Articles written by Kate Bachman

Kate Bachman

Editor

FMA Communications Inc.

833 Featherstone Road
Rockford, IL 61107
phone: 815-381-1302

www.thefabricator.com
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Results: 68

	Stamper cuts costs of making surgical instruments At least one stamper is reducing the cost of medical devices by converting machined parts to stamped or stamped/machined parts. Not only is the manufacturer using this innovative approach to reduce cost without sacrificing quality and still meet stringent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)... Publish date: November 1, 2010
	Tier stamper improves mechanical press productivity with transfer retrofit A Midwestern manufacturer sought to improve productivity on its nearly 10-year-old Verson transfer press. Although the press was in good condition, the original ETF transfer, which had endured 28 million press hits, was causing considerable maintenance costs and lost production. The stamper... Publish date: September 10, 2010
	Precoated stainless steel improves tactile domes forming Publish date: September 6, 2010
	Press selection—sorting it out Part V This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: August 6, 2010
	Appliance stamper draws on magnetic die clamping to accelerate its uptime In the home appliance industry, designs are constantly updating to meet consumer tastes and changing market demands. For the stamping supplier forming a new bracket for a new design, high production volumes necessitated tripling the number of shifts. But tripling the number of shifts increased... Publish date: May 5, 2010
	Batteries power up to own the road The automotive industry is looking to hybrid electric and fully electric vehicles to electrify the effort to lessen or eliminate fuel emissions and to achieve the new fuel standards. Lithium-ion is considered by many to be the most promising of automotive batteries because of its potential for... Publish date: April 30, 2010
	Older than Oscar® — Part II While it may seem as though movies and popcorn have always co-existed, the automatic popcorn machine actually was invented by Charles Cretor in 1893—before the first motion picture premiered. A century and a quarter-century later, manufacturer C. Cretors & Company, Chicago, celebrates its... Publish date: March 9, 2010
	Older than Oscar Family-owned, fifth-generation manufacturer Irwin Seating Co., headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich. has been thinking about the comfort and functionality of the public seating it has manufactured for more than 100 years. The company's 35 presses are used to stamp the components that support the... Publish date: March 9, 2010
	Stamper converting machined parts to stampings This article showcases the success story of stamper and tube fabricator A.T. Wall Company, which gained entry with a new customer and strengthened its foothold in a lucrative market segment by redesigning a machined component as a stamped components,saving costs for its customer in the process. Publish date: May 28, 2009
	'Greenergy'—the Next Big Thing Since the dot.com boom and bust, everyone from investors to manufacturers to geeks have been looking for The Next Big Thing. Publish date: March 10, 2009
	Mining lucrative medical device prospects The medical device industry segment holds promise for growth, and profit for stamping companies willing to work within its regulations and challenges. Publish date: January 27, 2009
	What's up with scrap (besides price)? Today's escalated metals prices have made scrap a hot issue. Multi source article covers new trends and old favorites in efficient scrap handling and in minimizing scrap Publish date: September 16, 2008
	Getting work from the New Domestics Stampers can take some steps to position themselves for work from automotive "transplants." In some cases, it's just a matter of being there--literally--locating in proximity. It's important to adhere to the unique requirements for material, practices. Publish date: July 15, 2008
	Silicon Valley stamper sizes up, down electronics California electronics stamper Scandic Springs Inc. faces challenges of stamping ever-shrinking electronics components as well as stamping larger parts, such as enclosures. Publish date: June 17, 2008
	Sensors clear the way for high-speed stamping When you stamp 100 million automotive parts annually, as does Tennessee Stampings LLC, Portland, Tenn., you might accept die collisions as just part of the "traffic statistics." Not so. Before the dies ever hit the high-speed presses, they are properly sensored to prevent downtime, accelerate... Publish date: April 15, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out Part III This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out - Part VI This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out Anchoring the March STAMPING Journal ® --Press Issue--this multi-source press selection article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as the usual suspects--tonnage, frame... Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection-sorting it out Part VII This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection — sorting it out Part VII This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out - Part IV This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out Part VIII This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out Part IX This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out Part I This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Press selection—sorting it out Part II This multi-source article offers readers advice on the criteria to consider when buying a press. The article examines application suitability, drives, and controls as well as other considerations such as tonnage, frame construction, speed, and horsepower. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Ridin' the storm out While other automotive suppliers are struggling or going under, Tier II supplier of ride control components Tennessee Stampings established a lean program that merited a regional manufacturs' award and helped them grow 23 percent per year. Publish date: October 9, 2007
