Before selling Kenco Industrial Equipment Inc and retiring from the sheet metal industry, Thomas C. Kuschel, who passed away last year at age 85, taught his employees the value of a firm handshake and honest eye contact. 

This month, Advance Machinery/Advance Cutting Systems, founded in 1985, celebrates 35 years as a brand in the sheet metal fabrication business. Here, national sales manager Clinton Ray Jr. explains why that type of longevity doesn’t just happen on its own.

Getting the best performance out of your CNC waterjet is closely tied to choosing the right abrasive type and size. Here are some tips from MultiCam.

New technology now has the potential to transform the HVAC industry by expediting business operations. But it can’t help you if you don’t know how to use it. The AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo is your opportunity to maximize your use of new hardware and software. 

On the fence about investing in a waterjet cutter? A Brooklyn, New York-based startup, WAZER, is making it affordable to dip a toe in the technology before diving in the deep end. Retailing around $7,499-$8,499, the company’s compact waterjet systems produce low volume prototyping and other end-user parts in a package that can comfortably fit on a tabletop. 

There are any number of good reasons NOT to upgrade your sheet metal machinery: timing, cost, confusion … cost. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” should never be one of them — especially after reading this issue of SNIPS.  

Look around you. The sheet metal machinery on your shop floor is the lifeblood of your business. But as an extension of your workforce, do you know what machines to recruit and what to retire?

In order to streamline your shop operations, we’re launching a special How-to section on SNIPSmag.com focusing on sheet metal fabrication, installation, transport and everything in between. To kick everything off, we asked some of our favorite contractors and companies to give us a few how-to tips on some frequently asked questions. Here’s what they said.

How to apply the 5S method of lean manufacturing to your sheet metal shop. 

The M12 FUEL's unique reversible blade rotation feature provides users ultimate control over material removal, along with the ability to select their desired blade rotation for the direction they need to cut.