Today, as we all well know, judging from the steep spike in green attire and beer buzzes, is St. Patrick’s day. March 17th has been celebrated since the 1600s, at first a strict Catholic holiday honoring Saint Patrick himself. Originally, St. Patrick’s was a day of no drinking—all the bars and pubs in Ireland were closed. Since then, things certainly have changed. In fact, some bars open around the time I get up for work to service the most dedicated of St. Patty’s celebrators. Ireland is well known for its beer and the people who love to drink it. Celebrating their culture must include a tall mug of traditional Irish beer—a stout or porter. These dark, smooth and coffee-like beers have been brewed in Ireland for hundreds of years. In that time, brewing hasn’t changed much. Mostly, the same equipment is used for malting, milling, mashing, fermenting and filtering ingredients that, through these processes, become beer. [Continue Reading Article]

Look at the two images below. How do you think those round metal disks are transformed into that perfect, beautiful trophy? Maybe some form of molding or welding, definitely with the use of heat. If that’s your guess…you’re wrong! It’s formed by metal spinning, a process that doesn’t use heat at all and looks just like forming pottery on a wheel, only with metal. It was once considered a true art form that took skill, practice and talent. It might surprise you, but metal spinning has been around since the ancient Egyptians, to form objects like bells, bowls, light fixtures and event trash can lids. Hockey fans should appreciate this process, since the Stanley Cup itself was originally a large goblet made by metal spinning. [Continue Reading Article]

While for many the word ‘adhesive’ may conjure up thoughts of the paste-eating grade school classmate who sat three desks over, adhesives have actually been in use for thousands of years. From their beginnings in the ancient world to their current use in everyday objects, these sticky substances have undergone many changes. The Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Mongols and other archaic groups used simple and natural formulas to bond surfaces and objects together. These early pastes were not replaced until the 1900s when technological advancements made way for the discovery of powerful synthetic bonding agents. Ironically, current concerns with global warming and climate change just might cause a return to the green ways of the ancients. [Continue Reading Article]

Some of the most precious and valuable elements on Earth are buried deep beneath the surface, just waiting to be found. While diamonds, gold and silver are the first that come to mind, lesser known, exotic elements like neodymium, a rare earth magnet, may be the most invaluable of all. It isn’t shiny or beautiful, but this silvery-grey magnet is expensive and highly sought after. Miners crawl deep into open pit mines, thousands of feet below the surface and appear with truckloads of the unimpressive looking chunks of metal. The raw element is shipped in large steel barrels to a manufacturing facility, where it is finely ground into powder and pressed into high temperature molds. Neodymium exhibits some extraordinary and unusual properties. When compounded with iron and boron, this magnet creates a magnetic field up to 25 times more powerful than those made from standard ferrites. It has exceptional resistance to demagnetization, and very small volumes provide the best performance of any magnet out there. [Continue Reading Article]

With the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics well underway, newsrooms around the globe follow a rising medals count. The elite athletes participating in the games and their eager nations watching from afar hope for the fulfillment of the ultimate Olympic dream, standing atop the podium as a gold, silver or bronze medal is draped around their neck. For many of the more than 5,500 Olympians representing more than 80 nations, receiving a medal will remain a dream, an ambition for future feats of athleticism perhaps. For a select 615 individuals, however, that dream will become a realization. 615 is the exact number of medallions created at The Royal Canadian Mint for the XXI Olympic Winter Games. Each of these was produced through unique metal stamping processes creating one of a kind medals for each athlete’s one of a kind moment. [Continue Reading Article]

Almost all the metals we use today—silver, aluminum, brass, even steel—are alloys, a homogenous mix of a metal and one or more other substances that enhances or changes its properties. In fact, very few metals are actually put to use in their pure form. From ancient times till now, humans have been experimenting and engineering alloys so they exhibit certain properties for thousands of years. There are literally an infinite number of combinations, all resulting in very different structural properties. In a way, metals and elements team up, work together and pool their strengths to make different metallic substances. Alloys may be a homogenous solid solution, a heterogeneous mix of tiny crystals or a true chemical compound. [Continue Reading Article]

Wire mesh is a pretty useful household material—not only does it help wash foods and drain pasta, it keeps pesky bugs out while allowing a cool summer breeze in. It functions decoratively inside cabinets and protects furniture and people from flying embers in a fireplace. It’s found in all sorts of filtration systems, vents, sifters and screens to keep the air/water flowing and the dust and particles trapped. For a moment, think about a world without any wire mesh. Bugs flying freely indoors and dirt in our water, life would be a lot filthier and less sanitary. Wire mesh is essentially composed of a series of thin, perpendicular wires that are woven or welded together. These two manufacturing processes determine the strength, complexity, and different applications in which wire mesh is used. [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]

Ohio Gratings, Inc. provided their aluminum louver (VisiScreen) product for the Artech Condominium project in Florida. The primary application for the material was a functional and decorative grille system on an 800 foot long 5-story parking garage designed to resemble a cruise ship. The VisiScreen material allowed for a 60% visual block and deflection of car headlights from adjacent condo buildings while allowing the parking garage to be ventilated naturally with 65% open air flow provided by the louvers. With the versatility of this product, the VisiScreen was also utilized in the skywalk, the parking garage to the condo building as well as an ornamental canopy for the car drop and the main entrance. At the penthouse level, the material was used as an ornamental handrail and cornice feature. [Continue Reading Article]

