More than a half-century ago, Frazier Industrial made a commitment to using structural steel in all its products. That was in 1949, a time when structural steel cost more than inferior roll-formed products, but Frazier felt the advantages of strength and durability greatly outweighed the cost difference.
The company''s strategy became known as the Frazier Difference, and it turned out to be a wise decision, both for Frazier and its customers. Based in Long Valley, NJ, Frazier has become the industry leader in the manufacture of structural steel storage racks. The firm reached that position because of its emphasis on uniform quality in every product it produces.
The storage rack industry maintains tight quality control procedures because the racks must be able to withstand a rigorous warehousing environment. In addition, Frazier does a great deal of business in the western United States, and therefore its structural steel storage racks must meet strict standards for areas of high seismic potential.
Frazier''s strategically located worldwide manufacturing plants produce a wide range of innovative structural steel rack systems and rack-supported structures for warehouse storage applications. Rack systems store everything from sofas to jet engines. The company''s product line includes rack systems designed to provide adjustability, durability, and safety for drive-in applications and others that integrate construction and materials handling to create a "turnkey" storage facility.
Frazier''s emphasis on quality has led the company to upgrade to welding wire feed systems with programmable features and controls that meet Frazier''s need to maintain uniform, quality welds from operator to operator and plant to plant.
Aaron Evans, quality assurance manager for Frazier, says Miller Electric Mfg Co''s 70 Series wire feeders plays a key role in his company''s quality control program.
"We run the same welding parameters in every single one of our plants to ensure uniform quality and consistency, no matter where the component is made," Evans says. "Our procedures are such that we need to control both the width and the penetration of the bead so that we get good tie-in on both plates involved with the weld. The reason we use the Miller wire feeders is because they help us control part of that process."
Miller''s S-74DX suits Frazier''s needs just fine. "I went to Miller a few years ago and saw the top-of-the-line microprocessor-based feeder and I said, ''Look, we don''t need all the bells and whistles. What we need is a stripped down version of a programmable feeder.'' And that''s just what they came up with," Evans says.
The Miller''s 70 Series feeders in the DX model offer some of the same capabilities as the 60M wire feeder, such as an adjustable weld sequence control to help maintain weld consistency and quality between shifts and operators, but without an extremely sophisticated pulsing control. And it''s priced at one-third less cost than the high-end pulsing feeder. These feeders are a perfect fit for manufacturers that want the simplicity of a standard feeder and the programmability benefits of advanced feeders.
For example, the weld sequence controls permit setting gas pre-flow and post-flow time, wire feed run-in speed, weld time, crater time, and wire burnback. Adjusting parameters such as run-in speed can improve arc starts, while crater control helps the operator prevent crater cracking at the end of the weld. Four weld programs allow operators to store customized weld parameters, which reduces setup time when operators regularly switch between two different applications.
For optimum performance, Miller''s drive-roll system features all-gear-driven drive-roll carriers that grip wire more positively than a single-driven wheel/idler wheel arrangement. A solid-state speed control and brake circuit provides excellent speed control and wire regulation, as well as increased service life over systems with electrical/mechanical relays.
Set and Lock Parameters
For Frazier''s purposes, the key wire feeder feature is its weld process control feature that sets and locks in welding parameters to ensure operators consistently weld within specifications, yet still offers them limited freedom to tailor wire feed speed and voltage values to suit their personal tastes. Easy-to-read digital LED displays also simplify setting parameters
"Our tolerances are tighter than American Welding Society standards. We need to ensure that operators stay within our established parameters and programmable feeders help maintain weld quality from operator to operator and shift to shift," Evans says. "Because we build products used in areas that have concerns about seismic occurrences, welding quality is very critical. We absolutely have to maintain our welding parameters. If we don''t, we''ll pay the price later," he says.
And no one wants to pay the price later, both for monetary and customer satisfaction reasons.
"When setting up for a component, operators can refer to our quality assurance manual and the parameters they''re allowed to run. Now, if they don''t follow every single one of the items on that sheet, then they''re outside of the established procedures. That''s why every one of the parameters can be controlled, and we want the machines to control all of the very critical ones, such as wire speed, voltage, and gas flow. The rest of it is done by the operators," Evans says.
A welding engineer or supervisor sets voltage, gas flow, and wire speed feed to the specified parameters, which are accurately displayed on the feeder''s digital display. Then he can lock in those values to within 5, 10, 15, or 20% of the specifications. This ensures that operators consistently weld within the established parameters. For the racking industry, code is 10% of specifications, but Frazier locks in at significantly less than that.
Quick Return on Investment
Another reason for going with a feeder with programmable capabilities is its impressive return on investment track record, according to Evans. "The difference between this feeder and a basic feeder is about $600. I can pay for this feeder in less than three months. Here''s how. Normally, you would have to calibrate the equipment at the beginning of every shift. So, if the operator has to sit here and time his wire and check his voltage every day, that takes 10 minutes a day, 10 minutes a shift. That''s 10 minutes of lost production per machine.
"Figure it out. We have 24 Miller welding machines at this plant. That''s 240 minutes. Now, 240 minutes of building product instead of calibrating the equipment means it takes less than three months to make that $600 back. And there''s a second savings. I don''t have to have an inspector focused on verifying that every machine is set to the proper parameters each morning. Every operator in the plant is trained to do that and they still have to do it once a week, just to make sure that nothing is wrong with the machine," Evans says.
Another major cost savings results from fewer welds being rejected during final inspection. "Inspecting product after it''s built is too late from the standpoint that the damage is already done and rework costs time and money. In a high-speed production environment, you can pretty much control your destiny with the equipment you choose. You can either build a lot of high-grade quality product, or you can build a lot of garbage in a hurry," Evans says.
Frazier uses 50 to 60 Miller power GMAW sources, including the Deltaweld® 452, because of their reliability and Miller''s responsiveness to customer needs.
"In the first five years we had these machines, we had one transformer go out in one machine. Miller picked it up, repaired it, and brought it back. That''s good service and that''s why we buy the product," Evans says.
"Customer service is a big issue with me. If I call my Miller rep, he gets back to me within two hours -- always. If I need units the next day, they''re drop-shipped somewhere. That''s how quickly we can get them," Evans says.
For a company that has built its reputation on using quality materials to provide its customers with top-quality products, Frazier appreciates being on the receiving end of that type of commitment in its dealings with Miller Electric Mfg Co.