FMA Publishes New Industry Handbook
By Staff Report | July 18, 2017
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FMA releases Bending Basics, an A-Z reference guide celebrating the art of press brakes in the era of retiring baby boomers.
This new book, designed for the metal fabricating industry, specifically press brake operation, showcases information new operators need that may otherwise leave with those phasing out of the workforce, and serves as a reference handbook for seasoned operators. It is also for classroom and on-the-job-training.
Seven sections feature 61 chapters that cover everything from the basics, such as the history of metal and mathematics, to machine operations and safety. “When I began teaching, I found few sources for modern press brake instruction. My new book brings together information that needs to be shared in the transfer of knowledge to those being trained,” said author Steven D. Benson.
Benson, President of Asma, LLC, is a press brake industry expert, sought-after trainer, and writer of the Bending Basics column for The FABRICATOR® magazine. He has over 40 years’ experience, including 30 on the shop floor as a press brake technician, lead man, and department manager.
He is a retired 20-year member of the Sheet Metal Workers Int. Local 16, has been a precision press brake instructor at Oregon Advanced Technological Center (OATC), and has authored and co-authored 11 textbooks with the release of Bending Basics, and has over 70 published articles to his credit.
Benson travels both nationally and internationally educating engineers on how to efficiently design for precision sheet metal fabrication, and trains operators and technicians on press brake operation theory through practical hands-on instruction.
“In the age of retiring baby boomers, technicians who know how to shape and customize materials into a variety of forms are hard to find,” said Jim Warren, Executive Director-Member Services, Education & Foundation for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl (FMA). “We hope this text serves as a foundational resource for skill development.”
The book is available for purchase at fmanet.org/store.
About the Author
Staff Report
The Fabricators and Manufacturers Association is where thousands of manufacturing professionals unite — individuals, businesses, students — under a common purpose: grow the metal processing, forming, and fabricating industries. To do it, we've built a workforce lifecycle that supports individuals and businesses at every point in their development. Ensure they flourish. Get better at what we do, give back to our community. Expand our skills, our businesses, and our careers. Pave the way forward, with fresh ideas and technologies.
Side by side, we move metal fabrication forward.
FMA unites thousands of metal fabrication and manufacturing professionals around a common purpose: to shape the future of our industry, and in turn shape the world.
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