A Beautiful Day at the Custom Machine Shop

the

Although it's not something you would imagine being beautiful, you'd be surprised at how well you'd adjust to life on the production floor. No, it's not super dirty like you may picture. And no, it's not stuffy as portrayed either. On beautiful days like today, the doors swing open and let the cool summer breeze sweep through the stations.

Machines run, and operators guide and supervise the custom parts that are being made. It's certainly not a vision you would see on Mike Rowe's 'Dirty Jobs' show. It's a beautiful sight when projects are done, and employees are proud of the parts at hand. The customer smiles as they're presented - what's not beautiful about that?

We're not trying to come off as sappy. No, that's not the intention. We'd like to simply shed light on the lighter side of manufacturing that most people don't get to see. The beautiful side. Much in the same way Michael Hodges put together his "Tour Detroi's Ugly-Beautiful Manufacturing Landmarks", there is always more than one way to see things.

Think it over.

Fedtech

Show Notes for Manufacturing Podcast

Podcast Topic:  Manufacturing Questions Answered
Date:  Thursday, June 10, 2010
Guest:  Brent Erickson

To hear this podcast, click here.

Brent, the first question is; what are the advantages of waterjet versus laser cutting?

One advantage of waterjet cutting over laser cutting is there's no heat affected zones. A lot of times, this can make parts hard to work with, with secondary operations.

What are the advantages of the laser over waterjet cutting?

Lasers cut a lot faster, typically. Usually they're more economical and they hold a tighter tolerance. At the same time, with waterjet you can cut basically any material. With the laser you can be limited to stainless steels, carbon steels and aluminum.

And thin ones at that?

Not necessarily thin, we can do some plate, up to 3/16" thick for aluminum, 1/2" thick for stainless steel, and about 1" thick for carbon steel.

That answers the next question of how thick can laser cut?

Yeah, that's about the limits that we have.

So what's the best tool to cut teflon?

Teflon is typically used for either washers or small gaskets, or wearplates. Something like that is usually a water-only application, we run that on the waterjet with no abrasive mixed in. It's a real fine stream of water, about .006" in diameter, it's a real precise cut.

And why is that a benefit to cut this material without abrasive?

It just gives you a cleaner cut and allows us to hold better tolerances.

Is it possible to bend armor plate?

Yes, we do form armor plate. We do it on our largest press brake, it's a 352 ton brake with a 12 foot bed.

And that will get the job done.

Yeah.

How thick can a waterjet cut?

Usually about 12" is as thick as you want to go with the waterjet.

So, a lot thicker than laser.

Yeah, a lot thicker.

What's the best cutting method to cut bronze?

Here, we would do it on either on the waterjet or one of the milling centers, depending on what the part looks like.

How about perforated sheet metal? How would you form that?

Again, that would go on one of the press brakes. We do have three brakes here, so we do have some options with which equipment we would use.

Now one of the other questions that was brought up, is which is less expensive (because people are always looking for the cost-effective option.) Is it going to be waterjet cutting or laser cutting?

Typically it's going to be laser cutting. Again, the system is just more automated than the waterjet and the cutting speeds are a lot faster. Then again, you are limited to which materials you can use.

Does the abrasive have anything to do with it, is that a larger cost for the waterjet versus the laser, since laser doesn't use abrasive?

That is a big part of the cost of waterjet, there's a lot of consumables in the process that dictates the cost of it.

Another question we had was, if waterjet will warp a steel plate when it cuts.

Yes and no. The waterjet itself is not going to, due to any heat it adds. But at the same time, when you cut materials (especially steel) just the cutting process kinda relieves some of that natural stress within the plate. Sometimes that will have a tendency to warp, you're not going to see it as bad as you would on a flame cut part or a plasma cut part, but it can still warp.

Is it common to warp?

It depends on the type or the thickness of the plate and the type of the material. Typically A36, Grade 50, anything like that; that's under 3 or 4" - it's pretty good. Once you start getting to the thicker materials, or some of the higher tensile strengths is when you're going to start seeing some warpage.

When people say "Rockwell" or refer to a "Rockwell" what are they referring to?

