Category: Special Welding Tables

Why you Need to Use Aluminum Copper Welding Tables for Stainless Steel Welding

Posted on by ismuser

There are various types of welding tables available for a wide range of jobs that utilize a variety of different metals. Important elements to consider are the material the top is made of, and the design of the table.

The most popular tops for welding tables in professional workshops areAluminum Copper | Welding Table carbon steel and several aluminum alloys. Your choice will depend on the metal (or metals) you and your employees will be working with. If you are working with carbon steels (including mild steel that, by definition contains between 0,15 and 0,35 percent carbon) then a carbon steel top is ideal. But if you are working with stainless steel, a welding table with an aluminum-copper alloy top will be a much better option. If you work with both types of metal, it’s best to have designated tables with a suitable top for each.

There are different types of stainless steel, but one thing they have in common is a percentage of the metal element chromium, that gives the metal its shiny appearance and prevents it from rusting. To be classified as stainless steel, metal must contain at least 10 percent chromium, but it often contains more.

Even though you can use the same welding processes when working with carbon steel and stainless steel, the latter is a lot more difficult to work with than carbon steels and it is a lot more expensive, largely because of its chromium content.

Aluminum and copper are both soft, non-ferrous metals. An aluminum-copper alloy is non-ferritic (containing no iron), yet sufficiently hard to form a safe surface or base for the professional processing and welding of stainless steel.

Benefits of Using an Aluminum-Copper Welding Table for Stainless Steel

For quality stainless steel processing it is essential that all ferritic materials are avoided. If a ferritic material like carbon steel is used, any scratches on the surface of the welding table, or adhesion to the stainless steel work piece, can cause corrosion and pitting.

A suitable aluminum-copper alloy will have high tensile strength, with a low surface hardness that won’t cause any ferritic scratches or pitting. Additionally, the surface has high thermal conductivity that prevents spatter from attaching to the welding table surface, and potentially risking damage to the work piece.

A good quality aluminum-copper alloy welding table will incorporate the best possible design features, including a clamping system and rails that are also non-ferritic.

Design Features to Look for When Buying Aluminum-Copper Alloy Welding Tables

All Forster welding tables feature T-slot tops that allow for 3D positioning and clamping of work pieces. This means that the table surface is only partially covered and parts of the work piece can be positioned so that they stick out of the otherwise vertical surface, enabling welders to access critical areas and every possible angle on the work piece. Not only does this make the working process easier and quicker, but fewer clamping elements are needed, and T-slot positions are further protected from welding spatter.

The best designs incorporate modular rails that are interchangeable and enable welders to work with absolute accuracy and produce the best quality work possible. Clamping plungers are made of bronze (which is also a copper alloy) and additional clamping elements and accessories, including copper rails, are available to extend and reinforce structures.

Contact us online or via email for more information about Forster welding tables for quality stainless steel welding.

Forster America’s Award-Winning Products for Welding

Posted on by ismuser

Forster 3D Welding Systems has a long, successfully history that includes a number of prestigious awards for their innovative, world-class products.

Forster America caters for a wide range of industries, from aviation, and automotive and transportation industries, to construction-orientated industries that manufacture frames, doors, and windows, as well as railings, fences, and gates.

The company specializes in 3D equipment, particularly modular welding tables and an ingenious 3D clamping system, as well as a state-of-the-art lift, turn, and tilt welding tables and a range of technologically advanced frame welding fixtures, jigs, and welding tools.

Awards Achieved by Forster 3D Welding Systems

Top achievements of the company in terms of awards include:

  • VR Förderpreis Handwerk, a promotional award made annually by the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken Cooperative Financial Group
  • The Bavarian State Prize in 1997 (gold medal)
  • The Bavarian State Prize in 2002 (gold medal)
  • The Bavarian Federal Prize in 2011

The prestigious Bavarian State Prizes are awarded by the Bavarian State Government’s Ministry of Economic Affairs in Germany for highly creative and technologically advanced performance in “craft trades.”

Historically, craft trades were professions that required specific knowledge and skills to undertake and achieve. Recipients nowadays are leading companies that have achieved innovative cutting-edge solutions.

The awards are presented at the annual International Industry and Craft Fair in Munich (IHM) in recognition of outstandingly innovative achievements in various categories including trade, industry, commerce, and services. Generally, recognition is an acknowledgment that the companies that receive the awards are very likely to have long-term economic success.

