Robotic Palletizers and the Road Ahead for Manufacturing

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Michael Shade

When it started becoming clear just how serious the financial crisis was going to be – when access to credit started shrinking, when the orders started disappearing and the payrolls started thinning – coverage of developments in industry were all lean manufacturing all the time. It was “streamlined this” and “automated that.” Lean, lean, lean. If the message started sounding redundant, that’s because it was. But it also seemed to reflect reality. In 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Manufacturers, there were just under 13 million peopled employed in manufacturing jobs, and the total value of all of the shipped manufactured products from that year topped $5 trillion. By the time the figures for 2009 had been released, which was at the height of the financial crisis, the value of shipped products fell by more than $500 billion, and the number of people employed in manufacturing jobs fell beneath 11 million. A recovery in the manufacturing sector would have to involve some adaptations to the new realities of the global economy. Continue reading →

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The Futuristic Novelty of Laser Guided Vehicles

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Andrea Mustine

Few things utilized in industrial settings can be called “novel” because most of the equipment is practical, lacking the frills that would place it in the novelty category. However, some of the technological advancements in modern machinery have led to the crafting and operating of things most people would only recognize from science fiction books, films and television shows. An example of equipment with an undeniable futuristic novelty is laser guided vehicles. Like something out of The Jetsons, these AGV (automated guided vehicles) are designed to operate without any human assistance, going from one place to another with preprogrammed instructions. In addition, the lasers that enable the vehicles to get from here to there are also able to recognize obstacles in the preprogrammed path and alter the course to avoid the obstacle and then get right back on the original path. Acting like intelligent life forms but without demanding higher pay or talking back, laser guided vehicles benefit the industrial companies that utilize them in many ways while retaining an element of novelty for all those who work with them. Continue reading →

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IQS Newsroom Featured Profile: Precision Filtration Products

Posted on March 14, 2012 by nicolet

The team here at Precision Filtration Products is on a mission to be the best full-service industrial filtration company, in both the distribution and manufacturing sectors. This means that we offer the highest quality products, a superior level of knowledge and creativity, as well as a quick turn-around time. We continuously strive to provide you with excellent service by helping you to find and/or design the exact product that YOU desire. Our company was born in 1994 out of very humble beginnings, working out of a small house and unloading tractor-trailers by hand with no forklifts. At that time, each member of our small team “wore many hats”, and we worked during all hours of the day and night to fulfill our customers’ requests. Gradually, we started offering more products, we found more help, and we started expanding at a rapid rate. Today, we are a full team of professionals with 50+ years of experience in the filtration and manufacturing industry. Continue reading →

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Linear Slides for Easy Motion

Posted on March 12, 2012 by nicolet

You are sitting in a dark tunnel, when suddenly the mining cart you are sitting in takes of and goes flying down a large hill, ripping around corners, soaring up and down, making your adrenaline rise and your stomach fall. If you cannot completely imagine the scenario, you could easily pick your favorite movie consisting of a scene such as this. Maybe Indiana Jones or Harry Potter? The reason I want you to think of these situations is it is a slightly more exciting transition into our next topic, linear slides. If you picture these large carts and carriages, they are often sliding along on wheels on a metal surface or railing. Linear slides can be thought of as the metal railings these large carts would slide down. However, instead of the wheels, ball bearings are used. The slides work much like the railings in that they dictate exactly where the carriage will go. Continue reading →

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Machinery Rebuilders: A Hospital for Machines

Posted on March 9, 2012 by nicolet

Our frail human bodies are not invincible, which is why our generation is lucky to be living in an age when medicine is advanced and continuing to advance further every day. The hub of these medical marvels, where we go when we are sick or hurt, is a hospital. There trained doctors are able to diagnose and fix the wrongs in our bodies, or at least try to do so. We go to hospitals because they are prepared to do what the average man cannot, and we trust in their abilities. A hospital is not, however, able to fix all broken or sick things. For example, a dog with a broken leg is not taken to a human hospital but a veterinary hospital, because that is where the people trained to know his anatomy well enough to help him reside. Although most people would not consider the fixing of machines to be nearly as important as fixing humans or animals, for industrial companies, getting broken or old machines fixed or rebuilt is vital. A malfunctioning hydraulic press or an old etching machine cannot be taken to a hospital for people. Instead they need to be taken where the employees know how to fix them. Those that work in hospitals for machines are commonly known as machinery rebuilders. Continue reading →

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Telesis Names Representative

Posted on March 7, 2012 by nicolet

Telesis Technologies (Circleville, OH) has named CRS DATA SOLUTIONS as its representative covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Wyoming. CRS DATA SOLUTIONS will be responsible for sales and service of Telesis’ Pinstamp, scribe and air cooled laser (gas, fiber and solid state) solutions for high resolution, high speed marking and engraving equipment. Continue reading →

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A Little More On Plastics with Plastic Fabrication

