Gases & Welding Distributor articles from May 2006

Gases & Welding Distributor archives from May 2006

Fueling the cost of gas: delivery expense another headache for home medical gas.
May 1, 2006... Like mercury rising in an outdoor thermometer, past the levels of what folks call "comfortable," the rising cost of fuel for vehicles tends to make people irritable. Front pages run standard articles about the grumblers and the "I...

New regulations on medical gas containers: the FDA offers a proposal.
May 1, 2006... On April 10th of this year, the Food and Drug Administration issued a set of proposals on regulations intended to augment the good manufacturing practices that currently cover portable cryogenic medical gas containers and high-pressure medical...

Customer service and technology: web sites are now a standard, but the jury is out on the rest.
May 1, 2006... Customer service drives business, and technology is increasingly a component of how that service is delivered. Technology is not a replacement for human interaction--the folly of that customer service model was learned over the last decade, but...

C[O.sub.2] keeps jets flying.
May 1, 2006... The blades and vanes of a jet turbine engine are subjected to intense heat, continually varying operating conditions and the occasional impact with dirt, gravel and even birds. As a result, they need to be repaired and replaced on a regular...

Ruling in welding rod litigation counters "silica" argument.(News)
May 1, 2006... The federal judge who is overseeing the national suit over welding fume products liability has affirmed the medical screenings that were performed on plaintiffs and rejected a motion from the defendants in the suit that would have dismissed...

GAWDA selects coordinating counsel for welding fume litigation.(News)
May 1, 2006... The Gases and Welding Distributors Association selected the law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP to serve as co-ordinating counsel for the joint defense fund for welding fume litigation and insurance recovery. In its role, the law...

Welding industry wins significant court victory in Maryland case.(News)
May 1, 2006... The Maryland Court of Appeals handed down a victory to the welding industry on Jan. 6 in a ruling that said business insurance pollution exclusion clauses do not apply to liabilities that may arise from the uses of welding rods. The...

Miller Electric launches education web site.(News)
May 1, 2006... Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (www.millerwelds.com) recently launched a new section of its web site that was developed specifically for high school, vocational education and university welding instructors. The site provides a guide to the...

Weller Corporation expanding.(News)
May 1, 2006... Weiler Corporation (www.weilercorp.com), a manufacturer of power brushes for the welding, fabrication and manufacturing industries, is adding approximately 40,000 sq. ft. to its Cresco, Penn. facility. The building project encompasses a...

Laser welding to grow.(News)
May 1, 2006... The market for laser welding equipment is expected to grow by 5 percent per year through 2011, as laser-welding technologies are developed for new applications, according to a recent market study. The uses of laser welding techniques are...

Shortage of welders hits W.Va.(News)(West Virginia)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Approximately 1,500 welders are needed by businesses in West Virginia, and the shortage is causing businesses to put orders on backlog and to recruit and welders in neighboring states. Businesses, including truck frame manufacturers, mining...

Victor launches new brand and product mix.(News)
May 1, 2006... Victor cutting and welding products (www.victorequip.com) have been re-branded in one of three categories: Victor Professional, Victor CutSkill and Victor Firepower. Each line carries a specific apparatus and set of components designed to meet...

WeldingWeb.com now a part of gases & welding distributor.(News)
May 1, 2006... Penton Media acquired WeldingWeb.com (www.weldingweb.com), an online community and discussion forum, and that Internet site now is integrated with Gases & Welding Distributor's Weldingdesign.com (www.weldingdesign.com) site. The WeldingWeb.com...

A stainless puzzle.(One Last Stop)
May 1, 2006... Scott Fredrickson, a self-described "artist-without-a-beard," awoke one morning with the idea of creating highly complex, precision jigsaw puzzles from stainless steel. Years earlier, he had taken courses in welding, so he had a sense of how...

The Compressed Gas Association.(People)
May 1, 2006... The Compressed Gas Association (www.cganet.com) named Marc J. Meteyer president and chief executive officer at its annual meeting March 21 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Meteyer has worked as a research scientist and consultant in government and...

W.A. Whitney.(People)(Cliff Ankersen)
May 1, 2006... W.A. Whitney, a division of MegaFab (www.wawitney.com), appointed Cliff Ankersen regional sales manager for the Whitney and Bertsch product lines. Ankersen will cover the western United States, including Colorado, Wyoming, western Montana,...

Trumpf Inc.(People)
May 1, 2006... Trumpf Inc. (www.trumpf.com) appointed Dan Hoff regional manager. Hoff will manage the sales of Trumpf's line of precision fabricating machinery for Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, western Wisconsin and western Iowa.

Magswitch Technology, Inc.(People)
May 1, 2006... Bill Fudale has been appointed president of Magswitch Technology, Inc. (MST) (www.magswitch .com.au), effective immediately. Tim Foote moves from president of the United States Sales & Marketing division, to president of the newly created...

Thermadyne Industries Inc.(People)
May 1, 2006... Thermadyne Industries Inc. (www.thermadyne.com) has appointed Terry Downes executive vice president of corporate development. Downes has also been named to Thermadyne's executive leadership team. Don Domina assumes responsibility for the...

