Why Use a Welding Table That Swivels and Tilts

Posted on July 31, 2017 by ismuser

Whether you are a professional welder or someone who does welding projects as a hobby, why would you use a welding table that swivels and tilts rather than a traditional table that has a solid, horizontal surface?

If you can’t think of a suitable answer, think of the difference between a hard wooden chair and an ergonomic office chair that can be adjusted up, down, backward, and forwards.

The wooden chair might work if you sit nice and straight and don’t mind your bottom getting sore. The ergonomic office chair though is likely to help you sit correctly and also feel comfortable. The problem is that if the chair causes you to bend, stoop, or take up positions that impact on your spine you’re likely to be in trouble. At best this bad posture will cause discomfort, at worst it could cause skeletal injury. This might sound like over-kill, but it isn’t. The vast majority of people do not realize the impact of poor posture.

If a welding table can swivel and tilt, it stands to reason that it will make it a lot easier for the person welding to get to joints whether they are above or under the work piece. Instead of the welder having to bend awkwardly to get to inaccessible points, all he does is move the table to suit his needs. The added advantage is that it also prevents unnecessary downtime:

Because the welder can work more efficiently and therefore is less likely to have to re-measure, make corrections, and mechanically rework the materials to get the job right.
Bad posture can cause serious health issues that inevitably lead to absenteeism. This can impact on both the timeframe of a job as well as costs as other workers may need to be called in to complete the job for the absent employee.

Welding Tables

Lifting and Tilting Table

Traditional welding tables are flat and made of mild steel. Nowadays welding tables are still made from mild steel, but more specialized designs are made from cast iron, stainless steel, and from various alloys. You don’t have to compromise; you can choose exactly the surface that is best for the work you are welding.

Similarly, welding tables are traditionally just tables with four legs and an upper surface that is both horizontal and level. Jobs are done in parts, and a wide variety of clamps are used to keep the metal in place while the welding operation is in progress.

In recent years, welding tables have taken a totally new design turn with modular tables enabling work to be done much more quickly and efficiently. The most exciting element of these tables is that they can be adjusted to any position for precision welding that requires 100 percent accuracy of all measurements, angles, and alignment of parts. Additionally, all you need are a few standard components made for use with the tale and you can create a custom solution for any welding job you could imagine. These include lift tables, vertical turntables, and horizontal rotary tables.

Modular 3D Welding Tables

Modular 3D welding tables from Forster America are designed to enable welders to achieve custom solutions for any welding jobs. Instead of solid upper surfaces, their tables feature rails that can be adjusted to accommodate jigs and other fixtures. Made from gray, non-ferric cast iron or an aluminum copper alloy, the rails may be spaced up to 100 mm apart. Furthermore, each rail is able to withstand a maximum load of 1.5 tons if cast iron and 1 ton if made from the alloy. The most common width of Forster’s modular tables is 47 inches and the available length ranges from 39 inches to 118 inches. The largest table measures 118 inches x 59 inches.

Welding Tables That Swivel

The company’s swiveling welding tables are operated by electric motors and have a swivel range of 360 degrees. Like the 3D tables described above, they have slatted surfaces to accommodate jigs and other specialized welding tools. They also incorporate a valuable lifting function.

The prime feature of the Forster swivel welding tables enables the adjustment of axis using the center-of-gravity. A patented feature, because of gravitational force it enables the torque to be set to zero even when the welding is working with heavy parts that weigh up to one ton. The table is then secured in position simply and easily using a locking brake.

Welding Tables That Lift and Tilt

Designed to make the welding operation more efficient and productive, Forster’s lifting and tilting welding tables may be adjusted hydraulically to any height and degree. There are several different types that have been designed for different needs depending on whether it needs to lift and turn, lift and rotate, lift and tilt, or just lift.

Convinced that you should be using a welding table that swivels and tilts? Contact the friendly professionals at Forster America for more information.

Ergofix is Key for Welders to Maintain Good Posture

Posted on June 30, 2017 by ismuser

Bad posture impacts on our bodies and causes all kinds of problems, from muscular and back pain to fatigue. When it is constant, bad posture can cause chronic health problems because it impacts on the spine and can constrict nerves and blood vessels.

