Aside from all sounding like activities that take place at a Saturday night college party, these terms explain different ways of measuring a website’s traffic and, subsequently, a website’s success. This process of formulating website tracking into quantifiable data is called “metrics”, and with everyone using the new Web 2.0, quantifying a website’s success is trickier than ever. How many visitors does your site have each day? Each month? How many page views? What is the average time each visitor spends per session? What’s your site’s click through rate (CTR)? Is anyone subscribing to your RSS feed?

All these questions are pointing to one underlying concern: is my website doing what it is supposed to do? Obviously, website success looks much different to a blogger than it does to an industrial manufacturer. A professional blogger will put more weight in how much time each visitor spends reading content and how many RSS subscriptions she has, while a manufacturer wants to know how many online quotes are being submitted and how many unique visitors view his “Capabilities” page. These qualitative methods of measurement are part of the industry’s shift towards “engagement metrics”. But before we get too deep into this new mind-bog of “squishy” analytics, let’s iron out some definitions.

Hits – Not, according to the gurus, at all an accurate measurements of how many visitors your site receives or whether those visits are doing you any good. A hit is what’s registered each time a request is sent for your HTML page, or the page’s images. If you have a web page with 60 separate images on it, one visit to the site will register 61 hits. There are other reasons why this is not an accurate measurement of user quantity or quality, but we’ll leave them to the guys in IT.

Visitors – Also referred to as “sessions”, what we’re talking about here is a gross count of site visitors. Visitors are counted each time someone comes to your site, whether it’s a visitor’s first time that day or their 30th.

Unique User/Visitor – A visitor from a unique IP address. Users who repeat their visit to a site from the same address are only counted once, so a unique user count can be lower than a “session” or “visitor” count. Tracking unique users is valuable not only for gathering quantitative data (how many people visit a site each day), but for gathering more qualitative data from the user as well. How many pages does a unique user view? How long? These questions can help determine a website’s success or failure, and they can point to where improvement is needed.

Page Views/Page Per User Count – The number of pages on your site a visitor clicks through – i.e., the amount of material a visitor actually absorbed. Page views are an important tool, as they can measure qualitative results as well as quantitative. High page per user counts indicate people are finding your website worthwhile instead of “bouncing” back to different sites. A low page per user count indicates that a site is poorly written, poorly developed or lacking in engaging content.

Impressions – These can refer to either “ad impressions” or “page impressions”, which are basically fancy terms to describe each time a user views a page or banner ad. Impressions are usually more important when online advertisements are involved; advertisers attempt to measure their return on an ad based in part on the number of “impressions” an ad receives. While “page views” count the number of pages a unique user clicks through, “impressions” count the number of times a user is exposed to a specific message.

Click Through Rate (CTR) – Also an advertising term, comparing the number of users who click on advertisements to the total number of visitors, or sessions. E.g., if my blog has 100 visitors in a day, and 1 of those visitors clicks on my banner ad for canvas bags, the click through rate for my labels banner ad is 1%, an average CTR.

While all these terms are useful in determining certain areas of success or failure, unique user count and page view count can help paint an overall picture of your website’s success. When compared, these two metrics often provide qualitative data about what your users like – or dislike – about your site. If your unique user count is high, you’re doing a great job promoting the site through SEO, SEM, social networks and so forth. If unique user count is low, you probably need to create a Digg account, update your metatags and get friendly with Wikipedia. High page per user counts, on the other hand, indicate that your content is informative and well designed, engaging users to browse through your site looking for more. For business to business websites, measuring request for quote form submissions could easily tie into page per user analysis. If your page per user counts are low, you know your content needs to be reworked to be more engaging, informative and easy to use. Low page views with a high user count means you’re bringing people in but aren’t engaging them, and instead of staying they’re bouncing to other, more informative sites.

Comparing unique user counts to page views can show you whether you need to focus on SEO and promotion or whether changes are needed in content and site design. There are more extensive methods used to analyze a site’s quality, however. “Engagement metrics” attempt to measure some of the flurried, “new media” activity of the new Web 2.0 by determining whether or not a unique user is truly “engaged” in her interaction with your website. A few ways of determining user engagement include:

1) Whether a user returns to a site within a small time span
2) How long a user spends browsing a page
3) How long and how frequently a user views “critical” site content – “critical” site content is any information which helps your website satisfy its goal. If your goal is to sell products or generate RFQs, your online product catalog might be considered a “critical” page
4) How many visitors go directly to your URL (bookmarks are a plus!)
5) How many users have subscribed to your RSS feed (if you have one)

Although it’s possible to analyze this type of “qualitative” data, it’s difficult to capture the many variables which come with website analytics. Who is this site’s audience? What do I want users to do once they arrive on my site? What basic message do I want to impress on users? These questions are not new to marketing – they’ve been essentials for a long time. It’s easy to become distracted by all the various facets of SEO, analytics and user-optimization while forgetting the main goal: getting your website to do what it’s supposed to do. If your site was created to generate sales leads, then sales leads are the best metric by which to measure the site’s success. Click through rates, visitor counts and hits aren’t what you’re ultimately trying to get – you want the business of the people those counts are attached to. Metrics are great tools, but the tools can’t replace the product.