Rockwell refers to a scale commonly used to note the hardness of a given material.

What is the difference between laser and waterjet cutting tolerances?

Laser can hold a tighter tolerance, typically on thinner materials; anything 1/8" or thinner we can hold +/- .003", once you start getting up to 3/8" or 1/2", we want to have a little more, maybe +/-.001".

On the waterjet, we can typically do +/- .005". If it's a real small feature, we can tighten that up some, but it's going to be on a case by case basis. Generally the tolerances on the laser are a little bit tighter and a little easier to  control.

To hear this podcast, click here.

The Start of the Parts

What a great day outside, the sun is shining, birds are chirping and the radio dj's were extra cheerful this morning on the drive in. The atmosphere at Fedtech is about the same, we're trucking along with the projects at hand and making the most of each day... yet wishing there was more time in the day to get everything possible done... but there never will be.

Things have been flowing right along, we've had some really cool projects come through that I managed to snap some photos of. (You'll get to see them later on in this post.) Lots of different materials have made their way through and lots of interesting projects are in the works (getting quoted) for potential projects in the future.

In the meantime, Fedtech has acquired a new CNC Lathe...It's true. It's a Doosan Puma 2000 SY CNC Lathe. It has a maximum turning diameter of 13", turning length of 20.1", and a main spindle speed of 45 - 5,000 RPM.

• Repeatability +/- .006°
• Maximum spindle torque: 351 feet-pounds
• CNC Control - Fanuc 18I-TB
• Sub-Spindle
• Coolant System
• Pump Motor: 1.2 HP
• Voltage: 205 - 235 Volt/3 Phase

With this, we're able to machine more complex parts on a shorter timeline. Our machining requests have been plenty lately, and it was hard to provide quick turnaround times with such a high demand. Now with the new machinery, we're able to turn parts around quicker and provide quality parts at the same time. Win-win!

Sweet Custom Parts of This Week

Now you knew it was coming, and I wouldn't let you down. Here are some neat parts that have crossed the production floor in the past week that you haven't seen elsewhere.

This is an example of a part that could be made on the new CNC lathe. This part was actually machined from 1.5" diameter 17-4 stainless steel bar and threaded for the custom project. These valve nut parts were mass produced quickly and efficiently.

To the right are some custom urethane parts that were waterjet cut here at Fedtech. The parts themselves are used as a clamp arm foot pieces and were cut from 2.0" thick 80A durometer natural urethane (open cast). This type of urethane is a very solid rubber material.


That's all we have for today, stay tuned for more projects and announcements as the time goes on. Watch for our new website in the near future as well!

Seize the moment.

Sarah

Taking Care of Business

Good afternoon readers!

Well it's only Monday and big things are already happening here at Fedtech. If you've been keeping up with the news, then you may be familiar with some of what's happening.

For starters, the new website is set to launch soon - so be prepared to check it out and make sure to watch our Twitter (@Fedtechinc) for the official update!

Next up, we're expanding our horizons to sporting goods. This doesn't mean basketball balls or hockey sticks or anything of that nature. We're committed to providing quality parts for outdoor sportsman activities. This could include parts for archery items, hunting stands, fishing tackle, boat equipment, and more. We're able to waterjet cut, laser cut, machine, mill, deburr, finish, and assemble parts.Our main thought here is to be able to provide simple to intricate parts to OEM's for cost effective rates. We can do production runs quickly and efficiently with laser and waterjet cutting.

Here's a quick list of our current core industries: http://www.fedtech.com/industries.html

Well that's all for now. Have a great Monday, come back later this week for more!

Please learn more about Fedtech, custom machine shop, at our website.

Recent Projects & Case Studies

News from Fedtech

• Our new website is set to launch soon! Are you excited? You should be. The new design is going to be incredible, and we're eagerly anticipating our chance to show it off! Watch for the official announcement and then check it out. You'll definitely be pleasantly surprised!!
• As of today, you have 22 days left to enter our drawing for some freebies! Click here: http://www.fedtech.com/free to enter your email to win this month's prize! We draw a winner on July 1st, so watch your inbox!
• Did you know that we send you free stuff just for sending people our way? It's true. We appreciate the fact that word of mouth is a great way for customers to find us. We've sent out T-shirts, hats, and mugs to some great people who referred us to their friends. So go ahead and do the same and make sure they let us know you sent them! :)

Now, onto some neat projects and case studies that you may have been missing, due to http://www.fedtech.com/ being down for updates. So, get your fill here instead. See the following case studies and simply enjoy!  