	Ridin' the storm out Part III Automotive Tier II supplier of ride control components Tennessee Stampings installed an 800-ton transfer press to get to get new business from European customers, and expanded its facility to accommodate the new press, as well as a new underground conveyor system. Publish date: October 9, 2007
	Smooth landing for new airport terminal roof fabrication project The new Indianapolis International Airport terminal is one of the first airport buildings to be designed, fabricated, and built to survive the type of attack inflicted on the World Trade Center on Sept.11, 2001. The heart of the new terminal is designed to be a circular space—a civic plaza... Publish date: September 11, 2007
	Ridin' the storm out Part II Automotive Tier II supplier of ride control parts Tennessee Stampings makes extensive use of sensors to mistake-proof its stamping, and clear the way for its 23 percent annual growth. Before the dies ever hit the presses, they are properly sensored so you don't incur downtime associated with... Publish date: September 11, 2007
	Ridin' the storm out Part I While other automotive suppliers are struggling or going under, Tier II supplier of ride control components Tennessee Stampings established a lean program that merited a regional manufacturs' award and helped them grow 23 percent per year. Publish date: August 8, 2007
	Lifestyle trends expand use of lasers, ALAW presenters say ALAW 2007 was held April 17 to 19, in Plymouth, Mich. The second two days of the conference focused on laser technology in automotive research and applications and were geared mostly to manufacturing, production, product design, and R&D engineers.Societal demands driving greater dependence on... Publish date: July 10, 2007
	Waterjet accelerates pace, provides speed secret Joe Gibbs Racing sports three Nextel Cup teams, winning three Cup championships in a seven-year period. Its drivers Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and J.J. Yeley are well-known race stars. Preparing the cars for each week's race is literally a race between races, as new components-speed secrets-are... Publish date: May 8, 2007
	Finishing stainless steel tube and pipe efficiently One big challenge in stainless steel tube finishing is the growing expectations about the surface finish. Tools and abrasives have improved to achieve better surface quality in less time. At the same time, fabricators require finishing methods that address health, safety, and environmental concerns. Publish date: May 8, 2007
	High-speed cutting, end-finishing Leading Edge Hydraulics improves tube cutting efficiencies with a high-speed cutter, plus integrated end forming for its fluid power tube manufacturing. Publish date: April 10, 2007
	Big shoulders, long strides Family-owned Hansen Steel Services started six years ago with a 600-ft. long empty building and a combined 144 years of experience and built it into a thriving job shop that shoulders large plate fabrications. Publish date: February 13, 2007
	Safety still pressing for press brakes The leading trend in press brakes safety is to ensure safety without sacrificing speed or hampering operators' ability to work efficiently, say press brakes manufacturers. This starts with tooling, including segmented or sectionalized tooling that is lighter and easier to handle; safety features... Publish date: January 9, 2007
	Metals upsets, offsets, and onsets in 2007 Publish date: January 9, 2007
	China's Unusual Tax Move Publish date: January 9, 2007
	Luminous aluminum makes light work Hapco Aluminum Pole Products, Abingdon, Va., fabricates aluminum light posts that must be beautiful while standing up to wind, and the forces of nature. Publish date: October 10, 2006
	Stud-maker throws church building a curve Radius Track, a fabricator specializing in its patented curved metal studs, replaced many of the heavy-gauge beams in the a church's dome frame with light-gauge steel studs. As a result, the dome was light enough to be supported without view-obstructing columns. Publish date: September 12, 2006
	Mission: Spectacular scrap handling operations Stampers, precariously squeezed by tight margins, high material costs, and increasing pressure to be leaner, have issued a request: we want our scrap handling operations to be faster, trouble-free, and more productive. Fortunately, the latest generation of scrap handling equipment makes that... Publish date: July 11, 2006
	Metal fabricating in a new millennium The forming and fabricating of the 925-foot BP Pedestrian Bridge located at the east section of Chicago's Millennium Park, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion is explored. Publish date: May 9, 2006
	Hot forming: Strong meets light Cosma International applies its own hot-forming technique to stamping automotive metal components such as A and B pillars, roof headers, roof rails, rockers, door intrusion beams, and bumpers, to meet new CAFE standards for weight, NHTSA requirements for strength, and to counter problems with... Publish date: May 9, 2006
	Metalfab: All that glitters is metal Lights. Camera. Fabricate?! You get home from work after fabricating all day, kick back with a cool one, and turn on the tube just to see more metal fabrication, on-screen, as entertainment. If it's not "American Chopper" or "Monster Garage," it's "Biker Build-Off," "Monster House" or "American... Publish date: April 11, 2006
	American Fabricator How do you get to Hollywood? Ride a motorcycle when you're 3 years old, start welding at 8, and rebuild a car engine at 9—if you want to be the lead fabricator on American Chopper, that is, one of the most popular metal fabrication-as-entertainment reality cable TV shows airing on the... Publish date: April 11, 2006
	Imagination fabrication BCI Burke, Fond du Lac, Wis., is the oldest playground and park and recreation equipment manufacturer in the country. As the company grew and its product offerings and colors multiplied, it found it needed to address problems with long leadtimes. Burke looked at every possibility for improvement,... Publish date: February 7, 2006
