I never thought I’d see the day. Let me repeat that – NEVER.

But the day has indeed arrived, from whence forward, a newbie welder will be able to practice welding, not the old-fashioned way, with torch and electrode, but via virtual reality.

You can thank Lincoln Electric for this new advancement in welding technology — they are the producers of the new VRTEX 360 which enables the wearer to weld via a virtual welding gun and a helmet that is equipped with monitors on the inside.

You can “virtually” weld in a welding booth, on a construction site — even on a base in the desert!

And, it has to be said, this is the greenest welding machine on the market, and it will enable students to learn faster than ever before.

Who knows — this newest welding “video game” could become so popular that instructors will have to pry the virtual torch right out of their students’ unwilling hands.

One can only hope.

What are you doing this Sunday?  Planning on going to church?

How about Metal Church, with your favorite preacher, Jesse James?!?

I got this forwarded to me in an email and immediately knew that we had to post this here on Joe Welder!

Ron Patrick’s Street-Legal Jet Powered Volkswagen Beetle

This is my street-legal jet car on full afterburner.

The car has two engines: the production gasoline engine in the front driving the front wheels and the jet engine in the back.

The idea is that you drive around legally on the gasoline engine and when you want to have some fun, you spin up the jet and get on the burner (you can start the jet while driving along on the gasoline engine).

The car was built because I wanted the wildest street-legal ride possible.

With this project, I was able to use some stuff I learned while getting my fancy engineering degree (I have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University) to design a street-legal jet car without the distraction of how other people have done it in the past – because no one has.

I don’t know how fast the car will go and probably never will. The car was built to thrill me, not kill me. That doesn’t stop me from the occasional blast on the highway though.

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I’d like to thank Craig Swanson for the following cartoon, which has to be one of the best ones on welding I’ve yet to find:

Gravity.  It’s simply a fact of life; we can’t change it.  But we may be able to work around it.

Gravity Can Make Welding More Expensive, Learn How to Lower Your Welding Costs

12/28/2009 9:46:00 AM – Article #2909

By Mechanizing the Weld System Using the Proper Positioning Equipment and Multi Wire Welding, Expect a 60 Lb. Weld Deposition per Hour

Gravity makes welding more expensive, it’s a fact.

That is why downhand welding will cost less than vertical or overhead welding.

It’s all about deposition rates.

When welding in the vertical or overhead position, the higher your metal deposition rate, the more likely the weld metal is to sag and run out of the joint.

To combat these problems try using a pulsed power source that produces less heat, or use current and voltage settings that reduce the burn-off rate or use smaller diameter electrodes with good out of position characteristics.

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What would it take for you to cut off all your hair?  A million bucks?  A week’s paid vacation?

How about some welding supplies?

Hair trade: Student donates ponytail in return for contibutions of steel to welding program

BY TRIBUNE STAFF • NOVEMBER 5, 2009

Scott Stekly lost his ponytail Wednesday.

Stekly got a buzz cut from a classmate in the Construction Trades Building, courtesy of Joe Filipowicz, Salvage Manager of Steel Etc.

Scott Stekly, a welding student at MSU-Great Falls, gets a buzz cut by classmate Rachel Kaiser Wednesday in the welding shop. (TRIBUNE PHOTO/ RION SANDERS)

Filipowicz’ company agreed to contribute metal to the welding program as an added incentive for the hair loss.

Prior to entering the welding program to pursue a second career, Stekly had been a longtime local cosmetologist, where he met Joe Filipowicz and his father Jimmy, owner of Steel Etc.

When Stekly entered the fall semester, he made a challenge to the Filipowiczes. He would allow them to cut his hair in return for donations of steel materials to the MSU-Great Falls Welding Program. Steel Etc. accepted, and the hair cut was scheduled.

The donated steel will consist of pipe and plate that can be used for the college’s welding students to practice various welds and cuts. After being used by the program, the scrap materials will be returned to Steel Etc., which will recycle the metals, sending them to a steel mill for melting and reprocessing.

At the Infrastructurist.com, there is a list of the five hottest jobs in infrastructure right now.  Guess what’s number one.  No, really – guess.  Stop looking down!  No cheating!

