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Cost Analysis in Laser Cutting
Take Time to Crunch the Numbers: Brett Thompson of TRUMPF shows why the initial investment, cost of overhead, electrical and assist gas, and the total time required to manufacture the product are all influential factors in determining which laser source is right for you and your business.
Don’t Hurt Yourself
Phil La Duke of ERM explains why this nice sentiment to express concern doesn’t work as the flawed philosophy behind Behavior Based Safety, a wrong-headed and ironically dangerous safety system.
Weld Crater Shrinkage Cavities
Tom Myers of Lincoln Electric explains how a hole or divot in the crater of the weld sometimes appears when using flux-cored gas-shielded wire and how to prevent it from occurring.
Hot Keys, Sans Piano
CNC function keys now offer advantages to programmer, operator and maintenance personnel alike.
What Lies Ahead with ERP
As metalworking grows ever more competitive, Mike Melzer and Dusty Alexander of Global Shop Solutions explain why managing the supply chain of your external factory is more important than ever.
CO2 vs. Fiber-Laser Technology: Which One Is Right for You?
A careful and comprehensive analysis must examine not only the cutting equipment itself, but also the impact the new equipment will have on other existing fabrication processes.
Is It Time to Rebuild or Retrofit Your Hydraulic Press?
Hydraulic press operators must keep their costs down while meeting shorter lead times and the demand for higher precision parts. New press technology has already outdated some presses that were purchased as recently as ten to fifteen years ago. Is new machinery the only answer? Here’s why the answer is no.
Punching Automation: Simplicity or Complexity?
Punching automation was once considered simply a tool for large production runs. But now even small job shops are automating to free operators to perform other tasks or prepare machines for their next job. Here’s a look at how punching automation now fits to meet any shop’s needs.
Bleeding Money: How Much Does Safety Really Cost?
The unsafe workplace costs a lot of money. The financial magnitude of expenses incurred in operating an unsafe workplace must be understood. This examination of the true costs associated with poor safety uncovers how far they extend beyond simply counting the cost of safety glasses or wages paid to the safety department.
The Higher Power Behind Power Sources
Many welders are still not aware that it is now possible to combine and capture all the information associated with their welding operation into one simple interface – their power source. This is the most advanced way to approach data acquisition and production monitoring in the welding industry.
No Chips, This Time
As technologies merge and metal fabrication applications grow more complex, CNC is now becoming a powerful alternative solution to PLCs for builders and users of metal forming and “non-traditional” machine tools, such as EDM, abrasive waterjet and others.
Competing in the World of Big Data
The manufacturing sector has come far in its use of analytic data, but not far enough. Ben Kerschberg of the BK Advisory Group explains why manufacturers who do not embrace a complete vision of using this tool will soon find themselves at a significant competitive disadvantage.
