Industry Information History - Businesses strive to make welding a more cost-effective profit center by analyzing the work processes and training the workforce in various welding processes and procedures. By working on all major driving forces in manufacturing including productivity, quality and consistency, organizations can always look forward toward continued improvement.
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News - The average age for welders in the United States is 50+ this is very scary for our industry. Where are we going to get qualified people to weld? Welding, the fusing of the surfaces of two workpieces to form one , is a precise, reliable, cost-effective, and “high-tech” method for joining materials. No other technique is as widely used by manufacturers to join metals and alloys efficiently and to add value to their products. Most of the familiar objects in modern society, from buildings and bridges, to vehicles, computers, and medical devices, could not be produced without the use of welding. Welding goes well beyond the bounds of its simple description. Welding today is applied to a wide variety of materials and products, using such advanced technologies as lasers and plasma arcs. The future of welding holds even greater promise as methods are devised for joining dissimilar and non-metallic materials, and for creating products of innovative shapes and designs. The welding industry consists of the “users” of welding techniques as well as the companies, universities, and other organizations that provide the equipment, materials, processes and support services for welding. All branches of the industry will be looking for improvements in their operations by 2020. A call to Blair’s Basic Welding and Consulting Services today could start you on the road to a safer, faster, more profitable business process right away. |
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Problems - Major challenges need to be overcome by the welding industry. Welding must be better integrated into the production cycle, eliminating the occasional impression, that it is a barrier to a smooth manufacturing process on the factory floor. Training of welders and welding technologists will be more comprehensive and scientific. The welding community must be able to hurdle certain barriers, or “Competitive Challenges,” in the following areas: Materials, Manufacturing Integration, Workforce Integrity, and Quality. Allow Blair’s Basic Welding and Consulting Services to help address these challenges. Futures - Vision for Welding.
Product Design, Development and Manufacturing Integration |
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The “virtual factory” is a term that will be heard frequently over the next 20 years as computer modeling and simulation tools become commonplace in welding operations. Welding will move from being an “art” to being a manufacturing science with the help of computers. The virtual factory will occur when welding technologists go outside the traditional scope of welding to better understand, control, and automate welding processes. Modeling will help workers predict when the welding process will be robust and the conditions under which it becomes distorted. Obstacles - Welding has to be accepted as crucial to improving the life-cycle costs, quality, and reliability of manufactured goods. There are a number of “drivers” that will help determine this future favorable position of welding. The use of information technology will grow to help develop a “virtual manufacturing plant,” in which technologies for design, fabrication, and inspection are seamlessly integrated with welding technology where they are needed. Wise investments in capital goods and communication between the welding industry and its customers are also believed to be very effective methods for improving welding’s competitiveness. Likewise, the sharing of new information about welding operations within industry will ensure progress throughout the fabrication, manufacturing, and construction industries. "I have worked in this industry for over thirty years and have been to many manufacturing facilities though out the United States and have learned more from them by working with them solving their weld process improvements and shared ideas within the industry. This is another reason to contact Blair’s Basic Welding and Consulting." -Terry |
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