I started with Weldcraft when it was a small manufacturing company in Burbank, Calif. making welding accessories. When the company was sold in 1985, I had the opportunity to work my way up to Director of Manufacturing and I even became a top performing sales manager. I was able to travel around the world representing a quality manufacturer in an industry I enjoyed. I met with international distributors, system integrators, and end users and began to really understand what our customers needed.
It was out of this experience that I developed the Crafter Series TIG Torch and earned a patent for both the design and the improvements to functionality.
I built the prototype TIG torch in my home weld shop then brought it to the Weldcraft engineering team. One of the most important innovations in design was the shape of the handle. The Crafter Series TIG torch is what we call “self-indexing”. Its flat top allows a welder to orient the TIG torch by touch, rather than having to flip his (or her) helmet to get a good look at the torch. (Remember this was in the days before auto-darkening welding helmets).
We were also able to make some significant functional improvements to the TIG torch power cable, adding dual conductors that made the cable powerful but light.
I spent five hours at Kinko’s putting together a presentation for the Weldcraft management team and they approved the concept. It was an amazing experience to work with a great team and shepherd my TIG Torch idea from prototype to patent, and then through the manufacturing and sales process.
Another innovation with the Crafter Series TIG torch also came about from listening to customers who wanted a simplified ordering process. We came up with the Weld Ready TIG Torch package. Distributors could order using one part number, and end up with a TIG Torch, a power cable, water and gas hoses, and front-end parts for the torch already installed.
I’m proud to say that the Crafter Series TIG torch is still on the market today! And Arc-Zone.com is proud to offer not only the Crafter Series TIG torch, but the complete line of Weldcraft TIG torches and accessories.