This is certainly true for Forster America.

The Federal Prize

The most recent award received by Forster 3D Welding Systems was the Federal Prize awarded in 2011 for the company’s railing welding gauge designed for double-sided welding with a bar division.

The award, which includes a cash prize of 5,000 euros was first presented in 1989.

The Bavarian State Prize

Forster 3D Welding Systems was first awarded the Bavarian State Prize Gold Medal in 1997 for the “Forster Welding Table as a construction kit and clamping system for T-slot system.”

Forster’s innovative 3D modular welding tables feature a hugely versatile T-slot tabletop that allows welders to work with the equally innovative 3D clamping system.

The T-slots on the table surface can be adjusted so that components can be used to prepare for under undertake precision welding. The clamping system incorporates a wide range of elements including angles and supports, clamping arms and columns, as well as stops.

Forster won the Bavarian State Prize Gold Medal a second time in 2002. This time it was awarded for the innovative ErgoFix Manipulator, which is an ergonomic rotating, lifting, and tilting welding fixture.

Essentially a very sophisticated welding table, the ErgoFix can be rotated 360 degrees, tilted to 45 degrees, and it is infinitely adjustable in terms of height. Apart from the fact that it enables welders to access every part of the workpiece being welded, it ensures that users maintain an ergonomic posture while they work. Not only is this the best option for good health, but it also encourages optimal welding results.

The VR Prize

This prize is awarded by Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken Cooperative Financial Group to companies that “do an excellent job as an employer to strengthen their region.” The award is in the form of a loan that is intended to promote the business.

It was also awarded for the “Forster Welding Table as a construction kit and clamping system for T-slot system.”

Forster America’s Award-Winning Products Are Available for Your Welding Business

If you want to improve the equipment in your welding workshop, Forster America’s 3D modular welding tables, 3D clamping system, and ErgoFix Manipulator are a good place to start.

Call us today if you want more information.

Advantages of Forster’s T-Slot System

Posted on by ismuser

If you’re searching for the very best welding tables available in the US, you’ll need to consider the materials used to build them, the finish of the table, as well as design elements.

Generic advantages that indicate superior quality include:

  • Good surface hardness
  • Anti-corrosiveness
  • Spatter resistance
  • Overall durability
  • Substantial load capability

In addition to these essential qualities, versatility and an ability to accommodate fixtures and accessories are vital. The ideal will provide a precise method of creating an assembly together with the best stops and clamping fixtures.

Forster America’s Welding Tables

Forster America manufactures highly flexible 3D welding tables that can accommodate the company’s ingenious 3D clamping system elements and other accessories.

Forster’s welding tables are tough, anti-corrosive, and exceptionally durable with good surface hardness. Made from gray cast iron or an aluminum-copper alloy, they can support loads of up to 1.5 tons and 1 ton respectively.

Gray cast iron is an excellent material for welding surfaces because it is highly resistant to spatter, minimizing cleanup time. As the cast iron ages, it becomes even more resistant. The high thermal conductivity of the aluminum-copper alloy also ensures a surface that resists spatter. Additionally, while surface hardness is low, the tensile strength of the metal is high and it doesn’t result in ferritic scratches in stainless steel welding – which is where the alloy tables are so useful.

Forster America’s T-Slot System

Forster America’s 3D welding tables feature a T-slot system that allows welders to open up portions of the surface to accommodate parts of a 3D work piece, clamps, and other pieces of equipment. The rails themselves are positioned 100 mm apart. They are also modular and interchangeable, which enables welders to work with critical accuracy.

Traditional welding tables are flat and solid, and they don’t open up in any way. Some feature surfaces with regular chamfered holes that form a grid pattern, sometimes with regular slots between the plates. While these are invaluable for fixing clamps and other equipment accessories, they have limited adjustability. Forster’s T-slot system, on the other hand, is highly versatile and adaptable. It also minimizes downtime, because the system negates the need for constant measuring, re-measuring, correcting, aligning and re-aligning, even the need to mechanically rework components because of mistakes. It simply makes the welding process a lot easier.

The T-slot system is undoubtedly the best solution when welding containers and casings because the metal being welded can be freely positioned right through the table. What this means is that it is possible to access each and every inch of the work piece without using as many clamping elements as would be required with other grid-type welding table systems.

