Tag: Marshall Fabrication Machinery

Increased Investment in U.S. Manufacturing

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U.S. manufacturing has been on the upswing for a little while now, and there are finally enough signs of positive trends that industry experts are hopeful for the industry’s long-term prospects. Investment in American factories has grown, spurring corporate investment and a turnaround in hiring.

American manufacturing companies are expected to increase their spending on equipment by 7 percent in 2014, up to a total of about $211 billion according to this article published online by The Wall Street Journal. The article cites a few cases of companies investing hundreds of millions of dollars into factory facilities in Alabama, Louisiana and North Carolina. Some of this investment is even coming from foreign companies, bringing money into the country instead of the other way around.

Employment levels within manufacturing industries are still at a level below what U.S. manufacturers enjoyed in 2007, before the country’s recession. However, since reaching its lowest point in 2010, total jobs in American manufacturing increased by 5 percent to about 12 million jobs. As investment in U.S. manufacturing facilities improves, we’ll need even more workers to fill the positions at those companies as well.

The United States currently endures a pretty massive trade deficit between foreign imports and domestic exports, indicating that it’s spending more than it’s producing. However, that gap also tightened up by $6 billion over the past year. That’s a pretty small piece of the total pie, but it is an encouraging sign that American manufacturing is exporting more than in recent years.

There are still a few issues confronting our country’s manufacturing goals that we may need to address before returning to prosperity. Many areas of our country are experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, and our businesses deal with higher taxes than in other countries. Still, the comparatively flat wages earned by our workers, as well as reduced energy costs within our country, has been encouraging far more investment in our economy.

Marshall Fabrication Machinery is on hand whenever you need metalworking machinery to handle your manufacturing jobs. From plate rolls to angle rolls and more, we provide the top quality in factory and machining equipment that your business deserves.

Where does the 3D Printer stand in the future of Metal Fabrication?

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Lately, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding the 3D printer and its capabilities as a manufacturing machine.  For people in the metalworking industry, innovative technology continues to push the industry and allow for faster production.  Just look at our 4 plate rolling machine. We’ve tried to transform the way companies bend metal, including the elimination of gear transmission, gibs & ways, bushings, clutches and synchronization devices. 3D printing machines are trying to do the same thing.  They want to transform and create new innovative ways to increase production and profits.

 

For some people, they worry about the future and how the 3D printer might change the manufacturing community.  For now, 3D printers strictly work in plastics and haven’t moved onto metal or mixed use materials. There are different opinions on the subject. Could the 3D printer put metal fabricators on the backburner, or will it provide new supply options? Metal Miner, a sourcing and trading intelligence for global metal markets had this to say in an article written by Stuart Burns earlier this month. “Any technology that creates new supply options for metal buyers has got to be a good thing in our books.”

 

For now, the future of 3D printing still seems unclear.  There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to every new technology.  The companies that evolve and push the envelope of creativity and efficiency generally win in the battle for longevity.

C Marshall Fabrication Machinery, Inc. has over 30 years’ experience in the metal fabrication industry. Over that time, we’ve seen many different innovations come and go. The 3D printer certainly is another exciting possibility, but appears to be years away from coming to fruition for the metal fabrication industry. As always, finding you the right machine to remain competitive and profitable is our goal, no matter what type of technology exists.

Stop By Our Booth At The Offshore Technology Conference

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In a couple of weeks, C Marshall Fabrication Machinery will be attending the 2013 OTC in

Offshore Technology Conference

Image Courtesy Of: OTC Facebook

Houston, TX.  The Offshore Technology Conference is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. Attendees from all over the world, including 110 different countries make the trip to Texas for the conference.  From May 6-9, people who visit the conference will have access to the leading technology, equipment exhibitions and networking opportunities.

There are plenty of reasons to attend the OTC; from learning the latest developments in technology, to the opportunity to meet new people in your field or network with others who share the same goals and interests.  More than 80,000 people attend the event annually. You can also meet with perspective clients, metal manufacturers or others interested in your business or products.

Here are a few reasons listed on the OTC website on why you should think about attending.

  • In the World’s Energy Capital: Combine OTC with client meetings, business proposals, and company training.
  •  Investing Back in the Industry: OTC’s sponsoring organizations use revenue to provide many other important programs for its members, such as training and technical journals.
  •  Always Something New: Encounter different languages being spoken, never-seen-before technologies, and C-suite speakers that you might not hear anywhere else.

