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More from Tim Heston
- From The Fabricator
Staying safe with hand-held laser welding in the metal fabrication shop
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 14, 2023
- Safety
- Article
Hand-held laser welding has produced some eyebrow-raising results. But in the quest for productivity, metal fabrication shops can’t forget about safety using the advanced technology.
- From The Fabricator
Mergers and acquisitions in fabrication: Making better together a reality
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 11, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
White Rock Manufacturing Solutions has experienced dramatic growth, acquiring five companies in five years. Part of that success might have to do with how employees communicate and collaborate. Top-down, my-way-or-the-highway management isn't the metal fabricator's style.
- From The Fabricator
Swedish scooter maker curves sheet metal with sustainability in mind
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 9, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Without dedicated tooling, most sheet metal forming processes bend along a bend line. A Swedish company is taking a new approach, curving metal in multiple directions to simplify and strengthen assemblies.
Evolución de la automatización de la inserción de herrajes
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 3, 2023
- Assembly and Joining
- Article
Poner un robot frente a una prensa de inserción parece algo evidente. Sin embargo, la robótica es sólo una parte de la ecuación de automatización. La tecnología de prensas de inserción ha avanzado mucho.
- From The Fabricator
Financial survey reveals metal fabrication growth spurt for 2023
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 26, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
FMA’s “Financial Ratios & Operational Benchmarking Survey” reveals the results of a growth spurt. It isn’t a bad time to be a metal fabricator.
- From The Fabricator
Reflections on FABTECH 2022: Metal fabrication in a connected world
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 20, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
Almost 30,000 people attended FABTECH 2022, North America’s largest metal fabrication event. With attendance up more than 20% from 2021, the tradeshow hosted an industry poised for growth through a connected world and digital transformation.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabricators benefit from government spending
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 20, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
There’s a bright side to government spending. On Nov. 10, during the final morning of FABTECH, Omar Nashashibi, a founding partner at The Franklin Partnership, gave insight into how recent legislation could affect the industry and U.S. manufacturing overall.
- From The Fabricator
2023 metal fabrication forecast: Reshoring gets real for manufacturers
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 19, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
Although talk of a 2023 recession pervades mass media, metal fabricators don’t expect a significant slowdown. The data supports their view. Much of that has come from real evidence of reshoring and nearshoring across the manufacturing sector.
- From The Fabricator
Better structural fabrication starts with good information
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 17, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
A shop with the latest and greatest technology can fabricate a job extraordinarily quickly. That makes having the right information even more important. This is where good project management and documentation come into play.
- From The Fabricator
Flexible automation meets structural fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 17, 2022
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Flexible automation opened up more opportunities for Lexicon Fabrication Group’s whose dive into robotic welding spurred a virtuous cycle of growth and hiring.
- From The Fabricator
The predictive power of virtual reality in commercial construction
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 15, 2022
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
With origins in structural steel detailing and fabrication, tech firm Virtual Image and Animation hopes to spread the power of simulation throughout the construction industry and beyond.
- From The Fabricator
How character shapes leaders in the metal fabrication shop
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 13, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
When most people talk about the manufacturing labor shortage, they don’t talk about skills. They talk about work ethic and an eagerness to learn. They talk about character—and as it turns out, character can be developed.
- From The Fabricator
The hidden cost drivers and overlooked details of structural steel fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 12, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
Less weight doesn’t always mean less money. Tim Bradshaw of Owen Steel Co., Columbia, S.C., discusses the overlooked details that can increase structural steel fabrication costs.
- From The Fabricator
The metal fabricator and the metaverse
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 7, 2022
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Richard Boyd’s career in AI and machine learning has spanned the economic spectrum, from aerospace manufacturing to hospital systems. His work on modeling, simulation, and digital twin technologies could help shape what lies ahead for manufacturing and beyond.
- From The Fabricator
Consolidating the curiously fragmented business of precision metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 29, 2022
- Shop Management
- Article
Realizing automation’s competitive advantage, metal fabrication is becoming even more capital-intensive. This and other factors might push the industry toward new levels of consolidation.
- 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...
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