Grit blasting is a popular industrial method for smoothing rough surfaces or roughing up smooth surfaces by using pressurized abrasive streams. Both methods are done with the intention of further finishing a wood, metal or ceramic surface. There are many tools used to accomplish this feat, i

Reliability centered maintenance is an efficiency theory commonly used in improving the functionality of machinery. By following its seven-step review process, a machines function, potential problems and possible solutions can be better understood. The goal of this maintenance is twofold: to

Spin coating is a process used to apply a layer of film to a base material. This process relies on a spinner machine, or spin coater, which can be found in laboratories and industrial settings. Spin coating plays an important role in the field of microfabrication, which involves building inf

In the process of manufacturing, the term injection molding prototype can refer to two distinct things. An injection molding prototype can be a custom injection molding part. The term can also refer to the original part used to create an injection mold from which duplicate parts may be cast.

The tobacco industry is an industry that manufactures and sells tobacco-based products. Any person or company that grows, supplies, ships, advertises, or distributes tobacco or tobacco-based products is directly involved in the tobacco industry. Tobacco became a major commodity during the 15

Plasma processing uses plasma, a gas-like matter state in which a certain percentage of the molecules are ionized, to improve the durability and strength of a particular surface. A plasma processing technician may engage in a variety of techniques, according to the industrial purpose. These

Steel fabrication is the process of cutting, bending, and shaping steel alloy to create a product. Unlike various types of welding in which items are repaired or strengthened, steel fabrication takes many pieces of metal and attaches them together in the form of a predefined shape and size.

Cold rolling is a process used in manufacturing and finishing environments to change the thickness, or gauge, of metals or glass. Used mostly in steel mills, cold rolling involves threading flattened steel into a machine that advances the material through a set of rolls. These rolls rotate i

A hot runner is a heated nozzle and manifold assembly installed on injection molding equipment. This assembly allows the plastic charge material left in the feed mechanism to remain fluid after injection while the part itself cools and solidifies. Injection molds equipped with hot runners ar

A record press is a hydraulic press used to manufacture vinyl records. Presses are typically capable of handling several record sizes for different applications and provide a method for very rapidly producing runs of musical albums on vinyl. While many musicians focus on other distribution m

Rotogravure is a term commonly used in the printing business. Rotogravure is the method of engraving an image to an image carrier. Images are usually engraved on a copper cylinder with rotogravure in order to be further pressed on paper reels. The process of rotogravure is often referred to

Industrial parts cleaners are used to remove contaminants such as oil, grease, soil, dust, paint, corrosion, and blast debris from component parts before they can be used. They are an important and necessary part of the manufacturing process. Many industries make use of industrial parts clea

Blow molding is a manufacturing method used in the plastic industry to create strong, hollow containers; some examples of products commonly created through this process are plastic beverage bottles, plastic drums, and fuel tanks. A typical blow molding process involves melting plastic into a

Optical lithography is a chemical process usually used in making computer chips. Flat wafers, often made from silicon, are etched with patterns to create integrated circuits. Typically, this process involves coating the wafers in chemical resist material. The resist is then removed to reveal

Maintenance costs are one of the largest factors impacting a plant’s budget. Attempts to reduce these costs have led to the development of several maintenance strategies. Predictive maintenance is a defect inspection strategy that uses indicators to prepare for future problems.

Chasing tools are tools which are used to create textured patterns in a surface such as wood, leather, metal, or clay. While chasing is often associated specifically with metalworking, it is a technique which can be used in other media as well. Chasing also happens to be one of the oldest de

Shot blasting is a process that is often used to clean the surface of a material. The process usually involves a gun or a ride-on rolling blasting machine that is used to shoot various types of media, or shot, at the object being blasted. This is a particularly effective method for removing

When maintenance planning is not done effectively, it can result in large amounts of wasted production time and money. It is the duty of maintenance planners to develop methods to prevent excessive waste. One way this can be done is for maintenance planners to remember what their responsibil

Engineering drawings are drawings which are used to precisely represent an engineered item, ranging from a ball bearing to a space ship. The drawings can be used in a variety of ways, ranging from a basis for manufacturing to illustrations in a patent application which show how the item func

Wafer-level packaging refers to fabrication of integrated circuits by applying packaging around each circuit before the wafer on which they are fabricated is separated into individual circuits. This technique has grown rapidly in popularity in the integrated circuit industry due to advantage