FabShop magazine

2016 JANUARY

WELDING DISSIMILAR MATERIALS FRICTION STIR WELDING | BUYING MATERIALS | 3D PDFS |

The Power of

Partnership.

“Amada’s technology, expertise, and commitment took our business to the next level.”

— Jim Lauer, President Weaver Precision Fabrication & Finishing FLCAJ Video

Keeping pace with the high-speed of the fiber laser, a 6-shelf ASLUL 300 material handling/storage tower ensures maximum lexibility and continuous productivity.

Co-Owners: Marian and Jim Lauer, Weaver Precision Fabrication & Finishing

Integrated Solution: Fiber Laser Technology, Automated Material Handling /Storage and Advanced Bending Located in Akron, OH, Weaver Precision Fabrication & Finishing has been successfully competing in the metal fabrication industry for over 70 years. Since purchasing the business in 1998, Co-Owners Jim and Marian Lauer, have instituted a lot of changes.

The most significant change: investing in advanced technology enhanced by automation — in other words, partnering with Amada. Jim Lauer expressed it like this: “We needed to get high quality parts out the door in a hurry. Our aging laser was working 24/7 and not keeping up with the demands of our shop. We were limited... and we hate to be limited.

After carefully studying all of our options, we chose Amada.”

Amada’s solution includes an FLCAJ 3015 fiber laser, an ASLUL 300 automated material handling/storage system and an HG 1303 (a 143-ton, down-acting, hybrid drive press brake). The FLCAJ’s innovative, 3-axis linear drive system delivers unmatched speed and accuracy. According to Lauer: “The ASLUL provides an integrated lights-out solution for automated material handling/storage, allowing us to take full advantage of the fiber laser’s speed and versatility.” Marian Lauer adds: “Amada’s leading-edge equipment and customer-centered approach immediately put us at ease about making a switch.

Now, we can leverage the speed and unique capabilities of the fiber laser to better serve our existing customers and quote work that previously was not a fit for us.”

Amada’s industry-leading technologies and automated systems ensure: • Expanded Capabilities (In addition to cutting mild steel four to five times faster than their old CO2 laser, the FLCAJ expands Weaver’s process range by quickly and precisely cutting materials such as aluminum, copper and brass).

• Unmatched Precision (The HG 1003 is an ultra-high precision and high-speed bending system. An advanced Dual Servo Power drive system provides the ultimate in bending control and accuracy for a full range of thin-to-thick materials).

• Maximum Flexibility (The ASLUL’s 6-shelf configuration allows Weaver to quickly and easily switch between dissimilar materials and different gauges.

The HG’s large open height of 20.5" and stroke length of 9.8" ensures maximum bending versatility).

Reflecting on the decision to partner with Amada, the Lauers add: “Amada did much more than sell us equipment. They restructured our entire manufacturing process to ensure maximum productivity. Prior to working with Amada, we had never encountered a machine tool manufacturer that cares about their customers as much as we care about ours.”

A user-friendly, AMNC 3i touchscreen control and offline programming, ensure speed and accuracy for any level operator. The HG also analyzes and adjusts part angles automatically, eliminating test pieces and scrap.

Amada America, Inc. 180 Amada Court Schaumburg, IL 60173 HG Video

www.amada.com/america

877-262-3287

| EDITOR’S LETTER

WHEN YOU COME TO A FORK IN THE ROAD… Yogi Berra famously said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” For years, it’s made us laugh. Now we’re not laughing so much. Maybe Yogi had something there.

In the context of running a fabricating business, the path forward looks like a pyramid of forks, and many of your choices – such as making a big equipment investment or a commitment to a big operational change (networking, automation) -- carry potentially mortal risks to one’s business. The pace of change and expanding choices has become frenetic.

But we have an advantage. The key to making those decisions is good information. Before the Internet and the myriad forms of digital data-handling and communication, we were sucking data through a soda straw: a few good magazines; correspondence by mail; some telephone calls to friends in the business; an every-two-year trade show. Now we’re wired to a vast network of information sources, immediate, in-depth, and much of it free to you, in the time it takes to make a few key clicks. Like mechanical designers who can now try multiple versions in the virtual world of computer simulations, we’re reaching a stage where we can try both tines of a fork before deciding. In a virtual or experimental sense we can examine the experience of others who

have chosen one path or the other, acquiring vast amounts of data from alternative sources.

There is plenty of information available to examine multiple options in detail before you bet the farm on one or the other.

We don’t think we’re stretching the analogy too far; we’ve seen examples. The challenge now is in turning data into knowledge. Data is easy; knowledge is harder to come by. As we look forward to the coming year at Fab Shop, this distinction is uppermost in our minds. We’re wired into data. Our job is to turn it into information, so it can become knowledge. We have an advantage, too, over our predecessors. They had mailing addresses; we have one-click links. They had photos; we have video. They had screen shots; starting with this issue, we have 3D interactive models and CAD. This is going to be a challenging year for us, as we develop faster and better ways to get you the information you need to produce knowledge. We have some excellent tools to do it. And that, in the end, is why we’re here.

Happy New Year from all of us at Fab Shop!

Ed Huntress Editor

Single-Source Fred Grove, President (left) & Bob Wolpink, Plant Manager of Aloma Shim and Manufacturing.

Leader.

