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Why be efficient and productive in a maintenance organization?
Denny Hydrick Facilities & GroundsWhen your team is manufacturing widgets, it is a must to be efficient and productive, isn't it? The more widgets we make, the more sales are up. The more sales are up, the more the company makes. The more the company makes, then better the chances of long-term employment for you.
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Medical plastic material and process innovations to watch
Don Rosato EngineeringPlastic products designed for applications in medical technology have to meet a number of special criteria. Typically, excellent mechanical properties are required, even in components with small dimensions and wall thicknesses.
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US shale industry will survive new era of lower oil prices
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesIt's no secret that global oil prices have fallen dramatically from $115 last June to settle around $50 this month, a downward trajectory spurred on by oil cartel OPEC's November decision to maintain its own output. But is this the beginning of the end of the U.S. shale revolution, or just a bump in the road?
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Policing the regulations: Cooling industry questions enforcement
Andrew Gaved ManufacturingLaws designed with the fine motives of reducing emissions, reducing energy, etc., are all well and good, but if nothing is done to police them, then they will fall short of their aims. In the U.K., certainly, there is a feeling from within the cooling industry that the regulators must make an example of those who willfully flout the law on matters such as F-Gas.
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Local Motors to produce 1st 3-D-printed automobile fleet
Ryan Clark Transportation Technology & AutomotiveThe auto industry is set to experience another ripple of change as tech company Local Motors recently announced its plans to open a microfactory in the Washington, D.C., area to design, produce and sell the world's first 3-D-printed automobile fleet. In an industry just learning to accommodate Tesla, Local Motors seems ready and willing to push even more buttons.
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Advancing plastic thermoforming technologies — Let’s shape up
Aldo Crugnola, Nick Schott and Don Rosato EngineeringThe thermoforming process typically consists of heating thermoplastic sheet, film or profile to its softening point and then forcing the hot, flexible material against the contours of a mold in three ways. Injection molders are not the only plastic processors that can benefit from process simulation software.
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Why falling oil prices don’t signify the end of the shale revolution
Stefanie Heerwig Natural ResourcesAs shale businesses fear for their survival and workers for their jobs, the future of the U.S. shale industry seems doomed. Oil prices have plunged by more than two-thirds over the last six months, and the feasibility of shale extraction has been put into question.
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Global medical plastics device trends keep expanding
Don Rosato EngineeringThe medical device industry is making important contributions to advances in healthcare. The sector is characterized by a high level of innovation and intense competition. One of the interesting aspects of research and development within the medical devices field is the coupling of diverse biomedical and engineering disciplines.
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‘Sweet’ self-healing corrosion materials are in field testing
Alan Kelsky EngineeringMiddle-aged men who attempt skateboarding for the first time are likely to come away from that experience with lots of abrasions and cuts. But, other than cleansing the wounds, they will heal if left alone. Imagine the engineering possibilities if materials such as steel and concrete had the same self-healing properties of human skin.
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Energy-saving, high-tech plastics applications in green building
Don Rosato EngineeringIn the U.S., demand for green building materials — products that contribute to LEED credits — are expanding 13 percent yearly and are currently generating sales of more than $70 billion annually.
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