Content tagged with "plate"
Results: 30
Article
February 10, 2009
New dimension, familiar direction
H.W. Metals processes high-strength steel for many different applications, including transportation equipment manufacturing. H.W. Metals, Tualatin, Ore., processes high-strength steel for transportation equipment manufacturers and other applications. The company began operating in 1979 as... Read more...
Article
January 27, 2009
Don't rule out plasma for cutting aluminum
Plasma cutting isn't new. But like any technology, it has its share of new developments. In any discussion about how to cut metal, it's right up there with laser and waterjet. The technology gets a bad rap, though, when the discussion turns to cutting aluminum.
Plasma cutting has been... Read more...
Article
June 17, 2008
One nesting software for all
Nests such as this are now possible for Maurer Manufacturing with ProNest software from MTC Software. The trailer fabricator uses the program to nest parts for both its Alltra plasma cutting table and Cincinnati laser cutting machine. "All for one, and one nesting software for all." That's... Read more...
Article
May 13, 2008
New roll bender 'bales' out farm implement manufacturer
Powder River added tooling that helps feed and square sheet before it enters the three-roll bender. Hugo Hernandez and his shop floor team weren't horsing around on the shop floor, but it sure did take them more time than it should have to bend 14-gauge sheet for a horse feeder. The round... Read more...
Article
April 15, 2008
Curving out a niche
In celebration of its 50th anniversary in April 2005, McDonald's® opened a 24,000-square-foot restaurant in Chicago. The fast-food chain wanted to highlight both its past and its future, and to that end the restaurant features the red and white colors of founder Ray Kroc's first building,... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2007
Getting into the thick of high-powered lasers
Figure 1 High-powered resonators have made laser cutting a suitable technology choice for processing thick plate. Laser cutting originated for processing of sheet materials, but new, high-powered lasers, capable of processing heavier-gauge and plate materials, are moving lasers into the... Read more...
Article
September 11, 2007
Fabrication in transition
Arcadia's five-axis waterjet cutting machine allowed the company to provide a service that other nearby metal supply houses didn't offer. As a result, the company developed a reputation as a fabricator of large, 3-D stainless steel and aluminum parts. Which comes first—the purchase... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2007
Taking waste off the plate
George Conner, a C&S machine operator, nests plates and performs numerous other shape-cutting functions right at the cutting machine on the shop floor. Many fabricating operations now use offline programming centers for parts design and plate nesting. In fact, many of those same companies... Read more...
Article
April 10, 2007
Pipe fabricator saves big time with big bends
A four-roll bender carries a higher price tag than most three-roll benders, but it might be the easiest to operate because the material fed into the machine is clamped during the squaring process and held during the entire rolling operation. Photo courtesy of Bertsch. Tom Mooney, the... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2007
Up with energy prices and wind towers
The recent surges in gasoline and natural gas prices have reawakened many Americans' interest in alternative energy resources. Aerisyn LLC, a metal fabricator, faced the energy challenge head-on by opening a new wind tower manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., in August 2005. It had... Read more...
Article
February 13, 2007
Big shoulders, long strides
Jeff Hansen, Dave Hansen, Cathy Hansen, and Mike Hansen (left to right) are equal partners in Hansen Steel Services. About 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Hansen Steel Services employees wear T-shirts imprinted with the company's Viking logo—a... Read more...
Article
February 13, 2007
Pressure to perform
Like many large fabricators today, Ward Tank and Heat Exchanger Corp., Charlotte, N.C., has struggled to attract qualified welding operators to fabricate large pressure vessels, one of the company's principal products. The vessels are used to contain various chemicals, solvents, and raw... Read more...
Article
December 12, 2006
High-powered lasers take a bite out of plate
The "more is better" mentality has been ingrained into the American culture for many years now. Sometimes this is not a good thing. However, as it relates to laser cutting, the "more is better" mentality has proven to be a success.
Since 1958, when Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Better cuts with plasma
The cutting torch on the VICON Elite plasma cutting system travels 1,500 to 2,000 IPM when cutting thin- gauge steel sheet. One job, that's all it took to change the fortunes of one company. Keller & Son Industrial Contractors Inc., Spartanburg, S.C., used to work out of a 5,000-square-foot... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Fabricator finds tubular niche
Although Illinois is known primarily for its fertile fields and agricultural output, it's home to many manufacturing companies too. John Deere incorporated Deere & Co. in Moline. DaimlerChysler manufactures automobiles in Belvidere. Caterpiller's worldwide headquarters is in Peoria. Where... Read more...
Article
July 11, 2006
Cracking the case
It's important to consider ways to make any welding process more efficient and effective. Welding abrasion-resistant plate, commonly known as AR plate, is no exception. Taking certain precautions and choosing the most appropriate filler metal for your application—whether you're... Read more...
Article
May 9, 2006
Optimizing flow through robotic welding workcells
Figure 1
One of the new CNH systems welds on a loader chassis. Veteran industrial robotic user Case New Holland (CNH), Fargo, N.D., recently installed three robotic welding systems. Each system consists of an inverted robot on a large, three-axis traveling column and two... Read more...
Article
May 9, 2006
Metal fabricating in a new millennium
"What I wanted to do in Millennium Park is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline ... so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will... Read more...
Article
April 11, 2006
Roll bending a wind tower with a three-roll bender
The U.S wind industry ended its most productive year in 2005, installing nearly 2,500 MW, or more than $3 billion worth of new generating equipment in 22 states, according to the Washington, D.C.-based American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). There are now commercial wind turbine... Read more...
Article
February 7, 2006
Article
July 13, 2004
Pushing plate processing productivity
An infinite-rotation compound-skew-axis manipulator with a plasma torch allows automated contour bevel cutting of mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. Maximizing productivity. Making more with less. You hear about it almost every day. Productivity improvements are what saved... Read more...
Article
June 8, 2004
Plasma pleases plenty
In case you missed it, check out this excerpt from the article "National research programs explore plate welding for shipbuilding" in the March 2004 issue of The FABRICATOR®: One project objective is to introduce laser cutting technology—which is already being used to cut sheet... Read more...
Article
May 4, 2004
Pursuing a plate-cutting saw
Metal Cutting Service's custom-made saw has a built-in laser that aids setup. The nature of the company's business shifted substantially during the 1990s. To adjust to the changes, Viel recognized that the company would need to research, specify, and purchase a new saw. He also... Read more...
Article
August 14, 2003
Article
July 10, 2003
Article
March 14, 2002
How important is sheet and plate steel flatness?
Figure 1
Hot-rolled sheet coils generally reveal some or all symptoms of poor flatness.
Steel has the tendency to cling to its original shape and molecular composition. Why? Because it was given a unique configuration when it was rolled, cooled, and coiled at the steel mill.
In... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Gettin' down with downtime
The pressures of increased competition and the need for stampers to stay competitive affect every aspect of their operations. One of the key ways stampers can create an efficient and cost-effective operation is to reduce downtime on the shop floor. One of the principal causes of downtime... Read more...
Article
September 4, 2001
Putting a spark into cutting productivity
Figure 1 There are many ways to cut sheet, plate, tubing, and structural shapes, ranging from a hand hacksaw to power shears and lasers. The best choice depends on the situation at hand, but the goal always is to achieve the best cost, quality, and schedule results. While... 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
March 5, 2001
Didn't find what you were looking for? Try our search page to refine your results