1. WATERJET CUTTING 7.5" THICK CARBON STEEL
Take one look at these parts featured here and it won't take long for you to notice that this material is incredibly thick. How thick? Well these parts were cut from 7.5" thick carbon steel (A36). The best way to cut this thick of carbon steel is to use abrasive waterjet cutting. We were able to cut through the material using multiple cutting heads (cutting down turnaround times) and waterjet cutting efficiently lacks heat affected zones (HAZ) as well.

2. LASER CUT 310 STAINLESS STEEL

These bite-sized parts here fit right in the palm of my hand as you can see in the photo at the right. These 3" in diameter, circular, perforated steel parts were laser cut at Fedtech from 310 stainless steel. Each part featured 241 holes, at .098" in diameter each. The material itself, was .098" (2.5mm) thick.

SIDEBAR: Are you wondering about waterjet cutting or laser cutting and what they are, or which is better for your project? Find more on those processes on our company website, click here for waterjet cutting, and here for laser cutting.

That's all I have for this morning. Stay posted for updates!

Sarah

About Us Images

Oil Giant, BP, to Fix What They Broke

We try to stay on top of what's happening in the manufacturing industry, and well, I don't think it's any news to you that there's oil floating around in the gulf. But in case you haven't heard all the facts, here's what we've found that's currently up-to-date:

• It may not seem life-threatening to us (or you may be concerned about the animals) but did you know that 11 people were killed on April 20th in the Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig explosion? (Image shown on right, taken by the U.S. Coast Guard)
• The daily flow rate is more than 12,000 to 25,000 barrels a day. While "the Discoverer Enterprise drill ship can only handle 15,000 barrels a day" (New York Times, Coast Guard Sees Cleanup of Spill Lasting Until the Fall, June 6, 2010).
• "BP executives have said that as much as 90 percent of the escaping oil may be contained by the cap if all goes well. The cap is a temporary measure. The well cannot be cemented shut until two relief wells are drilled, by August at the earliest" (NYT, Cap Slows Gulf Oil Leak as Engineers Move Cautiously, June 5, 2010).
• Over 20,000 people are working to protect the coastlines.
• To help respond, Obama send 17,500 National Guard troops.
• The flow is coming from a 18,000-foot-deep well, where the best solution to this problem is to instate relief wells to stop the flow.
• "BP has sent $46 million in checks so far to some 17,500 Gulf Coast residents for their lost income" (NYT, BP Pays Out Claims, but Satisfaction is Not Included, June 6, 2010).
• The oil spill as of May 17, 2010 (a little outdated) was 130 miles long and 70 miles wide (The Daily Green, The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill By the Numbers, June 7, 2010).

There is also a site that you can use to put the spill into perspective. At http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/ - you can visualize how large the spill is according to your town. You type in your city and it maps the spill in scale to your surroundings. A very cool tool to see exactly what we're dealing with out there on the Gulf Coast. When you look at the map, keep in mind it's continuing to expand as wind and nature take hold. (Image at right credit: Los Angeles Times)

It appears that it may be a long while until we can see major improvements on the disaster. Some project until August, others until Fall. However, there are many places seeking to help the cause. Here are a few:

1. National Wildlife Refuge
2. American Red Cross
3. Mad Mobile Text Campaign
4. SaveOurGulf.org

If you find any of our information to be incorrect, or if you'd like to add any details, please leave a comment below. We welcome them!


Stay current.


Sarah





Total Blog Directory

Top Four Ways to Minimize Production Costs

Have you taken notice of raw material prices lately? Depending on which industry you're focused in, you may notice increasing prices, or you may see decreasing prices. You'll be glad to find out that you're not the only person out there being conscientious of how much money you're spending.