So, if you’ve gotten too tangled up in analytics lately, take a breath and a long look at your homepage. Try to remember why it’s there. When you remember, analytics will be there to help shape the site into what it should be.

The post Page Views, Impressions, Engagement and Understanding Site Metrics for B2B Websites first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

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Industrial Mixers

Industrial mixers are a complex, intricate, and precision tool used to mix and combine chemicals and substances for production, manufacturing, and industrial use. The wide range of industrial mixers includes small compact ones that are capable of quickly combining plastic polymers for plastics production to ones that can pulverize and mix pellets and stones.
The industries that depend on mixers are the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and food industries since mixing is a necessary part of their production processes. Most people associate mixing with food production because of the obvious relationship. Beyond the production of food there is a limitless number of uses for mixers. They can be found in any industry that requires the combining of like or unlike substances.

Types of Industrial Mixers

It is impossible to have just one type of mixer since raw materials and ingredients widely differ. Materials for mixing, blending, and combining have different properties, characteristics, and attributes that require the adjustment of the mixing method to accommodate the diversities of the materials. The specialization of mixers includes homogenizers, dispersers, and particle reducers.
Though there are a wide range of mixers, they can be divided into three categories, which are diffusing, shearing, and convection.
Diffusion mixers rotate about an axis in a tumbling motion and use gravity to impel materials.
Convective mixers have a horizontal or vertical static shell, which can be in an assortment of geometrical shapes. Mixing is completed using some form of impeller or mixing element such as paddles or blades.
Shearing mixing is a high speed process that is part of the convection group. The shearing process involves the rapid movement of an impeller that shears, disperses, pulverizes, and greatly impacts materials such that they become smoother and mix easier.

Convective Mixers

Convective mixers have a short mixing cycle that rapidly mixes materials using an impeller that rotates at a high rate of speed. The rapid movement of the impeller creates heat that assists in the mixing process. The speed of the mixing process splits the particles of the material, which optimizes the mixing. Convective mixers are too aggressive for use as diffusive mixers.

Tumbler Mixers

Tumbler mixers are a form of diffusion mixer that rotates to mix the materials and use air in the mixing process. Mixing occurs by gravitational force as the tumbler rotates around its axis at a controlled speed. Tumbler mixers do not have agitators, impellers, or paddles but complete the mixing process very efficiently.

 

Fluidization Mixers

Fluidization mixers use the high flow rate of gases to fluidize powders, which assist in heating or cooling the mixture. Fluidization mixers are recommended for mixing low to medium density materials ranging from powders to pellets. They are the fastest type of mixer capable of completing a cycle in ten seconds up to two minutes with 30 seconds being the most typical. The paddles are placed at an angle and have overlapping paths to increase the efficiency of the mixing process.

 

Agitator Mixers

Agitator mixer is a general term that covers a wide arraign of agitator types that include anchor, paddle, propeller, turbine, and helical. The agitation process includes the rotation of an impeller or impellers that releases centrifugal force. They are ideal for combining immiscible substances that do not mix easily.

 

Emulsifier Mixers

The main function of an emulsifier mixer is to combine two substances that do not normally combine, such as oil and water. When two materials are unable to naturally blend, they are referred to as immiscible, or unable to form a homogeneous mixture. In the emulsification process, the materials are forced through tubes and small filters that place the liquids under great pressure. The process breaks down the molecular structure of the substances such that they are able to blend easily.

 

Homogenizers

The homogenization process is breaking down bigger molecules into small ones such that even distribution can occur. It is the emulsification of globules that have a macron size and forcing them into micron size in order to produce a stable and balanced dispersion. A homogenizer mixer is the tool that is used to produce emulsification. Homogenization is a shearing process that spins and crushes materials.

 

Drum Mixers

Drum mixers have the broadest number of variations of mixer types and include ones that are portable. The choice of a drum mixer is due to their tight seal, maneuverability, and stackability. The variations of drum mixers include ones that can have their contents mixed while other versions serve as a container for mixing, much like typical mixers. They are used to mix materials that have a low to medium viscosity such as slurries and cement. Drum mixers can have internal blades or impellers and serve as batch mixers.

