What’s Hot? n Events April 7-8, 2011 Glass Expo Midwest™ 2011 Glass Expo Midwest™ returns to Indianapolis at Indianapolis Marriott East, Indianapolis, IN. Instead of traveling to the coasts for education, Glass Expo Midwest is bringing the information and networking opportunities straight to your area. Contact USGlass magazine, Indianapolis Marriott East, Indianapolis, IN; www.usglassmag.com/ gems. April 16, 2011 Forging Fundamentals with Vivian Beer Learn the fundamentals of working hot iron with Vivian Beer. With her wide-ranging experience in working hot iron, Vivian Beer is an engaging instructor. She held the 3-year residency at Penland before moving to New England, and has a lot more to teach than you can pick up in a day. Contact Center for Metal Arts, Florida, NY; (845) 651-7550; www. centerformetalarts.com. April 30, 2011 Metal Museum Volunteer Day The Volunteer day at the Metal Museum, Memphis, TN, is set for April 30. Service projects include finishing a gazebo from castings furnished by Lawler and installing a handicap ramp. The NOMMA Education Foundation will offer a Casting Scratch Block class. Contact NOMMA, (888) 5168585; www.nomma.org, or The Metal Museum, Memphis, TN; (901) 774-6380; www.metalmuseum.org.
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Industry News
Sharpe ramps up bending services Sharpe Products exhibited the features and benefits of its shop’s latest technology, the Nissin 3D bender at NOMMA’s METALfab 2011. The new equipment offers flexibility in part design and production thanks to its single die technology, which allows the machine to continuously guide tubing through a single die according to programmed specifications. Advantages of this technology include little to no tooling marking for cosmetic parts. Also, the bender supports production of multi-radii bends without additional tooling. It allows little to no distance between bends and angles
over 180 degrees. According to Sharpe, tube roundness/thickness are maintained as the part continuously passes through the die. Set-up and lead times are minimized, even for complex parts. Sharpe’s Nissin 3D Bender can bend up to 1.25-inch O.D. thin wall tubing, making it particularly effective for ornamental and artistic applications. It also supports bending custom shapes to add to fabricated in-fill panels, adding non-structural art to a standard handrail structure, or having custom bent spindles. Contact Sharpe Products, (800) 879-4418; www.sharpeproducts.com.
Easyfit launches new website Easyfit’s new website at www. Easyfit.com, displays its line of structural slip-on pipe fittings, railing systems and components. Applications include building handrails, guardrails, safety railings, car ports, greenhouses, displays, racks, tables, barriers, playground equipment, store fixtures, boat docks, theatrical sets, awnings, furniture, lighting grids and booms, fences, “CrossFit” type exercise equipment supports, and other tubular pipe structures. The site features a resource center with general and technical information (e.g. Maximum Post Centers, Upright Load Ratings) to support installation of Easyfit structures. It also has a project gallery with examples of successful Easyfit installations supplied by their customers. The company now accepts PayPal, VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit card orders. Contact Easyfit, (330) 494-9615; www.Easyfit.com.
Evans Metal president travels to Belize on mission trip In January, David Evans, president of NOMMA member firm Evans Metal Products, traveled to Belize with a group of teachers, youth workers and health care providers. The group, working with the Anglican Diocese in Belize, helped teachers develop their teaching skills and parents strengthen involvement in their children’s education. Evans, who is pastor of his church in Ohio, provided daily devotions. He also worked with the Belize building department to design a new cafeteria building to be built on a subsequent trip. Missionaries on this trip were supported entirely by donations. If you’d like to support this trip or learn more about future ones, visit www. StPetersAshtabula.org. Contact Evans Metal Products, (574) 264-2166; www.EvansMetal.com. Fabricator n March / April 2011