VeriForm opened for business on August 1st, 1997 in the old Savage Shoes building on 1144 Industrial Road in Cambridge. Seven years later, we purchased our current 20 Lindsay Road site and in 2007 we expanded that site from 11,400 to 26,000 square feet.
Now we would not have been able to achieve these milestones, and survive over twenty years in business if it were not for the amazing relationships we’ve built with clients, suppliers, and many other good people in our community. In fact, while we serve our customers there are four core principles that are a key component of our business model:
Serving the Local Community,
Supporting Sustainability and the Environment
Developing and Providing Education for our Staff
Supporting the Education of Young People in Waterloo-Wellington Regions
TIG welding is the most versatile kind of welding. TIG welding is precise and can be used for most types of metal: aluminum, stainless steel, carbon, magnesium, titanium, cobalt, nickel, copper alloys, niobium, as well as tungsten.
Here are the most commonly asked questions involving TIG welding.
What Is Tig Welding?
TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas.
Technically it is called Gas Tungsten Arc Welding GTAW and also known as Heli-arc welding. Heli-arc welding historically is a nod to the Hobart “Heli-Arc” machine from the 1930s developed to weld magnesium.
Mechanically strong and visually appealing, TIG welding is becoming increasingly critical for industry and has attained new popularity in recent years.
In the automotive and aerospace industries the process has helped reconfigure components making them lights thereby reducing fuel consumption and savings on ever-higher fuel costs.
It is a particularly effective and economic way for welding light gauge metals (under 3mm thickness) and for welding metals difficult to weld with the conventional welding process.
How Does Tig Welding Work?
In TIG, metals are fused together by heating them with an electric arc established between a non-consumable (does not melt) tungsten electrode and the workpiece. The molten metal, tungsten electrode and the welding zone are protected from the atmosphere (the air around it) by a stream of inert gas through the welding torch. The resulting welds have the same chemical integrity as the original base metal.
TIG welding is similar to oxy-acetylene welding in that you use a filler material for build-up or reinforcement.
Can You TIG Weld Aluminum?
The process is well suited for aluminum and is most frequently associated with the process. However, the process can be used to weld almost all metals and metal alloys in use today.
Such metals include the following:
Aluminum and aluminum alloys
Magnesium and magnesium alloys
Low alloy steel and carbon steels
Copper and copper alloys
Nickel and nickel alloys
Joining carbon and alloy steels
Reactive materials (for example, titanium and tantalum)
Exotic alloys and aluminum are being used more than ever to build vehicles.
What Kind of Gas Do You Use With a Tig Welder?
Shielding gases are used to protect and cool the welding area from atmospheric gases, heat transfer, not to mention help start and maintain a stable arc.
Normally for TIG welding Aragon is used. Helium may also be added to increase penetration and fluidity of the weld pool.
What Kind of Gas Do You Use for Tig Welding Steel?
An argon/ hydrogen mixture is the preferred gas for manual TIG welding for stainless steel (of austenitic grades). The hydrogen helps to collect oxygen close to the weld pool for a cleaner weld surface and minimizes the need for a post-weld clean.
Where Is Tig Welding Used?
Gas Tungsten Arch Welding or TIG has found applications in the:
Aerospace industry – aircraft
Sheet Metal Works
Metal Furniture
Most Notably Automotive Transport Industry
for any vehicles including cars, trucks, hot rods, choppers, professional racing teams, as well as auto hobbyists and enthusiasts
VeriForm received its 6th brake press earlier this year, making VeriForm the largest bending shop in Ontario and possibly the Eastern USA. With over $1 million in brake press tooling, VeriForm can form practically anything your engineers can design.
Metal fabrication is the process of constructing structures from raw materials by processes like cutting, bending, and assembling. Metal fabricators (companies specializing in the process) are known as fab shops. Metal fabrication is a “value-added” process because the additional value is added through various stages of production.
Machine shops and fabricators are very similar with the expectation that fab shops concentrate on welding and forming metals.
Metal Fabrication Process
Processes
Metal fabrication begins at the planning stage. Fab shops employ many different experts, including ironworkers, welders, boilermakers, blacksmiths, and professionals that convert raw materials into their final products. Since metal fabrication is the overarching process, it involves many different processes, including specialty techniques, which can involve:
– punching, welding, forging, casting, brazing, shearing, drawing and spinning
as well as
– die-cutting, hydroforming, finishing, shrinking, roll forming, spinning, stretching and stamping
Even higher levels of specialization include electrical and hydraulics services
Materials
Standard raw materials used include metal, fittings, castings, formed and expanded metal, sectional metal, flat metal, and welding wire.
Future of Metal Fabrication
Where is the future of the metal fabrication industry headed?
The key to success in a volatile market in this industry is keeping up with the rapidly changing demands of customers while maintaining high output capability, with machinery that is becoming more sophisticated. It is about learning to balance capacity with variability.
For metal fabrication shops this means
continually optimizing machinery and the manufacturing process
keeping an eye on the customer base and economic trends
innovating new ways to support customer demands and variability
increasing streamline practices
focusing ability in reliably to product out-capacity output
VeriForm since the beginning has made modern investments, streamlining our manufacturing process from top to bottom, to meet the demands of our diverse customer base without cutting corners. All this while, trying to help preserve the environment. This has helped us cater to your needs at any given time.
VeriForm was recognized with a graduation certificate for its 10-year commitment to reducing energy consumption and becoming a Sustainable Waterloo Gold Pledging Partner. The company proudly attended the 8th Annual Evening of Recognition on Thursday, April 27th, 2017 at Maxwell’s 35 University Avenue East to
Left to right: Tova Davidson (Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo), Gerry Cutting (Energy Manager at VeriForm, Emily Aria Rak (daughter of Paul Rak VeriForm’s owner), and Matthew Day (RCI Program Manager) Emily Rak received the diploma on stage that evening on behalf of VeriForm, for graduating from the 10-year commitment for sustainability. Photo Courtesy of Sustainable Waterloo
Reducing the amount of CO2 emissions via electricity and natural gas usage has always been a priority for us however since the year 2015, 100% of CO2 emissions were completely eliminated. Going from 245 tons of carbon emissions to an amazing 64 tons. On top of that, VeriForm has been growing and building by 145% since 2007.
Carbon Emissions Results Up Until 2016
See the acceptance speech below:
We are proud to say that it has been 12 years of CO2 awareness for the company and 2 years of being carbon neutral. These numbers highlight the true commitment and dedication of the VeriForm team with many more to come!
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Left to right: Tova Davidson (Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo), Gerry Cutting (Energy Manager at VeriForm, Emily Aria Rak (daughter of Paul Rak VeriForm’s owner), and Matthew Day (RCI Program Manager) Emily Rak received the diploma on stage that evening on behalf of VeriForm, for graduating from the 10-year commitment for sustainability. Photo Courtesy of Sustainable Waterloo
