Articles written by Tim Heston

Tim Heston

Senior Editor

FMA Communications Inc.

833 Featherstone Road
Rockford, IL 61107
phone: 815-381-1314

www.thefabricator.com
Contact via email

Results: 189

	Product line manufacturing meets contract fabrication Fabricating know-how and modern machine tool technology help Tie Down Engineering, Atlanta, balance its made-to-stock and made-to-order product line operations with a growing contract fabrication operation. Publish date: April 30, 2013
	Meeting deadlines in contract metal fabrication A Houston fabricator maintains a 99 percent on-time delivery rate. The business maintains its place as a reliable link in the supply chain, and the shop’s growth strategy aims to keep it that way. Publish date: April 24, 2013
	Fabricator helps entrepreneurs grow As part of its unofficial business plan, Cumming, Ga.-based Accufab gets in on the ground floor and helps entrepreneurs to get off the ground. As a result, the company is able to grow with its customers. Publish date: April 24, 2013
	The growth of the servo-driven press Traditional mechanical presses remain dominant in industry, but sales of servo presses have gone into high gear in recent years. Controlling the press stroke turns out to have many advantages, and the technology’s adopters are reaping the benefits. Publish date: April 22, 2013
	Metal fabricators get on the same page, with software Conductix-Wampfler, Omaha, Neb., developed software that integrates information from CAD, product data management, ERP, and customer relationship management. Built on the company's success, the software is now available for others interested in ensuring everyone in the business is on the same page. Publish date: April 19, 2013
	How trust drives business At The FABRICATOR's Leadership Summit in February, speaker Tom Ziglar used a bicycle as a metaphor for how people drive business success. Publish date: April 19, 2013
	The comeback metal fabricator Everyone knows that metal fabricators need to be good at quick turnarounds. Super Steel became just that, hitting the financial skids in 2009 and transforming itself into a quick-turn fabricator and key manufacturing supplier to the freight rail industry in just three years. Publish date: April 8, 2013
	The chaplain and the press brake technician Everyone has personal problems at some point of their lives, and those problems can affect productivity at work. In this sensitive area, workplace chaplains may be able to help. Publish date: March 15, 2013
	How automation makes best use of talent A high-product-mix manufacturer chooses robotized bending not because it lacked a skilled workforce, but because it wanted to make the best use of the talented workforce it already had. Publish date: March 7, 2013
	Conducting the laser Elizabeth Kautzmann, chairman of FMA’s Industrial Laser Council, keeps one eye on laser technology and another eye on a part’s overall processing time. Publish date: March 1, 2013
	Fabricating with purpose Cambridge Engineering made the transition from batch manufacturing that threw labor at production problems to one-piece flow and continuous improvement. A good corporate culture played a critical role. Publish date: January 10, 2013
	Taxes, skilled workers, and certainty Will a new employee perform well? What will the new tax environment be? These challenges and more create levels of uncertainty that drive business decisions. Publish date: January 10, 2013
	Taiwan’s river of commerce Taiwanese metal manufacturers have grown from small, family involved entrepreneurial shops to world-class suppliers of parts and technology. Publish date: January 7, 2013
	2013 Forecast: Rosy for some, sterling mediocrity for others Consumer spending is up. Even housing is up. Yes, pundits preach global uncertainty, even gloom and doom. But as owners of small or medium-sized businesses, metal fabricators have orders to fill, and next year many expect the volume of orders to continue or even increase a bit. Publish date: December 3, 2012
	Ironworker basics: Cut it clean How does an operator avoid distortion and burrs? For the ironworker’s common cutting stations--the punch, angle cutter, notcher, and plate shear--it boils down to matching the job at hand with some basic variables. Publish date: December 3, 2012
	A matter of trust Trust is something that’s earned not only through hard work, but also by treating employees not as “direct labor hours,” but as, well, people. Publish date: December 3, 2012
	Taxes and the deficit: The perils of oversimplification Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association and managing director of Armada Corporate Intelligence, Lawrence, Kan., offers a reasonable look at taxes and what they mean to business planners. Publish date: November 9, 2012
	Sales strategy drives growth at Minnesota Fabricator Managing a shop full of a great number of incredibly diverse, short-run, nonrepeat orders can be a complicated undertaking. Fedtech, a St. Paul, Minn., fabricator, stays on top of all the activity by giving customers a single point of contact. Upon receipt of an order, one person shepherds the... Publish date: November 9, 2012
	How laser welding sets contract fabricator apart Estes Design and Manufacturing, Indianapolis, finds that laser welding produces a joint that is cosmetically appealing to customers. “We’re looking for an appearance that matches almost exactly the outside of a formed corner,” said Jay Reddick, the company's laser welding development manager. Publish date: November 9, 2012
	Capital spending forecast up again According to the 2013 Capital Spending Forecast, to published by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, projected spending for U.S. metal fabricators climbed 4 percent over last year. The total amount is just shy of readers' projected spending before the recession. Publish date: November 9, 2012
	Beyond mere convenience As this Q&A with Plante Moran's Jeff Mengel reveals, an innovative approach to a customer relationship can lead to a very successful supply chain partnership. Publish date: November 9, 2012
	Growth opportunities worth trumpeting in manufacturing The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association 2012 Salary/Wage & Benefit Survey is out, and it proves a lucrative career awaits those fabricators willing to put in the work to hone their skills. Publish date: November 9, 2012
	Why the little things matter The issue for Laser Access employees wasn't getting the equipment running, it was the time they spent away from the machine, hunting for the right tools and material. That's why the Michigan shop took steps to keep the necessary tools nearby and neatly organized. Publish date: November 2, 2012