Good posture enables us to sit, lie, stand, and walk in positions that don’t strain supporting muscles or ligaments, particularly during activities that involve movement. This is largely because good posture reduces stress on the spinal column and allows our muscles to work efficiently. This, in turn, prevents muscle strain and helps to keep our joints properly aligned.

While welders are not the only people who are prone to bad posture, the fact that they typically bend forward over their work for prolonged periods of time makes them more likely to suffer back pain and injury to postural muscles. Those who are obese are even more at risk.

While there are proven ways to sit and stand properly to help maintain correct posture, people who have to lean over their work risk bending the spinal column. If you sit at a desk you can control your sitting position. When you stand and walk, you can do the same. But moving and bending in an unnatural fashion really can be damaging.

In some industries, particularly those that employ people who sit at desks all day, ergonomic chairs can be part of the solution. For welders, a height-adjustable welding table that can be rotated and tilted is the best solution for maintaining an ergonomic posture while working.

Ergofix – An Ergonomic Solution for Welding

Forster America has a height-adjustable welding table solution for bad posture in the welding environment. Recognizing that good posture is virtually impossible with regular non-adjustable welding tables, the company now manufactures Ergofix, a state-of-the-art welding “manipulator” that is infinitely adjustable in height. Better still, it can be rotated a full 360 degrees and tilted up to 45 degrees.

Ultimately, the Ergofix welding manipulator enables welders to maintain good posture while they work. This is not only the best solution for good health, but it also produces the best welding results because workers don’t get tired and sore.

The concept is brilliant, yet so simple, utilizing hydraulics to adjust the height of the tabletop from 27.2 inches to 39 inches. The rotation facility has continuous locking for ease of operation and accuracy.

Forster America currently offers three models with different dimensions:

Ergofix 800 – 31.5 x 31.5 inches
Ergofix 1000 – 39.4 x 39.4 inches
Ergofix 1200 – 39.4 x 47.2 inches

Like all Forster America welding tables, the Ergofix incorporates neatly spaced rails that can be adjusted for jigs and clamps, including the unique Vacufix clamping system. This enables welders to fix sheet metal parts securely to the table and work piece using a vacuum plate that has a very small vacuum surface. Welding seams aren’t covered by clamping arms, making welding much easier than it would otherwise be. Also, the Vacufix clamping system is ideal for both manual and robotic welding, which increases the versatility of the Ergofix unit. Contact Forster America today for a quote!

How Forster Welding Tables Save Time and Money in Industries That Need More Welders

Posted on May 19, 2016 by ismuser

The welding industry is suffering from a critical shortage of skilled welders at a time when welding job opportunities are increasing annually. For this reason it is vital for employers with welding workshops to ensure their equipment is cutting edge, with the potential to put them ahead of their competitors. And one of the most innovative ways to do this is to use high tech modular welding tables that enable one skilled welder to do jobs that would normally require at least two pairs of hands.

Skilled Welder Shortage in the US Manufacturing Economy

Welding Fume Hazards | Forster America The American Welding Society (AWS) has predicted that by 2024 the welding industry will have a shortage of around 400,000 welding operators. This is not surprising since data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that from 1988 to 2012, the number of welders in the US reduced from 570,000 to 360,000. Coupled with this, the manufacturing industry in general, and oil and gas industry in particular, has grown exponentially since mid-2009, adding more jobs for specialist welders than anyone would have imagined was possible.

Another BLS stat indicates that during the decade from 2010 to 2020 (which of course we are more than halfway through) will show a 15 percent growth in welding-related positions, which is higher than those for most other occupations. This, they say, indicates that by 2020, there will be around 50,000 more welding positions available than there were six years ago.

Coupled with the fact that properly trained career welders are in greater demand in manufacturing than ever before, welders can pick and choose where they work. Proper AWS certified training enables a career welder to cherry-pick jobs in a wide range of manufacturing industries, particularly when they have training and have experience in the latest technologies, together with the opportunity to use cutting edge equipment.

