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Articles - Page 247
- From The Fabricator
Keeping pace with better ergonomics
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 4, 2014
- Materials Handling
- Article
Every employee at Pentair operates under PIMS, or the Pentair Integrated Management System. PIMS encompasses everything from continuous improvement and hiring practices to safety and ergonomics. Concerning the last, the company instituted new material handling technology within a tightly run tank fabrication line in Delavan, Wis. The line has no WIP and, hence, little margin for error.
- From The Fabricator
Is a press brake or plate roll the right tool for the job?
- By Kyle Jorgenson and Matt Moore
- Aug 4, 2014
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Some metal fabricating shops rely on press brakes and bump forming to make cylindrical shapes, while others are more adept at using plate rolling machines. This feature explores the factors involved in determining whether a press brake or a plate roller is the right machine for the job.
- From The Fabricator
A fabricator and community college partnership
- By Jeff Stapel and Matt Goss
- Jul 31, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
When metal fabricator Shickel Corp. sought to boost the overall skill level of its employee base in the face of a more competitive business environment, it went back to school. More specifically, it sought the local community college to help craft a curriculum and implement a class structure to deliver the improved math and shop skills it desired.
Camera-based measurement system sends waves of productivity through fabrication shop
- By Eric Lundin
- Jul 31, 2014
- Testing and Measuring
- Article
When Bob Burns, owner of Aero Bending Co., Palmdale, Calif., moved his company to a new and bigger location, he considered adding to the company’s fleet of benders. However, a number of bending machine operators often lined up to measure bent components, creating a bottleneck. Changing to an optical inspection system cleared this bottleneck.
- From The Fabricator
The people and processes behind poka-yoke
- By Gary Conner
- Jul 31, 2014
- Assembly and Joining
- Article
Like anything related to continuous improvement, mistakeproofing requires the right processes, but, perhaps even more important, it also requires the right people. With the right people and processes, real change is possible.
- From The Fabricator
Scheduling high-mix, low-volume operations
- By Dick Kallage
- Jul 30, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
Scheduling remains one of the most complicated, least predictable aspects of contract metal fabrication. But why is this exactly, and what can a shop do to change this? In this first article in a series, Dick Kallage uncovers the answers.
- From The Fabricator
Stamping with a better idea
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 29, 2014
- Laser Welding
- Article
Cleveland-based Stripmatic Products strives to add more customer value by focusing on additional operations and asking what else customers may need. This led the company to a unique setup involving a servo press and a fiber laser welding cell.
- From The Fabricator
Tough optics for extreme laser welding
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 29, 2014
- Laser Welding
- Article
Engineers at EWI have developed laser welding optics tailored for high-power applications.
- From The Fabricator
Keeping sheets and parts moving with automation
- By Dan Davis
- Jul 29, 2014
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Modern laser cutting technology can achieve speeds of more than 400 inches per minute, and that puts pressure on the automation used to load sheets and unload cut parts and skeletons. If the automated material handling system can’t keep up, the fabricator won’t be able to maximize uptime on the laser cutting machine.
- From The Fabricator
Fiber laser lights the way for new business direction
- By Dan Davis
- Jul 29, 2014
- Laser Cutting
- Article
To bring in more high-volume work, Deltec Inc., Batavia, Ohio, needed to expand its laser cutting capacity. New fiber laser cutting technology proved to be the right fit.
- From The Fabricator
Refurbishing servo-drive triaxis transfer systems cost-effectively
- By David Kuch
- Jul 28, 2014
- Materials Handling
- Article
Upgrade transfer systems’ controls, drives, and bearings without complete replacement with a refurbishment. An appliance-maker had new rail connections, new wireless electrical connection methods for part tracking, electronic torque monitoring, and new kinetics drives installed as part of its press modernization program at 75 percent of the cost of new transfers.
- From The Fabricator
New Machine, Same Tooling
- By Chris Madison
- Jul 28, 2014
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
In planning the recent expansion,it was important to the company that it be able to continue using its large pre-existing inventory of punching tooling.
- From The Welder
Getting Automated: Transitioning from hand-held to CNC plasma cutting
- By Bill Hodges
- Jul 28, 2014
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Article
Transitioning from the manual plasma cutting process to CNC plasma cutting process might seem like a daunting task. However, if you enter into the process prepared and with the facts, you’ll find that the switch can be relatively painless and one that can help grow your business.
- From The Fabricator
A matter of asking the right questions
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 28, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
Some purchasers may view a fabricated metal product as a commodity, and if it’s a simple enclosure or flat piece-part, it may well be. But they’re not buying products, really. They’re buying expertise, both in fabrication and in capacity management.
- From The Fabricator
A second-chance career
- By Amanda Carlson
- Jul 28, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
A maritime welding program, jointly created by Vigor Industrial and South Seattle College, is part of a greater initiative in Washington state-to return idled workers to gainful employment. The class doesn’t just help the underemployed, it also helps feed the resurging shipbuilding industry in the greater Seattle area.
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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.
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Seth Feldman of Iowa-based Wertzbaugher Services joins The Fabricator Podcast to offer his take as a Gen Zer...
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