“The exceptional ROI and outstanding service on our first purchase made Amada the clear single-source choice for our next two purchases.”

— Fred Grove, President Aloma Shim and Manufacturing FOL AJ Video

Amada provides the optimal fabricating solutions.

Aloma Shim is a leading full-service ISO 9001:2008 Registered Contract Manufacturing Company. Located in a 98,000 sq. ft. facility in Verona, Pennsylvania, the company specializes in the manufacturing of precision OEM & custom fabricated parts, standard & custom shims, alignment devices and accessories. To maintain a leadership position, the company partnered with Amada and leveraged the latest technologies in fiber laser cutting, tube & angle laser cutting and robotic bending. Aloma Shim’s president, Fred Grove, comments on that decision: “The FOL AJ Fiber Laser with automation improved production efficiency by over 70%... one would think we added two new lasers, not just one.

We effectively operate the FOL AJ 24 hours a day with one operator and one laborer as opposed to 3 operators and one laborer on our other lasers.”

Plant Manager, Bob Wolpink comments on Amada’s robotic bending solution which has made a huge impact on Aloma Shim’s bending production: “The Astro 165W NT with its Automatic Tool Changer has reduced brake setup times by 500% and increased work center output by 150%.”

To gain the ability to quickly switch between flat sheet cutting and tube cutting, the company also purchased Amada’s FOM2 RI laser cutting system with an integrated Rotary Index. Bob Wolpink reflects on new levels of speed and efficiency: “The FOM2 RI increased our tubing material utilization by as much as 20% and increased our tube/angle cutting speeds by as much as 40%!”

The FOL 3015 A J Fiber Laser achieves cutting speeds up to 9,400 inches per minute and rapid traverse of over 13,000 inches per minute. ASLUL automation provides high-speed material handling at a rate to match the productivity of the Fiber Laser.

FOM2 RI Video

Astro Video

Amada’s leading-edge systems and technologies ensure: • Unmatched Productivity (The FOL AJ Fiber Laser provides cutting speeds up to 4 times faster than CO2 laser and a 7/8" rating in steel plate.

An ASLUL system maximizes “green-light-on” time by providing high-speed, automated storage and load/unload).

• The Ultimate Robotic Bending Solution (The Astro 165W NT processes large and heavy parts quickly and safely while outperforming manual operation times by up to 22% and reducing labor costs).

• Maximum Versatility (The FOM2 RI can process round, square, rectangle, C-channel, and angle iron — making it the most versatile Rotary Index laser cutting system available. An integrated Rotary Index provides the ability to switch from flat sheet cutting to tube cutting in 2 minutes or less).

The FOM2 RI’s Rotary Index is located on one of three shuttle pallets — making it extremely easy to switch from f lat sheet cutting to tube or pipe cutting.

The Astro 165W Robotic Bending System provides the ideal high-speed solution for large parts and thick materials.

Amada America, Inc. 180 Amada Court Schaumburg, IL 60173 www.amada.com/america

877-262-3287

THE INFORMATION CONDUIT FOR FABRICATING AND STAMPING PROFESSIONALS FAB Shop Magazine Direct is a registered trademark of Techgen Media Group. We publish monthly. All rights reserved under the U.S., International and Pan-American Copywrite Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means such as mechanical, photocopying, electronic recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Techgen Media Group.

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| MATERIALS PRICES

FEATURES 9

Getting Better Metals Prices Knowing what others are paying can give you an edge

12

Lasers Join Dissimilar Materials Mixing metals that don’t like to mix

17

Making CAD Files Compatible Adobe Acrobat does more tricks than many realize

22

Friction Stir Welding It’s good enough for NASA to take it to Mars

NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE Direct Diode Lasers Stick Welding with 6010 Press Brakes

Cover photo credit Photo courtesy of Trumpf

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s letter Industry News

9 Knowing what others are paying can give you an edge

22

It’s good enough for NASA to take it to Mars

Is hot slag impeding your laser cutting operations?

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That's why owners of laser cutters are replacing their steel discharge chain systems with Vibro Transporters and a stainless steel tray for hot slag and scrap removal.

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USA

| MATERIALS PRICES

GETTING BETTER PRICES ON MATERIALS || By ROBERT FARRELL, Writer ||

For fabricators a simple and direct path to boosting profitability is to stop overpaying for material. But how do you know with certainty if the price you are paying is fair? Today, thanks to the Internet and, surprisingly enough, your competitors, the answer is just a click away.

W

hen we buy a car, most of us go online to check Kelly Blue Book or Auto Trader to find out what other people in our region are paying, up-to-the-minute, for the make and model we want. Now we can do the same when buying material for fabricating. With price variability, if not volatility, in metals markets, fast-shifting supply/demand forces can result in paying more than you should for sheet, plate, and other materials. In fact, it’s more likely than not that you are.

No one has to tell you that those stacks of sheet, plate, and other shapes of metal in your shop represent a lot of dollars in inventory.

Studies continue to show that material costs can account for up to 60% of total product costs, and, if you’re overpaying by even a small percentage, that can knock a painful slice off of your profit margins. Facing this fact, fabricators of all types and sizes are looking for tools to help them get raw material costs under control. | Getting Better Prices On Materials

9

| MATERIALS PRICES

THE DILEMMA Historically, raw material purchasers often act as if they were shopping for televisions or laptops. Scan the Internet, make a couple of quick calls, conclude that it’s more trouble than its worth, ask the supplier to knock a few bucks off the price, and then move on to other things. After all, what’s the value of the time it takes to make the sharpest possible purchase?

