The Miller Road Show, a nationwide tour including participation at premier drag-racing events, engages and educates the racing community about welding and the significant role welders play within all levels of the sport. The Road Show recently attended the World Series of Drag Racing at Cordova Dragway Park, August 26-27, with Larsen Motorsports and the Miller Jet Dragster.
A master at work.
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.
Don’t forget to sign up for ISHN’s exciting new virtual safety expo, taking place this Wednesday (September 28) from 9-4 PM EST. Miller will be exhibiting its line of welding safety products, including its Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) with 9400i Titanium Series welding helmet, and its exclusive CoolBand and CoolBelt heat stress relief product: http://www.ishnvirtual.com/
Log on from your home or office to view technology demonstrations, check out exhibits and network with peers.
Before you fire up your plasma cutter, you have to set up the machine correctly for what you’re about to cut. First decide what power you have available; 110V or 220V. One common question we hear is, “Do I drag the tip or not?”
On thinner material, yes – you should drag the tip. On thicker material with the Spectrum® 375 X-TREME™ Plasma cutter, hold a slight gap to insure full capacity. Machines equipped with a drag cup should always be used in the drag position.
If you can’t cut through the material, you may be going too fast or you don’t have the machine turned up enough. If you see sparks going through the bottom side, you’re probably running at the correct speed.
Using a template when dragging makes cutting shapes easy, but remember that using and electrically conductive template can cause the arc to lose cutting strength or double arcing causing degraded parts life and poor cut quality.
If you’re cutting too slow the arc may go out which means you’re not completing the circuit.
Steve Hidden
Plasma Product Manager
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-267025849/you-write-caption-iw.html
August 1, 2011… Congratulations to tcassutt, who has achieved the lofty title of CWE (Caption Writer Extraordaired). You, too, can earn fame (but, alas, no fortune) by joining in the latest “You Write The Caption” contest, featuring gags from cartoonist Jerry King. Go to www.industryweek.com/cartoon, and let…Read more
