The manufacturing industry is one of today’s most humanly satisfying career paths. It is the business of creation. For instance, take carpentry, where you can specialize in producing 3D wooden logos for small to medium-sized businesses. This is just one of the many career paths in the manufacturing industry.
This industry is very wide. It includes all businesses involved in any activity that turns raw materials into consumable goods. These are the industries responsible for producing all consumable goods on the planet.
They can be generally divided into two, the large-scale manufacturers and the small-scale manufacturers. Examples of large-scale manufacturers are steel manufacturers, the textile industry, and the paper industry. Examples of small-scale manufacturers are candle making, furniture making, and leather item production.
There are basic tools and equipment necessary to begin any form of manufacturing. Like bench vices, drills, and cutting machines, these are permanent pieces you should own and never miss at your workstation. However, there are other tools that you may use once in a while in the course of your career.
They’re very important when you need them, but you only need them occasionally. You don’t have to stretch your pocket trying to buy these ones outright. The best way to do it is to find a trusted company with your desired tool or equipment up for hire.
In this article, we cover several items a manufacturing business may need in the course of its operational lifespan and the most commonly rented equipment in the industry today.
1. Measuring and Precision Measuring Tools
Measuring tools are essential to any manufacturing, fabrication, or commodity production company. Measuring tools range from tapes, steel rulers, speed squares, and the usual tape measures. They’re usually calibrated in two different units for length measurements. Some are calibrated using the imperial system, which measures in inches, feet, and so on (12 inches make a foot).
In contrast, others use the metric system, which measures in millimeters to centimeters, then meters, etc. (10mm makes a centimeter, and 100cm makes a meter). Most parts of the world use the metric system, but America largely prefers the imperial system. The metric system is believed to be better where more precision measuring is required, so keep that in mind.
Speaking of precision, there are tools specifically made for tasks that require precision. These are tools made to give super precise measurements. Most manufacturers will get to the stage in production where the slightest mistake can ruin a whole project.
Instances where precision is the only guarantee to get through and emerge with the desired outcome. Precision tools for manufacturers include calipers that measure tiny spaces like the thickness of sheet material; contour gauges that copy irregular contours along walls which helps produce pieces that will seamlessly lie against the in wall. Lasers can provide uniform measurements across large areas, like a hall.
This’ll come in handy in mounting shelves and other storage units on the walls. Lasers are the most commonly rented equipment among precision measuring tools. They range in reach, complexity, and quality. These are just a few measuring tools manufacturers need to increase their building accuracy.
2. Boring and Drilling Tools
You can’t escape the need to drill holes in the manufacturing business. Whether it’s in metalwork, woodworking, or working with concrete, the need will definitely arise. Some will require a hole that goes through the material, like key rings.
Others need partial holes or material indentations. For instance, in the construction of buildings, indentations are provided along walls for power-point and water-point installations. Inevitably, the need to make holes in the manufacturing industry will always come up.
Drilling is simply making holes in the material. It may be wood, metal, or concrete, to name a few. Boring is the process of modifying an existing hole. In other words, any added work after drilling. It may be increasing the size of the hole or modifying the hole to serve a specific purpose.
Both these processes are run by the same machine, a drill. The thing that changes is the bit. There are different types of bits built for specific purposes. Some are designed specifically for wood, others for plastic, and others for metal and concrete.
It goes the same for the boring bits. There are different types of bits for the varied boring needs and the materials on which the boring will be performed. The drills themselves merely vary in size. The main difference is the hammer feature, which allows for ease and efficiency in drilling concrete. Not all are fitted with this feature.
Drilling is commonplace in the manufacturing industry. The most commonly rented equipment here is the heavy-duty drilling tools required by various industries, including mining companies and water utility providers. Some companies have modeled their business around providing such rentals.
3. Cutting Tools and Equipment
Manufacturing, as the process of turning raw material into usable, consumable commodities, entails measuring and drilling and, equally as importantly, cutting. The raw material needs to be measured first; more often than not, it’ll also need to be cut. One of the most common activities that follow measuring is usually the cutting process.
Many methods are used for cutting, all depending on the material in question. The various materials you’ll come across in the manufacturing industry that require to be cut include wood, metal, plastics, concrete, rock, and foam. Given this variety, there’re many tools involved in the cutting process.
Most cutting tools in the manufacturing process are automated, yet some are manual, like hand saws. A whole list of saws falls under the category of hand saws used in woodwork and metalwork exclusively. There are no hand tools for cutting through rock or concrete.
Electric saws are a different case. They include circular saws, jigsaws, chainsaws, tables, and chop saws. Most saws just mentioned only cut wood, but some can be fitted with various cutting discs relevant to the material you want to cut. So circular and chop saws can be fitted with metal or stone cutting discs and do the job just fine. However, grinders are largely preferred to the disc-changing option.
There are also highly advanced cutting tools. Rock-cutting tools, for instance, use very high pressure to cut through thick pieces of granite or even basalt rock. Due to their complexity and high installation cost, rock-cutting equipment is among the manufacturing industry’s most commonly rented equipment for cutting purposes.
