Author: norfas

Food Grade Welding Incorporates Cleaning and Disinfecting in the Process

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It’s no secret that food-grade welding is one of the more temperamental welding processes, thanks to its high standards and requirements. But it’s also undeniable that those standards have a purpose and cannot be skirted for the sake of convenience. Northland Fastening Systems (NFS) provides the tools and equipment you need for high-precision sanitary welding, and encourages all welders to take food safety seriously for large and small welding projects alike.

Keeping a Clean Workspace

While careful cleaning isn’t usually what prospective welders’ picture when they’re prepping for a job, when it comes to food-grade welding, cleanliness does matter. The best materials in the world can’t compensate for dirty tools and environments, which means that, as the welder, you need to ensure that your welding process is as contamination free as possible. This doesn’t necessarily mean spraying down your surface after every weld, but it does mean that an effort should be made to prevent unnecessary mess. The good news is that quality sanitary welding is well suited to easy cleaning.

Food Grade Welding

Sanitary welding is all about preventing gaps, crevices, and cracks that can allow moisture and germs to fester. Rough surfaces and faults can be deadly for sanitary welding, which means that thoughtless and haphazard welds won’t cut it. In general, haphazard welding won’t look good on a job, but in food-grade welding any irregular surface can be a breeding ground for germs. In some cases, this may mean sanding or filing edges until they lay flat and even. Once sanitary welding is complete, you should be able to easily disinfect the surface without encountering hard-to-reach areas.

Food-grade welding might be a high-effort process, but the results produce vital equipment for a huge variety of health- and safety-related industries. The high standards they require are also a great lesson for all types of welding. Even if the weld you’re working on isn’t necessarily food grade, preventing sharp edges, cracks, crevices, and faults should always be the goal. It’s also great to get into the habit of keeping your work area clean and your surfaces disinfected. Whether your welds are going to end up in a garage or a hospital, practicing the tenets of sanitary welding will boost the quality of everything you make.

Welders looking for tools suited to food-grade welding or sanitary welding can reach out to NFS today at (651) 730-7770 or find out more by visiting our website here. Our welding supplies make precision easy and can live up to the highest Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards with ease. Call us now to discuss purchasing or rental options.

Welding Equipment Failures While on the Job

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Welders never expect their equipment to fail, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Being prepared for work problems is ideal, but unless your welding equipment is pushing 60 and rusty, it’s hard to predict sudden failures. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide all the welding gear you need for purchase, or for more flexible needs, for rent. Equipment failures may be tough to predict, but you can be ready for them with NFS’s rentable equipment and a team that knows the inherent risks that come with welding.

Safety-First Failure Routines

Safety is, of course, the highest priority when equipment failures inevitably happen. While deadlines are always looming, you should never try and continue a weld if your welding equipment isn’t behaving correctly. Even a small discrepancy can be enough to lead to faulty fastenings, or in severe cases, actual injuries. Clearing the site of hazards and stowing the damaged gear safely is always the top priority. After that, the replacement hunt can begin.

How to Get Quality Welding Equipment on Short Notice

Depending on the job in question, it might be easy enough to grab another stud gun or power supply, but more often than not, you’ll need to find a longer-term replacement for the failed gear. Whether you’re a company manager or independent contractor, this can be a major setback depending on budget constraints. With that in mind, NFS offers rentable equipment to help bridge the gap or support your project all the way to the end.

Our rentable equipment is always top-line, in excellent condition, and ready for use immediately on arrival. At NFS, we understand that it’s important to have access to high-quality welding equipment on a moment’s notice. In the event of unexpected welding equipment failures, our team has your back.

Professional welders can reach out to NFS at (651) 730-7770 or find out more by visiting our website here. A welding equipment failure could be a major project setback, but with our support, it never has to be.

Benefits of CD Stud Welding

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Capacitor discharge (CD) welding has been on the market for decades now, and is undeniably an industry staple. However, longevity isn’t enough to cement a welding technique into the annals of history. What makes CD stud welding so popular so many years after its debut? Northland Fastening System (NFS) provides the welding tools and accessories you need to keep the tradition of CD stud welding going, but we also encourage individuals new to professional welding to familiarize themselves with the benefits of this industry powerhouse.

