Wiley Tiki Talk
Welcome one and all to Tiki Talk!
First of all, what’s with the name right? Well, Tiki Talk comes from our fun project where we used scrap metal to build our unique Tiki Bar. At our scrap metal Tiki Bar we’ve shared a few cold ones and exchanged some pretty good (and also some pretty bad) ideas. We figured it would be a great name for our virtual gathering place.
Tiki Talk is our blog, but more importantly we want it to be a place where we can address your questions, share your comments and let you know what is going on with our company. We want everyone to take part…customers, potential customers, experts and novices alike. We hope it will be a fun and friendly exchange.
Look, if we could hang and have a couple of beers and play a round of golf with everyone, we would do that. Believe me we would do that. For now, Tiki Talk is the place. Pull up a stool and join in.
How Standard Extruded Aluminum Section Streamlines Fabrication Projects
Standard extruded aluminum profiles could make your next fabrication project easy. Well maybe not easy, but definitely quicker. Think of these shapes as aluminum Legos: they give you the flexibility to make whatever you want whenever you want it. Skeptical about our...
Aluminum vs. Steel for Decreasing Trailer Weight
Even if you've no desire to live in one, you must admit, Airstream trailers look cool. Aerodynamic styling is part of the appeal, but so too is the bright aluminum bodywork. It's said that 70% of all Airstream trailers ever built are still on the road, and while...
How We Improved Our On-Time Delivery to 95%
Our Quest to Improve On-Time Delivery to 95% Most of our blogs in Tiki Talk discuss subjects of general interest in manufacturing and frequently metal fabrication in particular. In recent posts, we've discussed the economy, technology, tariffs' and a host of other...
Deburring Metal: Removing Sharp Edges from Your Fabricated Products
Remember Jaws? Those rows of jagged teeth in the shark's mouth kept even the most enthusiastic swimmers out of the ocean for years. Well burrs on sheet metal are like miniature shark's teeth, ready to slice and dice soft flesh. That's why people in our shop wear...
US Manufacturing Facing Mild Recession? How to Prepare Your Business
News executives on cable business channels seem to be chatting about it endlessly. Even mainstream media is getting in on the talk. The discussion surrounds the state of the U.S. economy and recession. Are we heading into one? Are we already into it? Will it be severe...
Lightweight Comparison: Steel vs. Aluminum vs. GFRP
Maybe you've already thought about how weight affects motion, but what about static structures or fabrications? Weight can be important there too. Some point to consider are: Will the fabrication need transporting? Almost certainly yes, unless you're assembling it...
How Our 5 Day Quote Turnaround Time Improves Customer Responsiveness
Imagine you go to a nice new restaurant and after a few minutes, a server takes your order. Maybe it takes ten minutes to get your beverages. Then the server seems to disappear. A half-hour passes, and maybe even 45 minutes. At some point, you would either flag down...
Piece Pricing vs. Total Value Add When Evaluating OEM Part Suppliers
When Wiley Metal started in business in 1982, we quickly found out how critical piece pricing was going to be in our ability to secure customers. Piece pricing has been used in the metal fabrication industry for generations prior to our family getting involved, and we...
Adhesive Bonding or Welding? The Answer May Surprise You
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 the prep and...
Metal Fabrication: The Original Additive Manufacturing Technique
If it feels like you can't escape 3D printing at the moment, well you're probably right. Pick up a magazine, visit a website or turn on the TV and you'll see somebody talking about something they printed. The thing is, while 3D printing is relatively new, additive...
Heavy Metal Fabrication vs. Light Metal Fabrication
We're partial to a bit of heavy metal here at Wiley, but we don't mean the music. Walk through our shop and you might see the occasional Metallica or Iron Maiden tee-shirt, but when we say heavy metal we mean it in the fabrication sense. We've nothing against light...
How Strong is Extruded Aluminum?
As you may recall from some earlier Tiki Talk posts, we’re big fans of extruded aluminum. It’s strong for its weight, machines easily and can be extruded into an almost limitless variety of cross-sections. That makes it ideal for applications ranging from window...