How a Forster America Welding Table Can Save Time and Money

It stands to reason that any company hiring welders will want to ensure the quality of workmanship is tops. However, manufacturing and other businesses hiring welders need to ensure that not only are the welders properly trained to use the latest welding techniques, but the welding equipment is also innovative and cutting edge. By using equipment that can cut down on downtime and enable one welder to do the same job two or more welders would normally be expected to do, in the same (or shorter) period of time, will save any business both time and money.

There are not a lot of elements that comprise the ability to complete the welding process, other than the appropriate welding machine and the bits and pieces required for the specific process chosen.

So what gives our welding table the cutting edge?

In a nutshell, if a welding table is modular, easy-to-clean, easy-to-maintain without having to splurge on replacement parts, and it’s efficient, then it’s going to save you time and money. That’s what Forster America has to offer with all of our specialty and modular welding tables.

An easy-to-clean welding table will have worktable-tops and rails that have been innovatively designed and then soaked in an oil formula that enables you to get rid of spatter instantly. What this means is that spatter simply pops off the surface while the welders are working. Then it can be cleaned very easily without any grinding or elbow grease. That feature saves a lot of time when it comes to cleanup, and time translates to financial savings.

Easy cleaning takes time and money savings to another level too. Because there is no need to grind off spatter, welding workshops will save the integrity of tabletops and they will last a lot longer. Furthermore, if one rail of a well-designed cutting edge modular welding table is damaged, all the welders need to do is replace the rail and not the whole tabletop.

Ultimately, the best modular tables available today don’t only make it easier for welders to work, they improve uptime too, because one welder can do the job two (or more) welders would normally do in the same time. When a well-designed modular table is available, a well-trained qualified welder seldom needs assistance manipulating a work piece in the middle of a project.

How Forster America’s Cutting Edge Welding Tables Work

3D Welding Table

Once upon a time a welding table was simply a table with a flat surface made of metal – commonly mild steel, but ultimately depending on the metal being welded. To weld different components that had to be positioned at different angles, welders had to use jigs and clamps and other quite basic, but often custom-made aids to get the job right.

And then technology saved the day, and 3D modular tables were designed that enabled welders to tackle any job using a proprietary T-slot system. These contemporary welding tables incorporate modular parts with slots that can be opened and adjusted to accommodate different metal parts within the design of the item being welded.

The best modular tables can be tilted, moved and customized with built-in jigs in a fraction of the time any regular, quite old-fashioned welder would need to set up a mid-job position for welding. Better still, one skilled worker can do it alone, which is good news in an industry that has fewer workers than it did a decade ago. The “secret” about so-called cutting edge welding tables is that they can hold a full range of 3D welding components and accessories required to complete an amazing range of welding tasks.

Whether you are a welder or a business that employs welders, cutting edge equipment is available to take your business to the next level. You might need to hire more staff, but you should also look at what upgraded equipment can do for you, particularly a welding table that’s going to minimize your downtime.

Forster’s Hydraulic Turn-Tilt Welding Tables are Precise, Safe and Ergonomic

Posted on December 30, 2015 by ismuser

Professional welders who want to ensure they adhere to optimum welding parameters, and produce top quality work that requires minimal surface finishing, will appreciate the benefits of Forster’s amazing hydraulic turn-tilt welding tables.

Not only do these high tech tools enable fast, accurate downward seam welding, they are also safe and ergonomic, making the job easier, quicker and more comfortable for those welding.

Ultimately, they make old-fashioned, flat-topped welding workbenches seem totally archaic.

The Turn-Tilt Design

Forster Turn Tilt Table for Stainless Steel Forster’s hydraulic turn-tilt welding tables are designed for infinite three-axis adjustment of work pieces. As the name suggests, they can be easily turned and tilted, and their height can be controlled so that a perfect ergonomic position is achieved for welding. This enables welders to work fast and precisely and increases productivity, and therefore profitability as well.

Hydraulics ensures that both the height and tilt adjustments can be securely positioned at exactly the right point. A WS-drive coupled with inverter control ensures that the turning movement is precise and smooth in all loading conditions.