 

Paddle Mixers

Paddle mixers have a set of paddles that are set at the precise angle to supply a sufficient amount of axial and radial dispersion to break up materials. During the mixing process the paddles churn and turn the ingredients to achieve the appropriate consistency.

 

Ribbon Blenders

The name of ribbon blenders is a reference to the ribbon-like blades that form the paddles of the blender that rotate around a central axis. They have a “U” shaped shell that contains the double helical ribbon that creates the convective two directional motion. The rotational force of the two part ribbon pushes the product in one direction while a second ribbon moves it in the opposite direction.

 

Static Mixers

A static mixer has a helical static mixing element, which is inserted into a pipe or tube. They are used to mix gases, liquids, or to mix a gas and a liquid. Static mixers are capable of dispersing a gas into an immiscible liquid to form a homogenous solution. The mixing components can take a variety of shapes depending on the manufacturer and the types of materials to be mixed. The flow of the gases and liquids, through the pipe, breaks down their molecules to blend and mix them.

 

The post 7 Common Types of Industrial Mixers first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

Paper core is the inside material made from wood pulp and other materials that go inside wrapped tubes to provide support and stability to wrapped materials like fabric, paper, or plastic. You can find paper cores on nearly every wrapped object, including toilet paper, paper towels, household tape, paint rollers, and many other common household tools and supplies. Even factories and commercial companies use paper cores in their businesses for a variety of storage and industrial uses. The process of creating paper core is interesting, and most paper core manufactures use a similar process to create their cores. If you ever get the chance to tour a paper-tube manufacturing plant, it makes for an interesting and informative field trip.

First the paper core manufacturers collect wood pulp and previously-recycled products in a large container. The factory breaks the paper pieces down into tiny pulp-like pieces with a large machine. The paper pieces then are mixed with different chemicals to make the paper mushy, smooth, strong, and evenly-colored.

The mushy pulp travels along a conveyor to remove some of the moisture. The pulp sheets are then wrapped into the desired tube shape and size and dried completely. Once the pulp is dry, it maintains the final tube shape. Sometimes the factory will coat the inner pulp core with a thin layer of cardboard or other material for additional strength. The tube is either cut into smaller sizes, or sent as-is to another factory to be used as an internal core for a variety of materials.

For the most part, this creation process takes just a few hours from start to finish. Paper cores are one of the most environmentally friendly packing materials available for use today, and provide both strength and practicality in a variety of industrial and household uses around the world.

The post The Basic Construction of Paper Core first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

Coin wraps are a necessity in many businesses, because they easily contain a specific amount of coins in each sleeve. These coin sleeves make it easier to transport money, and also take up less space than loose coins. Paper coin wraps are an alternative to larger coin banks, which are impractical for cash registers and other small storage spaces where space is limited.
Each coin roll holds a specific amount of coins and money. Penny wraps hold 50 coins, nickel wraps hold 40, dime wraps hold 50 coins, and quarter wraps hold 40 coins. A penny sleeve is worth 50 cents, a nickel sleeve is worth two dollars, a dime sleeve is worth 5 dollars, and a quarter sleeve is worth 10 dollars.
Loading a coin sleeve is a little harder than simply slipping coins into a coin bank, but the process is not difficult. All you have to do is close the end of the wrap, slide the coins into place, and make sure they lay flat, rather than on their sides. When you have placed the appropriate number of coins inside the sleeve, simply crimp the paper around the top coin to secure the wrap. Many machines will load the sleeves automatically, which is a huge time saver. To use a coin sleeve, simply crack the paper open along the center of the wrap and slide the coins out.
Most coin sleeves are made from recycled paper, which makes then an environmentally friendly option for transporting and storing change. Paper coin sleeves are much more environmentally friendly than plastic sleeves, which can also be harder to open as well. If you want a reliable way to store and count coins that is also good for the earth, paper coin sleeves are the way to go every time.