Smaller Size and Easy Handling

CD stud welding is a low-voltage process that doesn’t need a lot of heavy tooling to make it work. In fact, it’s one of the more portable and easy-to-use welding techniques out there. But low voltage doesn’t mean “low power.” While welding might appear more niche than other professional welding techniques, it still gets the job done. All professional welding techniques require adequate training, but for new professional welders, CD stud welding is an excellent entry point.

CD Stud Welding Is Fast and Efficient

Along with being relatively simple and portable, welding is also fast— since the bond occurs so rapidly, it’s easy to complete a lot of welds on a short timeline. Whether you have a lot of welds to complete or a short timeline to work with, welding can complete a bond in an instant and have you moving on to your next project.

Well Suited for Thin and Delicate Materials

That low voltage and size also comes with the benefit of not overloading thin materials. Whereas more intense professional welding methods can warp, distort, or bend thin surfaces,  welding is the perfect solution for less hardy base compositions.

Sometimes a welding method stays in an industry simply because it’s been around, but we keep CD welding around because it works. Everything you need for the tried-and-true CD stud welding option is available at NFS. If you need accessories, power supplies, or any other materials to support your professional welding needs, call (651) 730-7770 or visit our website here today.

Keeping Your Construction Welding Safe with Fire Prevention Practices

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Large-scale welding projects like construction welding aren’t for the faint of heart as a construction site has a lot of moving parts, including busy people and unseen hazards. Operating high-powered equipment in such an environment can lead to project setbacks, fires, and even injuries if safe welding practices aren’t followed to a T. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide the high-quality equipment and gear you need to get your welds done right. After you’ve got the gear in hand, be sure to always be mindful and maintain steady routines that keep you and your site as safe as possible.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Personal Safety Gear

It’s impossible to entirely avoid heat while welding, but heat and fire safety are two different animals. No matter where your welding job is happening, it’s vital to ensure that your body is protected. This means wearing gloves, face and eye protection, respirators, and nonflammable clothing. Most of these safe welding practices are second nature to professional welders, but construction welding literally puts you in the line of fire.

Along with the general hazards that come with welding, working at a live construction site amplifies all of those dangers significantly. More people on site, more movement, and less consistency if your environment can all lead to safety mishaps. Never skimp on the PPE and dial your safe welding practices up to 11.

Construction Welding and Environmental Hazards

Fire safety for welding is all about spatial awareness. Before any welding begins, the area around the work site should be checked and rechecked for flammable materials, individuals lacking PPE, and the nearest fire extinguisher. Having the area around you mapped out will ensure that emergency situations can be responded to quickly and efficiently. As basic as it seems, construction welding is all about keeping your area clean, removing all loose cables, shrapnel, piles of dust, or anything else that can catch a spark.

If your equipment isn’t up to the standard of safe construction welding practices, NFS can help. Safety-conscious welders can reach out at (651) 730-7770 or visit our website here to find out more information about our rentable and purchasable welding gear.

The Many Applications of Structural Steel Welding

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Structural steel welding sets itself apart from other welding areas largely due to its scale. In fact, structural steel welding is the literal backbone of modern industrial America. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide the tools you need to make the structural welds that keep America running.

The Power of Big Industry

Structural steel welding is the process that makes our largest infrastructural ventures possible. Military equipment and facilities, aerospace materials and machines, factories and other heavy productive buildings are all reliant on high-quality structural welding. This means that, unlike smaller, more specialized weld projects, welding can be the difference between life and death. From carrying astronauts and soldiers to supporting our essential products and exports, structural welds keep the country going.

Because of the sheer scale of welding, welding equipment needs to scale up as well. Of course, this doesn’t mean implementing physically larger equipment—instead, you want to make sure that you’re scaling up your expectations of performance. Underperforming equipment, out-of-date welding guns, or faulty materials don’t make the cut in large industry weld projects. If your equipment isn’t up to snuff, or the weld isn’t up to code, the final build suffers as well.

Making Structural Steel Welding Possible

With all of this in mind, you need to have equipment that stands up to the pressure of welding. At NFS, we’re proud to provide state-of-the-art welding equipment for purchase or rent in order to supply our structural welders across the country. Power supplies, stud welding guns, weld pins, and delivery options to your work sites help you keep up with the fast-paced world of structural welds.

