Joe Kannapell

Wall Panel Technology Prequel: Birth of the Component Industry

Joe Kannapell

Prefabricated wall panels made their first big impact under a government program in World War II. In 1942, the federal government began contracting with 50 existing prefab housing plants to deliver dwellings for 42,000 wartime workers. Since this work was highly repetitive and required rapid...

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March 2024
Issue #16296
Page 10
Ed Serrano

Focusing on Safety with Vekta and Dahlsens

Ed Serrano

One of the central goals of the frame and truss sector is that everyone goes home safely every day. And while the Razer has been designed from the initial engineering stage with safety at the forefront, some customers, like Dahlsens, require more stringent safety aspects, so we customize...

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March 2024
Issue #16296
Page 50
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: Removing the Achilles Heel of Jigging

Joe Kannapell

Until recently, vertical members have been the bane of all jigging systems, whether they occur on the perimeter or the interior of trusses. And they are found more than ever on apartment and residential designs. Handling these members without human intervention has been the Achilles heel of...

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March 2024
Issue #16296
Page 146
Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part IX: Floor Finale

Joe Kannapell

To complete this floor series, it’s worth examining how we’re doing against I-joists. [For all graphs and images, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] Mixed Signals: Many CMs think trusses are slowly making gains, and this is backed up by the brisk sales of floor machines. However,...

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February 2024
Issue #16295
Page 10
Wendy Boyd

Reaping the Benefits of the Spida Wall Line System

Wendy Boyd

Over 7 years ago, we introduced the first of our new generation Spida Wall Extruders to the market. Today, we have taken a massive step further and it just keeps getting better. Recently demonstrated at BCMC 2023, the Spida Raked Wall Extruder can do it all – and it is only one part of an...

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February 2024
Issue #16295
Page 17
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: Floor Machine Fiascos

Joe Kannapell

Before leaving the subject of floor trusses, two machines deserve special attention, the Tiger Cat and the Structur-Span. Both included features that were way ahead of their 1970s provenance and both were markedly faster than even present-day machines. Both plated the truss with a single pass,...

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February 2024
Issue #16295
Page 136
Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part VIII: Inside Floor Truss Details

Joe Kannapell

Builders have been testing the viability of floor trusses, and they are now considering the results. Many of them switched from I-joists only because they were forced to do so. Either they couldn’t get them, or they didn’t want to pay double the price. Yet today, as they are seeing...

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January 2024
Issue #16294
Page 10
Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part VII: The Devil is in Those Details

Joe Kannapell

Building intricate floor truss details may bedevil a robot, but they provide the inherent advantage of floor trusses over I-joists. There are also things that floor trusses can do that I-joists cannot. And they facilitate the most efficient use of materials. Visiting an I-joist cut-off yard...

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December 2023
Issue #15293
Page 10
Joe Halteman

WTS and HoD Team Up to Bring Innovation to the Industry

Joe Halteman

Wood Tech Systems (WTS) has traveled thousands of miles and spent several years researching robotics while trying to find the best fit for the North American wood component industry. There have been many challenges in our industry when it comes to integrating robotics, but the biggest one in my...

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December 2023
Issue #15293
Page 50
Simpson Strong-Tie Staff

Innovation Redefined: The Future of Structural Testing with Our Million Pound Rig

Simpson Strong-Tie Staff

The future of full-scale structures testing and product development is here – and it is BIG. Our Tyrell Gilb Research Laboratory built a brand-new Million Pound Rig to help in the testing of our new Yield-Link® brace connection (YLBC), along with our many other products. Hear from Mike...

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December 2023
Issue #15293
Page 102
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