Gunar Gossard with BLM Group USA

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Fabtech Orlando, industrial innovations, laser cutting, metal fabricating, sheet metal, tube processing, automation advancements, AI integration, robotics, precision manufacturing, BLM Group, Gunar Gossard, metal fabricating equipment, flat sheet lasers, high-pressure dry air

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Scott. Welcome to the Industrial Talk Podcast with Scott. MacKenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's

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all right once again. Thank you very much for joining Industrial Talk. You industrial Pro. You are here, and you are welcome. Thank you very much for supporting Industrial Talk, and thank you for what you do. You're bold, brave, you dare greatly, you innovate, you collaborate, you you solve problems each and every day. Therefore you are making the world a better place, and you must be celebrated, and you must succeed Absolutely. That's what Industrial Talk is. Here for you. We are broadcasting at fab tech. It is in Orlando, Florida, and it is it's amazing. It's big, it's robust. It has pretty much everything that you could possibly imagine. And then some you need to put this on your calendar for next year. It is a must attend event. You will be dazzled by it, and you get to kick the tires of a lot of this innovation and technology that exists out there. It's all cool. It's spinning all right. Speaking of people that are solving problems, we have Gunar gossip in the hot seat, and then we're gonna be talking about the BLM Group. So let's get cracking. Yeah, good conference. Been

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I have to show this to anybody out there. Check this out that they're producing. They're manufacturing these things on site, laser cutting these tubes. And then they put them all together. They fit. There's no rattle. They're so precise. It's, I have one. That's what that means.

02:13

He's got one. If you're if you're here, stop by the booth, you can get one as well. We're cutting these all day. We're cutting these all day.

02:19

We are. They were cutting it when I was there, and it's like, oh, that's so cool, man. Our

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square round ball. We like to call that round ball. We make it we make it in sizes from half inch all the way up to 12 inch square, using those, those dimensions to put it together. It's a lot of fun. It's been, been a conversation piece, and it sits on a lot of people's desks all across the country that have been into our booth over the over the years.

02:43

How long you've been producing these things?

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02:50

2007 You're legendary. So it just gets better and better, and the technology does a better job. Here's

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the design on it has changed over those years, right? You can, you can put whatever you want. We want to, you know, we got a little BM, BLM logo etched inside of it. You know, sometimes we'll market with, they've got the fab tech logo on one of the one of the tubes as well. And so a lot of times we'll identify which city that the the shows going on and everything else. So, so it's a lot of fun, and that's all sketch etched by the laser too. Yeah, exactly. So it's, it's right in the process. We just program right in there and say, Hey, we don't want to cut through. We just want to etch that. It etches it out, moves on to the next feature and cuts it out. So it's our technical team does a good job of coming up with good ideas and and fun ideas that are appropriate for for the location or or event what it is in our booth this year, and our our brochures, they had an they had an alligator mouth track. Kept capturing a frog with palm trees in the background, right? And so that's where we put our brochures on there. And the guy sat around and put that together. So

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nuts about this stuff. This is so cool, because you could, pretty much whatever I would imagine. You got a lot of creative individuals out there, and they were just saying, you know, I can do this. Yes, I was, I was having a burrito last night, and I was thinking through this, and I said, Yeah, I can do this. Let me just fabricate this. You

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got it, I mean. And that's, you know, in our booth, one of the other things in our booth this year was, was exactly that we've got an arcade game for a four person to stand there to play an arcade game that was our technical team sat down and said, Hey, what are we going to come up with? Well, they use the cut and fold technology that we use on the on the laser tube, cut on the laser tube, our flat sheet laser cut with the whole Old holes cut out of it. Insert PEM, insert thread that we can do right in the in the two blazer, put it wrapped around, get it painted up, and it turned out fantastic. And then there's a great video of it, showing them how they put it together. And there's no welding on it. It's just put together through cut and fold and slot and tab. Just share. Yeah,

04:58

she's ever ready? To wrap this conversation up, I'm already geeking out. Fantastic. Eight, four for the listeners out there, Gunar, give us a little background on who you are.

05:07

Yeah, so Gunar, Gossard, I work for BLM Group. BLM Group is an Italian manufacturer of metal fabricating equipment specializing in sheet metal and tube processing equipment and and myself. I based live out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, but have responsibility as a director of sales across North America, primarily US and Canada. We do do some of our customers that are are down in Mexico. We work with them and supporting them down there. But products from two Blazers press brakes to bending equipment, up to six inch diameter flat sheet lasers and five axis laser systems, wire bending so the full gamut of metal product, metal fabricating equipment for sheet and tube and wire.

