- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
The Fabricator August 2016
The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
Robot deposits welds in high gear with Tip TIG
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 17, 2016
- Arc Welding
- Article
A new robot welding cell incorporates TIP TIG, a hot-wire welding process that feeds an oscillating wire under a tungsten electrode. In some applications, the method reportedly allows the robot to weld at speeds close to those of gas metal arc welding.
Bending Basics: How to locate the press brake’s backgauge position
- By Steve Benson
- Aug 17, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When determining the backgauge position, you need to know the outside flange dimension and bend deduction, based on the actual radius you achieve.
Shop technology and 3-D CAD: Product development modeling with fabrication as the end goal
- By Gerald Davis
- Aug 16, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Columnist Gerald Davis reveals that delivering a straightforward CAD model might make sense for a project that will require alterations down the road.
Documentation keeps the knowledge in-house
- By Shannon Bennett and Simon Spencer
- Aug 11, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Every noteworthy quality improvement methodology calls for observation, analysis, planning, measuring, and reviewing work processes to get better results than achieved previously. For any of this to be successful, manufacturers need to document work instructions, corrections, and goals.
Better business processes, smoother days
- By Jeff Sipes
- Aug 11, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
So many shop managers operate in firefighting mode. They call customers, suppliers, employees, and bosses to explain, apologize, and then shift into high gear to “Git-R-Done.” As columnist Jeff Sipes explains, that really has no place in manufacturing.
Accounting for time in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 11, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Traditional cost accounting treats inventory as an asset and, according to the author of a new book, does not capture the true costs of long lead times. A new accounting method, which complies with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), aims to correct this.
Metal fabrication for the visually impaired
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 11, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Beyond Vision, a not-for-profit organization that employs people who are visually impaired and blind, has an eight-person machine shop that recently delved into metal fabrication. The company’s story shows just how much these people can contribute to a job shop operation.
Projection welding of fasteners to hot-stamped boron steel
- By Allen M. Agin and Bob Kollins
- Aug 8, 2016
- Metals/Materials
- Article
Only 10 years ago, the use of boron steel was in its infancy. Today it’s found in a large number of automotive applications. That’s led to new research about the material. One area of focus has been in the projection welding of fasteners to this type of material.
Miles ahead with design and welding
- By Amanda Carlson
- Aug 4, 2016
- Arc Welding
- Article
Fed up with waiting on his welding subcontractor, an owner of a landscape design company regained control and gets a creativity boost by learning how to weld.
Staying safe while using oxyfuel torches
- By Dave Marquard and Kurt Tarkany
- Aug 3, 2016
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Article
The mere presence of oxygen in any sort of industrial application raises the chances of a catastrophic incident. Oxygen safety devices can help to reduce that likelihood.
A fabricator founded on operator skill
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 3, 2016
- Laser Cutting
- Article
In quiet, rural New Ulm, Minn., technicians at DLC Manufacturing & Fabrication are perfecting the craft of cutting and bending sheet metal and plate, making clean cuts in steel 1.5 in. thick (and even thicker). It’s a small shop where skill runs deep.
Should you use an electron beam weld or a laser beam weld?
- By John DeLalio
- Aug 2, 2016
- Laser Welding
- Article
Both laser welding and an electron beam weld produce extremely high-quality joints. Which to choose depends on the job at hand. Learn more about eb welding here.
Augmented reality reaches the manufacturing floor
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 2, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Augmented reality (AR) remains an emerging technology, but it eventually could change how hands-on tasks in manufacturing get done.
A novel approach to pipe welding automation
- By Soroush Karimzadeh
- Jul 29, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Pipe welding often requires frequent adjustments to changing conditions. Some changes are significant enough to make automation impractical. Today, though, collaborative robotics is helping to make pipe welding automation more flexible.
Robotic plasma cutting gets flexible
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 29, 2016
- Plasma Cutting
- Article
It used to take days or weeks to program a robotic plasma cutting cell. Now, like in welding, robotic plasma cutting has become much more flexible and adaptable. Offline programming and simulation, as well as flexible components of the robot cell itself, have made this possible.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
- Trending Articles
Tips for creating sheet metal tubes with perforations
Supporting the metal fabricating industry through FMA
JM Steel triples capacity for solar energy projects at Pennsylvania facility
Fabricating favorite childhood memories
Omco Solar opens second Alabama manufacturing facility
- Industry Events
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
- Novi, MI
- Upcoming Webcasts
Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: ECI Software Solutions, M1