	The rebirth of a metal fabrication business In September 2011, thanks to changing weather patterns and unintended consequences of water management, GT Fabrication was flooded yet again. The family business has been through this before. Why stay in the game? Because the metal fabrication community was there to help. Publish date: October 19, 2012
	Wisconsin fabricator ramps up in-house training As the skilled labor crisis continued unabated, Schuette Metals launched a unique in-house training program. Sources said that more than anything else, good training will be key to the fabricator’s future success. Publish date: October 12, 2012
	A plate rolling primer The FABRICATOR talks with Jeff Visser, production managers at Avon, Mass.-based BEPeterson, about the basics of plate rolling operation. Plate rolling is part art, part science. It requires skill, and not just anyone can do the job right. Publish date: October 12, 2012
	How quick response drives profits in metal fabrication CR Metal Products Inc., St. Louis, follows the lessons of quick-response manufacturing, which preaches decreased capacity utilization of equipment and increased attention on just how jobs can be turned around in the quickest manner possible. Publish date: September 7, 2012
	The financial benchmark for metal fabricators: Survival of the fastest The results are in from FMA's 2012 Financial Ratios & Operational Benchmarking Survey and the message is clear: Raw material and work-in-process inventory eats cash. Successful fabricating shops have figured out a way to avoid excess inventory scenarios. Publish date: September 7, 2012
	From the farm to oilfields, mines, heavy equipment, and more Radius Steel-SOO Tractor, Sioux City, Iowa, is looking beyond its agricultural roots as it reaches out to various other industries, such as heavy equipment and oil and gas. Publish date: September 3, 2012
	Developing a servo press knowledge base Since Qualtek Manufacturing invested in its servo presses several years ago, it has been gradually building up a working knowledge base--specific stroke recipes, tooling tweaks, and other information--that has turned out to be valuable intellectual property. Publish date: August 31, 2012
	Putting a label on metal fabrication Micron Metalworks is a classic precision sheet metal job shop, with short runs and numerous job changeovers. To optimize part flow and overall efficiency, it’s the little things that really matter--including a simple label on a drawer. Publish date: August 3, 2012
	How to wrap up packaging problems A poorly packaged pallet of parts damaged in transit turns all that value-adding upstream activity--cutting, deburring, bending, welding, grinding, heat treating, plating, powder coating, hardware insertion, and assembly--into waste Publish date: August 3, 2012
	Set design meets advanced manufacturing A Broadway and TV set fabricator mixes set-building tradition with advanced manufacturing technologies, from welding and cutting to abrasive waterjet cutting. Complicating matters are the demands of modern performance media--especially high-definition broadcasts. Publish date: August 3, 2012
	Metal fabricator revamps raw material purchasing strategy General Sheet Metal Works revamped the way it handles raw material purchases. Floor personnel now release specific orders, while the purchasing department communicates with suppliers about future demand and negotiates contracts. Most important, the company order just what it needs--and no more. Publish date: July 16, 2012
	Fabricating the American Dream What’s the current state of the American dream? So many seem to work hard and do everything right--but just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Publish date: July 16, 2012
	Clearing the air for heavy welding Joy Global does some seriously heavy fabrication, welding atop mining shovel components several stories tall. Weld fume control was becoming a problem, so the company installed an innovative, nonlocal fume collection system to help clear the air. Publish date: June 28, 2012
	The vitality of purposeful work The median age of the Vita Needle emloyee is 73. The company practices what one anthropologist calls eldersourcing. Considering the knowledge they've gained over the years, the elderly may become one of metal fabrication's greatest assets. Publish date: June 15, 2012
	Keeping up with the Joneses Jones Metal Products has deep roots in Mankato, Minn. It began as an industrial fabricator, which took rough concepts and saw them through design, fabrication, and installation. Today, the company in one sense is following that tradition. Publish date: June 13, 2012
	The FAB 40: It's delivery time The FABRICATOR's FAB 40 suggests that the manufacturing revival in the U.S. is alive and well. Publish date: June 13, 2012
	Being big, acting small Minnesota fabricator rebrands itself, standardizes operations, and remains nimble, even after years of aggressive growth. Managers expect the firm to grow another 18 percent this year. That’s not small potatoes for one of the country’s largest contract metal fabricators. Publish date: June 13, 2012
	Fabricate, install, maintain The Roberts Co. isn’t a heavy industrial metal fabricator. It’s not a erector, general contractor, maintenance services provider, or engineering firm. It’s all of the above. Publish date: June 8, 2012
	How CRM can help— and not hinder—the sales rep Customer relationship management, or CRM, software has a bad reputation. Many consider CRM to be simply a burden on salespeople. Nex Solutions’ CRM doesn’t fit the software implementation stereotype. The platform isn’t all-encompassing; for example, it doesn’t link sales reports to... Publish date: May 3, 2012
	Made to order, for emergency No one would argue that at least some elements of lean manufacturing apply to most operations, but Horton Emergency Vehicles is a made-to-order vehicle manufacturer. Certainly, Horton’s highly custom approach didn’t fit a assembly-line model--right? As it turned out, the people at Horton... Publish date: May 1, 2012
	Steady flow, steady profits ETM Manufacturing invests in continuous improvement training. Since initiating these efforts in 2007, the company has less than doubled its headcount, but tripled annual sales. Publish date: May 1, 2012
	The importance of coming home Minnesota-based E.J. Ajax has been recognized as one of the safest metal stamping plants in North America. It has received this recognition in part by developing good safety practices, requiring PPE, and installing machine safeguards. But most important, both managers and employees have fostered... Publish date: May 1, 2012
