Mondays Full of Manufacturing

Did you know that...
"On this day in 2003, the largest anti-war rally took place in Rome, Italy, where a crowd of 3 million gathered to protest against the USA's threat to invade Iraq." - Guinnessworldrecords.com

It's true.

And I also found out this morning, that the world steel production in 2010 is expected to be new record figure. Isn't that good news, considering what the economy has been like for the past couple years now. If you want to see a whole article on that, Metal-Supply.com has a nice little write up. Based on the article, there are a few reasons for the expected increase.

1. Chinese steel production and demand is likely to continue upwards greatly.

2. Indian steel manufacturing will hit an "all time" high this year based on the past year's turnout.

3. Manufacturing activity in many of the industrialized countries is improving, contributing to the rise in steel production this year.

But don't take my word for it, see the article and learn some more. Naturally it's just a prediction, but any thought-out prediction of an upcoming turnaround gives hope to the many shops relying on increasing production rates.

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And now... it's time for
             Sarah's Super Sweet Part of the Week

Be careful not to look too hard at the picture or you might get dizzy. The parts seen here were complex designs. However there were just a couple steps involved when creating this mystifying masterpiece.


After studying the customer’s prints, we used waterjet to cut through .470” thick aluminum. The interesting fact about this part is that it was all solely waterjet cut. The intricate design required the waterjet nozzle to loop and curve around the center in a elaborate pattern. While the use of the part is unknown, the complexity of it’s manufacturing has been solved.


I think this part is just so cool when you think of the intricacy involved. It didn't just take a shot in the dark to get it done. It was well designed, engineered, and ultimately well done!
 
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Well that's all I have for today. Check back in soon again, ya hear?
 
Have a productive Monday,
 
Sarah

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

Meet and Greet with Fedtech

I'm a strong believer that when you're dealing with companies indirectly (online, via phone, fax, etc.) that it's hard to get to know them. I also think it's helpful then, to be able to meet and get to know the people that you're working with and trusting with your project. For this reason, I bring to you... a meet and greet session with the people of Fedtech.

Introducing the team, in no particular order...

Nate Novak

With years of experience in the shop and on the waterjet, Nate has since moved up to sales and estimating and does an excellent job. His greatest strength (according to me) is his ability to interact with customers in the way that they deserve. Each customer is unique and each project distinct to Nate. This soon-to-be-father is a family-man with a passion for good old fashioned Minnesota hockey.

Brent Erickson

Brent's story is similar to Nate's, in that they both spent their days with hands-on experience. Brent also helped the waterjets run smoothly before he came to sales and estimating at Fedtech. Brent specializes in gaskets, flanges, seals and other parts like these. He's had a lot of experience producing these parts of the years and really understands what needs to be done to produce quality parts. In Brent's spare time, he likes to fish, hunt, and do other outdoorsy stuff when he gets the chance.

Kris Cabak

Kris has been with Fedtech for nearly three years now. His role in sales and estimating has grown from simple parts to complex and intricate designs. Kris is great at nesting his parts into a sheet of material which saves customers money (don't get me wrong, they all do this, but it's a great strength of Kris'). Kris also puts the attention and detail into his parts to ensure that they are manufactured exactly how they should be. When Kris isn't at Fedtech, his other passion is his band where he plays bass guitar. You can find him on the weekends (and some weekdays even) rocking out and playing shows all around Minnesota.

Steve Sayler

Steve's role in sales and estimating at Fedtech has continued strong for 13 years now. His strengths include large, complex projects that include great detail and quantities. His experience with these projects helps Steve to get the job done quickly and efficiently. It's also important to note that Steve is an incredible chef. We all (and I mean, everyone) love when Steve comes to work with treats in his hand. I've suggested he join Top Chef, but he is much too modest for that... In Steve's free time however, he spends quality time with his wife and family, and enjoys collecting all sorts of dictionaries when he gets the chance.