We’ll be in booth #857, and we are going to be there representing and showing the MG plate roll line. We hope to see some new faces as well as some old colleagues while at the conference.  Stop by and take a look at our great metal fabrication machinery to help you in your business. We’d be more than happy to meet you and talk.

The Benefits of Using A 4 Roll Plate Bending Machine

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MG Plate Rolls & Plate Rolling MachinesMetal-working companies who need to optimize their production look for a machine that can pre-bend and roll their metal efficiently to produce the products they in turn sell. We carry a 4 roll hydraulic plate bending machine and a 3 double pinch plate bending machine which both offer great benefits. The 4 roll machine offers great precision, productivity, versatility as well as speed, safety and ease of operation. For companies in the fabrication industry, they need top-quality machinery in order to maximize production and profits.

 

Here’s a look at some of the benefits of using a 4 roll plate machine and why you should consider it for your manufacturing process.

 

Speed – The most accurate bends come from the 4 roll machines. Our model “MH” has both upper and lower rolls, which are hydraulically powered to grant minimum friction and a precision rolling.  Even when the machine is at maximum capacity, the machine will roll with precision, allowing for more production.

 

Accuracy – The rolls operate in such a way to form an accurate pre-bent and rolled part.  Pre-bending on the three-roll machine requires a downward tilt as plate is fed in the machine. In a four-roll machine a horizontal load feed level for pre-bending is used, which allows motorized feed tables to feed the plate without having to re-position the material.

 

Ease Of Use – For three roll machines, an operator pre-bends both edges and then rolls the part.  Four-roll machines do not require such operation. Instead, the four-roll machine is more efficient. Less operator skill means less chance for error, but more importantly, more time for production and cost saving.

 

Plate rolling has really taken off recently in the manufacturing sector and a demand for plate rolling machines is high.  Consider a four-roll machine from C Marshall Fabrication Machinery, Inc. For jobs large and small, we have the machines to help you become more efficient.

Back to Basics: The Sledgehammer

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When it comes to the bare-knuckle basics of metal-working machinery, nothing says “old school” quite like the sledgehammer. This is “grassroots” machinery at its finest. Although they were and still are commonly used by blacksmiths to shape heavy sections of iron, the uses for a sledgehammer are practically unlimited. With this in mind, it only makes sense that in addition to her nail file and wallet, every woman should keep a sledgehammer in her purse at all times.

First of all, the name alone conjures up near-mythical images of wanton, gratuitous destruction. This is a good thing. Sometimes, all you have to do is casually mention the word, and people around you might feel more inclined to “do the right thing” when it comes to whatever that may be. So in that sense, the mere mention of the word “sledgehammer” might be enough to inspire your associates to work a little more quickly and efficiently. I’m probably preaching to the choir here since this is Management 101, but it does bear mentioning since this fundamental technique is so essential to good, effective leadership.

Secondly, it is a truly practical tool, and certainly its uses are not limited solely to ridiculously crude forms of metalworking. If you have a sudden need to bash something, a sledgehammer can be your best friend. Although acoustically there are few sounds more satisfying than sledgehammer-on-metal, it can also be used to bash a variety of objects or solids, from glass to concrete. I have personally witnessed an excellent instance of Man vs. Television, which took place in a neighbor’s front yard years ago, in which the sledgehammer being wielded by the Man was the deciding factor in winning that round. And yes, it was one of those neighborhoods that Bravo will never select for a season of Real Housewives.

Finally, the therapeutic benefits of using a sledgehammer cannot be ignored. If you aren’t willing or able to spend a day at a full-service spa (for either financial reasons or because you males are worried about getting your Man-cards revoked if you do), then consider the sledgehammer as an excellent alternative for your stress-relief needs. Not only is work with a sledgehammer excellent exercise, you will also find yourself extremely relaxed (if not completely passed out on the floor) by the time you have finished your sledgehammer workout. According to Wikipedia, “sledgehammers usually require two hands and a swinging motion involving the entire torso”, which makes it a comparable physical activity to Pilates. A note of caution, however: it pays to be slightly choosy about what object or surface you plan on sledgehammering. As effective as it is, it is difficult to rebuild something after it has been subjected to a sledgehammer workout session.

If you run out of ideas for your sledgehammer, you do what I did and Google “uses for sledgehammer”. You’ll be amazed. From driving fenceposts into the ground, to using them for both burglaries and for police-force raids to gain entry by force, the list of possibilities for a sledgehammer is nearly endless. With that said, my all-time personal favorite use for a sledgehammer can be found at WikiAnswers.com. The question being asked was, ““How do you take apart an upright piano?” One reader answered with the following gem (the typos aren’t mine):

“There are many ways if u dont want to be able to reassemble it afterwards take a hammer or better yet a sledgehammer or if u want it to be able to reassemble try using a screwdriver on the screws.

