Stud welding, an often-overlooked process, can have a significant effect on the life-cycle cost of a product.

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.

The basics of preparing for GMAW.

Columnist Gerald Davis has a new project thismonth: Model a cage that will hold about 528 lbs. (240 kg) of batteries. Because afictional project manager has not settled onthe specific battery spacing or on thestructural members to use, Davis showsreaders how to make it easy to change thesize as well as the materials used in the cage.

Shop owners who cut with waterjet machines should keep abreast oflocal waste and disposal regulations.

Nortool Precision Machining and Tool has turned to a 3-D CAD/CAM package for both design and NC and has found that it is delivering quicker and more accurate bids, while simultaneously improving the quality of tool- and diemaking.

Value stream mapping is an invaluable tool used to identify waste in day-to-day operations. Fortunately smaller companies can follow 10 specific steps to prepare for and achieve value stream mapping.

An architectural metal fabricator takes a building-information modeling (BIM) approach, using enhanced computer modeling to streamline operations.

Automation has emerged as an alternative to manual welding, but these robotic and fixed automation technologies tend to work for specific applications, rather than general pipe fabricating. Automation coupled with the flexibility of a human operator during the welding process, however, represents a new alternative for those companies looking to squeeze more productivity out of the pipe fabricating process.

Like all manufacturers, Woodsage Industries is always on the lookout for a better way to manufacture the many components it produces for OEMs. It recently devised a way to make one-piece external muffler shells for motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.