As seen on TTI Inc's website, "raw material prices have been on the rise and are impacting every company in the electronics supply chain." Now, this doesn't have to focus primarily on the electronics industry, as these materials are used in industries across the board.

Focusing in on Aluminum, Copper, Gold, Lead, Nickel, Oil, Platinum, Silver, Steel, Tin and Zinc - the website gives a nice graph of the impact of these material prices on the cost of connectors.

(Source: http://www.ttiinc.com/object/ME_Materials_Aluminum)

That being said, you can see there was a surplus back around November '08 through July of '09 and we've been steadily increasing ever since. Many industries are affected by this increase, including defense/military, aerospace, architecture, retail displays and storefronts, automotive, and more.

Now take a look at steel prices. The opposite can be said of this raw material, for the spike it took around April of '08 through December of '08 (around the same time as aluminum's downward spiral) was the highest steel prices had been in rougly three years. As for right now, steel prices are still relatively high according to the mean (excluding the peak stated above).

(Source: http://www.ttiinc.com/object/ME_Materials_Steel)

How about copper? A widely used material in automotive, architectural and more; has prices soaring as of late. Customers in this bracket have become weary of the high prices that started increasing back in January of 2009 and has made it up to $8,000 per metric ton as of late. This material, though expensive in general, has become even more costly to process.

Rubber, a major resource for numerous industries, has climbed almost 74% this year after rising 92% in 2009 (Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2010). While it's supply is 'tight', says the Wall Street Journal, due to "wet winter weather in the rubber-producing nations in Southeast Asia". Lumber costs (construction costs) also take a hit and are up nearly 59%.

So what can we do?

It's inevitable that if your industry relies on these materials, you will need the materials. There's simply no working around it. But there are some options to how you can keep your processing cost-effective instead of paying high fees to get the job done.

1. Nest your material. As you can see in the image on the right, these parts have been tightly nested into the material to really make the most of the material (minimize drop/scrap). This method of manufacturing saves customers money by cutting down on material costs.

2. Make sure your vendor shops around. Your job shop has loads of contacts where they can get pricing on material. Some of these shops have gotten material at times when material was cheaper and thus can save you money on your material. Other shops may have just gotten a new shipment in and paid a higher price for it. Make sure your job shop does their homework and gets you the lowest price possible. As a general rule at Fedtech, this is the way we make our projects work.

3. Combine your projects for higher quantities. If you think you'll need more of the parts that you are producing, let your supplier know. Usually when you produce higher quantities, prices will drop. Low quantities will provide you a higher price, so see if you can't combine this month's order with next month's order and save yourself the time and capital.

4. Produce your own files. Do you have a CAD/CAM whiz in the office, or some way to create a print of your project? If so, do it. You will save yourself the cost of a programmer engineer or estimator. Not only this, but your project will be easier to quote, and can likely obtain a shorter turn around time on your project(s).

In an economy where budgets are tight and every penny counts, make the most of your resources by following these four rules. It may not get you free manufacturing, but it can save you significant amounts of money in the long-run.

Have a great Monday!

Sarah

Fedtech, Inc.

Become a Fedtech Facebook Fan

It's true, Fedtech's been on Facebook for a while now - but just as of late, we've acquired enough fans to establish our own customized URL: http://www.facebook.com/Fedtech

While we are thrilled at how many awesome fans we have, we're of course open to building a larger group! So - we're spreading the word that on this Thursday (May 13, 2010) we are going to randomly select one facebook fan and get them a free Fedtech coffee mug, just to say thanks for being our fans!

Our facebook page consists of updates on case studies, cool projects, and other fun stuff that wouldn't usually be posted on the formal website. We also acknowledge previous customers and fun projects we've completed for them. Along with recognize employees and other fun stuff.

So what are you waiting for; Check it out already! (You might even win a free coffee mug... who could resist?)

Some Fedtech Cutting Projects

So maybe you're pretty savvy when it comes to the internet. If that's the case, then you've probably heard of Twitpic.com, but in the case that you haven't, don't worry because you're hearing about it now. Twitpic.com allows you to post photos and share them on Twitter. We've added quite a few now and have a good-sized collection. You can check out our posted photos here: http://twitpic.com/photos/FedtechInc

Some of the photos that are shown there include previous case studies, but in all, it is our number one source for posting images. In other words, that's where you will find images that don't make it to the website, blog, or elsewhere.