Forster America welding equipment also includes a range of cutting-edge lift tables, vertical turntables, and horizontal rotary tables, all of which can be used with the T-slot system to create custom solutions for even the most challenging welding jobs.

If you want to know more about Forster America’s superior T-slot system, including pricing, contact us now.

 

Top Features of Forster Frame Welding Tables

Posted on by ismuser

Forster America manufactures the very best frame welding tables that minimize downtime by providing a versatile system that can be adjusted quickly and accurately.

The company’s frame welding tables are manufactured in a range of sizes that are maximized for different uses. For instance:

  • The lightest table available for frame welding has a maximum frame size of 2.5 m x 3 m and will take a maximum load of 100 kg.
  • The largest, heaviest table has a maximum frame size of 3 m x 4 m and will take double the load of the lightest table.
  • A 3 m x 4 m frame size that is ideal for overleaf welding of large pieces. While it also accepts a maximum load of 200 kg it provides a pivot that will enable the frame to turn up to 225 degrees. It also incorporates two movable racks that are parallel to one another.

While the larger tables feature electric motorized drives, the lighter one doesn’t. Similarly, while the larger tables have highly defined clamping corners that are acutely adjustable, the smaller table relies on a roll-guided profile-guidance system. Only the two bigger frame welding tables are suitable for robotic use.

The leading features of Forster frame welding tables enable welders to adjust the length and width of the frames to be welded. Because of the ergonomic design, they can be moved in various ways, it is possible to weld the workpiece on all sides without the welder having to bend or stretch into uncomfortable positions.

How Forster Frame Welding Tables Work

In a nutshell, Forster frame welding tables can be quickly adjusted and moved to the exact position required for any welding job. The corners can be clamped in different ways, and other elements can be shifted in relation to a fixed axis. Rails are positioned at right-angles to one another and they can be moved using a double-gear motorized drive that can be adjusted accurately using digital counters.

Movable carriages that carry (or move) other parts into the required position are permanently set on the rails and connected via a belt drive. This ensures total accuracy as the rails are guaranteed to stay in a perpendicular position while they move, and remain in this position throughout the welding process.

The tables that utilize an electric motor drive can be adjusted with program control. However, the frame welding gauge enables the tables to pivot utilizing pneumatic load balancing so that the table can be flipped without an electric motor drive.

The unique suspension of Forster frame welding tables allows frames with a width of up to 2.5 m to be turned. Any imbalance that might result is compensated for by a functional pneumatic cylinder and pedestal.

The support base of these versatile tables offers perfect support for frame welding, and the clamps at the corners can be adapted for a wide variety of designs. Also, the corner clamps can be moved so that they remain parallel and are guided in both axes by rollers. Measurements are stamped on the frame of the table so that the clamps and rails can be positioned exactly where required.

If you would like to know more about the top features offered by Forster frame welding tables, or you’d like to order one or more for your welding business, contact us now.

The Value of Sophisticated Welding Jigs

Posted on by ismuser

One of the traditional welder’s most closely guarded secrets is his jig. Often custom made, it is key to both bending metal and cutting and connecting all the pieces required for any kind of project, big or small. But technology has taken over, and the contemporary welder has the advantage of being able to use the most sophisticated welding jigs, clamps, stops, angles and support elements available today.

Leading manufacturer and supplier of sophisticated welding jigs, Forster America has a wide range of unique fixtures, tools, and accessories that are designed for use with their cutting-edge welding equipment including modular welding tables, frame welding fixtures, rail and fence railing fixtures, and lift, turn and tilt welding tables. These make the old-fashioned welding jigs, made for purpose by welders, redundant.

The value of these sophisticated welding jigs, tools, fixtures, and accessories is that they enable welders to accommodate workpieces of different shapes and sizes, and they can be used to create unique solutions for all their welding needs. They also enable welders to work faster, more easily, and with ultimate accuracy.

Equipment Sets

Welding jigs are essentially tools or devices that are used to hold components in place for cutting and welding. Forster’s range of equipment sets do this and more.

