Using three principal factors to customize pneumatic conveying systems...Material transfer is an integral part of any operation. When increased production demands and new product lines challenge a processing line, those charged with optimizing production must evaluate an array of factors when determining the best method for moving chemical ingredients. To eliminate wasted efforts in production, manufacturers are moving away from conventional methods such as bucket elevators and hoists that can present a variety of challenges in the processing plant, and into more automated processes using pneumatic conveying technology to move material. [Continue Reading Article]

In the process manufacturing community, the mixing experts are the mixing equipment manufacturers, and they understand how different blades, speeds, mixer configurations and bowl shapes interact with different types of substances during the mixing process. There are nearly as many different types of mixing as there are products to be mixed - from industrial slurry adhesives to milk homogenization to bologna meat mixing, industrial mixers work differently to achieve smooth blending... [Continue Reading Article]

Business owners and entrepreneurs are taking pay cuts, and even indefinite pay suspensions, to keep their business afloat. This comes as an alternative to employee layoffs, marketing cutbacks (which are damaging in a recession!) or the business’ going under altogether. According to American Express’ OPEN Small Business Monitor survey, 30% of U.S. small business owners and managers have stopped taking their own salaries. Another survey done by Staples found that 50% of the 300 business owners they surveyed are reducing their own compensation. Here are a few more interesting statistics on how the recession is affecting U.S. businesses: - nearly one quarter have reported bartering activities and services (nearly half showed openness to bartering)... [Continue Reading Article]

Since even before the industrial era, humans have been concerned with air pollution control. As early as the beginning of the 1300s in London, smoke pollution was a problem that Edward I recognized by enacting a ban on burning soft coal. However, that policy did not stick, and once the Industrial Revolution began in the late 1700s, air pollutants increased rapidly because of the dramatic shift to machine-based processes. Steam power fuelled by coal was introduced in the First Industrial Revolution of the 18th century and used for factory machinery. Steam-powered transportation became prevalent during the Second Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation making their appearance at the end that century... [Continue Reading Article]

Included in President Barack Obama’s historical inauguration speech was a striking statement on his vision for the future of our energy industry. “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.” Perhaps this statement sounds a little over-the-top to you – a little too epic. But honestly, what could be more epic than shifting the world’s energy source from petroleum to wind energy, solar power and compressed air? So far it seems President Obama is making good on his word. According to an article published today in the Washington Bureau, the U.S. Interior Department has “cleared the way” for domestic offshore wind farms by finalizing guidelines. Projects are being considered for constructing wind farms off the United States’ Atlantic coast, namely Rhode Island and Massachusetts. A project long delayed by the previous administration’s procrastination in laying out legislative guidelines for offshore windfarms (and by the Kennedy family’s distaste for having the view from Martha’s Vineyard off Cape Cod marred by wind turbines), it looks like a shift from offshore oil fields to offshore windfarms are soon to be underway. [Continue Reading Article]

In honor of this week's "Green Week" celebration, we've compiled a list of 8 companies listed on our sites who demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental sustainability, health and personal safety. These guys think it's easy being green. [Continue Reading Article]

It’s a very common question, becoming more common by the day as manufacturers are forced to tighten budgets and cut out marketing campaigns. Where should I concentrate on increasing online visibility – in the top 3 search engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo) or on vertical search directory sites? The answer is both. Enquiro Search Solutions found that 49% of potential business buyers searching online don’t start their research at one of the three "search kings". If nearly half of professional purchasers aren’t starting out looking on Google, MSN or Yahoo to find waterjet cutting services, then where are they looking? Manufacturers and retailers have little time to wade through irrelevant search results, white papers and YouTube home videos to find the industrial parts they need. That’s why web-savvy industrial product buyers come to vertical search directories like IQS to find the niche product manufacturer or service provider they’re looking for – without having to hit the back button a dozen times. [Continue Reading Article]

  Follow us this week for our IQS Green Week, in celebration of Earth Day! We'll be posting articles on green products, industry trends, and experts in sustainable manufacturing each day this week, so subscribe to our RSS and stay tuned!  