So, maybe you are paying a little more than you should be. Or maybe you’re paying a lot more than you should be.

How do you know for sure and, most important, what can you do about it?

Knowing the actual, best price of raw material can be a real challenge.

Most buyers understand that “catalog pricing” is merely the starting point for negotiations. You would have more leverage as a purchaser if you knew what others are actually paying for that same material. Fortunately, that information is now just a few clicks of the keyboard away. Even better, it’s available at no cost.

GETTING LEVERAGE The key lies in leveraging the buying information of your peers. On your

own you can’t be certain that you are paying a fair market price for raw materials; but as a “community,” fabricators can now leverage market price insights to secure optimum pricing, make better sourcing decisions, and identify alternative sources of supply. Supply Dynamics (Loveland, Ohio) has launched a better way to accurately benchmark the prices you pay or have been quoted for many common ferrous and nonferrous metals. The idea is to leverage a vast community of metals buyers and their pricing history to bring price transparency to the marketplace.

Its service is called Price Dynamics (PDX).

It’s an anonymous gathering place where hundreds of metals buyers from dozens of industries can privately and securely compare metals prices and evaluate all known sources of supply.

“Think about this in terms of how most people buy a car,” explains Supply Dynamics founder and president, Trevor Stansbury. “Everyone knows that the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price is just that – a suggestion.

Similarly, catalog prices for metals are not necessarily a good measure of fair market price which, as we all know, is a moving target subject to lots of variables.”

‘THINK ABOUT THIS IN TERMS OF HOW MOST PEOPLE BUY A CAR‘ - by Trevor Stansbury -

| Getting Better Prices On Materials 10

| MATERIALS PRICES

Like those online car-price sources, Price Dynamics provides reliable statistics about what others are paying for the raw material you are buying – taking into account things like form, grade, specification, transaction size or quantity. Stansbury adds, “A community of actual buyers, and not the sellers, are probably a better judge of what a fair market price is.”

HOW IT WORKS Buyers get free access to basic benchmarking functionality. After registering, they are prompted to submit information about what they are buying, and more importantly, what they are paying or have been quoted for materials. In “crowd sourcing” applications such as this one, content is generated by soliciting contributions from a large group of buyers just like you. Prices are combined to identify useful insights that are then made available to the community.

Once your information is submitted, an animated dial appears that displays how your pricing measures up to similar purchases by others. Various stats reveal things like high, low, mean and average transaction price.

Accessible through desktop, laptop, and soon for tablet, or mobile device, the service can benchmark against a range of material forms, alloys and grades, including alloy and tool steels, carbon steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, cobalt, nickel, stainless, and titanium.

“There is no charge for basic membership,” says Bruce Washington, a senior metals price analyst with Supply Dynamics. “Our goal is to simply provide the most complete and accurate resource for the metals purchasing community.” One feature he is eager to point out is that PDX also displays alternative sources of supply, if a user discovers their metals prices don’t quite measure up.

In addition to the Basic (free) subscription, Premium and Enterprise level memberships are also available for a nominal fee. A Premium level subscription provides advanced reports and filters with which to parse results, and save purchasing histories.

An Enterprise level subscription allows large OEMs to integrate PDX with their own ERP systems and, in some cases, to connect other players in their extended supply chains.

Price Dynamics users know immediately if they have been quoted a fair market, above market, or below market price for a raw materials order. Likewise, the site also provides users with the option to access a list of alternate materials providers

The service provides users with a history of their benchmarks (black dots) in terms of date and price. The size of the dot represents how many benchmarks a user had at that time.

Information is also displayed in relationship to benchmarks of other users (top gold line).

Robert Farrell is a freelance fabrication industry reporter and owner of Farrell MarCom Services, LLC (www.farrellmarcom.com) 513-284-2618.

PRICE DYNAMICS WEBSITE | Getting Better Prices On Materials 11

| LASER WELDING

JOINING NOT WELDING Using powder formulations to develop specific characteristics. || By LARRY ADAMS, Senior Editor ||

M

etals and alloys all have their strengths, and best applications, and the growing ability to use these materials where they are needed, when they are needed, and alongside other materials with their own properties, makes this is an exciting time for welding as joining technologies are evolving.

One benefit of these evolutionary technologies is that it allows designers to join dissimilar materials and utilize these materials to their fullest. A component may need high-temperature resistance in

one area, enhanced structural performance in another area, and long-lasting corrosion resistance in still a third area.

Another development is the move toward making components more multi-functional, adapting the materials they contain or their design or manufacturing processes to let them perform a wider range of functions.

With these materials, metal goods can be made stronger yet lighter.

There are a variety of solid-state joining processes that are growing

A laser beam is used to produce a melt pool on the surface of the component. Powder particles are injected into the melt pool.

Aluminium-steel-joining, overlap

Cross section of an aluminum – steel joining | Joining Not Welding 12

| LASER WELDING

in application and use, says Narasimhan Sreenivasan, an application group manager for Trumpf. This is especially true when it comes to joining systems that utilize laser-based technology. One of those processes is Laser Metal Deposition.

Sreenivasan recently gave a presentation on LMD, with an eye especially focused on the automotive field.

