The Fabricator April 2011

Dr. Shahrukh Irani offers an alternative to the value stream map in lean manufacturing. He calls it the value network map, and it’s tailored for the high-product-mix, low-volume world of the job shop.

A northeastern job shop gets a new building and a complete makeover, with bright colors, a sleek front office, a quality assurance room that looks like a laboratory, and with it all, a new image.

Structural adhesives may be able to complement other metal joining processes. The process can't replace all riveting and welding, but it can be a viable alternative for the right application.

By trusting your vendors to deliver small parts in a regularly scheduled manner to your facility, you are learning a valuable lesson about the nuts and bolts of efficient supply chain management

The stars of Howe and Howe Tech on Discovery Channel see metal fabricating as a creative outlet for their imaginations--while also catching the attention of the Department of Defense.

Tennessee job shop finds success through diversifying its capabilities, from laser cutting, press brake bending, and robotic welding, to milling, turning, and boring. The shop turns around many jobs in only a few days.

Tread plate and perforated sheet present significant bending challenges. To help matters, fabricators may need to look beyond typical air bending with a punch and V die. Though bending alternatives vary, they have one commonality: They clamp down to ensure the workpiece stays where it should.

Everyone wants a safe work environment, but some companies feel that the safety needs to be a separate category of 5S, making it 6S. Others argue that the safety is clearly covered in the 5S methodology. Both may be right.

Columnist Gerald Davis reminds us that CAD modeling has its limitations and that it's still necessary to build a prototype rather than just relying on simulation.