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More from Tim Heston
- From The Fabricator
Perfecting the job shop schedule in metal manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 17, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
A job shop’s production schedule is never perfect, but that doesn’t mean metal fabricators can’t improved upon it.
- From The Fabricator
How one manufacturing company is reshaping a Virginia community
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 17, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Virginia MetalFab doubled sales between 2021 and 2022, all while losing several weeks of production moving to another, much larger facility in Appomattox, Va. But making sales goals isn’t the driver; it’s about changing people’s lives.
- From The Fabricator
Misconceptions about cobots and safety in manufacturing, fabrication settings
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 14, 2023
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Collaborative robotics are commonly seen as inherently safe in the manufacturing industry. In truth, how safe cobots really are depends on the application, a fact any risk assessment should take into account in a metal fabrication shop.
- From The Fabricator
Tech Topic: Avoid deburring when laser cutting sheet metal
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 22, 2023
- Laser Cutting
- Blog Post
Precision metal fabricators now take a holistic and automated view of the blanking process: deburring, part leveling, part removal and stacking—essentially, everything it takes to get a part to the next major operation.
- From The Fabricator
How fabricators diversify revenue streams and find new customers
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 20, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Some custom and contract metal fabrication shops grow on the backs of just several large accounts. All seems well, until one of those “whale” accounts pulls its business.
- From The Fabricator
Count’s Kustoms dips into automated deburring
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 18, 2023
- Finishing
- Article
Count’s Kustoms, the custom car and motorcycle shop of “Counting Cars” fame, is all about craftmanship. Automaton really didn’t have a place until employees started to spend hours on monotonous deburring.
- From The Fabricator
AI and the future of metal manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 14, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Artificial intelligence could be used to enhance our existing knowledge or prevent us from needing to learn anything in the first place. The latter is the nightmare scenario for the future of metal manufacturing.
- From The Fabricator
Dynamic shaping thick metal with dynamic beam laser technology
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 10, 2023
- Laser Welding
- Article
Dynamic beam laser technology might be the future of the industrial laser as the beam uses dynamic shaping in to suit an application’s and metal shop's needs.
- From The Fabricator
The value of talk in the job shop and how culture builds sustainability
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 20, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Conventional wisdom in lean manufacturing says that material handlers should stage tools and material for operators. The less wasted movement operators make, the better. Still, how does this affect shop culture and idea generation? It's worth putting more value in talking a communication in the metal fabrication job shop.
- From The Fabricator
How low-code apps could streamline the manufacturing shop floor
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 16, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Software runs the modern world, but not all problems can be solved with out-of-the-box software. Low-code apps could help metal fabricators customize programs to meet specific manufacturing needs.
- From The Fabricator
Staying safe with hand-held laser welding in the metal fabrication shop
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 14, 2023
- Safety
- Article
Hand-held laser welding has produced some eyebrow-raising results. But in the quest for productivity, metal fabrication shops can’t forget about safety using the advanced technology.
- From The Fabricator
Mergers and acquisitions in fabrication: Making better together a reality
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 11, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
White Rock Manufacturing Solutions has experienced dramatic growth, acquiring five companies in five years. Part of that success might have to do with how employees communicate and collaborate. Top-down, my-way-or-the-highway management isn't the metal fabricator's style.
- From The Fabricator
Swedish scooter maker curves sheet metal with sustainability in mind
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 9, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Without dedicated tooling, most sheet metal forming processes bend along a bend line. A Swedish company is taking a new approach, curving metal in multiple directions to simplify and strengthen assemblies.
Evolución de la automatización de la inserción de herrajes
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 3, 2023
- Assembly and Joining
- Article
Poner un robot frente a una prensa de inserción parece algo evidente. Sin embargo, la robótica es sólo una parte de la ecuación de automatización. La tecnología de prensas de inserción ha avanzado mucho.
- From The Fabricator
Financial survey reveals metal fabrication growth spurt for 2023
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 26, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
FMA’s “Financial Ratios & Operational Benchmarking Survey” reveals the results of a growth spurt. It isn’t a bad time to be a metal fabricator.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/26/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:51
This week on The Fabricator Podcast, Jason Becker, host of the Arc Junkies Podcast and owner of Underground...
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- Upcoming Webcasts
Nitrogen Generation for Laser Cutting: Navigating System Design for YOUR Operation
- April 24, 2024
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- Presented By: Purity Gas