Most people associate the seasonal transition into October with the long-celebrated traditions of dressing up in spooky-themed costumes and consuming too much fun-sized sugar on Halloween at the end of the month. For a rapidly growing segment of the country, though, there is another day we spend time observing – Manufacturing Day.
Today, Glacier Tanks is launching our Fabrication for Manufacturing Day Sale, so we felt it was the perfect time to dive into this topic. Check out our sale!
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s pause to identify what manufacturing actually means. Manufacturing is a diverse sector that, in its simplest terms, transforms raw materials into finished goods. Some examples of big-name manufacturers are:
This sector plays a pivotal role in the development of several societal areas, including technological innovation, job creation, and productivity.
Occurring annually on the first Friday of October, Manufacturing Day marks the beginning of Manufacturing Month. When you first hear the term manufacturing, you might picture old dusty warehouses and outdated conveyor belts meandering their way through the old technological world to reach consumers at a glacial pace. The reality is that of a much more rapidly advancing community eagerly embracing the wave of modern developments reaching the industry.
The origins of this day date back to fall 2011, when leaders of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA) and the National Institute of Standards of Technology – Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) came together for a now historic discussion. Dileep Thatte of the NIST MEP was visiting the president and CEO of FMA, Ed Youdell. The conversation began around how NIST MEP was assisting US Manufacturers and led them to explore the concept of exposing more people to manufacturers and the world of manufacturing.
In Ed Youdell’s own words, “we should have a special day when we should get FMA members involved with NIST MEP. But then we thought that this platform would be much broader than just for FMA members. So, we went on a broader scale and created Manufacturing Day. The idea was to allow the manufacturers to open their doors in any way they see fit to invite the community, their schools, their educators, the legislators, and others, so that they see what modern manufacturing is and the value of manufacturing for the community.”
This movement has led to over 300 events observed in over 40 states every year, right as the Halloween decorations start sneaking out of closets and attics. It is this marriage of the digital and physical manufacturing worlds that has allowed industrial advancement and expansion to occur at such a high rate in recent years.
One specific facet of manufacturing that is especially prominent today is fabrication. While manufacturing focuses on mass production of products, fabrication tends to happen on a smaller scale by constructing custom products from unfinished materials such as metal. A major type of fabrication is welding, or the process of joining materials by melting parts and allowing them to cool and solidify. This is a process often used by clients of Glacier Tanks when utilizing products from our store, whether it be in the brewing, extraction, or food production industries.
Let’s examine some of the products Glacier Tanks offers to assist our customers in their fabrication processes and how they relate to the manufacturer's process:
Tri Clamp ferrules offer the strength of a solid welded fitting, while still retaining a Tri Clamp end that connects to the rest of the Tri Clamp family of fittings. If intended to be mounted on the side of a tank, may we suggest you look into Tank Weld Ferrules, as their thicker walls may offer a more robust fitting with less finish work.
Weld concentric reducers, as their name implies, reduce in diameter towards the center, thus forming a conical cylinder. A concentric reducer is often used inline on a vertical flow application, or if laid horizontally, as an increaser. Tri Clamp eccentric reducers are designed primarily to reduce in a horizontal flow application. Because they are flat on one side, there is no risk of pooling, unlike their concentric reducer counterparts.
DIN, short for 'Deutsches Institut für Normung' or 'German Institute of Standardization', is a set of standards that covers a wide array of items, from sanitary tubing and fittings. A DIN weld male to Tri Clamp adapters greatly simplifies the transition between the European and American standard sanitary fittings.
Manways are designed for pressurized or vacuum applications and feature robust gaskets and locking mechanisms. They come in round, oval, elliptical, and rectangular configurations to suit various operational needs. Manholes, on the other hand, are optimized for non-pressurized environments like utility access or low-pressure storage tanks and offer simpler sealing and are typically mounted on the top of vessels.
All these products are currently on sale for our Fabrication Sale for Manufacturing Day. Shop here to save 20% off these welding parts and accessories.
Not only do we sell these parts in our store, but we also work closely with some local manufacturers and fabricators to aid them in developing, optimizing, and troubleshooting their processes and goals using our stainless-steel products. Here are a few of these local brands that Glacier Tanks supports. Check them out!
Whether it’s from the aluminum Pepsi can you drink out of on lunch, the frosty Pilsner you savor after a long day of work, or the cannabis tincture you utilize for its medicinal purposes when you go to sleep, you have most likely been touched by the world of manufacturing in your daily life in some way. These industries are vast and growing, with new technology spearheading advances all the time. Glacier Tanks proudly embraces the many facets of manufacturing, from the fabrication-focused parts we offer to the industrious clients we support using these products and processes. Next time you need a new or replacement part for your manufacturing or fabrication process, visit Glacier Tanks.
Proudly Serving Our Customers
See All Reviews
Nathan Rice
Duane Teach