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.
2021 Manufacturing and Metal Fabrication Forecast
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 the Reshoring Trend Continue?
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...
Consumption of Aluminum Extrusion Just Keeps On Rising
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...
7 Tips for Managing Weld Distortion
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...
5 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY TRENDS FOR FUTURE SUCCESS
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...
Understanding Temper and Tolerance in Extruded Aluminum
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...
FIVE COMMON APPLICATIONS OF ALUMINUM EXTRUSION
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...
In Search of Building Better Truck Trailers
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 Most Essential Factor When Working with An OEM
Sourcing fabricated components for your trailer, RV, utility truck, or other manufacturing or non-manufacturing business is about much more than price and conformance to print. Those are the minimum that every competent fabricator should provide. In our experience...
Quality RV Manufacturers Start with Durable Fabrication Components
We love RV's at Wiley Metal and we love making parts for them. From tiny little trailers to giant Class A "We're The Millers" style motorhomes, we're fans of them all and we can make parts for them all. In fact there are probably only two RV's we don't care for....
Why A Metal Fabrication Career Might Be for You
Were you the type of kid who took things apart and put them back together? Did you make things out of cardboard, plastic and metal off-cuts? Do you dream of a job where you make things you can be proud of? If any of these apply, how about a career in metal...
2 Most Common Continuous Welds: Fillet Weld and Butt Joint Weld
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...