	How soft skills make a shop successful When hiring, Jay Manufacturing Oshkosh managers don't look for technical skills first. Instead, they concentrate on elements that are difficult to teach--that is, the soft skills. Publish date: May 1, 2012
	A character sketch of the code welder A career in code-level welding involves an odd concoction of hands-on work, excellent hand-eye coordination, on-the-job focus, and a dash of lawyerlike thinking. Some can be loud extroverts who get the most attention, but others can be quiet introverts. Many share a dedication to the welding... Publish date: April 16, 2012
	Delivering orders on time, every time Considering the demands from OEMs, stellar on-time delivery now is just as important as quality, and manufacturing cells may help a fabricator attain that stellar on-time delivery. Publish date: April 16, 2012
	Vessel fabricator bases hiring on attitude, not experience In a 2010 survey from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, respondents cited welding as the most sought-after, difficult-to-find technical skill. But at Mitchell's Specialized Fabrication, managers don't look for that experience. They look for someone with a good attitude, eager to learn. Publish date: April 3, 2012
	The subtle landscape of U.S. manufacturing Manufacturing companies aren’t all the same, and neither is worker pay. Reality is subtler than that. Despite all the complexities, though, the massive U.S. contract manufacturing base can’t grow if multinationals continually choose to build plants elsewhere. Publish date: March 12, 2012
	Taking cost out of the welding fixture Owsley “Oz” Cheek--a tool and die engineer who recently launched his own fixture company--shows how he reduces fixture build costs. For instance, who says fixtures need to be made out of machined components? Publish date: February 28, 2012
	Metcam cleans house Metcam reduces inventory and reorganizes the shop floor, placing press brakes and hardware insertion presses next to blanking centers--all during one of the company’s busiest Decembers ever. Publish date: February 28, 2012
	Smart robotic weld fixturing handles low-volume parts An Alabama contract fabricator uses innovative robotic weld fixtures and an unusual quick-change system that allows operators to switch out jobs in mere seconds. The innovations have been critical for the shop’s high-mix, low-volume work. Publish date: February 28, 2012
	Deep-draw stamping operation keeps growing Scotland Manufacturing, a North Carolina deep-drawing operation, knows how to get the most out of its manual stamping line. Optimizing the line’s productivity has allowed the firm to compete in various markets demanding quick response. The company doesn’t just specialize in low-, medium-, or... Publish date: February 20, 2012
	Quick response ushers in triple-digit growth Between 2007 and 2011 sales at Eugene, Ore.-based Mohawk Metal Co. grew 700 percent. During normal times such growth would be seen as uncontrollable, but the past few years haven’t been normal times. Publish date: February 13, 2012
	Tube bending, the lean way A Wisconsin tube bending shop takes an untraditional approach to the traditional job schedule--and thrives because of it. Publish date: February 1, 2012
	Capital spending carries the rebound into 2012 Manufacturing technology consumption took an unprecedented dive during the recession, but since then the industry has bounced back dramatically. In the metal fabrication arena, most technology categories are experiencing some healthy gains, as reported by the 2012 Capital Spending Forecast, a... Publish date: January 10, 2012
	Industry flocks to FABTECH Despite economic uncertainties heading into 2012, the metal fabrication industry came out in full force at November’s FABTECH show. More than 35,000 walked the show floor, which featured more than a half million square feet of exhibit space. Publish date: January 6, 2012
	Heavy piercing with plasma High-density plasma arc cutting can effectively cut thick plate. The most challenging aspect, in fact, is that initial pierce. To that end, a few basic strategies help overcome this challenge, allowing the plasma to pierce through inches of metal as effectively as possible. Publish date: January 4, 2012
	Metal fabricators collaborate to compete Precision Sheet Metal User Groups consist of up to six noncompetitive, geographically dispersed metal fabricators. Group members have found they can learn a lot from others, especially from other shop owners who have endured and overcome similar business challenges. Publish date: December 12, 2011
	2012 forecast: The good and bad of economic gumbo Positives and negatives probably will pepper the business climate in 2012. Manufacturing has led the economic recovery. Unemployment will remain high, and businesses will still seek technical talent. Equipment spending probably will continue apace. So will company acquisitions, but they won’t... Publish date: December 9, 2011
	Got milling? You’re hired. A good machinist is hard to find. Why? It’s a mixture of factors. Machining suffers from the same image problem as the other manufacturing trades, so not enough people enter the field. But this country also lacks hands-on training programs. Publish date: December 9, 2011
	High mix, fast delivery--on time High-product-mix manufacturers may have problems with off-theshelf TOC, as described in Eliyahu Goldratt’s The Goal, a book that tells how a fictional company manages its operations around a constraint. In a high-mix, low-volume operation, the constraint actually may move around from job to... Publish date: November 18, 2011
	Growing health care revenue by selling direct Midbrook, a Michigan fabricator of washing equipment, has worked hard to diversify outside of the automotive business. One key to its success has been its approach to selling to health care facilities. The fabricator has decided to circumvent traditional distributorship networks in health care. Publish date: November 18, 2011
	Metal fabrication, the Swiss way Switzerland’s manufacturers have no trouble finding citizens with technical skills; there just aren’t enough Swiss citizens. The country has a comprehensive apprenticeship program that helps prepare students for the working world. Publish date: November 8, 2011
