Category: Uncategorized

A wiper die is a tool in a rotary-draw-bending machine set up that prevents the deformation in the form of wrinkles that occurs when the material exceeds its elastic limit and sets in the curve.  As the pipe is drawn Read more…

The term “roll forming” lends itself to great ambiguity. Since steel mills producing “long sections” of structural steel–including angles, bars, beams, channels, and tees–manufacture their products through a rolling process, these sections are often referred to as, for example, “rolled Read more…

When we were expanding our plant, I told the general contractor that the columns of the pre-engineered building looked too thin to hold the roof up.  He assured me that the calculations had been done and done with a generous Read more…

The natural vibration frequency of a steel member is controlled by these factors: Stiffness/the second moment of inertia (I) in 4 stiffer = higher freq Mass per length (lbmass/in) heavier = lower freq Length of beam (L, in) longer = Read more…

All of us who work with metal are trying to keep our costs down to serve our customers well and to be profitable.  To these ends we want to minimize the amount of energy we use when we are shearing, Read more…

Those of us in the metalworking industry depend on having a steady supply of architects, engineers, supervisors, estimators, machine operators and other skilled employees to help our businesses thrive.  There are various ways we can encourage and support the next Read more…

Specialty subcontractors, like those who curve steel for construction, are often welcomed by architectural and engineering firms to give “lunch ‘n’ learn” presentations on their services.  And this is certainly the case in Chicago, home to many prestigious firms in Read more…

SteelDay, an annual event sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), is hosted by its members and partners.  A subset of the AISC memberships is comprised of Bender/Rollers, those who specialize in curving steel for the construction industry.  Read more…

Northwestern University is creating new medical facilities in downtown Chicago including the Northwestern Medicine Outpatient Care Pavilion.  With a variety of new buildings designed with state-of-the-art facilities, the need arose to provide a means of transportation from one building to Read more…

Those of us who work with metals know that they are made out of materials that are either taken from the earth or that are recycled.  But do you know which elements that constitute metals are the most abundant? Here Read more…