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

You’ll be hearing a lot from us over the next few months on aluminum. One of the first things we’d like to share with you is this great snapshot of the aluminum welding needs at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La.

Read the whole story here. After the excerpt, see what the folks at Bollinger Shipyards had to say about Miller’s AlumaFeed™ System.

Aluminum is increasingly specified in marine applications because it’s lighter without sacrificing strength and functionality. This makes ships faster, saves on fuel, and provides them with excellent anti-corrosive properties. It does, however, present difficulties: distortion, cleanliness, aesthetics, burn through and difficult wire feeding, to name a few.

To best meet these challenges, Bollinger overhauled its entire aluminum welding facility to include a new bulk gas delivery system, wall-mounted booms for wire feeders, and new AlumaFeed™ synergic aluminum welding systems from Miller Electric Mfg. Co. The system is designed to simplify and improve MIG and Pulsed MIG aluminum welding applications and has proven a good fit at Bollinger.

Improvements include: Hours saved in productivity, thanks to the synergic controls; reduced distortion and burn through, thanks to the Pulsed MIG capabilities; the aesthetics of a TIG weld with the production speeds of MIG welding; less bird nesting, thanks to advanced wire feeding technology; switch to a larger diameter wire, which allows for faster travel speeds.

Fabricating and MetalWorking recently ran an article on Shinn Mechanical of Kent, WA and its use of Miller’s PipeWorx welding system. An excerpt from the article:

Shop operators here complete joints three to four times faster than shops that rely solely on stick and TIG technology. How? They use a pipe-specific multi-process welding system from Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (Appleton, WI) called PipeWorx™ that was recommended by Jim Hedberg, a representative from Pacific Welding Supply (Tacoma, WA).

The PipeWorx system uses Pro-Pulse™ pulsed MIG and RMD™ (regulated metal deposition) processes, as well as stick, TIG and flux cored processes that have been optimized specifically for pipe fabrication. The system also provides traditional MIG processes. Switching between processes requires only the push of one button, with no need to manually switch polarity, cables or hoses, thus increasing productivity and eliminating a potential source of errors.

You can read the whole article here. You can also watch a video of the guys from Shinn discussing RMD and Pro-Pulse here.

We kicked off FABTECH today with a major announcement that introduces Miller Welding Automation. You can WATCH leaders of Miller Welding Automation discuss the new strategic partnership here.

Check out the press release and see our new brochure at our new Automation page here.

This strategic partnership makes Miller Welding Automation the distribution route for Panasonic robotic welding arms in North America. The welding arms will be combined with Miller products and delivered to the market as part of a complete automated welding system. As part of this transaction, Miller has purchased assets of the Panasonic Factory Solutions Company of America (PFSA) welding automation business.

Once again, Miller will be showcasing some exciting new welding and safety products at the annual FABTECH show (formerly known as the AWS/FABTECH International Welding Show) in Atlanta, Ga. This year’s booth will feature industry-specific products and technologies that offer companies the potential to significantly improve productivity, reduce rework and increase employee safety.

Check out the News Release for a small sample of the exciting new products that will be on display.

If you can’t make it to the show, be sure to check our Youtube, Facebook and Twitter pages for live updates and videos from the show floor!