05:52

You've said that before, haven't you? Yes, you said it a couple of times. Yeah, absolutely been through that. Yeah. Do you have this conversation with your wife? No,

06:02

I try to avoid it. She may ride along me in the car and catch a phone, phone call from somebody asking about and she'll hear it on that but, but generally, no.

06:11

So, why are we? Why is it so important? What changes have you seen as a result of this? I mean, there's, it's come a long way. You've been, how about how long you been with?

06:22

I've been with BLM 12, years. So you've seen a lot of changes. Absolutely, it has. I mean, you know, the real simple things is, is when two Blazers came out in the laser technology, not only two, but but flat sheet as well, right? It's taken multiple processes and condensing it all into down to one areas, where before, I used to have to saw, cut it, and then go to a notching machine, and then go to a drill, drill line to put these holes in it. Or maybe it had to go to a machining center to put it in. That took, you know, 30 minutes to do it. Well. Now we're making those parts in less than two minutes in a lot of cases. So beginning to end, getting to end right and then and reducing that secondary operation right with the assist gasses that are being used now, whether it's nitrogen for the laser cutting nitrogen, oxygen, a mixed gas option, a nitrogen generation system, high pressure dry air, you know, that allows, if a customer before, with the water power increase that are available in the industry on the flat sheet, being able to use nitrogen and CIS gas, that eliminates the need for maybe a secondary cleanup on an oxide layer that may impact how it's going to adhere for for paint. If they're doing a powder coat or liquid paint, you know, they may have had to go to a secondary operation to clean that up. That's been eliminated, because now they can use nitrogen or a high pressure dry air that doesn't leave that oxide layer can improve that edge quality on the bottom side of the cut, that's there we see in an aluminum with high pressure, dry air cutting thicker products that we see a cleaner edge, less dross on that backside. That saves saves people time and money, whereas I used to maybe had to go to machining to get that edge quality. So it's really making advancements, both in the gasses that are used, but also the power that is now available with with the resonators in the marketplace. So it's not just one area. It takes both.

08:10

Primarily laser. Yes,

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we are, we are 100% laser in ours. We do make a cold saw, so we still do cut some bars to link with, with the traditional cold saw methods. But, but primary, it's in the laser side.

08:24

Tell me. Tell me about the other options that exist out there to be able to sort of do certain things like this. Yes. Give me a comparison. Why laser is, is a preferred Yeah.

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I mean, there's, you know, you still have the plasma, high definition plasma, or plasma systems out there that that can still work well, the laser, what it gives you is a little better, higher quality finish, right? I might tolerances can be a little tighter. I have less dross, less less clean up, maybe on that secondary operation, and it can be faster in the in those applications. So that's it. You know, on the flat sheet side, you've got water jet. Water set is still a good option, you know? It gives you a very clean edge. The difference is, is a speed, the productivity that I can do with a laser versus a water jet as that system, but there's still, there's still needs to it, right? And that if the heat affected zone comes in and the guys taking it to that secondary operation to be machined, they may want to water jet and can get real tight tolerance, so that they don't have to machine as much away. So again, the end goal is reducing that production time, reducing that cost to production so so that the parts are finished, cost less be done faster and get it to your customer or into the end product and out the door. Speed

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is really an interesting component, as well as quality. Take us through what you can expect. Let's say I'm designing something. I'll back up, back up, just take us through the quality component associated with with laser, and what you're doing and why that there's a there's a return on that investment. There's. Speed? Yes, right? There's

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a speed, absolutely component that that leads to it and, and there's a lot of conversation about speed in the industry right now, for some of the power that are available on the machines to do it and how quickly it cuts that, there can be a point of where the limited return on it because, all right, I've cut this as fast, but I can't get it off the machine and into the next phase that I may need to go, you know. So, all right, there's a balance between those things, but the quality component of it, you know, when I'm cutting a hole, used to be, hey, what? What size diameter hole can I laser cut? Well, it's a one to one. So if I'm cutting quarter inch thick material, I can do a quarter inch hole. Well that we because of the technology, the the piercing capabilities, the the sensing, the art, the intelligence that is available in the machines today, as soon as it rolls through that both sides of the of that surface, being able to move on to do it and improve that, that quality as it goes through. So now I can get into a smaller hole than what that thickness is that time. And that can be big, you know, so it doesn't have to go to a secondary optionary operation and still have that quality. They need to end up in the final

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product. Are there any limitations, like the thickness of of the material? Yeah,

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there. There are still some, some limitations on thickness. You know, here at the show, we have BLM. Our max wattage on our flat sheet laser is a 20 kilowatt, there's 30, there's 40, there's even some 50 kilowatts in the marketplace that are, you know, talking about, and pushing the limits in that inch and a half and above that typically have been reserved for the plasma cutting world. So there's that technology is out there, and people are testing those limits. That before we didn't think we're we're really going to be feasible, that it made sense. But now it's, it's pushing that limit and looking at new at new avenues for that laser with that power.

