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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
CARVER FACT CENTER Q&A WITH CARMEN VERTULLO from page 36
FTI has also sent us on training missions to such
exotic locations as Naval Reactors at the Washington
Navy Yard, Pantex Nuclear Weapons facility at Amarillo
Texas, and the US Army Aviation Propulsion Engineering
Directorate at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. We serve end
users and supplier with custom training programs at the
Carver FACT Center and on-site at the suppliers location
or in the manufacturing plant or job site. One the most
powerful and effective value-added services a supplier can
offer is to bring fastener training and solutions to their
customers. They can do this quickly and without risk when
they offer it through the Carver FACT Center.
What kinds of testing can you do?
On any given day we are engaged in structural bolt
testing – commonly called “skidmore testing”. This
includes assembly lot pre-installation verification testing
and rotational capacity testing. We do this here and on the
job site. We are always doing some kind of torque-tenison,
or K-Factor determination testing. Our hardness testers
are always busy. We conduct dimensional inspections of
all kinds of parts – not just fasteners. Failure investigation
and fastener problem solving are high on the list too. One
of our most popular services is the Carver Consulting
Technical Opinion. After the investigation or tests are
complete we write a comprehensive report that the client
can use to make their case to their supplier or customer
regarding the part or the proposed solution.
When there is a test we cannot do we have strategic
partnerships with accredited test labs. One of our most
important partners is Rob LaPointe at The LAB, a fastener
testing laboratory in Rancho Cucamonga, California. We
collaborate to get the testing accomplished that our
clients need. Sometimes this means we design a test
or a fixture here at the Carver Fact Center and send it to
The LAB for the actual testing. The LAB also has chemical
analysis, metallographic and other more sophisticated
services that we do not have at the Carver FACT Center.
Tell us more about Strategic Partnerships.
When I started the Carver FACT Center I recognized
that we did not have some of the tools and equipment
needed to provide the level of client services necessary
HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM DEVELOPED AND
HOSTED BY THE CARVER FACT CENTER
for developing the kinds of solutions the industry wanted.
That led to partnering with some equipment providers. Our
Equipment Partners station test and inspection equipment
at the FACT Center. We use that equipment to train their
customers, promote their products, and for fastener
testing and development. We then established other
categories of strategic partnerships. These include test
labs, other fastener experts and consultants, academia,
and even some of our clients. Between our own facility
and this well-developed network of technical resources
the Carver FACT Center is uniquely equipped to design and
engineer fastener solutions for specific needs, provide
hands-on technical training and educational seminars on
crucial topics in our industry. We consult on a wide variety
of challenging fastener-related problems—including
analyzing fastener failures and specialized hands-on
training programs.
It sounds like training is definitely a focal point for the
Carver FACT Center. What makes your approach unique or
particularly effective in that area?
Training is such a critical part of preventing time
and money wasting mistakes in specifying, ordering,
inspecting, testing, and installing all kinds of fasteners.
There’s a huge difference between handing someone a
manual and actually developing practical understanding,
so in addition to educational presentations we focus
on providing hands-on learning opportunities whenever
possible.
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