- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
The Fabricator October 2021
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.
Colorado community honored through metal sculpture
- By Amanda Carlson
- Nov 19, 2021
- Arc Welding
- Article
Fruita, Colo.-based welder, metal artist, and Sky River Ranch owner Jeff Bates honors the community’s past and present through sculpture.
Presenting ideas in CAD modeling: Images or drawings?
- By Gerald Davis
- Nov 6, 2021
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
A design review of a CAD model for a shop cart delves into details and suitability for function. Illustrations help in presenting the detail.
How process variability kills automation in the metal fab shop
- By Paul Neblock
- Oct 30, 2021
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Process variability in manufacturing is an issue that automation cannot solve on its own, especially when the parts in an automated system aren’t consistent.
Why shops need to invest in production supervisors
- By Steve Zerio
- Oct 29, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
The best front-line supervisors help make a metal fabrication shop successful. The worst do just the opposite, so why wouldn’t a metal manufacturing company train them?
The major impact of minor stoppages in the metal manufacturing process
- By Jeff Sipes
- Oct 29, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
Minor stops on the shop floor go beyond overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and total productive maintenance (TPM). They tend to compound and get in the way of the lean manufacturing journey.
High-powered lasers and the evolution of assist gases
- By Dan Cortez
- Oct 28, 2021
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Fiber laser cutting machines in the 20-kW and higher range cut metal shapes at phenomenal speeds, causing fabricators to rethink how they should approach laser cutting assist gases.
Say goodbye to traditional robot programming in the fab shop
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 27, 2021
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
New approaches to robot programming from companies like Path Robotics and Omnirobotics might open up new paths to automation for high-mix, low-volume fabricators.
When manual measuring systems still do the trick for metal fabricators
- By Dan Davis
- Oct 26, 2021
- Testing and Measuring
- Article
In a digital world, sometimes manual measurement systems still fit the needs of sheet metal fabricators.
Addressing more than heavy air in the heavy fab shop
- By Rick Kreczmer
- Oct 25, 2021
- Safety
- Article
Most manufacturers and heavy fabrication shops already have ventilation and air filtration systems in place to protect employees from dust and fumes. Following three steps can protect employees against COVID-19 pathogens as well.
5 traits of top laser cutting operators
- By Brenton Green
- Oct 25, 2021
- Laser Cutting
- Article
A laser cutting machine operator manages a fab shop’s most expensive equipment. That individual needs to be knowledgeable, not a disengaged button-pusher.
The professionals in metal fabrication never stop learning
- By Steve Benson
- Oct 22, 2021
- Bending and Forming
- Article
How does one define a true sheet metal professional, and what does it take to become one in the various metal manufacturing sectors? Press brake guru Steve Benson provides insight and why it's important for metalworkers to never stop learning.
Handrail fabrication, supported by 5S
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 21, 2021
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Those at Trex Commercial Products, a decorative handrail fabricator, juggle a lot of variables. 5S and a communicative culture keep everyone on the same page.
Ohio metal spinner automates order processing
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 19, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
Until this year, sales engineers at Toledo Metal Spinning Co.’s spent days processing certain orders. Now, with a few clicks, many jobs go straight to the shop.
Automation as a service and it's potential in metal manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 12, 2021
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Automation as a service is a new approach to technology adoption that could give fabricators another option while also reducing the associated sticker shock.
How metal fabricators fund growth
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 11, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
Opinions about debt vary across metal fabrication. But no one argues that fabrication is a capital-intensive business, and access to capital will be even more important in the future.
- 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...
- Trending Articles
Tips for creating sheet metal tubes with perforations
JM Steel triples capacity for solar energy projects at Pennsylvania facility
Are two heads better than one in fiber laser cutting?
Supporting the metal fabricating industry through FMA
Omco Solar opens second Alabama manufacturing facility
- Industry Events
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
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
- Upcoming Webcasts
Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: ECI Software Solutions, M1