	Need a light--now? Phoenix Products Co.--a high-mix, low-volume lighting products manufacturer--has implemented an improvement methodology called quick-response manufacturing, and realized dramatic improvements in lead-times. One light fixture that used to take eight weeks to manufacture now only takes two. Publish date: October 20, 2011
	Wet dust collection snuffs hazards of industrial dusts Metal manufacturers use wet filter systems for two reasons: to collect combustible metal dust and to filter particulate in heavy-sparking applications. Applications like deburring and grinding can involve both combustible metal particulate and heavy sparking--and for these applications wet dust... Publish date: October 20, 2011
	Time is money--so, so much money Quick-response manufacturing (QRM) focuses on what’s called the “manufacturing critical path time,” or MCT. In manufacturing, time is money--in fact, it’s a lot more money than many realize. Rajan Suri uncovers why in his new book Publish date: October 20, 2011
	Fabricator takes a team approach to job management Anderson Dahlen is a precision sheet metal job shop. It’s an industrial contractor that designs and fabricates entire systems for the processing sector, everything from mixing systems for the chemical industry to holding tanks for dairy plants. It also fabricates architectural metal for... Publish date: October 20, 2011
	Brass instrument manufacturing: How metal makes music Getzen Co. uses 200-year-old technology to make its high-end trumpets and trombones. Walking into the company’s Elkhorn, Wis., facility is a bit like walking into a metalworking museum. Here, worker experience and skill reign supreme. Publish date: October 10, 2011
	Same building, new people, new business A Tulsa, Okla., job shop launches just as the economy starts to recover. The shop moved into a facility that was previously home to another, now defunct fabricator. The building is old--but everything else is new. Publish date: September 13, 2011
	How a shop devoted to improvement improved At a major automotive OEM, a support operation is devoted to continuous improvement projects for the assembly line, fabricating items as needed to make life easier for line workers. Unfortunately, the improvement shop wasn’t very organized. As managers soon realized, it was time to improve the... Publish date: September 13, 2011
	Knowing the grammar of metal fabrication Several employees at Metcam, an Atlanta-area fabricator, underwent a relatively new program--the Precision Sheet Metal Operator, or PSMO, certification from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association. The certification requires in-depth knowledge of a range of fabrication processes--providing... Publish date: September 13, 2011
	How the sales function became so important Fred Wilke of Wilke Enginuity knows how important the sales function is. Small jobs helped the company grow, but in 2007 they were looking to take the company to the next level. It was time to concentrate on the larger contracts. Then the recession happened. Publish date: September 13, 2011
	Aerospace manufacturer champions employee ownership This California fabricator finds success with its employee stock ownership plan. The ESOP gives everyone a stake in the business. ESOPs go against conventional wisdom in retirement planning, where the financial gurus promote investment diversification. But for LeFiell employees, investing in the... Publish date: September 13, 2011
	The job shop schedule: Always imperfect, ever adapting There's one constant about job shops specializing in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing: change. Changes happen continually, which means schedules must continually adapt. Today, software is allowing job shops to ensure the production schedule reflects reality and, most important, continually adapts. Publish date: September 9, 2011
	Manufacturing's Multiplier Effect Sales at B&W Trailer Hitches dropped severely during the recession, but the fabricator had no mass layoffs. Instead, workers gave back to the community, fixing and repairing public parks, community centers, even employees’ homes. Judging by the company’s recent performance, such a strategy... Publish date: September 9, 2011
	Distributor, metal fabricator, metal finisher--wraparound service This Atlanta area company is an extruded metal distributor, architectural metal fabricator, and metal finisher all rolled into one. Such vertical integration gives the company a leg up over the competition. Publish date: September 2, 2011
	Metal fabricator asks what else customers need--and grows This Buffalo, N.Y., job shop is difficult to pigeonhole. It offers contract fabrication services, assembles complex material handling systems, and distributes certain products, including rooftop support systems. The company grew so diverse simply by asking what else their customers needed. In... Publish date: September 2, 2011
	No weak link allowed Holloway Houston Inc. uses waterjet cutting to fabricate critical linkages for its extreme testbed that's capable of exerting up to 5,000 tons of pulling force. Any weak link between the workpiece and testbed structure can render the pull test invalid--which is why waterjet cutting components to... Publish date: September 2, 2011
	Being fair and competitive Salem Metal Fabricators quotes a fair price, regardless of the economy, and has been able to maintain long-term customer relationships because of it. Publish date: September 2, 2011
	Metal fabricator’s product launch proves profitable A business doesn't have to be glamorous to be profitable. For Zeus metal Works, a Siler City, N.C., fabricator, heavy-duty cabinets, a necessity in many industries, have opened the door (so to speak) to new business opportunities. Publish date: September 2, 2011
	Fabricator finds path to skilled labor Crow Corp. had trouble finding the right person for the job, so company management took a bold step—and outsourced the hiring process. Today, the Houston-area fabricator is feeling the benefits. Publish date: August 1, 2011
	Fabricator touts precision production Diversified Metal Products’ demanding niche—nuclear fabrication—spurred growth throughout the economic downturn. Its mix of production and one-off fabrication may give the contract fabricator a leg up in the years ahead. Publish date: August 1, 2011
	Shaking off the albatross of manufacturing’s image A northeastern job shop gets a new building and a complete makeover, with bright colors, a sleek front office, a quality assurance room that looks like a laboratory, and with it all, a new image. Publish date: August 1, 2011
