Spanish
November 12, 2009
Láser y chorro de agua: ¿amigos o enemigos?
Figura 1
Las partes de muestra en tres espesores y dos materiales demuestran las diferencias entre el corte con un láser (izquierda) y con un chorro de agua (derecha). Los espesores de las partes, de arriba a abajo, son 0.125 pulg., 0.5 pulg., y 0.75 pulg. Los materiales son acero... Read more...
Article
January 27, 2009
Laser and waterjet: friends or foes?
Fabrication has long been a cornerstone of U.S. manufacturing. It plays a central role, providing components and subassemblies to other manufacturing sectors, such as aerospace, appliance, and automotive. Significant advancements in metalworking equipment, materials, and applications have... Read more...
Article
June 14, 2005
The blades of Don Fogg—a cut above
This 11.375-in. blade was forged from 1095 steel; the habaki* is made from 40 percent shibuichi, gold-plated nickel silver seppa, and Damascus tsuba. *See glossary at the end of the article for swordsmithing terms. Photo courtesy of Don Fogg. What is it about forged and polished steel... Read more...
Article
June 8, 2004
Selecting a shielding gas for joining stainless steel
The use of stainless steel has grown significantly over the past decade in North America. As its use has grown, so has the number of different consumables required to join it. Because stainless steels are used in applications that are different from carbon steels, it follows that their... 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
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
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
January 13, 2004
Hydroforming heats up
Hydroforming at Higher Temperatures The majority of hydroforming knowledge is based on steel. Steel's characteristics make it a favorable choice for many products, and steel has been the dominant material in many industries, especially automotive, for decades. Lately, though, hydroformers are... Read more...
Article
January 13, 2004
One system does not fit all
Breathing is something that many of us take for granted. Most don't give it a second thought—you inhale, you exhale. That's about it. But recently, and not just in manufacturing, the trend has been for employers to install better ventilation systems and provide better air... 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
December 11, 2003
Family business going strong after 100 years
Editor's Note: The Peddinghaus Corporation, featured in this article, is the longest-standing active member of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl.® (FMA), the company behind thefabricator.com. FMA and thefabricator.com salute Peddinghaus and wish the company continued... 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
Tube Hydroforming Design Flexibility—Part IV
Material selection is a very important aspect of design flexibility when striving to fulfill part functionality requirements. Choosing the correct material is fundamental to making the part effectively and efficiently.
The way a material is formed and the conditions it needs to withstand for... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2003
Investing in lubricants
Raw materials and overhead account for 75 percent (see Figure 1) of an average metal forming company's total operating cost. Improving these two areas can make the biggest impact on your bottom line. But what if you've optimized your material costs by paying the lowest price for your... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2003
Making steels stronger
As we get into modifying a steel's strength and hardness, keep a couple things in mind. First, don't confuse hardness with hardenability. A steel's maximum hardness is a function of its carbon content: more carbon, more hardness. Hardenability, on the other hand, refers to the amount of... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2003
Predicting springback in air bending, straight flanging
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 Altan, director. Air bending and straight flanging are the most prevalent types of bending in sheet metal forming.... Read more...
Article
October 9, 2003
Eliminating final trim shearing of hydroformed tube
An alternative to trimming a tube to establish tube length is to form the tube in the preform operation to a geometry that is close to the final product and to seal it during hydroforming with caps that match its formed shape. Generally, a round tube is bent on a rotary draw bender... 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
Article
September 25, 2003
The wrinkle-wiper for tube bends
Figure 1 Here's a quick quiz for you to take: What "wipes" the wrinkles from the bend in a tube and is one of the five pieces of tooling in a die set? If you guessed wiper die, you're right. A piece of tooling used to keep the inside bend of a tube from wrinkling, a wiper die... Read more...
Article
September 25, 2003
Roll formers look for a win
Many systems enable users to download a DXF drawing directly into the roll forming line's computer. Not everyone can be the New York Yankees, or even the roll forming version—especially in today's economic climate. It would be nice, though. The Bronx Bombers have used a fat wallet... 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
Washington women weld at the 'Y'
It's a drizzly, blustery Pacific Northwest morning in November with the gray light of dawn coming up behind the Cascade Mountain Range. Crew Leader Cheryl Boxx, clad in Carhartts®, squares her hard hat in place and begins checking scaffolds, rigging, welding equipment, and her... Read more...
Article
August 28, 2003
Considering thermal processes for dissimilar metals
This joint has dual characteristics—a brazed joint on the steel side and a welded joint on the aluminum side. A reliable method of joining the two most commonly used metals, steel and aluminum, would make it possible to make these joints in several applications. On one hand,... Read more...
Article
July 24, 2003
Improving blank edge conditions
Blanking—like piercing, parting, notching, and trimming—basically is a shearing process. Sheet metal that is sheared undergoes a predictable process and yields a predictable cross-sectional profile. Typically during shearing, as the punch initially engages the sheet metal, it... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2003
Hot spots for U.S. metal fabricated exports
Canada is a virtual U.S. export paradise. It is, by far, the leading importer of U.S. exports in the categories reviewed by The FABRICATOR® staff. In some cases, Canada outspent the second-place export purchaser, Mexico, by 10 to 1. Some surprising newcomers have been added to... Read more...
