fabricating & forming technologies
Features
/customfabricator
/finishing
/facetime
From the Editor
Community
e’ve all heard the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The idiom has been adapted over time to mean that “many people must cooperate to achieve a goal.” That was certainly the case when my Paso Fino gelding was diagnosed with Cushings disease and insulin resistance in 2019. A large animal veterinarian, an internal medicine/nutritionist veterinarian, an equine endocrinologist, an equine chiropractor, and a farrier and hoof specialist participate in managing his condition.
There are about 126,138 veterinarians and 28,000 farriers in the U.S. Competition for admission to veterinary college is stiff, with the acceptance rate between 10 and 15 percent. Qualified farriers are also in high demand. Like metalforming, farriery is part art, skill, science and craftsmanship. Working with one’s competitors can seem counterintuitive. In my case, these competitors chose to collaborate—extending professional courtesy toward one another to form and implement a plan that effectively manages my horse’s condition and allows him to thrive.
anufacturers are bombarded with challenges daily: supply chain disruptions for both raw materials and required components, finding and retaining a qualified workforce, and pressure for increased productivity at higher profitability. These economic conditions usually mean delaying new equipment investment to save money. Retrofitting existing equipment with contemporary electronic controls can significantly increase performance while preserving the existing mechanical and power components that may have many decades of useful life ahead.
Jason Becker, welding educator and podcast host, spearheaded a project-based learning program at Valencia College.
roject-based learning can be broadly described as real-world experience in an educational setting. Teaching welding with a project-based model requires a unique combination of not only welding skill and knowledge of tools used in the industry but also of blueprint reading, troubleshooting, budgeting, scheduling, and team- and relationship-building—not to mention providing students with industry exposure to field work.
Jason Becker, welding educator at Valencia College, Orlando, Florida, and host of the Arc Junkies podcast, knows firsthand what this looks like in real time. After attending an Advanced Educators’ Workshop in 2017, Becker started a project-based learning program at Valencia College. He started small but has since raised the bar with additional and more complex projects relevant to various industry applications.
Robotics
Job shops should weigh the pros and cons of automated welding before taking the plunge
Companies are choosing robotic automation to help bridge the gap. The technology has progressed since the first spot welding robot was introduced in 1962. Today robotic welding is primarily used for high-volume, repetitive processes.
One of FMA’s summer camps—Girls Adventuring in Design, Engineering and Technology (GADgET)—is held at host schools like Northcentral Technical College, Wisconsin.
hen the sequel “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” film opened in 2002, fans flocked to theaters around the world to see the “boy who lived” board the Hogwarts Express train at King’s Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. A mysterious elf warns Harry to expect trouble, but the problems he encounters in the form of a cursed diary, a giant basilisk and the “dark lord” prove almost insuperable. That is, until help arrives from an unexpected quarter. Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore explains: “You will find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it. The school itself isn’t sentient, it’s the people inside who will always be there to help.”
One of FMA’s summer camps—Girls Adventuring in Design, Engineering and Technology (GADgET)—is held at host schools like Northcentral Technical College, Wisconsin.
hen the sequel “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” film opened in 2002, fans flocked to theaters around the world to see the “boy who lived” board the Hogwarts Express train at King’s Cross Station, Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. A mysterious elf warns Harry to expect trouble, but the problems he encounters in the form of a cursed diary, a giant basilisk and the “dark lord” prove almost insuperable. That is, until help arrives from an unexpected quarter. Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore explains: “You will find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it. The school itself isn’t sentient, it’s the people inside who will always be there to help.”
Laser Technology
Coil-fed fiber laser technology automates cutting process, reduces inventory and scrap, and improves work environment
he advertising slogan, “Now we’re cooking with gas,” originated in the 1930s and was adopted as a catchphrase by comedian Bob Hope for his radio and TV performances. Almost a century later, the motto has morphed into an American idiom for positive progress or achievement. It’s a definition that fits CaptiveAire Systems. The Raleigh, North Carolina-based company is the nation’s leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems and turnkey solutions for fans, heaters, ductwork and HVAC equipment.
The company launched its small, one-room operation in 1976. By 2016, CaptiveAire’s sales had surpassed $400 million. Today with more than 1,500 employees, the manufacturer has 90 sales offices in the U.S. and Canada, and six plants in North Carolina, Iowa, Oklahoma, California, Pennsylvania and Florida. CaptiveAire serves restaurants, national chains, and other public and private institutions. Product fabrication for CaptiveAire’s integrated kitchen ventilation packages includes HVAC, hoods, exhaust fans, electrical controls, direct-fired heaters, grease duct systems, fire suppression systems, grease filters and utility distribution systems. The company has built its business on quality products and fast, reliable lead times.
High
Volume
ccording to the 2021 North American Camping Report, there are 86.1 million households in the U.S. that have active campers. Tents remain a popular choice, but the number of households that own recreational vehicles grew by 2.6 million. More than 80 percent of campers changed their habits in 2020, choosing RVs for travel safety. With RV interest and ownership at a record high, data from the Ipsos Group showed that 46 million Americans plan to take an RV trip in the next 12 months.
