Composites are established in vehicle interiors and also have gained traction in exterior and chassis components in the performance-car, pickup-truck and electric-vehicle segments. But they have been slow to make inroads into the engine compartment. Under the hood, heat from the internal-combustion engine and exposure to engine fluids (fuel, oil and coolant) already make it a tough environment. And it's getting tougher as increasingly strict emissions and fuel-economy requirements push the market toward smaller, turbocharged gasoline and diesel engines, many equipped with exhaust-gas recirculation systems. Underhood temperatures are on the rise because these harder-working engines run hotter, and available engine compartment space is scarce as cars get more compact and their deeply swept front ends make underhood cooling more difficult. Moreover, auto OEMs' extended new-car warranties put pressure on suppliers to use materials with longer service lives, yet they also are demanding reductions in component weight and cost.
The need for underhood components that perform better and longer at less weight and cost has opened a growth area for several families of fiber-reinforced, injection-moldable, high-temperature (semi)crystalline thermoplastics. The chemistry of these resins enables higher thermal and chemical performance and greater toughness than commodity thermoplastics.
Further, (semi)crystalline thermoplastics exhibit greater impact strength at lower weight, better aesthetics right out of the tool and melt reprocessability (facilitating welding and permitting recycling) — all advantages vs. common thermosets.
In combination with the injection molding process, these materials overcome weight and design constraints and eliminate costly postproduction steps that are typical for aluminum, steel and thermoset composites, such as bulk molding compound (BMC), which are more difficult to form. The material/process combination facilitates unprecedented design freedom and parts integration. This enables quicker production of complex structures (the cycle times are fast, and smaller parts can be molded in multicavity tools) in a single step — with excellent repeatability and reproducibility (R&R). This makes the process ideal for mid- to high-volume vehicle builds, where production speed is a high priority and the initial higher cost of tooling can be justified. At these production volumes, manufacturing and part costs can be substantially less than those of cast or machined aluminum and steel. Several of the most exciting examples of composites in underhood applications are covered here.
2011年3月31日星期四
2011年3月30日星期三
Family forced to sleep in one room as mould invades flat
A BRIXHAM family claim they are being forced to sleep in one bedroom because of the mouldy walls of their housing association home.
Mum Louisa Bone, 26, husband John, 30, and children Emily, four, Sophina, two, and four-month-old Alyssa all sleep in one room in the Chestnut Drive flat to escape the mould spores.
Louisa, who says the windows are left permanently opened in the two-bedroom flat, fears the mould is effecting her health.
She said: "We are all sleeping in one room, which is causing a strain.
Click here for more
"The children can't play in the bedroom because the baby is in there.
"Plus we have had to store so much stuff in that room with us because of the problems in the rest of the house."
Louisa claimed the mould first developed about a year ago, but since November the problem become progressively worse.
Patches have appeared all over the flat, including large parts of one bedroom wall, the kitchen, living room and bathroom.
Louisa and John had been sleeping in the bedroom worst affected by the spores but in December she says it began to affect her health so they moved the whole family into one room.
"I can't sleep in the room anymore because it causes me to have very bad asthma attacks," claimed Louisa.
She said they regularly wash away the mould making sure the area is completely dry afterwards, but it comes back.
In the disused bedroom they keep the window open all of the time because of the smell.
Louisa has contacted landlord Riviera Housing which has sent someone to take photographs.
A spokesman for the trust said: "Ms Bone contacted us about a problem with damp in her home and we visited the property.
"Our maintenance surveyor looked carefully at the property to ascertain the cause of the damp and established it is not being sufficiently ventilated.
"Immediately after our visit we arranged for an independent survey of the property.
"Their findings confirm our own.
"We advised Ms Bone of the need to ensure windows are opened to ventilate her home and allow moisture to escape.
"To help improve the situation, we have arranged for a specialist ventilation unit to be fitted to the property.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and would encourage Ms Bone to follow our advice for ventilating her home."
Mum Louisa Bone, 26, husband John, 30, and children Emily, four, Sophina, two, and four-month-old Alyssa all sleep in one room in the Chestnut Drive flat to escape the mould spores.
