- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Our Publications
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
More from Tim Heston
- From The Fabricator
Muza Metal Products perfects its sales and marketing strategy
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 29, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
Muza Metal Products scrutinized its sales and marketing strategy. The management team identified the target customer and has a plan for growth. But growth takes more than just hiring people and buying machines.
- From The Fabricator
How a Wisconsin metal fabricator rebounded after tough times
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 10, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
As it did for many businesses, the Great Recession exposed Maysteel’s weakness. But today the Wisconsin custom fabricator has a renewed focus and is again on the growth path.
- From The Fabricator
Profits in metal fabrication: Selling time
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 7, 2018
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
On-time delivery is critical, of course, but it's also a component of another metric, without which a business can't sustain itself: profitability.
- From The Fabricator
What is a custom metal fabricator?
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 6, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
What are custom metal fabricators? That’s not easy to answer, and it may be why investors are looking at custom metal fabrication with such keen interest.
- From The Fabricator
The next generation of vessel and tank production
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 1, 2018
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Midland, Texas-based Smith Industries has invested heavily in automation for profile cutting of vessels as well as the rolling and welding of tank shells—not horizontally, but in the vertical orientation.
- From The Fabricator
Artificial intelligence makes machine maintenance more effective
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 7, 2018
- Testing and Measuring
- Article
An AI engine that mimics how a human ear hears could have big potential in the maintenance arena.
- From The Fabricator
5 steps to successful career path management
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 7, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
Many managers feel uncomfortable talking to direct reports about their career goals. But they avoid it at their peril, particularly when hiring millennials, and especially in these times of poaching and record low unemployment.
- From The Fabricator
Solving metal fabrication’s greatest problem: skilled labor
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 6, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
A fabricator needs technology, but what really sets it apart are its talented people, and according to participants of FABTECH’s workforce development panel, the industry needs to engage to find more.
- From The Fabricator
Vaporizing foil actuator welding: Joining by impact
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 5, 2018
- Metals/Materials
- Article
Vaporizing foil actuator welding (VFAW) uses the pressure from an electrically driven explosion to impact-weld dissimilar metals at high speed. It does this by changing a thin metal foil from a solid to a gas and using the pressure to push one base metal—over a short, controlled distance—toward another base metal. This all happens within millionths of a second, with impact speeds about twice the speed of sound in air.
- From The Fabricator
Collaborative robots : An option for job shop welding automation
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 5, 2018
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Collaborative robots are a welding automation technology for job shops to consider especially if they have difficulty justifying traditional welding automation.
- From The Fabricator
Mergers and acquisitions in metal fabrication: The story behind one shop’s success
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 2, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
In December 2017 a large injection molding operation purchased a $45 million custom fabricator, a large shop with high revenue diversity. No one customer made up more than 3 percent of revenue. One more thing: Seven years before, the fabricator was just an $8 million shop.
- From The Fabricator
Panel benders, folding machines, and other alternatives for bending big sheet metal workpieces
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 31, 2018
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Have operators who strain their backs lifting large panels during the press brake forming cycle? It doesn’t have to be that way.
- From The Welder
From shop helper to sought-after certified welder
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 19, 2018
- Arc Welding
- Article
Serendipity got Travis James Kurtzeborn into welding. Patience, persistence, and tenacity made him a success. His story shows the importance of exposing students to the welding craft. Without a lucky encounter, Kurtzeborn wouldn’t be where he is today.
- From The Fabricator
Reinvestment in technology: The cornerstone of the future metal fabricator
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 10, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
As technology marches forward, fabricators need to reinvest to stay in the game. Such reinvestment demands healthy cash flow, which is why lean manufacturing and continuous improvement have become so important. But smart equipment financing also is playing a role.
- From The Fabricator
Laser cutting leads to business diversification
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 8, 2018
- Laser Cutting
- Article
A fabricator of drive-thru order points plunges into the laser cutting arena. Why? The company didn’t need more cutting capacity. Instead, managers hope the laser will help build new streams of revenue.
- 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...
- Trending Articles
AI, machine learning, and the future of metal fabrication
Employee ownership: The best way to ensure engagement
Steel industry reacts to Nucor’s new weekly published HRC price
Dynamic Metal blossoms with each passing year
Metal fabrication management: A guide for new supervisors
- Industry Events
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
- Novi, MI
- Upcoming Webcasts
Nitrogen Generation for Laser Cutting: Navigating System Design for YOUR Operation
- April 24, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: Purity Gas
Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: ECI Software Solutions, M1