Article
August 8, 2006
A breath of fresh air
Ten years ago laser cutting offered a distinctive advantage to those who invested in the technology. For the most part, successful laser cutting required gas, optics, and patience. The decade has brought many changes to laser cutting, including higher power levels and faster drive... Read more...
Article
November 8, 2004
Having a safe office party
Editor's Note: Originally published on December 11, 2003. It's that time of year when companies celebrate the holidays. Whether the celebration involves a lavish holiday party held off-site or a casual get-together in the office, both party organizers and attendees should follow safe... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2004
US. DOC Offers Export Assistance
Editor's Note: This article—a companion piece to Goin' Global , which appeared in the March 2004 issue of The FABRICATOR® magazine and is reprinted on thefabricator.com—lists some of the export assistance available from the U.S. Department of Commerce . Market Research... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2004
New Features in Coil-to-Coil Slitters
Productivity is at the forefront for equipment builders today because their customers demand it, and processing margins for users of coil processing equipment haven't changed from years ago. For a company to be profitable, its equipment has to produce more. It's that simple. To accommodate the... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2004
Goin' Global
Welding photo courtesy of Fronius Intl. GmbH, Austria. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), the U.S. trade deficit for the 12-month period from December 2002 to November 2003 was $489.1 billion.... Read more...
Article
February 26, 2004
Selecting the right tungsten
But this isn't as true anymore, as the welding industry has shifted toward using inverter-based AC GTAW machines that incorporate square wave technology. Selecting the right tungsten becomes an increasingly critical issue with inverter technology to maximize its benefits. In the past pure... Read more...
Article
February 26, 2004
Three optional techniques for beveling
All of these methods generate no dust or fumes and produce paintable edges without distortion or a heat-affected zone (HAZ). Finished edges have consistent angles along the bevel's entire length. Punch and Nibble Method Punch and nibble-style bevelers are portable power tools... Read more...
Article
February 12, 2004
Gaining from friction and formability data
Figure 1 Business owners now are paying closer attention to forming lubricants. Why? Because new data has linked lubricants to an important driver of business profits—steel efficiency. With metal representing close to half of a company's total operating cost and manufacturing... Read more...
Article
February 12, 2004
Selecting a stamping die pressure system, Part II
Selecting a stamping die's pressure system can be a critical decision. Many questions must be answered to determine what type of pressure system best suits your application. This article is Part II of a two-part series that focuses on the different systems available, as well as the advantages... Read more...
Article
January 29, 2004
Occupational injury and illness statistics
Statistics also were reported for cases that resulted in days away from work, a job transfer, or restriction and are grouped in two categories: those requiring at least one day away from work, with or without job transfer or restricted activity, and those requiring job transfer or... Read more...
Article
January 13, 2004
Troubleshooting compression bending
Most compression bending problems are one of three types: Flattening or collapsing on the outside of the bend. Crimping or wrinkling on the inside of the bend. Dimpling on the inside of bend. Generally you can prevent these problems by implementing these standard solutions:... Read more...
Article
January 13, 2004
Rolling bolsters bolster productivity
Shown out of the press, the guided wheels on this 120,000-pound rigid chain rolling bolster are evident on the front face of the bolster. One element of changing dies in stamping presses quickly and efficiently is the use of a rolling bolster. With this equipment, the operator rolls... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2003
Selecting a stamping die pressure system, Part I
Selecting the stamping die's pressure system can be a critical decision. Many questions must be answered to determine what type of pressure system best suits your application. Controlling Factors 1. Pressure requirements Simple conventional metal cutting dies, such as those used in blanking... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2003
Finding and creating value in your stamping operation
Their focus on time requires that material flow smoothly through the production processes in concert with sales orders, raw materials, and purchased parts. It also requires smaller production batch sizes. Most important, these companies have learned that the greatest waste and excess... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2003
Taking tubular aluminum scaffolding to new heights
Photo courtesy of Fred R. Tannery Photography, Brooklyn, N.Y. Universal Builders Supply, a temporary-structures company with headquarters in Mount Vernon, N.Y., designs and constructs scaffolding, hoisting, and platforms—big ones. It was the company's proposal for a unique... Read more...
Article
November 20, 2003
Workers' compensation—Managing the process
Editor's note: Portions of this article were published previously in an issue of FMA/TPA "Member Connections." State workers' compensation laws were enacted to ensure that covered employees who are injured on the job are provided with monetary benefits to cover medical expenses and to... Read more...
Article
November 20, 2003
Handling appliance steel
As appliance manufacturers strive to reduce costs and streamline production processes, additional pressure is placed on coil processing to produce high-quality, surface-sensitive materials. These materials include pre-painted steel products and decorative metals such as stainless steel,... Read more...
