The Fabricator

The FABRICATOR serves as the essential resource for metal fabricators, offering valuable insights, in-depth analysis, the latest technology, and product information.

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More price volatility for steel, but what about demand?

2 weeks ago | thefabricator.com | Michael Cowden

I’ve received some questions about what might happen next with President Donald Trump and tariffs. That’s like trying to predict where and when lightning will strike. All I can say is that the sky is cloudy, and I hear thunder. We saw some impact on the price side shortly after Trump announced plans to double Section 232 tariffs to 50%, even if it was nothing dramatic. Just think of the context of the announcement: Trump was speaking at a rally near Pittsburgh on a Friday evening.
Lleve la soldadura TIG al siguiente nivel con los electrodos de aleación modernos

3 weeks ago | thefabricator.com | Michael Drummond

La soldadura por arco de tungsteno con gas (GTAW o TIG) y el tungsteno son dos cosas muy similares: no se puede tener una sin la otra. En el panorama de la soldadura de CC del pasado, el tungsteno toriado era posiblemente más parecido a la soldadura TIG. Este electrodo se crea añadiendo entre un 1 y un 2% de óxido de torio al tungsteno puro, y se utilizaba para soldar materiales como acero inoxidable, acero al carbono, cobre y titanio.
Learning to trust in a metal fabrication shop

4 weeks ago | thefabricator.com | Nick Martin

At some point in your shop life, you hit the wall. You’ve got too many irons in the fire. People are asking you questions left and right, and there’s no time to actually do the things you really need to be doing. That’s when you realize it’s time to let go and let someone else handle things—especially if they know who to go to and when. That’s why we need to talk about the chain of command. Delegating sounds easy on paper. You hire someone and show them the ropes. Boom! They can take it from there.
Leaning on technology to keep the workforce safe

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Dan Davis

People in the manufacturing community have a lot of love and skepticism when it comes to advanced technology. Just look at robots. They are more productive than humans for certain tasks, but they also are looked at as replacements for human workers. This is a case where both observations are rooted in fact. Robots do take over certain tasks that were once done by humans, but those robotic installations also end up creating more job opportunities, whether they might be technicians or programmers.
Cómo minimizar el riesgo de lesiones en el departamento de doblado

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Dan Davis

El departamento de doblado tiende a ser el cuello de botella de fabricación para muchas empresas de fabricación de metales. Algo tan simple como una ausencia no planificada puede desorganizar un turno. Los operadores de prensas dobladoras, especialmente los experimentados, son difíciles de encontrar, y las empresas no pueden ir a las universidades locales y contratar a un estudiante con amplios conocimientos de conformado de metales.
TRUMPF expands its U.S. manufacturing footprint

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Dan Davis

In the midst of increased tariffs and bold political talk about rebuilding U.S. manufacturing might, TRUMPF formally commemorated the opening of the seventh expansion of its manufacturing operations in Farmington, Conn.—its 55,800-sq-ft. Smart Factory. “This building is not just a manufacturing facility. It’s the next step in American manufacturing,” said Lutz Labisch, president/CEO, TRUMPF Inc.
Memorial brings Wisconsin fabricators, communities together

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Rafael Guerrero

The city of Waukesha, Wis., was forever changed in November 2021 when a man drove an SUV right through the city’s annual Christmas parade, killing six and wounding 62. The incident deeply affected the residents of Waukesha, Greater Milwaukee, and other southern Wisconsin communities. Clay Knapp wasn’t there, but he remembers it well because it was the same day his daughter was born. “It really put into perspective the fragility of life,” Knapp said.
Flat-rolled steel demand could be in for a slow summer

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Michael Cowden

OEMs typically take downtime in June and July. It’s one of the reasons why you rarely see prices shoot higher in the early summer. (I sometimes wonder why mills do outages in the spring when their customers do them in the summer, but I digress.)Sure, mills might announce price hikes over the summer, but often it’s to try to slow any price declines. In recent years, prices have regularly peaked in April, slipped in the summer, and then recovered in the fall.
Let's prepare for the reshoring wave

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Dan Davis

In early April, The Fabricator conducted a survey of its subscribers and members of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, with one question asking them “Do you see these tariffs being good for bolstering U.S. manufacturing in the long term?” Forty-five percent of respondents said “yes,” and 16% said “maybe.”That’s a significant share of the metal fabricating community believing that manufacturing in the U.S. can grow, enabling the country to become a self-sufficient maker of goods.
Plate roller expands its tool chest

1 month ago | thefabricator.com | Dan Davis

Modern metal fabrication often is defined by the advanced technology that dominates high-performance shops. Skills that were once locked inside the heads of craftsmen now have been programmed into control systems. An operator can hit a button and watch as parts are cut or formed on a CNC machine. The only other activity the operator might be involved with is removing parts from and then trashing the skeleton. That type of CNC is commonplace in many shops, but not all.