• SMA Road Tour – The Stairbuilders & Manufacturers Association road tour continues. Next stop is Gettysburg, PA on May 12. The host shop does ironwork and should be of interest to our members. NOMMA members always get a special rate. Click HERE for details. Host shop: Taney Corp.
• Estimating Workshop – Michael Stone, who has presented at several METALfab events, is holding a two-day estimating workshop in Sacramento, CA, May 18-19. Cost: $495. Topics covered: Estimating, markup, margins, cash flow, break-even point, job costing, contracts, change orders, punch lists, sales and company finances. Click HERE for more info.
• ABANA Conference – The 2018 ABANA Conference takes place June 27-30, 2018 in Richmond, VA. As always, there will be demos, a gallery, tool sales, classroom sessions and more.
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Mark Your Calendars for METALfab 2018!
NOMMA committees are already hard at work planning for METALfab 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Don't miss THE industry event of the year which will include outstanding education, visits to local shops, and a massive trade show. Mark your calendars now for an event you won't want to miss!
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Welcome New & Returning NOMMA Members!
All Metals Welding & Fabrication Inc.
John Jimenez
Fabricator
Zellwood, FL
Mid Atlantic Steel Corp.
Tony Patschorke
Fabricator
Ronks, PA
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Congratulations to Tri-Tech Inc. of Austell, Georgia. They are celebrating their 40th anniversary. A long-time NOMMA member, the company fabricates stainless, glass, and cable rail. They also offer LED lighting rails. The firm, which has expanded three times since its founding in 1977, originally began by producing aluminum pipe rail for the wastewater and water treatment industries.
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Category C: Interior Railings - Ferrous, Non/Forged
To enter this category, all railings including custom castings and cold forged elements must have less than 5% custom hand forgings.
Gold Winner:
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Dave's Architectural Iron LLC
Paterson, New Jersey
These interior railings were designed for a banquet hall. Dave's Architectural Iron's client wanted an extra strong railing. The following specifications are part of this project: 1/2" bar, 1 x 1-1/2 channel screwed to floor, 1" x 2-1/2" top rail, and the railing is powder coated. Gold patinas can also be found on the collars. The railings are 278 feet in length.
Total Hours: 150
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Knowing exactly what material you need to order and what you are working with can eliminate potential errors or problems when fabricating that metal. This in turn saves you time and money.
As a producer of brass and bronze extrusions, we receive numerous calls from people who use inaccurate terms when requesting material. When purchasing brass or bronze, saying "I want to buy some brass bar" without specifying the alloy is like saying "I want to buy a car" without specifying whether you want a Ford Taurus or Chevrolet Malibu. Let’s try to clear up some common misunderstandings about brass and bronze.
If someone handed you a piece of yellow metal and asked you to identify whether it was brass or bronze, could you? Unless you had some psychic ability, the answer is no. The piece would have to be analyzed in a lab to determine whether it was brass or bronze. So, if they can look so much alike, what makes brass and bronze different?
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The expansion and contraction of metal due to temperature changes could affect the design of your outdoor handrails.
Where temperatures vary as much as 60° F in a 12-hour period, the expansion/contraction of metal handrails can present a challenge. Under such circumstances, 200 feet of aluminum handrail can expand and contract by 0.96 of an inch. That’s almost half an inch per every 100 feet. Aluminum has the highest coefficient of expansion/contraction. Carbon steel would be affected less than half that amount. Stainless expands at a rate that is 30 percent less than aluminum. And brass and bronze rank second in variations due to temperature changes.
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Andrew Grant famously quoted "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Shannon Kehler, of Kehler Made Industries Inc., positions the front display in a strategic way to gain first impressions the right way.
Shannon Kehler started a new company roughly six months ago. With a goal in mind of bringing awareness to the company's existence, Kehler finds first impressions to be quite important in building clientele.
The image you see is the front office display of Kehler's business. Visuals of intricate parts, various metals used, and a strategic layout of each part plays a vital role in what might be a potential customer's first impression of your company.
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