hroughout the country, architects are seriously considering Speedcore technology for their building projects. This recently developed prefabricated system changes how designers, engineers and construction teams approach a project by shifting away from traditional reinforced concrete structures.

This month’s cover story (page 16) focuses on Rainier Square Tower in Seattle which, despite a crane operator strike, viaduct closure and inclement weather, still met its August 2019 timeline. Now, teams are finishing the base of the building and all interior work. With SpeedCore, there is no foundation lay-down stage, where concrete is poured and builders must wait weeks for it to sufficiently harden. Instead, two steel plates are set 24 in. apart by smooth steel bars, which are installed as part of a concrete-filled panel.

fforts to improve automotive fuel efficiency for gas-powered vehicles, along with the rise of electric cars, are creating a need for lighter weight materials in passenger vehicle designs. Using aluminum for certain body components, in particular, has proved its value in reducing vehicle weight without compromising strength and durability.

There are challenges, however, when welding the aluminum alloys to make body-in-white (BIW) parts. A new type of fiber laser technology solves the most serious challenge—namely “hot cracking”—when welding 6XXX series aluminum alloys.

eclining costs and versatile new technologies in hardware and software are making it easier for more job shops and manufacturers to embrace IoT and IIoT—even those with legacy equipment. Boschert USA took a different approach when it introduced a new line of servo-electric press brakes in late 2019.

“When you look at a press brake, what are the issues?” says Boschert USA President Greg Hoesly. The Butler, Wisconsin-based company is the exclusive North American importer for Boschert-Gizelis as well as Boschert GmbH of Germany and other European builders with products that include profile benders, horizontal ram benders and sheet metal fabrication tools.

f you work with a cutoff wheel or grind wheel, you know firsthand that changeovers can be time consuming. In a high volume environment, that time lost to changing attachments adds up quickly. The latest in Bosch technology has simplified grinder attachments resulting in a simple on-and-off snap. It’s five times faster to change out attachments with no need for extra tools. When used with Osborn X-Lock tools, the attachments are safe and backward compatible with conventional grinders.

ompanies merge, and with that connection, change follows—in leadership, facilities and day-to-day operations. After Nucor Tubular Products (NTP) Group brought together the former Independence Tube, Southland Tube and Republic Conduit, the company assured its newfound customer base that it would provide expected reliability to existing as well as new customers.

NTP quelled the concerns of one of its customers, a Southeastern service center that sells $700 million worth of steel products per year. Consistency and open communication, including working with the same sales rep for more than a decade, has proven to this customer that NTP can navigate change. The service center sells wide-flange beams, plate and piling, merchant bars, pipe and tube to its network of North American customers.