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One of the most critical elements of mechanical components could just be something you can hold in your hand. Many people seem to think that machines work because of the complex pieces of metal that come together, or maybe the highly advanced technical equipment. Of course these things are extremely important to the operation of a machine, but could not properly operate without the simple bearing.

Bearings are made of all kinds of different materials and are primarily used for a number of important mechanical functions. The first and most important function of bearings is to lower friction between the two components. This is important because without a bearing, the life of the components would be reduced greatly, and many operations just would not work without them. This is because another property of a bearing is to ensure a smooth rotation of a shaft or drive. If a bearing was not in place, the operation would run jerky and without proper pattern. Along with the lowering of friction, the bearings also help to offset the heat that is transmitted from the surface of the work piece. These factors all make bearings an important component because they absorb the wear that would normally be applied to the most expensive units. By using a bearing, the wear is shifted to a part that is cheap and easy to replace.

There are several different types of bearings, each with a specific application or job. Some different jobs require bearing materials. Mostly, bearings come in steel, plastic, ceramic or bronze. These are the most common types of bearings, but there are others.

When many people think of bearings, they usually think of ball bearings. Ball bearings use a number of small steel balls housed in a casing to shift weight. These roller bearings are able to function in very high speeds, and can help to lower rotational friction. Another reason that ball bearings are so popular is because they are able to shift the load throughout the entire work piece. This means that instead of the weight of the piece sitting unevenly on one part of the drive shaft, the weight is shifted throughout.

Bearings are often used in the most demanding of circumstances and are available in materials that will meet or exceed the regulations in high-performance industres. Aircraft bearings in particular are designed to meet or exceed regulations that are about the highest in any industry. These bearings can be made of zinc or chrome, and can be heat treated to make certain that they are durable enough to function even under the conditions of highest stress.

Bearings may be small, but they perform a very large job in machining and heavy industry.

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Perforated Metal has become increasing popular in recent times because of its versatility and aesthetically pleasing appearance. Many industries including industrial, commercial, educational, building and construction, mining and medical are incorporating metal perforation into their products, designs and buildings adding Flare and sophistication.

Metal perforation of metal panels and screens can be manufactured in a variety of metals and finishes. Stainless steel, aluminium, brass, copper, carbon steel, galvanised mild steel and painted metals can all be perforated to meet design specifications. Powder coating in various colours, anodising and plating of the perforated metal can also offer unique and interesting effects that are attractive to designers and architects alike.

Metal Perforation offers excellent strength to weight ratios when light materials are needed. Various thicknesses can be worked into the perforated sheet metal giving the metal panel the desired physical properties for the application.

Metal Perforation requires precision. Metal can be turret punched, metal stamped (capability up to 250 tonne)or laser cut to conform to almost any design, shape or size. Common perforated sheet metal usually has a uniform pattern, but custom patterns and complex images can also be incorporated into Metal perforated panels to achieve stunning results by varying whole size, pitch and hole centre distance in the metal panel itself. Large intricate designs need to be viewed from some distance for best visibility of this decorative perforated metal effect. Uses for custom sheet metal perforation include agricultural equipment, lighting, cabinet making products, pollution control devices, sanitation equipment and sound suspension to name a few.

Advance Metal Products offer the complete perforated metal panel manufacturing solution, including all industrial finishes, including powder coating in various colours and textures (depending on perforation hole size), plating and anodising.

Utilising the latest technology in CNC turret punching machinery with automated loading, sheet metal punching and sheet metal shearing and laser cutting machines, metal perforated panel manufacture is performed with precision.

Decorative borders, edges and flanges can be metal folded into the metal perforated panel if required where metal panels need to be clipped or interlocked together to form tiles or an entire screen or wall.
This process is simple and can avoid additional hardware items needed to fix perforated metal panels together.

Perforated Metal popularity is on the increase. For example, in appliances like refrigeration units, dishwashers, coolers and fans, in the automotive industry for mufflers, exhausts, grilles and guards, in the Audio industry for speaker arrays and patterns. Among Architects and Designers it is a favourite for building facades and outdoor furniture allowing expression of art and modern design through light penetration with both beautiful form and function. Decorative patterns for doors, end panels, screens, ceilings and lighting are among a few of many uses for perforated metal.

