Proactive maintenance is a practice in the manufacturing industry focusing primarily on determining the root causes of machine failure, and dealing with those issues before problems occur. This concept has extended into other professions and industries, where it might be applied to computer

Continuous process control is a method employed by manufacturers to precisely control the quality or properties of a product without halting production to make minor changes to the process. Generally, whenever there is mass production, there is inevitably some type of automation because manu

Commercial embroidery is the mass-production of embroidered finishes on garments, sheets, and other textile products. The equipment used in this industry is usually capable of creating large volumes of embroidered projects, including customized projects, at very high speed. Computer programs

The powder coating process is a dry painting process that is mainly used for coating metal. There are several methods for applying powder coating. The most commonly used method is spraying electrostatically charged particles of pigment and resin onto an electrically grounded piece. Heat is u

Most all forms of garment quality control involve sight and stress inspection. Quality inspectors look over individual items in an effort to spot defects in fabric and workmanship. In addition, these inspectors may pull at seams to determine if the strength of the seam is adequate to accept

Machine capability is determined by multiple capacity parameters for an individual piece of machinery. The amount of raw material that can be loaded into a machine defines one of the capabilities of a machine. Other capabilities include the maximum output, speed of production, and length of

Filament winding is a technique used to fabricate composite materials, which are materials made from two or more physically and chemically different substances. The filaments are wound around a mold form called a male mold or a mandrel. Most common filaments used in this process are glass, c

The beer industry is a collective of brewers, distributors, salespeople, and other people involved in the production and sale of beer. It spans everything from multinational brewers exporting their products to numerous countries to small microbreweries focusing on local production and distri

Digital manufacturing is a method of production in which computer technology manufactures products in a desired style or quantity with little or no involvement from humans. The process is known by a variety of other names, including direct digital manufacturing, rapid manufacturing, instant

An arc welder is a device used to join two or more pieces of steel together. By using electric current, the arc welder generates enough heat to actually melt the pieces of steel. A welding rod or electrode is placed in the positive side of the arc welder cables in what is commonly called the

Ultrasonic sealing is the use of mechanical vibrations to join materials with a molecular bond. Electricity is converted into a high frequency acoustical signal that is combined with pressure on the pieces to be joined to produce a seal as strong as or stronger than the materials themselves.

Oxygen cutting is the practice of introducing oxygen to increase the heating temperature of a cutting gas, such as acetylene. By introducing the oxygen into the flame via the cutting torch head, the heat is increased and the operator is able to fine-tune the cutting flame to produce a desire

Ultrasonic cleaning is a method of cleaning that uses an ultrasonic device, or a sonicator, to clean delicate objects or items with intricate parts. The ultrasonic device uses a special cleaning solution and high frequency sound waves to clean the items. Ultrasound ranges in frequency from a

From aluminum to steel to zinc and iron, the worlds metals are created in foundries. Foundry engineering is the profession revolving around designing new foundries. Engineers custom create a building made for heating raw materials to incredible temperatures in order to pour them into molds a

Thermoplastic injection molding is a process used in manufacturing to create a variety of parts and components for industries ranging from aerospace to automotive to construction. Thermoplastics, such as phenolic and epoxy, are heated into a molten resin and then injected into a mold that’s

Bend allowance is a measure of how much extra material is required to accommodate a bend in sheet metal. This is a function of the bend angle, bend radius, thickness of the material, and a variable called the K-factor. Bend allowances vary based on the angle of the bend, the type and thickne

The toy industry is a term that is currently used to refer to the large industry involved in making playthings for children. Formerly, the term toy was used to refer to small items like buttons and hooks, and thus the toy industry was the industry that produced these items. As this use is cu

Tube beading is the process of crimping to the end of a cylindrical metal tube to form a spout shape. Beaded tube ends are commonly used to connect hoses or slide into other metal tubes. Some tube beading is done simply to strengthen and protect the shape of the rolled metal form. Metalworke

A stamping press is a piece of equipment people can employ in metalworking to shape pieces with the use of a die. The die can punch patterns into the metal, mold it into a specific form, or cut it to a desired shape and size. Stamping presses have an interchangeable design, allowing people t

Hubbing is a machining process used to makes metalworking dies. Using hubbing techniques, workers can create a mold or stamp that is then used to form new dies. While this process is commonly associated with metalworking, it may also be used to create dies to shape or form thermoplastics and