More metal fabricators are venturing into the area of thicker materials, so it's not too unusual to see 0.25-in. material thrown onto a punch press that also accommodates thin material. Luckily, the right punching tooling can help fabricators work with this mix of material thicknesses efficiently.

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.

Most job shops have Web site, but they don't do much with them. They might as well be billboards on a road to nowhere. However, with a little knowledge about constructing a proper Web site and optimizing the site for Internet search engines, those same sites can be attracting more visitors in a short amount of time.

Fiber laser and bending automation developments seen at EuroBLECH 2010, Oct. 26-30, Hanover, Germany, may one day be found in North American shops.

A central Ohio job shop uses a mix of improvement methodologies-- including the theory of constraints--to reduce lead-times from weeks to days.

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.

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.

In a nation striving to upgrade its infrastructure, FCAW-S has become the process of choice for many. It combines the efficiency of wire welding with the portability and flexibility of SMAW.

The Rock Island Arsenal has been a manufacturer of military equipment and ordnance since the 1880s, but today it has established itself as the only general-purpose, vertically integrated metal manufacturer in the U.S. Department of Defense. With that responsibility, it boasts an incredible array of manufacturing capabilities and expertise, all of which allows it to rapidly respond to the needs of its military customers.

By eliminating its work order packets, Advanced Laser Machining Inc. has saved time associated with trying to make corrections once engineering changes were made to jobs in progress and reduced the risk of upsetting its customers.

Wrapping up his design work on the Shashlik Grill, columnist Gerald Davis now turns his attention to preparing final versions of project documentation.

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.