Tony Chulla

Fedtech's one and only Quality Director, Tony spends much of his time measuring, inspecting, doing audits, calibrating tools, and generally ensuring quality all around Fedtech. A busy man, Tony rarely finds time to actually sit at his desk, so if you're really trying to reach him for emergency matters, it's probably best to just have him paged. Tony spent a good amount of time in sales and estimating before he moved into quality control. Before he moved to sales and estimating, he even worked back on the floor. For this reason, Tony knows everything there is to know about the in's and out's of Fedtech and the industry. In his free time, you'll find Tony reading deep novels, spending time with his family, or living for the next football game.

Kristy Fitten

Kristy is our Accounting guru. She handles everything from invoicing to purchase orders, researching vendors, and everything in between. Kristy's biggest strength is that she is able to process so much information in so little time. A true busy-body, Kristy is always working hard to get the job done and get the job done right the first time around. Last year, Kristy moved into her brand new office and has made herself comfortable in the new space with lots more room to work. In her free time, Kristy loves being with her family (which includes her adorable 2 year old son). She also enjoys reading a good book, watching movies, and keeping up with friends.

Dave Fox

Owner and founder of Fedtech, Dave is always on the go. With no time to spare, you'll rarely find Dave in his office unless he's 'just finishing up a quote' before he runs somewhere else. A true entrepreneur at heart, Dave is always looking for ways to improve the company, and reach more customers. After receiving his engineering degree (years back) Dave opened Fedtech in 1996 with two other founders. Since then, tides have shifted and Dave maintains Fedtech as his own. In his free time (if he finds free time), Dave spends time with his beloved family at home, up north, or around the world (as work requires travel, you should know). He also enjoys hunting, fishing, and being in the wild outdoors.

Christine Goossen

Human resources, payroll, you name it, Christine tackles it. She manages all of our employee benefits, and is incredibly patient with all of us when it comes to explaining how it all works. Christine is also quick to help out fellow co-workers when they're spread thin and is able to wear many hats when it comes to helping out. One of the first employees at Fedtech, Christine also is familiar with every aspect that the industry holds for Fedtech. In her spare time, Christine spends lots of time with her family (her new daughter) and attending her children's sporting events.

Sarah Whiting

Sarah has been at Fedtech for two years now and does all the marketing, advertising, content production, and website management. She manages all of our social networking (twitter, facebook, linkedin, flickr, podcasts, blogs *cough cough* and more). She can also be found wearing many hats around Fedtech as she helps the sales team stay organized, helps Kristy with excess work, helps with public relations, and other stuff too. In her spare time, you can find Sarah at the YMCA participating in water aerobics, hip hop dance class, and other activities. She is also a strong advocate for fashion, shopping, and loves being with family and friends.


For more information about Fedtech the company, visit www.fedtech.com/aboutus.html

Waiting for summer, living through winter

Well the grand winter days of Minnesota are wearing us thin. It was -7°F this morning when I came into Fedtech... Yes, we're used to it, but enough is enough. I'm ready to take back summer and get rid of these frigid days and nights. But, the show much go on and so it will!

These past couple months have been pretty busy if you couldn't tell, seeing as the last I entry that I wrote was back in early December. We've been getting a lot of requests for waterjet cutting. Which tells you two things, we do a great job with waterjet cutting (and even though we do great work with laser cutting...) the lead times are short on the lasers. Do you have a project that needs laser cutting? Now's the time to move it into production while you can!

If you haven't seen our website lately, we've added quite a few new case studies. This includes copper base plates, waterjet cut aluminum signage, urethane seals, micro machined parts and other updates as well. These projects were all very cool to watch and even more cool to read about and see photos.

We also have some news that hasn't been shared anywhere but here yet! It's pretty exciting: We're redesigning our whole website within the next 4-6 weeks! It's going to have a chic, updated look and feel. Not only this but the navigation will be much easier to manage for customers, and it will feature a search bar so that if you can't find what you're looking for, you'll be able to search the whole site for it! We have great plans for it, so I hope you'll tune in and see it when it's all done :)

Well that's it for today, I'll keep you posted with how things are going within the next couple weeks.