	How small batch sizes define modern manufacturing The long-held belief that setups should be amortized over the largest possible lot sizes needs to change. As setup times become shorter, they become less relevant, and, according to some, so does the old notion of economic order quantities. Publish date: August 1, 2011
	Metal Fabrication Industry: A portrait in prose Three books together paint a good picture of this industry. It’s a combination of technical knowhow, pragmatism, down-to-earth humor, and big-picture thinking. Publish date: August 1, 2011
	Putting talent to work Arin Inc. has evolved from a steel rule blanking house to a modern metal fabricator capable of producing precision, laser cut blanks. Bu workers can see history every day--a tool room for steel rule die remains, as do the mechanical presses. A tour of Arin's shop is a walk through time, a gallery... Publish date: August 1, 2011
	Design for manufacturability opens doors Dawson Doors, a fabricator in a small town in western New York, has developed a global presence in the high-end enclosure and door fabrication markets. By closely collaborating with customers, the unique fabrication company has continued to grow. Publish date: August 1, 2011
	The benefits of technical certification in metal fabrication The prototype shop at International Gaming Technologies employs serious talent. They take a sheet metal part through the entire fabrication process, from laser cutting and bending to welding and grinding. To qualify for a job here requires technical knowhow about a variety of manufacturing... Publish date: July 18, 2011
	Project engineer changes careers, chooses metal fabrication Jacob Melton quit his desk job in Chicago, drove home to Houston, and with his father bought a metal fabrication company. Several years later, even after a severe recession, it turns out that was a smart career move. Publish date: July 18, 2011
	The industry needs “technical leaders” FMA survey reveals hiring managers are looking for technical leaders, those with technical knowhow with the ability to look beyond their individual work cell. Publish date: July 14, 2011
	Induction key to complex beam rolling job Shop rolls beams for a unique place of worship--using an unusual process Abstract: Hardwick Co., a rolling shop in Birmingham, Ala., used its unusual induction beam rolling process to form beams into complex shapes involving multiple radii. Without such capability, the impressive design of the... Publish date: July 8, 2011
	How a big fabricator grows even bigger Mayville Engineering Co. of Mayville, Wis., has grown into a metal fabrication powerhouse, with seven plants that altogether employ more than 1,000 workers. But it hasn’t been an easy ride. Less than a decade ago, MEC was struggling to find its way. Today, the company has a conservative,... Publish date: June 7, 2011
	Plate rolls keep rolling heavier plate These days, plate rolls are forming plate 6 and 7 inches thick--and even thicker. Vessel designs that would have been forged just a decade ago are now being sent to fabrication houses. The variable-geometry plate roll system, which really operates more like a press brake than a traditional plate... Publish date: June 2, 2011
	The merits of a manufacturing hybrid Atlanta Precision Machine & Fabrication, a job shop launched in 2009, represents the latest venture of Atlanta Attachment Co., a made-to-order equipment manufacturer that has found success with diversification, both in the markets it serves and the services it offers, from basic fabrication to... Publish date: June 2, 2011
	The “hole” picture in laser tube cutting Ace Metal Crafts installs a laser tube cutting system with integrated tapping, a system that has shown its strength when producing structural tube. The machine cuts tube shapes, laser cuts holes, and performs tapping all in one setup. Publish date: May 6, 2011
	The science of bending perforated sheet and tread plate Tread plate and perforated sheet present significant bending challenges. To help matters, fabricators may need to look beyond typical air bending with a punch and V die. Though bending alternatives vary, they have one commonality: They clamp down to ensure the workpiece stays where it should. Publish date: April 1, 2011
	Diverse, quick, and growing Tennessee job shop finds success through diversifying its capabilities, from laser cutting, press brake bending, and robotic welding, to milling, turning, and boring. The shop turns around many jobs in only a few days. Publish date: April 1, 2011
	Everyone on the same page—electronically E-commerce now involves the full gamut of business communications, from quoting and paying invoices to job tracking. Technology, sources said, has made the supply chain more transparent, accountable, and efficient. Publish date: March 10, 2011
	Hamburgers, metal, and mettle White Castle’s metal fabrication subsidiary has abided by continuous improvement principles for decades—long before Toyota became a major player in the United States. Publish date: February 25, 2011
	More arc-on, less arc-off A North Georgia fabricator analyzes welder productivity and revamps its operations so that welders spend more time actually welding, and less time moving material and fixtures, as well as typing in data. Publish date: January 27, 2011
	Capital spending set to spike 2011 capital equipment spending could rise significantly, according to a recent survey from FMA Communications, publisher of The FABRICATOR. When compared with 2010 projections, projected plasma arc cutting investment jumped 47 percent, turret punch press investment projections were up 90... Publish date: January 17, 2011
	Laser cutting thick stainless steel—fast Fabricator uses a 7-kW CO 2 laser cutting system to cut thousands of thick, stainless steel components for a critical component of nuclear plant safety. Today, the shop hopes to leverage its technology to gain work in other sectors. Publish date: January 17, 2011
	Fabricator goes 3-D Fabricator uses both laser cutting and milling to manufacturer components quickly and to precision tolerances. Profiles are cut with a laser, and the mill machines specific elements with tight tolerance requirements. Publish date: January 10, 2011
	FABTECH ushers in growth At this year’s show, many attendees said they expected significant growth ahead. Some companies have acquired previous competitors, and the recession’s survivors are gearing up for growth. Publish date: December 2, 2010
	Fabricators anticipate growth in 2011 Metal fabricators expect continued growth in 2011, but uncertainties abound. Many firms are going into the New Year with a straightforward strategy: Improve what you can control to prepare for what they can’t. Publish date: December 2, 2010
