A surprising 15% of American car owners never wash their cars; they just let the rain take care of it. Many wash their vehicles in their driveway with a hose and household cleaners. Some claim they don’t have time, others don’t want to pay for a professional cleaning. Today, there are 100,000 professional car washes in the United States. Whether you’re part of a small business or working for a large chain, owners of car wash equipment need to advertise the benefits of their company to the public. Virtually every type of car wash system used today—whether touchless, coin-operated, automated or hand-operated, has advantages that far outweigh the alternatives. Perhaps the most attractive advantage to the consumer, using professional car washes is a money-saving method of protecting an expensive investment. Washing a car twice a month can protect from environmental factors, including acid rain, salt on roads during the winter and bird droppings, all of which can cause serious damage over time. These unavoidable issues will harm the finish, age the car and significantly decrease its overall resale value—on average, about 20%. [Continue Reading Article]

When it comes to drying large amounts of raw material, there are a number of options for manufacturers to choose from, depending on their budget, space and properties of the material being dried. Industrial dryers are often used to remove moisture from materials such as powders, foods and chemicals for the pharmaceutical, paper, pollution control, food and agricultural industries. If your company is in the market for a new industrial dryer, there are 5 main types for different applications, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Dryers that pass material through a large, revolving metal drum and heated by gas, liquid or solid fuel are commonly used in the chemical, food and mineral industries. Rotary dryers have low maintenance costs and allow vast amounts of material with differing particle sizes to dry at one time. However, because these dryers are powered by gas, moisture control is difficult and they often create fire hazards as a result of drying flammable materials. Because the drum is often quite large, these dryers often require a lot of space. [Continue Reading Article]

Everyone has had plenty of experiences dealing with electrostatic discharge—reaching out a hand to open the car door on a dry winter day and hesitating, because you know that zap is coming. Annoying isn’t it? Unfortunately, ESD can be a lot more harmful than that. Without proper prevention, it could damage a computer to the point of no return. The zap you felt when you opened the door was at least 2,500 volts of ESD, caused by the transfer of electrons from one surface (the door handle) to another (your hand). Charges as weak as 200 volts can severely damage your computer, and since they are below the threshold of human feeling, you might have no idea it’s happening. Catastrophic failure, damage to your computer that cannot be undone, is commonly due to ESD, and it can be direct or latent. Direct isn’t really a problem to anyone but manufacturers, since it is usually detected in initial testing. Latent catastrophic failure is what you should worry about. Low-voltage static charges may be slowly causing damage to your computer system, and may not show symptoms for weeks or even months. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, you’ve got a computer that won’t turn on and can’t be fixed. [Continue Reading Article]

German-based forklift truck manufacturer Jungheinrich AG will have no trouble meeting the stricter emission standards laid out by the EPA and federal legislation. On the contrary; this company is already poised as one of the country's leading manufacturers of powerful, 100% electric material handling lift trucks, and a recent distribution agreement with Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America (MCFA) will soon make Jungheinrich a household name in industrial material handling. Mitsubishi Caterpillar, including Cat and Mitsubishi lift truck brands, currently occupies more than 10% of the North American market for forklift trucks. Jungheinrich, which has a more modest 1.2% share in the market, will be benefiting from MCFA's larger share in an exclusive distribution deal which will close all of Jungheinrich's independent distribution and sales, including non-MCFA dealers and Jungheinrich's North American headquarters and distribution center in Richmond, Virginia. [Continue Reading Article]

Within the past 5 years or so, the concept of reducing emissions has been the automotive industry’s most popular issue. It’s all over their commercials, boasting fuel economy and environmental friendliness. Though less advertised, non-road diesel engines, including forklift trucks, are no exception. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working since 1996 on a 4-tiered program to greatly reduce emission pollutants and sulfur content in fuel. Program From 1996 until last year, non-road diesel engines have complied with lenient emission standards and still accounted for 44 percent of diesel particulate matter (PM) emissions and 12 percent of total nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, an excessively large amount of total emissions from mobile sources. So in January of 2008, the EPA put the 4th tier into effect. The new standards involve models built in 2008 and later and aim to reduce 90% of NOx and PM emissions, in comparison to unregulated engines. They are also reducing sulfur in fuel to 15-ppm. [Continue Reading Article]

“Pollution Control can be very expensive!” you may say. And you’d be right. It can be. With ever increasing pressure to reduce emissions of gaseous pollution (and a company’s carbon footprint), many are choosing to install fume abatement systems on process exhausts where pollutants are present. In fact, regulations require pollution control equipment for many industries. The popularity of the Thermal Oxidization process for pollution control is, for the time being, high enough that it is considered the norm. Some companies have to endure the cost of cleaning exhausts for the environment. That is the responsibility element companies have to get used to. But it doesn’t have to be all bad news. I would bring to your attention several possibilities of secondary Heat Recovery worthy of your consideration. Process exhaust Heat Recovery can offer exceptional payback. The right industrial-grade air to air heat exchanger, correctly designed, engineered and built for your application, can allow you to reduce negative impact on the environment and your operational energy costs – dramatically. For instance: If you have a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) abatement system you know the final outgoing RTO exhaust temperature is higher than the incoming process air temperature. If, for example, you have 200°F entering the RTO from your process, the RTO exhaust could be as high as 400°F – even higher if the bypass is open. When RTOs are sold with high thermal efficiency expectations, companies often overlook the energy recovery potential of the RTO application. [Continue Reading Article]