According to Sreenivasan, LMD is, in theory, a simple process. A laser beam is used to produce a melt pool on the surface of the metal component.

Powder particles are injected into the melt pool and a metallurgical bonding between coating and substrate occurs.

In addition, functional coatings and structures can be deposited on 3D surfaces. Production of coating or parts combining materials in multilayer, gradient coatings are possible. The technology can be fast, with deposition rates of up to about 200 cm3/h shown to be possible.

While LMD can be used with wire filler, the use of powder as a deposit material offfers greater future opportunities, such as the possibility of Al-Al and Al-steel joining.

The powder formulation’s makeup should interface between one or

two base metals, said Sreenivasan, who has focused recent research on aluminum to steel joining, meaning that one of the materials should be similar to one of the base metals.

Laser metal deposition offers a number of advantages. It allows for the joining of profiles with gaps in between, and the joining of aluminum to steel with a homogeneous welding seam, and the ability to tailor specific alloys to the job. The laser metal deposition process can be used not only to manufacture functional layer systems and to generate 3D structures, but also as joining technology.

Potential LMD applications include the repair of worn surfaces such as turbine and compressor blades, vanes, welding gap bridges, valve seats, tool and die steels, welding of gaps and other metallurgical bonding. In terms of industries, one of the main potential users of LMD are automakers who Sreenivasan says are looking to reduce weight in an effort to minimize gas consumption, and compensate for the addition of other technologies such as the weight of batteries for electric cars. Car manufacturers are also looking at upcoming regulations to improve fuel economy, and LMD might prove to be a promising way to join lightweight aluminum with traditional steel components. “Powder metallurgy is the direction we are heading,” said Sreenivasan. “Making vehicles lighter is a big push.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are issuing final | Joining Not Welding 13

| LASER WELDING

rules to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles and to improve fuel economy for model years 2017 through 2025 light-duty vehicles.

EPA’s standards apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, in those model years. The final standards are projected to result in an average industry equivalent to 54.5 mpg if achieved exclusively through fuel economy improvements. One way to improve fuel economy is to reduce the amount of weight that has to be propelled.

Aluminum might be the answer in terms of weight, but it also offers manufacturers other benefits such as corrosion resistance, structural performance, ease of manufacturing, and material availability as compared to magnesium, composites, and other materials, said Sreenivasan.

At this time, it is not simply a matter of swapping out old parts for their aluminum counterparts. According to Sreenivasan, it will be some time before steel structures are eliminated. Until then hybrid structures might be the answer, using multiple materials. The problem is joining these. Generally, welding aluminum and steel is a challenging process.

JOINING CHALLENGES There are a number of challenges when it comes to joining dissimilar materials such as aluminum to steel components. There are differences in physical properties such as the melting temperatures of the base metals and alloys, thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion and other properties.

Some of the biggest challenges to overcome are brittle intermetallic phases at the joint interface, and hotcracking formation of the weld seam.

The LMD/powder theory is meant to work around these challenges of welding dissimilar materials by using similar materials in the process as well as other materials that address specific problems. For instance, 6000 Series of aluminum is very sensitive to weld cracking and it is generally not a good idea to weld it to dissimilar alloys. However, using LMD may be able to solve these issues. In testing, Sreenivasan found that welding with the laser metal deposition process, using powdered aluminum and a silicon content, avoided crack production.

Aluminium-steel-joining, flange weld

Close-up view of a joint produced by using Laser Metal Deposition (LMD)

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| Joining Not Welding 14

| LASER WELDING

‘We want to increase the intermetallic zone, and we are working to add three or four materials to enhance the material’s properties ’ - by Narasimhan Sreenivasan -

In one experimental setup and parameter they used a powder makeup of copper, aluminum, and iron to join aluminum to steel. Particle sizes ranged from -125 to +45um, the laser power was 2kw, spot diameter 2.5, traverse speed 1-1.8 m/min, shielding as 10 1/ mm, and carrier gas 4 l/min.

“If want to join copper to steel, then we would have to have those powders.

We would try to have at least one material comparable for the process,” said Sreenivasan. “We want to decrease the intermetallic zone, and we are working to add three or four materials to enhance the material’s properties.”

Sreenivasan found that welds with a reasonable tensile shear strength performance between 3 and 6kN and elongation up to roughly 0.028 in.

(0.7mm) could be obtained. Within the present work, the LMD process was used to obtain the required joining and neither preheating nor ore-coated bonding layers had to be used.

Research is ongoing. Sreenivasan said that future research will continue to look at inter-metallic phase analysis, improvement of welding speed and reproducibility, mechanical characterization, improved corrosion resistance and continued testing of additional powder materials.

Sreenivasan believes that powder melting can improve these other challenges especially when use powders of similar chemical makeup.

According to Sreenivasan, there is no golden standard formulation; the formula depends on what the user wants to join. One must, however, use compatible materials.

Still, work has been promising, said Sreenivasan, and the future holds open the possibility for even more exciting applications that utilize the inherent capabilities of a slew of materials that will likely include plastics and other composites.

TRUMPF WEBSITE

| Joining Not Welding 15

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| SOFTWARE

RESCUE

BY ACROBAT || By ED HUNTRESS, Editor ||

Adobe’s Acrobat solves many problems with format compatability in the 2D world. What many don’t know is how well it can do the same for you in 3D. It’s spawning a growing number of solutions for fabricators.