	Fabricating to the drumbeat A central Ohio job shop uses a mix of improvement methodologies-- including the theory of constraints--to reduce lead-times from weeks to days. Publish date: December 2, 2010
	Fabricator growth strategy: Lower cost brings greater profit Hi-Tech Industries of New York invests heavily in automation, including a new laser cutting center and robotic press brake--large investments unusual for a typical job shop. But this is no typical job shop. Publish date: December 2, 2010
	Another day, another economic recovery One Columbus, Ohio, job shop recovered quickly from the recession. The organization has a history of financial conservatism and pragmatism—and today’s black ink is a testament to the shop’s success. Publish date: November 12, 2010
	Using watts, again A West Coast metal fabricator, Laser Cutting Northwest developed a product called the regenerator, which generates electricity from exhausted air. One application includes dust collectors for laser cutting systems. Installed into the shop’s own systems, the regenerator produces enough... Publish date: November 12, 2010
	Tube bending with no straights? No problem A Wisconsin tube shop invests in an unusual, freeform bending technology that can bend tube sections with no straight sections between bends. Different radii requires no tool changeouts or complex tooling setups. Instead, an operator changes the code in the controller. Publish date: November 1, 2010
	Better shielding gas flow, efficient welding After an automative supplier examines its automated and manual welding operations, it discovers greater efficiencies after analyzing and optimizing shielding gas flow. Publish date: October 21, 2010
	Automating the RFQ Robinson Laser recently sold its steel assets to Cargill and, as of 2010 is focusing entirely on the laser cutting of flat parts. To optimize operations, the organization essentially has automated its estimating process, from quick price checks to full- fledged request-for-quotes and order... Publish date: October 4, 2010
	New metal fabrication player touts high-value engineering A Baltimore job shop remained on the growth path throughout the recession by circumventing the traditional job bidding process and gaining a serious foothold in the export market. Publish date: October 4, 2010
	Why managing material matters Inventory matters when it comes to cash flow and overall profitability. Publish date: September 23, 2010
	Forming new possibilities with laser blanking If high-speed fiber lasers replace the traditional mechanical blanking press, they would open up new possibilities of blank designs optimized for the forming processes downstream. Publish date: September 16, 2010
	Where the tool meets the sheet metal Machine control really has defined what it means to be a metal fabricator. Boiled down, the job is about turning a design concept into a metallic reality, and the control interface is where the rubber hits the road. Publish date: September 16, 2010
	Lean inventory complements lean production Controlling inventory, reducing setups, taking advantage of vendor managed inventory arrangements--add it all up, and one metal label manufacturer has become seriously efficient. Publish date: September 16, 2010
	Welding the fast and narrow Advancements in SAW concentrate on faster deposition rates and narrow-groove welding. And today's controls, power supplies, and consumables are meeting industry's demand for process efficiency. Publish date: September 13, 2010
	Can lean manufacturing work in the job shop? Lean manufacturing has origins in the low-mix, high-volume world. But many job shops have successfully adapted the methodology to the high-mix, low-volume world. The key is to focus on operational commonalities. Publish date: August 4, 2010
	Streamlining press brake setups help transform a business Streamlining bending operations at a Chicago area fabricator was instrumental in the company's lean manufacturing efforts. Batch sizes and lead-times both have plummeted in recent years. Publish date: July 30, 2010
	Lights, camera, lean--recording manufacturing efficiency Nexteer Automotive uses sports video software to track machine, part, and worker movement. During the past few years, the technology has been integral to Nexteer's lean-manufacturing initiatives. Publish date: July 30, 2010
	Moving material beyond the Emerald Isle In April 2010, more than 100 wordsmiths from 30 countries traveled from as far away as New Zealand and Australia to the picturesque hills of County Monaghan, northwest of Dublin, to visit Combilift, a forklift manufacturer that manufactures locally, but sells globally. Publish date: July 13, 2010
	Analyzing the potential of the solid-state laser Fiber lasers have enormous potential in metal fabrication. They aren't a panacea, but for certain applications, they may be extremely attractive. They're solid-state, require less maintenance, and often can cut twice as fast as their CO 2 counterparts. Publish date: July 1, 2010
	New press brake, new production philosophy A new press brake and tooling purchase leads to a new way of thinking about manufacturing, including the reduction of batch sizes and work-in-process. Publish date: June 4, 2010
	What's NEXt? Growth NEX Solutions experiences double-digit growth during the worst economic climate in a generation. How did managers and employees achieve such performance? By adding value. Publish date: June 1, 2010
	Plasma cutting to 'Galpinize' Galpin Auto Sports pushes the envelope when it comes to car customization, and plasma cutting helps the company push the limits. Publish date: June 1, 2010
	Done-in-one, cutting plate Combination machines have brought the done-in-one concept to the heavy plate fabricator's shop floor. Publish date: May 4, 2010
	If you don't measure it, you can't improve it At Impulse Manufacturing, operators double as quality assurance personnel. The company tracks efficiency and quality via an innovative Web-based shop-management system. The company's mantra: If you don't measure it, you can't improve it. Publish date: April 1, 2010
	How to make grinding safer and more productive When it comes to grinding, a more productive worker is often a safer worker, if given the right tools and training. Publish date: April 1, 2010
	ERP and the cloud The concepts of cloud computing, or software as a service (SaaS), show their mettle at one automotive metal stamper. The stamper is in the middle of a growth spurt, and is proof that companies can find success in the changing automotive market. Publish date: April 1, 2010
