by Ben Wiley | Feb 12, 2021 | Aluminum Extrusion
Life is full of decisions. Tea or coffee? Pepsi or Coke? Sometimes the answer doesn’t matter that much. Other times it matters a great deal. Take extruded aluminum tube for example. This comes in two forms: structural and seamless. Structural extruded tube is made by...
by Ben Wiley | Jan 20, 2021 | Aluminum Extrusion, Extruded Section, Metal Fabrication, Metal Fabricators
A skilled craftsman makes a difficult job look easy. Take barrel-makers (coopers) as an example, or consider glass-blowers. And then there are aluminum extruders, (both the people and the businesses who do it.) We’d put them in that category too. After all, extrusion...
by Ed Wiley | Jan 19, 2021 | Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Business, Metal Fabrication, metal fabrication business, Metal Fabricators, Sheet Metal Fabrication
As 2020 disappears in the rearview mirror many of us are wondering what 2021 has in store. Well we don’t have a crystal ball or the gift of second sight but it’s fun to speculate. It’s also important for our business that we do it. By anticipating what customers will...
by Ben Wiley | Dec 21, 2020 | Metal Fabrication, US Manufacturing
So often what looks like a trend turns out to be just a fad. Consider Exhibit 1: the Segway. Weren’t we promised this would revolutionize urban transportation? When did you last see one? When was the last time you even saw a mall cop riding one? How about another...
by Ben Wiley | Dec 15, 2020 | Aluminum Extrusion, Metal Fabrication
According to housekeeping guru Marie Kondo, if something isn’t useful or doesn’t “spark joy” you should get rid of it. Well one thing that sparks joy in our busy fabrication shop is aluminum extrusion. As we’ve mentioned many times, it’s incredibly versatile, which...
by Ben Wiley | Nov 21, 2020 | Welding
Magicians never give away their secrets, and metal fabricators tend to be the same. One of those secrets is how to handle distortion in welding. Some businesses will just ask you to trust them, but that’s not how we work. We think the best way of convincing you we...
by Ben Wiley | Nov 19, 2020 | Future of Metal Fabrication, Manufacturing, Uncategorized
We’ve been in the metal fabrication business nearly 40 years, and we’d rather like to do 40 more. We know we won’t get there by standing still though. Like Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. In other...
by Ben Wiley | Oct 26, 2020 | Extruded Section, Metal Fabrication
Dr. Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk,) had a bit of a temper, which is probably why he thought people wouldn’t like him when he was angry. Curiously though, no one thought of grading Banner’s temper. Extruded aluminum alloys on the other hand do come with a temper...
by Ben Wiley | Oct 15, 2020 | Extruded Section, Metal Fabrication
At Wiley we never stop thinking about and looking at metal fabrications. It’s what motivates us to get better at what we do. Even when we’re not at work we can’t help noticing fabricated structures all around us. Whether we’re loading a trailer, sitting on bleachers...
by Ben Wiley | Sep 29, 2020 | Truck Trailers, Uncategorized
The typical dry van semi trailer has a lifespan of 7 – 10 years. Owners and operators would like them to last longer, and that’s possible with higher quality, more durable components. Given that it’s probably not cost-effective to upgrade every piece of a trailer, the...