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Steel fabrication is the process of changing raw metal into a finished machine or final structure. Almost all metal projects require some sort of fabrication, so fabrication shops are routinely located onsite of large building operations. For smaller uses, or for projects that will have a short-term usage, many businesses outsource the metal to fabrication shops with prior experience.

Metal fabrication has advanced greatly throughout the years. Many fabrication shops throughout the twentieth century were relatively simple by today?s standards. They needed craftsmen to handle the majority of the work, and the result was subject to the quality and history of the individual operator. Eventually, the machines became more and more automated and the quality of work was more consistent. Still, an individual process was not as complex as the fabrication shops currently are able to provide. Laser technology and computer guided machining has taken the fabrication industry of today to complexities that shops in the past could not even have imagined.

Fabrication shops differ greatly in regards to specializations and history. Some fabrications shops only specialize in one aspect of metal working, and some can only handle very small projects. The leading fabrication shops, however, are able to handle a variety of projects, and are able to adjust themselves to finish almost any scale of operation. The best fabrication shops host a wide assortment of machining processes, all in-house. This gets rid of the need to take a product to several shops to get the desired end result.

Welding is an essential component of any top fabrication shop, and a good example of how the technology has progressed in the last several decades. Welding used to be done by hand, but now, most welding is performed by computer-aided robotics, making certain that the welds are uniform and consistent throughout the process. Robotics has been around since the 1960s, but recent advancements have them widespread and more effective.

Press Brakes are another application that almost every fabrication shop will operate. The press brake bends and shapes raw metal into channels, ?V,? or ?U? form. This process is required for most fabrication because it creates the boundaries of the finished piece, and allows several pieces to fit together. The leading shops will have current technology equipped with computing software in the press brake operations.

One field that is growing rapidly is the operation of laser cutting technology in Fabrication shops. Laser cutting is faster and more accurate than many older machining processes. Laser cutting can quickly shape raw material into a product with a low margin tolerance that is suitable for the most difficult applications.

Although technology is an essential part of the fabrication process, the craftsmen who run these machines must also have a great deal of experience in order to run these complex machines effectively.

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Steel Manufacturing - ERP CRM

Bethlehem Steel of Pennsylvania has been around for over 100 years. While they are no longer a steel giant, they used to be one of the largest manufacturers in the world. So what happened to them? What occurred from the early 1900s through today - when Bethlehem Steel first started manufacturing steel, to the present decade, where the company is all but bankrupt? After all, this was the company that created the first wide flange steel beam in 1907, used to build 85% of New York’s skyline, and the Golden Date Bridge! Did Bethlehem ever innovate or get with the times? Did they use ERP software; or perhaps a CRM system to help organize their business efforts?

The United Steel Workers of America is certainly a great entity, but like anything else in life, it carries both positive and negative impacts. Before the union, manufacturing and working conditions at Bethlehem Steel were terrible. Most of the men working in the plant were not making a livable wage or receiving benefits, and time off or “breaks” were unavailable to all laborers. Many of the men were killed in the early days, victim to faulty machinery, accidents, or the coke works of the factory. Before unions, an employee could be fired for almost anything; and sometimes, workers were fired for absolutely nothing. The pre-union days at Bethlehem Steel were very tough.

In the 1940’s, workers finally went on strike, and helped to form the United Steel Workers of America. Once the union was established, workers would begin receiving comforts such as short breaks during their shifts, and even a washroom to shower off after their workday had ended. Hours were no longer treacherous, and employees were finally making decent money based on contract negotiations initiated by the union. The union was a good thing for these reasons, as it established a better quality of life, good wages, and retirement and benefit plans for full time factory workers.

