Hardware

It’s all in the Nameplates

Nameplates are usually associated with an office setting where they are placed on a desk to identify its occupant. In some cases, they will have the name of the person and their position. Though we use a single term for nameplates, there are multiple varieties of them made from different materials. While we may presume them to be exclusively for offices, they have a broader function beyond what we may think. A nameplate, regardless of its function, is an identifier. In some cases, it can be identifying a product, a button on a panel, or the up and down buttons of an elevator. Manufacturers of nameplates produce products that go far beyond the simple name on a desk. Their definition includes switches, control panels, brand name symbols, warning signs and important functions such as labeling the displays on airplanes and space shuttles.

NewsBlogAdmin February 12, 2020

Hardware

Springs in Action: Pie Manufacturing Machine

Stainless steel springs are the ideal spring to use in food production industries because stainless steel metal is resistant to corrosion and is easy to clean. Many industrial food production machines use stainless springs to complete simple processes, like controlling conveyor belts, stamping out dough, and controlling the movement of the food machines. At the end of the day, the operator can simply spray down the entire machine assembly with a cleaner and water to sanitize the unit and prepare it for the next day. The stainless steel springs and other stainless materials remain rust-free, and the machine can be used over and over.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

Springs in Our World: Tape Measures

Flat springs were some of the first springs ever invented. Hundreds of years ago, ancient clock makers realized that if they coiled a flat piece of metal, it could wind and unwind over and over, creating an endless spring that was hard to break. Today, the flat springs are used in a variety of industries. Most flat springs are cut from sheet metal strips. These sheet metal springs are sturdy and have uses in a variety of industries. One place that you might not expect to see a flat spring used is in a tape measure. However, the winding mechanism provided by a flat sheet metal spring is the main control mechanism of a retractable tape measure. The construction process of a tape measure is actually simple, and it is amazing that it works so well time after time!

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

The Importance of Roofing Screws

We really must remember to thank the Greeks more often for their many contributions toward modern society, particularly for the screw that they so wittingly bestowed upon the world back around the first century. Take a moment and imagine where we would be without the screw. Start making a list of all of the ways society has come to depend on screws—I can assure you, that list would take you until the next century to complete, because there is rarely an application that doesn’t incorporate a screw in one capacity or another. For many people, screws are taken for granted. But for others, particularly those who make a living in the construction, manufacturing and automotive industries, screws invoke immense pleasure and are appreciated for their superior fastening mechanisms. There exists a wide range of screws, available in a variety of materials, sizes and styles. One such type is the roofing screw.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

The Other Fastener

Stainless steel pins are cylindrical fasteners and fixtures made from a variety of steel alloys. In the previous post I focused on the split pin fixture, which adds a measure of extra safety to bolts and fasteners. Spring pins have a completely different function. They are used to mechanically link two items together. The split pin had one alternative name, but the spring pin has many, including slotted spring pin, spring tension pin, roll pin and sellock pin. The spring pin is extremely effective, durable and strong. Once in place, it is intensely difficult to remove because it can bear extreme pressure.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

The Benefits of Wire Mesh Shelves

Most manufacturing companies and warehouses have to use shelves for at least some part of the daily business. Shelves are used to hold parts, materials, equipment, and other supplies when not directly on the factory line. While there are a variety of styles of shelves available, one of the best materials for industrial shelves is wire mesh.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

Chair Lifts and Stainless Steel Cables

My friends took me skiing for the second time last weekend and I had a blast. I swung my heavy, ski-donned feet as the chair lift pulled us up the mountain, snow blasting us in the face as the darkness of evening settled in. Jesse told me to quit moving around and leaning forward to watch the other skiers and snowboarders carve their way through the snow below. He’s an excellent skier but always gets nervous on the lifts (he likes being in control). I looked up at the huge cable that kept us from plummeting to the icy slope below and felt as safe as ever.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

Choosing the Right Lubricant for your Gears

Spur gears are the simplest form of gear. These gears were the original form created when humans first started using gears. A spur gear has straight edges that are all parallel to the center of the gear. Spur gears are ideal for clocks, basic rotating machines, sprinklers, and household appliances, such as washing machines.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

Reducing Gear Stress with Splines

A spline gear is a type of gear that uses a set of teeth or grooves that align with grooves and splines in another set of gears to control torque speed. These gears are used in a variety of machines such as automobiles and other machines that use torque to control speed and movement.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

The New Name Plates

Cubicle name plates haven’t changed much in the past 50 years or more. The same kinds of basic plastic or wood sign has been used in workplaces around the world without much variation or excitement. However, the trend of boring cubicle name plates has ended. One name plate manufacturer has created a new innovative design for name plates that are both functional and stylish in the modern office.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

New Life For Nameplates

In a world of standard products, few items are purchased or ordered custom made these days because the price usually matches the prestige. However, some industries actually thrive on the specificity of custom work and are able to produce products with the speed and style to make it financially worthwhile without charging the customer an arm and a leg. The nameplate manufacturers are one such industry. Although they are also known for mass producing name plates that serve as labels on products such as cars, doors and musical instruments, customized plates are necessary in a variety of materials across a spectrum of price levels for various institutions.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

4 Considerations for Fasteners

Many manufacturers have to determine what kind of fasteners to use with their products. The right fastener can mean the difference between a successful product and a product that no customer wants to purchase or use. Without high-quality fasteners, products will fall apart, the lifespan of equipment is shorter, and the cost of manufacturing increases significantly. This is why many manufacturing companies spend a lot of time and energy in the creation and selection of specialty fasteners for their products.

