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The Fabricator September 2016
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.
Flat-rolled steel spot prices keep falling
- By John Packard
- Sep 27, 2016
- Metals/Materials
- Article
After peaking in June, steel prices continue to decrease. Metal fabricators should keep an eye out for price increases from the mills. When they are announced, service centers will begin increasing their own prices.
Is this laser cutting lens damaged?
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 16, 2016
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Laser operators and maintenance technicians have a new diagnostic tool: a tiny crossed polarizer, which can detect lens stress. The crossed polarizer clips onto a smartphone and utilizes the phone’s polarized flat-panel display.
Troubleshooting sheet metal forming: Determining the root causes of bending failure
- By Steve Benson
- Sep 15, 2016
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When determining the root causes of part failure, look to not just the forming method and tooling, but also the quality of material. Cheap material can be extremely costly over the long run.
Shop technology and 3-D CAD: Changing the hierarchy and file names within CAD assemblies
- By Gerald Davis
- Sep 15, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Columnist Gerald Davis provides file organization and renaming guidance, so that the CAD operator doesn’t make a needless mistake that can boost frustration and reduce modeling efficiency.
Moving additive manufacturing forward
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 14, 2016
- Additive Manufacturing
- Article
EWI’s Buffalo Manufacturing Works, which opened in 2015, has resources covering all seven major categories of additive manufacturing. But having access to the technology and equipment in-house is just half the story. The other half involves experts in design, materials, processes, and quality all working together to move additive technology forward.
Winning new business in custom metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 14, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
It can take a long time for a prospect to become a major customer, and of course there are no guarantees. This makes building a diverse customer base easier said than done. Through rebranding and restructuring, one custom fabricator in Minnesota aims to change this.
5S: The foundation for the lean journey
- By Jeff Sipes
- Sep 14, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
5S is critical for any lean journey. And by getting it right—that is, treating it as an important and measurable process that affects the business—fabricators can use 5S to make their office or shop floor a better place to work.
Heating up with a new punch/laser combo
- By Dan Davis
- Sep 1, 2016
- Laser Cutting
- Article
ACP Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, needed the speed and flexibility of modern fabricating technology to increase its manufacturing capacity as it looked to manufacturer two new product lines in its only domestic manufacturing facility.
A review of surface finishing with elastic-bonded abrasives
- By Dr. Jan Koch
- Sep 1, 2016
- Finishing
- Article
Elastic-bonded abrasives have been around for almost 100 years, but technological advancements associated with such abrasives are by no means complete.
Civil War re-enactors take aim at metal fabrication
- By Eric Lundin
- Aug 31, 2016
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
The members of Battery G, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery had two cannons, an old school bus, and many miles to cover to stage mock battles. A team of Civil War re-enactors, they had discarded their previous bus and needed to transform their new bus. They enlisted the help of the staff and students at Blackhawk Technical College (BTC), Janesville, Wis.
The art and science of metals purchasing
- By Alan Bear, CPPM, CPP
- Aug 31, 2016
- Metals/Materials
- Article
Materials purchasing is both an art and a science. You need the knowledge and strategy to negotiate with intelligence. You need the art of relationship-building, including good ethics and solid integrity.
Using dry filtration to capture plasma cutting fumes
- By Josh Delson
- Aug 31, 2016
- Plasma Cutting
- Article
A dry filtration system for plasma cutting removes all potentially harmful contaminants from the shop air and helps to eliminate the threat of a dust explosion. It also might prove to be a much more effective plasma cutting approach when compared to plasma cutting on a water table.
Order fulfillment velocity makes the difference
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 30, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
Haydon Corp. was an early adopter of business software, and it continues to use its enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform comprehensively. The software, along with standard business practices baked into the company’s DNA, has helped the roll former maintain an extremely short order fulfillment cycle.
Tips for improving spray technician performance
- By Jeremiah Treloar
- Aug 30, 2016
- Finishing
- Article
The desire to eliminate waste does not end after parts leave the metal fabrication area. Fabricators that run a paint line also have the opportunity to optimize the finishing operation as well. The first step is to invest in training of the spray technicians.
Communication in custom metal fabrication: Good ideas, good stories, good community
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 30, 2016
- Shop Management
- Article
For years Jones Metal, a Mankato, Minn.-based custom fabricator, has published not an occasional employee newsletter, but a weekly digital paper, available at touchscreen kiosks throughout the front office and shop floor. The publication keeps everyone up-to-date on important metrics, spreads improvement ideas and, perhaps most important, builds community.
- 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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