The union, however, had its drawbacks. Some of these drawbacks actually led to Bethlehem Steel’s demise. For one, unions tend to strike when they’re not happy - and they did just that in1959. Richard Nixon helped to end this strike, negotiating with steel companies to get workers better pay and benefits. While this was all well and good for laborers, company executives felt the pinch. They were pressured by the government to give in, and reinitiate steel manufacturing processes. Soon, all steel prices in the Unites States would rise, and cheaper steel imports from rebuilding WWII countries became a viable alternative. Since US steel was so expensive, steel from European and Asian companies could be imported and utilized at a fraction of the cost. When prices went up, Bethlehem’s Steels profits tumbled. With lower profits came layoffs, and a large decrease in workforce. By the time many of the tenured union workers wanted to retire, it was virtually impossible for them. Their demands had taken a toll on Bethlehem Steel’s finances, and now, there were six retirees seeking benefits for every (1) active employee. Paying out pensions and healthcare on a 6:1 ration proved impossible for Bethlehem Steel, and their demise commenced.

Bethlehem Steel could have remained competitive, even amongst the demands of the Union. Though they had to pay out larger wages and benefits, revenue and profits were still high as ever in the 1960s. The 60s, however, marked the emergence of the “mini mill.” The mini mill could produce steel much more efficiently and cheaply than large factories could - using scrap metal and continuous casting processes. Mini mills soon started popping up across the country. Bethlehem Steel, rather than updating their processes, continued to operate traditionally. This meant producing more expensive steel than the competition, and losing out of big contract bids (such as the World Trade Center). At one point, the company finally restructured and tried to modernize themselves, but it was a last ditch, “smoke and mirrors” type effort. Had Bethlehem Steel been more innovative and taken mini mills and foreign competition more seriously, they could have overcome any financial burden.

Technically speaking, Bethlehem Steel could have implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to take the burden off of its executives and project managers. A proper ERP solution could have gone a long way in helping them innovate and separate themselves from the competition. Again, they had the capital at one time to implement such a solution. This would have made project management, supply chain, and manufacturing procedures much more efficient and cost effective as they entered harsh financial realities (1990s). Read more about supply chain management software.

In the end, Bethlehem Steel stuck to conventional methods of manufacturing for too long. They never innovated or changed their processes, and never adapted with their competition. The modern age and modern management disenfranchised the company. Had they been more proactive, and taken initiatives to change, Bethlehem Steel could still be a manufacturing giant today. It is important to understand the significance of adaptation and change in any industry, and Bethlehem Steel did not.

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Steel Building Customer Service

Jack Speer, Bizwatch Publisher, in his online article titled “What Is The Definition of Customer Service” certainly provides a definition of a level of customer service that all companies that sell residential and commercial steel buildings should strive to attain. Mr. Speer defines customer service as follows…”Excellent customer service is the process by which your organization delivers its services or products in a way that allows the customer to access them in the most efficient, fair, cost effective, and humanly satisfying and pleasurable manner possible.”

In my several years of working for steel building companies, I’m still amazed at how many different customer service issues can arise with the purchase of just one prefabricated steel building. And it’s not that anything is going wrong throughout the whole process from signing the paperwork to accepting delivery and the customer’s assembly of the steel buildings. I would have to say that the reason for the need for heavy customer service is simply that there are numerous steps and phases that happen in between the purchase and the assembly that the customers who have bought the metal buildings need clarification on.

The prefab steel building salesman takes the brunt of answering potential customers’ questions right off the bat during the initial sales call. But once the customer purchases his metal barn, there are so many possible questions that this one customer can have throughout the entire process. From questions like “when will I get my drawings” to “what’s the best kind of insulation to use for prefab steel buildings“, sometimes it seems that the questions never stop. That’s where a clear and concise “frequently asked questions” page on the steel building company’s website comes in very handy.

When companies that sell prefabricated steel buildings strive to achieve the level of customer service as defined above by Mr. Speer, the result of happy customers is not the only benefit that can be attained. One of the best reasons for having a happy satisfied customer, after their great experience of purchasing their building they will tell all their friends.

Word of mouth is one of the best and least expensive forms of advertising. Here’s an example of a glowing customer testimonial provided by a customer who purchased his metal building from Price A Building:
“We would like to thank you and your staff at Price A Building for the building that I purchased through your company. The process from the first phone call making the purchase to keeping me informed clear through to the final delivery date went very smooth.

