The extremely popular 2010 Fabtech  expo is right around the corner, and Miller Electric Mfg. Co. is introducing some really cool new products, including the new Titanium Series welding helmets as well as the new WeldX protective apparel (available at Arc-Zone.com).  And if you’re looking for other TIG related products to go with your Big Blue welder generator, be sure to check out Arc-Zone’s TIG parts and accessories.  And be sure to look for Joe Welder himself, who will be attending this year.

Miller Electric Mfg. Co. will showcase a wide range of new and popular welding products, technologies and safety accessories at the FABTECH 2010 show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, November 2 – 4. Miller’s booth this year (#6811 in Hall C) will provide attendees with product selection clarity by featuring market specific solutions designed to address the specific needs and challenges of the manufacturing, fabrication, shipbuilding, construction and commercial welding markets.

• FILTAIR^™ SWX-Series wall-mounted fume extractor
• Big Blue^® 400 Eco Pro welder generator
• Titanium^™ Series heavy-duty welding helmets
• XR^™ Control push-pull wire feeders
• WeldX^™ protective apparel
• Dimension^™ NT 450 WCC

In addition those listed above, Miller will be unveiling several new products and technologies that increase welding productivity, reduce weld costs and improve application adaptability.

Miller’s TIG Solutions Marketing Manager, Brent Williams, will also be giving a presentation on the benefits of TIG inverter technology, and the advanced arc controls it offers, as it relates to aircraft engines and components. The presentation will take place from 4:05 p.m. to 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3.

Plus don’t forget to regularly check Miller’s social media outlets — YouTube, Facebook and Twitter — for regular updates, videos and special promotions from the trade show floor.

FILTAIR SWX

Miller’s new FILTAIR™ SWX Series of space-saving wall-mounted welding fume extractors, are available in either the self-cleaning SWX-S model or the disposable filter SWX-D model. SWX-Series extractors can be fastened to a variety of wall surfaces, allowing companies to improve air quality and protect employees without cluttering their shop floors.

Like the mobile FILTAIR™ MWX Series, the SWX-Series uses surface-loading nanofiber filters designed specifically to capture the 95 percent of sub-micron particles found in welding fumes, including hexavalent chromium and manganese. Because the nanofiber filters are “surface-loading,” they offer more holding capacity and less pressure drop than competitive, “depth-loading” fume filters.

The SWX-S and SWX-D provide 875 CFM (cubic feet per minute) airflow for excellent fume removal up to the maximum recommended hood distance of 14 in. from the welding arc. Designed for heavy-duty industrial use, both models are suitable for continuous filtration of Stick, flux-cored, MIG and TIG fumes. For added application flexibility, both SWX models are available with one or two extraction arms that come in lengths of 7, 10 or 12 ft.

Big Blue 400 Eco Pro

For pipe welding, structural steel, fabrication, field maintenance and repair applications, the new Big Blue^® 400 Eco Pro welder generator reduces fuel use up to 25 percent and is 44-percent smaller/41-percent lighter than other models with similar output.

Providing Stick, TIG, MIG, FCAW and CAC-A processes, the Big Blue 400 Eco Pro offers 5,500 watts of peak power — plenty to run lights, grinders and many electrical tools. Its Mitsubishi S4L2 Tier 4i compliant diesel engine is designed to run 10,000 hours before a major overhaul and produces 50-percent less noise than previous models.

Taking into account average diesel costs of $4.00/gallon and the habits of a typical user — 50 percent idle time, 40 percent at 150 amps, and 10 percent at 400 amps — a welder can save up to $1,990/year per machine in fuel costs without sacrificing performance.

Titanium Series Helmets

Miller’s new Titanium^™ Series offers a comprehensive choice of helmets to meet the daily demands of industrial welding applications. From standard passive to auto-darkening helmets, with one model featuring an integrated grinding shield, the Titanium Series redefines industrial welding protection through optimal comfort and performance.

Designed for industrial protection, performance and comfort, the Titanium Series is built upon a shell design that is lightweight for extended wear, provides excellent skin coverage, reflects radiant heat and features a quick-release front cover lens to reduce welder downtime.

The Titanium Series is available in three auto-darkening models, featuring auto-on/auto-off, grind mode, independent arc sensors, excellent low-amperage TIG performance (5 amps), magnifying lens holder and they all meet ANSI Z87.1-2003 (High Impact) standards. Also available is a shade #10 passive lens model that features a large, 16-sq.-in. lens.

