When you have on-the-job questions, who do you turn to? Often it’s hard to find good answers for specific questions. We certainly hope that Industrial Heating is one of your go-to resources. Our website offers a great search feature, and our affiliated experts offer you access to their contact information.
With the exception of what you can obtain from Industrial Heating, information typically comes at a cost. Consultants offer excellent assistance. For instance, Dan Herring is a great independent consultant. But services from these folks are not free, and sometimes you just need to learn about what you do and why you do it. A hired expert is not necessarily the best way to do that.
Can I recommend an alternative available to you this fall? FNA 2014 returns to Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 6-9. It’s a great way to consult with some experts face to face. Do you have a controls or instrumentation question? A number of companies such as Eurotherm, Yokogawa, SSi, Control Concepts, Marathon Monitors, Furnace Control Corp. and many more will have their experts available to answer your questions and help you with solutions on the show floor … for free.
Another informational benefit at FNA is the 40 technical sessions over two days. The quantity of these instructional seminars has more than doubled from 16 in 2008. That means there is a wider variety to interest attendees whether your thermal-processing needs are induction, vacuum or atmospheric.
To give you a flavor of what you will see and hear, the following experts/consultants will present technical talks: Medina Kaknjo from Ford Motor Company, Rick Sisson from the Center for Heat Treating Excellence, Bill Jones from Solar Atmospheres, Dan Herring from The HERRING Group and Mark Brown from Kaman Aerospace. In addition to these industry experts, topics for the remaining 35 technical presentations will fall within the following focus areas: surface treatments, vacuum heat treating, pipe and tube, emerging technologies, aerospace, automotive, fixtures and alloys, controls and induction, and general business management. If you happen to attend one of the sessions that I am chairing, please stop and say hello.
As you can see, FNA 2014 will provide you a lot of opportunity to learn and grow in your thermal-processing career. What else will FNA provide? Your company may be less interested in this side of it, but in addition to the social networking provided on the show floor and technical sessions, Nashville has a lot to offer visitors. In addition to the sights and sounds of the city, FNA is offering a welcome reception on Monday, Oct. 6. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, there is a show-floor reception followed by another reception prior to the Ultimate Comedy Theater. Your paid FNA registration gets you access to all of this.
With America’s largest heat-treat-only event coming right up, it would be a shame if you missed out on the technical education and the fun. If you have not done so already, make plans immediately to join us at FNA 2014. I look forward to meeting many of you in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 6-9. IH