Until then, stay warm!

Sarah

December Delights in Manufacturing

Well December has definitely arrived and you can definitely feel it. This morning was the first time I drove into work with snow on the ground and it was certainly an unwelcomed change. These past few weeks have been in the mid-40's so it's been nice. Now it was 17° F this morning and I think my car was crying on the way in... But welcome to Minnesota, huh?

Along with December 2009 (can you even believe it's that time of year again??) have come many new projects. Though confidential, we've been hard at work on parts for the defense and military industry. Which gives us a little extra skip in our step this holiday season to know that we're helping to protect the troops as well.

We've also taken a large step into a new kind of industry. Lately, we've been helping case manufacturers cut thick foam for padding in their cases like the photo seen here. This photo is of a Newport F-BK2 optical fiber cleaving tool. We don't make these ones, but it's the best photo that I could find as I haven't had a chance to get any of the ones we've made. The projects are a great fit for water-only waterjet cutting as it requires no abrasive and is very cost-effective. Leadtimes are also very short on our water-only waterjet table right now so if you're looking to custom pad cases of your own, Fedtech may be a good fit for you to look into! (www.fedtech.com/quote.php)

Another industry that has been popular for Fedtech is gasket cutting. We've had a lot of requests for copper gaskets, aluminum gaskets, rubber gaskets, and more. These are also a great fit for us, because waterjet is able to cut all these materials and more. Not only this, but it can cut tight tolerances and produce precise products (now say that ten times fast!)

Well now it's time for the questions of the week...

Question 1: Can hard, high density teflon be cut with waterjet?
Answer: Yes it can! We can use water-only waterjet for these types of projects.

Question 2: Can you laser cut tungsten?
Answer: We do not laser cut tungsten, not a good idea. Waterjet is a better choice for us to use on this material.

Question 3: How can I cut stainless steel circles?
Answer: Depending on the thickness of the stainless steel, you could use either laser or waterjet. If you want to cut steel thicker than 5/8" thick, you'll want to use waterjet for this project.

Question 4: What are some plastics that can be waterjet cut?
Answer: Oh goodness, well... it's going to be a lengthy list as waterjet cuts through nearly all plastics. This includes ABS, Acetron, Acetal, Acrylic, Celazole, Delrin, Ertalon, Ertalyte, Fluorosint, HDPE, Ketron, Nylon, Nylotron, PEEK, Polycarbonate, Proteus, Plexiglass, Polyethylene, PTFE, PVC, Sanalite, Semitron, Symalit, Techtron, Teflon, Thermoplastics, Tivar, Torlon, UHMW, Vespel, and more... *breathe*

Question 5: Which uses more energy; waterjet cutting or laser cutting?
Answer: That is a phenomenal questions. Since many of us are concerned with being green, and environmentally friendly, energy usage is a hot topic in nearly any industry. Now in the case of waterjet vs. laser cutting, it's obviously going to depend on the size of the project. However I don't have the ability to say which takes up more energy at the time.

That's the last of the questions for this week! Come back and visit again soon!

Warm holidays and weather,

Sarah

Manufacturing at "Fabtech 2009"

As you may be aware, the 2009 Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show is going on today... and tomorrow, and yesterday, and wednesday even. It's out in Chicago, IL and is just PACKED with information on different companies in the industry. I, for one, am very disappointed that I couldn't be attending this year but hopefully next time. We had a little bit of late notice to get out to chicago today so I'm bummed, but it's okay. I've been talking to a lot of the companies there and it sounds like the crowd is just having a ball.

I wanted to do a little tidbit about some of the companies exhibiting at the Fabtech show this year, because it's so interesting to see all the different vendors and different applications for all these new and innovative products.