XR-S/D Controls

Miller’s new XR™-S Control and XR™-D Control push-pull wire feeders feature upgraded point-of-use functionality and performance for a wide variety of aluminum MIG, Pulsed MIG and extended reach welding applications.

Weighing under 43 lbs., the XR-S and XR-D Controls provide a highly portable solution for working up to 135 ft. from the welding power source. An A/C variable speed, high-torque “push” motor responds in real time to the gun-mounted DC “pull” motor to provide true push-pull performance. This allows the welding wire to overcome bends and extreme angles when working in and around large weldments.

The XR-S Control provides a simple, intuitive design and basic functionality, featuring adjustable run-in, pre- and post-flow options and a digital wire feed speed display that allows the user to easily see and adjust wire feed speed with the turn of a dial.

For more advanced applications and increased point-of-use adjustability, the XR-D Control offers remote voltage control, programmable pre- and post-flow and manual start and crater control options.

For the ultimate in aluminum MIG welding technology, Miller offers its Aluma-Feed Synergic Aluminum Welding System, featuring built-in Pulsed MIG programs that set the optimal parameters for the most commonly used aluminum alloys. The Aluma-Feed’s synergic welding mode provides the simplicity of single knob control by automatically choosing the correct voltage and amperage when the welder selects the desired wire feed speed.

WeldX Apparel

Miller’s exclusive new WeldX^™ line of welding safety apparel uses a revolutionary new material that provides exceptional flame and spatter resistance and is 60 percent lighter than leather, resulting in reduced heat stress and operator fatigue.

Originally designed for military applications, the WeldX fabric uses a patented carbonized acrylic base fabric that is then strengthened for durability and treated with a compound that causes weld spatter and sparks to literally “roll off” the material upon contact.

Unlike leather, the WeldX fabric is easily washable and is guaranteed to retain its flame resistant qualities for the life of the garment.

Only available from Miller, the WeldX line of safety apparel includes traditional welding jackets, 1/2 length sleeves, aprons and cape sleeves with an optional bib.

Dimension 452 WCC

Ideal for shipbuilding, marine repair and other applications where the power source and wire feeder are separated by up to hundreds of feet, the new Dimension^™ NT 450 WCC multi-process welding system saves time and increases safety by reducing trips to the power source for parameter adjustment. It also reduces weld quality problems caused by “working around” improper parameter settings, and eliminates control cable set up, maintenance and repair costs.

Using the built-in WCC (Weld Control Cable) feature and a WCC-enabled voltage sensing wire feeder, welding operators can control voltage at the wire feeder, eliminating the need to travel to the power source for parameter adjustments. And, fewer trips to the power source means fewer potential accidents along the way.

Further, because they can control parameters at the wire feeder, operators are less likely to attempt to “weld through” improper settings, a practice that often results in structural and visual weld defects.

By eliminating the need for control cables the WCC feature reduces the time and expense associated with purchasing, repairing and maintaining control cables.

The Dimension NT 450 WCC’s Ez-Bind feature guarantees remote control operation with multiple power sources connected to the same workpiece.

A job weld done by Alistair!
02 March 2010
By Leah Strug

TWO apprentices were welding their careers in place at a regional competition.

South Tyneside College students were celebrating after winning two of the top prizes at the annual SkillWeld regional finals.

Alistair Brummit won first place in the SkillWeld competition.

The 20-year-old was awarded with a trophy, an iPod, vouchers and a certificate from SkillWeld.

Alistair recently completed his Btec in fabrication and welding at South Tyneside College, and he took on the best trainee welders from colleges across the country in the national final of the BOC Apprentice Welder 2009.

He will now represent Britain at the 2011 Worldskills Welding Event in London.

Alistair, from Bedlington, Northumberland, said: “I was thrilled to win the regional SkillWeld. It means so much to me to be recognised for my work and it gives me the confidence and motivation to push myself further.

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But Jim has a bit more on his mind — he just learned that one Glen Dennee has bought his Uncle Ben’s old racing car and is working on restoring it!
He’ll get a chance to meet up with Glen during the show and discuss how best to go about restoring Farmer Ben’s V8 60  Midget!

