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Tim Heston
The Fabricator
2135 Point Blvd
Elgin, IL 60123
815-381-1314
Tim Heston, The Fabricator's senior editor, has covered the metal fabrication industry since 1998, starting his career at the American Welding Society's Welding Journal. Since then he has covered the full range of metal fabrication processes, from stamping, bending, and cutting to grinding and polishing. He joined The Fabricator's staff in October 2007.
- From The Fabricator
Material handling automation moves forward at MODEX
- By Tim Heston
- May 3, 2024
- Automation and Robotics
- Blog Post
Automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots, and even mobile manipulation robots took center stage at MODEX. The technology hints at what the future fab shop could look like.
Anidado para la estabilidad del corte láser
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 29, 2024
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Considerando lo productiva que es la más reciente tecnología de corte láser, el anidado inteligente se ha vuelto más importante que nunca.
- From The Fabricator
AI, machine learning, and the future of metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 14, 2024
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Fabricators and Manufacturers Association Annual Meeting attendees took a deep dive into operational excellence, skill, and what will define future success: good systems, good data, and, most important, good employees.
- From The Fabricator
SOLV Metals seeks growth through collaboration
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 11, 2024
- Shop Management
- Article
Formed in 2023, SOLV Metals represents the merger of three industry players: Wisconsin Metal Parts, Lean Manufacturing Products, and QuikCut. The story reveals the subtle nature of consolidation in metal fabrication.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabrication in Big Tech’s backyard
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 10, 2024
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
How does Inland Metal Technologies, a custom metal fabricator, succeed in one of the most expensive places to do business in the country? It takes on work competitors won’t and has built systems to ramp up capacity quickly.
La mezcla de gas auxiliar impulsa la tecnología del láser de fibra
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 8, 2024
- Laser Cutting
- Article
La mezcla de gas auxiliar ha sido clave en la mejora tecnológica, y sin ésta los láseres de fibra de potencia ultra-alta de la actualidad no podrían cortar como lo hacen.
- From The Fabricator
Manufacturing’s massive side of material handling
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 4, 2024
- Materials Handling
- Article
Albion, Mich.-based Conceptual Innovations helps move the big and heavy. It started with engineers asking a good question at the right time: We’ve got metal fabrication capacity; now, what can we make?
- From The Fabricator
Guiding metal fabrication’s automation transformation
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 25, 2024
- Bending and Forming
- Article
The leadership team at Texas-based All Metals Fabricating hopes to have automation in every department within five years. It’s already halfway there. Their journey could be summed up in four foundational factors that continue to drive the organization toward its automated future.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabrication surveys show higher wages, company profits
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 18, 2024
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Benefiting from reshoring and resurging demand, metal fabricators have enjoyed greater profits and, just as critical, employees have enjoyed higher pay. That's according to two recent industry surveys.
- From The Fabricator
The quality benefits of quick response in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Mar 16, 2024
- Shop Management
- Article
For the past decade, Caster Concepts has reaped various benefits from quick response manufacturing, or QRM. This includes quality in manufacturing heavy-duty parts and automating material handling. Today, issues are caught well before they snowball into larger problems.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabrication’s albatross: Poor material quality
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 24, 2024
- Laser Cutting
- Blog Post
Modern automation technology in metal fabrication can accomplish some incredible feats, even in high-product-mix operations. Still, material quality remains the wild card.
- From The Fabricator
Financial survey dives deep into metal fabrication industry
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 13, 2024
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
A recent financial survey from the FMA goes deep into the books behind metal fabrication, offering an in-depth look into an industry dominated by private companies.
- From The Fabricator
Striving for predictable throughput in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 20, 2024
- Laser Cutting
- Blog Post
A fabricator might have amazing cutting power—huge lasers, massive material handling towers, ability to run lights-out or all weekend, largely unattended. Then, a team of laborers vigorously shake parts out of sheet metal skeletons. What’s wrong with this picture?
- From The Fabricator
How high-powered fiber lasers bevel plate
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 12, 2024
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Cutlite Penta now offers fiber lasers up to 50 kW, and some machines have heads capable of cutting bevels. It’s all made possible by highly controlled assist-gas mixing, the cutting head design, and novel use of software.
- From The Fabricator
Assist gas mixing drives fiber laser technology forward
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 10, 2024
- Laser Cutting
- Article
What used to be cut with solely oxygen or nitrogen now uses a mix of both. Laser assist gas mixing has been a key enabling technology, and today’s ultrahigh-powered fiber lasers couldn’t cut the way they do without it.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/30/2024
- Running Time:
- 53:00
Seth Feldman of Iowa-based Wertzbaugher Services joins The Fabricator Podcast to offer his take as a Gen Zer...
- Industry Events
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
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