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The Fabricator May 2023
The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
Leveling metal parts, sheet, and plate can help fabrication shops avoid waste
- By Denis Weinfurtner
- Jun 1, 2023
- Metals/Materials
- Article
Leveling a laser-cut part might not strike fabricators as being a necessity. For downstream processes, however, that leveled part means a better fit in the final assembly. And that's just the beginning.
Using a Design Table in 3D CAD to produce varied models
- By Gerald Davis
- May 31, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Gerald Davis reviews equations, design tables, and configurations in creating flexible models.
Accurate quotes maximize a fabrication shop's profits on laser cutting jobs
- By Felipe Lechuga
- May 31, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Avoiding some common pitfalls can help metal fabrication shops formulate accurate quotes for better profits and happier customers.
Boosting bottom-bending accuracy on the press brake with these tips
- By Steve Benson
- May 25, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When bottom bending on a press brake, the punch tip determines the radius and the die angle determines your bend angle. Sounds simple, yet the variables still abound for metal fabrication shops.
How sheet metal fabrication shops can unleash laser cutting profits
- By Brett Thompson, Kevin Cuseo, and Salay Quaranta
- May 24, 2023
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Quoting based on laser cutting time alone can bring in the manufacturing orders—but they also could be money-losing jobs, especially when margins are thin for sheet metal fabricators.
Tips for keeping manufacturing IT systems safe from cybercrime
- By Dan Davis
- May 22, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Cybersecurity expert Bryce Austin provides guidance to keep metal fabricating and manufacturing companies safe from the growing threat of cybercrime.
Former U.S. Army diver dives into the fine art of metal sculptures
- By Tim Heston
- May 19, 2023
- Arc Welding
- Article
As a U.S. Army diver, Patrick Andrews learned how to assess situations, consider all angles, and even improvise when needed. Turns out, those skills have broad applicability—even in his PSA Custom Creations art studio making metal sculptures.
The virtues of bend simulation for press brakes and helping a shop's downstream
- By Tim Heston
- May 16, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
If bending is a mess in a sheet metal fabrication shop, so is virtually everything else. That’s why simulating bending jobs before they reach the press brake and the rest of the shop floor makes so much sense.
Signs of a growing business model: Hex Head Art takes wall art to the next level
- By Dan Davis
- May 15, 2023
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Hex Head Art’s 3D wall art, which includes licensed sports team logos, has proven so popular that it needed a new laser cutting machine to keep up with the work.
The living wage gap in metal fabrication
- By Caleb Chamberlain
- May 15, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Metal fabrication businesses have had trouble finding skilled workers for years. A living wage is part of the solution.
Industry insights to efficient holemaking in metal plate: laser, plasma, or drilling
- By Kate Bachman
- May 11, 2023
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
Three metal fabricators—SCW Contracting Corp., H&H Metals, and Ultratech Tool and Design—share their go-to holemaking approaches and why those methods are the best for their applications.
Metal fabrication industry's great technological transition, cultural balance
- By Tim Heston
- May 11, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Many new machines shift knowledge from the metal fabrication shop floor to the office, where offline programming and simulation make production much more predictable. But what about shop culture?
How to transform a metal fabrication business in 90 days
- By Steve Jagler
- May 10, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
New owners of CR Industries in Cudahy, Wis., successfully transformed the direction of their metal fabrication shop and business in just three months.
Fabricator launches ProFab Alliance to provide shared resources for small shops
- By Tim Heston
- May 8, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Most metal fabrication shop owners and managers know all about chaos on the shop floor. Indiana-based ProFab (Progressive Fabricator) Alliance would like to make chaos the exception, not the rule, by uniting fabricators under an industry group of a shared management system and philosophy.
How augmented reality is being used to train the next generation of welders
- By Tim Heston
- May 1, 2023
- Arc Welding
- Article
Augmented reality can’t replace the real-world experience for a welder, but the technology can better prepare welding students before they even strike their first real arc.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 05/07/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:38
Patrick Brunken, VP of Addison Machine Engineering, joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about the tube and pipe...
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- June 25 - 27, 2024
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- July 31 - August 1, 2024
- Elgin,
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Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
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Managing Dangerous Dusts from Metalworking
- June 26, 2024
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