The Fabricator

06/01/2026

The 2026 FAB 40 has arrived.

Who's growing? Who's expanding? Who made the list?

05/29/2026

Innovations in laser cutting always seem to come down to kilowatts. While 20 was the vanguard even five years ago, now it’s 40, 50, and beyond. But as laser cutting power increases, other factors become critical to productivity and performance.

Contributing Editor Lincoln Brunner spoke to Kenny Criger, applications manager at BLM GROUP, and Grant Fergusson, product manager for 2D fiber optic lasers at TRUMPF Inc., to learn more about the importance of beam delivery, optics, software, and machine design in high-power laser cutting systems.

As laser cutting power increases, beam delivery, optics, software, and machine design become critical to productivity and performance.

05/28/2026

Wisconsin-based David Groenjes joins The Fabricator Podcast to share how he transforms scrap metal into detailed wildlife art, turned a side hobby into a full-time business, and draws inspiration from conservation and the outdoors.

05/27/2026

Operating a press brake requires some finesse, but the job can be repetitive, and good press brake operators are tough to find. If you’ve considered a robotic press brake and determined it will work with your available budget, floor space, and mix of part geometries, how should you move forward?

To find out, Senior Editor Tim Heston spoke with Mike Ruediger, senior robotics application engineer at SafanDarley North America, Waukesha, Wis., about some initial steps you can take when moving into the world of robotized bending.

Learn how robotic press brake automation helps fabricators improve bending consistency, reduce labor strain, and manage part flow.

05/22/2026

The show floor at the recent MODEX event was full of new material handling technologies, including AGVs, AMRs, even magnetic levitation technology. And while all those innovations caught the attention of visitors, Richard McPhail, executive vice president and CFO of The Home Depot, reminded them to stay focused on the customer.

“As a company, you need to define what it is you’re trying to sell, how you’re going to sell it, and who you’re going to sell it to,” McPhail said in his keynote address. “Great supply chain managers need to be very specific about who the customers are and what the customer experience looks like. We need to make sure everyone is aligned.”

Senior Editor Tim Heston shares more of the lessons MODEX offered for custom metal fabricators on supply chain agility, quick response, customer mix strategy, and long-term operational growth.

MODEX offered lessons for custom metal fabricators on supply chain agility, quick response, customer mix strategy, and long-term operational growth.

05/20/2026

While many fabricators turn to wire welding processes because of their speed and productivity, shops still require stick electrodes for specific fabricating applications.

In this article, Andrew Stocker, product manager, stick electrodes with Hobart Filler Metals, explains the differences between common stick electrodes and offers tips for electrode selection, storage, and welding performance.

Learn the differences between common SMAW stick electrodes including E6010, E6011, E6013, E7018, and E7024, plus tips for electrode selection,...

05/20/2026

AMADA is proud to continue its partnership with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Takuma Sato in the #75 car for the 110th Indianapolis 500.

05/18/2026

Sanitary Welding and TubeLabs might be small tube fabricating shops serving different markets, but they share at least one trait: courage to find their lane and drive as hard as they can.

Editor Lincoln Brunner spoke to Solomon Brenneman and Jesse Springer at TubeLabs in Rockingham, Va., and Steve Feamster at Sanitary Welding in Novi, Mich., to find out how these small players are using mobility to their advantage.

Sanitary Welding and TubeLabs might be small shops serving different markets, but they share at least one trait: Courage to find their lane and...

05/15/2026

EVS Metal touts a highly diversified product mix. And much of its work involves products—enclosures, racking, and hole-intensive panels for airflow ventilation—that fit the turret punch press sweet spot.

Some lasers do handle higher-quantity work, especially blanks with contoured edges not suitable for punching. But on the company’s plant floors in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Texas, AMADA AMERICA, INC. turret punch presses remain the blanking automation workhorses.

Senior Editor Tim Heston spoke with Joe Amico, vice president at EVS Metal, to discover why the punch press remains central to the company’s capex strategy.

EVS Metal explains how automated turret punch presses support high-mix fabrication through efficient blanking, denesting, robotic bending, and...

05/15/2026

Why the hell does he have a wizard hat on?

Jake LeGrand of talks about becoming the Plasma Wizard 💥🧙‍♂️

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