Article
October 23, 2003
Blast Cleaning Equipment: What you need to know before buying
Many options are available that can achieve the necessary prefinish requirements of any part. Of those options, blast cleaning can be an efficient and economical choice. Blast cleaning requires no chemicals and does not remove any surface metal in its process. Some facts however, should be... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2003
Combating plate corrosion
According to a recent study sponsored by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)1, with support from NACE International—The Corrosion Society, corrosion-related direct costs such as prevention methods and infrastructure repair and replacement make up 3.1 percent of the gross... Read more...
Article
September 25, 2003
Choosing a GMAW machine for occasional aluminum welding
I want to buy a small gas metal arc welding (GMAW) machine, preferably one that runs from 120-V input power. Most of my welding will be steel, but I would like to weld aluminum occasionally. Can these machines really weld aluminum? I've heard a lot of different opinions. Some companies claim... Read more...
Article
September 25, 2003
Getting a handle on work-related hand injuries
Of the 3.6 million work-related injuries treated annually in emergency rooms across the U.S., hands and fingers are the most commonly treated body parts, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90 percent of all acute injuries in the workplace are... Read more...
Article
August 28, 2003
Safety pays
Now more than ever, fabricators must believe that safety pays . It pays to make safety a high priority, to invest in safety training, and to provide a safe workplace. The pressure to reduce costs during this very competitive time is great, but it is imperative that owners and managers... Read more...
Article
July 24, 2003
Tuning a piano—making the most of your best resources
Editor's Note: Is your company in survival mode? There are questions you should be asking and steps you can take to improve your company's position—instead of shooting the pianist. Ever listen to someone playing a piano that's out of tune? Remember the sound? Completely sour.... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2003
Six dangerous misconceptions about crane safety
Nearly every product today has a warning label. In fact, many products have multiple warning labels, lights, and bells. We even have warnings telling us our coffee is hot! It's little wonder, then, that many of us suffer from warning overload and just ignore the warnings. Unfortunately,... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2003
Article
June 26, 2003
The Bold in Arches
Texans will remind you that things are bigger in Texas, and the Dallas Convention Center is just another example, as this computer drawing shows. Two 860-ton roof truss assemblies, fabricated from large-diameter pipe, make it possible for Dallas to boast that it currently has... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
The little-known life of the scarfing tool
Just kidding, but I'm sure you get my point. Scarfing tools are pretty boring compared to the greater issues we face since 9/11. I pray for world peace right there with anybody who will listen. But then again, I've been asked many times why tools don't last or why they break after only a short... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Dealing with internal pressure in free hydraulic bulging
Finite element analysis (FEA) is a numerical process that treats a single item, such as a metal tube, as a large number of small, individual components, or finite elements. It performs calculations on each of the elements and uses the result to predict the deformation behavior... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Dieless NC forming
Figure 1 The principles of dieless forming are demonstrated on a three-axis CNC machine. Source Amino Corp. Editor's Note: This column was prepared by the staff of the Engineering Research Center for Net Shape Manufacturing (ERC/ NSM), The Ohio State University, Professor Taylan... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Handling the rush
Photo courtesy of Hanna Steel Corp., Fairfield, Ala.
Think delicate: an antique vase, velvet gloves, the sweet sound of string music.
Then imagine a typical stamping operation: bam-bam, metal on metal, all day long.
OK, now put those two together. Voil—you've... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Roll form tooling tryout and troubleshooting
The 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. Such an approach comprises five steps: Designing the roll tooling... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Spinning your wheels?
Grinding wheels, rocks, stones—what's the difference? Grinding 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. This myth, or misconception, has led people to become... Read more...
Article
May 15, 2003
Overcoming organizational paralysis
What if you were powerless or incapable of moving? Wouldn't it be awful if you found yourself in a situation in which you knew you had all the appropriate limbs, plus the desire for movement, but still couldn't move? Paralysis is not something any of us wants to experience or even think... Read more...
Article
July 12, 2002
It happens 'under the hood'
Object Rick Walsh doesn't have a degree in landscape architecture, but he builds water gardens. He doesn't have a degree in art, but he sculpts metal. He has no formal training in welding, but welds all his sculptures. And for years people have been paying him a lot of money to create his... Read more...
Article
February 19, 2002
High-speed feeding techniques
The maximum operating speed of a stamping operation should be limited, in theory, only by the maximum number of strokes per minute (SPM) that the press can achieve. In reality, production speed is limited by other factors as well. For instance:
1. The uncoiler may not unwind... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
Pairing a servo feed with a pull-through straightener
Servo feeds have been in use for many years now. People have become comfortable with this technology and it is becoming commonplace. What is not commonplace is the knowledge that servo feeds can be used with pull-through straighteners as opposed to a conventional feed line that uses a... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
Hydraulic workholding from scratch
Hydraulic clamps can be used in place of manual or toggle clamps to hold a workpiece or tool in place during stamping. The foundation for effective hydraulic workholding is built on component selection and system connection. Whether the system is simple or complex, the job at hand basic... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
When sparks fly ...