The post Cardboard Coin Sleeves- Explained first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

Steel tubing has a variety of uses in many industries from industrial manufacturing to art. One use for steel tubing is the use of steel plumbing, which replaces traditional plastic pipes with stainless steel pipes. Although stainless steel piping is more expensive than plastic piping, it provides many benefits over plastic pipes, including:
Low corrosion: Stainless steel has a low corrosion rate. The metal will retain its rust-free appearance for many years, even when water is constantly inside the tubes. The metal is unlikely to leach into the water, and the metal contamination rate for stainless steel is nearly nonexistent.
Appealing appearance: Stainless steel pipes are attractive and look like modern, sleek décor. It is possible to leave stainless steel pipes exposed inside a building and have that add to the decorative aesthetic of the room, rather than detract from it like a plastic pipe would.
Smaller pipes: Steel pipes are highly efficient, and it is possible to use a smaller diameter of pipe made from steel than pipes made from other materials. The mass flow rate for stainless steel pipes is much higher per diameter than many other materials. This can save on the cost of the pipes without sacrificing flow rate.
Strong: Stainless steel is strong and will resist damaging factors that can ruin other pipes, such as tree roots, human error, and extreme weather conditions.
Recyclable: Unlike plastic pipes, steel pipes are 100 percent recyclable. When the pipes are no longer needed, they can be melted down and turned back into other useable metal pieces in other industries.
Durable: Stainless steel pipes will not weather over time. The pipes will look and act the same in 20 years as they do today. The pipes will not sag and require much less support than plastic pipes.

The post 6 Advantages of Stainless Steel Pipes first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

If you have never experienced the wonder of a steel plate mill, you are missing out. The manufacturing of steel is a fascinating process that starts with the melting of the steel into ingots and ends with the completed steel plate, which is used for a variety of uses, from building construction, to road work, to ship-making. Travel along with this virtual journal of steel plate manufactures to discover just how steel plates are created.
Forming ingots
Scrap steel is melted down to create the ingots that will eventually turn into steel plates. The scrap is melted in a blast furnace or in an electric furnace, depending on the factory. When the scrap is melted and mixed, the factory may add additional metal to change the consistency of the metal. After melting, the metal is poured into ingot molds and allowed to cool.
Slab creation
Ingots are placed into a forge that flattens the metal by applying great pressure. Some factories heat the metal before expanding, while others keep the steel cold. Cold and hot pressed steel offers different properties in the finished slabs. After forging, the ingots are stretched into a slab-length rectangle.
Heating
The slabs travel through a heater to make them pliable and ready to roll to a new size. Some steel mills skill the heating process and complete a cold roll to expand the metal.
Rolling
Rollers stretch the metal to the desired thickness and width. Most steel slabs are thinner than 3 inches. The size of the finished plate will vary by factory.
Cutting
Heavy-duty metal cutters cut the steel plates into the desired shape. Depending on the factory, the finished shape can be rectangular, square, round, or a customized shape. After cutting, the metal is cooled to retain the shape.
Finishing
After cooling, the metal receives a final treatment. This could be a galvanized coating, another chemical rinse, paint, or some other coating desired by the customer. Different factories will apply different coatings to the metal. After the metal is dry, it is shipped off to the customer.

The post A Tour of a Steel Mill first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

When I was in high school I joined the school band as a member of the percussion section. I enjoyed the freedom of being in the percussion section. I could walk around in back, and play a number of different instruments as opposed to being contained to one. Most percussionists prefer playing the snare drum and a few the marimbas or xylophone. I however, favored the tubular pipe bells and tympanis. I liked the low boom and ring both instruments produced. Tubular pipe bells have been popularized from the Christmas classic, Carol of the Bells. The vertical bells are also used in the theme of The Exorcist and Futurama. The noise these bells produce sounds similar to church bells.
To play the instrument you must step on a pedal and hit a bell with a hammer. This will vibrate the metal tube creating the desired sound. To muffle the bell you just need to release the petal. I will admit, my fascination with these vertical bells was probably peaked because I think it’s the only instrument you play with a hammer. To make the tubular bells/chimes tube fabricators cut the tubes at different lengths depending on the desired pitch of the tube. Longer metal tubes will have a lower pitch than shorter tubes.
It is possible to make your own tubular bells. First you will need to determine if you want bigger steel tubes or smaller copper tubes. Steel tubing needs to be 0.5 inches thick where as copper tubes only need to be .035 inches thick. Each tube should be cut at a length corresponding to the required pitch the tube will make. Charts can be found online that will provide necessary lengths. However, these lengths are guidelines and further fabrication of a tube may be required to produce the correct note.
After all the tubes have been fabricated, holes are to be drilled at a distance from the top of the tube. The size of the hole doesn’t matter as long as it does not weaken the tube. Next you can string rope through holes to hang the bells up to your liking. You can use this as part of a percussion kit, drum set or even to use as chimes. While playing the tubular bells at school the hammer I used was a wooden mallet with a rubber tip. Something similar to that will produce the best sound.

