See Manufacturing at Its Best at FABTECH

FABTECH Expo heads to Atlanta, GA November 11-13, 2014 bringing together an anticipated 27,000 attendees and 1,400 exhibiting companies all under one roof, and according to the show website, it will “provide a backdrop for visitors to experience live equipment demonstration, find cost savings solutions, and network with industry peers throughout the 500,000+ square feet of show floor ….”  The show website also boasts that there will be “learning opportunities beyond the exhibits with over 100 educational sessions and expert-led presentations on the latest industry trends and technology in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing industries.”

If you want to learn about x-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology, stop by Booth C250, where we will be demonstrating handheld  XRF analyzers — which are essential to verifying metal alloys for manufacturing quality assurance. Verification and Positive Material Identification (PMI) of metal alloys has never been more important for product reliability and safety. From metal production to service centers and distributors, and component fabrication to final product assembly, the potential for material mix-ups is very real, and the need for traceability is now a priority.

Verification Examples

There are several examples of the need for verification throughout the manufacturing and fabrication process.  If metal fasteners used in critical applications such as in the manufacture of airplane parts are not made with the precise alloy required, they cannot support the weight and stresses they are designed to bear. Manufacturers have had to replace older brass plumbing supplies with the new, lead-free variety in time to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). This law required that plumbing components that come into contact with drinking water, traditionally lead-containing materials such as solder and brass, be reformulated, so it’s imperative to know the lead content of any materials used in manufacturing plumbing components.

In the automotive industry, even slight variations in the steel grade recipe can render the parts defective. In fact, this year we are excited to have an entry in the FABTECH Exhibitor Video Contest related to cars involved in NASCAR racing.  We submitted a video of the Chip Ganassi Racing Team using our XRF handheld analyzers to measure all suspension components to make sure they are up to design specs.  They also use it to confirm that the material they ordered is what came through the door.  If they have the wrong material, or a part made out of the wrong material, it could become disastrous – even causing a car to wreck on the racetrack, injure a driver and even hurt the fans.  (Help us show the video to all the FABTECH attendees by voting for our video.  Just visit this FABTECH contest link and click  on the thumbs up.)

Show Details:

November 11-13, 2014
Booth C250
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, GA  USA

Follow the FABTECH conversation on Twitter: #FABTECHexpo

Visit this FABTECH contest link and click on the thumbs up for the Chip Ganassi Racing Team video.