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More from Eric Lundin
Prototyping system takes guesswork out of modeling custom header systems
- By Eric Lundin
- Apr 13, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
After two lifelong friends joined forces and opened a custom auto shop, they learned what every other hot rodder learns: designing and making sheet metal assemblies is really straightforward compared to designing and making a good set of headers. Eventually they discovered header modeling system that makes designing tubular assemblies a cinch.
Tube 2018 expo to take place amid global economic expansion
- By Eric Lundin
- Mar 14, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
The biggest tube-and pipe-oriented expo, Tube® 2018, is just around the corner. Current economic trends are favorable, and a few exhibitors expressed no shortage of enthusiasm for the short- and medium-term prospects for manufacturers.
Using a single machine to drill, thread, polish for making tube and pipe preparations the lean way
- By Eric Lundin
- Mar 13, 2018
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Programmability, automatic tool changers, ERP interfacing, lights-out operation, mobile phone accessibility, and Industry 4.0 are the technologies that machine tools need for the modern world. T-Drill, long known for its hand tools and single-station, manually loaded machines, recently has begun incorporating the latest technologies into a new generation of machine.
FABTECH® exhibitors expand offerings of software, machines, and capabilities
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 24, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
Conversations with exhibitors at the 2017 FABTECH® expo revealed two trends: Big Data (or Industry 4.0 or the Internet of Things) is taking a greater role in the metal fabrication industry, and equipment vendors are developing machines that perform several distinct functions.
Hydroforming continues to pick up market share, enhance vehicle safety
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 24, 2018
- Hydroforming
- Article
Redesigned for the 2016 model year, Nissan’s Titan won accolades from Cars.com and U.S. News & World Report. Tier-1 component supplier and designer Vari-Form developed an assembly that reduced part count, reduced vehicle weight, and helped it meet a new crash standard.
Designing, fabricating, sculpting without limits
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 23, 2018
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Armed with a master’s degree in fine art and a few years of fabricating experience, Taylor Wallace settled in Chicago and quickly established his company, Metal Magic Interiors, as a reliable fabricator and consultant in commercial overhauls and rehabilitation projects
Clamping jig aids in mitering, coping, welding at precise locations and angles
- By Eric Lundin
- Jan 23, 2018
- Arc Welding
- Article
Generations of welders have struggled with tube and pipe fitup for welding. One such welder, Tim Uecker, got fed up with using a combination of clamps, vises, jigs, and fixtures, and devised a system specially for setting, marking, cutting (mitering or coping), and welding tube and pipe.
Specialized GTAW process a key factor in water purification system project
- By Eric Lundin and Tim Heston
- Nov 20, 2017
- Arc Welding
- Article
When Gustavo Gonzalez, one of the owners of industrial supplier Puertotrans SRL, began researching welding processes for an aqueduct project, he stumbled across an emerging welding technology: keyhole gas tungsten arc welding. Use of this technology cut the project time from 720 days to 162 days.
High-speed tube fabrication for high-volume parts
- By Eric Lundin
- Nov 17, 2017
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Stamping has long been the domain of sheet metal, but indeed stamping technology can be used to fabricate tubular parts. An interview with Bob Gunst of Jacar Systems LLC reveals the potential for this technology to apply to tube.
U.S. Venture shows that fabrication and philanthropy go hand-in-hand
- By Eric Lundin
- Nov 16, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
U.S. Venture started small in 1951, a home heating oil distribution company founded by three brothers. It has grown to become a nationwide distributor of fuels, compressed natural gas, lubricants, and aftermarket under-car items, such as tires, suspension systems, and exhaust components. It has grown and adapted over the years, as has its pipe bending shop, and it has become an inspiring philanthropic force along the way.
- From The Fabricator
Artist captures action, motion, flow of nature
- By Eric Lundin
- Nov 11, 2017
- Consumables
- Article
Metal sculptor John Searles draws on diverse experiences and a science-based education to create beautiful works in metals.
Tube producer uses proprietary equipment, tooling to build a diverse business
- By Eric Lundin
- Oct 20, 2017
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
In 1982, industry veteran Robert Gilreath founded a company to produce small-diameter corrosion-resistant tubular products. Unsatisfied with the equipment available at that time, Gilreath did something few would consider: He developed his own tube mills, tooling, straighteners, and cutoff machines.
Check fixtures assist bending projects from aerospace to deep space
- By Eric Lundin
- Oct 19, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When the staff at Clark Fixture Technologies got a cold call from a Lockheed Martin engineer about making a tube-checking fixture for a component for a NASA project, it had no idea that it would become a supplier to the latest U.S. space exploration project, Journey to Mars.
High-speed hose-crimping machine accelerates motorsports component manufacturing process
- By Eric Lundin
- Oct 18, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Fluid transfer systems manufacturer Goodridge, a manufacturer of aftermarket hose, fittings, brake lines, clutch lines, fuel lines, and oil lines, has built a reputation for producing high-quality parts and it does so quickly. It relies on a Finn-Power crimper, model CC22, for much of this work.
- From The Fabricator
Fabricating fixtures before fabricating steel
- By Eric Lundin
- Sep 20, 2017
- Arc Welding
- Article
When internationally acclaimed sculptor Sir Antony Gormley needed a fabricator to build one of his projects on an East Coast college campus, his office staff found an ideal contractor when it contacted Summit Metal Fabricators. Although it consisted of hundreds of components and required welding dissimilar metals, Summit’s was ready, fortified with experience in construction, piping projects, and decorative metals.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
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- April 24, 2024
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- May 16, 2024
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