4. Thermal Equipment
Thermal equipment is another essential component of the manufacturing process. The different fields of manufacturing require a source of either heat production or cold production. In electrical and electronic engineering, soldering bits melt down the solder in producing motherboards and other circuit boards. Soldering pens and guns are heat producers that are very convenient to work with.
Blowtorches are another source of heat. Blow torches are specialized concentrated heat producers. They work by igniting a highly pressurized liquid accelerant through a tiny outlet. This produces a very hot blue flame jet which can be used in metalwork to heat up metals for different purposes like joining etc.
It’s also used in the woodwork to apply epoxy resin; blow torches are perfect for removing the bubbles from the finished resin mix. In our experience, blow torches are among the most commonly rented equipment in the small-scale manufacturing business industry.
Welding is another source of thermal energy. Welding is used to join metals, both ferrous and nonferrous metals. MIG welding is the thermal process usually used to join ferrous metals. In contrast, TIG welding is the best option when working to join nonferrous metals like aluminum or copper. TIG welders are among the most commonly rented equipment because welding nonferrous metals isn’t common.
The laser is another thermal producer used for cutting in metalwork. It can also be used for burning wood. This is where laser heat burns the desired pattern on the grain of the wood. It’s used in woodwork to produce letters, symbols, and even full images on wood, like wood printing.
Furnaces are also a thing in the manufacturing industry. They’re integral in the manufacturing of glass. Metalwork and metal fabrication also require a furnace.
You can only make metal alloys with a furnace. Thermal baths are another heat-producing equipment used widely in the manufacturing industry. The quickest example is in the plastic industry, where heat is involved both in the pet preform manufacturing process and in the recycling process as well.
For industries that use thermal energy or use thermal equipment in their manufacturing processes, it’s important to take fire safety measures. This is crucial in an accident, mainly when a fire breaks out. It’s essential to train staff on safety precautions while working and be equipped to extinguish the fire if and when it occurs.
Depending on the type of accelerant burning or the material that has caught on fire, you must employ the best method to extinguish the fire. Work closely with trusted fire equipment services that can handle your fire safety needs.
5. Hydraulic Equipment
Hydraulic equipment involves all equipment that uses a form of liquid to apply hydraulic pressure. These include hydraulic compressing machines, crushing machines, hauling machines, and earthmovers, to name a few. They use hydraulic pressure to produce a high output force that, in turn, runs the machine’s arms. The pressure in the hydraulic system is directed by using valves placed in specific areas to serve this purpose.
Hydraulic equipment is an essential and widely used form of pressure-producing equipment in the manufacturing industry. In the mining industry, for instance, hydraulic systems are used in trucks. Truck hydraulic services in the trucking system of a mining company are an asset that creates ease and speeds up the process of loading and unloading material.
The excavators lift material and quickly fill the truck using hydraulic pressure. The trucks then have hydraulic systems that raise the truck top spilling the material where it is required. Hydraulics are used to run highly specialized cutting machines, like the rock cutter mentioned above. Tippers and earth movers are the most commonly rented equipment in the building and construction industry.
6. Pneumatic Tools
Pneumatic machines make use of air to produce pressure. Compressing air through a small jet outlet creates pressure build-up that produces a significant amount of force. This force can run several machines in a small manufacturing business, including pneumatic hammers, pneumatic spray paint cups or guns, and pneumatic routers.
The air pressure is also advantageous in the work area for small workshops. They can use it to blow out dust and other high-pressure blowing functions that may be required in the workshop. Compressor machines are the most commonly rented equipment because they serve several purposes.
7. Hauling Equipment
Hauling equipment and hauling services are widely used in manufacturing. Large-scale manufacturing industries make vast consumable parts like ships. Such an advanced manufacturing company uses large single pieces of hefty materials needed to build the various parts of the ship. Other companies need such pieces to be ferried from one place to another. For hauling and hoisting such colossal pieces, hauling equipment comes in very handy.
Crane rental services are essential for hoisting large and heavy materials in the building and construction industry. Cranes are among the most commonly rented equipment in the construction industry. Equipment that can be used for hoisting much smaller loads is the pulley system. Pulleys have been used for centuries to hoist loads up. They are very affordable and very efficient.
Manufacturing is a central part of our economy. Every commodity we use has gone through the manufacturing industry. We have also looked at the key tools one needs in manufacturing and, lastly, the most commonly rented equipment in the various fields. For those with a career working in the manufacturing industry or those interested in joining the industry, be sure to follow all the steps required to produce an item.
A measure of fulfillment is gained from making a perfect piece that offers the users maximum utility and satisfaction. To achieve this, you must be cautious and intentional about consistently preparing an environment conducive to producing such results. From the industrial building design down to your industrial recycling bins, maximize the use of an efficient workflow and leverage technology to make your manufacturing business into a high-quality production and manufacturing firm.