Is cast iron good for a welding table?

Flat platform with a variety of roles in printing or manufacturing

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Not to be confused with Paten

Section of a platen printing press in use. The platen is the sturdy plate which applies the pressure to the paper and type.

A platen (or platten) is a platform with a variety of roles in printing or manufacturing. It can be a flat metal (or earlier, wooden) plate pressed against a medium (such as paper) to cause an impression in letterpress printing.[1] Platen may also refer to a typewriter roller which friction-feeds paper into position below the typebars or print head. It can refer to the glass surface of a copier, and the rotating disk used to polish semiconductor wafers.

Applications

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Office equipment

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Copier

In office copiers and scanners, the platen is a flat glass surface on which operators place papers or books for scanning. The platen is also called the flatbed. Platens are also used in some printers, such as the dot-matrix printer.

Manufacturing and processing

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A planar in semiconductor wafer polishing

Semiconductor manufacturing

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In semiconductor manufacturing, specifically chemical-mechanical planarization, a flat, rotating platen covered with a pad is used to polish semiconductor wafers (see image).[2]

Screen printing

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In textile screen printing, a platen is a flat board onto which the operator slides the garment. It is generally made of either a plywood laminate or aluminum with a rubber laminate. Often the platen will be pretreated with a spray adhesive. This allows the garment to effectively become a rigid immobile substrate, especially important when printing multiple colors or utilizing an on-press infrared dryer. The screen is brought parallel and close to the garment (often within 1/32") and the squeegee pressure then brings the screen into contact with the garment so that the ink transfer may occur. There are many special platen types, such as those for printing sleeves or pockets, vacuum platens, platens with clamps to hold bulky materials such as jackets, and even curved platens for printing on hats.[citation needed]

Woodworking

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In woodworking, wide belt sanders use platens to press the sanding paper into contact with the wood being sanded. The platen sits between two steel rolls which deliver the moving force to the sanding belt. Sanding heads with a platen are used on finish sanding with papers of finer grits, when the coarser ones are typically used with contact drum type sanding heads. Stock is fed into and out of the machine on a conveyor belt. Since the abrasive belt creates a substantial pressure on the stock that tends to push the stock toward the infeed, the hold down shoes and rollers hold the workpiece down against the belt while it is moving through the machine in order to ensure uniform contact with the abrasive and continuous movement.[3]

Metal forming

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In metal forming processes, a platen is the component that houses the mold for forging the required shape. The platen tends to be the heaviest and strongest part of the press due to the massive forces that it has to withstand. A platen for a -ton press can weigh up to 350 tons.[4]

Other

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In manufacturing, a platen is a flat plate of a press utilized in laminate, plastic and forest product industries. A platen is typically heated with oil, water, steam or electricity and is used in the production of furniture, tires, gaskets, particle board, composite heaters and plywood.[citation needed] In high frequency welding products, platens are used to put lines on PVC binders and folders down the spine lines.[citation needed]

Platens are utilized in impact testing in research; a specimen is crushed between platens.[5]

The platen also refers to the fixed part of a linear motor.[6]

Gallery

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• Replica of the Gutenberg press . The platen on the right holds the paper, and is pressed down onto the typeset.

• Cylindrical platen on a typewriter

• Cylindrical platen in a dot-matrix printer

See also

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References

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While welding technology has advanced greatly over the past 70 years, the best work surfaces for welding have remained somewhat consistent&#;and useful.

Cast-iron platen tables have been used for all types of fabrication since before World War II. They are used for bending, straightening, layout, and restraint of a workpiece during welding. The platen tables have proven to be versatile enough to accommodate almost any type of work that comes into the weld shop.

Because the platen tables are made of cast iron, they stay flat, and weld spatter does not stick to the surface. The extremely durable nature of these platens ensures that they hold up in the harsh environment of the weld shop (see Figure 1).

Let&#;s look at some of the reasons welders use these tables.

1. Ease of Use

Platen tables are simple in nature. Most welders won&#;t experience a learning curve because they have seen them before in shops or they quickly pick up how to use one after observing someone welding on the table.

Tooling and angle blocks are easy to install and affix to the table. Mini platen components, like cubes, towers, and tombstones, can be quickly mounted to the table&#;s holes, which are typically about 1.75 in. These components are readily adaptable to a variety of applications, such as for squaring walls and supporting tall workpieces.

2. Versatility

Platens can be laid out as single units or in beds of multiple units.

Walkways can be left between platens, allowing welders to make welds on long workpieces. Additionally, platens can be mounted vertically on a horizontal platen to create either a 90-degree squaring wall or a large L-shaped fixture (see Figure 2).

Scissor-lift bases also are available for platens as an option. The working height of the platen can be adjusted for different welders and weldments of varying heights.

3. Durability

Because cast iron is harder than steel, cast-iron platens are more durable than steel tables. They are able to absorb the heavy pounding of a sledge hammer. Even if a heavy weldment is dropped on the platens, they are able to withstand this abuse.

The massive size of the platens allows them to absorb the red-hot temperatures of welding and still stay flat, unlike steel tables that may warp or buckle under the heat of the welding arc or from preheating (see Figure 3).

The thickness of the platen tables allows them to be machined multiple times and put back into service.

Poured cast-iron platens cannot readily be cut with oxyacetylene, and a typical portable plasma machine is not big enough to cut them. As a result, the platens tend to hold up without damage in the harsh environment of a weld shop.

4. Tooling and Accessories

Clamps and tooling can be placed anywhere on the table in any of the square holes as the application requires. Both traditional tooling and new 3-D tooling are available (see Figure 4). Clamping can be accomplished above the surface of the platen with the various tools.

5. Fixturing of Large Weldments

Fabricators choose to weld large and long weldments on platen tables because they can be fixtured easily for greater stability. The subcomponents of the weldment can be welded flat on the platen, and then these subcomponents can be bolted down to the platen for final welding of the superstructure. As seen in Figure 5, the large 4-in. square members are connected to the table with gooseneck hold-down tools. Standard C clamps, factory-supplied magnets, support shelves, and trees also can be used when required.

Additionally, customer-supplied tooling and templates can readily be bolted down to the platen table using the cast-in sockets at the bottom of the 1.75-in. square holes.

6. Downdraft Designs

Downdraft air ventilation systems are available as an option for the platens.

Smoke and fumes are pulled down through the square holes and out to an air cleaner or exhaust fan.

Unlike on some steel tables, oxyacetylene and plasma cutting can be performed on cast-iron platen tables using the flame-clear pyramids that elevate the plate over the platen surface. Smoke from this process or from welding can readily be removed with the downdraft system.

7. Modularity

As a shop grows, more platens can be added as extra stations are required. Tooling, clamps, and angle blocks can be added as well and moved from table to table. The stands are designed to allow platens to be mounted flush next to each other as a shop grows.

Being that any type of gas metal arc, shielded metal arc, gas tungsten arc, or flux-cored welding might be performed on these types of tables, they are built for life in a weld shop. They not only stand up to the rough nature of the job, but are also flexible enough to accommodate the most challenging fabricating tasks (see Figure 6).

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