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More from Tim Heston
- 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.
- From The Fabricator
Leveling for metal fabricators: Know the material you’re buying
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 4, 2018
- Metals/Materials
- Article
With better knowledge of how leveling operations make material flat, fabricators can make better buying decisions.
- From The Fabricator
FABTECH previews the future of metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 4, 2018
- Shop Management
- Article
FABTECH® 2017 provided a preview of what looks to be a very positive 2018. Conferences and keynotes also brought industry trends and challenges front-and-center: flexible automation, software, Industry 4.0, and the perennial search for the engaged skilled tradesperson.
- From The Fabricator
An edge up on plasma cut quality
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 3, 2018
- Plasma Cutting
- Article
Precision plasma cutting has come a long way, and the technology that helps create the process’s clean, almost glassy edge—with little to no taper or edge rounding—continues to get better.
- From The Fabricator
Collaborative robotics in metal fabrication: Automate the boring
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 15, 2017
- Automation and Robotics
- Blog Post
Automation now can take on unskilled and semiskilled work, even in low-volume environments.
- From The Fabricator
Apprenticeship programs: Getting paid to learn
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 11, 2017
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Apprenticeship programs help connect education to the workplace.
- From The Fabricator
Trucking in metal fabrication: Delivering on promises
- By Kate Bachman and Tim Heston
- Dec 4, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Should a fabricator own its own trucks or contract with a carrier? A fabricator that also owns a full-fledged trucking company offers a unique perspective.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/05/2024
- Running Time:
- 65:35
After Ludlow Manufacturing Inc. (LMI) received The Fabricator's 2024 Industry Award, Todd Ludlow, founder and president of the...
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NASCC: The Steel Conference
- March 20 - 22, 2024
- San Antonio,
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- March 26, 2024
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- April 2 - 3, 2024
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- April 15, 2024
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- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
- Upcoming Webcasts
Nitrogen Generation for Laser Cutting: Navigating System Design for YOUR Operation
- April 24, 2024
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- Presented By: Purity Gas