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The Fabricator May 2015
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.
A modern take on accountability
- By Dick Kallage
- May 28, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
The definition of accountability has evolved to mean responsibility with consequences. Ideally, entry-level and other low-level employees should have accountability over the outcomes of their work, but that accountability must be based on objectivity and fairness. Otherwise, an accountability scheme can actually weaken an organization instead of strengthening it.
Shop technology and 3-D CAD: Design for function
- By Gerald Davis
- May 27, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Columnist Gerald Davis offers an overview of using CAD to develop a better design.
Different people, different perspectives on lean
- By Charlie Hopewell, Dave Davidson, and Gary Conner
- May 27, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Employees and managers experience a lean transformation in vastly different ways. Understanding these viewpoints can help change a company culture to one that embraces continuous improvement.
An artist and welder in equal measure
- By Amanda Carlson
- May 26, 2015
- Arc Welding
- Article
San Francisco-based metal artist leans on creativity and production welding know-how to create sculptures that are simple in appearance but complicated in execution.
Cheese, metal fabrication, and the future skilled worker
- By Tim Heston
- May 21, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Over the past two decades, Millerbernd Systems has evolved into a complex entity--part fabricator, part automation systems provider. It also launched a local education initiative to ensure talent remains in the pipeline.
Talking about the next generation of fabricators
- By Dan Davis
- May 15, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
While many people turned their back on manufacturing careers, Kyle Layman couldn't wait to get started. Now he's the impetus for growth at Layman Fabrication, North Vernon, Ind., while dad gets to focus on the fabrication activity that he's always loved.
EBE Reduced Raw Material and Tightened the Production Belt for Fat-zapping Device
- By Sue Roberts
- May 14, 2015
- Aluminum Welding
- Article
Production difficulties due to the complex design of a heat exchanger for ZELTIQ® Aesthetic Inc.’s CoolSculpting® equipment designed to selectively reduce fat caused the company to fall behind on shipments. A redesign by Electron Beam Engineering Inc., Anaheim, Calif., reduced the amount of 5052 aluminum needed by about 15 percent, simplified production for a 20 percent time savings, and upped quality to over 99 percent. The 15-in.-long electron beam welds are pressure-tight, narrow, and do not require postweld finishing.
Welcome to the world of “positioneering”
- By Don Burgart
- May 13, 2015
- Arc Welding
- Article
A welding positioner can eliminate potential waste associated with inefficient material handling and help to improve weld quality. The key is finding the right positioner for the job.
Getting the most for your tube bending buck
- By Heather Schultz and Stacy Cramer
- May 12, 2015
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Understanding the basic tube bending methods, including their capabilities and limitations, can help you uncover the best and most economical way to achieve a quality bend.
Trust, respect, and the skilled trades
- By Tim Heston
- May 11, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
In 7 Success Skills for Apprentices and Skilled Trades Persons, James Sidney Harvey describes aspects of the skilled trades that you usually don’t learn in a classroom
Right resources + enough time = safe finishing
- By Simon Wainwright
- May 6, 2015
- Finishing
- Article
A shop’s finishing team has the time and resources it needs to work safely. Time comes from proper scheduling and incentives that promote safe work practices. The resources come from five key areas: working environment, personal protection, fixturing and ergonomics, tools and abrasives, and power sources.
Don't be afraid of skeleton handling
- By Dan Davis
- May 6, 2015
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
Removing the skeleton from a machine tool is a time-consuming and potentially dangerous task. Machine tool builders recognize this and are taking steps to eliminate that manual effort.
How an air bend turns sharp
- By Steve Benson
- Apr 30, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Why do air bends in cold-rolled steel turn sharp at an inside radius that’s about 63 percent the material thickness? It has to do with the relationship between forming forces and a material’s tensile and yield strength.
The different parts of panel bending
- By Kevin Bartels
- Apr 30, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Is producing a hem on a part more suitable for a panel bender or press brake? Does a part less than a foot long make sense for a panel bender? Can a box design with a 13-in. wall be done on a panel bender? Part designs help to reveal the answers to these questions.
- 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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