At a whopping 250,000 sq. ft, this year’s NASCC: The Steel Conference exhibit hall can be daunting. Our Newsroom team walked all the aisles and the 355 booths Wednesday to find the things you shouldn’t miss this year. Drumroll, please…
See a rope hoist in action at Engineered Supply (booth 1755)
Stop by Engineered Supply to see a demonstration of its portable rope hoist system. Designed for easy use with roof and wall anchor points, this system ensures safe and protected maintenance access even beyond initial construction. In fact, AISC President Charlie Carter even used the rope hoist to take a ride to the ceiling during the Opening Reception!
Harness the power of plasma at EMI (booth 1158)
Grab a face shield and watch sparks fly from EMI’s Angle-Channel Processing Center that can cut through a steel pipe in seconds. “The plasma doesn’t melt the steel--it literally vaporizes it,” said manager Mark Ferrance. The machine can heat metal up to 20,000 degrees--twice as hot as the surface of the sun! Best of all, it cuts steel into the most complex of shapes at lightning speed.
Try your hand at steel inspection at Eterio Realities’ FabStation (booth 1365)
Did you know you can use augmented reality to check that steel beams are up to standard? Put on a pair of goggles at the FabStation and see for yourself! Use FabStation to get quick, precise measurements and seamless 3D model visualizations of complex steel assembly structures. It seamlessly integrates with some of the most popular detailing software, including Tekla, SDS2, Advanced Steel, SolidWorks, and Inventor.
Win a LEGO electric arc furnace at Nucor (booths 701, 801, 901)
Tap into your competitive side and test your knowledge of structural steel in just five questions! When you visit Nucor’s booth, you can get a hands-on lesson about the circular economy of steel production and answer some trivia questions for a chance to win a custom electric arc furnace LEGO set, socks, and other cool prizes.
Shoot your shot with Steel Plate (booth 343)
The AISC booth isn’t the only spot to get in the March Madness spirit! Stop by Steel Plate and practice your free throws--every sunk basket gets you a chance to win a San Antonio Spurs jersey signed by none other than Devin Vassell himself! Basketball fan or not, you’re sure to have a ballin’ time.
Meet your auditors at QMC’s first-ever booth (booth 1866)
QMC is flying solo! For the very first time, QMC has its own booth at the Steel Conference. Not only can you find out more about QMC’s audits when you visit the booth, but you can also glean some of the wealth of knowledge of its auditors.
Pour over Peddinghaus’ machinery (booth 400)
The orange carpet is an NASCC fixture, and this year it has five machines on display. Stop by to see the PeddiSubX 1120 beam drill line demo every 30 minutes and the PeddiSaw and the PeddiRotator upon request. The PeddiSubX is one of the largest machines on the floor that is demoing this year.
The PeddiWelder, one of the company’s new robotic welders, can’t demo inside the exhibit hall, but stop by for an up-close look and for a beer poured from a tap attached to the welding arm.
Get laser-focused at X SERIES (booth 642)
Laser cutters are growing in popularity because of their speed, which can be up to 12 times faster than traditional plasma cutting methods. X SERIES has three large screens playing videos showcasing two of its cutters that are designed for structural steel and miscellaneous metal fabricators: the Plate Lazer Plus high-speed plate processor and the Rail Blazer Pro.
The Plate Lazer Plus can cut steel plate up to 3 in. thick with laser power between 12 and 40 kw, a testament to how much laser technology has developed recently. The Rail Blazer Pro is for materials up to ½ in. thick to be used in light structural applications.
Drill down on tools at Wurth Construction Services (booth 1717)
Erectors and fabricators can try out useful tools at the Wurth Construction Services booth, namely the Unibor ELP50 on-site cutter. The ELP50 allows an erector to cut a hole in a beam that a fabricator might have missed, ensuring fabrication missteps are corrected in minutes. Elsewhere, try tightening multiple grades of Wurth’s bolts with drills, including one bolt that will automatically snap an end piece off to signal a worker that it has reached its necessary tightness.
Bonus: Get hands-on experience in the skilled trades at AISC's Workforce Zone
And finally, don’t forget to check out the Workforce Zone for some high-tech ways the industry and its partners are tackling the skilled labor shortage!
