One of the best reasons for going to FABTECH 2011 is the extensive schedule of educational seminars and presentations designed to give you insight into industry trends and advancements. As always, Miller and its ITW partners are proud to take part in these seminars, and we’ve put together here a preliminary list of key Miller-related sessions you should keep an eye out for.

FABTECH 2011 is taking place November 14-17 in Chicago at McCormick Place.

Educational Annual Program: Monday, 11/14

Miller’s Bruce Albrecht will participate in an industry roundtable discussion of “Career Paths in Welding” from 11:30 am to noon and then again from 1:15 to 2:45 pm in room N131.

8th Conference on Weld Cracking: Tuesday 11/15

Hobart Brothers’ Joseph C. Bundy will present “Understanding Weld Cracking in Steels” from 8:30 to 9:05 am in room N230B. Here’s a brief overview:

There is a great deal to be said about the consequences, the causes, and the remedies pertaining to weld cracking. In this presentation we will touch on all three and delve into the solidification and liquation cracking prevalent in hot cracking as well as the problems caused by diffusible hydrogen. The topics of pre- and postweld heat treat will also be examined.

Tony Anderson from the ITW Global Welding Technology Center will present “How to Prevent Cracking When Welding Aluminum Alloys” from 10:30 to 11:05 am in room N230B. Here’s a brief overview:

This presentation will examine the primary reasons for hot cracking to occur when welding the various aluminum alloys. It will evaluate the crack sensitivity associated with the various alloying elements that are added to aluminum and how we can use crack sensitivity curves to predict and thereby reduce the hot cracking potential of our welds. It will further discuss the importance of correct filler alloy selection and how the filler alloy/base alloy combination can be critical in the prevention of solidification cracking.

Tube and Pipe Joining & Inspection: Tuesday 11/15

Miller’s Jim Cuhel and Ron Halpenny of Graham Corporation will present “Regulated Metal Deposition (RMD™) Modified Short Circuit MIG and Pro-Pulse™ Pulsed MIG Welding Processes Advance Pipe Welding Performance and Productivity” from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm in room S503B. Here’s a brief overview:

Through a calm, stable arc and smooth metal transfer, Regulated Metal Deposition (RMD™) outperforms TIG and short circuit transfer MIG welding processes in pipe welding root pass applications by reducing rework and distortion, and providing process benefits such as faster travel speeds and the elimination of back purging on stainless steel. 

What’s New in Power Sources Program: Wednesday 11/16

Miller’s Todd McEllis will present “Modern Power Source Technology that Drives Process Improvement” from 8:30 to 9:05 am in room N231. Here’s a brief overview:

The goal of the welding industry is no different than that of other industries – improve productivity, ensure consistent quality, and of course lower costs. It is difficult if not impossible to attain these goals without accurate real-time and historical weld process information. In the past, some companies have attempted to use “bolt on” equipment to obtain this type of information. Welding power source manufacturers have now begun to incorporate weld process and production management information into their product offering. This discussion will focus on how the information provided by this new generation of power sources can be used to increase productivity, improve quality, reduce costs, and better manage the overall welding operation. Miller’s Axcess power source will be used as an example.

Miller’s Jim Cuhel and Ron Halpenny of Graham Corporation will present “Controlled Short Circuit GMAW Process Competes Favorably with SMAW, GTAW” from 3:05 to 4:00 pm in room N231. Here’s a brief overview:

The combination of Regulated Metal Deposition, or RMD™, and the Pro-Pulse™ Pulsed MIG process Pro Pulse provides an efficient method of welding pipe from root to cap with one wire and one gas. The presentation includes a case study involving Graham Corporation, the world leader in engineered-to-order vacuum and heat transfer equipment. These processes have significantly reduced rework (down from 3.2 to 1.3%) and lead times. This includes faster travel speeds on root passes (between 6 to 12 ipm) and a 22% productivity increase over manual TIG. In summary, the described technology provides the following: it reduces rework on the root pass in pipe welding applications and distortion by reducing overall heat input in pipe welding applications. The need for back-purging in stainless pipe welding applications is also eliminated. Travel speeds are also increased.