With all the 2009 Academy Awards’ glitz, glamour and questionable Hugh Jackman musical medley numbers (forget Beyonce; I thought Anne Hathaway stole the show – and being remembered from the opening of the Oscars is no small feat), who would have thought to notice the stainless steel cable holding up the shimmering backdrop of the stage that night? But what else could have supported the 92,000 Swarovski crystals configured in a 100-foot wide by 60-foot tall display weighing three tons? [Continue Reading Article]

The mainstream media today is full of allusions to energy awareness and conservation. Just as visible these days are media references to astronomical dollar figures that can boggle the mind. This article does not seek to break out of that mold, but rather to conform to it – as Oxidizer Stack Heat Recovery offers a tremendous opportunity for both energy conservation and energy cost reduction. Consider the following: At any hour of the day there are likely to be more than 10,000 oxidizer systems in service, using a high temperature reaction chamber (with or without catalyst) to treat the exhaust gases from a wide range of industrial processes... [Continue Reading Article]

Why Palletize Using an Automatic Palletizer? There are several reasons for choosing to palletize your packaging line automatically. First, palletizers stack a better quality load. Product damage during shipment or within AS/RS Systems (Automatic Storage & Retrieval System) caused by irregular loads is now part of the payback analysis to justify a palletizer. Second, it becomes more challenging to keep people in a low wage, low prestige positions such as manual palletizing... [Continue Reading Article]

Sounds like a party doesn’t it? But I’m talking about the seriously controlled environments of clean rooms used by scientists and manufacturers in the fields of micro technology and biochemistry. Working on smaller and smaller scales means that specks of dust and other particles are big, boulder-size deals, plus bacteria, static electricity and humidity are concerns as well. That’s why workers need to suit up before entering any clean room environment – this is where the “bunny suit” comes in... [Continue Reading Article]

As electronic devices become increasingly smaller, lighter, thinner and more powerful, the demand for more precise and faster packaging technology has increased. Despite the difference in various packages available in the industry, the technology of packaging processes share common steps. In general, these steps include: die preparation, die attach, wire bonding and encapsulation. Among these steps, die attach is one of the most challenging processes, as it involves material compatibility, placement and dispensing accuracy, precision process temperature profile and a short cycle time... [Continue Reading Article]

MDI isn't the only company working on giving new meaning to the phrase “running on air”. Scoring high in both environmental sustainability and economy, the pneumatic engine idea has been in development for 30 years at Di Pietro Motors, another Australian motor development company headed by former Mercedes-Benz designer Angelo Di Pietro. His air motor boasts incredible energy economy and superb environmental design. Gast Manufacturing right here in Michigan has a line of air motors and gearmotors available for use material handling applications such as mixer motors, pump drives and hoist motors. How exactly does a car run on air? Different companies working on pneumatically powered engines have developed different formats (Di Pietro’s engine is rotary, whereas MDI’s is powered by pistons), but the concept is basically the same... [Continue Reading Article]

We rely on electric heaters to warm our homes, offices, water and food, and manufacturers depend on electric heating for numerous industrial processes, such as plastic and rubber injection molding, packaging heat sealing and die casting. All electric heater appliances contain some form of heating element that acts as a resistor to convert the energy of an electrical current into heat. The heater can be as simple as the resistor welded or brazed into a metal flange or plug that contains an electrical terminal, or a number of resistors could be bundled together inside a larger unit. Due to the obvious hazards of bodily burns and fire damage, proper precautions need to be taken when using any kind of electric heater... [Continue Reading Article]

Laser welding is an effective method for joining small parts with tight tolerances. In the future, it will compete with traditional methods of welding or replace assembly/joining technologies benefiting industries that have never used laser welding before. Using light in the form of laser radiation as the energy source is a process used to achieve a balance between the process of thermal fusion and metallurgical effects. Functionally, the laser generates infrared or visible light (usually with the use of Nd-YAG lasers or frequency-doubled “green” lasers for reflective metals) which is delivered through an optical fiber and focusing lens onto the workpiece. Welding is the process that occurs when laser radiation is absorbed by the workpiece and turned into heat raising the temperature in the localized area above the melting point... [Continue Reading Article]