Louisa, who says the windows are left permanently opened in the two-bedroom flat, fears the mould is effecting her health.
She said: "We are all sleeping in one room, which is causing a strain.
Click here for more
"The children can't play in the bedroom because the baby is in there.
"Plus we have had to store so much stuff in that room with us because of the problems in the rest of the house."
Louisa claimed the mould first developed about a year ago, but since November the problem become progressively worse.
Patches have appeared all over the flat, including large parts of one bedroom wall, the kitchen, living room and bathroom.
Louisa and John had been sleeping in the bedroom worst affected by the spores but in December she says it began to affect her health so they moved the whole family into one room.
"I can't sleep in the room anymore because it causes me to have very bad asthma attacks," claimed Louisa.
She said they regularly wash away the mould making sure the area is completely dry afterwards, but it comes back.
In the disused bedroom they keep the window open all of the time because of the smell.
Louisa has contacted landlord Riviera Housing which has sent someone to take photographs.
A spokesman for the trust said: "Ms Bone contacted us about a problem with damp in her home and we visited the property.
"Our maintenance surveyor looked carefully at the property to ascertain the cause of the damp and established it is not being sufficiently ventilated.
"Immediately after our visit we arranged for an independent survey of the property.
"Their findings confirm our own.
"We advised Ms Bone of the need to ensure windows are opened to ventilate her home and allow moisture to escape.
"To help improve the situation, we have arranged for a specialist ventilation unit to be fitted to the property.
"We will continue to monitor the situation and would encourage Ms Bone to follow our advice for ventilating her home."
Modernist Cuisine mistakes the chef for the great creator
If you're wondering why the food trend that brought us foamed potatoes, liquid
nitrogen semifreddos and steak simmered in a plastic bag for 36 hours (it's called
sous vide) went suddenly out of vogue a few years ago, I suggest you peruse pages 80
through 87 of Volume III of the monumentally ambitious, breathtakingly awesome, but
– dare I say – critically flawed cooking tome to end all cooking tomes, Modernist
Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.
After a fascinating disquisition on the role of collagen in braising (more is better)
and an illustrated technique for gluing de-fatted duck skin onto a duck breast using
a substance called Activa RM (a "transglutaminase preparation"), there is a hamburger
recipe. Or, should I say, a hamburger manual.
Here is a gross oversimplification: Cook the patty in a Ziploc bag to a "final core
temperature" of 56C (about 30 minutes), dip in liquid nitrogen for 30 seconds, then
deep-fry in oil at 232C for one minute.
As for the patty itself, the book recommends a blend of short rib, aged rib eye and
hangar steak cut into cubes, chilled to -1C, put through a grinder that has itself
been cooled with liquid nitrogen, forced into a cylindrical mould, sliced into disks,
then cooked, seasoned and garnished.
You might call this the Platonic ideal of recipes – a formulation as precise and
unchanging as an isosceles triangle. According to this school of thought, you can
think of a dish as an exalted state that ingredients can reach, but only via the hand
of the great creator, the chef. That's why Modernist Cuisine favours precision over
that hilariously primitive custom called "cooking to taste."
Alas, there is a problem. Humans may be able to measure quantities of Activa RM down
to the nearest microgram and prepare blends of ground beef using exact ratios of
short rib and aged rib eye. But nature doesn't work that way.
For example, is that aged rib eye from a 14-month-old barley-fed Charolais steer or a
24-month-old ryegrass-finished Galloway heifer? Because both will feature different
profiles of fatty acids and volatile aromatic compounds. And if you use the latter,
don't bother with the cylinderizing, liquid nitrogen and deep-frying: Just form a
patty with your hands, hit it with sea salt and high heat, and you will discover
burger bliss. (And just how many Microsoft stock options do you have to cash in
before grinding an exalted cut like rib eye seems like a good idea?)
