This year, more than 48,000 attendees and 1,900 exhibitors will head to North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, laser cutting, welding and finishing event. Fabtech 2019 will take place at McCormick Place in Chicago Nov. 11-14 and will give visitors the opportunity to meet with world-class suppliers, see the latest industry products and developments, and find the tools they need to improve productivity and increase profits. During the four-day event, attendees can also sit in on educational sessions and expert-led presentations where trending topics will be discussed. From additive manufacturing and industrial automation to the Internet of Things (IoT), tariffs and workforce development, Fabtech covers all of the issues affecting fabricators and manufacturers today.
Welding gun neck
American Torch Tip Co. will introduce the Lightning Flash quick-change gooseneck. The design is patent pending and allows for easy out-of-position welding applications. No tools are needed to change positions (rotate the gooseneck) or change out the gooseneck and it takes seconds. The neck locks into eight different positions. It is available as an option on Lightning straight handle 250- to 450-amp guns to save time and reduce awkward welding positions. Jump liners are included with the product pre-installed.
Booth No. B35043
Robotic welding
Fanuc America Corp. will demonstrate the CR-15iA collaborative robot that performs arc welding without safety fences. Other highlights will include robotic additive manufacturing using arc welding with a ServoTorch to build a finished part from a 3-D model and interactive lead-through teach with an ArcMate 100iD robot equipped with easy-to-use hand guidance feature. Laser seam tracking using two ArcMate 120iD robots and robotic laser welding with the FF3000i-A and two material handling robots will also be shown. 
Booth No. B27033
Laser welding
Coherent Inc. will showcase ExactWeld 230, its turnkey solution for automated, precision laser welding of metal parts. It includes a 200-W fiber laser, part clamping, up to four axes, user friendly software, an optional vision system and factory automation capabilities. These features combine to maximize weld quality and increase production yields, process consistency and operator productivity. The laser solution also incorporates SmartWeld technology for producing complex “beam wobble” patterns, including circular and zigzag paths. SmartWeld enables bridging of larger gaps, which relaxes tolerances and increases process flexibility.
Booth No. A5906
Pipe cutting
HGG will showcase the ProCutter 600 and 900. Both machines are available with oxyfuel, plasma, marking and CAM interfaces. They lower fitting and welding costs and provide full penetration welds. The SPC 500-1200 chuck-type stationary pipe cutting machines process and cut a variety of materials, sizes and wall thicknesses, making them suitable for all kinds of applications. They are also available with oxyfuel, plasma, marking and CAD/CAM interfaces, providing savings on welding and fitting costs, optimum operator safety, ease of use and CAD-to-machine efficiency.
Booth No. B29094
Weld monitoring
IPG Photonics Inc. will have several products including the LDD 700 weld monitoring solution that provides more than 20 different data points designed to reduce costs and improve weld quality in real time. The Adjustable Mode Beam and High Peak Power solutions for cutting more efficiently and reducing welding spatter will also be shown. Several laser systems will be on hand and live demonstrations will be running throughout the show. IPG will share its booth with recent acquisition robotic solutions provider Genesis Systems.
Booth No. B19038
Welding torch tool
Bug-O Systems Inc. will highlight the Torch Incline, which provides the ability to modify the torch angle while keeping the contact tip in the same position relative to the previous bead. The product’s curved arm is engraved with angle markings to allow torch angle positions from -10 to +30 degrees. These markings allow the welder to set the torch at the required angle and repeat. The Torch Incline can be mounted to the Modular Drive System Linear Weaver and used with the automatic height control feature to perform repeatable mechanized welds in the horizontal position.
Booth No. B31031
Robotic welding
Yaskawa Motoman will highlight AR-series 6-axis robots designed for arc welding applications. The robots are available with 8-kg to 25-kg payload capacity to support a variety of sensors and torches for flexibility. The compact AR700 and AR900 robots are for welding small parts with complicated angles in tight places with an overarm torch. A slim profile design allows close proximity placement of robots for high-density workcells. As an option, the manipulator cable can be connected on the bottom of the robot to avoid wall interference.