11:48

When you started, what, 12 years ago, as it always been, sort of laser centric, yes,

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12:24

Put your future hat on. Where are we going? Probably do, can you sort of share with us what that Yeah, I mean, obviously AI,

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yeah, no, I won't say, I will say automation, yeah, right. You know, I look, looked at our our booth, and that challenged our team this this year, as we look at Fabtech coming up next year that, you know, I want to have systems with, with robot on every, every machine that we've got, unloading, moving that parts of that, that next phase, right? I mean, that it's there. We're doing that already, but being able to continue to build, build that solution, and customers to get ideas of what, they can do, how it may fit into their facility. Everybody's different. Everybody need there's not a one, one solution fits all for that automation, right? And but sometimes you just need to see that it is possible. And, you know, so the automation is going to continue to drive, drive our entire industry. AI, yes, what it's going to look like? I'm really not sure. You know. I don't it. It's going to, I think AI, from a high level view, in my opinion, is going to be processing the data quicker and being able to provide some, some insight into to some, some things that we do in the programming side, to say, All right, we don't need do it just, here's all the data process that kick out the data that's there to help us make decisions better, right? That's that's happening right now. Yeah, and continue to build it, but we'll see where that goes. I, I'm not, it's not clear to me yet exactly how it flows. There's

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an application that we I've had this conversation a number of times, and yeah, I think you're absolutely right. If, if there's gold in that data right, whatever that looks like, whatever that might be. Yeah, you need the ability to be able to process and look at that data in a very rapid and concise way, and then be able to flip over whatever tactical correct insights that you want to be able to sort of deploy correct when you start talking about automation. Yes, these are sort of cobalt type of

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15:03

Are you leaning towards certain providers of robots? Are, you know, trying to be agnostic? Yeah, you've

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got to be right. I mean, our customers have their preferences, you know, we'll probably find one that's worked with us. If we're doing a solution just based on partnership and and how those softwares communicate to it, but you've got to be able to provide solutions that give, give the customers ability to to meet the needs of they've got and the sequence they've they they put in place, and where they're going.

15:33

You're great. This is a great conversation. It's fun. Felt like I was drinking from a fire hose. By the way, I have one of these

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very cool, very good. Glad you've got one.

15:45

Yeah, all right, for the listener out there, how do you how do they get a hold of you? Gunar, you can

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reach me at G dot Gossard at BLM Group USA, or check me out on LinkedIn. Gunar, Gossard, no no, 593, after Yeah. I'm not sure what it is actually off top my head. So just look, look me up. Gunar gossip with BLM Group.

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All right. He was, that's Gunar man, fantastic. You could tell he's passionate about what he is doing team BLM Group, excellent, excellent, excellent. And we're going to have all the contact information for Gunar, so don't worry about it. I'll have his LinkedIn stat card out there on Industrial Talk. We're broadcasting from Fabtech Orlando, Florida. You're not here. You need to be here next year. It is great. You get to be people like Gunar and many others who are really focused on your success. Stay tuned. We will be right back.

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You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network. You all right.

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Gunar. Is his name? Yep, Gunar. Gunar, gossip. BLM, Roop needed this. Check this out if you're out on the video. They were making these things right there. As you can tell in the interview, I was dazzled by it, and rightly so, because, well, it's pretty doggone cool. They just do it. The future is bright in manufacturing. Now I'm all excited. That was Fabtech, too, by the way, Fabtech excellent event, annual. That was you can just kick the tires on all the technology that you want and how it can impact in a positive way your manufacturing. It's it's awesome. All right, Industrial Talk is here for you. I say it all the time. If you have a podcast, put it out on Industrial Talk. If you have technology, put it out on Industrial Talk. If you just need to be on Industrial Talk to amplify your message, because we all, we want everyone in industry to succeed. Yep, give me a buzz. Go out to industrial. Talk.com Be bold, be brave. You're greatly we're gonna have another great conversation coming from Fabtech, surely. So stay tuned. You.