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Component Manufacturing dverti$ dverti $ er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$$er
November 2023 #15292 Page #33
Should We Follow Lasers Blindly? hen GPS systems first became available for personal cars, we started hearing By Glenn Traylor stories about folks turning left onto a railroad track or following a cow trail through the valley to a dead end. In 2012, three Japanese tourists in Australia drove into the Pacific Ocean after their GPS told them to. The students were trying to reach North Stradbroke Island, but the GPS neglected to mention the 9 miles of water between it and the mainland.
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So, the device manufacturers analyzed the situation and made corrections, created disclaimers, and improved accuracy and performance. Folks learned to translate the device. Although we still hear a story or two on occasion, the flurry of humorous tales has diminished. Like GPS technology has done for navigation, lasers have revolutionized the truss industry when it comes to “exact” placements. Lasers are one of the best investments a component manufacturer (CM) can make. But like our humorous stories about GPS, the same could be said about lasers used in truss manufacturing. “Operator error” will continue to be a problem, even when the laser has determined what is “correct.” Therefore, when using lasers, there are a few items that you might not have considered but should. One issue involves lumber dimensions. In the following illustration, lumber is designed to be located on the black lines. Due to the thickness of the material or the accuracy of the cut lumber, however, the webs shift, as shown in red.
The illustration is somewhat exaggerated, but in essence this is what is happening as the truss builder attempts to remove gaps in the joints. When this happens, specific locations assumed by the laser are no longer accurate.
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