Integrated safety valves are incorporated into the design of these welding tables to prevent unnecessary damage to the hydraulic hoses that serve to turn and tilt them. Catering to the ultimate needs of professional welders, a hand-held pendant allows users to control all table movements manually, and to monitor the way the table operates using a digital speed indicator.

Forster’s turn-tilt welding tables feature optional foot pedals for both starting and stopping rotation, and for speed control. Additionally, there are options that allow for external rotation control as well as wireless remote control. Turn-tilt tables can also be fitted with a neatly slatted top.

Technical Information About Forster’s Turn-Tilt Tables

Rotary tilting tables are available in five sizes that vary in both weight and proportions. The smallest weighs just 520 kg and is 820 mm wide and 1,930 mm long. The diameter of the tabletop is 650 mm and the height varies from 680 mm to 1,370 mm. This size turn-tilt table can withstand a load of 8,000 N and weight of 800 kg.

The largest available Forster turn-tilt table weighs 8,000 kg and can withstand loads of up to 160,000 N and a weight of 16,000 kg. These feature a large tabletop with a diameter of 1,600 mm and are 2,540 mm wide and 4,000 mm long. The height range varies from 1,100 mm to 2,450 mm.

Comparing other technical features, the smallest table has a torque of 800 Nm while the largest offers 16,000 Nm. Spin-up is from 0.07 to 1.6 rpm compared to 0.03 to 0.7 rpm. Breakdown torque of the smallest is 1,700 Nm compared to 80,000 Nm for the largest design.

Other sizes cater for weights of 2,500 kg, 4,000 kg, and 8,000 kg and loads of 25,000 N, 40,000 N and 80,000 N. Proportional sizes of these are 1,200 mm x 2,400 (with a height of 650 mm to 1,640 mm); 1,430 mm x 2,770 mm (730 mm to 1,760 mm high); and 1,880 mm x 3,100 mm (805 mm to 2,130 mm high).

So whatever your needs, there is a hydraulic turn-tilt table from Forster that will suit you.

Forster America’s Welding Work Piece Manipulators Make It Easy to Finish Large or Complicated Projects

Posted on December 20, 2015 by ismuser

Welders working on large or complicated projects can improve quality, safety, and work ergonomics, and become substantially more efficient and productive if they use well-designed work piece manipulators.

Forster welding manipulator systems incorporate tilting tables that turn and lift, as well as 3-axis positioners, and additional robot axis devices that improve a welder’s ability to produce the very best items possible. Essentially these hi-tech tools enable welders to work at a height that is ergonomically proven and also reach all the weld seams in flat positions.

Welding work piece manipulators are invaluable because they may be used for manual welding and in conjunction with welding robots. They may also be customized. The chief value of manipulators and positioners is that they make the work piece more accessible, and in this way enable welders to speed up the welding process.

Turn-Tilt Tables

Turn-tilt tables are relatively small and compact, and ergonomically designed for adjustment of infinite three-axis work pieces. The beauty of them is that they can be turned and tilted, and the height adjusted, to ensure secure, accurate positioning for optimum working and welding positions. They are ideal for achieving optimum welding parameters and ensuring better quality with less surface finishing required. They are also precise, and particularly useful for fast downward seam welding.

All movements of turn-tilt tables are controlled, very easily, by hand and enable operators to monitor the way the table operates with a digital speed indicator. There is also an optional foot pedal for start-up, speed control, and for stopping. A wireless remote control is also available.

The tables are also safe, and they feature integrated safety valves that prevent hydraulic hoses being damaged.

Available in five different sizes, and from weights of 520 kg to 8,000 kg, Forster turn-tilt tables are suitable for loads from 8,000 N to 160,000 N (Newton’s unit of force.) They can carry work piece weights of between 800 kg and 16,000 kg,

Axis Positioners

Forster 3-Axis Positioner Forster’s three-axis positioners have a lifting function and two rotary axes. Like Forster’s turn-tilt tables, they are designed so they can be positioned for an ergonomic working height when welding. They are suitable for both manual and robotic welding and ideal for reaching welding seams easily and accurately when working in a flat position.