Booth No. B27056
Fume extraction
Abicor Binzel will showcase the xFume Robo source capture fume extraction for robotic welding applications. xFume Robo utilizes a unique mounting booth and extraction dress hose system to capture harmful welding fumes at the source inside the robotic cell. The xFume VAC Advanced performs with high-vacuum fume extraction efficiency for up to two manual fume extraction welding guns. The xFume removes up to 99 percent of the harmful welding fumes and features an automatic filter cleaning and automatic start/stop function to lower operating costs and extend parts and filter life.
Booth No. B19062
Electrode storage
Diamond Ground Products will showcase the Arc Saber storage container designed to protect tungsten welding electrodes. Great for a tool box or work table, it holds up to nineteen 1/8-in. (3.2-mm) tungsten electrodes. The tungsten storage container features high-impact polyethylene and HDPLA plus plastic; a 12.5-lb. pull rated rare-earth magnet located in the base; a threaded-on cap with O-ring seal; a wood strip to minimize atmosphere and moisture contamination; and reference stickers for taper and size. The company will be doing a product giveaway promotion at the show.
Booth No. B37034
Weld seam tracking
ABB Robotics will showcase its software option for optical seam tracking. The 2.5D optical sensors have one laser stripe to measure Y and Z and orientation around X. The 6D optical sensors utilize three laser stripes to measure joint position (X, Y and Z) and orientation (three Euler angles). The laser-based optical triangulation sensors perform non-contact measurement of the joint profile, refine the garnered joint information and then forward the joint information to the robot, resulting in the necessary weld path corrections on the fly.
Booth No. B17044
Fume extraction
Nederman will introduce the new generation of its FMC dust collector for safely handling fume and dust associated with multi-source metal fabrication processes. The collector features a proprietary cartridge filter design that includes nanofiber filter media, easy filter maintenance and an enhanced cleaning system that increases system capacity, decreases emissions and reduces operational costs. The FilterBox portable weld fume collector has been upgraded with new nanofiber filter media technology that surface loads dust and smoke more efficiently, resulting in higher overall production efficiency, due to improved cleaning, maintenance and filter life.
Booth No. B31074
Welding products
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products will feature ten new filler metal products, new cutting automation solutions for cutting corners and smaller diameter pipe, a portable wire feeder users can leave in the rain, a regulator for extremely high flow applications and new systems for manual plasma cutting, automated orbital welding and data-driven innovations. ESAB University, a dedicated learning area within the booth, will feature multiple daily educational sessions by welding experts and digital media personalities. Hands-on opportunities will include stations for welding, manual plasma cutting and oxyfuel cutting.
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products
Booth No. B17087
Welding gun consumables
Bernard and Tregaskiss will showcase AccuLock consumables for semi-automatic and robotic welding applications and will participate in live welding demonstrations. As part of those demonstrations, the AccuLock S consumables will be paired with Bernard semi-automatic MIG guns, power sources from Miller Electric and filler metals from Hobart in a shared area with these brands. Bernard and Tregaskiss will have representatives available to answer questions about semi-automatic and robotic MIG gun and consumable solutions and provide information on the companies’ technical and product support.
Bernard and Tregaskiss
Booth No. B23054
Cutoff wheels
Along with presenting several of its new products, Pferd Inc. will partner with Milwaukee Blacksmith, a family-owned business and stars of the History channel television show of the same name. Milwaukee Blacksmith will demonstrate how to put different finishes on a steel globe using Pferd products. Pferd will also introduce VictoGrain, a high-performance abrasive grain along with cut-off wheels, flap discs, grinding wheels and brushes that work with the Bosch X-Lock quick-change system for angle grinders.
Booth No. B31017
Filler metals
Hobart will offer live demonstrations of its filler metals for manufacturing, construction and fabrication applications. Each product has been chosen for its ability to increase productivity, improve quality and reduce costs for end users. Hobart will host demos and display filler metals alongside Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Bernard and Tregaskiss. Hobart representatives will be at the booth to answer product, technical and application-related questions and to guide visitors who would like to try welding firsthand.