The Grand National Roadster Show
January 29 – 31, 2010

GNRS Supports Haiti Relief

Come to the 2010 Kragen O’Reilly Grand National Roadster Show this weekend and support the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund! We are donating proceeds from the sales of GNRS programs to this fund, and as this year’s theme is “Mardi Gras,” we’ll be having a good time handing out Mardi Gras beads to showgoers in exchange for small donations. Make a difference – come on out and join 40,000 other hot rodders for Haiti!

MORE INFORMATION ->

I was excited to be back at the races again watching the bikes line up on the front straight-away for the rider introductions in front of an overflow crowd.

The pits were jammed with bikes in a variety of classes from the AMA Grand National Pro, including 2009 Champion Jared Mees on the #21 XR 750 Harley-Davidson,  West Coast Experts, Amateurs, and Vintage.

I walked the pits and visited with some old friends and met some new ones too.

I love flat track racing because the bikes are custom built for one thing — speed, whereas in motocross racing, you buy a factory-built bike and  slightly modify the engine and suspension before you are ready to ride.

Flat track bikes are purpose-built from the ground up with hand-made TIG welded chromoly frames, custom-built exhaust pipes, CNC machined wheels, and hand-laid fiberglass tanks and rear fenders.

Each bike is made with the rider’s personal wants and needs in mind,  from the handle bars down to the tires.  A perfect example is Jimmy Wood’s #37 BMW powered machine.

This is a beautiful motorcycle and it looks even better in person!  Made me think about breaking out my old skid shoe!

One of the coolest bikes I saw there was a Grand National Replica street bike.  I had a similar flat track styled bike that I put together — it was based on a Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster, but I ended up selling it to one of our reps…

Take a look and let me know what you think!

– Jim Watson, aka Joe Welder –

You’ve already heard us talk about the upcoming FABTECH International and AWS Welding Show this November, but just in case you needed a little push to attend, we’ve got some more tantalizing information for you all.

First off is the general information – FABTECH’s main website with the who, what, where, when, why, and a magical little button that you push to attend.

FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show including METALFORM

The FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show now including METALFORM hits McCormick Place in Chicago, Nov. 15 – 18, 2009. The MEGA event anticipates hosting over 1,000 exhibitors, drawing an expected 35,000 attendees and featuring thousands of live equipment demonstrations throughout pavilions dedicated to metal forming, fabricating, tube and pipe, stamping, lasers, thermal spray and welding.

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Secondly, Miller is going to be there (booth #34701 – write it down) and they will be showing some fabulous new products, so don’t forget your cameras.

Miller to Unveil Latest Welding, Safety and Fume Extraction Products at the 2009 FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show

Visit booth #34071 to see:

AlumaFeed™ Aluminum Fabrication System
FILTAIR™ MWX-D Mobile Fume Extractor
Miller’s Arc Armor™ PAPR (Powered Air Purifying Respirator)
PipeWorx™ Welding System
Trailblazer® 302 Air Pak™

Live arc demonstrations

APPLETON, Wis., August 13, 2009—Miller Electric Mfg. Co. will present its latest arc welding, welding safety and fume extraction products as well as live arc demonstrations in booth #34071 at the 2009 FABTECH International & AWS Welding show, November 15 to 18 at McCormick Place in Chicago. New products include the AlumaFeed™ Aluminum Fabrication System, FILTAIR™ MWX-D Mobile Fume Extractor, Miller’s Arc Armor™ PAPR, PipeWorx™ Welding System and Trailblazer® 302 Air Pak™. Additional products will be announced as show date nears.

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Lastly, this is the first year that FABTECH International and AWS are partnering with METALFORM, resulting in more exhibits, more attendees (hopefully), and by and by large, a better show.

FABTECH INTERNATIONAL & AWS WELDING SHOW ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH METALFORM

First combined trade show will take place November 15-18, 2009, at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL

DEARBORN, Mich. – April 2, 2008 – Four industry-leading trade show organizers have formed an alliance to better serve the needs of trade show exhibitors and manufacturers in North America from the fields of fabricating, tube & pipe, welding and cutting, metalforming, and related processes.  The show alliance between the three organizers of the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show [the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association International (FMA) and the American Welding Society (AWS)] and the organizer of METALFORM [the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA)] will result in a combined annual exhibition.

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