F

abricating is such a mixed bag of manual and CNC operations that it can be challenging to tailor a computer-related article that will interest most of our readers. This one should be an exception. It’s about a technology that can bridge many gaps between advanced users of CNC, CAD and CAM, and those who have little of it in their own shops, but who receive requests for quotes and parts data in the form of CAD files.

And you may already have it – or a

big piece of it – on your PCs. It’s the 3D function in Adobe Acrobat. It reads 3D PDF files. If you don’t have the Acrobat reader (where have you been?), it’s a free download from Adobe.

Without it, reading 3D CAD files just so you can look at them can be a problem – there are many formats, and they aren’t compatible. Making notes (“annotating”) and turning them into instructions for cutting, bending, and so on is another challenge.

Acrobat’s 3D function, like its betterknown 2D screen representations, provide a universal format that everyone can read, and even the free reader allows you to rotate the images in 3D, to see many views, to make notes and comments, and so on.

Unless your customers have sent you 3D Acrobat files, you may not even know that you have the 3D capability.

If you do receive one, and open it in the Acrobat reader, a new set of tools will pop up. If this is news to you, stop right here, go to Adobe’s site, and search on “3D.” It may open up a huge opportunity for you.

If you know all about it and it’s old hat to you, the rest of this story is where it gets interesting. Programs that interact with Acrobat give you vastly greater capabilities. You can create and modify the files, and you can extract data for other uses. And you don’t need 3D Acrobat files from your customer. One particular program, called Tetra4D Enrich, allows you to work within the Acrobat environment; using an associated program, you

can start with any of over 20 different native CAD formats, and output 10 others. If your customer sends you Pro/Engineer files and you work with SolidWorks, this may solve your problems – especially so if you have three other departments who have neither program, but who need to view, archive, price or analyze the work being done on the shop floor, and you don’t want to buy more seats of your expensive CAD program just so some non-manufacturing department can keep track of what’s going on.

Fab Shop is not a CAD/CAM magazine, but if we were, we would now lay out 5,000 words describing program details, functions, upstream and downstream compatibility, and so on.

But we’re not, so, instead, we’ll present the short version describing one new program of this type, which has an enormous number of features and capabilities, some of which could save you a lot of time and improve your productivity. It works in the Acrobat Pro environment, and, unlike Adobe’s free reader, Pro is not free. Think of the following as a window into the | Rescue by Acrobat 17

| SOFTWARE Document Landing Gear Part Catalog

Date 12/01/2015 # 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Place 3D here

Step 1

Step 2

Default

InstanceName 2.5_ rod.1 S lider.1 C onnector.1 B ox.1 C ontainer.1 S ocket_ J oint.1 B all_ J oint.1 T ube.1 S haft1.1 S haft2.1 U pright_ A rm_ S upport.1 M ain_ A rm.1 Y .1 Y _ R od.1 D elta.1 B ody.1 H eadlight_ B ig.1 9.664.1 1.25x7.1 1.645rx10.1 2.5x12.1 H eadlight_ S mall.1 16rod.1

Q TY 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 1

Place table here

Designation

Left

Front

Top

Place carousel here

Material Part Number Supplier Price

Tetra4D Enrich

Click on the 3D image above, more your mouse and use the scroll wheel to see the most basic function of a 3D PDF -- viewing, rotating, and scaling the image.

ways you can use Adobe’s universal program to improve your operations.

It’s a big jump into advanced CAD/ CAM and data-handling capabilities. If it sounds like something for you, you can follow up with the experts at TechSoft 3D, who produce Tetra4D Enrich, as well as other programs that work with Acrobat 3D. This window, also, is not free.

But it may replace a lot of other software that is, collectively, a lot less free.

Tetra 4D Enrich serves what is called the “Model Based Enterprise” (MBE).

The concept is that your 3D models, or the ones you get from customers, are a cornucopia of data that you can use in many ways to streamline, automate, and optimize your production and other company operations. It’s a very big idea, and we can only suggest what the scope of it is. But this is how the company describes it:

(As you probably have experienced, it seems to be hard for IT people these days to give explanations without using abstract terms, because the interactivity of today’s manufacturing software creates a network that looks like a roadmap of downtown Manhattan. So we’ll just let them run with it and let it soak in by osmosis. Get their engineers down on the ground, oneon-one, if you need clarifications.)

“People often use more than one CAD system and manufacturers need the ability to easily and quickly combine the CAD data with critical metadata and business intelligence, add interactivity between the 3D and 2D data, and share that in a lightweight format with anyone, even non-CAD users,” said Dave Opsahl, VP Corporate Development of Tech Soft 3D and former Executive Director of the 3D PDF Consortium.

3D PDF IS ESSENTIAL FOR A MODEL BASED ENTERPRISE “Model based enterprise is a business strategy, a set of practices and tech-

nology with the goal to leverage the outcome of a model based design (MBD) activity by delivering all of the information relevant to a workflow or set of workflows in the most efficient way possible. That kind of information can and does exist in multiple forms, including non-graphic or metadata, 3D models, 2D data from CAD as well as other critical business systems like project lifecycle management (PLM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). As important to what information is provided, is how it is delivered.

