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The Fabricator October 2011
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.
Minding your P’s, Q’s, R’s--and revenue too
- By Shahrukh Irani, Ph.D.
- May 11, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Incorporating the PR Analysis (relating product mix and routing similarities) into a PQ Analysis (relating product mix and quantities), creates the PQR Analysis.
Fabricator takes a team approach to job management
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 20, 2011
- Shop Management
- Article
Anderson Dahlen is a precision sheet metal job shop. It’s an industrial contractor that designs and fabricates entire systems for the processing sector, everything from mixing systems for the chemical industry to holding tanks for dairy plants. It also fabricates architectural metal for commercial construction. In other words, the company doesn’t fit neatly into one category. Managers know this, which is why they’ve developed a unique approach to job management that centers on teams
The robotic eye watches over heavy fabrication welding
- By Mark Oxlade
- Oct 20, 2011
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Automated welding of heavy fabrications presents a whole new challenge when compared to robotic welding of thin-gauge components. The weldments, of course, are much larger. The joints in these types of fabrications are deeper and require multiple passes of the welding torch. The fabrications are likely to absorb more heat because of those multiple passes. Luckily, robotic sensors and advanced computing power can take some of this complexity out of the process.
Stampers' unique perspectives result in innovative designs
- By Greg Farnum
- Oct 20, 2011
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Stamping companies are striving to stay relevant to their customers with intelligent manufacturing approaches that other fabricators can't match. Here are two companies that have followed that path successfully.
A holistic view of holemaking
- By Nick Hajewski
- Oct 20, 2011
- Materials Handling
- Article
Drill lines must be robust enough to properly support the aggressive speeds and feeds of modern tooling. At the same time, shop layout and material handling strategies must ensure no drill line sits idle for excessive periods, just waiting for that next piece of material.
Engineering firm enters the 3-D world of laser cutting
- By Dan Davis
- Oct 20, 2011
- Laser Cutting
- Article
A defense contract drove Systems Engineering & Manufacturing, Forest, Va., to seek out a flexible fabricating tool that could handle bent tube and structural shapes, and the fabricator found its answer in a laser cutting machine that could accommodate 2-D and 3-D parts.
Wet dust collection snuffs hazards of industrial dusts
- By Mike Sweezy
- Oct 20, 2011
- Safety
- Article
Metal manufacturers use wet filter systems for two reasons: to collect combustible metal dust and to filter particulate in heavy-sparking applications. Applications like deburring and grinding can involve both combustible metal particulate and heavy sparking--and for these applications wet dust collection systems can help mitigate inherent health and safety risks.
Need a light--now?
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 20, 2011
- Shop Management
- Article
Phoenix Products Co.--a high-mix, low-volume lighting products manufacturer--has implemented an improvement methodology called quick-response manufacturing, and realized dramatic improvements in lead-times. One light fixture that used to take eight weeks to manufacture now only takes two.
Time is money--so, so much money
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 20, 2011
- Shop Management
- Article
Quick-response manufacturing (QRM) focuses on what’s called the “manufacturing critical path time,” or MCT. In manufacturing, time is money--in fact, it’s a lot more money than many realize. Rajan Suri uncovers why in his new book
Who’s calling? Your machine tools
- By Paul Blizel
- Oct 20, 2011
- Shop Management
- Article
The evolution of the smartphone has provided the opportunity to improve notification systems to include vital information along with the standard message. Imagine having real-time access to machine and production status from home or the cabin. But like an iceberg, there is more to it than meets the eye, and what you don’t see is far more important than what you do.
3-D CAD: Producing a 2-D flat layout from 3-D data
- By Gerald Davis
- Oct 20, 2011
- Shop Management
- Article
After demonstrating how a 3-D concept model can be turned into a production model, which is useful for as long as the project has the green light, columnist Gerald Davis takes a look at how you can take a concept model and turn it into a simple flat layout for CNC fabricating equipment.
The ironworker stands ready for production
- By Mike Albrecht
- Oct 10, 2011
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
These days the ironworker can play a role in production, thanks in part to the custom tooling available, as well as positioning and gauging systems that add accuracy, repeatability, and efficiency to the operation.
Brass instrument manufacturing: How metal makes music
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 10, 2011
- Shop Management
- Article
Getzen Co. uses 200-year-old technology to make its high-end trumpets and trombones. Walking into the company’s Elkhorn, Wis., facility is a bit like walking into a metalworking museum. Here, worker experience and skill reign supreme.
- 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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