If you’re a structural welding professional in need of structural steel welding equipment, look no farther than NFS. Project managers and welders can call at (651) 730-7770 or visit our website to find more information.

Finding the Right Welding Stud Gun for Your Everyday Welding Needs

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It’s true that anyone can become a welder with the right training and dedication, but learning how to select the correct stud-welding equipment for the job takes time and experience. Specifically, selecting a welding stud gun that suits your needs for each individual project or weld can make a major difference in your welding success. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide rentals and purchasing options for welders just starting out as well as veteran welders who know exactly what they’re looking for.

Selecting Your Welding Stud Gun Depends On Several Factors

Practicality—Of course, the first factor you have to consider when choosing your stud-welding equipment is whether or not it’s practical for the job. For welding stud guns, this means considering whether you’ll be working on flat or varied surfaces, the types of pins you’ll be utilizing, the materials involved, and weld-quality factors such as splatter and marking. Welding stud guns come in different varieties to suit different weld needs. Choosing without thought can leave your welds lacking or incomplete.

Price—This is a big issue for companies and individuals with a small budget. Buying multiple types of stud-welding equipment can be expensive, and even more so if you don’t purchase the correct type of equipment for the job. Rather than leaving your choice to chance, new welders can utilize rental services such as NFS stud-welding equipment rentals, and can connect with welding professionals to get support and guidance on what they need to procure.

Personal Preference—There are many welding stud guns for every job, which means at the end of day, your decision will likely come down to personal preference. Ask yourself which gun feels most natural in your hand, is easiest to handle for long periods of time, or produces the least amount of marking. The best stud-welding equipment in the world might not do you much good if you hate using it. Instead, figure out your welding style and choose a welding stud gun that really suits you.

The stud-welding professionals with NFS can help you explore your welding stud gun options. Our experts are available for consultations, rental support, and sales at (651) 730-7770. Welders can also check out our website to find out more about our welding service options.

Food-Grade Welding with Sanitary Practices

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Ensuring that your fabrications satisfy the requirements of food-grade welding is as much a matter of quality welding as it is a matter of safety. Food-grade welding is, understandably, an incredibly strict area of production. While all welding comes with a level of risk, sanitary welding, when done improperly, has the potential to make a lot of people very ill. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we take safety seriously and can help you find the tools, techniques, and materials you need to create truly safe machinery with food-grade welding.

Food-Grade Welding Designs

No matter how skilled or precise your welding may be, if a planned design is poorly suited for sanitation, there’s a good chance the final product will never be approved for food-grade production. Understanding the type of designs that lend themselves to food-grade welding is the first step to creating safe and consistent fabrications.

A key aspect of sanitary welding design is ensuring that no fastening or part of the machine has the potential to catch or trap food debris. Designs featuring many sharp angles, divots, or nooks and crannies can become a hotbed of bacterial growth that can quickly lead to illness. This is true in every type of food-grade fabrication from single machines intended for school use to wide-scale factory conveyors. In fact, every step of food-grade welding must be checked and double checked to ensure that it lives up to the strict requirements by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Welding Materials

And similarly, a perfectly designed machine will never be a sanitary weld without the correct materials. Porous materials or materials that are prone to corrosion can become health hazards when placed in a food-oriented environment. Sanitary welding materials such as stainless steel are well suited to such projects, but in order to ensure that they stay safe, materials must have a smooth surface and zero risk of flaking and coming into contact with food.

A combination of highly skilled welding and high-quality materials can facilitate such fabrications, and NFS can assist with both. If you’re working on food-grade welding projects and are in need of high-quality materials, tools, and support, we’ve got your back. Keep your food safe and your machines sanitary by calling us today at (651) 730-7770 or visiting our website for more information.

 

Proper Welding Protective Gear Stops Welder’s Flash before It Happens

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Your eyes are one of the strongest tools in your repertoire as a professional welder, but without proper precautions, it’s all too easy to end up with temporary or permanent vision damage while on the job. Welding injuries can happen on any site, large or small, which is why Northland Fastening Systems (NFS) urges all welders, professionals and hobbyists, to always wear their welding protective gear.

Welding Protective Gear Protects Your Eyes

 Welder’s flash, arc eye, and flash burn are all names for the same welding injury that occurs when a burst of UV light emitted from a weld burns your eyes. It only takes a moment of exposure without welding protective gear for this type of burn to occur, and depending on the severity, you can be left without vision for minutes, hours, or longer.

