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The Fabricator September 2012
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.
How quick response drives profits in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 7, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
CR Metal Products Inc., St. Louis, follows the lessons of quick-response manufacturing, which preaches decreased capacity utilization of equipment and increased attention on just how jobs can be turned around in the quickest manner possible.
Connecting 3-D modeling to nesting
- By Dan Davis
- Sep 7, 2012
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
It sounds like a no-brainer in electronically connected world, but shops don't have the ability to integrate their 3-D modeling capabilities with nest creation. As more shops jump into 3-D modeling with the goal of decreasing turnaround time for jobs, they are looking at a more formal connection between the design and production world.
Sensing changes in automated welding
- By Andrew Short and Stephen Thacker
- Sep 7, 2012
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Can automated welding be a useful tool in the random world of fabricating, where material make-up is inconsistent and weld-prep results in non-aligned edges? With a vision system, automated welding indeed can be the right tool for the right application.
The financial benchmark for metal fabricators: Survival of the fastest
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 7, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
The results are in from FMA's 2012 Financial Ratios & Operational Benchmarking Survey and the message is clear: Raw material and work-in-process inventory eats cash. Successful fabricating shops have figured out a way to avoid excess inventory scenarios.
Balancing sales forecasts with reality
- By Bob Geiss
- Sep 7, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
How can a fab shop use customers' sales forecasts effectively for in-house production planning, but at the same time not rely on them too much? It's a balancing act, but if done effectively, it can prove to be highly beneficial for a fabricator.
3-D CAD: Setting up a costing tool
- By Gerald Davis
- Sep 7, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Cost analysis within 3-D modeling software won't replace cost estimating, but it still can be a helpful tool.
Combination bender eliminates multiple setups, welding, grinding
- By Eric Lundin
- Sep 7, 2012
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Article
SF Tube Inc., a fabricator that does a substantial amount of bending, found itself facing a perfect storm—it had quite a bit of manual equipment, it often had to use two or three benders to make a single component, its bend-splice-weld-grind-polish-blend process for many components was too time-consuming, its shop floor was crowded with machines, and its niche as a specialty bending house meant it was positioned for future growth. A new bender, one that provides both rotary bending and roll bending, eliminated these hassles and has positioned the company to take advantage of growth opportunities.
Rolling, rolling, and rolling complex profiles
- By Sue Roberts
- Sep 3, 2012
- Roll Forming
- Article
Commercial Roll Formed Products uses a 60-station, modular Dreistern roll forming line to produce highly complex profiles. A focus on producing custom parts has helped the Canadian family-run business grow to include over 30 roll form lines.
Bending basics: Dissecting bend deductions and die openings
- By Steve Benson
- Sep 3, 2012
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Changing the die opening can dramatically change results during air forming. In precision sheet metal fabrication, choosing the correct die opening should not be a guessing game.
From the farm to oilfields, mines, heavy equipment, and more
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 3, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Radius Steel-SOO Tractor, Sioux City, Iowa, is looking beyond its agricultural roots as it reaches out to various other industries, such as heavy equipment and oil and gas.
A fabricating home run
- By Amanda Carlson
- Aug 30, 2012
- Assembly and Joining
- Article
Kohler High School’s Engineering Club captured the attention of the Milwaukee Brewers, the MLB Network, and thousands of others with its Miller Park replica grill.
- 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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