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Articles - Page 290
- From The Fabricator
The problem with estimating using paper and pencil
- By Dan Davis
- Apr 16, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Metal fabricating companies that rely on a seasoned worker who knows all of the production processes like the back of his hand and transfers that experience into the job estimating function are common. Fabricating operations that run that department smoothly and efficiently with no fears of inaccurate or inconsistent quotes while still relying on that one person's experience are pretty uncommon. The fact is that a majority of shops are taking huge risks by estimating jobs based on tribal knowledge and paper and pencil. Software can help change that.
- From The Fabricator
Delivering orders on time, every time
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 16, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Considering the demands from OEMs, stellar on-time delivery now is just as important as quality, and manufacturing cells may help a fabricator attain that stellar on-time delivery.
- From The Fabricator
Balancing the variables for optimal dust collection
- By Bob Walters and Kirt Boston
- Apr 16, 2012
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Designing and integrating an effective dust collection system for thermal cutting is not a one-size-fits-all exercise. Balancing all the factors will help a shop ensure it gets the most out of it.
- From The Fabricator
A character sketch of the code welder
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 16, 2012
- Arc Welding
- Article
A career in code-level welding involves an odd concoction of hands-on work, excellent hand-eye coordination, on-the-job focus, and a dash of lawyerlike thinking. Some can be loud extroverts who get the most attention, but others can be quiet introverts. Many share a dedication to the welding craft, and the best strive to do the job right the first time.
Service center gets new set of wheels
- By Eric Lundin
- Apr 16, 2012
- Materials Handling
- Article
When Tioga Pipe Supply Co. Inc. built a new facility in Easton, Penn., it leveraged its 60 years in business to design its new building. It planned the new facility, 150,000 sq. ft. under roof and 10 acres of outdoor storage area, around the use of side-loading lift trucks. The only drawback was occasional damage to the fork trucks' guide rollers, which Combilift eliminated when it designed a set of adjustable guide rollers specifically for Tioga.
Cup walking on stainless steel tube, pipe
- By Brent Williams
- Apr 11, 2012
- Arc Welding
- Article
Cup walking, a tube or pipe gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) technique suitable for some stainless steels, can improve weld quality. The method involves resting the torch’s cup on the workpiece and making a weaving motion across the weld joint. Used properly, it also reduces operator fatigue and can improve weld speeds.
Fabricator reduces part handling, improves consistency with combination bender
- By Eric Lundin
- Apr 11, 2012
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
Full Vision Inc., a manufacturer of components and equipment for the off-road industry, encountered a hurdle in manufacturing roll-over protection systems (ROPS) and falling-object protection structures (FOPS) for its customers. To make a ROPS or FOPS, it needed three machines or two setups on three machines. This led to too much part handling and more scrapping of parts than necessary. A combination rotary draw and push bender from Horn Machine Tool allows Full Vision to make a complete part with one setup on one machine, eliminating part handling and reducing scrap.
- From The Fabricator
Offline programming of welding robots
- By Jim Berge
- Apr 9, 2012
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Aligning your offline programs with real-world robots can help you minimize downtime, increase robot productivity, boost quality, and improve your overall operation.
- From The Fabricator
A (re)moving story: Eliminating condensation
- By Erin Holaday Ziegler and Richard Oleson
- Apr 3, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Air movement is a cost-effective way to reduce condensation, create a more uniform temperature from floor to ceiling, and increase employee comfort and productivity. Large-diameter, low-speed fans, up to 24 feet in diameter, provide efficient air movement while using less energy than smaller fans running at faster speeds.
- From The Fabricator
Vessel fabricator bases hiring on attitude, not experience
- By Tim Heston
- Apr 3, 2012
- Arc Welding
- Article
In a 2010 survey from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, respondents cited welding as the most sought-after, difficult-to-find technical skill. But at Mitchell's Specialized Fabrication, managers don't look for that experience. They look for someone with a good attitude, eager to learn.
- From The Fabricator
How metal-cored wires reduce hidden welding costs
- By Amanda D'Arcy
- Apr 3, 2012
- Arc Welding
- Article
Metal-cored wire typically costs more than solid wire, but the benefits often offset the per-unit price. In reality, any consumable comprises a relatively small portion of overall welding costs; in fact, material and labor make up the lion’s share of welding expenditures. But in the right application, an increase in filler metal costs may lead to greater savings elsewhere.
- From The Fabricator
Justifying a robotic press brake
- Apr 3, 2012
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Robotic press brakes may offer higher productivity and better profitability--much of which is achieved by running the press brake lights-out at top speed. In some cases, robotic press brakes can reduce per-piece costs by almost half. Still, robotic press brakes aren’t for every application.
- From The Fabricator
Axes to mine
- By Dan Davis
- Apr 3, 2012
- Waterjet Cutting
- Article
More fabricators haved jumped into flat waterjet cutting, so to attract new customers and carve out a niche around 3-D design and manufacturing, Maximum Industries, Irving, Texas, started five-axis cutting in 2011.
- From The Welder
Learning MIG welding
- By Marty Rice
- Mar 20, 2012
- Arc Welding
- Article
Welding instructor Marty Rice teaches his students to short-circuit MIG weld to create a unique coin holder, a project that provides plenty of opportunity for practice.
Material selection for rotary draw bend tooling
- By Bob Want
- Mar 12, 2012
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Understanding substrates and coatings, and how the coated surface interacts with tube or pipe during the bending process, is necessary to finding a cost-effective, capable combination.
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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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- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 05/14/2024
- Running Time:
- 62:12
Cameron Adams of Laser Precision, a contract metal fabricator in the Chicago area, joins the podcast to talk...
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