Explosions in dust collectors Dust explosions are possible whenever the process produces combustible dusts. Not all combustible dusts will produce explosions. For instance, even combustible dusts may not have the characteristics to produce an explosion. A coarse combustible dust such as coal may burn well but not explode depending on how fine the dust is. To produce a conflagration the dust must have a sufficient ratio of surface area to weight to sustain the rapid oxidation for creating and sustaining an explosion. When a dust can sustain an explosion, the dust concentration must be within the explosive limits. These are often defined as: L.E.L. (Lower Explosive Limit): Below this level of concentration, an explosion will not occur and propagate itself. There is not enough concentration of fuel to allow the flame front to grow. A typical range of values would be 20-30 grains/ cubic foot. U.E.L. (Upper Explosive Limit): Above this limit the concentration of dust is so high that there is insufficient oxygen to oxidize the fuel and the unburned fuel stops the spread of the flame front. Ignition of the dust depends on several factors (1) Chemical Composition (2) Shape and fineness, briefly described above. (3) Dust distribution in the gas stream or atmosphere (4) Concentration of oxygen in the gas stream. (5) Initial temperature and pressure of the gas. (6) Energy level available to detonate the explosion Intensity of the explosion is dependent on the rate of pressure rise and maximum pressure developed. Factory Mutual ran lab tests to determine these values and are contained in their publications. It must be pointed out these tests and values are run with a spherical test chamber with power ignition source in the center of the sphere. These numbers are relatively high when referring to explosions in a dust collector housing, because the bags usually obstruct the expansion of the explosive flame front. [Continue Reading Article]

For the last several months, we’ve been slowly but steadily fostering a “Green Ideas for Industry” category here on the IQS Newsroom. Not only do we want to keep track of some of the vital shifts the US manufacturing industry is making towards sustainable production, but we would also like to extend kudos to the companies listed on our directory who are making that shift possible. Many of our advertisers have been making strides in sustainable manufacturing, recycling and environmentally responsible construction despite economic difficulties and an overall resistance to change within the industry. Today we’re going to take a look at Ohio Gratings’ environmentally friendly grating products – and how you can earn LEED points by building with them. [Continue Reading Article]

This white paper presents the operational characteristics of infra-red heaters. Data presented represents an in-depth analysis of industry practices and theoretical principals. Introduction Infrared energy is a unique and efficient means of heating. It combines the benefits of low cost operation, silent performance, and environmentally friendly emissions in a variety of applications. Utilizing the same principles as the sun, infrared warms people, structures and flooring to provide comfortable heat where needed, replacing the more traditional forced air heaters that generate hot drafty blasts of air. This efficient heat source is often advantageous for use in difficult-to-heat applications with high air infiltration. [Continue Reading Article]

With all the “green” alternative energy, recycling and sustainable manufacturing facilities popping up across the U.S., it seems only fitting to talk about heat exchangers. Recycling re-usable materials like aluminum, steel, HDPE, rubber and pulp products is a topic of frequent discussion in both consumer and manufacturing industries, but what about energy recycling? Industrial facilities and process manufacturers in pharmaceutical, bio-diesel, pulp and food process industries have been using the heat exchanger – a rather basic design concept – for decades to transfer heating and cooling. In recent years engineers have been tweaking the design, replacing typical coolants with gases or liquids which need to be heated anyway, allowing facilities to recycle their own energy. Automotive radiators, heater cores and evaporators work this way, with tubes of liquid coolant absorbing excess energy from the engine, which is then blown by fans into the car interior as heating. [Continue Reading Article]

It's hard to imagine what the manufacturing industry was like before waterjet cutting. Sure, there was laser cutting, but waterjet cutting accomplishes so much more on such a wide spectrum of materials that it's difficult to believe we were ever able to manufacture parts without it. If you work in or own a job shop, you're likely already familiar with the range of materials that can be cut by waterjet - it's far easier to list which materials can't be cut by waterjets.They are: tempered glass, brittle ceramics and diamonds. [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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

With your company’s reputation on the line, especially in this unstable economy, the functionality and reliability of your products need to be rock-solid. Whether you’re refining existing products or developing new, you can’t waste valuable time on the wrong product testing procedure. Beyond simply meeting the standards for your industry, you want to stand out from the competitors by offering superior performance for the long run. Proper environmental testing is key during research and development; you want the confidence of going to market with documented proof that your product is the best it can be. After all, consumers will love the great warranties you will be able to offer, and why leave the door open for costly, time-consuming recalls? [Continue Reading Article]

There are three common ways of creating moisture for humidity control in test chambers. Let’s review they types and the benefits and limitations of each. Type 1: “Steam Generator” - A steam generator is a tank with an immersion heater. As the water in the tank is heated, steam rises up a tube to the chamber’s mixing plenum (where the main heaters and cooling coil are). The chamber, based on humidity demand, controls the output of the heater. [Continue Reading Article]

Whether you’re assembling a plastic component, packaging products in boxes or machining metal parts on a lathe, the basic principles of a good workspace are the same: efficient use of space and attention to worker safety. Together these create a high-production workflow while lowering production costs. Let’s look at a few of the ways the Pole Barn’s workstations and workbenches fail to apply these principles, a few ways it succeeds, and how all this applies to improving your own facility... [Continue Reading Article]

The magnet is one of civilization’s oldest and most useful tools. Most people would be surprised to learn how many items and conveniences in our daily lives are made possible by magnets. I say most people, but certainly not all; manufacturers of industrial magnets and veterans of the agricultural, mining and metal fabricating industries are well aware of magnets’ many diverse – and essential – uses. [Continue Reading Article]

There’s no simple solution to achieving accurate temperature measurement. It’s a combination of knowing the inherent accuracy of particular sensor types, but also how environmental factors can create further measurement uncertainty and the sensor calibration techniques available to reduce this uncertainty... [Continue Reading Article]