The good news begins with business IT spending. According to yesterday’s Alliance News & Info, “U.S. corporate IT spending [is] in the process of rapidly stabilizing”. Twenty-four percent of participants in ChangeWave’s latest survey said they expect their company’s IT spending to decrease or flatline; sure, 24% doesn’t sound good to IT equipment manufacturers, but it sure beats the last survey’s 41%. Reversely, 15% of participants said they expect increases in their company’s IT spending, a 5% increase from the last survey, and a sigh of relief for technology manufacturers who’ve been watching demand plummet for nearly a year. [Continue Reading Article]

This White Paper presents the proven ecological benefits and LEED application guidelines of infra-red heaters. Data provided by industry research and a LEED Accredited Professional (AP). Introduction The green building movement is gaining tremendous momentum on a national front, and is exemplified by the rising costs of energy. But what exactly does building green mean? ‘Green’ is a general term that can describe a wide range of practices such as energy savings, water conservation, recycling, sustainable site development, and the list goes on. In fact, LEED, the benchmark rating system for green building, has six (6) different categories used to evaluate a green project. Although all of these categories are considered green, arguably one such item carries a greater impact on the environment than all others combined; energy conservation. This is evident through the credit distribution scheme for LEED-NC (New Construction). [Continue Reading Article]

While a trip down the Amazon may not be something you or I commonly undertake, there are a myriad of applications where the safety of precious materials or equipment depend upon the durability of a carrying case. Bands and sound equipment professionals would be out of work if it weren’t for ATA cases’ highly durable design. Aluminum cases are being used increasingly for their extremely hard, dent-resistant exteriors and high strength-to-weight ratio. Aluminum’s corrosion resistance and hypoallergenic qualities make this case a prime choice for medical, tradeshow and photography industries, among many others. Foam-lined blow molded carrying cases can offer moderate protection, and thermoformed or rotomolded carrying and transit cases offer protection from whatever crazy environments you throw them in. Military transit cases from our own Zero Manufacturing have traveled across the deserts of Iraq and even into combat with vital supplies for soldiers. [Continue Reading Article]

From purely artistic and decorative to entirely functional, wire forms can come in a seemingly innumerable range of shapes and complexities. From simple wire “S” hooks and peg board hooks to a complete rack of wire shelving or a rotating wire retail display, manufacturers that offer wire forming services are equipped to create many essential wire products for industrial, commercial and consumer use. [Continue Reading Article]

This paper attempts to identify some of the specifics of the process used to obtain approval for use of plastic pallets as equivalent to wood pallets for use in warehouse storage. This paper is written to look at the issue in general and is not intended to cover all storage situations. Your specific situation should be evaluated by a fire protection specialist. Most plastic pallets are molded out of polyolefin materials such as high density polyethylene or polypropylene. These materials are more flammable than the wood used to make pallets. Over the years the industry has argued with the fire protection establishment that plastic pallets, while they burn hotter than wood, are much more difficult to ignite. Fire protection people counter with the fact that most warehouse fires are arson and if an arsonist wants to start a fire they will do what ever they need to do to get a fire started. [Continue Reading Article]

Connecticut‐based Loos & Co., Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of cable for the fitness equipment industry, has announced the release of its latest fitness cable: Exerflex Pro® Fitness Cable. Developed in their research and manufacturing facility in Pomfret, Conn., Exerflex Pro® builds on Loos & Co.’s tradition of providing fitness equipment manufacturers, equipment owners, and equipment repair professionals the highest level of cable performance and safety on the market. For more than a decade, the world’s leading fitness equipment manufacturers have relied on Loos & Co. cable as the only cable used in their equipment. Exerflex Pro® continues the tradition of providing the safety and performance that are critical in fitness equipment. [Continue Reading Article]

Chinese company Suntech, a heavyweight in global solar manufacturing, announced its plans last week to build another solar cell manufacturing facility here in the States, although they won’t decide where for another six months. Clearly these companies see an economic advantage to solar manufacturing here in the United States. Along with new tax breaks and federal incentives for renewable energy manufacturing, companies like Schott and Suntech see the benefits of setting up manufacturing close to customers – which means they’re anticipating an imminent demand in the US for solar energy. In the wake of losing hundreds of domestic manufacturers and hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs to the recession, pumping up the US solar manufacturing industry looks like a pretty great idea. [Continue Reading Article]

We all know that the realm of manufacturing is being hit hard by the current economic downturn. This is why manufacturers need to become lean in all their processes, of which parts cleaning is an essential step. Such industries as automotive, agricultural, material handling & heavy equipment, aerospace, hydraulics & pneumatics, machined & formed parts, medical & pharmaceutical and remanufacturing rely on parts cleaning pre and post production to remove oils, grease, chemicals, burrs, dirt, shavings and particulates. Parts large and small would not be properly prepared for finishing, assembly and distribution if not first put through parts washing machinery; so from equipment selection through preventative maintenance procedures, manufacturers need to be educated on the most beneficial parts cleaning techniques for their particular needs. [Continue Reading Article]

