Forster America’s Award-Winning Products for Welding

Posted on December 28, 2018December 19, 2018 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.

Top Features of Forster Frame Welding Tables

Posted on November 15, 2018December 19, 2018 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.

Improve Your Company’s Productivity With Solutions from Forster America

Posted on September 27, 2018October 1, 2018 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.

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

Posted on August 31, 2017 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

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.

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!

Ergofix Welding Table Hydraulics Ensure Welders Maintain Good Posture

Posted on March 15, 2017 by ismuser

Whatever sort of work you do, it’s important to maintain good posture. This means you need to be sure that you aren’t straining your back or any of your muscles while you work. The implications of bad posture are enormous as stress and strain on the spine can result in a myriad of complications. These range from headaches, neck pain, and sore knee, hip, and shoulder joints, to cramps, indigestion, and of course, backache.

Welders generally stand when they work, and they often find they have to bend and virtually contort themselves to reach inaccessible areas that need to be clamped and welded.

Ergonomic Equipment Helps Posture

Ergonomic equipment is frequently used in home and office environments, to help people sit correctly and avoid muscular or skeletal injuries. And now welders have access to ergonomic equipment too.

Forster America specializes in lifting and tilting welding tables that have hydraulic lift and turning functions that make it easy to adjust the height of their tables.

The Ergofix welding manipulator is a particularly useful piece of equipment, enabling workers to maintain an ergonomic posture throughout the welding process.

Available in several sizes, from 31.5 inches to 47.2 inches in length, the Ergofix manipulator is infinitely adjustable. Using cutting edge hydraulics, the height of the table can be adjusted from 27.2 inches to 39 inches. This means there is no need to bend and strain. Additionally, the table can be rotated by 360 degrees, and locked with a brake so that it stays in position. It can also be tilted to an angle of 45 degrees (or less). So even the most complicated work piece, with multiple sides, is easy to access from any angle.

Both the lift and turn functions are operated using hydraulics. This means that there is no need for physical strength, and the user doesn’t have to strain in any way.

The Ergofix hydraulic system is easy to control and it is incredibly accurate. It is easy to start, speed up and slow down, and stop manually. It provides constant force and torque and is safe and economical, and easy to maintain.

Apart from its superior hydraulics, Forster’s Ergofix manipulator has been designed for use with a highly superior vacuum clamping system, Vakufix.

Ergofix Works With Vakufix

Vacufix Clamping System

Made for both manual and robotic welding of sheet metal plates, Vakufix enables welders to clamp parts of the work piece directly in the line of heat. Better still, because the Ergofix can be tilted and rotated, the clamps can be used at a three-dimensional level.

One of the most important advantages of this system is that welding seams aren’t covered with clamps or clamping arms. This makes the welding procedure easier, and of course, ensures that workers are able to maintain good posture throughout the process.

The way it works is that the parts are secured onto a vacuum plate that has a very small surface. So if work has to be corrected, or pieces repositioned, the process is simplified and is a lot quicker than it would be if using regular clamps.

Ultimately, because the Ergofix hydraulic system helps welders maintain good posture, their health is protected and downtime is minimized. It’s a win-win situation for employers and employees.

Contact Forster America to find out more about the Ergofix manipulator and other lifting and turning tables that will increase efficiency and productivity in your welding workshop or factory.

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!

Save Time on Your Welding Project with Forster America’s Welding Manipulators

Posted on April 15, 2015 by ismuser

Everyone knows the old saying that “Time is money” but in business, it is the literal truth. Some projects are so large and ungainly that it makes welding much harder than it needs to be. The size forces the welder to go through several steps in order to change the work piece facing or position and the weight can sometimes make it dangerous to do adjustments without help. Every second the welder spends trying to work around the poor placement of the work piece is time that could be spent on other projects. Over the course of a few days, that lose can really start to build up.

Luckily, Forster America has solved this problem with their new line of welding manipulators. These manipulators are time saving wonders with a wide array of features but most importantly they offer:

Tables that can both turn and tilt
Positioners with lifting capabilities and two axis rotation

3-axis-positioners The rotation of the positioners allow a welder to weld seems in flat positions while being at an ergonomic working height. The versatile tables are customized to meet their client’s requirements and can be used for manual welding or welding robots as needed. Since the manipulators allow them to move the project where they need it rather than forcing the welder to keep changing position, it speeds up the process a great deal.

Forster America designs and manufactures positioners for specific client needs such as handling large objects and other specific work-piece requirements. Since minimal effort is needed to change the height or position of a work piece it results in:

A high level of worker safety
An increase in the quality of the work
Better work ergonomics
Much higher productivity given the optimal working position
An extremely high level of accuracy and efficiency