“3D PDF plays a crucial role in a company’s ability to execute an effective MBE strategy, and this approach is already saving manufacturers significant time and money. Using 3D PDF to get these fully annotated, properly constrained models downstream in an efficient manner is ideal because companies already have strategies for utilizing 2D PDF in their existing processes for managing engineering change and release-to-manufacturing (mark-up,

| Rescue by Acrobat 18

| SOFTWARE

Combining 3D CAD images and tabular data, such as this materials specification listing, ties into the manufacturing database with visualization and specification data in one interactive document.

comment, review) and can serve to reduce or even replace 2D drawings. In addition, a 3D PDF can be archived longterm as a technical data package (TDP).

[Editor’s note: take a deep breath, and continue…]

IF 3D PDF IS SO GREAT, WHY ISN’T EVERYONE USING IT? “As research has shown, using 3D annotated models is highly beneficial,

so why haven’t more companies adopted this process?

“The truth is that it’s quite difficult to create compelling 3D PDFs without a costly, customized solution or having programing expertise. The average manufacturer typically can’t afford to do a custom, complex solution.

And to build a 3D PDF on the desktop requires someone that has extensive programming expertise –

Wondering where that screw goes? You can ‘disassemble’ the 3D image on your screen to look for it – or just click a link to it -- instead of guessing.

again, something that the average manufacturer typically doesn’t have.

“And while there are more solutions coming to market that can generate 3D PDF’s, not all 3D PDF’s are created equal. The functionality of most 3D PDF solutions stops at providing little more than 3D data on a page. There is value there for communication and for workflows such as design review.

However, there isn’t the ability to

support additional workflows such as maintenance and repair, inspection, work instructions, release to manufacturing or any other workflow.

“Tetra 4D Enrich is a solution that allows anyone to create data-rich, interactive 3D PDFs inside of Adobe Acrobat and without the need for development skills. It consolidates all required product information in one document (CAD, metadata, external | Rescue by Acrobat 20

| SOFTWARE

‘Today’s engineering documentation requires specialized interpretation, leading to errors that cost real money’ - by Chad Jackson

-

data like ERP or PLM attributes to make it interacument, as opposed tive. Users are able to create their own template, to reviewing dozens as well as utilize existing templates that are highor hundreds of static ly customizable. Once one of these templates individual pages of each are created they can be reused to create comitem or step in a process. pelling documents such as work instrucData can also be captured tions, part catalogs, maintenance or repair in any business process, and documents and technical data packages. forwarded for further processing by other applications.

“The interactive 3D PDF created with Tetra4D Enrich functions more like “Today’s engineering documentaan “app” that has all the data needtion requires specialized interpreed to support a workflow and tation, leading to errors that cost real allows the user to consume the money,” said Chad Jackson, analyst at data using the ubiquitous Lifecycle Insights. “Confusion over CAD Acrobat reader. The Tetra4D applications and formats and ensuring Enrich interactive 3D PDF project stakeholders even have the right “app” also enables the version of the engineering deliverable is an user and other stakeissue that persists. Being able to quickly and holders to review easily create 3D documentation that contain multiple steps in a all the data necessary for anyone, even non-CAD process in one docusers, to provide feedback and make informed de-

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cisions will provide a tremendous savings in time and money, and enable stakeholders to focus on the most important aspects of a task.”

If you followed all of that, you’re ahead of the game and you’re in a sweet spot for taking advantage of Acrobat’s ability to bring disparate sources of data together, and in TechSoft 3D’s happy zone for helping you to make all of it work for you.

If it seems a little abstract and beyond what you’re doing, be aware that it is

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there when you need it. And go back to the beginning of this article and look into using Acrobat’s 3D function.

It could be a game-changer that makes the rest of this data-handling story relevant to your future needs and opportunities.

We’ll do our best to keep up.

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| Rescue by Acrobat 21

| WELDING

The aft bulkhead is being welded to the barrel of the Orion pressure vessel at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Photos courtesy of NASA / Radislav Sinyak

JOINING TECHNOLOGY DRIVES NEW SPACE ENDEAVORS || By LARRY ADAMS, Senior Editor ||

Friction stir welding provides a critical edge of performance for a spacecraft that will fly to Mars.

NASA is planning to return astronauts to space in a far-flung trip that is scheduled over a series to test flights to land mankind on Mars.

And, this evolutionary event is being helped along by an evolving welding technology.

The technology is friction stir welding (FSW), a joining process adopted by NASA and its

| Joining technology drives new space endeavors 22

| WELDING

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The 445-in. long friction stir weld used to join the bulkhead and nosecone of the Orion spacecraft is the longest of its kind. Photo: NASA / Radislav Sinyak

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contractor Lockheed Martin to join large components of its next generation space launch system, the Orion, because of the weld’s ability to withstand the rigors of space. It’s proving its capabilities during rigorous pre-flight testing here on earth.

Exploration Mission 1, the next test version of the Orion spacecraft, which is the first extra-orbital craft designed to carry humans since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s, is currently under construction. This is the third prototype of the spacecraft built

by NASA, and with each version designers reduced the number of components and the resulting number of welds required to join them together.

The original design called for 33 welds and this number was whittled down to just 7 welds. Additional smaller welds are necessary to fill start and stop holes left by the welding tools.

