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More from Tim Heston
El ERP para el taller da un vuelco
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 24, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
ERP, MES, CRM, PLM, WMS: las iniciales del software de fabricación siguen y siguen. Cada sistema tiene algunos datos excelentes. El truco consiste en acceder a todo y convertirlo en información útil. El software más reciente, algunos con interfaces basadas en inteligencia artificial, apunta a hacer precisamente eso.
- From The Fabricator
How one fabricator obtains the perfect edge on a laser cut
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 22, 2023
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Jackson, Tenn.-based fabricator Cupples’ J&J Co. has a reputation for pushing the fiber laser cutting envelope. To obtain that perfect cut edge using high-powered fiber laser technology requires optimal gas flow, good material, attention to detail, and a lot of patience.
- From The Fabricator
Avoiding ERP headaches for the custom metal fabricator
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 20, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
How one software player tackles the traditional headaches of integration, interoperability, and production planning for metal fabrication job shops.
3 pasos para actualizar el departamento de prensas dobladoras
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 15, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
¿Qué sucede cuando personas con experiencia se retiran de las actividades de conformado? Si el proceso no está bajo control puede reinar el caos.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabrication technology versus the brain drain
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 11, 2023
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
AI and machine learning could create a metal fabrication future that’s hard to imagine. The present is messy, though, thanks largely to a long-foreseen problem: The industry’s most experienced people are retiring.
- From The Fabricator
Custom software for the custom metal fabrication shop
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 7, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
The cofounders of Cortex Data Services know what life is like at the custom fab shop. They both began their careers there. Today, they’re tailoring custom software platforms to meet a business’s unique needs.
- From The Fabricator
How metal fabricators can improve customer partnerships
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 6, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
A supplier-customer relationship in the metal fabrication industry thrives when three core components (cost, capability, and shop culture), like three legs of a stool, stay strong and steady.
- From The Fabricator
What FABTECH 2023 revealed about the future of metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 30, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
Fabricators walking the FABTECH show floor this year were on the hunt for autonomous software and machines that could help them make best use of the talented employees they have.
- From The Fabricator
Job shop automation strategies from a former CIA officer
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 19, 2023
- Shop Management
- Article
There are a surprising number of parallels between metal fabrication and CIA technical intelligence says David Pietrocola. The former CIA officer now runs an automation business called Cohesive Robotics that serves job shops.
- From The Fabricator
ERP software for the job shop reaches a turning point
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 14, 2023
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
ERP, MES, CRM, PLM, WMS—the manufacturing software initialisms go on and on. The trick is accessing all the data and turning it into useful information. The latest software, some with AI-based interfaces, aims to do just that.
- From The Fabricator
The business case for investing in high-powered laser cutting
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 13, 2023
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Tennessee-based Cupples’ J&J Co. has been pushing the limits of high-power fiber laser cutting for years. The strategy has helped the metal fabricator become a leader in rapidly growing markets.
- From The Fabricator
Capturing metal fabrication knowledge at FABTECH
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 12, 2023
- Automation and Robotics
- Blog Post
September’s FABTECH was the busiest in years. Discussions of autonomous operation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence had a common theme: making best use of a workforce that metal fabrication shops already have available.
- From The Fabricator
One metal fabricator’s advice to build a better shop culture
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 11, 2023
- Arc Welding
- Article
In 2012, this Wichita, Kan., operation had a limited customer base and a poor reputation. Today, the shop has won several quality and safety awards, and revenue has grown eight times over.
- From The Fabricator
3 steps to refreshing a metal fabrication shop's press brake department
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 2, 2023
- Bending and Forming
- Article
What happens to a metal fabrication shop when experienced skilled workers leave a forming department? If the process isn’t under control, chaos can reign.
- From The Fabricator
21-year-old breaks Gen Z stereotype with metal fabrication start-up
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 18, 2023
- Plasma Cutting
- Article
In 2018, Wyatt Braker launched Plasma Cutting Services, a fabricator in rural southwest Missouri. He's invested in a high-definition plasma, a press brake, and business is booming. Not bad for a 21-year-old.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/26/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:51
This week on The Fabricator Podcast, Jason Becker, host of the Arc Junkies Podcast and owner of Underground...
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Nitrogen Generation for Laser Cutting: Navigating System Design for YOUR Operation
- April 24, 2024
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