Content tagged with "machining"
Results: 18
Article
September 1, 2009
Die not in the mix for tool shop
Accurate quoting and delivery of tooling (such as the ones shown here) in just four to eight weeks is helping Nortool Precision Machining & Tool, Eklhart, Ind., to gain new customers in this difficult economic environment. Its new CAD/CAM software that supports 3-D for both design and NC has... Read more...
Article
September 1, 2009
Learning to adapt
Although Production Cutting Services initially focused on saw-cut parts, these days it also provides machined (right) and laser-cut (left) parts. It also learned the ins and outs of drilling and plasma cutting. Manufacturing isn't the same today as it was two and a half decades ago. CNC... Read more...
Article
June 16, 2008
Unfolding truth about flats
Gerald Davis is a job shop consultant and chair Three-dimensional CAD software provides great power to generate flat layouts of sheet metal parts with just a click of a button. But as Uncle Ben told a young Peter Parker in Stan Lee's "Spider-Man" saga, "With great power there must also come... Read more...
Article
June 1, 2008
Article
May 1, 2008
Machined-part modeling in 3-D CAD
Almost anything can be built. Clever machine tool manufacturers offer solutions for even the most challenging manufacturing problems. Sometimes, however, manufacturing resources are limited. What sorts of things should CAD designers consider when modeling parts that are intended to be easy... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Machine shop sees the (laser) light
Figure 1 Laser-cut tube parts are given a close inspection after coming off the BLM- Adige LT712D laser tube cutting machine at MG Products Inc. Mark George, president of Elkhart, Ind.-based MG Products Inc., chuckled when asked whether his company is more of a machine shop or a tube... Read more...
Article
March 11, 2008
Recruit, train, and retain
The FABRICATOR's Editorial Advisory Board meets to discuss ways to find new talent and keep them interested in manufacturing as a career choice. Time has passed, but the times haven't changed that much. A little over two years ago The FABRICATOR's Editorial Advisory Board engaged in a... Read more...
Article
February 12, 2008
Nothing standard about this fab shop
After five years of working for a family-owned metal fabricating business in eastern Connecticut, Rob Marelli wanted to do things his way. He approached the president with an offer to buy the company from him, but he was soon gone with a handshake and a letter of recommendation. He eyed... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2007
Tips for grinding and wire machining tool steel
Figure 1 A great deal of tool steel damage results from improper machining procedures. As a consultant, I frequently get asked, "My die sections are cracking—what type of tool steel should I use?" or "My punches chip frequently—how do I prevent this?" Tool steel selection is a... Read more...
Article
January 9, 2007
Spending time with capital equipment
Ask fabricators how they view business in 2007, and you'll likely get for a response, "Cautiously optimistic." In these days of potential terrorist attacks, war in Iraq and Afghanistan, tightening oil supplies, a shallow labor pool, and the constant threat of being replaced by an overseas... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Using job shop habits for a custom project
Like any good businessman, Ed Sauvola wants to take his company in a successful direction. That's why this instructor-artist-welder-machinist was interested in the challenge of designing custom welding fixtures for a manufacturer in his area. Sauvola (see introductory photo) has plenty of... Read more...
Article
November 7, 2006
Fabricator finds tubular niche
Although Illinois is known primarily for its fertile fields and agricultural output, it's home to many manufacturing companies too. John Deere incorporated Deere & Co. in Moline. DaimlerChysler manufactures automobiles in Belvidere. Caterpiller's worldwide headquarters is in Peoria. Where... Read more...
Article
October 10, 2006
Growing, growing ... gone?
Fabrication jobs for Custom Tool & Mfg. Co. sometimes are very large and intricate in nature. Some customers left, but a contract manufacturer finds new ones on the Web In its 25 years of operation, Custom Tool & Mfg. Co. (CTM), Lawrenceburg, Ky., has grown from a small fixture and... Read more...
Article
July 11, 2006
West coast wrapper
Before parts are to be wrapped, they are laid on the pallet. A forklift transports the parts to the stretch wrapper. It's not a stretch to say that Haas Automation Inc. is the largest machine tool builder in North America. The Oxnard, Calif.-based company produced 10,000 CNC machines... Read more...
Article
March 7, 2006
Editorial Advisory Board Roundtable
The FABRICATOR's Editorial Advisory Board gathered to discuss the current skill sets for fabricating and forming employees and which areas need improvement. When fabricators get busy, the cries for skilled labor grow louder. Unfortunately, many OEMs and job shops aren't having the best of... Read more...
Article
July 12, 2005
How one shop benefited from abrasive waterjet technology
Figure 1 Triplex Systems manufacturers this casting cleaning cabinet for the investment casting industry. Editor's Note: Dr. Olsen has authored several articles for thefabricator.com about abrasive wate jet cutting technology. These articles can be found in thefabricator.com's... Read more...
Article
March 13, 2003
Designing tooling economically
Manufacturers constantly are challenged to cut costs and reduce expenses through lower tooling costs while still providing a quality product to their customers. Many toolmakers are exploring existing tool modifications to reduce costs instead of building new tools. Long-standing,... Read more...
Article
March 26, 2002
Is Your Welding Lean?
Following World War II and during the rebuilding of the Japanese industrial base manufacturers recognized that to restore production of manufactured goods and be globally competitive, new methods were necessary. One of the pioneers in this re-engineering of manufacturing was Toyota, led by... Read more...
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