Posted on March 5, 2012 by nicolet

We have been discussing plastic a lot lately and there is a simple reason for this: plastic is everywhere! It has not only completely taken over, it has transformed our lives. This versatile material has become a very popular alternative to items that were once primarily created out of metal, wood or glass. Due to the ease of fabrication and the low costs of production it has been able to make its way into every aspect of our world and most likely will not be leaving anytime soon. First developed in the late 1800s, plastic products exploded following World War I when new improvements in chemical technology allowed new forms to be created. This material can be used in almost any industry in some form or another and because it provides a countless number of benefits. These factors have made plastic fabrication the indispensable method it has come to be in households and businesses alike. Continue reading →

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We’re Surrounded by Plastics

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Michael Shade

If I were to look at the tag on my shirt’s collar, I’d probably see instructions for washing the shirt and some information about its composition. I happen to be in an office at the moment, so I can’t take off my shirt and look. But if memory serves, the shirt I’m wearing is composed of a mixture of cotton and polyester (and maybe a third ingredient – rayon or something like that). “Polyester” is a blanket term that can be used in reference to a few different kinds of polymers, though it’s most commonly used in reference to polyethylene terephthalate. You may know polyethylene terephthalate by its nickname: PET. If not, you’re certainly familiar with products composed of PET. Your soda bottles, your ketchup bottles, your mouthwash bottles and all manner of other bottle varieties are probably made of PET. You know PET as a variety of plastic. It’s likely that you think of plastics as non-metal, non-wood, non-stone, hard but sometimes flimsy things whose origin you’re not certain of but whose utility is eminently obvious. Continue reading →

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The Many Forms of Plastic Containers

Posted on February 27, 2012 by nicolet

Plastic containers have changed the way we do things. Offering countless forms as well as benefits including strength, versatility, durability, customizability and low cost, they are beneficial to every industry. They are available in every size, shape and color and can be used for virtually any function or application. In addition, the fact that they can be recycled makes them valuable to the planet by reducing the space taken up in landfills. Whether you are using bioplastics or contributing to recycling, plastics can be beneficial to keeping the planet clean if treated in the right way. As of now, only 15-35% of the plastics used are recycled. By increasing this number, we can help save the planet by reducing landfill space and helping prevent additional occurrences such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. When it comes to recycling containers there are 7 different types you need to be aware of. Many recycling companies will accept most or all types, but this isn’t always the case so households need to determine which types can be recycled. Continue reading →

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Plastic Tanks’ Place in Our Economy

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Michael Shade

In 1844, the extremely-satisfied-looking fellow you see below, Charles Goodyear, patented the rubber vulcanization process, which is the process of curing rubber with sulfur or other curatives in order to improve its mechanical properties. The discovery of vulcanization could be described as the first step on the path to the development of thermosetting processes and thermoset materials, and those developments were precursors to the development of modern plastic manufacturing. The development of modern plastic manufacturing sparked a paradigm shift in industry, and the implications for other aspects of life, for society, for the environment and indeed for the global economy, were tremendous. It’s no wonder Charles looks so pleased with himself. Continue reading →

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IQS Newsroom Featured Profile: Commercial Metal Exchange

Posted on February 20, 2012 by nicolet

“We are Experts at Metals”. Commercial Metal Exchange is determined to help companies avoid the frustration of inexperience with copper and related metal orders. Each sales employee has over twenty-five years of experience in the metal industry, which provides them with the extensive knowledge necessary in dealing with all metals, including alloys, forms, tempers and other specifications. Devotion to locating affordable materials and products, as well as providing an unbelievably fast delivery system are high priorities at Commercial Metal Exchange. Commitment like this to every aspect of the business is why they are considered experts in the metal industry. Continue reading →

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The Whimsical Side of Pneumatic Conveyors

Posted on February 17, 2012 by nicolet

Valentine’s Day is one time of the year many of us expect chocolate. With such a wide variety of chocolate shapes and options available, you can expect there to be many methods utilized to create them. Recalling a classic childhood chocolate film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, you may remember how the conveyor belts ran the candy down the processing line. While a traditional conveyor would use motors to move the product from one point to another, pneumatic conveyors are able to use an environmentally friendly form of power. They use air pressure to push or pull materials from one point to another in an enclosed conveyor. This method is beneficial because it can prevent items from being scattered or spilled, as well as being stuck or crushed on your typical conveyor. A relatively new method of transporting items, pneumatic conveyors were able to revolutionize the industry. They also have an element of whimsy that fits in perfectly with the production of chocolate. Continue reading →

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IQS Newsroom Featured Profile: Dexmet Corporation

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Andrea Mustine

The current economic climate is bogging down most industrial progress, which is why companies that take innovation seriously, like Dexmet Corporation, continue to do well despite the lag in manufacturing. Dexmet has been in the expanded metals industry since 1948 and has always embraced growth and exploration within their field of precision expanded materials. Continue reading →