For example, sophisticated equipment sets for stainless steel rack and case manufacturing contain absolutely everything a welder in this industry niche needs including:

  • Clamping arms, clamping columns and clamping towers
  • Adjustable flat clamps and flat stops
  • Aluminum try-squares of various sizes
  • Right-angled brackets and support arms
  • Double slot profiles each with two screws and two T-nuts for assembling on a try-square
  • A continuously adjustable angle and universal angles

There are also very similar equipment sets for rack and case manufacturing with other metal materials that contain the same kinds and numbers of tools and accessories.

Equipment sets for manufacturing stainless steel frames are also similar. They come with a number of bronze-pad clamping arms, flat chromed steel clamps, and precision steel clamping columns, aluminum-finish universal angles, and flat stops, try-squares, edge angles, and quick release clamps, all made of aluminum.

Equipment sets for manufacturing frames made of other types of metal contain everything required for this type of welding including flat clamps, clamping arms and columns, flat clamps and stops, try-squares, edges and universal angles, and quick release clamps with flat stops.

Equipment sets for both stainless steel universal manufacturing and for universal manufacturing using other metals.  Both containing multiple clamps, stops, supports, try-squares, and other items.

Equipment sets for stainless steel tube manufacturing that contain all the tools and fixtures needed for successful stainless steel tube manufacturing. Like the other jigs and equipment sets, these work exceptionally well with Forster’s 3D welding systems and are uniquely versatile.

Equipment sets for tube manufacturing using metals other than stainless steel, also with the full range of tools and other equipment.

A wide variety of clamping elements, as well as angles, support elements, and clamping columns and clamping arms, are available separately, enabling welders to access every part of their welding tables without any effort.

Whether you need a sophisticated 3D welding system or just equipment sets that will enable you to set up your own unique jig, Forster America is certain to have exactly what you need. Give us a call today.

Improve Your Company’s Productivity With Solutions from Forster America

Posted on by ismuser

Any company that is serious about welding will want to maximize efficiency to improve their company’s productivity. The question is, what sort of welding solutions are available that can help companies up their game by increasing precision, and reducing downtime?

Forster America has a selection of innovative products that are designed to make welding jobs faster and more efficient. Some of the solutions they offer are:

  • 3D Modular welding tables that adjust for every position using only a few additional components.
  • Ergofix welding manipulators that adjust to different heights, rotate a full 360 degrees, and tilt to accommodate the most demanding jobs.
  • Frame welding fixtures that enable welders to work on even the largest workpieces from every side.
  • Awesome equipment sets including clamps and brackets you probably thought didn’t exist.

Modular Welding Tables

Imagine a welding table with a surface that moves exactly the way you need it to so that you can adjust the position of your workpiece. Imagine a welding table that uses a specialized lift, horizontal rotary, or vertical turntable that will cope with any possibility you might face when doing a customized project.

Forster America’s superbly different 3D modular welding tables are available in non-ferric gray cast iron or aluminum/copper alloy, which is ideal for stainless steel processing. Sizes range from 118 inches x 59 inches to 39 inches x 47 inches for both types.

Ergofix Welding Manipulators

Ergonomics, as a science, strive to ensure we use less physical effort to do things. By minimizing strain, ergonomics help to keep our bodies healthy and more relaxed. Welding equipment that is designed to help people work more ergonomically is not only better for their physical health, but it will also improve productivity.

Forster America’s Ergofix welding manipulator features a table that is infinitely adjustable in height, and it can be tilted to a 45-degree angle to make access to the workpiece much easier. It can also be rotated a full 360 degrees. For the welder, it provides the opportunity to maintain a perfect ergonomic posture regularly, with no more bending or neck straining. These machines work with hydraulics, which also makes them ultra-easy to operate.

Frame Welding Fixtures

Forster America offers frame welding and railing welding fixtures that enable workers to make quick, easy adjustments on all four sides of rectangular frames. The most significant advantage is that all angles are exposed, making them easily accessible.

Frame welding fixtures may be swiveled substantially, from 225 to 360 degrees, depending on the size of the workpiece. There are several different frame fixture sizes with maximum working loads and pivot ranges. Most are pneumatic with brakes that lock manually, though the largest model has an electric motor.

The company also offers highly innovative railing welding fixtures that are designed specifically for jobs including railings and banisters, handrails, stakes, and so on. These fixtures are available in carbon steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, which makes them more versatile than any other welding solution for these particular product designs. It is possible to streamline production by up to 50 percent with these fantastic fixtures.