Article
July 10, 2003
Article
June 26, 2003
Phases, structures, and the influences of temperature
But phase changes can take place in many metals while still in the solid state. These phase changes are directly related to temperature and take place in the metal's crystalline structure. And while temperature is what controls these transformations, stress, cooling rate, and alloy or chemical... Read more...
Article
June 26, 2003
Tooling tricks of the trade
Just make it work!" they scream. "I don't care how Just make it work!" As a tooling professional (whether you are a tool- and diemaker, engineer, press operator, or any other member of the team responsible for operating and maintaining that die), you quickly find that "making it work" is... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Stretching metal's forming limits with HSP lubricants
The trend in metal stamping is to use more and more aluminum and other lightweight materials, such as advanced high strength steel (AHSS). The need for technology to help improve metal flow of these materials in deep-drawing applications also is increasing. In many cases, a stamper's original... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Found art
Arnold's first job out of college was with the New Arts Foundry fabricating bronze statues. However, he quickly grew tired of following someone else's blueprints. A year later he landed a commission to design and fabricate 150 feet of ornamental iron railing for a private residence. After... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Designing high-strength steel stamped parts for formability
The problems associated with forming high-strength steel often are created during the design stage, when products are designed in such a way that they cannot be manufactured using conventional stamping methods. Or the product requires numerous or special offline operations, such as annealing or... Read more...
Article
June 12, 2003
Looking to the future
The decision to produce cut-to-length steel and blanks at the new plant arose from regional stampers' and other manufacturers' need for these products. Designing a Custom Facility Once committed to building a new plant in the Southeast, Thompson's management began planning the... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Job shop reduces costs, improves laser's output
The Laser Station regulator can be mounted to a secured surface to eliminate movement and potential leakage at the tubing connection.
Such multilevel capabilities enable a customer to reduce the number of vendors it needs, thereby lowering handling and administration... 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
Robots and dials and knobs—oh my!
It has been said that necessity is the mother of invention. You be the judge. In the late 1950s, the U.S. Navy wanted to find a way to join heavy aluminum structural sections used to fabricate motor torpedo boat hulls. Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) offered suitable process... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Predicting the service life of galvanized steel
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... Read more...
Article
May 29, 2003
Article
April 24, 2003
Welding cold-rolled steel to cast iron
Dear Elmer: Is there a way to weld 1018 cold-rolled steel to cast iron? If so, how? James Owings Mills, Md. Dear James: You can weld 1018 low-carbon steel to cast iron using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and a nickel-based ENiFe electrode. Clean the surfaces before you start.... Read more...
Article
April 10, 2003
Mixed Metals Reactions
Why, you may ask, would anyone want to start an uncontrolled chemical reaction that is really hard to stop? Well, our shop did not want to, but we did anyway, and I hope you learn from my lesson. Actually, they are lessons (plural) because we repeated the disaster twice, although with some... Read more...
Article
November 17, 2002
Secrets of Using GTAW for Tools and Dies
Tool and die welding can be a very lucrative service for a fab shop to offer. However, tool and die welders are a rare breed because of lack of knowledge about the process and the extra expense for a shop. Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) frequently is used for tool and die welding applications... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2002
Article
September 26, 2002
Canada sighs, strategizes
In a trade relationship with the U.S. defined more by cooperation than confrontation, Canada's steel and automotive industries felt little impact from the 30 percent tariff on steel imports imposed by President George W. Bush earlier this year. The exclusion of Canadian steel producers... Read more...
Article
August 8, 2002
Longer slabs, lower costs
When it comes to unshored steel floors in their buildings, structural design engineers are used to thinking about the world in certain lengths—typically 8 or 10 feet, maybe up to 15 ft., but rarely 20 ft., especially with steel. But that is just what Virginia Tech ( www.vt.edu ) Professor... Read more...
Article
April 15, 2002
Taking the pain out of paint - Finishing—Part 2
Editor's Note: This article is the second part of a two-part series about structural steel corrosion prevention. Part I , which appeared in the March issue, discussed surface preparation. Part II concerns paint application.
"How difficult can it be? It's just paint!" That sums... Read more...
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
March 13, 2002
Article
February 14, 2002
The new face of manufacturing on the Net
The other shoe started to drop for the First Wave of Internet start-ups nearly two years ago now, and keen observers could have forecasted much the same fate for first-mover Internet players in the manufacturing sector such as e-STEEL, Suppliermarket.com, Metfabcity, and aluminium.com.... Read more...
Article
January 10, 2002
Consolidation talk picks up speed
Seeing the U.S. integrated steel industry struggle through what is arguably its darkest hour is like watching a rowboat head for the falls: Almost everyone watching agrees on what needs to be done, but getting things turned around, they'll also agree, is nearly impossible. Legacy Costs So... Read more...
