Imperial Systems, Inc. now offers welded seam replacement filter bags for dust collectors! Jackson Center, PA - Imperial Systems, inc. now offers welded seam replacement filter bags. Our welded seam bags are heat sealed, reducing the risk of fine particles leaking through the needle holes. ... [Continue Reading Article]

Many of the strongest metal products available today like knives, swords, train parts, die casting molds and musical instruments are made of extremely resistant, durable and tough materials. Although metals like steel and iron are the best metals for the job, sometimes they need a little help to obtain the desired hardness and strength properties for the tough jobs that the automotive, weapons, transportation and military industries have in mind. In order to make these metals even stronger than they already are, the products and parts are altered physically, mechanically and even chemically to obtain certain properties. [Continue Reading Article]

When asked about the mineral graphite, one image likely comes to mind: a pencil. This soft, dark grey, greasy material, also called black lead and plumbago, has been used to jot down notes and draw pictures for hundreds of years. Its name is even derived from the Latin term for “to draw/write.” Graphite is only found in a handful of places around the world, including Africa, the British Isles and a couple of U.S. states—including my home state of Michigan. There are 3 main types of natural graphite that are all found in different types of ore deposit. Crystalline graphite is flat with hexagonal edges, amorphous graphite is very thin and flakey, and lump graphite is found in veins of fractures underground. The first pencil was composed of sticks of graphite tied together with string. As you can imagine, this early writing utensil wasn’t exactly user friendly, but it could easily be erased with rubber. It wasn’t until much later that the modern pencil—the wooden kind with a pink eraser top that we use today—became popular. [Continue Reading Article]

What do cell phones, mattresses, satellites, pens, seat belts and clocks all have in common? I’ll give you a hint—they all use simple yet ingenious devices that have been integral parts of products and machinery for hundreds of years. Any ideas yet? Okay one more clue—you’ve played with them many a time as a child, either jumping on them as they boing up and down, or watching them descend a staircase in a very slinky manor. They’re springs—those coils of metal cords that store mechanical energy and are easily able to return to their original shape after twisting, bending, stretching and squeezing. [Continue Reading Article]

Tubing manufacturer NewAge® Industries now offers tubing and hose that’s heat formed into specific shapes. Parts are custom designed and produced using heat and special tooling. Many applications that involve multiple sections of tubing or hose, along with fittings and clamps to make connections, can benefit from this customization. [Continue Reading Article]

Let’s imagination for a moment a world without friction, which is, simply put, the force resistant to movement when any two objects rub against each other. Wait a second… that’s just too chaotic! If you think the world is a disaster now, just take away friction and… boom! Everything crashes into everything because there’s no force to stop it. So, here’s what I’ll do: I’ll just take away the friction between your posterior and what it’s sitting on… I need a good laugh today. You can’t stay put can you? Keep slipping and sliding, huh? [Continue Reading Article]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (December 8, 2009) – Mokon announces their redesigned Blown Film Air Coolers that offer improved performance, energy efficiency and reduced space requirements. This new compact design features an air inlet diffuser that creates a more uniform airflow across the cooling coil and decreases delta temperature approach. In addition, the leaving air chamber is insulated to reduce condensation while providing the coldest air possible to the air ring. [Continue Reading Article]

Do you ever wonder how those heavy duty, high powered equipment vehicles work? I’m talking about tractors, bulldozers, cranes and trucks that lift, push, haul, dump, dig, crush and drill in countless large-scale applications. They harness enormous power to handle extremely heavy loads. You might be surprised, but the main part behind the power—hydraulic cylinders—are probably more simple than they seem, and they don’t require a lot of energy. They use the basic principle of fluid under pressure, and are featured in any system that needs multiple moving parts at once. These cylinders have been around for a while, since the 1970s, and haven’t changed much in design or function. Sure, their manufacturing processes are faster and the tolerances are tighter, but their classic construction still operates just as well with newer machinery as they do with old. [Continue Reading Article]

In October, Emerson/Numatics announced its discontinuance of the Ultra-Air dryer product lines. Effective immediately, they have ceased accepting orders for all air dryers. [Continue Reading Article]

In the simplest of terms, fasteners are connective mechanisms used to hold 2 objects securely together. Sound familiar? It should, because I’m talking about screws, those simple little pieces of metal (or sometimes plastic) that keep our world in place. Your house’s construction is full of them, as is your stove, bed frame, car, computer desk, and on and on. They are similar to nails in design and function, but have one main defining characteristic—the threading. Those spiral-shaped raised ridges that wrap around the shaft of the screw at an angle keep them in place. Most screws are considered threaded fasteners and must be rotated in order to move in or out of a hole, while nails that have a smooth shaft may be easily pulled out of place. [Continue Reading Article]

New Pittman® brand 30mm brush-commutated DC motors integrate high-energy bonded neodymium magnets for maximized power density and an optimized magnetic field profile and 7-slot straight armature to minimize cogging. The motors additionally feature a large diamond-turned commutator and copper-graphite brushes to deliver high current capacity and long-life operation. These Series 8540 brush DC motors offering high torque-to-size performance provide ideal solutions to power data storage and medical equipment and business machines, among other industry applications. [Continue Reading Article]

Carbon fiber and graphite reinforced polymers are materials that have, and will continue to revolutionize the products we use everyday by making them stronger, lighter and more durable. However, the manufacturing process can have serious environmental ramifications and immediate danger to human health if careful consideration is not given to emission control at the production phase of these materials. [Continue Reading Article]

A Gantry crane is a type of overhead crane that lifts objects, machinery, materials and parts as high as 30 stories. They come in many different sizes, but the largest are used everyday to help manufacture some huge structures. This type of crane is composed of 2 vertical concrete supports with steel reinforcements and a horizontal beam, which has winches made of extremely strong wire rope that can hold up to 2 thousand tons each. Gantry cranes’ movements are limited to vertical up and down and left and right motions. They cannot shift, rotate or turn, and their supports are not easily moved. [Continue Reading Article]