Equipment Sets

A modular welding table from Forster America will undoubtedly help you to up your game. But it gets better than that. The company’s equipment sets provide a versatile way to customize your welding table with clamping systems and various brackets and supporting arms, depending on your needs. Sets are available for steel, for universal welding, for frame welding, pipework, and for rack and case. Take your pick.

So, if you are serious about welding, and serious about improving your company’s productivity, you know which specialist company to call for a top quality solution. Forster America will have a solution to meet your needs.

When to Choose Aluminum Alloy or Gray Cast Iron Welding Tables Instead of Carbon Steel

Posted on by ismuser

Welding jobs involve the use of various types of metal and a number of different processes. While traditional welding tables were made of carbon steel, specialty welding tables are made of other metals including gray cast iron and various alloys that enable welders to achieve a professional finish.

The question though is, Which type of welding table should you use for specific projects?

Benefits of Gray Cast Iron Welding Tables

There are various types of cast iron all of which are alloys of iron, carbon (usually between 1.7 and 4.5 percent), and silicon.

Gray (or grey) iron is the most common form of cast iron. Also known as flake graphite because it contains many graphite flakes as well as perlite, it does not have good mechanical properties, and it is not an easy metal to weld using the metal arc-welding process unless the metal is preheated and the welding heat is controlled very carefully. It also has very low ductability and a low expansion point when the metal is exposed to any kind of heat.

The irony of this is that gray cast iron makes a really great surface for welding because the surface remains flat and welding spatter doesn’t stick to it. Since most welding processes result in some degree of spatter, it is an advantage to work on a welding table that is resistant to spatter.

As it ages, gray cast iron becomes increasingly resistant to the hot, molten bits of metal that spatter onto the work table surface during the welding process.

Benefits of Aluminum-Copper Alloy Welding Tables

When welding with stainless steel the best results will be produced by working on non-ferritic surfaces that do not contain iron. Ferrous metal surfaces can result in scratches to the stainless steel work piece and sometimes even more severe pitting.

By separating a stainless steel work piece from any type of ferritic material you are already well on the way towards a more professional finish. An aluminum-copper (AL/Cu) alloy surface has a high tensile strength, but this is combined with low surface hardness and high thermal conductivity which is also ideal in terms of spatter-resistance.

What Else Makes a Great Welding Table?

While the metal used for a welding table is hugely important, so too is the design of the table itself.

Foster America specializes in modular 3D welding tables that can be adjusted to accommodate a variety of components that can be used to create custom solutions for welding. The most exciting concept is so simple you’ll be pinching yourself, wondering why other systems don’t offer the same options. Forster America tables have rails that are spaced 100 mm apart and can be moved to accommodate jigs and other fixtures. This helps immensely during all those initial processes like measuring dimensions and angles, and is invaluable when you have to correct, re-align, and mechanically rework sections.

If you want something really great that offers a completely custom solution for your welding operation, call Forster America to see how we can help.

 

Save on Clean Up Time With Spatter Resistant Welding Tables

Posted on by ismuser

When people weld, lots of tiny molten particles of metal are blown away from the welding arc, often settling on the surface of the parent metal and the worktop of the welding table. It stands to reason, therefore, that having a welding table with a top that is resistant to spatter will save time on clean up.

Welding and Spatter

While some spatter is inevitable during most forms of metal arc welding if there is a lot of spatter this is usually due to poor welding conditions or the use of incorrect techniques. It is essential to keep spatter to a minimum because it reduces the efficiency of the electrodes used as a filler material while welding. It can also burn the person welding and his or her clothing. Additionally, weld spatter can cause imperfections on a work piece (or parent metal) and it will inevitably affect the appearance of the finished weld. It can also make a mess on any worktop. While spatter can be removed with relative ease, it can be a time-consuming exercise that adversely affects production time and increases the costs of welding.

Electrodes vary in type and form depending on the type of welding process used and metal being welded. Some types of welding processes (for instance those used for ordinary shielded metal arc welding [SMAW], which is also known as manual metal arc [MMA] welding) form a slag cover that protects the hot, molten weld metal from the air during the welding process. SMAW welding is also known as stick welding because the electrode is basically a solid round wire stick that is coated with flux and other components. The metal inert gas [MIG] welding process uses a continuous bare electrode on a roll that fits into the welding machine (welder). The electrode combines with a shielding gas that protects the weld from the air and does not produce slag.