It seems like I never have any change in my wallet anymore. I’m too busy dumping it all into machines everywhere I go—gas stations, grocery stores and city streets are all sprinkled with quarter-eaters, and I fall victim every time. Commercial products that consume my laundry money like parking meters and gumball machines have been around for about a century, and have one thing in common besides accepting change—their metal housings and components are both manufactured by the die casting process. Die casted products are extremely strong, temperature resistant and heavy, making them the perfect candidates for public machines that accept money. [Continue Reading Article]

Architects and building contractors are often faced with many challenging decisions when choosing the right materials for a job. Different types of metals, materials and fabrication methods affect the performance of a structure or facility hugely, and structural sheet metal is no exception. While perforated metals and expanded metals are similar and have some overlapping applications, engineers understand that their capabilities are very different. Not only are perforated and expanded metals separated by their application industries, but by their fabrication methods and cost as well. Perforated metal seems to be the industry standard for architectural applications such as building facades, fences and partitions. Because perforated metals are punched and cut, dies can be designed to cut patterned shapes into sheet metal for a variety of purposes, both decorative and functional. The shape of metal perforations can determine a material's usefulness for blocking microwaves, sound waves or light; perforated metals are used in all these industries. Next time you warm up some leftovers, take a look at your microwave door. See that filter in the glass? That's a piece of perforated metal blocking microwaves from coming through the door. [Continue Reading Article]

“Going Green” is a popular term nowadays. Usually it refers to an individual or a company promoting itself as operating in an environmentally friendly manner, whether though the use (or re-use) of materials, processes or utilities. When I was asked if I wanted to “go green” recently, I thought I would be reviewing a new lubricant for machinery or using some recycled materials. Little did I know I would be camping outdoors with a group of teenaged Girl Scouts and fellow female CEOs for a week entitled CAMP CEO in Connecticut! CAMP CEO is a program offered by the Girl Scouts of Connecticut to provide older Girl Scouts ages 15-17 the opportunity to learn professional skills from senior level women executives in a fun, casual camp setting. In this case, the term GREEN refers to both the outdoor experience and also the Girl Scouting organization. [Continue Reading Article]

ISO Certification - Don’t Go It Alone! When companies attempt to achieve ISO certification, they quickly realize it requires a huge company-wide effort. Also, the improper implementation of industry compliance can over-complicate processes and increase costs, which diminish the value of an ISO 9001:2000 certification. Bear in mind that the motivation behind this official recognition is to enhance the value and market strength of the company. This is done with a well-documented and followed set of procedures that define the processes resulting in the delivery of quality products and services. With continuous improvement imbedded in ISO requirements, obtaining the certification demonstrates a commitment to quality that lowers overall costs. This reflects a positive image to customers and the company’s stakeholders. Most firms struggle in completing this effort. A viable solution for companies getting it done right, and in a timely manner, is to enlist an experienced expert to help them implement their ISO 9000-based quality system. This case study provides an example of how this was done…and in record time. [Continue Reading Article]

The many unique values provided by stainless steel make it a powerful candidate in materials selection. Engineers, specifiers and designers often underestimate or overlook these values because of what is viewed as the higher initial ost of stainless steel. However, over the total life of a project, stainless is often the best value option. Stainless steel is essentially a low carbon steel which contains chromium at 10% or more by weight. It is the addition of chromium that gives the steel its unique stainless, corrosion resisting properties. The chromium content of the steel allows the formation of a tough, adherent, invisible, corrosion-resisting chromium oxide film on the steel surface. If damaged mechanically or chemically, this film is self-healing, rovided that oxygen, even in very small amounts, is present. The corrosion resistance and other useful properties of the steel are enhanced by increased chromium content and the addition of other elements such as molybdenum, nickel and nitrogen. [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]

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]

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]

It’s not by magic that forging has survived and thrived as technology has advanced. The heart of forging has not changed since its origin in ancient Egypt. From the pre-industrial age on into today’s sophisticated forging facilities, the essence of forging remains the same: how it affects the structure of metals. The results are unequaled in any other form of metalworking. Discussing the different types of forging can get very complicated. Putting it more simply: heating the metal until it’s malleable breaks down the originally coarse grain structure, and then “kneading” it between dies elongates the grains and they recrystallize in a new finer granular structure... [Continue Reading Article]

When you buy expensive metals, you might be getting something you don’t want and not know it. You could be buying defects that you would rather not have, and your supplier may not realize he sent you defective material. The only way to know for sure is to test he parts nondestructively... [Continue Reading Article]

by PSI Extrusions The aluminum extrusion process, which involves forcing hot aluminum through a precision die to create a length of constant cross-section, marries the inherent advantages of aluminum to the precision and high volume capacity of the extrusion process. Aluminum extrusi... [Continue Reading Article]

Although one of the world’s oldest metal fabricating technologies, investment casting (sometimes known as “lost wax” casting) has in recent years been subjected to a few misconceptions, ironically these fallacies have probably caused many who could have benefited most from this process to rule it out... [Continue Reading Article]

by Steven Holand, Carry Cases Plus Owner [Continue Reading Article]