	Trends for stainless steel tube in automotive applications Evidence that stainless steel has potential as a material for automotive components—for its high strength-to-weight ratio for overall weight reduction, good dent performance, corrosion resistance, and formability—was presented by ISSF members at the SAE International™ 2004 SAE... Publish date: September 13, 2005
	Judging the quick and the die Overseas competition, high material costs, just-in-time schedules, demanding quality requirements, stringent safety standards, and industry consolidation are the forces driving trends in the quick die change industry, industry experts say. These forces have intensified the need for... Publish date: August 9, 2005
	Parting the Waters Hayward Pools improves punching of pool heaters using DuraBlade parting tool. Publish date: July 12, 2005
	Rising to great heights in Great Falls When Waterjet Extreme Technologies (WET), Great Falls, Mont., was asked to bid on a large and lofty fabrication project as part of the Great Falls International Airport redesign, co-owners John Kramarich and Rip Rippetoe viewed the inherent challenges as opportunities to explore the limits of... Publish date: April 11, 2005
	Sensors help stamper get firmer foothold in motorcycle part fabrication Publish date: February 8, 2005
	Implementing a stamping sensor program—uphill Publish date: January 11, 2005
	On the road again Contract manufacturer Morton Metalcraft talks about how it faces challenges in fabricating weldments and assemblies for heavy-duty equipment, including ramping up after a slowdown—with machines, manpower, and material, and revising material flow. Publish date: November 9, 2004
	Prefinishing trends towards growth Publish date: October 12, 2004
	10 burning questions you asked about the steel price meltdown December came, and the Section 201 tariffs went out under the tide of global and World Trade Organization (WTO) pressure. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, material price increases hit the metals industry like a tidal wave that made the tariff increases look like gently... Publish date: May 4, 2004
	New bends in the roll As more commercial buildings are designed with larger open spaces, the beam spans grow longer, and the beams must be bigger and heavier. This requires ever-larger section bending rolls to accommodate this demand. In addition, the trend toward the use of higher strength steels has taxed the... Publish date: April 6, 2004
	US. DOC Offers Export Assistance Publish date: March 11, 2004
	Goin' Global The U.S. is considered to be the best consumer market in the world. However, competition for this market has increased as more and more countries have cast their rods in the U.S consumer pool. Publish date: March 11, 2004
	Laser cell system gives job shop the home field advantage Contract manufacturer CGI Automated Manufacturing Inc., Cicero, Ill., fabricates parts as an outsource resource for vertical manufacturers. The company started out as a stamping operation, then added other fabrication technologies, including welding, press brake forming, drilling, punching,... Publish date: February 12, 2004
	Appliancemaker reduces downtime with stamping press feed system The Whirlpool Co. builds refrigerators at its facility in Fort Smith, Ark. The company stamps the appliance parts—large and small, galvanized, cold-rolled, and aluminum—on approximately 35 presses. The majority of its stamping presses are straight-side machines, although some are... Publish date: January 13, 2004
	Taking tubular aluminum scaffolding to new heights For the company that broke the world record for building the tallest freestanding structure with a 320-foot scaffolding (the Statue of Liberty restoration project in 1984, see Sidebar at bottom of page)designing and constructing the scaffolding for the Washington Monument restoration project was... Publish date: December 11, 2003
	Advancements in waterjet technology When Jack Budd, president of Precision Waterjet, Orange, Calif., purchased his first waterjet system seven years ago, he expected most of the company's work to come from the aerospace industry, which was robust at the time. When business from that industry tapered off, he searched for new... Publish date: July 24, 2003
	Hot spots for U.S. metal fabricated exports Increased global competition for customers on their home turf has driven U.S. metal fabricators to throw their nets wider to international markets. With this in mind, fabricators should look at the lists of the countries purchasing the most U.S. metal fabricated tools, machinery, products, and... Publish date: July 10, 2003
	Fabricating technology advancements drive new plate finishing trends The same industry forces of nature—globalization, economic conditions, quality demands, and safety and environmental regulations—that are pressuring metal fabricators to do more, better, and faster with less are blowing no less forcefully on finishing fabricators. Publish date: July 10, 2003
	Riding on the cusp of something great Kevin Robb's sculptures seem to defy gravity, arrest time, encroach space. Each sculpture is a moment freeze-framed; each element seems to be impossibly suspended. Publish date: May 15, 2003
	Folding technology opens doors for stainless steel appliance fabricator The H.L. Lyons Co., Louisville, Ky., began 40 years ago as an X-ray equipment company in the basement of Keith and Livingston Lyons parents' house. It later became a general metal fabricating business. Publish date: March 13, 2003
	Steel Fiction Metal sculptor Robert Toll's transition from economist to recognized artist has been as startling and fiction-like as is his featured sculpture in the film, "Pulp Fiction." He is most noted for his sinewy, life-size figurative pieces. He uses oxyaceytlene to heat and bend steel rod, then welds... Publish date: September 4, 2002
	Exporting— Exploring Foreign Frontiers The U.S. export assistance network of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce offers U.S. companies help with exporting issues. The network provides marketing research, financial assistance, leads and contacts, legal assistance, trade advocacy, and trade events screening. Publish date: August 29, 2002