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More from Sue Roberts
- From The Fabricator
EcoSift designed to help with recycling waterjet abrasive
- By Sue Roberts
- Feb 8, 2018
- Waterjet Cutting
- Article
An abrasive management system can reduce waterjet operating costs by more than half without affecting cut quality, automate tank clean-out, and reduce the impact the process has on the environment.
- From The Fabricator
Reggin Industries Reinvents Procedures to Create a Whale of a Sculpture
- By Sue Roberts
- Feb 1, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
The beauty and grace of a baleen whale were the inspiration of the Sei sculpture designed by Michael Yahgulanaas and fabricated by Reggin Industries, Calgary, Alberta, for the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Mall at the Vancouver Airport. Fabricating the smooth, curved lines of the sculpture with a mirrored stainless steel exterior within a tight time frame required a disciplined, revised production flow and innovation.
- From The Fabricator
Collaboration is key to training next generation
- By Sue Roberts
- Dec 17, 2015
- Shop Management
- News Release
Chicago Mayor Emanuel says training should be easy, simple, relevant
- From The Fabricator
Modula uses automation to produce automated storage units
- By Sue Roberts
- Aug 4, 2015
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
The Modula U.S.A. plant in Lewiston, Maine, is the result of a $6 million investment in new equipment, a new focus on manufacturing automated vertical storage (AVS) units, and a renaming by Italian parent company System Logistics. Cost-competitive production resulting from integrated, automatic sheet metal fabricating equipment from Salvagnini was key in the company’s decision to locate in the United States.
- From The Fabricator
FMA $500,000 grant supports Harper College manufacturing education
- By Sue Roberts
- May 26, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Intl. (FMA) partnered with Harper College, Palatine, Ill., with a $500,000 sponsored gift to support Harper College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program and the Harper College Promise Scholarship program.
- From The Fabricator
EBE Reduced Raw Material and Tightened the Production Belt for Fat-zapping Device
- By Sue Roberts
- May 14, 2015
- Aluminum Welding
- Article
Production difficulties due to the complex design of a heat exchanger for ZELTIQ® Aesthetic Inc.’s CoolSculpting® equipment designed to selectively reduce fat caused the company to fall behind on shipments. A redesign by Electron Beam Engineering Inc., Anaheim, Calif., reduced the amount of 5052 aluminum needed by about 15 percent, simplified production for a 20 percent time savings, and upped quality to over 99 percent. The 15-in.-long electron beam welds are pressure-tight, narrow, and do not require postweld finishing.
- From The Fabricator
The Woz predicts technology with more understanding
- By Sue Roberts
- Apr 17, 2015
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Contributing Editor Sue Roberts visited Automate 2015 and ProMat 2015 in Chicago in March and had the opportunity to listen to one of the founders of Apple Inc. Needless to say, Steve Wozniak had some interesting thoughts about the future. Roberts shares some of the highlights.
- From The Fabricator
3-D waterjet software ingredients are the right mix for easy operation
- By Sue Roberts
- Mar 5, 2015
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Companies have been programming 5-axis waterjet heads for 2-D and 3-D tables for decades. The process has moved from being a time-consuming chore to a couple of clicks, and from requiring extensive process and software knowledge to being operator-friendly.
El corte ascendente no es cosa de risa
- By Sue Roberts
- Feb 8, 2015
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Article
La popularidad de las sierras de corte ascendente está aumentando conforme los fabricantes producen más partes de aluminio para más industrias, para aligerar el peso de los productos finales. El tamaño más grande de la hoja de corte y la potencia típicamente mayor, pue- den cortar en una carrera formas redondas, cuadradas y perfiles más gruesos, o materiales en fardos o pilas más grandes que muchas de las sierras descendentes equivalentes.
Punzonando formas hacia arriba
- By Sue Roberts
- Mar 25, 2014
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
Desde producir avellanados simples a dobleces, pestañas, persianas altas y formas especiales complejas, el formado ascendente puede mejorar la capacidad de tareas múltiples de una torreta y reducir procesos múltiples a un solo paso. Con el formado ascendente, esos problemas de marcado y deformación del material se evitan debido a que el dado de formado descansa a la misma altura que los dados estándar y sube arriba de la línea de dado sólo durante el proceso de formado.
- From The Fabricator
Automation relieves punching bottleneck
- By Sue Roberts
- Feb 28, 2014
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
Experience plus planning get more out of automation at Overlanders Manufacturing
- From The Fabricator
Punching up forms on a turret press
- By Sue Roberts
- Oct 7, 2013
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
From producing fairly simple tapping extrusions to bends to tabs to tall louvers to complex special shapes, upforming can enhance a turret’s multitasking capabilities and reduce multiple processes to one pass.
- From The Fabricator
Tooling changeover can be a pressing issue
- By Sue Roberts
- Mar 7, 2013
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Press brake manufacturers have responded to industry’s need to produce small batches of parts that require frequent tooling changes by designing options and systems to reduce setup time by managing, storing, and automatically changing upper and lower tools. Operators can spend less time physically involved with setup and more time with the profit-making bending process. Reduced margin for error and less scrap are added benefits. However, there are steps that can be taken to reduce setup time without investing in new press brake equipment.
- From The Fabricator
How to succeed at welding thick aluminum
- By Sue Roberts
- Dec 3, 2012
- Aluminum Welding
- Article
Aluminum is tough to weld, but its advantages put it at the top of the materials list for fabrication. Our experts share tips on how to weld thick aluminum.
- From The Fabricator
Rolling, rolling, and rolling complex profiles
- By Sue Roberts
- Sep 3, 2012
- Roll Forming
- Article
Commercial Roll Formed Products uses a 60-station, modular Dreistern roll forming line to produce highly complex profiles. A focus on producing custom parts has helped the Canadian family-run business grow to include over 30 roll form lines.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 05/14/2024
- Running Time:
- 62:12
Cameron Adams of Laser Precision, a contract metal fabricator in the Chicago area, joins the podcast to talk...
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Managing Dangerous Dusts from Metalworking
- June 26, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: Camfil Air Pollution Control