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The Fabricator March 2023
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.
Review native CAD models to glean and gain modeling technique
- By Gerald Davis
- Mar 31, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
CAD guru Gerald Davis snips his way through the modeling techniques used nearly a decade ago by another expert CAD jockey.
The data-rich future of plasma cutting
- Mar 30, 2023
- Plasma Cutting
- Article
Consumables are the heart of plasma cutting but organizing them and documenting their use has been arduous, and predicting their life hasn’t been an exact science. Data-rich consumable technology aims to change this.
Manufacturing execution systems (MES) in an era of skilled labor challenges
- Mar 24, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Fabricators know all about automating laser cutting, bending, welding, and powder coating, but what about automating and streamlining the flow of information? Here, manufacturing execution systems (MES) can help.
Laminate tooling, depression grooving, and more about bending sheet metal
- By Steve Benson
- Mar 21, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Bending guru Steve Benson answers questions about laminate press brake tooling, 6061-T6 aluminum, and radius formation in air bending sheet metal.
How fabricators diversify revenue streams and find new customers
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 20, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Some custom and contract metal fabrication shops grow on the backs of just several large accounts. All seems well, until one of those “whale” accounts pulls its business.
Count’s Kustoms dips into automated deburring
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 18, 2023
- Finishing
- Article
Count’s Kustoms, the custom car and motorcycle shop of “Counting Cars” fame, is all about craftmanship. Automaton really didn’t have a place until employees started to spend hours on monotonous deburring.
New developments in abrasive technology for aluminum
- By Tyler Cichowlas
- Mar 17, 2023
- Finishing
- Article
A new abrasives technology makes finishing aluminum and other nonferrous alloys less difficult for metal fabrication shops.
Southwest Airlines software meltdown a warning for manufacturers
- By Caleb Chamberlain
- Mar 16, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Southwest Airlines left thousands stranded over the holidays. For airlines and fabricators alike, the experience proves how risky business can be for manufacturing shops with antiquated software.
How desktop digital manufacturing impacts abrasive waterjet cutting
- By Nisan Lerea
- Mar 16, 2023
- Waterjet Cutting
- Article
Desktop abrasive waterjet cutting is one process among a growing number of technologies in what’s become known as desktop digital manufacturing. The concept has created new possibilities for product designers. The time spent going from an initial design concept to a final product is no longer the hurdle it once was.
The big job of bending big metal on a 2,000-ton press brake
- By Dan Davis
- Mar 15, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
A plant manager and a press brake operator at Merrill Technologies Group, Alma, Mich., discuss what needs to happen to make the right bend on a 2,000-ton brake. It has even bigger bending plans in store this summer when it gets its new 4,400-ton brake up and running.
AI and the future of metal manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 14, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Artificial intelligence could be used to enhance our existing knowledge or prevent us from needing to learn anything in the first place. The latter is the nightmare scenario for the future of metal manufacturing.
How a metal fabricator doubled revenue in two years
- By Jules Brenner
- Mar 13, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Industrial Succession Group purchased a small California sheet metal operation in 2020. It wasn’t a strip-and-flip affair. Instead, it streamlined information management and doubled its head count and overall revenue.
A hacker mindset: From Silicon Valley tech worker to metal artist
- By Rafael Guerrero
- Mar 11, 2023
- Arc Welding
- Article
Silicon Valley tech worker for LinkedIn and metal artist Keith Millar talks about venturing into metal sculptures, working with rusted metal, and teaching loved ones and co-workers how to weld.
Achieving sharp bends in aluminum with the right tooling
- By Kate Bachman
- Mar 10, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Fabricating aluminum brings with it a few challenges unique to bending and forming—getting sharp bends without cracking, reducing or eliminating galling, and preventing marking. Three press brake bending experts offer their assistance.
Dynamic shaping thick metal with dynamic beam laser technology
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 10, 2023
- Laser Welding
- Article
Dynamic beam laser technology might be the future of the industrial laser as the beam uses dynamic shaping in to suit an application’s and metal shop's needs.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 05/07/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:38
Patrick Brunken, VP of Addison Machine Engineering, joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about the tube and pipe...
- Industry Events
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
- Novi, MI
Precision Press Brake Certificate Course
- July 31 - August 1, 2024
- Elgin,
- Upcoming Webcasts
Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: ECI Software Solutions, M1
Managing Dangerous Dusts from Metalworking
- June 26, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: Camfil Air Pollution Control