achieving maximum roll integrity is a simple but often overlooked notion: a comprehensive approach.
|
|
Reviving the past: Welding students restore ironwork to Victorian-era YMCA building |
|
Don't be a hot dog with heating heads: Tips for safe useSome call them rosebuds, others call them multiflame heating heads, and a few call them heat sticks. No matter what you call torch attachments, this article is a frank discussion about these tools that use oxygen and a fuel gas to make a lot of heat quickly. When used properly, they can make quick work of many heating jobs.
|
|
Spinning your wheels?: Separate grinding wheel facts from mythsGrinding wheels used in welding and fabrication are strong, tough tools, but many in the industry have called them "rocks" or "stones," implying that they're unbreakable.
|