Praxair Distribution, Inc.(People)
May 1, 2006... Praxair Distribution, Inc., a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc. (www.praxair. com), named Bob Phillips general manager for its North East U.S. Division. Phillips joined Praxair in 2002, and was director of safety, environmental and engineering...

MG Systems and Welding.(People)
May 1, 2006... MG Systems and Welding (www.mgsystemswelding.com) appointed Scott Kessler national sales manager. Kessler will be involved with dealer and customer relations, pricing, documentation, follow up, forecasting and all day to day aspects of the...

Tregaskiss Welding Products.(People)
May 1, 2006... Kelly Chadwick joined the sales and marketing team at Tregaskiss Welding Products (www.tregaskiss.com) as marketing specialist.

Airgas, Inc.(People)
May 1, 2006... Airgas, Inc. (www.airgas.com) announced Dan Tatro has been named president of Airgas Nor Pac. Doug Jones has been promoted to president of Airgas Intermountain, replacing Tatro.

Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.(People)
May 1, 2006... Bob Fisher has been named admissions representative for Hobart Institute of Welding Technology (www.welding.org). Fisher has been with Hobart Institute for four years and was with Hobart Brothers Company for 23 years prior to that. "Bob's...

ASTM International.(People)(Lawrence Judovits)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... ASTM International (www.astm.org) appointed Lawrence Judovits, Ph.D. as its new chair for the ASTM Committee E37 on Thermal Measurements. In his work for Committee E37, Judovits has led task groups focused on standardizing of thermal analysis...

Trumpf Laser Technology Center.(People)
May 1, 2006... Trumpf Laser Technology Center (www.trumpf.com) presented Frank DiPietro with the first Laser Champion Award for his lifetime achievements in advancing the use of laser technology in industrial manufacturing. "We wanted to start a new tradition...

Thermadyne Industries Inc.(People)
May 1, 2006... John Henderson has been named director of marketing for industrial distribution for Thermadyne Industries Inc. (www.thermadyne.com) of St. Louis, Mo. Henderson previously was division general manager for Red Ball Oxygen Co. Inc. in...

Trumpf Inc.
May 1, 2006... Trumpf Inc. (www.us.trumpf.com) has appointed Carl Freehauf as its regional manager for northern Illinois, eastern Iowa and eastern Wisconsin. The company said Freehauf would manage sales for its line of precision fabricating machinery,...

Spill containment.(Products)( UltraTech International Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... A new containment berm from UltraTech International Inc. (www.spillcontainment.com) is designed to provide spill containment for trucks and other heavy equipment. The Ultimate model has entry and exit walls that are supported every 12 in. with...

Spool gun.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Lincoln Electric Co. (www.lincolnelectric.com) introduced a compact spool gun for its Power MIG 225 C and Power MIG 350 MP wire feeder/welder systems. The Magnum 250 LX spool gun weighs three pounds, excluding cable weight. The gun is rated at...

Cantilever shelving for carousels.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Remstar International Inc. (www.remstar.com) says its new cantilever shelving option adds flexibility and versatility to horizontal carousels used in welding supply storage applications. Cantilever shelves offer easy access to stored items from...

New line.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Cryotech International Inc. (www.cryotechinternational.com) introduced a new line of gas control panels, manifolds and cylinder storage racks. The company says the gas control panels are designed for safe and accurate filling or mixing of high...

Gas distribution manifold.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Concoa (www.concoa.com) has designed a gas distribution manifold for its 600 series switchover/623 delivery systems. The 629 Series can be configured as a gaseous withdrawal manifold or as a vent manifold, and is suited for laser, metal...

Metal to the core.(Products)(Select-Arc Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Select-Arc Inc. (www.selectarc.com) now offers two carbon steel, gas-shielded, composite metal-cored electrodes for weldments that require painting. The company says its Select 70C-6LS produces significantly less spatter than typical E70C-6M...

Robotic welding cell.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Marathon, a unit of Orbitform Group (www.orbitform.com), introduced a pre-assembled, robotic cell with two 30-in. by 40-in. tables mounted on a common machine base. The company says Z-Weld is an alternative to semi-automatic welding and is...

Reels for twin-line welding hose.(Products)(Coxreels )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Coxreels (www.coxreels.com) introduced hand-cranked welding hose reels for storing 100 ft. of twin-line oxy-acetylene or t-grade welding hose. The company says the reels in the 100W series are compact, lightweight and supported by U-shaped...

Inventory control.(Products)
May 1, 2006... This Touch Screen graphic user interface (GUI) from FastPic Systems (www.fastpicsystems.com) simplifies inventory of items stored and retrieved on vertical life modules and vertical carousels. The unit's software tracks inventory levels per...

Hose assembly eliminates hazards.(Products)(Smart-Hose Technologies)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Smart-Hose Safety Systems from Smart-Hose Technologies (www.smarthose.com) automatically shuts off the flow of gases or fluids in both directions when a hose failure takes place. The system has a coated cable that is connected inside the hose...

