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
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Where Do You Store Social Images?
What do you use for photos on Twitter?  | |
| Twitpic | |
| Tweetphoto | |
| Flickr | |
| Photobucket | |
| Other | |
 | |
| Web Polls | |
Thursday, April 1, 2010
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,
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
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
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
Monday, March 29, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Tuesdays with Sarah
*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)
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
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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
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
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
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