An example of the latest pictures include:

1" thick waterjet cut UHMW

Custom machined brass handrail

Custom Aluminum business signage






And lots more. The images are always one-of-a-kind and sometimes if you're lucky, you'll find some photos from around the office of our cheerful squad in the sales and estimating department. It's always a surprise to see what pops up there, so be sure to check back often or just follow us on Twitter and get updates whenever a photo is posted on Twitpic!

Keep checking back here this week as well for a post on questions of the week and other good stuff from Fedtech!

Have a great day :)

Sarah

Blast from the Past

Have you ever seen our old blog? It's a little outdated, and not as cool as this one, but there are some memorable parts and events posted there. So if you are ever looking for some projects you've never seen before, maybe you just need to check that out!

Here's the link: http://fedtech.multiply.com/

There's old company picnic photos, along with some really cool projects and other cool stuff. Worth a look!

Manufacturing Blog Compilation

With so much buzz around social media, online networking, and just to take advantage of all the great sources out there, we've put together a list of some good blogs that were both submitted and discovered. The list is in no particular order. Be sure to comment or email me if you have your own blog to contribute.

1. Managing Automation Blog - Featuring numerous different authors on the topic of manufacturing and automation technology. (Thank you Chris!)

2. The Manufacturing Industry Blog - Featured by Xerox, she writes about industry trends and studies.

3. The IQS Newsroom - They say they are 'your source for industry news articles and industrial products and manufacturers'. I think that pretty much sums it up!

4. The Manufacturer - This website features articles from nearly any topic imagineable from all different sources. Founded in the UK, the information is cutting edge and very up-to-date. This particular link focuses in on sustainable manufacturing (eco-friendly/green).

5. IMAGINiT Manufacturing Solutions Blog - A personal, detailed blog about manufacturing software such as AutoCAD and Inventor. Moreso the engineering side of manufacturing here!

6. Lean Reflections - Featuring questions and answers (much like our blog) and observations, this one is set up by Karen Wilhelm whose specialty is lean manufacturing.

7. Green Inc. Blog - Featured in the New York Times, this green blog focuses on clean manufacturing along with environmentally friendly solutions.  

8. Marki Microwave Blog - A different industry than the above, Marki discusses technology, innovation and lots more. (Thanks for the submission Kristen!)


Well this should give you more than enough resources to check out when you feel like learning something new. Of course, don't forget to check back in here to see what new things we have to say as well!

Take care now!

Sarah

Spring has Sprung, it's time to update!

Update on our new website design: It's coming along well! We're expecting it to be live in under a month from today and it's going to be such an improvement! I wish I could tell you more about it, but that would spoil the surprise. But trust me, it's going to be dramatic!

Update on company news: We recently received a VERY honorable award where we were recognized as Supplier of the Year (2009) by a very well-known company. While the news and technical details are in that company's hands, we have to keep it confidential for now. But if you check back soon (maybe next week?) you will probably be one of the first to find out.


Now onto the questions of the week, where we take your questions and get you some answers!

QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

Q) Can waterjet cut hardened steel?
A) Yes it can! Waterjet cutting is one of the few that can manage to cut through hard material such as hardened steel.

Q) What's the difference between laser cutting and waterjet cutting?
A) We've answered this one before but it always seems to be getting asked either way. Check out our website here for the answer to this one.

Q) Can I buy stock in Fedtech? I can't find the stock ticker.
A) Sorry, no can do. Fedtech is a private company! I'd check on Apple next.

Q) Can you laser cut holes in rubber?
A) Although we don't laser cut rubber, we do use waterjet to process rubber material (and most of the time, we use non-abrasive waterjet cutting to be exact). But it is definitely something we can do, just not with laser.


That's all for today! Check back tomorrow for the Parts of the Week! It will be a good one!

Take care,

Sarah

Where Do You Store Social Images?

