Miller Electric

For Ultra Machine and Fabrication (Shelby, N.C.), investing in advanced Pulsed MIG technology was a critical step in positioning the company to win a major contract to provide over 74,000 components for M-ATVs to an Israeli defense firm.

The vehicles are similar to the MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected) vehicles used by the U.S. military, and require the utmost quality from their welds in order to be effective at protecting their occupants from road-side attacks and improvised explosive devices.

The contract called for Ultra to be able to weld MIL-A 46100 ballistic steel in all positions with a 307 stainless steel filler metal, and using the Accu-Pulse™ Pulsed MIG technology in Miller’s Axcess® “multi-MIG” systems, the company was able to produce those components with only 23 defects — a rate of .03 percent.

Click here to read the full story about the challenges Ultra Machine and Fabrication faced in meeting the welding demands for the M-ATV contract and how the Axcess’ Accu-Pulse technology helped the company successfully complete the project and positioned it to win more in the future.

Miller was recently named as one of a handful of manufacturing companies in Northeast Wisconsin to score highly in a recent survey on sustainable business practices through UW Oshkosh. As part of the recognition, an Emmy-award winning videographer interviewed several Miller employees about the company’s sustainability initiatives for a video produced by the technical colleges of Wisconsin’s NEW North consortium, including Fox Valley, Northeast Wisconsin, Moraine Park, and Lakeshore. The video will be used for training on college campuses and a variety of continuing education courses. Among the topics covered were Miller’s employee involvement program, the company’s waste reduction efforts, our 750,000 sq. ft. air conditioning system and  our employee-initiated recycling program.

If you’re interested in the success of manufacturing in this country, you might want to check out www.manufacturingthefuture.com, the web site for a documentary that the videographer is currently working on. He has interviews with a wide variety of manufacturing experts about the future of manufacturing along with many programs designed to generate interest in manufacturing among high school and college students.

Even if you couldn’t make it, it’s not too late to catch some of the action at the 2010 SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, the premier annual competition for career and technical skills students.

This year, SkillsUSA is offering live Webcasts twice daily from the championship floor, where you can watch the action and drama unfold in real time as students vie to be named the best in the nation in their respective fields of expertise. In the welding portion of the competition, students will compete to build the best barbecue grill.

Many of you took part in past SkillsUSA competitions, and we’re sure that checking out this year’s competition will bring back fond memories. Enjoy!

Time is running out to sign up for Miller’s free online Webinar—Keeping Cool: Managing Heat Stress For Welders. During the one-hour presentation we’ll be discussing the causes and symptoms of heat stress, how to properly monitor and implement a heat stress control plan and how Miller’s new CoolBand™ and CoolBelt™ products can fit into a heat stress control plan.

The Webinar will be at noon on June 23, 2010, and will be archived for free download on the ISHN Web site for one year. Visit ISHN magazine’s registration page to learn more and to sign up. Webinar attendees will be able to ask questions of the three speakers following the initial presentation.

Wondering if upgrading to Pulsed TIG for your stainless steel applications will net your company any tangible benefits? Then look no further than the test results of a recently completed comparison between standard TIG and four different pulsing programs.

In short, pulsed TIG yielded a 52 percent narrower bead width,  34 percent increased penetration, 60 percent lower heat input, 35 percent faster travel speeds and better overall weld quality!

Need more proof? Check out the full test details along with an explanation of how to select the optimal pulsed program for your application.

Building on the proven reliability and performance of our XR Control aluminum MIG push-pull wire feeder, Miller introduces two new models, the XR-S Control and XR-D Control, designed to meet the specific needs of basic and more advanced aluminum MIG applications.

Featuring adjustable run-in, jog & purge, a digital wire feed speed display and the option of using pre- and post-flow, the XR-S Control feeder meets the needs of basic aluminum MIG push-pull applications without all the bells and whistles that aren’t needed & that might lead to inconsistencies between operators.

Taking things a step further, the XR-D Control features point-of-use remote voltage control, digital voltage display, programmable pre- and post-flow, and adjustable start and crater settings.

Check out the XR-S & XR-D news release for more information about the features and benefits of these new products as well as the applications and industries they are designed to serve.

Summer is still a couple weeks away, but you can get a jump start on it by taking advantage of our new Summer Savings promotion. We’re offering up to $150 cash back on a wide variety of welding equipment and accessories packages, including our most popular MIG and TIG welders, welding generators, plasma cutters and welding helmets.

Visit the promotion page for full cash back details and to complete your cash back redemption form.

Also, Miller has extended its PowerLINE zero-percent, 12-month financing offer for new equipment purchases over $10,000. You can now qualify for financing through December 31, 2010. Visit the PowerLINE page for complete offer details.

Wondering if an upgrade to an inverter-based TIG power source is worth it? Check out this article to read about the experiences of five manufacturers and two schools and the productivity and weld quality improvements they realized by making the switch to inverter-based controls for aluminum, stainless steel and carbon steel applications.

As an example, A1A Dock Products, a small manufacturer of aluminum ladders in Hollywood, Fla., achieved an annual savings of $28,224 by investing in inverter-based TIG power sources. Their investment paid for itself in just two weeks!

But that’s just the beginning. Click here to see what advanced TIG controls can do for you.

Summer’s almost here, and for many welders that means one thing — heat. Heat from the arc. Heat from the base metal. Heat from the safety apparel. These three factors combine to make welding an unusually dangerous occupation when the ambient temperatures reach into the 80’s and hotter. In addition to heat exhaustion and other heat-induced illnesses, heat stress can also reduce a welder’s ability to recognize and respond to other physical dangers in the workplace.

To call greater attention to this issue, Miller will be presenting a free, one-hour Webinar that will discuss the dangers of heat stress, national regulations pertaining to heat stress in the workplace, options for reducing heat stress and ways to monitor employees’ heat stress exposure. The Webinar will take place at noon (Central time) on Wednesday, June 23, and will be hosted by Industrial Safety and Hygiene News (ISHN). You can read more about the Webinar and sign up on ISHN’s registration page.

According to a recent news article, the Navy has ordered the re-inspection of thousands of potentially faulty pipe welds on three classes of ships after an oil lubrication problem on one ship required an emergency docking in Bahrain. Investigators believe that up to 10-15 percent of the welds do not meet specifications.

Unfortunate as the problem is for the Navy and the company responsible for inspecting and repairing the welds, the situation calls to light the importance of welding—highly skilled welding, specifically—to our national security.

Welding literally holds together the ships, airplanes, tanks and other vehicles that protect our country and its people on a daily basis, and the problems encountered in these ships is evidence of the skill and knowledge required to successfully perform a weld that will endure extreme stress and pressure.

It’s also sadly ironic that this news story emerged just about a week after welding was listed as the fifth worst out of 200 selected careers. The welding industry needs people with the ability and desire to perform the welds critical to our national security, yet surveys like these could discourage those people from considering a career in welding.

On a positive note, the company that builds these ships for the Navy said that it has recertified its welders and inspectors and stepped up its pipe weld inspection system. Hopefully their efforts will result in improved weld integrity and very little downtime for these ships.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Have you noticed a lack of skill at the highest level of safety-critical welding? Do you believe that companies are not enforcing their welding specifications as strictly as they should? What can be done to show our best and brightest the potential for rewarding and important work within the welding industry? Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.