The methods used to shield the plasma arc from the atmosphere have evolved. The concept of using tap water to generate the secondary gas has been around for more than three decades, but high-precision plasma cutting using the nitrogen-water process was developed less than a decade ago.

The Roberts Co. isn’t a heavy industrial metal fabricator. It’s not a erector, general contractor, maintenance services provider, or engineering firm. It’s all of the above.

Artist and fabricator Philip Dees, who holds a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degree in fine art, has worked in metal fabrication and roll forming for nearly 30 years while pursuing a career as an artist. In addition to his drawings, paintings, and sculptures, Dees sees other opportunities for artistic expression, such as refurbishing an old house.

Minnesota fabricator rebrands itself, standardizes operations, and remains nimble, even after years of aggressive growth. Managers expect the firm to grow another 18 percent this year. That’s not small potatoes for one of the country’s largest contract metal fabricators.

Companies should consider brake safeguarding in two phases. First, they need to consider all jobs that will be run on the machine; next, they can select a guarding system that will work with all of them.

The FABRICATOR's FAB 40 suggests that the manufacturing revival in the U.S. is alive and well.

Jones Metal Products has deep roots in Mankato, Minn. It began as an industrial fabricator, which took rough concepts and saw them through design, fabrication, and installation. Today, the company in one sense is following that tradition.

EVS Metal, Riverdale, N.J., which started as a 5,000-square-foot fabricating shop in New Jersey, is now a $30 million operation with four locations. The size of the company gives its customers confidence that they are dealing with a metal services supplier that will be around for the long term. The multiple, smaller locations give the fabricator the flexibility it needs to be responsive to customers' needs.

Vista Manufacturing Co., Kansas City, Kan., stands out even more than other fab shops in an industry where one metal fabricating shop is rarely an exact copy of another. The company, which has roots in electronics product manufacturing, offers electronics assembly for those customers needing parts like printed circuit boards. This value-added capability, combined with its metalworking talents, has made Vista an important partner for several customers in the Midwest.

Columnist Gerald Davis focuses on creating better illustrations and models to make life easier for parties involved in downstream operations.

The median age of the Vita Needle emloyee is 73. The company practices what one anthropologist calls eldersourcing. Considering the knowledge they've gained over the years, the elderly may become one of metal fabrication's greatest assets.