Page 36 - MetalForming September 2019

Fabrication: Energy Market Report
infrastructure as well as energy-con- trolling technology, with metal formers and fabricators helping supply needed components and enclosures. One company, Fabricated Metals, head- quartered in Louisville, KY, constructs aluminum and steel trackside signal- ing-equipment enclosures for PTC sys- tems. In 2015, the ramp up toward mandatory PTC saw a 50 percent increase in orders at Fabricated Metals for these enclosures—somewhat sim- ilar to previous enclosures the com- pany has built for traditional signaling equipment, according to information provided by the company. Keeping pace, Fabricated Metals has supplied the all-welded enclosures, from alu- minum or a variety of steel grades, in various sizes and door arrangements. The walls are constructed of interlock- ing modular insulated panel sections with sealed seams. Inside walls have vertical channels with keyholes for mounting shelves, mounting boards, wire chases and tag boards.
EVS Metal, headquartered in Riverdale, NJ, has teamed with Columbia University (NY) students to assist in fabricating precision metal parts for their student race car club (pictured along with its electric vehicle). With its arsenal of laser cutting, CNC punching and welding machines, EVS Metal laser cut and welded an accumulator (the vehicle’s internal power compartment) for the club’s electric vehicle (EV), while also fabricating a fuel tank and tabs for another non-EV club racer.
Hot Stamping Potential Beyond Automotive
Conventional wisdom, and the his- tory of the process, suggests hot stamp- ing as an automotive application. But
as the technology takes hold world- wide, it’s getting a look for other weight- saving applications, including those in the energy sector. For example, a Chi- nese research paper explores hot
34 MetalForming/September 2019
www.metalformingmagazine.com