Booth No. B23054
Welding software
Pemamek Ltd. will introduce its Pema Technology Hub that will demonstrate the user-friendly WeldControl software family, which helps streamline the communication between the operator and machinery during welding operations. Production data monitoring, diagnostics, tracking and robot programming can be performed by one operator on a one-panel control system. Specific versions are designed for various industries such as shipbuilding, heavy industry, and oil and gas. The Digital Showroom App will also be featured. The app allows users to experience how simple the company’s welding rotator, roller beds and assembly station work.
Booth No. B35050
Welding systems
Miller Electric Mfg. LLC will showcase its latest welding and safety equipment, including the Deltaweld system with Intellx feeders. Deltaweld delivers pulsed MIG capabilities to help operations reduce welder training time, minimize spatter and rework, and improve weld quality. The new Intellx Pro dual wire feeder option provides flexibility. The Big Blue 400 PipePro welder/generator helps pipeline welders tackle daily demands to produce high-quality work as quickly as possible. The Dynamic DIG technology automatically adjusts the amount of current required to clear a short.
Booth No. B23054
Resistance welders
Dengensha America Corp. will highlight its range of resistance welders, including the NDZ-AC with current up to 33 kA. Suitable for mild steel, it is available in 35-kVA, 50-kVA, 70-kVA and 100-kVA model versions. The NDZ-MFDC welder is for mild, galvanized and high-strength steel, as well as aluminum, and with current up to 42 kA. It is available in 35-kVA, 50-kVA, 70-kVA, 100-kVA and 150-kVA model versions. There is also an NDZ-CDW (capacitor discharge) welder suitable for high-strength steel, as well as hot stamp, galvanized steel and small projections.
Booth No. B23070
Grinding wheels
Weiler Abrasives will showcase the new Tiger Pipeliner grinding wheels and Tiger Mech notching wheels, developed for demanding multi-pass welding applications. Also on display will be a diverse portfolio of 6-in. products, including Tiger AO, Tiger Zirc and Tiger Ceramic cutting and grinding wheels and power wire brushes. The company will soon expand its 6-in. flap disc product offering to include Tiger X, Tiger Paw, Wolverine and high-density flap discs and will also showcase these abrasives.
Booth No. B33031
Cobot welding
Hirebotics will officially launch its BotX Welder that utilizes a Universal Robots’ UR10e collaborative robot arm. The for-hire BotX Welder lets manufacturers automate arc welding with no capital investment. The UR10e cobot is easy to teach, producing automation quality with small batch part runs. There are no installation costs and with cloud monitoring, manufacturers pay only for the hours the system actually welds. The complete product offering comes with the UR10e cobot arm, cloud connector, welder, wire feeder, MIG welding gun, weld table and configurable user-input touch buttons. The customer provides wire, gas and parts.
Booth No. B35083
Welding platform
Fronius USA LLC will highlight the TPS/i Twin Push welding system, which is compact, easy to use and network capable. It integrates enhancements to the welding process. For users this means higher deposition rates, higher welding speeds and increased efficiency in production due to the reduced need for pre-fabrication and rework. The high processor power of the TPS/i improves the synchronized Twin Push tandem process: The process is even more stable and reliable, and the enhanced gap-bridging ability saves the user time at the component preparation stage.
Booth No. B27050
Fiber discs
Norton|Saint-Gobain Abrasives will highlight BlazeX F970 fiber discs. The discs enable faster rust removal, and enhanced cleaning and detailing processes for better finishes. Users performing right-angle grinding on a routine basis will see immediate results using the discs due to improved micro-fracturing grain. By consistently exposing sharper grain edges, this improvement delivers a better cut rate and longer disc life when compared to blended ceramic alumina discs. Coarse grinding applications are supported through four key grits of 36, 50, 60 and 80.
Booth No. B33062