There's a different school of cooking that sees nature, not humans, as the great
creator. A chef I met in Paris put it to me this way: "Cooking is the easy part. A
chef's greatest challenge is finding good ingredients." The chef's job is to amplify
them. Or, as a scientist might put it: The rate-limiting step isn't the cooking, so
much as the thing that's getting cooked.
That's why most of us are more interested in farmers' markets than liquid nitrogen.
It's about ingredients, method plays a supporting role. But modernist cuisine –
molecular gastronomy, whatever you want to call it – isn't dead. Its techniques live
on. Cooking meat sous vide, for instance, used to be extremely trendy, but now it's
just one more technique a chef can use, which is a good thing – so long as the chef
is sourcing excellent meat.
nitrogen semifreddos and steak simmered in a plastic bag for 36 hours (it's called
sous vide) went suddenly out of vogue a few years ago, I suggest you peruse pages 80
through 87 of Volume III of the monumentally ambitious, breathtakingly awesome, but
– dare I say – critically flawed cooking tome to end all cooking tomes, Modernist
Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.
After a fascinating disquisition on the role of collagen in braising (more is better)
and an illustrated technique for gluing de-fatted duck skin onto a duck breast using
a substance called Activa RM (a "transglutaminase preparation"), there is a hamburger
recipe. Or, should I say, a hamburger manual.
Here is a gross oversimplification: Cook the patty in a Ziploc bag to a "final core
temperature" of 56C (about 30 minutes), dip in liquid nitrogen for 30 seconds, then
deep-fry in oil at 232C for one minute.
As for the patty itself, the book recommends a blend of short rib, aged rib eye and
hangar steak cut into cubes, chilled to -1C, put through a grinder that has itself
been cooled with liquid nitrogen, forced into a cylindrical mould, sliced into disks,
then cooked, seasoned and garnished.
You might call this the Platonic ideal of recipes – a formulation as precise and
unchanging as an isosceles triangle. According to this school of thought, you can
think of a dish as an exalted state that ingredients can reach, but only via the hand
of the great creator, the chef. That's why Modernist Cuisine favours precision over
that hilariously primitive custom called "cooking to taste."
Alas, there is a problem. Humans may be able to measure quantities of Activa RM down
to the nearest microgram and prepare blends of ground beef using exact ratios of
short rib and aged rib eye. But nature doesn't work that way.
For example, is that aged rib eye from a 14-month-old barley-fed Charolais steer or a
24-month-old ryegrass-finished Galloway heifer? Because both will feature different
profiles of fatty acids and volatile aromatic compounds. And if you use the latter,
don't bother with the cylinderizing, liquid nitrogen and deep-frying: Just form a
patty with your hands, hit it with sea salt and high heat, and you will discover
burger bliss. (And just how many Microsoft stock options do you have to cash in
before grinding an exalted cut like rib eye seems like a good idea?)
There's a different school of cooking that sees nature, not humans, as the great
creator. A chef I met in Paris put it to me this way: "Cooking is the easy part. A
chef's greatest challenge is finding good ingredients." The chef's job is to amplify
them. Or, as a scientist might put it: The rate-limiting step isn't the cooking, so
much as the thing that's getting cooked.
That's why most of us are more interested in farmers' markets than liquid nitrogen.
It's about ingredients, method plays a supporting role. But modernist cuisine –
molecular gastronomy, whatever you want to call it – isn't dead. Its techniques live
on. Cooking meat sous vide, for instance, used to be extremely trendy, but now it's
just one more technique a chef can use, which is a good thing – so long as the chef
is sourcing excellent meat.
2011年3月29日星期二
Shearline champions Thixotropic moulding process
The thixotropic process is gaining ground for its ability to create strong yet light magnesium parts for a range of applications. Dave Wilson reports
Despite the fact it is a method widely used to manufacture housings for mobile phones and portable computers in the Far East, engineers in the UK would be forgiven for being unfamiliar with 'thixotropic moulding'.
