Welding Journal - April 2012 - (Page 8)

PRESS TIME NEWS Publisher Andrew Cullison North American Robotics Industry Achieves Record Year North American robotics companies sold more robots in 2011 than ever before, according to new statistics from the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), Ann Arbor, Mich. A total of 19,337 robots valued at $1.17 billion were sold to companies in North America, beating the previous record. When sales by North American robot suppliers to companies outside North America are included, the totals are 22,126 robots valued at $1.35 billion. Compared to 2010, North American orders were up 47% in units and 38% in dollars. According to Paul Kellett, RIA’s director of market analysis, a revitalized demand by the automotive industry helped fuel the increase. Large surges were also seen in spot and arc welding; assembly; coating and dispensing; and material handling applications. In addition, the fourth quarter of 2011 was the strongest quarter recorded by RIA in terms of units ordered with 5721 robots valued at $317.5 million. Editorial Editorial Director Andrew Cullison Editor Mary Ruth Johnsen Associate Editor Howard M. Woodward Associate Editor Kristin Campbell Peer Review Coordinator Melissa Gomez Publisher Emeritus Jeff Weber Design and Production Managing Editor Zaida Chavez Senior Production Coordinator Brenda Flores Manager of International Periodicals and Electronic Media Carlos Guzman Advertising National Sales Director Rob Saltzstein Advertising Sales Representative Lea Paneca Senior Advertising Production Manager Frank Wilson Subscriptions Subscriptions Representative Sylvia Ferreira sferreira@aws.org American Welding Society 550 NW LeJeune Rd., Miami, FL 33126 (305) 443-9353 or (800) 443-9353 Publications, Expositions, Marketing Committee D. L. Doench, Chair Hobart Brothers Co. S. Bartholomew, Vice Chair ESAB Welding & Cutting Prod. J. D. Weber, Secretary American Welding Society T. Birky, Lincoln Electric Co. D. Brown, Weiler Brush J. Deckrow, Hypertherm D. DeCorte, RoMan Mfg. J. R. Franklin, Sellstrom Mfg. Co. F. H. Kasnick, Praxair D. Levin, Airgas E. C. Lipphardt, Consultant R. Madden, Hypertherm D. Marquard, IBEDA Superflash J. Mueller, Thermadyne Industries J. F. Saenger Jr., Consultant S. Smith, Weld-Aid Products N. C. Cole, Ex Off., NCC Engineering J. N. DuPont, Ex Off., Lehigh University L. G. Kvidahl, Ex Off., Northrup Grumman Ship Systems S. P. Moran, Ex Off., ESAB Welding & Cutting Prod. E. Norman, Ex Off., Southwest Area Career Center R. G. Pali, Ex Off., J. P. Nissen Co. R. Ranc, Ex Off., Superior Products W. A. Rice, Ex Off., OKI Bering R. W. Shook, Ex Off., American Welding Society D. Wilson, Ex Off., Kimberly-Clark Global Safety Copyright © 2012 by American Welding Society in both printed and electronic formats. The Society is not responsible for any statement made or opinion expressed herein. Data and information developed by the authors of specific articles are for informational purposes only and are not intended for use without independent, substantiating investigation on the part of potential users. Lincoln Electric Acquires Weartech Intʼl Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, has acquired Weartech Int’l, Inc., Anaheim, Calif., a privately held producer of cobalt-based hardfacing and wear-resistant welding consumables with manufacturing plants in Anaheim and Port Talbot, Wales. The company has annual sales of approximately $40 million and employs 140 people combined at both locations. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Texas Colleges Awarded Nearly $600,000 for New Welding Equipment Texas Comptroller Susan Combs recently announced 11 community colleges and technical institutes will receive $3 million in grants to buy equipment for training students in critical workforce skills. For its welding technician programs, Hill College has been awarded $282,281, and Texarkana College is collecting $289,248. This new round of grants comes from the Jobs and Education for Texans, a career training grant program administered by the comptroller’s office since 2009. JM Eagle Extends Deadline for $10,000 Scholarship JM Eagle, Los Angeles, Calif., will extend the contest deadline awarding $10,000 to the student who submits the most compelling paper about the advantages of plastic pipe in a modern infrastructure. The company has changed the required submission date to June 30. It is open to junior- and senior-year as well as graduate students. Contestants are required to submit 2500- to 5000-words describing the benefits of using plastic pipe vs. other materials in building and municipal waterworks systems. Entries will be judged on vision, understanding of issues, originality, and emphasis on material solutions. Entrants must complete an online form along with their paper submissions. The form, rules and regulations, and more details can be found at www.jmeagle.com/scholarship. The winner will be announced Aug. 1. Prima Power Laserdyne Expands Operations Prima Power Laserdyne, Champlin, Minn., a supplier of multiaxis laser systems to the global aerospace industry, is hiring personnel for 20 newly created job positions. The company has recently increased its position in industries requiring laser cutting and welding fine mechanical and medical components and assemblies. Also, the manufacturing challenges of new lightweight automobiles, more efficient jet aircraft engines, and other fine mechanical items have increased demand for other products. According to Terry VanderWert, company president, new positions include assembly, installation, and service technicians; applications and design engineers; and customer service representatives. More information can be found at www.prima-na.com.◆ MEMBER 8 APRIL 2012 http://www.jmeagle.com/scholarship http://www.prima-na.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Welding Journal - April 2012

April 2012 - TOC Listing
Unlocking Your Gas Metal Arc Welding Potential - A study sponsored by the National Shipbuilding Research Program investigated low-cost modifications to equipment or parameters that improved welding performance - P. A. Blomquist
Community College Welding Program Update - Many community colleges around the country are equipping future workers with the skills manufacturers need D. Postlethwaite
Modern Power Source Technology Drives Process Improvement - New technology in weld monitoring is making it easier to access the data by all the appropriate personnel and understand how it should be applied to benefit weld quality - T. McEllis
Building a Welding Career from the Ground Up - A thirty-two-year career welder shares her passion for the profession with others in hopes of inspiring them to expand their skills and knowledge
How Today’s Power Sources Aid Pulsed GMAW - The advanced welding machines of today can deliver power to the arc in almost any form and can react with split-second timing to avoid adverse arc phenomena - L. Barley
Fiber Lasers Perform Precision Cutting for Medical Devices - There are many methods to cut thin tubular structures often used in medical devices, but fiber lasers are emerging as the precision machines of choice
Arc Characteristics in Pulsed-GMA Welding with Acute - Groove Angles The characteristics of a joint tracking sensor were monitored under conditions of different groove angles and root openings - R-H. Kim et al.
Design of Experiment and Goal Programming Application for the GMAW Process - This study was conducted to determine critical gas metal arc welding variables and ways to optimize them - Y. T. Iç et al.
Predictive and Measurement Methods for Delta Ferrite Determination in Stainless Steels - The advantages and limitations of predictive measurement methods for δ ferrite are outlined - M. A. Valiente Bermejo
Susceptibility of IN740 to HAZ Liquation Cracking and Ductility-Dip Cracking - Conditions that lead to cracking susceptibility of nickel-based IN740 were simulated to determine an action for its prevention - J. E. Ramirez
Editorial
Washington Watchword
Press Time News
News of the Industry
Aluminum Q&A
Brazing Q&A
Product & Print Spotlight
Coming Events
Certification Schedule
Welding Workbook
Society News
Interpretations D1.1
Guide to AWS Services
Personnel
Welding School Profiles
Classifieds
Advertiser Index

Welding Journal - April 2012