Getting Started with CNC Automation Steve Shrader Ah, ‘tis the season. Sure, you traditionally hear that expression around wintertime, but we’re talking about a different season altogether: BCMC Season! Which means Shopping Season! It’s that season when CMs start to study automation and equipment that gains automation.... Read More October 2022 Issue #14279 Page 80
The Spida Showcase of Products at BCMC Wendy Boyd Spida has put together the most wonderful range of machinery to see at BCMC 2022 — we’ll have an extensive showcase of products to ensure your production is streamlined and ready to face your bottle-necks head on! If you’re ready to become less dependent on your fluctuating... Read More September 2022 Issue #14278 Page 19
Triad’s ProFusion Sheathing Bridge at BCMC TRIAD / Merrick Machine Company Team What will you see when you enter the show floor at the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) this month? Well, you are certain to see the Triad ProFusion Sheathing Bridge! We’ll be in Booth #1301, which is near the show floor entrance. ProFusion features an unmanned... Read More September 2022 Issue #14278 Page 50
Incremental CapEx ROI and Plant Tours Edmond Lim, P.Eng. With the forecasted housing backlog and ongoing tight labor market, shouldn’t all truss plants be modernizing by investing in automation? That is easier said than done. One strategy to modernize is to automate with incremental investments. In my experience, the best way to get over the... Read More September 2022 Issue #14278 Page 62
The Last Word: The Last Word on Totally Robotic Joe Kannapell Attendees at BCMC 2019 stood safely right next to an awesome gesticulating robot and became immersed in observing record-breaking truss building – virtually, that is, through a VR headset. Back then, Trussmatic robots hadn’t made it stateside, and hadn’t yet handled our crazy... Read More September 2022 Issue #14278 Page 130
Enjoy the Show at BCMC 2022 Wendy Boyd In last month’s article, We’re ‘Not Slowing Down’ Until We Reach BCMC 2022, I talked about many of the reasons why you should come visit our Spida booth in September. This month, I’ll quickly remind everyone of some of the other reasons to attend this year’s... Read More August 2022 Issue #14277 Page 17
How to Rev Up During a Long Lead Time Edmond Lim, P.Eng. Just when you have calculated your traditional CapEx ROI saying “Yes,” you cannot pass “Go” until 2023 because your new machinery lead time is a year away. Now what? Now you should prepare for it! Instead of focusing on the wait, get better organized before your... Read More August 2022 Issue #14277 Page 50
Maximizing Lumber, Space, and Speed with Vekta Rob Bellian The most common cause of downtime for an automated saw is a lack of lumber on the infeed conveyors. Feeding a linear saw can be a very labor-intensive process. Operators will fatigue and naturally slow down over the day and loading mistakes can cost a plant significantly in lost productivity.... Read More August 2022 Issue #14277 Page 56
The Last Word: The Last Word on the Promise of Robotics Joe Kannapell When $20 Billion behemoth Builders First Source (BFS) launched a robotic truss line in April, CMs were surprised that they would select House of Design (HoD)’s first truss machine, and the industry’s first robotic floor truss line. Remarkably, after just over 3 months, they’ve... Read More August 2022 Issue #14277 Page 134
We’re ‘Not Slowing Down’ Until We Reach BCMC 2022 Wendy Boyd This year’s BCMC theme is “No Slowing Down” and that sums up the activities at Spida! We’re now in full production mode with the exciting task of putting together our booth for the next Building Component Manufacturers Conference being held September 12–16 in... Read More July 2022 Issue #14276 Page 21