When people initially notice an object’s exterior, they often focus on its hue first. That’s one of the reasons why manufacturers increasingly offer large assortments of powder coating colors to appeal to their customers. Some companies offer hundreds of stock colors, and many provide custom hues. Here’s a closer look at how that decision can …
Powder coating is a dry finishing process used to apply a dry coating material. The coating material is made up of finely ground particles of resin and pigment for color, along with other additives for specific functions such as gloss or hardness. The dry powder coating is delivered to a spray gun tip that is …
Metal fabrication is a broad term referring to any process that cuts, shapes, or molds metal material into a final product. Instead of an end product being assembled from ready-made components, fabrication creates an end product from raw or semi-finished materials. There are many different fabrication manufacturing processes. Metal fabrication is used for both custom …
With scrap metal and raw materials, a job done on the cheap will hardly look like it should. In many ways, metal welding is like a more intricate version of welding. They help create the modern world. They manufacture everything from screws to mobile cranes for the most difficult environments. How did that happen? This …
Manufacturing is, and has always been, a perpetually evolving industry. But the rate of change seems to have accelerated in recent years, along with a growth in orders. Keeping pace with increased customer demand has posed challenges for many manufacturers. It just seems like there are not enough fabricators to meet the growing need. During …
Perfecting the cut-bend cycle in sheet metal fabrication Read More »
“Constantly looking in the rearview mirror can make it difficult to look at future improvement. The key questions are, ‘What will happen and what can we do about it?’ [Data that answers] those questions can become incredibly powerful.” That was Michael Schoenhals, director of operational excellence at Riverview, Fla.-based BlueGrace Logistics, who presented at this …
Metal fabrication robots get more mobile with mix of technology and cross-training Read More »
Presses of all types—mechanical, pneumatic, servo, and hydraulic–have their place and offer unique advantages. However, over the past 50 years, hydraulic presses have trended toward greater utility. Today’s hydraulic presses are faster and more reliable than ever, and the technology has gone through significant changes and refinements. Improvements in seals, pumps, hoses, and couplings have …
In Part I of this two-part series, I discussed the process of selecting a die set type and thickness. Now let’s discuss various commercially available die guidance components and some basic guidelines for deciding which type is best suited for your operation. Basic Guide Pin Function First, let me make this statement: The function of …
Die Science: The basics of die design, Part II – Choosing die guidance components Read More »
Selecting the right abrasive and using that abrasive correctly for metal fabrication applications and welding can make all the difference in maximizing productivity and minimizing cost. Still, with today’s tight deadlines, fabricators are tempted to use whatever abrasive is handy without considering which is the best one for the application. Some might even ignore some …
Selecting and using abrasives for metal fabrication and welding Read More »
Whether through offline simulation or through the teach pendant, for years programming has been a robot’s primary weakness in the high-mix/low-volume world of metal fabrication. Teach pendant programming takes time, as does offline simulation. Some systems have used parametric programming, which scales a program to work with infinitely variable part sizes, but only around certain …
Say goodbye to traditional robot programming in the fab shop Read More »