The steel frame building package was labeled clearly making it quite simple to follow with the engineered drawings plans and building manual. I had never erected a steel building before and in six days three of us had completed the framing of a 40′x60′x16′ tall building.

Thanks again, we look forward to enjoying our added space.”

Danny & Dana Cutler, Commerce City, CO

Only in a perfect world will 100% of customers be completely satisfied. So having a hands on, compassionate customer service department to deal with is key when you buy a steel building.

Wind Loads and Steel Building

Steel buildings are being used all across the country for commercial and residential applications. So considering the vast array of climates you encounter from county to county, let alone from state to state, it is so important to have your metal building designed with the proper wind loading for your area. The most important specification in determining wind loads for steel buildings is the wind speed. Most building departments across the country measure the wind speed at its highest level during a 3-second gust. This will give the maximum speed predicted for the design life of a prefacricated steel building. There are several factors that can influence the magnitude of the wind speed.

The first factor that influences wind speed would be the geographical location where you plan on erecting your steel barn. As an example, if you live in Florida, your steel building will have to be designed to withstand the forces of hurricane-strength winds. Also, the same goes if you live in any one of the states located in what they call “tornado alley”. Tornadoes are small and brief compared to hurricanes, but the wind speeds can be higher. And some hurricanes have been known to last an entire day, so even if the wind speed of a hurricane is lower than a short spurted tornado wind speed, they can do just as much damage by slowly wearing down a prefab steel building from the continuous stress and vibrations.

Since some parts of Florida are constantly being bombarded by hurricanes, the state always reviews and updates their building codes after major storms.
The physical location of residential or commercial steel buildings is the second factor that can influence the wind speed. Because winds can gust to higher speeds in exposed locations, for any given wind speed, the exposure in which a prefabricated steel building or any other structure is sited will be determined as falling into one of the following categories, exposure B (urban and suburban areas), exposure C (open terrain with few obstructions including shorelines in hurricane-prone regions), or exposure D (flat, unobstructed areas exposed to wind flowing over open water) and then engineering will design the steel building appropriately.

The third fact to keep in mind is that influences wind speed would be the dimensions of the steel buildings. The height of the structure is the most important because wind speeds have a tendency to increase as heights of steel frame buildings increase above ground level.

The last factor to affect wind speed is the actual shape of the prefabricated building. The wind load isn’t just a one-sided frontal pressure that’s applied to the sheeting of a steel garage. The wind load is a product of a complicated distribution of pressure on every side because of the flow of air around the entire metal frame building.

Prefabricated steel buildings are designed to meet the code and load requirements of the customer?s area. It is the customer’s responsibility to find out the information needed by the steel building companies in order to properly design and fabricate the metal buildings properly, first so the customer can obtain their building permit and second so the building itself can withstand the forces of nature that are common occurrences where the customer lives and will be erecting his steel barn.

To help the engineers at the factory, where the steel buildings are designed, better determine the best design for your metal barn, they have composed a list of questions to be answered by the customer to guide them and to give them a better understanding of exactly what type of conditions exist in the customer’s area with regards to the amount of snow and wind exposure the prefab steel buildings will be exposed to. The following are a list of the questions asked by the engineers with the answers shedding light on conditions that could affect the snow load and wind exposure requirements:

1. Will the new steel building be located within 20ft of any existing building structures? If YES, please provide a sketch showing the distances of all existing structures to the new building. Indicate also the eave height, width, length, roof slope and ridge orientation of the existing buildings.

2. Will the new steel garage tie-in to any existing building structures? If YES, provide a sketch and a detail common wall condition. Indicate also the eave height, width, length, bay spacing, roof slope and ridge orientation of the existing buildings.

3. Will the metal garage have roof insulation and be used continuously as a heated structure?

4. Is the building unheated, but insulated?

5. Is the building unheated and without roof insulation?

6. If the metal storage buildings are greenhouses, will they be continuously heated at a maintained temperature of 50

A steel building is one of the most maintenance free types of structures you can purchase. Even if you performed no maintenance whatsoever, metal buildings will hold up better against the elements than any other untreated structure made of wood. But that doesn?t mean that you shouldn?t take a little bit of time to do some preventative maintenance to maximize the trouble-free lifespan of your new steel barn.

