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Browse our collection of articles, covering a wide range of topics and ideas.

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Where to Get Sheet Metal Parts

There are tens of thousands of sheet metal shops scattered throughout the United States, each with a different combination of capabilities and services. Here is our review of a handful of shops that make the ordering experience quick and easy.

Why operating at scale lets metal fabricators ship faster

Queues are a fact of life, and it’s really a shame. It means as demand grows, customers have a worse experience. Nobody likes waiting in line. Yet a healthy backlog is in some ways desirable for manufacturers. It’s nice to know that you’ll keep your people busy for the next several weeks. It’s great for the shop, but less so for the customer. This uneasy tension between manufacturers and customers creates a sort of balance.

What software automation means for custom fabrication

OSH Cut is different, but is it disruptive to the sheet metal manufacturing industry?

Steel Prices are Dropping in 2022

Beginning roughly in November 2020, steel prices increased dramatically, with costs peaking at 2.5x pre-COVID levels by November 2021. In the months following, prices stabilized and have dropped 33%. Prices still exceed previous levels by a factor of 2, but they appear to be recovering.

Latest Articles

Steel Prices Increased Dramatically in 2021

Driven by high demand and persistent supply-chain issues, steel prices increased dramatically in 2021. Price increases have affected the entire supply-chain, from material rationing at mills, to long service center leads, and finally increases in product costs.

Understanding the impact of tariffs on metal fabrication businesses

Tim Heston, Caleb Chamberlain, Lance Thrailkill, and Cody Lee discuss tariff implications, diversification strategies, and adaptability within the evolving manufacturing landscape.

The metal fabrication business, accelerated with tech

Columnist Caleb Chamberlain recalls the days of the IBM-compatible computer, massive calculators, and a starkly different time in U.S. manufacturing. Things have changed—and mostly for the better.

The emergence of private equity and vibe coding in fabrication

From the surge of co-bots and advanced automation tools on display to the practical challenges of integrating and maintaining them, FABTECH revealed just how fast the industry is evolving.

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Software that writes itself

Imagine a world in which even the smallest metal fabrication shops could write their own custom software. Thanks to AI, that world might not be too far away.

Sheet Metal Has an Image Problem

Cutting and bending a sheet metal part is often much cheaper and faster than other manufacturing alternatives, but it isn't always the first design choice. Why is that? We suspect that people's reservations aren't driven by what is possible, but what is easy. And until recently, getting sheet metal parts wasn't easy.

Sheet metal nesting strategies and leveraging data for the job shop

Columnist Caleb Chamberlain discusses lessons learned in sheet metal nesting and inventory management, and how high-product-mix job shops can better use data.

Sasquatch Campers uses on-demand metal fabrication to develop new products, quickly

Kass and Beth Kremer, and Daryl Magner - Co-founders of Sasquatch Expedition Campers - are combining their love for the outdoors with their engineering background to add economic energy to the manufacturing sector in Silverton, CO. Photo by Scott DW Smith, @Imagesmithphoto

Scaling a metal fabricator with custom software

OSH Cut CEO Caleb Chamberlain recalls his experience, and ultimate success, in writing production, inventory, and shipping software for his metal fabrication business.

Quoting Sheet Metal With a Print vs CAD Files

A manufacturing print provides your fabricator a wealth of information, but in the world of digital manufacturing, quoting and manufacturing from a print is expensive and time-consuming. Sometimes using a print makes sense, sometimes it doesn't. Here's why.