If u really want to take it apart to small pieces use some explosives.

Having had experience with a sledgehammer and an upright piano, I hope you are strong and in good physical condition – it will take all day. My husband suggests a catapult a la “Northern Exposure” and I tend to agree.”

If I could choose my own neighbors, I’d pick the couple that mentions sledgehammers and catapults as viable solutions for taking apart a piano.( read how to select best digital piano 2017 online) I really respect the fact that the wife’s recommendations for using a sledgehammer on a piano are actually backed by her own experience in the matter. I imagine that going over to their house for a beer would be highly entertaining. I’d just make sure to stay on their good side, and to not pick a home not located anywhere near the projectile path of their catapult.

-Anja Wulf

LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX

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As part of my education in Anthropology at the University of Chicago, I had the opportunity to study up on different architectural styles of housing throughout the ages. Most established styles, of course, are derived from a function of design that works best in a particular geographical environment and that lends itself most easily to the tools, available resources and manufacturing processes of the time.

In spite of this, or maybe even in keeping with the inherent underlying practicalities of design, it still always bothered me that the vast majority of homes and houses are rectangular and not round.

Considerations of the manufacturing process laid aside, I always thought that a house with rounded edges would be far more homey than a house with straight edges (insert Freudian comment referring to mother’s womb here). And yet, there are very few examples of architecture to date which accommodate this type of design. Could it be because it’s easier to make and intersect straight lines into a functional design? Possibly. I prefer to leave the manufacturing process to those who can do it. But, at least to my own untrained eye, existing technology for manufacturing rounded edges seems pretty prevalent (C Marshall Fabrication Machinery’s plate roll and EZ-Seam model WT 6/14 Weld Positioner  being but two examples), so maybe in this day and age at least, it’s just a matter of bucking tradition.

I mean, they call it “thinking outside of the box” for a reason.

Enter the giant fuel storage tank.

Rumor has it that we will not always be as dependent on oil as we are now. Giant fuel storage tanks are not only an industrial marvel, but they are frequently the tallest structure on a landscape. Archaeologists have always been prone to assuming that the tallest man-made structures excavated were temples dedicated to the gods, rather than serving any practical function. In my not so humble opinion, a lot of these structures were falsely labeled as being exclusively places of worship. After all, if I had been around a few thousand years ago, I would’ve wanted the most bang for my buck, especially if the manufacturing tools of my trade consisted of crude hand-held and handmade instruments. If I was going to build a huge structure, I’d want to make sure it served a practical function – even if it was in addition to a religious or spiritual one.

Let’s fast-forward into a distant future, where our current ways of life have morphed into something completely different.

It’s likely that those giant cylindrical fuel storage tanks would still be standing. After all, they are leak-proof, fire-resistant, impact resistant and even bullet-proof. Could they too one day be interpreted as places of worship? Even if they were, it wouldn’t be too far off the mark, considering that today’s global economy and even international relations and wars are “fueled” by the demand for oil.

More importantly, I think these fuel storage tanks have kind of a unique, cozy appeal to them. That’s right, I think they’re cute. In fact, they bring out the Happy Susy Homemaker in me.

Let’s pretend we can clean them up pretty easily. Again, I’d defer to the industry experts to figure this out: if they can build these giant monoliths, cleaning them up should be relatively easy by comparison. In which case, we’d be left with a super-resilient, tall, round, hollow structure.

Now let’s insert a few floor plans. I’m thinking three floors total. I’m a little partial to wood flooring but I’d settle for bamboo or even tempered concrete. They actually look great with throw rugs on them. Kind of an urban-chic-meets-rustic-retreat kind of feel.

Throw in a bunch of windows, a few balconies just for fun and a pretty solar roof with ample skylights as well as a huge balcony up top, and finally a little elbow grease and a few coats of fresh paint, and there it is: my Barbie Doll dream home.

The fact that a lot of these storage tanks are already located in truly beautiful settings, including but not limited to prime waterfront, is also a nice plus.

Personally, I’m pretty convinced I’m a genius ahead of my time. If you think I’m completely off base here, or if this is the most impractical thing you’ve ever heard of, tell me why. But in closing, consider this: some of the best diners and mobile homes are made out of old railroad box cars and shipping containers. Of course, they’re not round, and they’re not bullet-proof.

Just sayin’.

Waterfront luxury townhome, anyone?

-Anja Wulf