FRICTION STIR WELDING NASA has used versions of the FSW technology for decades. For instance, the technology was used to weld

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Once welded, the SLS will undergo nondestructive evaluations to ensure weld and structural integrity.

This diagram shows the seven pieces of Orion’s primary structure and the order in which they are welded together.

the Space Shuttle’s external tanks.

“The friction stir welding process was chosen for the Space Launch System (SLS) because it improves strength and reliability by offering a lighter mass and protecting better against cracks and leakage,” said Allison Rakes, Lockheed Martin Orion spokesperson.

spokesperson. Orion’s primary structure is composed of seven large pieces that are put together in detailed order (see Diagram, above).

The reduction in welds is one of the main actions that reduced the weight of the capsule by 700 lb.

The components are comprised of an aluminum-lithium alloy (2195) that features a high strength-toweight ratio, said Rachel Kraft, NASA

The FSW weld is homogeneous and void-free without any oxide inclusions. Mark Mccloskey, Orion crew module manufacturing lead at Michoud Assembly Facility, said that | Joining technology drives new space endeavors 24

| WELDING

“friction stir welding never reaches aluminum’s melting point; therefore, defects associated with melting and resolidification, oxide inclusions, cracks, porosity, etc., are not introduced.

Friction stir welding is a solid-state process, thus no phase change occurs.”

FSW was invented at The Welding Institute (TWI), UK, in 1991 as a solidstate joining technique.

During the FSW process, a rotating tool is plunged into the metal, and friction heat is generated. The tool produces severe plastic deformation under high pressures, during which the weld interfaces are stirred together and a homogeneous structure is formed. Essentially, the heat generated by the spinning probe softens the metal and causes it to flow.

Coalescence is achieved when the softened metal behind the moving probe solidifies into a single product.

Over the years, the technology has evolved. NASA now uses what is called self-reacting friction stir welding. In the self-reacting friction stir welding

technique, two opposing shoulders are employed on the crown and root side of the weld joint with the forge force acting against the crown shoulder portion of the weld pin tool by the root shoulder. This eliminates the need for a stout tool, which reduces the overall process cost, according to a NASA primer on the topic.

The first weld connected the tunnel to Orion’s forward bulkhead, which houses many critical components including the parachutes used for recovering the capsule. The tunnel is the primary passageway when Orion is connected to other spacecraft.

It allows astronauts and cargo to be passed from one vehicle to the other. In September, technicians joined the spacecraft’s barrel section, which is the round middle part of the spacecraft, to the aft bulkhead, which is the bottom portion of the crew module. Orion’s three cone panels next will be welded together.

The welds will undergo nondestructive evaluations that will validate the strength and integrity of the weld

before the spacecraft is prepped for testing in flight-like environments, including static vibration, acoustics and water landing tests.

In previous testing, a series of leak and proof pressure tests validated weld strength and advanced aluminum-lithium alloy based structural design. The spacecraft tolerated maximum flight operating pressures as it was incrementally pressurized with breathing air up to 15.55 lb/in2.

Friction stir welding softens the metal and stirs the metal that will coalesce into a solid state. Photo: NASA / Radislav Sinyak

Test engineers monitored and collected data from 600 channels of instrumentation to support structural margin assessments and confirm structural integrity – one step toward ensuring the spacecraft can withstand the harsh environments on long duration missions.

The mission is scheduled for some time in 2020, and is designed to go farther than humans have ever traveled, well beyond the moon, pushing the boundaries of spaceflight to new heights.

Engineers started welding the pressure vessel for Exploration Mission-1. Photo: NASA/Radislav Sinyak

| Joining technology drives new space endeavors 25

| INDUSTRY NEWS

Semi-Automatic Band Saws DoALL Sawing Products (888) DoALLSAW www.doallsaws.com The company has released five new Continental Series band saws, the DC-280SA, DC-330SA, DC-500SA, DC-560SA, and the DC800SA. These high production, semi-automatic horizontal band saws have capacities on rectangles that ranges from 11-3/4 in. x 11 in.

(300x280mm) up to 39.4 in. x 31.5 in. (1000x800mm).

Semi-automatic operation differs from traditional automatic or manual operation because after an operator has set the desired feed rate, blade speed and initial vise opening, the cut is completed, and the band shuts off and the head returns to its upright open position and locks. The operator then must manually rreposition the material for another cut.

For more information, visit http://www.doallsaws.com/sawingmachines/semi-automatic-production-saws

26

| INDUSTRY NEWS

Record Setting Welding Helmet Optrel Inc. (401) 398-7240 https://usa.optrel.com Optrel Inc. introduced the vegaview2.5 autodarkening welding helmet that the company says sets the world record for brightest view in light state with a shade level of 2.5, as compared to a typical shade level 4 in light state for most helmets.

Other features of the vegaview2.5, include: a True Color Filter that offers realistic color, enabling welders to view their workspace more clearly and see red LEDs on welding devices without raising their helmets. It offers infinite shade level adjustment from 8-12. External controls allow welders to adjust

their shade level as they work, and sensitivity control allows welders to adjust the sensor sensitivity based on their work environment. The opening delay function allows welders to adjust the time it takes to switch from dark to light, from 0.1s to 1.0s, making the transition easier on the eyes.

The company’s patented sensor slide feature allows the detection angle to be reduced from 80 degrees to 60 degrees, preventing the ADF from responding to nearby welders’ arcs. The helmet’s curved profile is specifically designed for overhead welding, deflecting smoke, particles, and other debris.

