Page 80 - MetalForming October 2016

Extreme Welding
A Minnesota maker of aftermarket parts for snowmobiles cut production time by more than 50 percent by switching to wave-pulse gas- metal-arc welding.
When you craft aftermarket accessories and replacement parts for enthusiasts of power sports, it’s a given that your products will take a lot of punishment. Extreme snow- mobile riders and racers, for example, want greater control and stability so that they can push their machines to the limit. This means that suspension and other components operate under a great deal of stress, holding design, materials and fabrication to extreme standards.
That’s why Jake Hawksworth of Skinz Protective Gear and his team of expe- rienced welders constantly look for new and better welding techniques. Hawks- worth oversees metal fabrication at the Paynesville, MN, production facility for the company that his family launched in Arizona in 1996. As the name implies, the business began as a designer and manufacturer of knee pads, elbow pads and other gear to protect mountain- bike riders, as well as protective bicycle covers, transport cases and the like.
While Skinz continues to serve bike enthusiasts, after moving production to Minnesota in 2004 the company expand- ed into the snowmobile market and
Transfer from GTAW to wave-pulse gas-metal-arc welding (GMAW) welding of alu- minum components, which comprises about 90 percent of its welding tasks, has enabled Skinz Protective Gear to cut production time in half and reduce labor costs. “(Our) welders particularly like how easy it is to change settings for different parts, and that the gun is easy to articulate,” explains Jake Hawksworth, who runs the company’s Paynesville, MN, production facility.
78 MetalForming/October 2016
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