FABTECH® 2018 recap—Day 3

Activity in the Viega booth at FABTECH 2018.

Today, Thursday, Nov. 8, was Day 3 and the last day of FABTECH® 2018. The even-year shows are three days long, and the odd-year shows, which are held in Chicago, are four. There are reasons for and pluses and minuses related to both formats. The Chicago shows tend to be larger, although those in the even years continue to grow in size and scope. This year’s show is the largest even-year event ever, with more square footage and attendees. (No, I don’t have the final count, but I do know that the pre-registration numbers were much higher than the 2016 show.)

From an editor’s perspective, the three-day shows can be more hectic than those that last four days. We often feel pressed to see as many exhibits in three days as we do in four. The FABRICATOR® and its sister publications had nine editors at the show, which is a tremendous benefit in terms of show coverage. You can expect to read about many highlights and observations in the official post-show wrap-up in the magazine and on-line in the coming weeks.

A First-time Exhibitor

My day began with a visit to the Viega booth. Founded in Germany in 1899 by Franz-Anselm Viegener, who created an innovative new design for a brass beer tap company began to manufacture home plumbing products in 1901 and continued to grow and expanding internationally in press technology during the last century. In 1999, through the purchase of an interest in a U.S. company, Viega expanded its product offering to North America. Today, its products are produced at six international locations and distributed worldwide.

Viega LLC, a privately held subsidiary headquartered near Denver in Broomfield,Colorado, manufactures and distributes plumbing, heating, and pipe-joining systems for customers in residential, commercial and industrial markets throughout North America.

In previous years, Viega products have had a presence at FABTECH in the RIDGID booth. Its fittings are designed for the RIDGID line of press tools. This year, the company had its own exhibit for the first time. Why? Because it wants to introduce its products and the technology to a greater audience. What purpose do they serve? They provide strong, effortless, quick connections to piping, something that often requires much time and skill when done by welding.

According to Products Manager Dominic Kung, this technology is relatively new to the fabricating market. It can replace welding or reduce the need for highly skilled welders by allowing quick welds to temporarily join pipe sections which then are joined permanently using the press tool and fitting. This technology is particularly useful for joining in hard-to-reach areas.

I watched as Kung demonstrated the process on small and large piping using appropriately sized fittings. Then, I tried my had at joining a tube to a “head” to produce a bottle opener. The pressing process was simple—position the two pieces together, pull the trigger on the press tool, and the pieces were permanently connected. It occurred to me that using this technology, I might be able to make certain plumbing repairs myself. It was that simple.

An Abrasive Line Start-up and More

My next visit was with Weldcote Metals. The Niles, Ill.-based company was showcasing its abrasive disc line and its low-manganese welding consumables. When asked what he would like me to focus on in my show recap, Joe O’Mera led me to the abrasive line. He then showed me a compact, ceramic c-prime plus compressed disc with a metal plate between each side. Made of polycotton, the disc is significantly more compact that traditional discs and is designed for extended life. It also has a unique shape that allows it to be used for both flat and angle grinding.

The company also has a disc designed specifically for aluminum that addresses the problem of aluminum bits “gumming up the works.” That is my own technical jargon, based on my understanding. Don’t take it to the bank.

Big Blue

Miller Electric Mfg. and its partners, Hobart, Bernard, and Tregaskiss, always bring a lot of technology to the show. Today, the spotlight was on the new Deltaweld® system, which is designed for markedly reduced setup time—14 minutes as compared to 3 hours with the old system—and provides a 28 percent wider operating window and a more forgiving arc.

Viega Products Manager Dominic Kung demonstrating the press technology on large pipe.

Also showcased was the Millermatic® 255 MIG/Pulsed MIG welding machine, which features easy set and recall of favorite weld settings, portability (weighs 84 lbs.), and EZ-Latch™ running gear.

Several new products displayed are not yet available, and news about them is embargoed until 2019. Be watching for press releases on thefabricator.com as they become available.

Visiting Friends

This was a bittersweet day for me. I am retiring at the end of March 2019, and this was my last FABTECH as an editor. Throughout the past 20 years, I have met and become friends with people in the industry, many of whom were at the show. I took advantage of the afternoon to drop by several booths I had not been able to visit in the previous two days. One was OMAX. The company’s co-founder, Dr. John Olsen, has written many articles about waterjet cutting for The FABRICATOR and thefabricator.com. Although he wasn’t at the show, I was happy to learn that he is still involved with the company and likely will be for some time. He is an interesting, brilliant man, and I am happy to have gotten to know him.

One of the first things I noticed in the OMAX booth was a sign announcing that the company is hiring. That’s the first time in my 20 years at the show that I recall seeing a sign such as this, but they could very well have been there.

I spoke with Senior Regional Sales Manager Dave Kvasnicka, who told me that the show had been very good for the company. “Amazing,” in fact. He said, “The economy is strong; the buyers are strong. It’s a good sign for America.” He also said that the company is “expanding and growing at light speed.” On display was ProtoMAX, which Kvasnicka said could be hooked up in anyone’s laundry room and used to create whatever you want. “Waterjets for everyone.” He noted that he is using 3-D printing at home and expects the ProtoMax to become quite popular.

I also stopped to see Terry Tuerk, senior product manager at Metabo Corp. I remember first meeting Terry at a FABTECH years ago. He was wearing a lab coat, a la Doc Brown in “Back to the Future,” and he gave a fellow editor and me an interesting tour of the company’s booth, describing its products that were ahead of the curve in technology, safety, and ergonomics.

Terry was dashing out to lunch and told me to take a look at the booth and the new products. I tried. I stood alongside the exhibit, waiting for a representative to become free. No such luck. This was the afternoon of the last day, and each Metabo person in the booth was engaged with an attendee talking about different products. Such was the case with many booths at a time when aisle traffic typically is light. It was good to see.

Also good to see were the students and the exhibitors who took the time to talk to them. Who knows? Maybe they will one day be working for OMAX and other companies in metal fabrication.

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