Article
January 10, 2002
Article
January 10, 2002
Metals outlook mixed
As the U.S. economy continues to slow, steel and aluminum producers are looking for the bottom of the market. While gross domestic product (GDP) growth was exhilarating in recent years, we all knew it was unsustainable, and market results are bearing out those fears. However, low commodity... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
Punching tips
I used to listen to an eight-track tape of Buffalo Springfield while I ran a kick punch. If you've never seen a kick punch, it basically is a lever-operated C-frame press. You cause the punch tip to lower by pushing a pedal forward with your foot.
I remember running a job on some 16-gauge... Read more...
Article
December 13, 2001
Keeping pace with today's punching requirements
Figure 1 The punch, die, and stripper's function still is to punch holes that are a specific size and shape into sheet metal in a specific location. The quest for accurately punched holes, top-quality piece parts, and long tool life can be a positive experience when you consider your... Read more...
Article
December 11, 2001
Cutting through the obstacles
Of all the materials that can be cut on industrial band saw machines, structural steels—such as pipe and tubing, plate, angle and channel iron, and I beams—are among the most common and challenging. The challenges often arise when a blade encounters changes in the cross... Read more...
Article
November 29, 2001
Tooling, the key for mill production
One of the most important lessons any successful tube mill producer learns is that high-quality tooling is mandatory to achieving and sustaining top-grade production values. To put it simply, tooling is to a tube mill as an engine is to an automobile: You can't get where you need to go without... 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 29, 2001
Making the most of the daily grind
The design and production of abrasives have kept pace with other advances in the welding industry, making grinding and finishing products more effective than ever in helping fabricators to lower costs and improve productivity. Grinding equipment and accessories for this industry are available... Read more...
Article
November 15, 2001
Article
November 15, 2001
Article
November 15, 2001
Using hydroforming aluminum components versus steel stampings
As the name implies, hydroforming is a metal forming process that uses water as a forming medium. In the case of tube hydroforming, a tubular workpiece is placed between two mating die halves. The tube is sealed, normally by metal mandrels inserted under pressure in each end of the tube. Water... Read more...
Article
October 25, 2001
Article
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 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
Changing the way they do business
Dealing with work loads, delivery schedules, and many other responsibilities doesn't leave managers with much time to consider factors that justify equipment improvements. Often this means ideas for improvements get shelved. However, fabricators who want to improve production and... Read more...
Article
September 4, 2001
Exploring complementary cutting methods
Diversification is the linchpin of running a successful business. The key to producing quality work and investing in equipment wisely is knowing which cutting method—laser, plasma, electrical discharge machining, waterjet, or another—to use for a particular application. While... Read more...
Article
August 16, 2001
Sharpening for a longer life
Taking a little extra time when performing routine maintenance on your stamping tools can produce big dividends in tool life and reliability. Production stamping tools typically use hardened tool steel insert components, such as punches, matrixes, and die steels, to perform cutting,... Read more...
Article
August 16, 2001
Article
July 26, 2001
Article
July 26, 2001
Article
July 12, 2001
Examining the GTAW environment
Possibly the greatest development of the last decade was increased awareness of environmental and health concerns, which in the welding industry has prompted improvements in air quality, ergonomic workstations, and decreased exposure to materials deemed harmful to health. It is important... Read more...
Article
July 12, 2001
Laser welding of stainless pressure tubes
The vast majority of welded stainless steel pressure tubing is produced with the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. This process often is referred to as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. However, with the recent advent of reliable, high-power laser power sources, the laser beam... 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
July 12, 2001
Article
June 15, 2001
Article
June 6, 2001
Protecting surface-sensitive materials in coil processing
In today's world of metal fabricating, reducing the number of steps in the production process is an ever-increasing trend. Fabricators are becoming more efficient by: Feeding production lines with materials that have been slit to the proper finished dimension. Feeding production lines with... Read more...
Article
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
Discovering the limits of press brake tooling
One of the most important aspects of press brake forming is tooling selection. What are the tools capable of? What kinds of loads can they withstand?
Figure 1:
A standard straight press brake punch withstands more tonnage per foot than the press brake itself withstands.... Read more...
Article
May 30, 2001
Article
April 24, 2001
Article
April 24, 2001
Article
April 24, 2001
Predicting the outcomes of laser thermal forming
Applying a laser or any other high-density heat source to the surface of a metal sheet for a short time will distort the metal. If this distortion could be predicted, the laser could be directed so that the sheet metal would form the desired shape. This idea opens up many possibilities,... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2001
Article
March 5, 2001
Article
February 19, 2001
Article
February 19, 2001
Article
February 19, 2001
Article
February 19, 2001
Cutting die-related costs: Where to look to save money
I want it cheaper. I want it better. I want it faster, preferably yesterday. The pace of business in the metal stamping industry continues to escalate. And the trend is not going to reverse. Balancing cost against quality and time can be a real challenge. Add to that the pressures of... Read more...
Article
February 19, 2001
