Texas City high school student Gabe Simpson has to get around in a wheelchair all day at school because of muscular dystrophy, but that doesn’t stop him from getting his hands dirty in the school’s welding lab. Simpson was first turned on to welding by his grandfather, and the school provided several modifications to the shop to accommodate his wheelchair.
Even as Simpson has lost strength over the years, the welding class also passes along valuable lessons beyond the welding trade. Instructor Shawn Trader shares, “I want them to learn things like discipline, safety, being on time, accountability, and taking care of business. These are all things they can carry on for the rest of their lives.”
Fortunately, there are still plenty of great opportunities in the welding field:
Welding Industry
Ultrasonic Welding Valuable for Battery Manufacturing: Ultrasonic welding is commonly used for the joining of the internal electrode battery materials, which are usually constructed of thin foils of aluminum and copper. The remaining joining requirements including the connections inside the can and external terminal tab connections are well suited to resistance, microTIG, and laser welding. For can and plug applications (seam sealing), laser welding is the joining technology of choice.
Lincoln Electric Introduces New Welder/Generator: Cleveland, Ohio-based Lincoln Electric has introduced the Vantage 520 SD engine-driven welder/generator to its comprehensive line of welding technology and hard goods.
The new Vantage 520 SD joins the larger Vantage 600 SD and Air Vantage 600 SD to form a Severe Duty group of welders suitable for such extreme environments as mining, construction and pipe welding.
Welding Jobs
Welding Company Grows with Focus on Gas Products: Jackson Welding & Gas Products is a third-generation family-run business that has worked with metal fabricators for nearly 70 years.
While those customers still make up a big part of Jackson’s business, the company has evolved in recent years to focus more on gas distribution. Those gases, mainly oxygen, nitrogen and argon are used by companies in fields ranging from biomedical technology to optics to food processing to education.
Welding Education
Trade Schools in Ohio Receive Grants: Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Foundation received $50,000 to support the creation of a welding lab in Middletown. Jean Manning, vice president of marketing, said the program will cost about $300,000 to establish, and Cincinnati State will seek other grants to fund the project. She said the college hopes to have the welding lab operational by the fall of 2015.
There are 743 welders employed in the area, according to research from Cincinnati State and 168 of them are near retirement age.
Welding Simulator Reaches 10 Wisconsin High Schools: As central Wisconsin manufacturers continue their search for welders in a tight labor market, a group of businesses is getting into schools and letting students test their skills with a virtual reality welding simulator.
About 70 students, both at the Colby high school and junior high school, tried out the simulator Tuesday and received grades on test welds to see how well they performed. The opportunity was available thanks to the Central Wisconsin Metal Manufacturers Alliance. By the end of January, the group will have visited 10 central Wisconsin school districts to encourage students thinking about pursuing a career in welding and manufacturing.
College Students Learn How to Monitor Laser Welding: With the College of the Canyons welding technology department’s recent installation of the HDEm Pulsed Laser Weld Monitoring System at the Valencia campus the first ever installed at an educational institution, COC welding students are now able to learn the ins and outs of one of the industry’s most innovative processes.
Welding Events
IBSC Conference, April 19, 2015: Now in its 6th Year, the IBSC remains the premier event for the brazing and soldering community. For years, the IBSC has provided professionals, scientists and engineers involved in the research, development and application of brazing and soldering, a unique networking and idea-exchange forum. This three-day conference provides cutting-edge education and technical programming for the brazing and soldering community, as well as peer-networking and a full exhibit program, showcasing the latest trends, products, processes and techniques available in the industry.
Welding Gone Wrong
Metal Shop Fire in Lancaster, PA Requires 75 Firefighters to Extinguish: A firefighter suffered minor injuries Wednesday in a two-alarm fire at a metal shop along Route 772 in Rapho Township.
Heavy fire struck the 50-by-100-foot metal shop, which is on a farm at 2166 Mount Joy Road east of the LCBC church, shortly before 11 a.m. Workers were welding when the fire started, according to Deputy Chief Duane Ober of the Manheim Fire Company. Sparks caught the wall on fire, he said, and quickly spread.
Major Spill of 40,000 Gallons of Oil Into Yellowstone River Was Preventable: The aging Poplar Pipeline that spilled oil into the Yellowstone River in Montana on Saturday was built with pipe made using faulty welding techniques, and its owner has had a series of spills on the line. These two factors put the pipeline at a higher risk for problems.
Welding Supplies on Sale
Now that you know what’s going on in the world of welding, visit Baker’s Gas and Welding for the latest deals in welders, welding safety gear, and welding supplies.
