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Stories from the shop floor and beyond. Explore manufacturing, technology, materials, and the people and decisions behind the parts.
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Explore design guidelines ↗All articles.

Laser Cutting & Sheet Metal Bending for Boise
Made in Nampa for builders across Boise and the Treasure Valley. Explore Xeon NC laser cutting, CNC bending, finishing, online quotes, and local pickup.

West Coast Laser Cutting & Sheet Metal Fabrication
Online laser cutting and bending for Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Manufactured in Idaho and shipped to your project.

Laser Cutting & Sheet Metal Fabrication Across the USA
Online laser cutting, bending, and fabrication from Xeon NC in Nampa, Idaho. Explore real part examples, production planning, and nationwide shipping.

Xeon NC vs. OSH Cut
How the two online fab shops compare, service by service, and when each one fits the job.

Looking for a SendCutSend Alternative?
How Xeon NC and SendCutSend compare on processes, finishing, engineering data and where parts are made, and when each one fits the job.

Xeon NC vs. Fabworks
How the two online fab shops compare, service by service, and when each one fits the job.

Xeon NC vs. Xometry
A direct shop or a manufacturing network? Compare capabilities, engineering requirements, and the complete quote.

5052 vs 6061 aluminum
Compare 5052-H32 and 6061-T6 for bent sheet metal, machined parts, welding and corrosion. Specify the alloy, temper and thickness for your next part.

Sheet metal prototyping
Plan a sheet metal prototype: choose material, prepare CAD and drawings, review bends, inspect the first part and control revisions before production.

Instant DFM Feedback: How to Use SheetForm
Upload a sheet metal STEP and see every bend, the tooling it runs on, and what to fix before you order, using the Xeon Jeep.

How to Use the Press Brake Bend Simulator
Sketch a profile, pick a gauge, run every bend on real TRUMPF tooling, fix a collision and export the flat pattern, step by step.

K-Factor in Sheet Metal: Chart, Formula & Calculator
What the K-factor is, how it sets bend allowance and bend deduction, and the 59 production K-factors we bend aluminum, steel and stainless with.

DFM Should Not Depend on Who Opens the File
What years of quoting parts taught me about repeatable rules, the limits of software, and where human manufacturing experience matters most.

Automation Is Not the Goal
What The Goal taught me about efficiency, inventory, and knowing when not to automate. Start with the constraint. Improve the flow.

The Silence of the Inbox
Waiting on a manufacturing quote? Evan Hayes explains hidden procurement lead time, what to include in an RFQ, and when instant sheet metal quoting helps.

Design Is a Decision System
How I learned to think about manufacturing decisions. A personal lesson in materials, processes, tolerances, and thinking downstream.

The Hidden Cost of Structural Steel
Why laser-cut and formed parts often scale better than structural sections. A manufacturing lesson in geometry, fit-up, and repeatability.

Where to Get Sheet Metal Parts
Compare Xeon NC, online fabrication services, and local shops. Know what to send, what to ask, and how to compare complete quotes.








Canada’s New Counter-Tariffs: What U.S. Manufacturers Should Watch
A look at the announced 2026 counter-tariffs and what manufacturers, exporters, and metal buyers should check before the next quote or shipment.
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