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The Fabricator June 2017
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.
The 2017 FAB 40: Tooling up for growth
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 20, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
After several less-than-stellar years, top shops in the FAB 40 are doubling down and preparing for significant growth.
Check out the Section 232 testimonial lineup
- By John Packard
- Jun 16, 2017
- Metals/Materials
- Article
With President Trump expected to get a plan of action back from the U.S. Department of Commerce to address the alleged threats that imported steel pose to U.S. national security, members of the steel industry are stepping forward to make their thoughts known.
A year-round rooftop
- By Amanda Carlson
- Jun 8, 2017
- Assembly and Joining
- Article
St. Louis-based TROCO Custom Fabricators replaced the heavy timber rooftop structure at a local restaurant and bar with one made of steel and glass. The updated structure doesn’t just look great, it also allows restaurant patrons to enjoy the rooftop year-round, rain or shine.
Technology Spotlight: New laser cutting technology means newfound productivity
- By Dan Davis
- Jun 8, 2017
- Laser Cutting
- Article
A suite of hardware, software, and control capabilities from Prima Power Laserdyne are designed to improve productivity and quality in laser processing, which should prove to be attractive to those in the automotive industry looking for productive and cost-effective fabricating equipment.
Time for new press brake tooling
- By Steve Benson
- Jun 7, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
The inside bend radius is at the very heart of precision metal fabrication. To achieve the radius you want, you need to understand how tooling interacts with the workpiece, but you also need to make sure your machine and tools are in good working order.
What sheet metal shops wish you knew: Reasonable tolerances, grain direction, and the base flange
- By Gerald Davis
- Jun 7, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Columnist Gerald Davis continues a discussion of 3-D CAD and precision sheet metal manufacturing in Part II of a four-part series. In this installment, he focuses on reasonable tolerances, grain direction, and the base flange.
The secrets to sequential manufacturing
- Jun 6, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Like many custom fabricators, Bensenville, Ill.-based Ace Metal Crafts Co. struggled with scheduling. Today the shop has stellar on-time delivery, and sequential manufacturing helped get it there.
Good marketing helps custom metal fabricators find the right spot
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 6, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
What do a parking garage and marketing for custom fabrication have in common? A lot.
A lean transformation’s impact on accounting and finance
- By Jeff Sipes
- Jun 5, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
The beginning of most lean journeys usually focuses on operations. People in accounting and finance, including the CFO, aren’t really involved. Over the long term, though, they can help everyone focus on improvements that matter most: those that cut costs, add revenue, or do both.
Laitram: An intertwined manufacturer
- By Tim Heston
- Jun 5, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Harahan, La.-based Laitram isn’t just one company, it’s many. It all started with a shrimp peeling machine, but it has evolved to become so much more.
FMA Safety Conference recap: Building the safety culture
- By Dan Davis
- Jun 2, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Fabricators offer suggestions on how to establish a safe working culture and how to motivate the workforce to maintain it.
Special punching tool helps to make exterior panels shine
- Jun 2, 2017
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
An academic develops an algorithm for a hole pattern that looks symmetrical even if it isn’t. A fabricator using diamond cluster forming tools makes that pattern come to life on San Francisco’s new Transbay Transit Center.
Pumped about waterjet cutting
- By Dan Davis
- Jun 2, 2017
- Waterjet Cutting
- Article
BJ Schrank is a self-identified metalworker. He's done it for the 29 years that he has run AA Precision Tooling in Blooming Prairie, Minn. A waterjet is changing the dynamics of his business, and he's pretty excited.
The evolution of the hydraulic ironworker
- By Mike Albrecht
- Jun 2, 2017
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Article
When hydraulic ironworkers appeared on the scene in the 1960s, they made their mark almost instantly. They were affordable and much safer. Today metal fabricating has evolved, but so has the ironworker in many ways. It still remains an important tool for fab shops.
What should a weld shop supervisor know?
- By Dan Davis
- Jun 1, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
In theory, a weld shop supervisor should oversee welding productivity, quality, cost, and safety. In actuality, the job is defined by what needs to happen on the shop floor. Like fabricating in general, flexibility is required.
- Podcasting
- 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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- July 31 - August 1, 2024
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- June 26, 2024
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