	The squid head and the stamping press A stamper streamlines part handling, replacing the grunt work with a part manipulator, and designing a flexible manufacturing cell. In the end, the company's efforts improved worker ergonomics and part quality. Publish date: March 9, 2010
	Going 3-D: A matter of control Abrasive waterjet has moved beyond flat plate cutting. Today, the jet can move in Z and tilt to cut complex designs out of thick plate, and even tube and barstock. Publish date: March 1, 2010
	Two processes sometimes are better than one Alabama Laser ramps up its development efforts in hot-wire laser cladding, a new process that may have big potential, particularly in the oil and gas sector. Publish date: February 9, 2010
	Bending perforated weathering steel: Not a pedestrian challenge Sure Iron works takes on a fabricating challenge: bump-bending perforated weathering steel plate sections with edges that aren't designed to be perfectly square. Publish date: February 8, 2010
	Holding back the hydrogen Hydrogen cracking can send a project off schedule in a hurry. Here are ways to prevent it. Publish date: January 15, 2010
	Roll forming gets flexible Roll forming technology has adapted to a manufacturing market that demands short runs and quick response. Publish date: December 2, 2009
	How to relieve stress in welding Relieving residual stress through welding technique as well as temperature control can greatly reduce weld distortion. Publish date: November 2, 2009
	Raising the bar, one sink at a time Glastender, a food service products manufacturer, takes bold moves and expands during this historic economic downturn. Publish date: October 7, 2009
	Thinking outside the press brake Automating bending with a press brake tied to a robot isn't the only option. Panel benders and folding technologies have evolved to handle more parts and various lot sizes. Publish date: October 5, 2009
	Robotic GTAW or GMAW: No longer a clear-cut choice Gas tungsten arc welding is easier than ever to automate. At the same time, robotic GMAW technology now can produce welds that are close to GTAW quality Publish date: September 6, 2009
	Fabricating with a digital foundation An architectural metal fabricator takes a building-information modeling (BIM) approach, using enhanced computer modeling to streamline operations. Publish date: September 1, 2009
	Unique brake setup streamlines thick plate bending A heavy-equipment OEM's forming department develops a unique tooling setup for bending extremely thick, high-strength plate--designed for one application and one application only. Publish date: September 1, 2009
	Saying 'yes' when others can't IMEC, a small job shop in southwest Missouri, invests in automation not necessarily to increase capacity, but to increase flexibility. Publish date: August 1, 2009
	To think 'in tube' A tube laser spurs a shop to think about design and metal fabrication in a new way. Publish date: August 1, 2009
	KO'ing keystrokes A transformer manufacturer completely automates folding machine programming. Publish date: August 1, 2009
	Rolling it just so Contract manufacturer BEPeterson takes tight roll-bend tolerancing to the extreme: some cans are rolled to +/-1/32 inch on the circumference. Publish date: July 2, 2009
	Counting on the combo Revolving door manufacturer brings fabrication in-house, including a combination waterjet-plasma machine. Publish date: July 1, 2009
	Measurement, assembly, and welding: Ultra Tool's quest for in-die perfection: Part II Ultra Tool & Manufacturing launched a program to tackle sensor technology in an effort to errorproof the pressroom. Publish date: June 7, 2009
	Measurement, assembly, and welding: Ultra Tool's quest for in-die perfection: Part III Ultra Tool & Manufacturing adds in-die projection welding to its capabilities, eliminating secondary operations and significantly reducing labor costs. Publish date: June 4, 2009
	Curbing waste at Power Curbers Equipment manufacturer streamlines part flow and drastically reduces WIP and raw stock inventory. Once a part hits the floor, it never goes onto a rack. Publish date: June 4, 2009
	Tooling up to bend hard Different high-tensile-strength metals bend—and spring back—in starkly different ways, so developing a bending strategy takes some serious planning. Publish date: May 28, 2009
	Keeping the (fire) door open A manufacturer of fire doors, in the South Bronx grows a business through market diversification and automation, just a few miles north of some of the most expensive real estate on earth. Publish date: May 14, 2009
	Heavy hauling, heavy fabricating Ohio-based Diamond heavy-haul found efficiency in its cutting operations through nesting software by managing remnants and reducing scrap. Publish date: May 1, 2009
	Putting out fires, the lean way Crimson Fire, a lean fire truck OEM, enjoys record orders, but prepares for challenges ahead. Publish date: April 14, 2009
	Measurement, assembly, and welding: Ultra Tool's quest for in-die perfection: Part I Ultra Tool & Manufacturing launches a program to tackle sensor technology in an effort to errorproof the pressroom. Publish date: April 14, 2009
	Bending with kid gloves Polyurethane film, inserts, pads, and bottom dies can help prevent marring and, in some cases, allow the die to take on a variety of materials and gauges, including perforated metal and diamond tread plate. Publish date: March 10, 2009
	Welding for all seasons Tom Young has lived an unconventional life full of opportunities that happened because he could do what others could not: He could weld. Publish date: December 16, 2008
	Lost in translation Metrology managers are pushing industry to standardize, so that all digital inspection devices can, in essence, speak the same language. Publish date: December 15, 2008
	Getting it there yesterday Greenheck has made a science out of quick lead-times. For most products, customers can place an order and receive a custom fabrication within three to five days, and sometimes in less than 24 hours. Publish date: November 25, 2008
	Forming metal that 'remembers' Memry has built a business around shape-memory alloys, mainly for customers in the medical arena. It's a difficult, highly specialized field that managers at Memry are betting will grow. Publish date: November 25, 2008
	Getting close, bending safe Press brake operators work under some unique conditions that call for unique considerations in safeguarding. Publish date: November 25, 2008
	Rocket science, entrepreneur-style Managers, designers, and manufacturing engineers at Space Exploration Technologies have come up with a new way to design and manufacture a rocket. Publish date: November 11, 2008