The post Create Your Own Tubular Pipe Bells first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

Pipe cutters use strong and sharp wheel blades to get better leverage to slice through pipes made out of PVC, copper, Steel, cast iron and many other materials. The blades are easily sharpened by using a common sharpening stone but one must take precautions in order to prevent getting cut. Tube cutting is a processed used to cut tubes to specific lengths depending on the tube’s application.
I’ve had experience with washing a wheeled cutter. However, this was to cut meats and cheeses, not varies piping and tubing. I would have to take apart the meat slicing machine so I can get all the leftover meat out and wash each of the parts separately before I reassembled the machine. I got to wear a chain mail glove on one hand which I always enjoyed. I did manage to cut myself once on my unarmored hand through quick and smart irrational thinking. I saw some meat I forgot to sweep out and grab it without thinking, catching my finger on a part of the blade. Luckily it was only a flesh wound and required no more than a band-aid and a super cool blue finger protector.
I’ve never had to sharpen the meat slicer but I imagine the process is similar to sharpening a pipe cutter (the machines not the hand-help application). To sharpen a pipe cutting first you must remove the blade wheel after unscrew the wheel from the machine. Then cover one side with a small piece of paper towel or a rag. Squeeze the wheel over the paper towel or rag with pliers and sharpen the exposed side with a sharpening stone. Repeat this until the entire wheel is sharpened.

The post To Sharpen a Wheeled Cutter first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

There are many different factors to consider when selecting the right method and corresponding tools to bend pipes. Pipe bending works on straight cylindrical, rectangular or square tubes. The particular tools that should be utilized while bending pipes depends on the size and wall thickness of the tubes as well as the radius of the bend. Common bends include 2-90 degree elbow bends and U-bends such as on a trombone slide. Your budget and quality of bend you’re looking for should also be considered when selecting your bending method.
The first two methods to consider are the Ram and Roll tube bending methods. Ram bending requires a variety of dies and a mandrel or plug tube. Pressure is applied to the tube against one of the dies until the tube forms around the die. The mandrel goes inside the tube to prevent collapse but some bend deformity will appear using the ram method. The roll method requires a variety of spool-like rollers but needs no mandrel or plug and causes little bend deformity. Pressure is applied to the tube as it is fed through the rollers. Different bends can be implemented by putting the tube through multiple times or changing the location of the rollers.
Next is the rotary draw method which requires a mandrel, die and a tube bending clamp block. The clamp will secure the tube to the die as the rotary draw applies pressure. The mandrel or plug is in place to support the pipe cross section. If you have a bigger budget, heat induction creates a quality bend. To bend a tube, an induction coil is heated to the appropriate temperature for the tube material. The coil is then inserted into the tube and force is applied. Air spray or use water to quench the tube after the bend is created.
The last method is an older pipe bending method. Sand packing does what the name implies. The tube is packed with sand and the ends are capped. The tube is then heated with a furnace after which the tube can be bent. Sand acts as a mandrel in this situation. The material of the tools you will use depends on how long you want the tools to last and how much you’re willing to scratch the tube. Steel dies and tools are more durable and will last a while, but the tubes may be scratched in the process. Bronze and aluminum don’t damage the tube but those materials are less durable that hardened or tool steel.

Pipe Bending – Tube Bending Incorporated

The post Tools and Methods of the Pipe Bending Trade first appeared on IQS Newsroom.

A high temperature thermocouple is capable of measuring temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit or even hotter. While these units have such a wide temperature range, they are still inexpensive, and many people can use them at home for accurate temperature measuring for anything from the temperature of their engine to the temperature of the oven. One fun use for a high temperature thermocouple is as a modified candy thermometer. Using a thermocouple is often more accurate than real candy or kitchen thermometers, which will help you produce perfect candy every time.
To get a reading from your thermocouple, you have to attach the thermocouple connector to a small, handheld multimeter. Usually there are two slots that the connector can fit inside. The multimeter will help you read the temperature readings in Fahrenheit or Celsius, if that is what you prefer.
Prepare candy molds and spray them with cooking spray to prevent the candy from sticking to the molds.
Mix your candy mixture according to your recipe and turn on the heat on the stove. Most hard candy is made from a mixture of sugar, corn syrup, and water. Place the thermocouple directly into the candy mixture. Do not touch the sides or bottom of the pan for a more accurate reading.
Remove the candy from the heat once it reaches 300 degrees. Allow the candy to cool for a few seconds and wait for it to stop bubbling. Pour in your desired color and flavor.
Pour the hot candy into the molds. Tap the molds on the counter gently to remove any air bubbles. Allow the candy to cool to room temperature before removing from the molds. Remove the candy while it is still somewhat flexible to prevent cracking and breaking. Allow the candy to cool completely before packaging and eating.

The post Using a Thermocouple as a Candy Thermometer first appeared on IQS Newsroom.