FABTECH 2012 defied the Las Vegas odds and came up a winner. Attendance for the threeday event was a robust 25,903, and the combined net square footage for the exhibition was 465,330. Crowds and optimism marked FABTECH, which was held Nov. 12–14, in Las Vegas, Nev. On the welding side, 522 exhibitors occupied 174,129 sq ft. Although uncertainties still exist in the economy, many manufacturers see an improving growth rate in 2013. In addition to the exhibitions, there was a full arena of educational opportunities throughout the three days. More than 100 conferences, seminars, technical presentations, and keynote speakers were offered to the attendees. One discussion that garnered a standingroom only crowd featured a panel of experts who offered an analysis on the presidential election result and how it may affect manufacturing in 2013. A roundup of that analysis is reported later in this article. Following is a daybyday review of the show’s highlights. WELDING JOURNAL 29 Monday, November 12 Annual Business Meeting Convenes. William Arent, director of economic and urban development, Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, welcomed the American Welding Society to the city of Las Vegas, noting the city has a population of 600,000, with another two million in the surrounding area. Challenges still exist in the manufacturing and construction sectors, but he sees opportunities developing in both of those areas. “It is time to dwell on the positive,” he said. “Manufacturing in the United States is still the strongest in the world.” The 93rd business meeting of the American Welding Society was called to order by AWS President William Rice. Dignitaries from 15 sister organizations in the United States and from around the world were recognized. President Rice then noted this has been a very good year for the American Welding Society. He went on to list some of the Society’s achievements during 2012. In that list were the continuing development of American Welding Online (AWO), a series of online courses for education and certification programs; AWS hosting the International Institute of Welding’s 65th Annual Assembly, which attracted 800 attendees from 49 countries; scouts all over the country earning the Boy Scout welding merit badge, the development of which was spearheaded by AWS; the success of the traveling Careers in Welding trailer, which has exposed thousands of young people to welding; and the Society’s move into a new World Headquarters, which had its grand opening this past November. President-elect Nancy Cole spoke of the shortage of welders that still plagues many industries. “To meet this shortage, we have to improve the image of welding, invite new faces into the profession, and get the word out of the good pay and opportunities that exist,” she said. “Women have been underutilized in combating this shortage,” she continued. “I will celebrate women in welding and encourage more to enter the profession during my presidency.” Cole noted the many past and present achievements of women who have advanced their careers through welding. Adams Lecture. Professor Sindo Kou (Fig. 1) of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has spent much of his career studying fluid flow and solidification of the weld pool. Fundamental research at the university has demonstrated the follow- Fig. 1 — During this year’s Adams Lecture, Prof. Sindo Kou related how fluid flow and solidification during welding dominate the fusion zone of the resultant weld.
Welding Journal | January 2013
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