Handing a Lead Lined Door

After 17 years in the door business I was pretty sure I knew everything there was to know about handing a door.  I was wrong.

This is a typical door swing chart:

And the picture below is why it is an outswing door for shielding purposes. (Sorry for the small print).

Lead Brick Wall

Lead Brick Wall with Steel Retaining Structure

On occasion a new piece of equipment requires a linear accelerator room's protection requirements to increase.  The addition of lead, with proper structural supports, minimizes the loss of floor space that would be encountered with the use of concrete.  The lead brick is tongue and groove and placed like cement block to offset seams.  Every few rows steel strapping is attached to lead brick and concrete wall to increase support.  Installs can range from 10,000 - 80,000 lbs. of lead brick.  Typically in a linear accelerator vault floor the thickness is ready to accommodate these weights.  Other installations require extra floor thickness to accommodate the extra weight.  Many times the ceilings of these rooms require a thickness upwards of 6-8" as well. Crews of 4-6 people can typically install these weights in 24-36 hours.  Installations have been performed by the a-fabco crew all over the United States & Canada. 

Trade Shows

a-fabco, inc. exhibits at a few but very specific trade shows to highlight our radiation shielding protection products.  In the last, almost, two years I have been to five and organized four of them.  We have committed to the FHEA show is in September and I really would like to do something different since this will be my third time at this particular show.  We did get an absolutely fabulous booth location! 

We have a great booth and a product information dvd on a constant loop that can be seen easily on a 46” monitor.  Last year I had some lead glass, lead brick and lead drywall samples made up so interested attendees could handle the different products.   



Lead Brick Sample



With money tight and show attendance down I am trying to come up with ideas to freshen things up.  One thought was a game of “How much does the lead brick weigh?”   It doesn’t look heavy but it is!  Not sure of prizes but something small and useful.

I am trying to convince my male co-workers to have some pink polo shirts made with our navy blue afab logo on it.  They don’t like that suggestion but a bright shirt gets attention especially at a trade show where navy and black are the norm. 

At the ASHE show in March Milliken Carpets had these great pins made up with lots of fun sayings in bright colors. The colors represented their product choices for hospitals.  I loved the idea but it wouldn’t work for afab’s products.

I am hoping inspiration will strike between now and September with enough time to implement. Of course if you have any suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments!

Trying to find the right formula

I work for a small company that has run on the current antiquated accounting system for years.  The number of copies of "invoices" that has to be made before the material ships out the door is overwhelming and distressing for the trees. 

I was told as I was being hired 19 months ago, that the company was implementing a new system that a former employee created in Access.  My boss was very excited.  Personally I feel this all this former employee did was create a convoluted system in the hopes of always having a job versus for the betterment of the company.  Only half of us are on this new system because it has been apparent from the start that it doesn’t work. 

I give my boss a lot of credit.  After spending a lot of money for the system created in Access he has spent more money and purchased Quick Books Premier for Manufacturing.  We all have the software installed but it will be a few weeks before we are up and running.  The work at the top is well worth the future benefits in my opinion.

http://www.mathwarehouse.com/

In the meantime I have become friendly with Excel and have created all sorts of reports to help me in my job.  Job costing, Works In Progress, Projections, etc etc.  The one spreadsheet that I have reworked over and over again is the Project in Process.  I want to be this spreadsheet to tell me how much the contract base and any change orders totals; what has been invoiced to date and what my costs are.  Part of me thinks that every piece of material being sold with the project should be listed on this form with a cost and assigned sell, but in my business that would make for a very long spreadsheet.  So I am looking for help/suggestions on how to achieve this please.

Also if anyone is currently working with Quick Books Premier for Manufacturing and has tips please comment below.  Thanks!

We Make Sure You Are Protected.

I joined a-fabco, inc. about a year and a half ago and  it has been an interesting fit.  I supply doors, frames and hardware and afab manufacturers and sells leaded doors, frames and hardware and much more.  I was brought on to offer the whole package, lead and non lead, to the customers.  I also brought loyal customers with me who consist of end users and general contractors.

I have been very busy with the non lead side of the biz but have managed to learn a few things about radiation shielding protection.  When you sit in the dentist chair and get those uncomfortable bite wing x-rays you wear a lead shield apron right?  The dental technician steps behind a barrier / glass / wall.  Those items along with the drywall are all lead to protect the other people nearby.  APhysicist determines the thickness of the lead protection based on a machines radiation output. Other areas where lead is required are CT Scans, Mobile Labs, Nuclear Medicine, Non Destructive Testing Rooms and Isotope Work Stations to name a few. 



1/4" Lead Mobile Barrier

  What the guys build in the shop is amazing! 




Vault Door



This is a mobile barrier with 1/4" lead that we are getting ready to ship to a customer. 

Here is a vault door that is 18" thick!  The hinges on these doors are crazy and I will be writing about those in the future.  We also offer design assistance. 

So the next time you are walking down a corridor in a hospital or any type of facility that has x-ray equipment you are protected, against radiation anyway.  If you would like to learn more please visit

our website at http://www.afabxray.com/