It is recommended that you follow this simple schedule of maintenance, which depends on where your metal building is located. The following information gives only recommended time frames but they can vary due to certain elements of the weather based on your locale or possibly even what you?ve experienced in the past. Preventative maintenance for prefabricated steel buildings should begin as soon as possible after it?s been constructed or repaired.

For steel buildings located up to 3 miles from the ocean or in very highly polluted industrial areas, you should perform basic preventative maintenance every 2 months. For prefab steel buildings located in medium pollution industrial areas, every 3 months. For residential or commercial steel buildings located in areas of high humidity, every 4 months. And for prefabricated buildings located in extremely dry, desert areas, every 8 months.

So when you buy a steel building from Price A Building, keep in mind of the most vulnerable spots to perform this suggested preventative maintenance. These spots are the gutters, roof sheeting, sheltered areas, and top sections of walls covered by overhangs or gutters.

Preventative maintenance for your steel building should begin as soon as the building has been erected or repaired. You immediately want to make sure that debris has not been left on top of any of the metal building sheeting or trim. Some examples of the type of debris to keep an eye out for are items such as screws, nails, cut off pieces of sheeting, tin cans, etc. Larger items can removed by hand so they don?t damage the paint that?s on the panels of sheeting for the steel buildings. Any smaller items can be swept away with a soft brush. Also keep in mind that this type of maintenance shoudl be done after any kind of repair or trade work has been performed on the prefab steel building, like from a plumber, electrician or HVAC repairman.

The next thing you want to do is check for any dirt or sand build up. The most vulnerable parts where the dirt or sand can build up on the metal buildings are the gutters, on the roof sheeting and on the upper sections of the walls that are covered by roof overhange or gutters. The dirt and sand can retain salt and moisture and can quickly break down the paint layers on the prefabricated steel buildings which could result in corrosion of the base metal. The sand and dirt need to be cleaned off with water and a soft brush. Work from the top to the bottom and then do a last rinse with clean water when you?re finished, making sure that water isn?t left trapped anywhere on your steel barn.

You just decided to finally complete a purchase that is probably one of the biggest ones you will make in your lifetime, almost to the level of purchasing a home. It?s a big expense and one that you?ve been saving up for a while now. You are going to buy a steel building and use it as one of the storage steel buildings for your recreational vehicles and farm equipment. You?ve needed this for a long time and the day is finally here when you will be accepting delivery of your steel building.

Before your metal garage is delivered you will receive all sorts of information from the steel building company like when to expect your drawings, instructions for approving those drawings and moving your metal barn into fabrication, your delivery time frame, and instructions for unloading and inventorying your metal building. In order for you to protect one of the biggest, most expensive, and very important purchases you will ever make, I?m going to give you all of the information related to inventorying your steel barn. Steel building companies need to protect themselves as well as protecting you, the consumer, when it comes to your rights regarding anything that?s missing during the unloading of the metal buildings. The following are actual inventory instructions that you would receive from Price A Building, Inc. after purchasing one of their discounted steel buildings:

1.It is extremely important that you inventory all shipments as you unload them. Use the materials list to check off each item as you remove it from the truck. Your steel frame building parts will be color coordinated and will contain your job number. Should you determine that any items are damaged or missing, note their part numbers and condition on the bill of lading before you sign it. The bill of lading is our only documentation of the condition of a load when it arrives at your site. Without this proof, we cannot be held responsible for items later reported missing or damaged. If you discover that items are missing or damaged as you are unloading, please contact customer service immediately after noting the missing or damaged items on the bill of lading.

2.In the case of items like screws, which are packaged in boxes or crates, you have five (5) days to report hidden damages or shortages. This provision only applies to prefabricated building materials that are enclosed in sealed containers that show no evidence of external damage. Any containers that do appear to be damaged should be opened and checked immediately and any problems noted on the bill of lading. The five-day exception does not extend to bundled items like wall or roof panels. These must be counted and examined at the time of delivery and any shortages or damages noted on the bill of lading. You should also open the cartons that contain your trim boxes and inspect them at the time of delivery.

