Metalforming Matters

The U.S. economy is in recovery mode, adding an average of 221,000 jobs per month in 2015.  Last month, for the first time since early 2008, the unemployment rate fell below 5%.  In the last 12 months, the number of unemployed Americans decreased by 1.1 million.  Manufacturing has been an engine for growth.  The sector is expected to create 3.5 million new jobs in the next decade.  But manufacturers still face a number of challenges related to recruiting and retaining qualified workers.  As many a 2 million of the expected 3.5 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled due to a lack of skilled workers. In a recent survey of One Voice members (PMA members and members of the National Tooling and Machining Association), 77 percent of members reported they currently have skilled job openings.  For those with job positions, 66% reported having 1-5 jobs open, 8% have 6-10 openings, and 4% have between 11-20 open jobs. Finding the right people ...

To keep your company on top, it is essential to have partners you can depend on.  The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) is proud to have served the metalforming industry as that trusted resource for nearly 75 years.  An investment in a partnership with PMA can provide you with: Opportunities for networking and business development through PMA’s conferences, seminars and local districts Significant discounts on a wide range of training systems and educational materials Partnership with PMA affinity partners that save time and money on shipping, equipment, utilities and more This video demonstrates how membership in PMA can keep your company equipped with the most current information and the best tools to be competitive in this ever-changing environment. Have we piqued your interest?  Contact Sarah Billman, PMA sales and relationship manager, at sbillman@pma.org or 216-901-8800 to connect with the only national trade association dedicated t...

Pete Ulintz PMA Technical Director Stamping high-tensile-strength materials can affect the size, strength, power and overall configuration of every major piece of press-line equipment, including, presses, feed systems and coil-straightening systems. Consider the following: Cutting, blanking and punching stresses produce unloading forces in stamping presses called “snap-through” or “reverse-tonnage” loads. Because high-strength materials require greater stress to blank and cut as compared to mild steel, they generate proportionally greater snap-through loads. These forces can easily exceed the limits for which the machine was originally designed, resulting in premature wear, damage and sometimes catastrophic failures. Energy is expended with each stroke of the press and this energy must be replaced. Critical attention must focus on the size of the main drive motor (horsepower), flywheel mass and the rotational speed of the flywheel when stamping higher-strength materials. The...