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The Powder Metal Parts Age

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Michael Shade

We measure the significance of moments in history based on their placement relative to technological advancements. In other words, moments in history draw their significance from their proximity to other significant events and advancements. Our method of periodizing ancient history, for example, confines entire epochs based on the development and use of technologies. Some of the most important examples are these: Copper Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age. The Iron Age was so named for several reasons. First, and perhaps most importantly, historians needed a name for the time that came after what they call the Bronze Age. The fact that civilizations began developing methods of mining, refining and alloying iron around this time is, by itself, not a meaningful development. But its implications for agriculture, warfare and other activities of society were sweeping, so the name has stuck. What will they call our time 3000 years from now? The powder metal parts age? Continue reading →

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IQS Newsroom Featured Profile: Associated Bag Company

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Andrea Mustine

Providing excellent customer service has been the focus at Associated Bag Company since the business began in 1938, selling burlap bags from the back of a horse-drawn wagon in Milwaukee. Since this humble beginning, the business has grown into the national company it is today because of its continuing emphasis on customer satisfaction. And while it still sells burlap bags, its current line of products has expanded into thousands of hard-to-find packaging products and shipping supplies… plastic bags, poly liners, poly bags, boxes, tape, nylon ties, vinyl envelopes, mailers, shrink and stretch wrap, foam, bubble, safety equipment, tools, janitorial supplies and much, much more. Providing a wide variety of top-notch products is just the first of many ways that Associated Bag Company ensures that their customers are fully satisfied. Continue reading →

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Michigan business to be featured on “World’s Greatest” television show!

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Andrea Mustine

Robinson Industries will be featured on an upcoming segment of World’s Greatest on the ION cable network. Gordon Freeman, the Executive Producer of the show says, “Robinson Industries is one of those companies that we like to feature on World’s Greatest. They are a 4th generation, family owned, women owned, Michigan company started by the very innovative Fred Robinson who was a pioneer in the plastics field. His early techniques of thermoforming, while made better over time, are still used today, along with the Robinson Industries injection molding processes. We think their story will be meaningful to our viewers.” Continue reading →

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Will Google’s New Privacy Policy Make You Think Twice About Using Google?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Michael Shade

If you’ve opened a newspaper recently or read any tech blog, you’ve likely noticed headlines about changes to Google’s privacy policy. If you use any of Google’s products or services, you’ve doubtless been exposed to their notifications about the change as well. Here’s what’s happened: Google has overhauled its privacy policy and will apply it to all of its products and services (with a few exceptions) starting March 1st. The most notable and controversial implication of this change for Google’s users is that information Google collects about its users’ behavior will now be shared amongst all of Google’s services, and no user will be allowed to opt out of the terms of the new policy. Continue reading →

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IQS Newsroom Featured Profile: Brogan Manufacturing, Inc.

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Andrea Mustine

A quality plastic product must be engineered by competent minds and manufactured by capable hands. The knowledge and skill required for this excellent plastic fabrication is exactly what a customer will receive when they go to Brogan Manufacturing, Inc. for their plastic machining needs. Since the beginning of Brogan Manufacturing in 1985, a birth that took place in the garage of owner Mike Brogan, the priority has always been to attain the highest quality of workmanship possible. As the company has grown into a space of 10,000 square ft. and the staff has expanded to 22 employees, this priority has remained. It is accompanied by first-rate customer service and a family-friendly work environment that has developed a happy and hard-working machining team. Continue reading →

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Rubber Extrusions – Worth Your Attention

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Michael Shade

In 1999, the United States International Trade Commission undertook an investigation into whether or not extruded rubber thread (ERT) imports from Indonesia were causing material injury to an American industry. The Department of Commerce had determined that the threads were being sold in the U.S. at “less than fair value,” which, the committee determined, made it too difficult for American manufacturers of the same products to compete. The Commission decided that Indonesia was indeed “dumping” its extruded rubber thread on the American market. In response, the ITC instructed the DOC to instruct the Customs Service to impose duties on extruded rubber thread imported from Indonesia, effectively raising the price of the product for American buyers and making American-made products less unattractive in the process. Continue reading →

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IQS Newsroom Featured Profile: One Way Solutions

Posted on January 23, 2012 by nicolet

A forward thinking company is one that constantly strives to progress within their industry and improve upon the products they already offer. One Way Solutions, which is one of the finest manufacturers and distributors of plastic pallets in the pallet industry, has embraced this mindset since their foundation in 2002. One Way Solutions is a family owned business begun by two brothers who had learned manufacturing from their father’s company, Nucon Corporation. They have been very successful, particularly in the last three years. Since 2009 the sales at One Way have literally doubled. Due to a variety of pallet and material handling product options that expand on a regular basis, a large number of target industries and incredible innovation, One Way Solutions is a company that will be around for many years to come. Continue reading →

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