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Articles - Page 221
- From The Fabricator
Die Science: Slug pulling—Causes and solutions
- By Art Hedrick
- Jun 11, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Slug pulling in a stamping die can be costly and frustrating. One pulled slug can cripple production. What Is Slug Pulling? When a pierce punch creates a hole, it also produces scrap, called the slug. When the slug sticks to the face of the punch during withdrawal or comes out of the button...
- From The Fabricator
Ask the Stamping Expert: Upfront spending reaps long-term savings
- By Thomas Vacca
- Jun 10, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Q: The cost of building new progressive dies has gone up substantially in the past few years. I am struggling, and in many cases lose money, on my tool builds. How is the industry expected to cope? A: This is a common problem throughout the metal stamping arena. It’s not easy to remain...
- From The Fabricator
When It Pays to Spend
- By John Wold
- Jun 9, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Specialized press brake tooling increases productivity, reduces operator fatigue, solves problems
- From The Fabricator
A waterjet pump primer
- By David Arthur, Deron Roberts, Jeff Schibley, and Nancy Lauseng
- Jun 8, 2015
- Waterjet Cutting
- Article
Knowing the basics of waterjet pumps allows a fabricator to figure out just what technology makes sense for the work on the shop floor and just what type of commitment is necessary to run that pump technology successfully.
- From The Fabricator
Better ideas, better growth at Texas metal fabricator
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 3, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Special Products & Mfg. Inc., a custom fabricator in Rockwall, Texas, has transformed its culture. A decade ago it was a command-and-control environment. Today, ideas from front-line workers drive improvement.
- From The Fabricator
Upskilling – What it means and where it stands
- By Vicki Bell
- Jun 3, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Much attention has been given to the skills gap, a critical issue affecting manufacturing. The Upskill Summit held in April provided an opportunity for manufacturers and other entities to explore concrete measures to alleviate the gap by upskilling workers. Summit participant Traci Tapani, co-president, Wyoming Machine, discusses the initiative.
- From The Fabricator
Going vertical: Distributor expands into stamping, metal fabrication, and assembly
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 3, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Millenia Products Group launched as a distributor in 2001, but from the very start it had plans for vertical integration down the supply chain. Today it offers distribution, stamping, roll forming, fabrication, and full assembly services—all in one organization.
- From The Fabricator
The 2015 FAB 40: The largest custom metal fabricators grow even bigger
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 3, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
The 2015 FAB 40 shows a growing industry, with some of the largest shops posting the biggest revenue gains over last year. Will such growth lead to more industry consolidation? For some industrial sectors, probably, but for other areas of metal fabrication, probably not.
Troubleshooting, traceability for tube, pipe producers
- By Pierre Huot
- Jun 2, 2015
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Article
The adage “two heads are better than one” can be applied to tube and pipe mill monitoring systems. Monitoring the forming process is a good idea, and monitoring the welding process is too, but using a combination system that measures both yields additional benefits.
- From The Fabricator
Adding to the arsenal of metal cutting technologies
- By Dan Davis
- Jun 2, 2015
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Despite having low- and high-powered laser cutting machines and two waterjets, a fabrication shop recognized that it might have a need for more laser cutting capacity. To fill that gap, Advanced Laser & Waterjet Cutting installed a 1-kW CO2 laser cutting machine.
- From The Fabricator
Flight of a complex progressive stamping--from customer print to finished part
- By Ross Weber
- Jun 1, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
A complex stamped component begins its journey as a part print. Then a CAD layout drawing marks the progression; a 3-D model fleshes out the form and indicates any possible interference; and the die is put through a test run before the first part is produced.
- From The Fabricator
Fabricator turns up the heat
- By Eric Lundin
- Jun 1, 2015
- Laser Welding
- Article
When A.O. Smith, the company known for developing the glass-lined residential water heater, had a bottleneck at its resistance welding station and sought an alternate welding method. It had been making a lap welding on galvanized steel by resistance welding, but this trapped vaporized zinc; escaping vapors weakened the weld. A new method, a butt weld performed by laser welding, doesn’t trap the vapors, leaving a visually appealing weld that is essentially free of defects.
- From The Fabricator
Precision sheet metal bending, bump by bump
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 1, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Bump bending remains more art than science, especially for large and thick workpieces, but using the right tools and setup procedures help make this challenging brake operation much more efficient.
- From The Fabricator
A modern take on accountability
- By Dick Kallage
- May 28, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
The definition of accountability has evolved to mean responsibility with consequences. Ideally, entry-level and other low-level employees should have accountability over the outcomes of their work, but that accountability must be based on objectivity and fairness. Otherwise, an accountability scheme can actually weaken an organization instead of strengthening it.
- From The Fabricator
Putting heavy-duty cutting on the table
- By Steve Zlotnicki
- May 28, 2015
- Plasma Cutting
- Article
Thermal cutting of plate can produce a haze in the shop, but does it have to be that way? Table options can help to clean up the plasma and oxyfuel cutting process and create a better work environment for fabricators.
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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.
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After Ludlow Manufacturing Inc. (LMI) received The Fabricator's 2024 Industry Award, Todd Ludlow, founder and president of the...
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