What do you use for photos on Twitter?
	Twitpic
	Tweetphoto
	Flickr
	Photobucket
	Other
Web Polls

Down to the basics of custom manufacturing

Just got back from the Java Meet-Up (#JMU612 for all those following on Twitter...) and I am pumped about social media again. Not because I want to bombard followers with gimmicky sales stuff, or to push our company at them - no, just because it's such a great way to let people know what it is that we can do here, and if they are ever in need of the services, they'll know where to go.

I've never been the type of person to push or hard sell anything, so to me, just putting information out there for people to have is essential for everyone to really understand your business and learn to trust you as a company. A wise person once said,

"Ethics or simple honesty is the building blocks upon which our whole society is based, and business is a part of our society, and it's integral to the practice of being able to conduct business, that you have a set of honest standards. And it's much easier to do business with someone when you look them in the eye and say, "This is what we're going to do," and you understand what you each mean, and you can go away and get it done."

(Kerry Stokes)

I love it. Anyways, moving on to business in action... let's move forward.

Sarah's Super Sweet Pick of the Week

I love this part because of all the detail behind it. Now you're thinking to yourself, that looks like an average part that I might see every other day... but have you ever thought about what work goes behind it? Well wonder no more. Here we go.

The part started out as 6061 aluminum bar stock that was turned in our CNC lathe. From here, the parts went to our secondary operations department where we put in the cross holes, flats, and off-center hole on the CNC mill. The process will be cut shorter in a week or two when we install our new multi-axis lathe with a twin spindle (mill turn center) which will allow us to make parts like this all in one shot which will in addition make for shorter lead times. And customers really seem to like those.

The end product itself is used for housing another part (piston) that we also produced in-house. They go together as an assembly to control the sand flow on waterjet machinery (right up our alley!) and works to turn abrasive flow on and off.


And now as usual, we advance to the...

Questions of the Week...

Q) What's the best way to cut thick aluminum sheets?
A) Waterjet cutting. Waterjet cuts up to 12" thick material, and so depending on how thick you are aiming to go, waterjet is your best source to do so.

Q) Can Monel be laser cut?
A) Short answer is, no. Steel alloys are best suited for waterjet cutting (abrasive and non-abrasive) as they are very hard metals.

Q) What is the complete laser manufacturing process of gaskets?
A) Well if you must use laser cutting for your gaskets, then I'm assuming you're using aluminum or thin steel. Either way, you're going to start with drawing up your print (CAD or DXF, DWG files are good) and send them over to us. We get a pricing on material, the process used, and labor and send it out to you. Once you confirm that you're ready to go, we put the project into production with whatever steps necessary. Since almost all our machinery is CNC compatible, your drawings go straight to the production floor and get used to produce your parts. When the process is complete, we clean up the parts (remove any extra abrasive) and send them through our shipping department to get back to the customer. It's a pretty simple process and usually pretty quick as well. If you're not sure on whether you should use laser cutting or waterjet cutting, compare the two of them here...

Q) I'd like to get some custom letters cut. Could Fedtech do this?
A) We love signage projects. In fact, you can visit here to see a bunch that we've done in the past. Typically we waterjet or laser cut your signs from copper, brass, aluminum, plastic, stainless steel... etc.

Q) How thick can a laser cut? (This question was asked four times so it must need to be addressed)
A) Laser cuts aluminum up to 1/8" thick and stainless steel and carbon steel up to 5/8" thick.

Q) What is the best aluminum material for laser cutting?
A) This is a great question. Most aluminums cut the same on the laser, we haven't seen a difference in results with the different types of aluminum that has been laser cut.



Well that's all for this week! Thanks for checking in. Check back again soon :)

Sarah

Show of Hands...

Some thoughts, some answers, some fun stuff from Fedtech

Good afternoon everyone! I am probably a little behind in blogging this week but it's been pretty busy so you'll just have to get used to it! There've been some cool projects going on lately (as I'm sure you probably would have guessed) and I've got some good photos to just throw out here today. So instead of doing a focused case study, I'll just do little blurbs for each photo and I think it should be pretty fun!

Now how cool is this shield to the right? Waterjet cut from wood and aluminum and assembled at our shop. The fun part about it, was that it was done for two Air Force members for their wedding! Now we don't know the whole story behind their relationship, but to have something this cool at their wedding is definiately something to be proud of.

