Should We Consider “Delivery” Load Cases? Glenn Traylor Years ago, truss design was focused on a simple calculation that determined the final forces that would be considered to be imparted on a truss component. These simple forces were used to determine the design. Things like snow, wind, and building materials weights were generally the only... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 35
From Pull Saw to PieceMaker Linear Saw Tony McCoy Immediately after I graduated from high school, my father, never one for complacency, sent me out to find a job for the summer. I remember walking into a local lumber yard looking for work. The gentleman I spoke with didn’t have a position, but he knew that the production manager at a... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 17
Does Your Plant Have a Culture of Quality? Glenn Traylor Quality, productivity, and speed are intertwined and impact each other. My previous article, Where is Your Focus on Manufacturing?, emphasizes that improving quality starts with implementation of the ANSI/TPI 1 standard—and, with that process, you will improve proficiency and speed. The... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 35
Has Your Guideline Shifted? Glenn Traylor Recently after receiving a phone call from a client, I reflected on our conversation. I was a little caught off guard with the direction the conversation took and felt like I needed to make a few issues clear. And, it has led me to reflect on boundaries and guidelines – why they exist and... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 35
Setting the Goal of One Thousand Pieces per Hour Edmond Lim, P.Eng. A “Thousand Pieces an Hour” is a golden truss production metric and a lofty goal for many component plants. If one thousand is the magic number, even at 75% efficiency, in a 7-hour shift (7 hours x 1,000 pieces/hour, at 75%) that would be 5,250 pieces with potential to achieve 7,000... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 48
Are You Making Correct Substitutions and Placements When Upsizing Connectors? Glenn Traylor Sometimes it is necessary to deviate from the truss design drawing and use a different connector. This may happen when a specific size connector is not available or when the original connector has been removed. Per ANSI/TPI 1 Section 3.6.3, a metal connector can be substituted if the new... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 35
Turning Supply Chain Constraints Into Opportunities Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Looking back at my articles in 2022, have you noticed what several have in common? Consider the plants featured in these stories: United Edge Structural Components, “In-Line Truss Production Starts With Lumber Picking” (December) United Truss, “The Most Automated, Most... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 52
Why Do I Need the Software Polygons? Glenn Traylor When completing an in-house inspection, a critical plate inspection is required for each truss inspected. This requirement is from ANSI/TPI 1–2014. Specifically, per section 3.7.1: No less than one critical joint per Truss selected for inspection, on average across all operational... Read More December 2022 Issue #14281 Page 35
In-Line Truss Production Starts With Lumber Picking Edmond Lim, P.Eng. This month, we get a sneak peek at a greenfield truss plant that drank from the same punch bowl as some established truss plants to Feed the Beast! Previous articles have highlighted existing truss plants that have literally banked on Enventek’s proven in-line lean manufacturing system to... Read More December 2022 Issue #14281 Page 54
Understanding Plate Tooth Count and Placement Russell Tangren, PE Imagine a third-party truss inspector is in the yard checking truss plates as part of quality control. The plate placement diagram indicates the web needs twenty-five teeth; however, the inspector counts twenty. Even though the shop positioned the plates as designed, is the plate placement... Read More December 2022 Issue #14281 Page 80