While an arc welding unit was being used on the second floor in a Kaukauna, Wisconsin, warehouse, sparks dropped through an opening to cardboard boxes below, igniting the boxes. There was no fire watch on the first floor, and when the fire was discovered 15 minutes later, employees could... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Maximizing your scrap's value
Scrap, an often annoying byproduct for metal fabricators, is raw material for scrap metal recyclers. Just as you closely watch the quality of your incoming raw materials, scrap recyclers watch the quality of their incoming raw materials. The more uniform and free of contaminants the scrap... Read more...
Article
November 15, 2001
Article
November 15, 2001
Is robotic welding right for you?
Recent shortages of trained labor, combined with advances in technology, present a convincing argument to introduce robotic welding to many factory and job shop operations. When a fabricating company already operating at its highest production capacity gets a bigger contract, it is... Read more...
Article
November 15, 2001
Article
October 25, 2001
Comparing single-cut and dimple-free tube mill cutoffs
This article covers the application of single-cut and dimple-free cutoff shear technologies as they are applied to contemporary high-speed tube mills. A single-cut die set is a unit composed of an upper shoe and a lower shoe in which a single severing blade and tube supporting jaws are... Read more...
Article
October 25, 2001
Common barricades on the road to lean
Shops trying to create a lean manufacturing environment within their businesses sometimes make common mistakes that could be avoided with forethought and a little knowledge of the pitfalls faced by lean pioneers past. Self-imposed Inflexibility Job shops, make-to-order shops, and... Read more...
Article
October 11, 2001
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October 11, 2001
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October 11, 2001
Interaction of chemicals used in forming and fabricating
Lubricants, coolants, corrosion inhibitors, cleaners, coatings, fluxes, and other chemicals all are used-and thus intermixed-in metal manufacturing, forming, fabrication, welding, and finishing. As a result, as manufacturers become more conscious of quality, safety, productivity, and disposal... Read more...
Article
September 17, 2001
Making seamless tubing with a floating mandrel mill
Every six seconds, a single, 32-foot length of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) production tubing used in the exploration and production of oil and/or gas is produced. More than 20,000 miles of tubular product a year can be produced using the floating mandrel mill seamless tubular production... Read more...
Article
September 17, 2001
Welding exhaust system components
In the field of automobile exhaust systems, such components as manifolds, pipes, catalytic converters, and mufflers are joined either by the car manufacturer or by a subcontractor to form a subassembly ready for attachment. Today, large numbers of these components are welded with a laser.... Read more...
Article
September 13, 2001
Selecting the right materials for roll forming—Part 2
Alloyed Steel In addition to carbon, large varieties of metallic and nonmetallic elements are used to achieve the desired mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The most frequently used alloying elements are manganese, cobalt, chromium, copper, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, zirconium,... Read more...
Article
September 4, 2001
Skiving strip edges for tube and pipe producing
Edge treatment of coil strip before it enters a tube and pipe mill, called skiving, is a rapidly advancing technology. Improving the coil edge before it is welded helps increase the quality of the seam join and helps prevent rejected tube or pipe. Traditional Skiving Equipment Edge skiving to... Read more...
Article
August 16, 2001
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August 16, 2001
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July 26, 2001
How to avoid getting burned by hot work
Hot work can have disastrous results in a myriad of situations: At a metal processing plant, sheet steel became jammed in a tempering mill. An operator began using a cutting torch to remove the steel. Hot slag from the torch ignited oil deposits and oil-soaked paper towels lying around... Read more...
Article
July 26, 2001
Article
July 12, 2001
The growing use of orbital tube welding
This trend is due partly to orbital welding's capability to make an entrapment-free, permanent connection that is highly resistant to vibration. This makes it a good choice for joints that are not intended to be disassembled in the future. However, the appeal of orbital welding also is due to... Read more...
Article
July 12, 2001
Turning up the power
Industry trends indicate that metal fabricators increasingly are selecting higher-power lasers for cutting applications. Two years ago, the most common power levels ranged between 1,500 and 2,000 watts. However, a statistical survey conducted by the AMT Laser System Product Group indicates a... Read more...
Article
June 15, 2001
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June 15, 2001
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May 30, 2001
Key design principles for successful deep drawing
Successful deep drawing depends on many factors. Ignoring even one of them during die design and build can prove disastrous. However, regardless of the many factors involved, the most important element to a successful deep drawing operation is initiating metal flow. The following are key... Read more...
Article
May 30, 2001
Protecting dies against press system faults
Mechanical switches and grounding switches were among the first devices to be used for automated die protection. Early sensing systems based on mechanical switches simply opened the top stop circuit of a press when a fault was detected. These systems, however, offered no protection from faulty... Read more...
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February 19, 2001
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February 19, 2001