Portable plasma cutter.(Products)(Miller Electric Manufacturing Co.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Miller Electric Mfg. Co. (www.millerwelds.com) designed its inverter-based Spectrum 1251 air plasma cutting and gouging system for hand-held and automated cutting. It severs 1.75-in.-thick steel and has a rated cutting capacity of 1.25-in....

Hydraulic punch/plasma cutting.(Products)
May 1, 2006... W.A. Whitney Co. (www.wawhitney.com) is offering a hydraulic tapping attachment and the HPR260 plasma cutting attachment from Hypertherm Inc. as options for Whitney's 3400 XP hydraulic punch/plasma cutting combination machine. The company says...

Line of ironworkers expands.(Products)
May 1, 2006... The P-40 is a full-featured ironworker that delivers 40 tons of punching force. Piranha (www.piranhafab.com) says because slugs are not lost while shearing, the machine has larger material capacity than its competitor's machines. ...

Light industrial welding machines.(Products)(Esab Welding & Cutting Products)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Esab Welding & Cutting Products (www.esabna.com) says its MigMaster 173, MigMaster 203 and MigMaster 253 single-phase MIG welding machines offer performance comparable to that of a three-phase unit (C[O.sub.2] or Ar/C[O.sub.2] mixture) because...

Plasma cutting.(Products)(Thermal Dynamics)
May 1, 2006... Thermal Dynamics (www.thermadyne.com) says it designed its new plasma cutting system to deliver high performance and low operating cost. The Auto-Cut 100 plasma cutting system includes the company's Maximum Life technology for delivering 100...

Press brake refinement.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Amada America Inc. (www.amada.com) says it added features to its HDS NT press brake series that improve productivity. These additions include BendCAM with Dr. ABE, a software package for automatically generating programs such as tool selection...

Gas leak detectors for resistance welding.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Rocon LLC (www.roconllc.com) says its DeltaPoint leak detectors with DeviceNet interface protect critical wells in resistance welding robot applications. The detectors sense tip loss by comparing total inflow and outflow of cooling water to the...

New technology for laser cutting.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Bystronic Inc. (www.bystronic.com) introduced a two-stage pulse piercing method that produces fast and clean cuts on laser cutting systems. In the first stage of controlled pulse pierce, the initial surface is pierced through before switching...

Microwelding systems.(Products)
May 1, 2006... NovaTech Inc. (www.novatechinc.com) says welders can use microscope-based welding systems to repair molds, dies and tools with less than 0.0005-in. of sink in the heat-affected zone, resulting in welds that last longer and require less rework...

Random orbital polishers.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Dynabrade Inc. (www.dynabrade.com) introduced electric and air-powered random orbital polishers that eliminate swirl marks from a variety of surfaces. The company says the polishers oscillate with a large, offset random orbital pattern to...

Three-step finish.(Products)(J. Walter Inc. )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Quick-Step from J. Walter Inc. (www.jwalterinc.com) is a metal surfacing system that the company says turns a rough surface to a mirror finish in three steps. The system uses a hook and loop backing pad for quick disc changes; 40, 60, 80 or...

Weld cleaning brushes.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Weiler Corp. (www.weilercorp.com) introduced knot wire cup brushes for weld cleaning, cleaning large metal surfaces and deburring. The steel band on the brushes controls flaring on the brush face and can be removed to expose more wire once the...

Grinding kit for stainless steel and aluminum.(Products)
May 1, 2006... The Grind Blend Kit from Rex-Cut Products Inc. (www.rexcut.com) includes a 4.5-in. diameter abrasive grinding wheel and a 4.5-in. diameter blending wheel for heavy weld removal on stainless steel and aluminum. The kit includes a Sigma Green...

Arc flash labels.(Products)(Brady Corp. )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Brady Corp. (bradycorp.com) says its new warning labels meet National Electric Code/National Fire Protection Association requirements for field marking electrical switchboard, panelboards and motor control centers. The arc flash stock labels...

Wire for hard surfacing.(Products)
May 1, 2006... McKay Tube-Alloy AP-O self-shielding, flux-cored wire from Hobart Brothers Co. (www.hobartbrothers.com) is formulated for hard surfacing applications and for applications with higher chromium content than standard austenitic manganese filler...

Ground Hog completes circuit.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Valtra Inc. (www.stronghandtools.com) introduced a welding clamp that can ground the welding arc in all welding applications. The Ground Hog clamp's large, copper contact point and sturdy clamping pressure facilitate the transfer of electrical...

Friction welding system.(Products)
May 1, 2006... Coldwater Machine Co. (www.coldwatermachine.com) introduced a turnkey friction welding system designed for a range of applications including joining small parts, configuring parts and welding dissimilar materials. The weld head spindle of the...

Here's a new tool for your business.(Viewpoint)
May 1, 2006... This isn't the Gases & Welding Distributor magazine that you're used to. We have changed the look of our magazine, we've set a new target for ourselves, and we've established a new editorial mission. Our new editorial mission...