Along with being painful, welder’s flash can suddenly hinder your vision, which can in turn, lead to further injury. When you’re on a job site, a single welding injury can create a sort of domino effect. Welder’s flash is especially dangerous because it leaves you vulnerable in a high-heat, high-risk environment mid-weld.

Why Gear Matters

 Eye protection while welding isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a necessity. And it’s important to remember that welding protective gear isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. The type and style of protective gear you wear should be directly related to the weld you’re working on. If you’re wearing goggles or glasses that aren’t equipped with the right kind of lens you can find yourself blinded at the least opportune moment.

Welder’s flash is one of many types of burns or welding injuries you can sustain on the job. Even if a welding injury seems minor at first, your body may not be able to recover if the same type of injury keeps recurring. If you’re invested in welding for the long run, proper welding protective gear is your ticket to a long life of clear vision and safe welds.

If you’re in need of welding gear, NFS can help. Welders can reach out at (651) 730-7770 or contact us for more information on our welding protective gear and other welding accessories.

Stud Welding Cables in Your Welding Gear Arsenal

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Just about every welding project going on today is carried on the back of high-quality cables. Cables that run across job sites, up several stories, down into the recesses of new builds, and beyond. The best welder in the world can’t do much without heat, and stud welding cables are the key that transfers all that power into your workspace. At Northland Fastening Systems (NFS), we provide stud welding cables that get the job done.

Protecting Your Stud Welding Cables

 Just like any other vital piece of welding gear in your toolbox, taking proper care of your cables can make or break your welding experience. Stud welding cables should be housed somewhere safe when not in use and checked carefully for faults, cuts, or tangles prior to and after being rolled out. Welders also need to verify that they’re using the correct gauge and ampacity for the job at hand, and that the output matches the cable’s intended capacity. Irregularities such as power failures or surges can be tied to a damaged cable, and can also be a major safety hazard.

Protecting Yourself

 Cables don’t just magically end up where they need to go of their own volition, so it is vital that you place cables carefully and manage how they’re situated across your job site. Stud welding cables should be placed in such a way that they aren’t impeding walkways or could be at risk for damage in the middle of active welding. Despite their unassuming appearance, cables are a type of welding gear like any other. That means they should be treated as potentially dangerous and handled professionally to prevent unnecessary risk to welders and other workers.

Cables carry a lot of weight in the world of welding, and unexpected cable failure can be a major inconvenience while on the job. NFS provides replacement stud welding cables for rent or purchase and for jobs of any size. If you need some new welding gear, or are looking for repairs for your current kit, our experts are here to help. Reach out at (651) 730-7770 or visit our website to see our cable options and beyond.

Fastening Systems that Lead to Stud Welding

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Even before humankind started building large structures to house and transport people, fastening systems were being used. In fact, the practice of soldering and connecting fine metals can be traced back to the Bronze Age. In the 1800s, gas welding became more popularized and refined, and finally by the 1900s, the American Welding Society (AWS) was founded. Northland Fastening Systems (NFS) was founded 87 years after the AWS came to be, and has been providing stud-welding equipment and fastening solutions to prospective and professional welders ever since.

Early Fastening Systems in the 1930s

In the 1930s, an early iteration of stud welding was being used to construct ships, and “the rest,” as they say, “is history.” Large constructions were needed for military operations, transport, and rising industries. For each emerging challenge, stud welding proved to be a sturdy and effective solution. As far back as these historical landmarks occurred, they still hold a relevance to stud welding today: specifically, that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Refinement of Systems

The intricacies of modern stud welding have become more refined, and our technology has continued to advance rapidly in the 21st century, but the staying power of stud welding persists. This is, in part, due to the fact that, at its core, stud welding is a relatively simple fastening system. Bolting, drilling, tapping, and other potential fastening systems had their heyday, but the simple and powerful bonds created by stud welding are difficult to surpass. With centuries of evidence boasting its effectiveness, stud welding is consistently the solution to whatever type of construction called for.

NFS is proud to provide tools, gear, equipment, and logistical support for a fastening system that has shaped our world. Professional welders looking to take their welding into the future can reach out to us at (651) 730-7770 or visit our website for more information on our stud welding services.