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FABTECH Show Kickoff and Overview of Solutions Distributed by DeGeest

This is another episode of Manufacturing A Stronger Standard live from FABTECH 2021. Host and President of LestaUSA and DeGeest Corp., Derek DeGeest, talked with Brad Ruppert, Engineering Manager, and Application Specialist at LestaUSA. They spoke about FABTECH and what they’ve done at previous shows. This is the second time that they have been at…

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By Derek DeGeest · ·
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This is another episode of Manufacturing A Stronger Standard live from FABTECH 2021. Host and President of LestaUSA and DeGeest Corp., Derek DeGeest, talked with Brad Ruppert, Engineering Manager, and Application Specialist at LestaUSA. They spoke about FABTECH and what they’ve done at previous shows.

This is the second time that they have been at FABTECH, with the first coming in 2019, where they introduced the Lesta self-learning finishing robot to the industry, according to Ruppert. It had been the first time most had seen it, so it was an attraction among attendees.

“But, now in 2021, we’ve brought additional technologies with it, such as Pulver control, Polifluid, and Nitrotherm,” Ruppert said. “They really take more than just a path generation, but give you that quality repeatable process.”

While making a path is essential, it’s important to continue to have a consistent delivery, according to Ruppert, and the same characteristics as the application. “So, to do that, you need to eliminate every variable possible, Ruppert said. “By adding Pulver control, Nitrotherm, or Polifluid, depending on the liquid or powder, you’re able to have that consistent process.”

This consistent process is crucial because it allows applicators to do the same thing every time. The variables include how the part is hung, how it’s approached by the robot, the attack the painter uses, which the robot can mimic.

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About the author

Derek DeGeest
Derek DeGeestPresident, DeGeest Corporation / LestaUSA

Derek DeGeest is president of DeGeest Corporation and LestaUSA. A third-generation manufacturing leader, he brought Lesta’s self-learning robotic finishing technology to North America after searching for a solution to his own company’s paint-shop bottleneck. His work connects fabrication, finishing, software and the people who understand how production really happens. Through Manufacturing a Stronger Standard, Derek interviews equipment specialists and practitioners and shares lessons from his own operations. He returns to the relationship between automation and skilled work: preserving experience, improving consistency and developing problem solvers. His company biography also describes work with schools and technical colleges to introduce young people to manufacturing careers.

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About the Expert

Derek DeGeest
Derek DeGeest

President

DeGeest Corporation / LestaUSA

Derek DeGeest is president of DeGeest Corporation and LestaUSA. A third-generation manufacturing leader, he brought Lesta’s self-learning robotic finishing technology to North America after searching for a solution to his own company’s paint-shop bottleneck. His work connects fabrication, finishing, software and the people who understand how production really happens. Through Manufacturing a Stronger Standard, Derek interviews equipment specialists and practitioners and shares lessons from his own operations. He returns to the relationship between automation and skilled work: preserving experience, improving consistency and developing problem solvers. His company biography also describes work with schools and technical colleges to introduce young people to manufacturing careers.

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