	Japanese metal fabrication: Manufacturing on a bedrock of data Overseas, metal fabricators have many of the same issues as those stateside, including lack of skilled labor and outsourcing to low-labor-cost countries. In Japan, fabricators tackle those issues by taking automation to new levels. Publish date: October 14, 2008
	Reasons for a press brake upgrade Modern press brakes add intelligence to the machine control and bring programming offline. Publish date: October 14, 2008
	Growing season: Fabricating for agriculture FSI Fabrication makes products that help farmers quickly and accurately transport feed, grain, and other material. Publish date: October 14, 2008
	Cycling through a business transition Lori and Traci Tapani, co-presidents of Wyoming Machine, aren't your typical metal fabrication managers. Together, they've managed to diversify their family business into a thriving, stable enterprise. Publish date: August 26, 2008
	Getting lean, job shop style Ace Metal Crafts has promoted its own brand of lean that, more than anything, gives employees ownership over the process. Publish date: August 26, 2008
	Ultrafabrication, ultraexpansion Ultra Machine & Fabrication, through significant capital outlays, has built an infrastructure ready to complete in the heavy plate market. Publish date: August 26, 2008
	(Un) memorable fabrication Oceaneering's structural fab operation has built "dark ride" vehicles for theme parks around the world. It has custom-fabricated and erected aluminum components for a mammoth advertisement overlooking Times Square. It has welded a structural mount that holds up the recovered World Trade Center... Publish date: August 12, 2008
	Gold medal fabrication for Olympic ski jump Dynamic Structures has fabricated huge structures across North America. But this project--two ski jumps for the Vancouver 2010 games--was different. Publish date: July 29, 2008
	Cool (pipe) runnings A pipe fabricator finds a new way to fabricate and assemble a bobsled run for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Publish date: July 29, 2008
	Forming AHSS: Playing by new rules Advanced high strength steels spur stampers to think about metal forming in new ways. Publish date: July 15, 2008
	Lasers catch limelight at ALAW How can laser technology make metal fabrication more efficient? The efficiency comes not only from advances within the laser itself, but also in new ways to integrate those lasers for optimal part flow on the shop floor. Several presenters at ALAW 2008 hammered this point home. Publish date: June 17, 2008
	Building success with the staggered truss Developed during the 1960s by MIT graduate students, the staggered-truss system avoids the use of interior columns to transfer loads to the foundation; instead, trusses themselves carry the brunt of the load transfers. More than anything, the steel design method has potential to take various... Publish date: June 17, 2008
	Accounting for growth in lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing has a negative, often unexpected, impact on the balance sheet--but those negative effects are short-term. Publish date: June 17, 2008
	Diversity a blessing for Blessing Diverse customer base—from heavy equipment to medical—key to Blessing Industries' success Publish date: May 13, 2008
	Streamlined scheduling suits fabricator Indianapolis-based Estes Design and Manufacturing has made significant strides in adopting manufacturing-friendly information technology, marrying enterprise resource planning (ERP) and scheduling software to ensure work flows efficiently through the shop. Publish date: May 13, 2008
	Automotive and industrial: A tale of two businesses Embracing technology has given Microflex a firm foothold in the turbulent automotive marketplace.The Tier 2 supplier has garnered a reputation for advanced sheet metal forming, developing parts for exhaust, steering, and fuel system components. It has ISO 9001 and other quality certifications and... Publish date: April 15, 2008
	Educating beyond the arc A new grant program promotes education for the welding technician. The program focuses more on welding theory behind the various processes--and less on hands-on training. Publish date: April 15, 2008
	Work flow goes virtual Mid-West Metal Products, Muncie, Ind., has perfected work flow through ERP and the company's virtual manufacturing plan. Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Virtually welding Today several companies offer technologies that help beginning welders get that hand motion just right. None claims that the technology will replace the real thing, of course, but they do say that training in the virtual world can give students a significant leg up by the time they weld for the... Publish date: March 11, 2008
	Specials simplify the complex, speed productivity Standardized press brake tooling, absolutely necessary for a lean organization, keeps a shop flexible, but at the same time, ignoring specials would be a big mistake. If their slightly longer setup times also lead to a drastic increase in throughput, special tools make good business sense. Publish date: February 12, 2008
	Innovative workholding streamlines welding at Vermeer Lean manufacturing drove equipment manufacturer Vermeer Corp. to organize weld cells for maximum productivity. In each cell, fixtures are placed within the welder's reach, and equipment is placed for optimal ergonomics. Publish date: February 12, 2008
	Waterjet makes it into the mainstream Advancements in the control and equipment components, each working in concert, have pushed the technology from a relative novelty to the mainstream. Publish date: February 12, 2008
	Avoiding a snag A company specializing in perforated sheet overcomes deburring issues with an automated system using nonwoven fiber brushes. Publish date: January 15, 2008
	The science behind the servo press Flexibility sums up where the servo-driven mechanical press stands in its evolution. Early adopters are seeing that flexibility and asking, "What if?" What if I could control ram motion throughout the stroke and dwell for a certain period at bottom dead center (BDC)? According to sources, those... Publish date: January 15, 2008
	Shop perfects laser cutting brass, titanium Meeting a challenge sometimes requires out-of-the box thinking. One contract manufacturer employed a thorough knowledge of laser cutting, determination, ingenuity, and tenacity to successfully laser cut difficult-to-process materials. Publish date: January 15, 2008