Month: January 2021

If you require an experienced welder for your manufacturing processes, it can get complicated as to which type of welding you should be applying to meet the demands of your manufacturing process. With over 30 different types of welding processes to choose from, knowing more about the main types of welding can be helpful as you are looking for the right manufacturing partners. Here are the main types of welding.

Gas Metal Arc Welding

Gas metal arc welding is usually called MIG or metal inert gas welding. This process includes feeding fit wire that also works as the electrode through a welding machine. The wire will heat up and is fed through a welding instrument and shielding gas will be used to shield the weld from contaminants in the air. The electrode and filler melt into the joint and join the material.

Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

TIG welding is the common name for this type of welding or tungsten inert gas welding. This is a sort of welding that’s perfect for blending nonferrous materials like copper, nickel, or lead. It’s one of the most difficult welding types to master but it also offers some of the toughest and highest quality welds.

Shielded Metal Arc Welding

This type of welding also uses a combustible electrode that’s coded in a flux. This is a popular type for home welders otherwise known as stick welding. This type of welding requires the least equipment and it’s low-cost because it doesn’t require a shielding gas. Stick welds don’t always provide the highest quality of welding because they’re less durable than other types.

Flux Cored Arc Welding

Flux-cored arc welding is very similar to MIG welding, where a continuous wire feed process will be included. Flux-cored arc welding is high-speed and portable, and it’s generally used in many construction sites for its ease to learn and versatility in poor weather conditions.

Keep some of these types of welding processes in mind if you are interested in branching out for your fabrication partners. We can help you choose the right type of welding fabrication tools to suit your manufacturing needs today.

This article was written by Tyler Duoos, Tyler is the owner of General Saw Company. General Saw Company takes pride in being a leader in sheet metal fabrication services to Central Florida and its surrounding areas. If you are looking for Metal Fabrication Companies to get the job done right the first time we got you covered!

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Access platforms need dedicated maintenance. If you run a business that highly relies on access platforms, it’s important that you know every single thing when it comes to maintaining and keeping them in tip-top shape. Can you confidently say that you have everything covered and figured out when it comes to access platform maintenance?

If you’re planning to own one and have no idea whatsoever when it comes to maintaining them, this article is perfect for you. This article is also perfect for you if you already own access platforms and you want to know important maintenance factors and aspects that you need to do in order to get the most value and investment out of your access platforms.

Benefits of Faithfully Practicing Access Platform Maintenance

The faithful practice of access platform maintenance will allow you to experience the following benefits:

1. Your access platform will have a longer lifespan. Its lifetime will be effectively extended.
2. Your access platform will have an increased and higher resale value.
3. The health of your workforce will be boosted.
4. The safety of your workforce will be strictly secured.
5. The productivity of your workforce will be boosted and made consistent.

Relevant Australian Legislation and Regulations

It’s not complicated to follow through with the maintenance of access platforms because the Australian government provides a comprehensive guide in the form of the following:

1. National Code of Practice for Prevention of Falls in General Construction
2. Work Health and Safety Code of Practice for Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces 2015
3. Guide for Scaffold Inspection and Maintenance
4. Guide for Scaffolds-Scaffolding
5. Guide for Suspended Swing Stage Scaffolds
6. Guide to Transporting High Loads
7. Model Code of Practice: Construction Work
8. Model Code of Practice: Managing the Risk of Falls in Housing Construction

Above mentioned laws, regulation, and guidelines are in place to ensure the safety of all workers and businesses that make use of access platforms.

Pre-start Maintenance

Access platforms need prior maintenance before use.  Users should thoroughly examine it before starting any task or job for the day. An access platform user must look for signs and warnings of wear and tear. The following must be in top shape and fully working:

1. Safety components
2. Controls
3. Moveable parts

Business owners and managers must ensure that all access platform users are fully trained and competent when it comes to checking, using, and maintaining access platforms.

Regular Maintenance

A regular examination of all equipment used for height work must be done every six months. Do take note that you should always make it a standard procedure to ask for the credentials of all individuals and laborers that examine, operate, evaluate, and work with access platforms. You should also have a clear record of each and every access platforms’ service history.

A comprehensive access platform inspection will include the following:

1. Checking the ability of the machine to lift, lower, rotate, and extend.
2. Effectiveness of safety systems and controls.
3. Status of sensors, stop buttons, communication systems, limiters, and emergency lowering buttons.
4. Stability of the work basket of the platform. Gates and floors must be checked together with toe boards, guardrails, and harness points.
5. Status of chains, ropes, electrics, hydraulics, bearings, nuts and bolts, and screws.
6. The status of reliability of hydraulic and electric sources.
7. The status of steering controls and brakes.
8. The status of stabilizers and the chassis.

Detailed Mechanical Examination

Apart from the faithful regular check every six months and the daily maintenance check prior to use, access platforms need to undergo major stability and safety evaluation every ten years. This is to ensure that the access platform’s structural integrity and controls duly and strictly comply with safety regulations. This also secures the increase of the access platforms’ resale value. During this check, each and every critical component of an access platform will be evaluated and put to a test.

Responsible Access Platform Ownership

Responsible access platform ownership is essential. Access platform owners should make it a point to faithfully keep records of checks, examinations, and evaluations. An access platform’s full-service history must always be easily available and accessible to inspectors and examiners that regulate business safety and health.

Keeping a faithful record of a machine’s service history will greatly ensure everyone’s safety and ensure an increased value should a machine be sold and purchased in the future. The record of an access platform’s full-service history must be provided and made available to its future owners.

Bottomline

Access platforms greatly improve business efficiency, safety, and productivity. However, regular maintenance is necessary to keep it working in its best state. In summary, every access platform owners must do the following maintenance:

1. Regular maintenance every six months.
2. Daily maintenance prior use.
3. Major machine examination every ten years.

If you’ve read this article and you still feel like you need help when it comes to the maintenance …