Infrared heat processing is still more of an art today than an exact science. Experience is the key ingredient to successfully conceive and manufacture industrial heating systems to solve a specific set of customer requirements. That said, many urban myths remain concerning the use of infrared heating, drying and curing for industrial processes. First on this list is the requirement of “direct line of sight”. Too many people think direct line of sight is a must for every infrared heating process; that is the infrared source must see every/all portions of a product substrate in order to properly heat a product or dry and/or cure a coating on it. They think you can essentially only process flat products. That assertion is just NOT true. [Continue Reading Article]

Pomfret, CT & Naples, FL- Loos & Co., Inc. - Today announced that the company will exhibit its product lines at the International Paris Air Show to be held at LeBourget, France, from June 15 to June 21, 2009. The Paris Air Show is held bi-annually, and is the world's single largest exhibition for commercial and military aircraft manufacturers. Manufacturers who produce component parts and services for the aerospace industry are also major exhibitors at the show. Loos will be in Hall 3, Booth A66 (Florida Enterprise Pavilion). This year the show will comprised of over 2,000 different manufacturers from over 48 countries. The show is attended by over 480,000 trade visitors, and the general public is admitted during the last two days of the show. [Continue Reading Article]

Pomfret, CT, April 17 2009 - Connecticut-based Loos & Co., Inc., a manufacturer of wire, wire rope and cable assemblies, announced a comprehensive redesign of its website, which now offers additional product and company information and is much easier to navigate. [Continue Reading Article]

To be sure, the manufacturing community has come a long way in terms of microtechnology. Not only have acid etching and photochemical etching helped manufacturers hurdle significant cost and time barriers, but it has dramatically increased our capacity for fabricating the precision micro-etched parts which are essential to manufacturing precision electronics and communications equipment. No longer are our precision parts manufacturers limited to what metal engravers can etch by hand scratch by agonizing scratch; with chemical and photochemical metal etching, the possibilities are virtually limitless. For all of the benefits of the chemical and photochemical etching, the process has its drawbacks. As with plastic, a seemingly time, cost and fuel efficient alternative to non-disposable packaging, photochemical etching produces considerable quantities of hazardous waste which are difficult to recycle and dangerous to dispose of. Large quantities of specialty and hazardous chemicals and gases, particularly chloride, must be manufactured and either recycled, a costly process, or disposed of at the hazard of the environment. Yet chemical etching has been integrated into the global manufacturing processes of so many mobile phones, automotive parts, computer chips and other communication and electronics devices that these concerns remain largely overlooked. [Continue Reading Article]

Strides have been made in outdoor smog control since the Environmental Protection Agency was formed and the first Clean Air Act was passed under President Nixon, and then the Clean Air Act Amendments under the first President Bush. There is definitely room for improvement in reducing emissions, as many U.S. communities are still trying to catch up to air purity regulations. Air pollution control equipment exists to reduce emissions into the atmosphere, and air filters and filtration systems exist for indoor air quality. However, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s website, there are no national health standards for air filter performance because the Federal government has concluded that there is not yet enough data on the link between air filtration and actual health improvement. [Continue Reading Article]

What do a micron-precision silicon wafer cutter, a surgical microscope focusing mechanism, and a target sighting system for an MIA2 Abrams tank all have in common? Each contains an electrodeposited nickel bellows coupling. Such couplings excel in instrumentation and fractional-horsepower applications but are occasionally overlooked because they tend to cost more than other types. Couplings are typically rated by their torque capacity, rotational inertia, resistance to the elements, service life, windup and backlash levels, and flexibility. By all these measures, electrodeposited bellows couplings compare favorably to competitive designs. [Continue Reading Article]

March’s ISM index read 36.3, and economists had only forecast a reading of 38.4 for April, a solid 1.6 points below how April's index reading turned out. Bottom line: manufacturing activity is rising – and it’s rising faster than anticipated. To put it differently, the U.S. manufacturing economy has gone from January through March’s 1.3% decrease in GDP to last month’s much-improved 0.3% decrease. Financial experts say there’s a good chance our GDP in this year’s second quarter will be positive. According to ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee chair Norbert J. Ore "After six consecutive months below the 40 percent mark, the PMI ... shows a significant improvement...While this is a big step forward, there is still a large gap that must be closed before manufacturing begins to grow again." [Continue Reading Article]

Compressed air equals power, so shouldn’t we be able to use it as the answer for some of our alternative energy and fuel? President Obama has made renewable energy development a top priority on his agenda. He believes it’s imperative that the United States stops relying on foreign sources and works to become the leading exporter of renewable energy. So what kind of possibilities does the power of compressed air hold? Well, foreign auto makers have already made leaps and bounds in getting compressed-air powered vehicles ready for the market, and I think American automakers need to invest their efforts in these alternative fuel, zero-emission “clean cars”... [Continue Reading Article]