Axis positioners can be used to lift the work piece up 1,100 mm. They can rotate 185 degrees on the horizontal axis and a full 360 degrees on the vertical axis. A position-limiting switch provides collision protection.

Forster America designs and manufactures positioners to meet very specific client needs, including handling large objects.

Additional Robot Axis Manipulators

Forster Additional Robot Axes The additional robot axes are even better for welding seams using either manual or robotic methods of welding. They have a similar lifting functionality as the axis positioners (1,100 mm) as well as a two-axis rotation that will enable workers to reach all the weld seams. Both horizontal and vertical axis rotation is the same (185 and 360 degrees) and the same collision protection is available.

Additional robot axes are commonly used for the production automation of high-volume components. A substantial amount of time is saved because they can be used as a moving work piece.

Without a doubt, Forster America can help any competitive welding business manipulate its work in the best possible way!

The Top Tips for Welding Copper

Posted on October 15, 2015 by ismuser

Copper is a soft, non-ferrous metal that can be easily bent, cut, shaped and joined using several welding processes. While it is often used to make decorative household and architectural items, it is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, and so is widely used in the electrical industry, while copper pipe, valves and other fittings are commonly used for plumbing.

Since it is ductile and highly malleable, copper is also used as the major element in hundreds of different alloys, including brass, bronze, and nickel copper. The most common alloying elements used for copper alloys are aluminum, nickel, zinc, tin, and silicon.

Because pure copper is too ductile to be successfully machined, small quantities of other elements are added to the various alloys to improve machinability, as well as to deoxidize the metal, make it more resistant to corrosion, improve its mechanical properties, and improve its response to heat treatments. In all there are more than 300 copper alloys available commercially.

Joining Copper to Copper or to Copper Alloys

welding-copper Copper and most copper alloys can be successfully joined using welding, brazing or soldering processes. The exact process chosen depends largely on whether you are welding pure copper or an alloy. If you are welding an alloy, the alloy elements will determine which process is used, as well as all the other factors one takes into account when welding, including filler material used.
Of course, the different welding and related processes require different tools and techniques, and it’s important to learn the skills required for which process you need to use.

Soldering, which is one of the earliest methods used to join metal, involves heating filler metal (in the form of a filler wire) so that it melts and fills joints. Soft soldering is the simplest process, and the one commonly used in and around the home to repair small metal items. It is also the method used by plumbers to join and repair copper pipe and copper fittings.
You can use an inexpensive soldering iron or a blowtorch with a suitable flux for soft soldering. Hard soldering involves heating the filler materials to a much higher temperature, so the joint will be a lot stronger than other soldered joints. The filler material is different and usually contains silver, so the technique is often referred to as silver brazing. However, true brazing is executed at an even higher temperature.

Brazing is essentially a technique similar to soldering, and it utilizes the same sort of filler material (wire or a brazing rod) used for soldering. Joints need to be very closefitting so that capillary action can draw the filler metal between the pieces of copper being joined. Even though temperatures used must be considerably higher than those required for soldering, the base metal mustn’t be heated to melting point.
Used extensively for plumbing work, brazing may also be used to join different types of metal as well as metal work pieces that are different thicknesses.

Welding, or more accurately arc welding, incorporates a number of different more specific techniques. Generally, the welding processes that utilize shielding gases are preferred, though shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) which is also commonly referred to as manual metal arc (MMA) welding can be used for applications that are not critical. It is a useful method for a variety of copper alloy thicknesses, especially since covered electrodes for welding copper alloys using SMAW are available in a wide range of standard sizes.

The shielding gases normally used for welding copper and copper alloys are argon and helium, or mixtures of the two – for either gas metal arc welding (GMAW), gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), or plasma arc welding (PAW) which is particularly popular for welding copper alloys.
Generally argon is preferred if the copper or copper alloy is welded manually and either has a relatively low thermal conductivity, or is less than 3.3 mm (0.13 in) thick. Helium or a helium (75 percent) argon mix is preferred for machine welding thin sections, or manual welding of thicker sections. This mixture is also recommended for thicker metal or copper that has a high thermal conductivity.