NewsBlogAdmin February 7, 2020

Hardware

Domed Nameplates: The Aesthetics of Things

It can not be denied that we live in a society that prizes aesthetics. Just flip through a magazine and you will be bombarded with ads full of beautiful people wearing beautiful clothes or holding beautiful accessories. Interior decorating is a bombing industry, even in this rough economic climate because everyone wants to have the perfect looking home. This is even true of the hipster generation; they don’t spend tons of money to do it but they do spend a lot of energy finding the perfect thrift store and hand-me-down accessories for the aesthetic they want. Marketing is obviously apart of this aesthetic craze, so it makes sense that nameplates, which can be used as forms of interior decorating or marketing tools are also in the game.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

From Art to Heavy Industry, Nylon Brushes

I know for ladies it may be surprising to hear, but there are other uses for nylon other than stockings. Nylon is a polymer that can be used in fabrics, veils, musical strings, carpets and rope, amongst countless others. Nylon is also a great material for use of brushes from painting to cleaning. In addition to these brush applications there is dusting, scrubbing, surface finishing, weld blending, rough surface preparation and contamination removal. These brushes are often used in specialty industrial applications. Nylon is able to provide many beneficial attributes to the brushes that use this material. It is abrasion and chemical resistant, able to tolerate high heat levels and is very bendable.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

Rope is the Answer

At one time or another many of us have used some type of rope for any given activity. Whether it was for work, play, adventures or any other various activities we choose to use rope to help us along the way. Some activities that I have done that involve rope include jump rope, rock climbing, rope swing, tug of war, and water sports just to name a few. There are many different textures, styles, colors and coatings that many rope distributors have to offer. Depending on the different application the best rope can be chosen from a selection. Just a few types of rope by name are braided, twine, nylon, marine, cotton, elastic among many more. The colors in ropes are simply just for design and look and really serve no other purpose. Some ropes are multiple colors or contain flecks of color, which typically cost more.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

An Option for Every Project

When you need to make a completely secure hold between two items, a bolt might be the perfect way to go. Especially when crafting and do it yourself projects have been becoming so popular, it is important to know the best ways to accomplish your needed tasks. And, when it comes to bolts, there are so many options, finding the perfect securing method should be no problem at all! With an extensive array of choices including anchor bolts, expansion bolts, stud bolts, u bolts, eye bolts, j bolts, hex bolts, lag bolts and shoulder bolts… the possibilities are endless.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

Get It In Gear

If you take apart a watch, usually the kind with a face and hands that is, inside you will see all kind of parts. The most noticeable of these parts is most likely the gear, and that is because the gears are usually the largest part of the inner workings of a watch. The gear is a round, metal, ring of sorts with teeth that are designed to fit together with other similarly engineered metal parts. How the gears are placed inside of the machine will depend on their intended function. The gears will rotate one another in order to perform some task. In the case of a watch the gears may lie next to each other and their rotations will help the hands of the watch move.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

Focusing On Font

Name plates for desks represent a large part of who you are at a company. They give your name, company title and various other pieces of personal information. When designing a name plate, there are a number of different variables to consider. You must decide the size of the name plate, the shape, the color, and, perhaps most importantly, the font of the writing that is to appear on the nameplate.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

Military Specification Nameplate Manufacturers

One way to guarantee your company will never go out of business is to market to the military, who have the highest standards as far as product quality goes and are therefore willing to pay for it. Nameplate manufacturers can jump on this band wagon too. There are a plethora of applications for nameplates in the military, from desk name plates to door name plates to the dog tags worn by every individual soldier, all of which are unique. These examples are just scratching the surface of the nameplate demands the military makes on a daily basis.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware

The Importance of Door Name Plates

Imagine for a minute that it is your first day of middle school. Your new school is in a huge building that you have never explored before. While walking around and trying to find your homeroom, you realize that you have no idea where you are. There are no numbers, labels, or names on the doors and everything looks the exact same to you. Unfortunately, all the other students are inside their correct classrooms, somehow they must know more than you. The final bell rings, and since you still have no idea where Mrs. Porter’s class is you sit down in the middle of the hall and cry out of frustration and exhaustion. Now I realize this scenario sounds like a horrible nightmare that a young preteen might have on the eve of their first day of school, but it brings to light an issue that is usually forgotten.

NewsBlogAdmin February 6, 2020

Hardware