Welding, like any job in a fabricating facility, comes with risks. Some risks are inherent to the craft, and some are factors of the environment, but all risks can be assessed and mitigated, if not completely eliminated, by following procedures. Safety has been a pillar for AT&F since our creation in 1940. The priorities that drive our business are “Safety, Quality, and Productivity,” in that order, and welding is no exception. Our in-house Weld Institute starts every course with an overview of safety to set the standard as soon as our welders begin learning. With 90% of all injuries in the workplace occurring due to operator error, preventing accidents like these begins with proper procedures.

AT&F is pleased to announce recent upgrades to our Wisconsin facility, including a brand new plasma and oxy-fuel cutting table with a 5-axis beveling head, and improvements to a large capacity boring bar. In addition to the equipment upgrades, AT&F Wisconsin is pleased to announce the addition of a Certified Weld Inspector (CWI) to further enhance the welding quality and provide a valuable resource for proper procedures and training. These upgrades are part of AT&F’s continuous improvement initiative and bolster the Wisconsin facility’s capabilities for a competitive market.

For millennia, metals have been manipulated to man’s wants and needs. But from primitive hammers and anvils to high-tech robotic lasers, man’s methods of manipulation have changed and evolved drastically over time. The impact of advancements in welding has built skyscrapers, automobiles, and even nuclear reactors, but the genesis of welding looked nothing like the advanced technology we have at our disposal today. Paving the way for modern structures and safer machines, welding plays a crucial role in our daily lives.

Welding is a ubiquitous method of metalworking that joins two pieces of metal together to form a strong bond. But what exactly happens when the two metals join together? By definition, welding joins two pieces of metal by fusion. In order to properly fuse together, the base metal must melt and flow together. Older welding methods would employ an oxyfuel blowtorch to heat pieces of metal until the base metals reached melting temperature, but newer methods now use an electric arc to generate the heat necessary to melt the metal. The arc is created when an electric charge is passed from an electrode to the workpieces. The electrode is usually consumable and charged either negatively or positively depending on the desired character of the weld. A proper weld often creates a bond between workpieces that is stronger than the original strength of the workpieces themselves.

AT&F is big in the railcar industry. For train cars to maximize the load size, cars will be fitted with s-shaped plates that drop the load between the wheels. The depressed railcar transition pieces are made from 2 ½ inch A514 steel, a very strong grade of steel that is difficult to form. AT&F proved its ability to form the heavy pieces to tight tolerances and added value in keeping the job domestic. The strength of the part is maximized due to the properties of arches, which lends itself to bigger loads. These larger loads benefit from the depressed seating in that height is shaved off the load, allowing for heavy loaded trains to easily pass through tunnels. AT&F takes pride in pushing the limits of size and scale and delivering quality parts where other fabricators fall short.

AT&F Advanced Metals, located in Orrville, Ohio, has completed its 1000th vessel certified by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI). AT&F Advanced Metals is a division of the world class steel fabricating enterprise, AT&F, specializing in corrosion resistant materials for a variety of industries. A specialty fabricating shop with a dedication to high quality, AT&F Advanced Metals manufactures for some of the most physically demanding markets in the world today.

AT&F manufactures for some of the most physically demanding markets. Inside a gas turbine engine, pressure and heat are built in a compressor to achieve maximum efficiency. The efficiency of the engine relies on the quality of the compressor; the more heat and pressure the compressor can handle, the more efficient the engine will be. AT&F has taken on the manufacture of segments of these compressors. Crimped, rolled, and burned from one piece of A36 carbon steel, the six-inch cylinder was then cut in half and blasted in our blasting room.