Other top tips for arc welding copper include:
• Whenever possible use the flat position for arc welding copper.
• GTAW and SMAW can be used for welding in other positions, including overhead.
• If welding in vertical and overhead positions using pulsed power and small-diameter electrodes, GMAW may be used with some copper alloys.
• Thermal expansion of copper and its alloys, as well as its higher thermal conductivity, do result in greater weld distortions than when welding mild steel.
• To minimize distortion and warping, welders need to focus on correct preheat processes and tack welds, as well as following proper welding sequences.

Properties of Copper and its Alloys to be Aware of When Welding

Whichever welding process is used to join copper and its alloys, it is important to give attention to the properties that make the welding of copper different to the welding of carbon steels. For example, copper and copper alloys, when molten, are very fluid, and they have:
• High thermal conductivity
• High electrical conductivity
• A high thermal expansion coefficient that is about 50 percent higher than carbon steel
• A relatively low melting point
• Hot short that results in some alloys becoming brittle at high temperatures
• Strength that is largely due to cold working

The melting point of copper and its alloys is hugely variable, but it is at least 1,000 °F or 538 °C lower than the melting point of carbon steel. Also, copper doesn’t exhibit the same sort of heat colors seen when steel is welded, and when it melts its fluidity is much greater.

The Copper Development Association (CDA) Inc. that has established an alloy designation system widely used throughout North America, has a huge amount of information about welding copper and copper alloys for anyone wishing to learn more.

Aluminum Copper Welding Tables are Best for Stainless Steel Welding

Posted on April 9, 2015 by ismuser

At Forster Welding, we offer a variety of table tops to cater to the diverse needs of our clients. The most popular tops we sell are generally the Carbon Steel and Aluminum Alloy models but there are times when only an Aluminum Copper Alloy top will do.

Aluminum Copper Welding tables are usually a necessity when you plan on welding Stainless Steel, because of their many benefits:

If you need a safe basis for professional grade stainless steel processing then an Aluminum Copper Alloy top is a must. This process requires a strict separation of ferritic material because even a small scratch or cut on the surface of the welding table can cause pitting and corrosion. An Aluminum Copper Alloy top will provide you with the necessary separation.

The clamping system does not contain ferritic material so as to avoid the problem listed above.

Aluminum Copper Alloy tops help to avoid needless damage to the projects being built on them. They utilize a T-Slot system made of a special Aluminum/Copper alloy that has been proven to be beneficial because it cannot cause any ferritic scratches. This 3D clamping provides the security and positioning you need for detailed work due to its high tensile strength and low surface hardness.

Open table design allows larger pieces to stick through and allow easier access to critical welding areas.

Low splatter adhesion. Since these tables retain a high level of thermal conductivity, spatters have a hard time adhering to your work surface.

High quality results. Our Aluminum Copper Alloy tables produce parts of the highest quality because the modular interchangeable rail system enables permanent accuracy on the table surface.

Contact Forster America today for pricing and detailed information on our selection of high quality welding tables and accessories.

Forster America is bringing 3D Welding Tables to the States

Posted on December 20, 2013 by ismuser

Forster America will now be supplying the United States with Forster’s (Germany) 3D welding tables, and accessories. These welding tables are truly innovative and truly unique. Forster (Germany) has over 25 years of experience in welding tables and the welding industry. They are more than aware of what welders and businesses need, and they deliver.

Forster America provides all of the Forster Welding System’s products, such as:

Welding Tables
3D Welding Tables
Welding Tables for Jigs
Custom Accessories
Table Tops for all Types of Metal

The Forster design is truly unique because of the t-slot system. The table top is composed of beams that can be rearranged, moved and adjusted at any time during the welding process to accommodate the needs of the welder. This reduces strain on the work piece, it’s more ergonomic for the welder and because it can be changed throughout the welding process there’s a huge decrease in downtime.

To find out more about Forster America’s 3D welding tables don’t hesitate to give us a call today!