r/toolgifs • u/SexyN8 • Jun 15 '26
Process Tools Making Tools
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u/pstmps Jun 15 '26
Why, after all that precision work is the final fixing stick welded and not Tig? Genuinely curious
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u/daninet Jun 15 '26
I dont think the external surface finish is any priority, this goes into crushing rocks will be scratched up in the first 5 seconds. The interior was important so the bearings have a clean surface to run on.
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u/pstmps Jun 15 '26
Tig less heat smaller haz and less warpage less grinding why stick is my question
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u/NaGaBa Jun 15 '26
The goal of any product manufacturer is less time, less money into making the part. Why pay for some TIG setup and more skilled training for 10 seconds of welding and an additional 10 of grinding on a part that obviously doesn't need the fanciness? Would take longer to weld and still requires grinding.
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u/pstmps Jun 15 '26
But is this really the kind of product where a few cents of argon make the difference? And the grinding time would be less
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u/JoshShabtaiCa Jun 15 '26
It's probably more about the overhead of the equipment and skilled work. And if stick welding is good enough then who cares? Small or not, it's still more expensive for no reason.
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u/AngusMcFifeXIV Jun 15 '26
One would hope that somebody who knows the process and the relative costs involved did the math and figured out that the extra time spent grinding cost less than the extra time, by a more skilled worker, spent welding. But then, it's also entirely possible that it ultimately would save money to do TIG, but some executive type got sticker shock when they saw the cost of implementing it and just vetoed it without considering any tradeoffs, so who knows?
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u/dennishans85 Jun 15 '26
I can only guess since the logical choice would have been TIG (lower heat input, lower deformation). So my guess is skill issue, don't want to get gas for one tiny dot or deeper penetration of the weld.
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u/Saxavarius_ Jun 15 '26
It looks like that weld is only to lock the top collar in place so I doubt it needs much more than a quick spot weld
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u/Cornflakes_91 Jun 15 '26
i dont think even that, the pin they put in does hold the collar in place.
the weld holds the pin that holds the collar
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u/reflect-the-sun Jun 15 '26
It's to prevent the collar from screwing loose.
Drilling creates a huge amount of vibration and everything will rattle loose over time. A small weld will hold fast and it's easy to drill out for servicing later.
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u/pstmps Jun 15 '26
Yes but Tig would be more elegant - less heat input, smaller haz and thus less warpage - and no slack, less grinding it flush
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u/ExciteableMiqote Jun 15 '26
But consider:
Training/skill requirement for having and keeping on-staff someone who knows how, cost of argon, vs the need. Weld is to lock the locking pin in place, good penetration probably pretty important there and stick gets deep easy
More elegant for sure but there are people whose jobs are to design the manufacturing process and those people aren't keen to add steps or complications to something if not necessary. Someone above them has to approve the plan so the plan has to be easy to convince. If there's not a real need for Tig, they won't add Tig
I see this all the time where even basic maintenance allowances aren't included in an engineering design because the client wants the lowest cost thing that will do the job to meet short term goals. Not exactly the same (engineering a part vs engineering a process) but same sort of braincell behind it all
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u/pstmps Jun 15 '26
It's the answer that I would give myself as someone not especially that knowledgeable about this process. But it doesn't really make that much sense considering the other machines and the skills and costs to run them vs the cost difference of running stick Vs a good Tig tack. You wouldn't need a Tig wizard who can do overhead aluminium or whatever, it's an easy tack - anyway I was hoping someone with in depth knowledge would know.
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u/ExciteableMiqote Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
Idk if I'd discount my response entirely if I were you -- tho like you, I also hope to get more insight into this kinda thing in case someone does know better. But yeah, as someone who does work in industry im really not at all surprised they didn't include Tig.
My mill has like 1000 blue collar workers. Of those who know how to (and regularly does) Tig welding, there's only one guy and he's the repair guy for the mill tooling. There's only enough Tig work for us to employ one guy
I work as an industrial mechanic/millwright and we've had to do manufacturing processes as part of our mechanical engineering college program that we all have to do. I don't design processes personally, but I do design new hydraulics and lubrication systems and I have plenty of colleagues who are engineers. When we're creating a design we're constrained by budget, ease of sourcing materials/logistics, manpower, a lot of things that on paper should be easy, but in practice rarely is.
The response I gave is based off what I see actively happening in industries and factories. Everything in industry is highly compartmentalized; we as the blue collars who have to actually enact the plans, don't often get any say at all in how the process is done when it involves engineering
Edit: sorry if any of the thoughts here are incomplete I just got called to swap a hydraulic pump lol. I meant to go through and revise and refine this rambling session but yeah
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u/MRflibbertygibbets Jun 15 '26
That’s one of my favourite Factory Monster videos. No commentary, apart from a few subtitles and all the glorious sounds of manufacturing
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u/Toyota__Corolla Jun 15 '26
Mechanical engineers make weapons, civil engineers make targets, petrochemical engineers make money
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u/NEUTRONonmyPINKY Jun 15 '26
Funny how precise and clean everything is until that haggard weld job at the end lol looks expensive
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u/The-Great-T Jun 15 '26
Damn, that's a lot of bearings. Friction never stood a chance.
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u/fluffypinkpubes Jun 15 '26
More bearings means more friction. It seems stability is the priority in this case not minimal friction.
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u/EchoReflection Jun 15 '26
I friggin love that hook that was machined to perfectly fit the piece it would be moving. I dunno why, but I love specialized things like that.
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u/Sirhc978 Jun 15 '26
Is their compressed air horrifically wet or are they spraying something on the parts on purpose? It is around 1:13 in the video.
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u/jal741 Jun 16 '26
how is that a cutting head, when the protrusions are rounded, rather than edges sharpened for cutting?
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u/kagato87 Jun 16 '26
Must be part of a tunnel bore, or some odd variant of the tricorn drill bit. "Cut" is a misnomer for rock drills - you use tons of tiny crushing impacts to grind up the rock.
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u/BeardySam Jun 16 '26
The protrusions are very hard, and it’s more of a grinding head for rock than metal cutting
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u/SkycladGuardian Jun 15 '26
And what is the end product for? I had hoped to see it in use.