These silicone rubber parts were .25" thick and were custom made. The gaskets used non-abrasive (water-only) waterjet cutting to keep the white silicone rubber nice and clean.

We really have a good time with the projects here, and each one is always a new experience. We've been open since 1996 and the stories that the guys have to tell about projects they've done in the past; it's always something different!

Question of the Week

Q) I need a metal screen/filtration part. Is that within the scope of Fedtech's work?

A) Absolutely. We have done so much work with filtration parts, perforated plate and screen fabrication that we welcome any type of part in that industry. If you're interested in seeing more, you can visit a page on our website dedicated specifically to perforated material.

Believe it or not, that is our question of the week! We didn't have many curious people last week so this is a short list! Hope all is well and take care!

Sarah

Fedtech, Inc.

Fabulous Fedtech Feels like Florida

It's been so warm here in Minnesota, it may just get confused for Florida... We've been loving the weather and it finally feels like Spring time is here! Most snow is melted and if you ignore the otherwise constant rain we've been getting, it's kind of nice!

Things inside the shop have been moving right along. The new press brake has been working wonders with armor plating and with it, we've been pressin on. (pun intended) The waterjets have been busy with mostly gaskets and flanges (both large and small) these days. The lasers have been pretty focused on thin aluminum projects along with some stainless steel work. Most of the mind-boggling work comes off the waterjets, since they can cut through a variety of material types and thicknesses.

I've been pretty busy designing the new website and putting the finishing touches on it before it goes into production. I can't give any secrets out, but let's just say that it will look like a whole new website... I'm VERY excited - the makeover is long past due.

View our website 5 years ago   -   View our current website


QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK

Q) I have 1/2" stainless steel, should I use laser or waterjet?
A) It depends on when you'd need the parts. Sometimes lead times vary depending on how busy the waterjets or lasers are. However, if the lead times are equal, you might opt to use laser cutting as it often times costs less. At the same time, laser cutting does entail heat affected zones, so depending on the application, you may want to look into weighing the pro's and con's of each here.

Q) Can aluminum be cut with water-only waterjet?
A) Although tempting, you're not going to want to proceed with that idea. Water-only waterjet would leave rough edges on aluminum and is not able to cut through the material like abrasive waterjet can. Aluminum is better left for abrasive waterjet or laser cutting (depending on the thickness).

Q) I have a retail design that I'd like to cut from glass, can I do this with waterjet?
A) Absolutely. We've cut glass with abrasive waterjet before and can definitely look at your prints to see if your project is another success story waiting to happen.

Q) What are the odds of warping material when using waterjet vs. laser cutting?
A) Waterjet will not warp the material, and seldom does laser cutting warp material.


That's all the time that I have this week for questions. Now I have to end this here, but check back for more updates soon!

Ta ta for now,

Sarah

Tuesdays with Sarah

Good morning! The past couple months have flown by and we're almost to spring! Don't forget to set your clocks for daylight savings on Sunday morning too. The only problem with Spring is that our clocks will spring ahead, leaving us with one less hour of sleep (and I'm strongly against stealing sleep...)

*Image at right is from www.chumpsyclipart.com

With that being said, don't be discouraged because the sunshine is definitely worth losing a little sleep over. So chin up! It's going to be a great spring/summer...

Things have really been hopping at Fedtech. We've been completing a lot of cool projects that are definitely noteworthy. And since I can only pick one super sweet part of the week, you'll have to tune into our case studies section for all the others that don't get focused in on here!

Also, if you haven't already checked us out on Twitter, you definitely should. We post daily and keep our followers updated with projects, contests, news, and other fun stuff too. You can check us out at @Fedtechinc!

Well, without further adou, I suppose we should get on with the show!

Are you ready for....


Sarah's Super Sweet Pick of the Week
(Where, I, Sarah, pick my favorite parts that I found on the production floor)

The part seen here was one of many produced here at Fedtech. They were cut using abrasive waterjet cutting, and were processed from .020" thick anodized aluminum.

