by Ben Wiley | Jul 24, 2020 | Continuous Weld, Weld, Welding
There’s a kind of magic about welding. Drop the visor, strike an arc, and seconds later what was a pile of metal parts emerges from the blinding white heat as something useful. Yes, as metal fabricators we shear, bend, saw, grind, punch, notch and polish, but welding...
by Ben Wiley | Jul 10, 2019 | Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Technology, Welding
In fabrication the main way we create permanent joins is by welding. Welding has it’s drawbacks though, some of which we’ve discussed here. Thin materials, dissimilar materials, aluminum, even stainless can present challenges. And then there’s all...
by Ben Wiley | Oct 17, 2018 | Manufacturing, Metal Fabrication, Metal Fabricators, Seamless Weld, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Stainless Steel, Stitch Weld, TIG welding, Welding
Bright colors are often a danger sign. Snakes and fungi use color to warn us away, and then there’s The Joker. Usually depicted in a purple jacket, mustard shirt and green vest that matches his hair, we know he’s nothing but trouble. It’s the same...
by Ben Wiley | Nov 27, 2017 | Stainless Steel, Welding
Steel loves oxygen but whenever the two get together there’s trouble of the corrosive kind. Atoms of O bond to Fe, and the result is rust that flakes away, quickly destroying your steel fabrication. That’s why we strongly encourage a protective coating....
by Ben Wiley | Sep 11, 2017 | MIG Welding, Welding
You probably know the story about the Head of the Patent Office proposing it be closed because everything that could be invented had been. Well – spoiler alert – it’s probably an apocryphal tale, but it still tells us something: technology keeps marching onwards....
by Ben Wiley | Aug 24, 2017 | MIG Welding, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Welding
To the short list of life’s certainties – death and taxes – we metal fabricators add a third item: welding distortion or warpage. No matter how extensive your preparations or how much care you take, any time you weld you’ll get some distortion. We discussed this in,...