We hope you attend some of these valuable presentations. For a glimpse at the entire schedule of educational seminars at FABTECH, click here.

Heat stress relief, especially in welding environments where temperatures regularly exceed triple digits, is extremely important for the well-being, satisfaction and productivity of your welders. We recently spent some time with Valmont Industries in Tulsa to discuss their welding operation and to discuss their use of Miller’s CoolBand helmet-integrated cooling system for heat stress relief. Here’s an excerpt with a video of the interview that follows:

Valmont Industries—a worldwide leader in the fabrication of structural and transmission towers used by municipalities, utilities, communication companies and irrigation professionals—has 95 facilities worldwide, including in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Outside temperatures in the summer regularly reach triple digits in Tulsa, and temperatures inside the plant can reach as high as 110 degrees. Noting the effects that heat stress was having on his crew of 100 welding operators, Valmont Operations Director, Tony Schuler, worked with Bobby Goodman of Best Welders Supply to identify a solution to keep the staff cool.

The company decided to test trial Miller Electric Mfg. Co.’s exclusive new CoolBand™ headgear-integrated cooling system coupled with its Performance™ Series line of welding helmets. The result: cooler, more comfortable welders who are able to get more work done in the same amount of time because there is substantially less fatigue and they spend less time wiping sweat and de-fogging glasses and lenses.

To read the whole story, visit here.

For more on CoolBand, visit here.

Did you miss Miller’s webinar on Responsible and Sustainable Fume Management co-sponsored with ISHN? You can still Here’s a description:

Welding fumes and fume regulations have become an ever increasing area of concern for welding facilities and safety personnel. While there has been a great deal of communication, there are still many questions among occupational health and safety managers as to the most appropriate courses of action in identifying the best suited and sustainable solutions for reducing the possible risks associated with weld fume exposure.

In this webinar, Miller Electric Mfg Co Product Manager Al Hilbert and Product Specialist Eric Sommers along with Hobart Brothers Welding Engineer, Aaron Bischoff will join Peter Lemke, president of The WORCS, and Industrial Hygienist, Bert Schiller to discuss the most relevant regulations and sustainable practices that any weld shops needs to be aware of when deploying a fume control program and choosing the proper controls. This webinar is a must-attend for any company that has welding in their operations.

What you will learn:

• How regulations can impact your welding operations
• Sustainable & best management practices for weld fume control
• What to look for in engineering, administrative and PPE fume solutions

With numerous studies pointing to heat’s negative impact on performance, fabricators are naturally searching for technologies that offer a combination of convenience and results. Miller’s CoolBand™ and CoolBelt™ are solutions that have been shown to reduce temperatures significantly with minimal extra weight or feeling cumbersome to the welder. At a price of $150 and $295, respectively, they also offer a quick return on investment through increased productivity and product quality.

There is no singular solution when it comes to heat stress prevention, and specialized apparel by itself may not be enough to keep workers functioning at their best. Every welding environment is different, and organizations typically employ a combination of measures that meet their needs. However, the welding helmet cooling devices now available on the market represent a big step forward in terms of convenience and effectiveness. Already used in a variety of demanding environments, they’ve proven to be highly effective as part of an overall plan to maintain the welder’s well-being and performance.

Check out this article for more on welder heat stress relief and actions you can take to keep your staff safe and productive: read now!

Running a welding business/department isn’t easy – we’ve compiled 10 of the most common pitfalls people make and easy ways to avoid them in this article.

Here’s the top 5 – check out the article for the rest:

1: Improper filler metal storage

2: Repurposing old equipment

3: Using the wrong sized MIG gun

4: Improper preheat or interpass temperature control

5: Ignoring preventative maintenance