In last month’s article, “NEXPLATE: Achieving F1 Pit-Stop Speed in Truss Production,” we analyzed a production run of 80 long-span agricultural trusses using an “all-or-nothing” approach to automated plate distribution. We demonstrated how Enventek’s NEXPLATE...

As discussed in “Rediscovering Automated Builder“ in March, I’m working to build a comprehensive Automated Builder archive website. As a lifelong fan, I’ve come to realize that we need to recapture this great legacy before it’s lost to the digital age. While I am a...

At a high-volume truss plant just outside Denver, Colorado, one person now keeps 14 build stations supplied with plates — truss by truss, across six tables. Not long ago, that same job meant carts of partial plates scattered across the floor, boxes and totes stacked wherever space was...

When one of the largest truss companies came to see JAX The Wood Retriever picking for three saws, they asked, “Why not five saws?” Watching our one gantry doing a good job, it became obvious that the JAX system could operate with more than one JAX gantry, like a roof truss...

Approximately 50 companies again made the trip this year, from across the US, Canada, and Brazil, to view Triad wall panel, sub-component, and stair manufacturing equipment as well as the Ruvo line of interior pre-hung door equipment at the Triad/Ruvo (Merrick Machine Company) National Trade...

Component manufacturing is a constant balancing act. People, timelines, communication, production realities, and customer expectations, all at once. Estimators are trying to turn quotes around faster, designers are solving problems that keep getting more complex, and production teams are...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is everywhere we look lately. From health care to education to manufacturing operations, AI leaders claim their applications will improve productivity and streamline business processes in every way imaginable. Some say it will replace jobs, while others...

I shouldn’t admit I wasn’t excited by the Artemis II mission, even though the TV was telling me I should be. I was unable to escape the coverage though, and I ended up with a few takeaways I hadn’t expected. Bridging Entertainment and Inspiration Even though I...

It’s about time that a serious contender challenges the dominance of the roller gantry. Its life has been extended with lasers and auto-puck systems, but no upgrade so far has taken the hammer out of the hands of assemblers, its greatest drawback. The only alternative, the vertical press,...

Six decades of partnership, practical innovation, and growth: That is the legacy Alpine® celebrates as it marks its 60th anniversary. Turning the big 6-0 is something that hits some people hard, while others consider themselves lucky to reach that milestone. But a business in a competitive...