Alright, fine.  You saw – it’s a Robotic Arc Welding Technician, and not only are they in high demand, but they make a decent amount of money, considering that it only takes a mere two years to get certified!

1. CERTIFIED ROBOTIC ARC WELDING TECHNICIAN – $40,000 TO $50,000

What they do: Arc welding is a common technique of fusing metals, and robotic arc welding–as the name suggests–is this process as preformed by robots.

Automation ensures a higher quality of the weld –up to 50% better – and increases productivity by up to 3 times.

Who maintains these armies of welding robots? A robotic arc welding technician, of course. As Jeff Noruk, president of industry firm Servo Robot puts it, “Robots are like babies. They need care every single day.”

Why it’s hot: As a recent New York Times article points out (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/business/24jobs.html), welders are much in demand these days. That demand is especially acute for certified robotic arc welding technicians:

Noruk estimates that while there are several hundred thousand arc welding robots, there are only 30 certified arc welding technicians in the country, with most welding robots presently being supervised by general electricians or engineers.

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ROBOTS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD!!!

Ok, not the whole world – just the job parts…

ABB’s VirtualArc robot welding simulation software teaches robots without waste

19 August 2009

ABB says its VirtualArc robot welding simulation software allows welding robots to achieve precise, clean, mass-produced welds.

Human welders draw on experience, intuition and trial-and-error to establish the right parameters for a welding job. Transferring this skill to robots can be complex.

While robots speed productivity, and provide accurate repeatability of tasks, they can only get the welding right if they have been programmed correctly.

“Teaching” a robot to perform a arc-weld, means providing it with the knowledge that comes from many years of human experience and the intuition that enables it to choose the appropriate process for a new task.

Traditionally, experienced welder set up the welding parameters on robots by performing a series of test welds and adjusting parameters to hone the result. This approach uses up materials, manpower and energy.

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So, what do you think?  Yay or nay to robots on the job?

Sponsors of the upcoming Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show (including Metalform) in Chicago were polled about their plans for future business growth in light of the recession.  The results were surprising — in a very good way.

Poll: Manufacturers detail recession survival strategies, report better conditions

Opportunities for manufacturers abound as economy improves suggests a poll by sponsors of the Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show, including Metalform, in Chicago. Sponsors are American Welding Society (AWS), Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Int’l (FMA), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and Precision Metalforming Association (PMA).

– Manufacturing Business Technology, 9/8/2009 8:02:43 PM MDT

To survive what many view as the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, 69 percent of manufacturers indicated they reduced their workforce, followed by delaying capital expenditures (66 percent), negotiating with suppliers for better deals (48 percent) and cutting promotional activities (37 percent.) The survey asked 1,046 past or prospective registrants of Fabtech International & AWS Welding Show, including Metalform. The poll was conducted in late July.

However, with signs that the economy is currently improving, those surveyed plan to reverse downsizing — nearly one-third of those surveyed said they expect to add to their workforce in the next 12 months. Manufacturers reported an increase in demand in product as the leading factor that would prompt an increase to the workforce (78 percent) followed by the opportunity to upgrade workforce (7 percent) and the need for new skill sets (6 percent).

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Toby Gewertz wants to make metalwork that will stand the test of time and so makes sure that he and his company, Metalformz, only use the best of materials.

Napa sculptor makes works meant to last

By MAUREEN MCCABE Register Correspondent
Posted: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 12:00 am

In this plastic, throw-away culture, where obsolescence is built into almost every mass-produced item, Toby Gewertz who sticks with material that will last.

Using stainless steel, bronze, copper, aluminum and titanium, Gewertz designs and constructs signs, sculptures, railings and doors, among other items, for commercial and residential clients.

Local restaurants call on his company, Metalformz, for signage and decorative pieces.

Gewertz crafted the carrot fence at First Squeeze, as well as the medieval Gothic art at the former Belle Arti on the creek in Napa, now the Little Gourmet.

Although the restaurant has been through several owners, all have kept Gewertz’s candleholders and partitions for the breezeway and counter top.

He’s also done Celadon’s signs, the door handles and liquor display racks at Fumé, the sign and interior metalwork at the old Piatti restaurant in Yountville, and the old Brix restaurant’s sign plus indoor railings and coffee tables.

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