If you were to look at the parts, you'd probably guess it were for some sort of automotive dashboard or some sort. If that really was your guess, then you're very right! The panels that were waterjet cut were used in select models of Ford Mustangs (not from the OEM but for aftermarket customizing).

The initial material came in 48" x 96" sheets of aluminum and fit with room to spare on our waterjet table. When the parts are all finished, they're inspected for quality and precision and then are shipped to the end customer.

I enjoy cars in general, and these parts would be awesome to see on the end product. I also thought in light of the auto show going on this week (in the Twin Cities, MN) that an automotive dashboard panel might not be a bad part to feature!

Hope you enjoyed!!


And now... for the questions of the week!

Question and Answer Segment

Q) Can you cut G-10 with the waterjet?
A) Yes! And here's a case study we've done to prove it: http://www.fedtech.com/phenolics

Q) How thick can a laser cut?
A) Our industrial lasers typically cut up to 5/8" in stainless steel and carbon steel and 1/8" for laser cutting aluminum.

Q) If I wanted to cut linoleum, what process should I use?
A) Waterjet cutting, since there's no heat affected zones (HAZ) then the linoleum won't have any issues with distortion or melting.


Sorry it's kind of a short list, but I must cut it short this week! Hope you have a great week.

Until next time!!

Sarah

Waterjet Wednesdays!

I realize it's been a little bit since that last post so I'm back for more. I actually just updated our Flickr photostream too, so you may have to check that out. There's some really neat pictures on there now: Fedtech Flickr

Also, if you didn't know, we're located in Minnesota where the sun shines when it wants to and the same goes for the snow. It's finally raising past 20° F and we're loving the sunshine, we kind of forgot what it looked like! You can see the snow is melting, the ice is retreating, and our fellow Minnesotans are becoming much friendlier... thank goodness for springtime!

Well, without further ado, we must continue on to Sarah's super sweet pick of the week! Where I choose the coolest project that has gone through Fedtech's production floor and give you, the readers, a little insight behind the project. It's a fan-favorite, so read on!

Sarah's Super Sweet Pick of the Week

I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for shiny things but these parts are beyond that. These custom waterjet cut parts were processed from .002" thick brass (6" x 60" sheets). To be used as wear block shims, they will be the perfect solution for the customer's application in the food industry.

The thickness of these parts was almost half the thickness of a regular sheet of paper (which comes in at .0038" thick). If that gives you an idea of thin these parts were, you can certainly understand that a certain level of intricacy was needed as well when waterjet cutting these parts.

Questions of the Week

Q: Can a waterjet cut plastic?
A: Yes, it can. You'd preferrably want to use water-only waterjet cutting but abrasive waterjet cutting would work as well depending on the application you'd be using the plastic for.

Q: Can you cut armor plate with waterjet?
A: You definitely can, and we do! Quite a bit actually. We're able to waterjet cut armor plate and ballistics up to 12" thick and from all different types of plate. Click here to see a specified page on the topic.

Q: Can you define; high speed machining?
A: Oh yes, we have defined that in our glossary section of our website. Jump to the H's here...

Q: What's the difference between cutting stainless steel with a laser or a waterjet?
A: That's a great question. The most basic differences can be seen in 1) heat affected zones, which laser cutting has and waterjet does not have. 2) laser cutting typically cuts up to 5/8" thick stainless steel. Anything thicker than that and you may need to use waterjet cutting. 3) Laser cutting typically has tighter cutting tolerances, so if your part includes intricate designs and is less than 5/8" thick, then laser cutting is the ideal choice.

Q: How can I cut thick aluminum sheets?
A: Thick aluminum plates can be cut easily with abrasive waterjet cutting. See a thick aluminum project that we cut here with waterjet to get a good idea of how it works.

Q: How can I make a custom gasket?
A: You can order it. From us. First request a quote and we'll get you pricing. Then we can waterjet or laser cut it to your dimensions and tolerances. Choose your material according to your application (ie. heat resistancy, soft/hard material...) Visit our gaskets page here...


Well those are all the questions that I have time for today! Tune back in soon to catch more questions answered, and another pick of the week!

Have a great wednesday!

Sarah