Above: Carlucci Welding & Fabrication uses the Lightning Rail CNC marking machine from Automated Layout Technology for layout of structural steel assemblies.
July, 2024- If a fabricator of structural steel and miscellaneous metals does not have someone who can lay out handrails and stairs properly, problems will arise no matter how good the drawings are. And no matter how effective the layout person is, mistakes will be made. That’s according to Canio Carlucci, president and CEO of Carlucci Welding & Fabrication Inc.
Carlucci says he launched the business in Norwalk, Connecticut, a decade ago to perform heavy equipment repair and then established the company as a fabricator and erector of structural steel and miscellaneous metals that handles about 3,500 tons annually. The fabricator has about 70 employees working in the field and at its 10,000- sq.-ft . installation shop and 20,000-sq.-ft. structural shop.
“We’re about 80 percent commercial work and 20 percent residential,” he says, noting that stairs and railings represent 35 to 40 percent of the work. “We do a lot of high-end architectural metal works like spiral stairs, mono stringer stairs, architectural stairs and railings, glass walls, shelving, cladded cabinets all of that stuff .” To lay out stairs, railings, ladders and gates, Carlucci Welding previously performed the task manually, using buttons and framing squares to draw everything, he explains. “We would draw our angles on the bench and get ourselves set up there.”
At a trade show, Carlucci says he saw a better way to lay out the needed configurations and inquired about it. What he witnessed was the Lightning Rail fully automated CNC marking machine for layout of commercial handrails from Automated Layout Technology LLC in Hudson, New Hampshire.
When ready to drop the coin, Carlucci says he made the purchase from fabrication equipment distributor Metals Machinery LLC in Londonderry, New Hampshire. “Then, once I got it running, it was like, oh, my God, this is a no-brainer. I can’t believe I waited this long to buy it.”
PAINT BY COLOR
That was two years ago, and he says the machine paid for itself in half that time, estimating that the Lightning Rail reduces overall production time by 50 percent.
Carlucci Welding & Fabrication specializes in architectural work like stairs and railings.
Compared to consuming about 40 hours to lay out manually, laying out a five-story stair tower for ingress stairs with railings, for example, requires about five hours with the Lightning Rail, with everything ready for cutting and assembly, he notes. “It’s like paint by color. Post one goes here, post two goes here, balusters go here.”
Carlucci Welding uses the machine with its single-dot ink jet marker to print on 14-gauge sheet metal using the standard red ink, and other colors can be ordered. ALT reports that the Lightning Rail is driven by 840-watt AC servomotors coupled to planetary gear reduces, producing an accuracy of ±0.004 in. in any 72-in. area with a repeatability of 0.004 in., and travel speeds are up to 1,200 ipm.
At Carlucci Welding & Fabrication, the Lightning Rail CNC marking machine reduces overall production time by 50 percent
Carlucci Welding uses the machine with its single-dot ink jet marker to print on 14-gauge sheet metal using the standard red ink, and other colors can be ordered. ALT reports that the Lightning Rail is driven by 840-watt AC servomotors coupled to planetary gear reduces, producing an accuracy of ±0.004 in. in any 72-in. area with a repeatability of 0.004 in., and travel speeds are up to 1,200 ipm.
The table length is just under 30 ft. and 4-ft. or 8-ft. table widths are available. Carlucci says his machine has a 4-ft. table width, which is all that is needed for layout of stairs and railings, but he would not hesitate to buy one with an 8-ft. table if the shop had adequate space and the appropriate applications. “I’ve never had a situation where I wish I had the eight-footer. The eight-footer is great if you are going to use it as a welding table as well as a layout machine, because you could have two fabricators working on it at the same time.”
Carlucci Welding & Fabrication’s work is about 80 percent commercial and 20 percent residential.
Carlucci Welding, however, does not perform any welding on its Lightning Rail, he says. Instead, the machine feeds four work benches where teams perform assembly and is suitable for feeding as many benches as needed. Some larger fabrication shops have multiple machines. “If I had room for a second one, I would do it, but I just don’t have the space.”
With maybe one exception, he adds that all of Carlucci Welding’s serious competitors have a Lightning Rail. “It’s essential to being competitive in miscellaneous metals.”
RADIUS RELIEF
If a design has curves or sweeps, the shop will print the layout and all the associated parts and will build those using the layout table as well. “If you’re doing something with a radius, your curves will come out perfect every time,” says Carlucci.
For laying out stringers, for example, on the Lightning Rail, he explains that ALT provides the software that works with a fabricator’s detailing software to nest and mold the stringers onto stock length channels. An operator loads the table with channels, marks which ones are being printed, presses go, and the machine lays them all out in a matter of minutes. The stringers then go to a fabrication table, are cut to size and components are welded to the stringers. “You can essentially build a staircase without ever touching the tape measure.”
The company has 24 sheets, or plates, that are marked to keep four benches working, Carlucci explains, and has used those same plates for railing production since purchasing the equipment. The printed layouts on the plates wash off with acetone or another odorless, biodegradable solution. “We’ve never had to replace them. They’ll last forever.”
In addition to sheet metal, Carlucci uses the Lightning Rail to print on cardboard and corrugated plastic to make templates. “It’ll print any DXF file in one-to-one scale and it’s very accurate. However creative you or your team are is really going to be the only limitation.”
To operate the equipment, he says just about anyone can be trained to be a proficient operator in two days. In addition, the machine requires minimal maintenance, and the cost of consumables is “negligible.”
Carlucci adds that ALT’s customer service is “unbelievable,” and he has even received assistance on a weekend. “There’s not much to go wrong with it. It’s usually something really simple.”
For instance, an operator did not follow the proper shutdown procedure and the ink dried in the print head, which caused the machine to stop printing, he says. The fix took about five minutes to remove a part, soak it in acetone and reinstall. According to Carlucci, the Lightning Rail CNC marking machine is a game changer for anyone doing meticulous layout work for miscellaneous metal fabrication. “We used to dread the miscellaneous portion of our contracts; now not only do we look forward to it, but we get it done ahead of schedule with no mistakes.”
Automated Layout Technology LLC, 603/402-3055, http://automatedlayout.com/
Carlucci Welding & Fabrication Inc., 203/588-0746, http://carlucciwelding.com/