For more information, visit https://usa.optrel.com/shop/helmet-2/e-series/vegaview2-5/

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| INDUSTRY NEWS

Tool Holders Feature Self Clamping WILA USA (888) 696-9452 info@wilausa.com www.wilausa.com WILA introduced its new standard premium tool holders for top and bottom tooling. Based on a self-locking clamping mechanism, the tools are clamped using air pressure. The main advantage of this approach is that tools can be clamped and unclamped extremely fast, the company says. Tool segments are clamped and positioned individually using clamping pins, which are, in turn, controlled via special plungers. This unique system further increases the speed of tool changes and results in significant increases in productivity, according to the company.

The Self-Locking New Standard Premium Clamping Systems (NSCLII-SL/UPB) as well as the New Standard Premium Bottom Tool Holders (OB-II-SL/UPB) are suited for smaller, often electrical, press brakes and press brakes with an automatic tool changer.

For more information, phone (443) 459-5496 or info@wilausa.com

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| INDUSTRY NEWS

Aluminum Surface Conditioning Discs Introduced 3M Abrasives (866) 279-1235 www.3M.com/Abrasives The 3M Abrasive Division has introduced conditioning discs featuring Scotch-Brite non-woven construction for use in aluminum and other soft metal finishing applications.

These non-woven surface conditioning discs feature an open web construction that resists loading, and provides up to twice the service life giving an easy-to-handle blend for use on aluminum, oily carbon, and other soft metal surfaces.

Features include: Loading resistant, longer life, faster blending and finishing, and better edge retention. Grades include: Very Fine, Medium, Coarse, and Roloc and Hook-and-Loop versions.

For more information, phone (866) 279-1235 or visit www.3M.com/Abrasives

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| INDUSTRY NEWS

Cordless Grinders Offer Advanced Battery Technology SUHNER Industrial Products (706) 235-8046 info.usa@suhner.com www.suhner.com Suhner has expanded its product range with a complete series of four cordless compact grinders, including a straight grinder (the ASC 9), a belt grinder (ABC 7), the fillet weld grinder (AKC 3), and a tube polisher (ATC 7).

While designed for specific applications, the devices all use the company’s latest generation electric motor, and battery technology. A detachable particle guard protects the motor from coarse dust while the machines’ working speeds have been optimized for its respective applications. The battery packs deliver 18V with a total capacity of a 4Ah. The cordless tools incorporate intelligent battery management safeguards.

The temperature of the battery pack and machine is monitored continuously. If overheated or overloaded, the

device is switched off by the electronics. A shock absorbent rubber jacket shields the battery packs.

The ASC 9 straight grinder is ideal for work with non-woven brushes and flap wheels and typically is used for the removal of tarnishing and blending on matte surfaces.

The ABC 7 cordless belt grinder is designed for use in tight spaces such as for fillet welds or miters. The AKC 3 battery fillet weld grinder features reduction gears for power, but because of its lightweight design and use of aluminum, the tool weighs 4.8 lbs including the battery pack. The ATC 7 tube polisher is suited for tubes up to 1-3/4 in. dia., and for use when working on tight elbows due to its wraparound angle of at least 180 degrees.

For more information, phone (706) 235-8046 or visit www.suhner.com

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| INDUSTRY NEWS

Wire for High-Strength Applications Minimizes Cracking Risks Hobart Brothers Co. (800) 424-1543 hobart@hobartbrothers.com www.HobartBrothers.com Hobart introduced the FabCO 750M gas-shielded flux-cored wire designed to provide low diffusible hydrogen weld deposits (3.5 ml per 100 g of weldment) on high-strength applications and minimize the risk of underbead cracking. It is suited for welding API 5L Grade X100 pipe or as an overmatch on API 5L Grade X80 pipe. Other applications for FabCO 750M wire include high-strength, low-alloy steels; ABS EQ 56, 63 and 70 steel; and jackup rig construction.

slag to reduce interpass and postweld cleanup, and lessen instances of inclusions. The wire also provides excellent arc characteristics, allowing operators to produce smooth weld beads with uniform fusion.

The wire offers high-impact strengths at temperatures as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit. It operates with a shielding gas mixture of 75 to 80 percent argon and a balance of CO2, and provides a tensile strength of 121 ksi (using a 75/25 shielding gas mixture).

FabCO 750M wire features low spatter levels and an easy-to-remove For more information, visit the Hobart Brothers Co. website at www.HobartBrothers.com, call (800) 424-1543 or email hobart@hobartbrothers.com

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More Information is Just a Click Away!

Techgen Media’s Information for Fabricators is Bigger than Fabshop Fabricators have a triple-barreled resource they can reach through FAB Shop, or through our sister publications, Shop Floor Lasers and Welding Productivity. Together, we cover fabricating topics from different angles, each with a different focus, linked to give you more depth or a different take on the topics you see in one of the three.

Follow the links below to see the latest coverage from our magazine group. More information is just a click away, no matter where you start:

TEACHING ROBOTS TO WELD New tech, faster programming

WEATHERING INDUSTRIAL WEAR Wear-resistant filler metals

FIBER LASERS FOR EXOTIC MATERIALS Testing to see what works

FIBER MAKES THE CUT A refresher on where fiber is better