Federal-Aid Highway Work Just Got Stricter: Here’s What Fabricators Need to Know About BABA

The Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) aims to ensure taxpayer funds for federal infrastructure projects support domestic manufacturing, strengthen local supply chains, and create American jobs.

That’s good news for anything American-made, right? ...

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Autonomous Systems Are Rewriting Defense Manufacturing. Can Your Cutting Process Keep Up?

Autonomous systems are changing more than military operations. They are changing how defense products get designed, built, revised, and scaled.

In November 2024, the Department of Defense described the Replicator initiative's goal as fielding ...

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The Open Machine: Why Control Architecture Determines Whether Your Equipment Can Join the Automated Factory

Companies producing high-precision parts, whether in small batches or continuous runs, want to integrate their cutting systems into broader, automated production processes. The reason is simple: global competition is forcing companies to cut every ...

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How the Federal Tax Provision Section 179 May Improve the Cash Flow Benefit of a Water Jet Investment

If you're considering a water jet investment or already have a project underway, Section 179 may make the potential return even more attractive. This federal accelerated-depreciation provision can improve the first-year economics of qualifying ...

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Up-Time Series Part 2: Parts, Consumables, and Training

“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.” The old proverb reminds us that overlooking a small maintenance need today can have far greater consequences down the road. That principle applies directly to the parts, consumables, and training that help ...

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The 4-Pillars of High-Volume Water Jet Cutting - Part 2: Durability & 24/7 Engineering

Many people believe that high-volume output from a water jet cutting system depends solely on faster cutting speeds, larger pumps, and more horsepower. While that combination makes sense for NASCAR or Formula 1, it falls well short of creating a ...

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An Introduction to Preparing Your Facility for a Water Jet Cutting System

Your water jet is a precision, high-performance, high-volume industrial cutting and machining tool. As such, proper installation is a necessity if you want to maximize the tool’s performance, quality, and longevity. And the foundation for a proper ...

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The 4-Pillars of High-Volume Water Jet Cutting - Part 1: Machine Configuration

Many people believe that high-volume output from a water jet cutting system depends solely on faster cutting speeds, larger pumps, and more horsepower. While that combination makes sense for NASCAR or Formula 1, it falls well short of creating a ...

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Why Water Jet Cutting Matters in Power Generation Manufacturing and MRO

When most people think about the power industry, water jet cutting is not the first process that comes to mind. That is understandable. Water jets do not generate electricity, and they are not central to the daily operation of a power plant.

Still, ...

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Die Cutting vs Waterjet Cutting

Two common options for cutting large numbers of identical, flat parts are die cutting and waterjet cutting. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and applications where one or the other makes the most sense in terms of speed, cost per ...

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