Fedtech where it's always Friday!

Okay so it's not really Friday (I know, I wish I could help you there) but I do know one thing that might help... and that's why, starting today, I will be writing every Monday about a very cool project we've been doing here at Fedtech. Yes, that's right, "Sarah's Super Sweet Parts of the Week"... It's a little long winded but I'm confident it will catch on. Also, since it's dead winter in Minnesota, I thought it'd help our readers to give a little snapshot of what it looks like here in the cities: http://www.twitpic.com/1249ji


Super Sweet Pick, here we go! (insert swoosh with exciting music)

The part here says, "Jimmy Nash Homes" in their unique business design. The company manages luxury real estate in Kentucky and handles some really beautiful homes. You can visit their website if you're curious.

I really like this part because of it's unique design, and signage is one of my favorite items that we work on here at Fedtech. These parts were actually laser cut from .090" thick 6061 aluminum. If you look closely at the image, you'll notice the "A" on NASH allows for the letter to be bridged without looking tacky. This was a great design on their part, and an excellent strategy. Often times you'll see letters bridged (material is left to keep the inside from dropping out, see example at image on the right) and it doesn't always look the greatest. Here, they pulled it off great and it looks luxurious to me!

If you haven't already seen the mystery signage from last week, check that out, it was a fun little story. (See it here: http://www.fedtech.com/Business-Signage)

----------- QUESTIONS ----------

Now, onto the questions! Each time that I write, I try to mention some of the questions that I've gotten lately. So here's a few!

1) Should I use waterjet or laser cutting to cut glass?

- You definitely want to use waterjet cutting for this. Laser cutting does not work well for cutting through glass. Glass is a sensitive material, so be prepared for a little extra work on these.

2) I'd like to do rock art designs, could you help?

- Hmmm. Well if I'm interpretting this correctly, you want to cut designs into big rocks? This would be a good job for waterjet, however typically only up to 12" thick rocks. Not only this, but it'd be a little trickier because there will be different thicknesses/depths to the rock that will need to be adjusted as it cuts.

3) How do I laser cut acetal?

- You don't. At least, we don't. We typically waterjet cut acetal. Since waterjet cutting leaves no heat-affected zones, it's our best bet for clean cuts and unwarped/unmelted material.

4) I'd like to see some laser cutting videos, where can I find some?

- Here's a good place to start, our Youtube account features a few laser cutting videos and some waterjet cutting videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/WaterJetter08

5) What are some industries that waterjet serves?

- Waterjet can serve almost any industry. We tend to see alot of customers coming from machine shops, custom fixtures (lighting, panels, etc.) renewable energy segments, medical parts, custom military and defense vehicles, other automotive industries, architectural and art sculptures, appliance components, gaskets and flanges, custom flooring (tile and such) and so much more. See this page for a full list of industries we serve.

Well that's all the time I have for today. I will be sure to be more consistent from here on our and you can certainly look forward to Sarah's Super Sweet Parts of the Week...

Stay warm and drive safe,

Sarah