IQS Newsroom

CNC Machining: From Punch Cards to Precise, Identical Parts Fast!

Do you remember your parents talking about their experience with computers in school? My dad would always refer to ‘punch cards’ that had to be manually inserted into the computer to get the desired results. He says that it wasn’t until he was in college that he started using these punch cards to create simple accounting programs, and this was in the year 1977. The farthest back I can remember is to that one computer in the back of my second grade classroom and the big floppy disks (actual flexible floppy, not the hard disks yet) we inserted for some reason that’s a bit blurry to me now, probably some sort of ‘game’ to help us learn addition and subtraction. I was in second grade in 1989-1990, and the demise of punch cards wasn’t so long ago if you think about it. They were in common use through the mid-1970s; this decade marked the beginning of CNC machining and various computer numerical controlled devices.

IQS Newsroom September 15, 2010

Featured Articles, Metal Cutting Services

What’s Cooking with Grey Iron Castings

In an age of the latest and greatest in cooking technology, many chefs are making a surprising switch to one of the oldest cooking materials in the books. Cast iron pots, pans, skillets, kettles and more are often preferred to new specially formulated instruments in professional kitchens. Often more economical in the long run, durable cast iron cookware even add an extra something to every dish they help prepare. Chefs, food critics and researchers alike have long noted the benefits of this versatile material in the arenas of both health and taste. The advantages do not end at the dinner table, however, as is evidenced by the continued use of grey iron castings in the industrial sector for an ever expanding line of products.

IQS Newsroom July 16, 2010

Castings & Forgings, Featured Articles

The Benefits and Disadvantages of Outsource Manufacturing

Many companies worldwide, large and small, rely on a business model called contract manufacturing, better known as outsourcing. The concept is simple-two companies divide the manufacturing and sales/marketing aspects of a business. One is a hiring firm, who comes up with the product specifications and brand. They then sign a contract with a contract manufacturer, the firm that produces and packages the components and products. In short, it’s a business agreement made to save time and money, as well as streamline the manufacturing process and provide a better made product. Here’s an example: A soft drink company has come up with a new recipe. They have it made by an established soda processing plant, who deals with buying the ingredients and managing the labor while they focus on branding the soda and making commercials and ads to sell it.

IQS Newsroom April 16, 2010

Featured Articles, General Industry Articles

Wire Rope: A Rock Climber’s Best Friend

For the past year, my younger brother has been backpacking around New Zealand, sleeping in a tent, working on farms and climbing mountains. From the pictures I’ve seen, it’s been an amazing adventure in one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth. The older sister in me, though, is always a little bit worried. I imagine him scaling the sides of steep rock formations or climbing his way to the top of Mount Cook, and I realize how much more of a thrill seeker he is than me. While I would prefer he take up a more relaxing outdoor sport like fishing, the fact that he’s well equipped for belaying allows my mind to rest easy. Instead of relying on a good grip and foot holding, most rock climbers these days use an effective system consisting of a harness, pulley and belay loop, which are all attached to a sturdy climbing rope. Belaying ensures the climbers won’t fall very far in case they slip off a rock.

IQS Newsroom April 2, 2010

Featured Articles, Featured Articles, Hardware, Metal Forming Services

Graphite is More Than Just Pencil Lead

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.

IQS Newsroom December 23, 2009

Adhesives, Ceramics & Glass, Featured Articles

Friction Materials: Essential for Motion Control & Braking

Let’s imagine 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?

IQS Newsroom December 16, 2009

Featured Articles, Motion Control Products

The Simple Design of Hydraulic Cylinders

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.

IQS Newsroom December 11, 2009

Featured Articles, Hydraulic Equipment & Supplies

The Challenger Disaster of ’86 Prompted Current O-Ring Design and Safety

Many people remember 1986 by the neon colored leggings, popping Glass Tiger cassettes into new Walkmans and going to see Top Gun numerous times. But what sticks out in everyone’s mind about this year was the random disasters. 4 months in, the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine exploded, creating the worst nuclear disaster of all time, and the US Challenger exploded a minute after take off. I was too young to remember any of this, being -8 months at the time, but the lasting effects of these accidents are still felt, even by those who weren’t around. While the Soviet Union was dealing with a catastrophic explosion and deadly radiation penetrating their cities, the United States was mourning the passing of seven fallen astronauts.

IQS Newsroom October 19, 2009

Featured Articles, Plastic Molding Processes

You Can Stop Pressure Vessel Failure!

A couple years ago, a high-pressure vessel containing water and air was operating on a much higher psi than its design allowed. After years of too much pressure, a small leak developed. It was caught and welded shut. But a month later, the welding job, which did not adhere with safety codes, failed, causing the vessel to rupture and explode. Pieces of shrapnel metal weighing over a thousand pounds traveled at extremely high speeds up to a half-mile before landing on nearby highways and railways. A large portion of the plant was destroyed, half the state was without phone or electricity, and 3 plant workers were killed. If the contents had been flammable, there would have been an explosion too, making the accident much more devastating. Pretty intense, huh? Unfortunately, pressure vessel incidents like this happen much more than they should.

IQS Newsroom September 23, 2009

Featured Articles, Plant & Facility Equipment

Which Type of Industrial Dryer Best Fits your Needs?

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.

IQS Newsroom August 31, 2009

Featured Articles, Featured Articles, Plant & Facility Equipment, Process Equipment

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