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Articles - Page 274
- From The Fabricator
How trust drives business
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 19, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
At The FABRICATOR's Leadership Summit in February, speaker Tom Ziglar used a bicycle as a metaphor for how people drive business success.
- From The Fabricator
The glue that holds company valuation together
- By Dick Kallage
- Apr 19, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
A company structure can be an attractive size and shape, with a seemingly strong foundation--but still be a house of cards. Therefore, it’s important to test the robustness of a company’s structure to determine whether it is what it appears to be.
- From The Fabricator
The vital role of the CEO
- By Mark Ernst
- Apr 19, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
If a metal fabricating company's CEO is running the plant or acting as a salesperson, who is guiding the business? For such companies, operating without a CEO can be a very dangerous situation.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabricators get on the same page, with software
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 19, 2013
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Conductix-Wampfler, Omaha, Neb., developed software that integrates information from CAD, product data management, ERP, and customer relationship management. Built on the company's success, the software is now available for others interested in ensuring everyone in the business is on the same page.
- From The Fabricator
Job shop estimating: Expenses driven by events in the fabrication sequence
- By Gerald Davis
- Apr 19, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
In this fourth installment of Columnist Gerald Davis' series on job estimating, he describes the use of planning outlines—which resemble work orders—to structure the estimator’s report of production expenses.
Automated system helps manufacturer’s reshoring efforts
- By Eric Lundin
- Apr 19, 2013
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
When Oddello Industries, a supplier of fabricated assemblies to OEMs in a variety of markets, was invited to bid on a contract for a high-end adjustable mattress foundation, it searched for a piercing machine and a cutting machine that could handle the tubular portion of the project. It combined the two machines into a single integrated unit that processes more than 15 miles of tube per day.
Recycling overspray dust, related byproducts from thermal spray remetallizing operations
- By Scott McLaughlin
- Apr 19, 2013
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Article
The welding done in a tube or pipe mill ruins the galvanic or aluminum coating intended to keep the product corrosion-free, so remetallizing the weld seam is a common practice. Remetallizing creates a large amount of metal dust, which usually is considered a big nuisance and an expensive disposal headache, but in some cases it can be recycled for a profit.
- From The Fabricator
Bending software speeds up production
- By Dan Davis
- Apr 17, 2013
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
The speed of fabricating is increasing at a rapid pace, but the press brake remains a bottleneck for many companies. Laser cutting and punching machines can run unattended if necessary without the need to program a robot, but the same can't be said for a press brake. Human operators still are pretty much a necessity. Advancements in bending software, however, can help to streamline the bending process. Fabricators only need to give it a try.
- From The Fabricator
The broader implications of modular weld fixturing
- By Pam Farley
- Apr 17, 2013
- Arc Welding
- Article
A shop is only as productive as its constraint process—that is, its bottleneck. All that adaptability in upstream processes may not make a part cost less if it takes days or weeks to build a new weld fixture. A modular approach to weld fixturing can help.
CNC tube bender provides precise bends for monocoque frames
- By Eric Lundin
- Apr 17, 2013
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Industrial Laser Solutions, Atlanta, has carved out a niche as a firm that engineers and develops its own products. During the downturn that followed the financial crisis of 2008, the company decided to take on some additional work, and it found itself in the fabrication business. This article tells the story of its first fabrication project, including some problems and practical solutions.
- From The Fabricator
Get more out of your punch
- By John Ripka
- Apr 16, 2013
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
Several factors come into play when trying to determine the appropriate lifespan of a punch before major maintenance or replacement is required. If a fabricating operation is knowledgeable about punching activities and vigilant about organization and maintenance, it can expect to get the most out of its tooling.
- From The Welder
Bottle tree boom
- By Amanda Carlson
- Apr 16, 2013
- Arc Welding
- Article
Mississippi metal artist Stephanie Dwyer never knew she was an artist until she relocated from Washington and began building bottle trees. Today her bottle trees can be found all over the U.S., which has led to opportunities in custom metal art fabrication.
- From The Fabricator
Fiber laser helps job shop cut thick metals
- By Dan Davis
- Apr 8, 2013
- Laser Cutting
- Article
After selling his metal fabricating business in 2006, Jim Lee is back in the game with North Topeka Fabrication. But even in the short time that he was gone, metal fabricating technology has advanced and forced him to ask how the shop could apply new technology to grow the business. That led the company to invest in a fiber laser cutting machine, and the decision has thrown the shop into the thick of new business opportunities.
- From The Fabricator
The comeback metal fabricator
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 8, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
Everyone knows that metal fabricators need to be good at quick turnarounds. Super Steel became just that, hitting the financial skids in 2009 and transforming itself into a quick-turn fabricator and key manufacturing supplier to the freight rail industry in just three years.
Conveyor components manufacturer relies on inverse lathe
- Apr 8, 2013
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Mining equipment has to take a beating more so than most other types of industrial equipment. Constant exposure to heat, dust, dirt, and debris means that mining equipment has to be built to last. When the Goodman-Hewitt branch of Joy Global looked to upgrade the machines it uses to make conveyor components for this industry, it looked for a cutoff machine that would hold tight length and squareness tolerances for this severe environment. Its search led it to Hautau Tube Cutoff Systems Inc.
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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.
start your free subscription- 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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