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The Fabricator September 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.
How metal folding contrasts with press brake bending
- By Bill Kennedy
- Oct 15, 2021
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Your metal fab shop already has a press brake. So why would you need or want a folding machine? Examine the differences in how they bend metal, gauge, set up, and handle sheet. You may conclude that a folding machine would be useful in your plant.
Burnishing technology combats stress corrosion cracking of welds
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 1, 2021
- Finishing
- Article
The act of welding induces stress into the material, so metal fabricators employ various methods to mitigate it. One technique is low-plasticity burnishing, a high-tech cousin of the old-school burnishing process.
Got an idea for continuous improvement in a manufacturing setting? Make it visual
- By Jeff Sipes
- Sep 30, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
The spoken word can be powerful but also misunderstood. Visual tools help minimize the confusion, especially when striving for continuous improvement in metal fabrication and manufacturing facilities.
Freewheelin’ CAD design in a clutch
- By Gerald Davis
- Sep 29, 2021
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
CAD guru Gerrad Davis offers up a progress report on the CAD modeling of a clutch drive for a self-propelled cart.
The pride of ownership in laser cutting and punch machine programming
- By Dustin Diehl
- Sep 27, 2021
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Machine programmers who think of the big picture, including sheet metal yield and how a nest affects downstream fabrication processing—can help boost manufacturing throughput and make life easier in the shop.
Cyberattacks to metal fabrication companies are not hypothetical
- By Scott Sawyer
- Sep 24, 2021
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
The number of publicly recorded ransomware attacks against metalworking and manufacturing companies have tripled in the last year alone. Here's why shops should reevaluate the level of security in their systems.
Quick quotes to manufacturing customers—guaranteed
- By Kevin Duggan
- Sep 23, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
When a metal fabrication shop delivers a quote first, it has a strategic advantage. That advantage will help its customer base and business.
How to prevent manufacturing employees from quitting
- By Steve Zerio
- Sep 22, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
Why do employees quit theirs jobs a metal fabrication shop? They might have found a job that pays more, or they might not get along with their boss. Quite often, it’s both.
A manufacturing culture of dreamers and doers
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 17, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
Any manufacturing organization has a mix of doers and dreamers. Any modern metal fabrication shop probably needs both to succeed.
Sheet metal fastening, no nuts required
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 15, 2021
- Assembly and Joining
- Article
Weld nuts might have a low price, but their indirect costs can be significant, especially with 2021’s supply chain challenges.
Press brake strategies for T6 aluminum; sharp bending insights
- By Steve Benson
- Sep 14, 2021
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Press brake guru Steve Benson covers the sharp bend’s parabola as well as strategies for bending high-temper aluminum.
Small-format laser helps high-mix, low-volume shop augment, optimize services
- By Eric Lundin
- Sep 13, 2021
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Blaine Bolich built the foundation for his career at Stanford University, where he spent a decade in the largest machine shop on campus. After setting out on his own and building a reputation as a reliable machinist, he needed a small tube laser and found one that didn't need much floor space or even an industrial power circuit, relying on a common 120-V circuit to optimize fabricating and machining services at American Prototype & Production.
How pandemic lessons can help manufacturers improve indoor air quality
- By Jon Ladwig
- Sep 9, 2021
- Arc Welding
- Article
The same approach metal fabricators used to reduce the risk of transmitting the coronavirus on the shop floor can be applied to develop a plan to improve indoor air quality in manufacturing facilities.
How to prevent delays in weld nondestructive testing (NDT)
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 8, 2021
- Testing and Measuring
- Article
Is nondestructive testing (NDT) of welds taking longer than expected? If it is, the testing itself probably isn’t to blame.
Survey: The metalworking industry's search for skilled tradespeople continues
- By Dan Davis
- Sep 7, 2021
- Shop Management
- Article
According to The FABRICATOR’s 2021 “What Keeps You up at Night?” survey, metal fabricators and formers indicate they can’t find the people to help them grow their businesses.
- 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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