However, as product designers become more aware of the versatility of the process to produce lightweight, strong, complex moulded magnesium parts, this could soon change. Many may soon be considering the use of magnesium alloy parts as a replacement for those made from engineering plastics and die-cast magnesium and aluminium alloys.
click here
According to Charles Maltby, technical and commercial director at Cambridgeshire-based Shearline, although the thixomoulding process combines elements of conventional die casting and plastic injection moulding, it is more closely akin to the latter.
Lighter train seats would reduce the amount of fuel required
In a typical thixotropic manufacturing process, chippings of a magnesium alloy are placed into a hopper at one end of a machine. The magnesium alloy is then heated to a point just below its melting point, at which point it goes into a semi-solid state where certain fractions within the alloy start to become liquid and act as a lubricant, while other parts of it remain in solid solution.
The semi-solid material is then fed into a barrel with a reciprocating screw, which moves forward, applying a shearing action to the thixotropic magnesium alloy, effectively injection-moulding it into a mould cavity where the component is to be manufactured. Once it has been moulded, it is removed from the tool, where any secondary operations can be performed on it, if needed.
However, the improved tolerance and thinner wall sections achievable via the process have the effect of reducing - indeed eliminating - many second operation machining processes, saving time and energy.
Maltby said the process has two major advantages: 'It does not demand as much energy and it does not produce the byproducts so typical of other processes. The result is that a thixotropic moulding machine can be used in any factory environment.'
What is more, because the magnesium alloy is forced into the mould under pressure, the resultant parts have a better density and lower porosity than those obtained from conventional die-casting processes.
Presently, the thixotropic process has been limited to high-volume production runs as tooling costs prohibit its use in low-volume manufacturing.
'It's hardly surprising then that most of the thixotropic manufacturing machines are based in Japan, China and Korea, where consumer products are made in large numbers,' said Maltby. 'In total, there are less than 500 machines in the world - and of those fewer than 10 are in Europe; around 20 in North America. None are in the UK.'
The machines that are currently producing parts are usually only capable of making relatively small components, and that's something that Maltby would like to see change.
Despite the fact it is a method widely used to manufacture housings for mobile phones and portable computers in the Far East, engineers in the UK would be forgiven for being unfamiliar with 'thixotropic moulding'.
However, as product designers become more aware of the versatility of the process to produce lightweight, strong, complex moulded magnesium parts, this could soon change. Many may soon be considering the use of magnesium alloy parts as a replacement for those made from engineering plastics and die-cast magnesium and aluminium alloys.
click here
According to Charles Maltby, technical and commercial director at Cambridgeshire-based Shearline, although the thixomoulding process combines elements of conventional die casting and plastic injection moulding, it is more closely akin to the latter.
Lighter train seats would reduce the amount of fuel required
In a typical thixotropic manufacturing process, chippings of a magnesium alloy are placed into a hopper at one end of a machine. The magnesium alloy is then heated to a point just below its melting point, at which point it goes into a semi-solid state where certain fractions within the alloy start to become liquid and act as a lubricant, while other parts of it remain in solid solution.
The semi-solid material is then fed into a barrel with a reciprocating screw, which moves forward, applying a shearing action to the thixotropic magnesium alloy, effectively injection-moulding it into a mould cavity where the component is to be manufactured. Once it has been moulded, it is removed from the tool, where any secondary operations can be performed on it, if needed.
However, the improved tolerance and thinner wall sections achievable via the process have the effect of reducing - indeed eliminating - many second operation machining processes, saving time and energy.
Maltby said the process has two major advantages: 'It does not demand as much energy and it does not produce the byproducts so typical of other processes. The result is that a thixotropic moulding machine can be used in any factory environment.'
What is more, because the magnesium alloy is forced into the mould under pressure, the resultant parts have a better density and lower porosity than those obtained from conventional die-casting processes.
Presently, the thixotropic process has been limited to high-volume production runs as tooling costs prohibit its use in low-volume manufacturing.
'It's hardly surprising then that most of the thixotropic manufacturing machines are based in Japan, China and Korea, where consumer products are made in large numbers,' said Maltby. 'In total, there are less than 500 machines in the world - and of those fewer than 10 are in Europe; around 20 in North America. None are in the UK.'
