The FABRICATOR’s most popular content of 2019

From steel market instability to the manufacturing skills gap to EV evolution to welder pay to machine learning, here are the 15 most-read articles and blogs on thefabricator.com in 2019.

There’s no perfect snapshot to sum up 2019 in the world of metal fabrication and manufacturing.

The past year presented a lot of different variables to the industry: The growing influence of automation through machine learning; the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs through every manufacturing supply chain; the mounting skills gap in the face of historically low unemployment rates; the amount of metal fabricators rethinking how they operate through things like lean manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and collaboration.

But if there’s one way to gauge what has really been on the minds of metal fabricators, it’s by taking a look at our most popular content over the last 365 days.

Here are the top 15 most-read articles and blogs on thefabricator.com during 2019.

15. New metal fabricator takes collaboration to the next level

After a brief stint away from the industry, Kurt Wollenberg got back into the fabrication game three years ago by launching Kaukauna, Wis.-based Metal Fab Solutions (MFS). But not as a typical startup, with one or a few people working nonstop out of a garage. MFS is a member of a unique organization called The Village Companies. Like any village, its population shares certain resources to be more competitive.

14. Respect your angle grinder

The WELDER Editor Amanda Carlson interviews Terry Tuerk of Metabo Corp., giving a detailed synopsis of angle grinding do’s and don’ts that all those who use the tool must know. Just like other metalworking equipment, angle grinders are dangerous if they are not treated with the care and respect that they command.

13. Steel prices under pressure

The steel market was all over the place in 2019. Soft demand during the Spring of 2019 had steel buyers believing that steel prices likely will soften in the coming months. Steel producers also feared their margins would shrink, and distributors would see the value of their inventories erode. John Packard and Tim Triplett of Steel Market Update had the sector covered all year.

12. New manufacturing report shows how worker turnover costs the industry

A report released from Tooling U-SME, The True Cost of Turnover, finds that monetary drain of employee turnover can cost manufacturers hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. Digital Editor Gareth Sleger writes that data from the report substantiates the growing skills gap problem in manufacturing.

11. 5 misconceptions about robotic welding guns and consumables

It's important to consider GMAW guns and consumables when investing in robotic welding systems. Seth Perrin, a field tech support specialist at Tregaskiss, explains five common misconceptions about GMAW guns and consumables that may be affecting your robotic welding operation.

10. 5 steps to get the most out of scrap metal

Scrap isn’t a cost center; it’s an overlooked revenue center, writes Jason Wolff, president of Fortis Metal Management. And many operations could get more revenue from their scrap than they currently do. The goal is to monitor and maximize every aspect of a scrap program. Done right, fabricators can turn scrap—an afterthought for most shops—into an increasingly valuable profit center.

Chevrolet Bolt EV and Chevrolet Sonic vehicles are assembled at the General Motors Orion plant in Orion Township, Mich. Electric vehicles present both opportunities and challenges for stamping manufacturers. Photo courtesy of GM, Detroit

9. How will the electric vehicle evolution affect stamping manufacture?

The shift from ICE to ACES vehicles has opened market opportunities and requires more modernization with better agility. STAMPING Journal Editor Kate Bachman took an in-depth look at how the electric and automated vehicle evolution will affect stamping manufacturers, including video interviews with auto industry experts who say that the era of EVs and AVs is right around the corner.

8. A virtuous feedback loop in precision sheet metal fabrication

During the 2019 FMA Annual Meeting in Nashville, attendees and Senior Editor Tim Heston took a tour of Food Warming Equipment Inc. The Tennessee shop showed how important continual employee feedback and cross-training have become in metal fabrication.

7. The truth on welder pay

A welder can make a decent living, even at the entry-level. But the reality of the situation is that he or she generally won’t be earning top dollars right away. Like any job, most have to start at the bottom. Editor-in-Chief Dan Davis interviews some industry experts and looks at some more factors that determine what welders can expect to earn.

6. U.S. steel producers fight efforts to change what counts as domestic content in water projects

In language that is evidenced in a 2019 appropriations request, domestic steelmakers successfully eliminated products “substantially transformed” as qualifying as domestic content in EPA water programs. Washington D.C. correspondent Stephen Barlas takes a look.

5. Hiring younger manufacturers who work to live

The younger generations of Millennials and Gen Zers are more about working to live instead of living to work. Can manufacturing and metal fabrication companies accommodate this reality? Editor-in-Chief Dan Davis writes that if manufacturing and fabrication companies want to attract younger workers, they need to rethink scheduling.

4. Why is it called a press brake?

Press brake guru Steve Benson gets to the root of why a press brake called a press brake? A brief history of a few words reveals the answer. In short, the verb “brake,” as used in sheet metal shops, comes from a Middle English verb that meant “to bend.”

3. 2020 metal fabrication forecast: The big rethink

It’s no surprise that thefabricator.com’s third most-read article in 2019 was a forecast for 2020. The past year has seen some ups and downs following a few years of robust growth in the metal fabrication and manufacturing industries. Most metal fabricators and manufacturers expect softening growth for the upcoming year, but business reinvestment continues unabated. Senior Editor Tim Heston looks ahead.

2. The rules of press brake tool selection

In a perfect world, a press brake operator would choose a V-die opening that’s eight times the material thickness. But the world isn’t perfect, writes Paul LeTang, Press Brake Product Manager at Bystronic. The line has blurred between RFA, New Standard, European, and American standard tooling. Many features needed for high-performance bending have migrated to all the various tooling types. Regardless of which tooling and clamping style you choose, be sure it meets at least a few minimum requirements.

1. How AI and machine learning change everything

The key problem of this century is for manufacturers and fabricators to figure out the right balance between humans and automation, says Richard Boyd in an interview with Senior Editor Tim Heston. Machine learning is more than just robots, cutting machines, material handling towers, and other forms of hard automation. It’s also software and cloud-based systems—anything that can take a massive amount of information, interpret it, decide the best course of action, and produce results.

By the time today’s youth retire, or perhaps sooner, they might see artificial intelligence and machine learning change just about everything in the fab shop. Getty Images