All of this information is important and needs to be read. If you don?t know how to inventory your prefab steel building when it arrives, or are unaware of the time frames in which you have to report any missing items, you will end up having to purchase something that could have been sent to you for free if only you had reported it when these instructions said you were supposed to.

This article was made courtesy of metal garage, USWebCentral.com.

Price A Building is proud to announce the ?grand opening? of it?s new website for purchasing steel buildings on-line, www.priceabuilding.com. Catering to the consumers who prefer a no-pressure, lower cost alternative to buying their metal garages or steel barns, the new Price A Building website is a ?must use? for anyone planning to purchase a steel building in the near future.

Centennial, CO (PRWEB) September 12, 2009 ? With the superior design of the new Price A Building website (www.priceabuilding.com), customers have the option to choose from several pre-set packages. These packages consist of the pre engineered steel buildings (numerous sizes to choose from) coupled with a variety of accessories (such as insulation, windows, walkdoors and overhead doors) all included in one low price. All the customer needs to do is choose which package that suits their needs the best and click just once, instead of moving through page after page after page on other websites to add the same amount of accessories. Even the placement of the framed openings for the overhead doors have been set in such a way as to lower the overall cost of the pre-fabricated buildings. By pre-determining the framed opening locations, Price A Building is able to brace the building in the most cost effective way and pass those savings on to the consumer.

Before the package is chosen, though, the customer must call their local building department to find out the specific loading requirements (including roof snow, wind, exposure and seismic) that their steel buildings are going to have to meet. They should also inquire about any restrictions that might pose a problem with erecting a metal building on their property. Price A Steel Building offers many combinations of these design loadings so everybody, whether living on the snowiest mountain top or in the windiest coastal town, can utilize and benefit from Price A Building?s new on-line purchasing.

Price A Building realizes that the steel building industry is very competitive. They also believe that low prices combined with the ease of ordering will make Price A Building?s new on-line shopping website the one stop source for all potential customers? metal buildings needs.

By using Price A Building.com?s new website, the customer gains access to the lowest prices every day of the week, not just a special sale here and there. And keep in mind, lower price doesn?t have to mean lower quality. Customers will be amazed by how much they can save without sacrificing quality when they buy their metal barn or metal garage from Price A Building?s new on-line shopping website.

Price a Building has an A- rating with the BBB (Better Business Bureau).

Reference Statements:
Over the past year I have been shopping for a company to purchase my husband?s shop. We have saved a long time to be able to buy this building. We knew what we wanted and just needed to find the right company to work with. We both work so like many people the only time we have to do personal business is after work hours. It was I believe 8:00pm central time on a Sunday evening when I made contact with your company. I was so impressed that I got a response on the weekend. Then it got even better, everything that was promised on the phone that night was true. Your company made this major purchase easy. You kept me informed and up to date with everything that was happening with my building. Our building is as we ordered, good quality, fast service, most of all with a very helpful staff. The added plus was it was the lowest priced building I found. For some that is important but taking the stress out of this type of a purchase was worth more than saving money on building of less quality.
-Teresa Davis

I found Price-A-Building staff very courteous and professional in all aspects of my purchase. When they said it would be delivered on a date, it was there on that date and the drivers were in contact with me all through the location of my property and off loaded it exactly where I needed it to be. I even asked the driver of my building what I could do to have him unloaded within the two hour time period ? he just said, ?Don?t worry about it?. Now that is the kind of customer service I would pass on to anybody who is in question of the type of people that Price-A-Building uses for their fieldwork! Thanks for a very warm and organized service you handed me! ? L.A. McIntosh (MAC)

I Vern Anthony have set up 3 large metal buildings from Price A Building. They are sturdy well built, and withstand the high winds and hot temperatures of Salome, AZ. We have nothing but praise and are very satisfied with their buildings. Others have seen these buildings and are anxious to put some on their properties. All our future needs for metal buildings will be with Price A Building. Thank you for quality metal buildings.
-Vern Anthony

We purchased a 24