Page 18 - MetalForming December 2015

2015 Awards of Excellence
in Metalforming
Excellence in Design—
Quality Industries
Quality Industries, Inc. (QI), LaVergne, TN, received the 2015 Higgins-Caditz Design Award for its redesign of the Culer XC3000 atomizing evaporative cooler. QI employs 500 peo- ple, servicing the heavy-transportation, alternative-energy, electrical-enclosure, and towing and recovery-equipment industries.
QI manufactures the newly redesigned cooler with a com- bination of off-the-shelf components and custom-fabricat- ed metal components, including more than 150 separate line items. Most of the fabricated components are manufac- tured inhouse at QI using CNC punch presses, lasers, press brakes, CNC milling machines, arc- and spot-welding
The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) used the FABTECH stage in Chicago on November 8 to present its 2015 Awards of Excellence in Metalforming. Presented annually, the awards recognize the high standards of achievement set by the metalforming industry in the areas of design, product development, safety, process control, quality, productivity, and training and education.
machines, and a powder-coating system. Assembly takes place on a custom-built line designed, fabricated and installed by QI personnel.
Numerous enhancements and additions were made to the new-generation cooler, making it more powerful, compact, portable and durable—and more aesthetically pleasing— while also decreasing per-unit cost. Among the improve- ments:
• Updating the water tank from an off-the-shelf plastic tank to a punched, formed, welded and anodized aluminum tank;
• Lowering the fan body between the wheels, resulting in improved appear- ance and stability;
• Moving the
tank-fill location
from the top to the
side of the unit, cre-
ating a more convenient height for filling;
• Moving the atomizers into custom-designed brackets to hide unsightly tubing and fittings and prevent moisture from collecting on the front of the grill;
• Reducing the weight of the unit by more than 100 lb. through FEA analysis of key support structures and opti-
Does Your Metalforming Company Deserve Recognition in 2016?
Share your success—and brag a little—by submitting an entry for PMA’s Awards of Excellence in Metalforming 2016. It’s your chance to recognize employees and earn industry recognition. To learn more, visit www.pma.org/awards, or contact PMA’s Christie Carmigiano at 216/901-8800, ccarmigiano@pma.org.
16 MetalForming/December 2015
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