ShopSolutions Case Histories of Manufacturing Problem Solving Refrigeration Company Warms to Fiber Lasers T
raulsen has earned a premier name in refrigera- tion for the foodservice market. That reputation is grounded in a long history of delivering products designed and built to the highest possible standards of performance, quality and durability in the industry. These standards for innovation and value were set by its founder, Harry Traulsen, who formed the business in 1938 as Traulsen & Company in Queens, NY. At the time, the company was a producer of bakery fixtures—with a small product line that included refrigerated showcases. Over the years, Traulsen has con- sistently expanded its range of top-of- the-line refrigeration products for the worldwide food equipment market with offerings that include reach-ins, roll-ins, undercounters, blast chillers, prep tables, dual-temperature units, heated cabinets, merchandisers and specialty applications often drawn from customer requests. Traulsen customers include restaurants, institutions, schools, hotels, hospitals, casinos, cruise ships, and football stadiums, among others.
machines, and several stamping presses. Two years ago, the company began a search for the latest fiber-laser technol- ogy to replace some of its older equipment and help meet its growing production requirements.
Traulsen, a division of ITW, adopted the latest fiber laser technology to cut lighter 12-22 gage sheetmetal, including 16-gage stainless, for its refrigeration products for the worldwide food equipment market and achieved production levels that could not have been reached without it.
Through the past 76 years, the company has experienced acquisitions, corporate buyouts, and many product innova- tions. Today, Traulsen, a division of ITW, has 300 employees and has consolidated its operations to a 400,000 ft2 m2) facility in Fort Worth, TX.
(37,160 According to Rick Gazzola, manufacturing engineer,
Traulsen’s growing emphasis on the horizontal refrigerator market a few years earlier hastened its search for fiber laser technology. “About eight years ago, we started doing a lot of horizontal refrigerators for undercounters and pizza tops,”
Traulsen’s growing emphasis on the horizontal refrigerator market a few years earlier hastened its search for fiber laser technology.
To fabricate its lighter gage (12–22 gage) sheetmetal products, Traulsen had acquired such equipment as a turret punch press, an early model Shear Genius punch/shear com- bination machine, a CO2
laser, press brakes, shears, welding
said Gazzola. “What we discovered as we did more of these types of products is that they differed from our standard up- right rectangle refrigerator. They had a more intricate design. That’s when we discovered that we really needed the lasers.”
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