Elkhart, Indiana, is the RV capital of the world, with more than 80 percent of global RV production based throughout the region. Just 15 minutes away, along IN-120 W, Bristol is home to JEC Steel Co.
llfasteners Inc. began in Australia as a supplier of construction fasteners and concrete anchors. The company retained those product offerings while expanding its business about eight years ago to include structural steel fabrication and production of cellular tower parts and a tower safety climb system.
In addition, the company grew its footprint over the years and now has four locations in Australia and four in the U.S., with a manufacturing facility in Medina, Ohio, and three other U.S. locations for sales and warehousing.
As a way to get started in structural steel fabrication, Allfasteners purchased a manual ironworker, says Tony Carmichael, operations manager for Allfasteners in Medina. But the company eventually realized the limitations of the manual machine. “We found that we did not have enough capacity with that machine.”
urface conditioning products are part of an ever-expanding category of nonwoven abrasives. The global nonwoven abrasives market hit $18.47 billion in sales during 2021 and is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 6.2 percent, reaching $24.99 billion by 2026. These products, in various shapes and sizes, are used to blend, deburr, grain and polish metals when specific surface finishes are required.
Due to the versatility of this category and requests from customers, Gemtex has added three new grades to expand its Brite-Prep surface finishing line. These grades help to reduce the need to use coated abrasive products, which could possibly scratch or damage metal surfaces. Extra Coarse, Extra Coarse High Density and Medium High Density have been added to provide longer life, a more aggressive cut and more rigidity within the surface conditioning category.
Implementation
ith its sawing department operating around the clock five days a week plus an eight- to 10-hour shift on Saturdays, West Memphis Steel Corp. found that a manual band saw doesn’t cut it anymore and needs all its machines to be automatic moving forward, says Josh Stewart, the company’s maintenance manager. Automatic band saws enable a faster cutting process while maintaining part accuracy, even for complex sawing operations, compared with manual and semiautomatic models. In addition, jobs can be combined into a program and run in the order the operator selects.
“The very first machine we purchased was a manual machine. Since then, we’ve seen that everything needs to be automated. It reduces downtime due to errors with cuts,” Stewart says about an automatic band saw. “Once you set the program, the saw works really well.”
The manual band saw, installed in 2015, is a WF130 from Pryor, Oklahoma-based HE&M Inc. Stewart says WMS still uses the saw but is looking to replace it this year as the Arkansas-based service center updates and expands its equipment lineup. WMS also has four VT140 automatic band saws from HE&M and plans to purchase more automatic models. “We will have a total of nine HE&M saws by the end of the year.”
AMADA AMERICA INC., Buena Park, California, 714/739-2111, amada.com/america.
Giving the ancient Japanese art of folding paper a modern update, STILRIDE has developed industrial origami. The Swedish startup pioneered the process called StilFold to create its SUS1 electric scooter. The method uses robotic arms to fold pieces of recycled stainless steel into a bike chassis. As a result, manufacturing requires significantly fewer components while reducing labor production costs for a more sustainable product. Although still in production, prototypes of the scooter have reached a top speed of up to 60 mph and a max range of 75 miles. The Stilride SUS1 electric scooter is expected to hit European markets in fall 2022.
Giving the ancient Japanese art of folding paper a modern update, STILRIDE has developed industrial origami. The Swedish startup pioneered the process called StilFold to create its SUS1 electric scooter. The method uses robotic arms to fold pieces of recycled stainless steel into a bike chassis. As a result, manufacturing requires significantly fewer components while reducing labor production costs for a more sustainable product. Although still in production, prototypes of the scooter have reached a top speed of up to 60 mph and a max range of 75 miles. The Stilride SUS1 electric scooter is expected to hit European markets in fall 2022.
Editor-in-Chief
Michael D’Alexander
Lynn Stanley
J. Neiland Pennington
Lauren Duensing
Alan Richter
123 W. Madison St., Suite 950, Chicago, IL 60602
312/654-2300, Fax: 312/654-2323
www.ffjournal.net
Carlotta Lacy
Matthew LaFleur
Mark Koenig
Michael D’Alexander
Jim D’Alexander
Wayne Krusen
Traci Fonville
Bill D’Alexander
312/654-2309, Fax: 312/654-2323
mdalexander@ffjournal.net
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming
Jim D’Alexander, Vice President
770/862-0815, Fax: 312/654-2323
jdalexander@ffjournal.net
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, W. New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee
Bill D’Alexander, Principal/Sales Manager
203/438-4174, Fax: 203/438-4948
bdalexander@ffjournal.net
Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, E. New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia; International
Bob D’Alexander, Principal/Sales Manager
616/916-4348, Fax: 616/942-0798
rdalexander@ffjournal.net
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin
Valerie Treiber, National Sales Manager
203/894-5483
valerie@modernmetals.com
Traci Fonville, Classifieds, Logos and Reprints
312/654-2325, Fax: 312/654-2323
tfon@ffjournal.net
Periodicals postage paid at Chicago and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Omeda – FFJournal – 4 Overlook Pt., Ste. A25E, Lincolnshire, IL 60069. Printed in the USA.