I'll start with Igus, specializing in bearings, cable carriers, cables and more - they're at booth #7046 and have some of their newest products out there to showcase. Check out their press release for more information about their company here.

Next, I have to mention Lincoln Electric (booth #34132). A great brand here from Cleveland, Ohio... they are the world's leading manufacturer for welding products, equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment. With a strong presence at the Fabtech show this year, they've told me that they're seeing some good traffic this morning but expect that it's going to get much busier as the day goes on. Check out a picture that they posted on Twitpic of the m&m's car. Their Virtex 360 can be found at booth #36043 and chirp that they have the best virtual reality welders at the show... but you can be the judge of that.

And how about Miller Welders. They've had a great set up so far and even launched some videos and pictures of the show which I took the liberty to comment on. You'll have to check that out. Of course, I should mention that they're at booth #34071.

Mayfran is at booth #16084 this week with their new shuffle drive system (see twitpic here). They focus on providing engineering solutions for metalworking, waste processing, recycling, and others for numerous industries. Definitely worth checking out if you fall into the machining or job shop category... as being eco-friendly is just as important as being customer-friendly these days.

New to me, is the company Hypertherm, who is putting on a lecture today featuring one of their own, Jim Colt. He's focusing on the difference between plasma, waterjet and laser cutting. I would love to sit in on this one! If you're at the show, catch this seminar at 10:30 this morning, level 4, Room S-403.

What would the show be without Trumpf and their laser products? They've even brought in their TruLaser 1030 to the Fabtech show this year, to feature it's manual pullout which has the crowd talking. Check out booth #6001 or #6013 for their displays.

A native to the land, Hill Engineering is coming into the show from Carol Stream, Illinois. Specializing in roll forming, stamping die, tooling solutions, rotary punching, etc... they will be there at booth #7022. See their latest article in Metal Forming Magazine for some more information on their company.

Perhaps we'll hear more from the show as the day goes on, and more will be added to this list. If you're on twitter and want some play-by-play feedback... look for @FabtechExpo for the latest action. You can follow me on twitter while you're at it, by following @Fedtechinc and I'll be keeping up on the show as the day progresses as well.

As always, it's been a pleasure! If you make it to the show, keep me updated on how it goes! Hope this post helped nonetheless. Take care!

Sarah

Fridays at Fedtech

Questions of the week:

Can you custom manufacture gaskets for companies in Minnesota?
Yes we can! We simply need the prints from you, you can email them to sarahw@fedtech.com and they'll get handled right away.

Is Fedtech in Fridley or Anoka?
Actually neither. Fedtech is in Mounds View, MN - very close to New Brighton.

Is it possible to cut slate with a laser cutter?
It may be possible, though not recommended. Slate or tile is a good application for waterjet cutting though.

What tolerance does waterjet hold?
It really depends on the machinery, but our waterjets hold a tolerance of about ±.003".

Manufacturing and Social Media

So for Fedtech here, we've set up numerous social media networks to stay in touch with current customers, and also to stay open to questions or concerns from potential customers. My strategy is to basically add as much information to each network as possible while still encouraging lines of communication between customers and ourselves. Which I hope is what I've established.

The one thing that is perplexing to me is how Twitter does not seem to drive much traffic or much interest on our company. I know that there are millions of people out there representing millions of companies, but still there is not much interest in the manufacturing industry. Why is this? I have yet to figure this one out. So you're telling me with all the industries represented, all the manufacturing companies that are following us, and we're following them- it's just a big empty portal to nowhere.

I'm baffled.

And for this, it has raised questions in my mind that I hope I can get some answers to.

1. What drives you to 'retweet' other's tweets?

2. What sways your decision to click a link?

3. What types of things do you like to see on twitter?

     - Is it twitpics?
     - Is it videos?


4. What do you use twitter for?


I'm looking for contributions, so chime in if you'd like!

Always,
Sarah