Gas metal arc welding [GMAW] doesn’t generally produce spatter. When it does it is usually caused by incorrect welding parameters, using the wrong shielding gas, and bad technique.

Spatter Resistant Welding Tables

Forster America specializes in top quality welding tables that incorporate tops that are resistant to spatter. This negates the need for extensive cleaning after welding, saving time and money.

There are two primary products to choose from. The:

  1. Special grey cast iron welding table
  2. Welding table with an aluminum-copper (Al/Cu) alloy or carbon steel surface

Grey cast iron welding tables are highly resistant to spatter, especially once the surface has aged a while. As the metal ages, the carbon (graphite) moves to the surface, which becomes increasingly darker in color. Until this process is complete, a penetrating anti-stick coating may be applied to the tabletop to prevent any spatter from sticking.

Another advantage of grey cast iron includes the fact that it doesn’t expand much when exposed to heat.

The welding tables with Al/Cu alloy and carbon steel tops follow the same design that features T-slots. This accommodates a clamping system that avoids contact with ferritic material, avoiding unnecessary scratches, which is particularly beneficial when working with high quality stainless steel.

The T-slot system is particularly useful when welding casings and containers because it allows the work piece to be positioned freely through the slots from every angle. Positioning through the T-slots also protects the table and work piece from spatter.

To discuss our spatter resistant welding tables and ascertain just how much you will save on clean up time, call Forster America now.

Why Other Welding Tables Pale in Comparison to Forster America’s

Posted on by ismuser

The world’s best welding tables enable what was previously considered the impossible. Ultimately, with the right table it is possible to weld anything perfectly with absolute precision, however complex the design may be.

But what makes one particular welding table better than anything else that is currently available on the market?

Features That Determine the World’s Best Welding Tables

Different welding jobs have different demands. Some are quite routine and relatively simple while others are highly complex and complicated. Historically this has meant that companies offering welding services have had to ensure that there are multiple welding tables or a number of different welding stations that can cope with work pieces of different sizes as well as different metals.

Forster America has a range of the world’s most innovative welding tables that can cope with an impressive range of customer-specific solutions. These include welding tables that:

  • Are designed to streamline every possible operation
  • Swivel and tilt to 45 degrees
  • Are infinitely adjustable in height
  • That are designed to ensure that anyone using them is able to retain a good posture while working

What Forster America Tables Can Do That Others Can’t

4500 Frame Welding Fixture
4500 Frame Welding Fixture

Other companies offer fixtures for precision welding and machining, as well as assembly. Some of these are modular. Some have come up with mobile stations that can be moved around and used with turnkey fixturing kits.

A few, like Forster America have identified the need for affordable modular welding tables that will enable those using them to increase productivity and also improve their quality of work.

Various plate and/or hole and slot systems have been identified as a great solution for quality and flexibility. So too has the need for good accessories including clamps, pliers, magnets, and machine parts like threaded fasteners and levers.

Foster America’s products take all of these solutions a step further.

Even the most basic modular 3D welding table can be adjusted so that various innovative components can be used for custom solutions. For instance, Forster’s 3D grey cast and aluminum copper alloy welding tables can be used with a range of lift and horizontal rotary tables, as well as vertical turntables. They range in size from 39 in x 47 in to 118 in x 59 in and may be adjusted in height from 33 in to 37 in.

If that’s not a good enough solution, Forster America offers swiveling or lifting and tilting welding tables that can achieve what no other welding tables can achieve.

The company’s swiveling welding tables are ideal for use with jigs and can be used for 360 degree welding projects. So whether you need to work on the top or bottom of the work piece (from the top or underneath), this table will get you there. Those that lift and tilt can be adjusted to any degree or height. These particular tables and devices work using hydraulics and so are ideal for ergonomic welding.

Additionally, Forster America has a wide range of jigs and fixtures, manipulators and positioners, and 3D clamping sets all of which can be used with their superior welding tables. You won’t find them anywhere else.

Want to know more about why Forster America’s welding tables are better than any others you can buy? Contact us now and we’ll help you decide which one you need to improve the profitability of your business.