The machines that are currently producing parts are usually only capable of making relatively small components, and that's something that Maltby would like to see change.
2011年3月27日星期日
Golfing subcontractor reduces tooling handicap
The investment level at the Lancashire-based company has seen it acquire CNC twin spindle, sliding head turning centres and CNC machining centres in recent years, so acquiring the correct tooling was the next natural stage.
The CNC machining section produces aluminium components for golf trolleys, as well as tooling for its internal plastic moulding department that provides plastic mouldings for the golf trolleys. It was problems machining aluminium components in the machine shop that led to the introduction of ITC.
Upon his first visit, ITC technical sales engineer Jason Clark was confronted with an aluminium lighting component for a StandelDawman customer. Mr Clark introduced ITC's 12 mm diameter 2041 Cyber Series square end carbide milling cutter and changed the machining strategy to increase speeds and feeds beyond the capabilities of the previous tooling. Targeting the rough machining process, the 2041 series reduced the cycle time from 12 to 6 minutes.
Dedicated to the rough machining of aluminium, the first 2041 Cyber Series cutter was soon accompanied by 6, 8 and 10 mm diameter cutters. Further 2041 Series tools were acquired with corner radii. The company then acquired the 6 and 10 mm diameter ranges of ITC's 2052 two flute ball nosed series of ultra wear resistant micro-grain carbide cutters for finish machining and the processing of intricate forms.
This improvement continued with high end cutters introduced to produce mould tools for a new trolley design. The Hanita 70N7 high performance solid carbide end mill series was introduced reducing roughing and semi finishing cycle times from over two days to a couple of hours on many of the tooling components.
StandelDawman engineering director Gary Dawes commented: "The Hanita high feed cutters have been a revelation to our business. The change of strategy to high feed and low depth of cut machining has reduced the stress on our machine tools while bringing obvious productivity benefits. These tools have been perfectly complemented by ITC's BritCut and Hanita ball nose cutters for finish machining.
"The surface finish on our mould tools has improved to the extent that we no longer need to polish parts after machining. We used to machine, polish, etch and anodise our mould tool parts. Taking the polishing away from the process has enabled us to save additional time and move staff from this labour intensive task."
The CNC machining section produces aluminium components for golf trolleys, as well as tooling for its internal plastic moulding department that provides plastic mouldings for the golf trolleys. It was problems machining aluminium components in the machine shop that led to the introduction of ITC.
Upon his first visit, ITC technical sales engineer Jason Clark was confronted with an aluminium lighting component for a StandelDawman customer. Mr Clark introduced ITC's 12 mm diameter 2041 Cyber Series square end carbide milling cutter and changed the machining strategy to increase speeds and feeds beyond the capabilities of the previous tooling. Targeting the rough machining process, the 2041 series reduced the cycle time from 12 to 6 minutes.
Dedicated to the rough machining of aluminium, the first 2041 Cyber Series cutter was soon accompanied by 6, 8 and 10 mm diameter cutters. Further 2041 Series tools were acquired with corner radii. The company then acquired the 6 and 10 mm diameter ranges of ITC's 2052 two flute ball nosed series of ultra wear resistant micro-grain carbide cutters for finish machining and the processing of intricate forms.
This improvement continued with high end cutters introduced to produce mould tools for a new trolley design. The Hanita 70N7 high performance solid carbide end mill series was introduced reducing roughing and semi finishing cycle times from over two days to a couple of hours on many of the tooling components.
StandelDawman engineering director Gary Dawes commented: "The Hanita high feed cutters have been a revelation to our business. The change of strategy to high feed and low depth of cut machining has reduced the stress on our machine tools while bringing obvious productivity benefits. These tools have been perfectly complemented by ITC's BritCut and Hanita ball nose cutters for finish machining.
"The surface finish on our mould tools has improved to the extent that we no longer need to polish parts after machining. We used to machine, polish, etch and anodise our mould tool parts. Taking the polishing away from the process has enabled us to save additional time and move staff from this labour intensive task."
2011年3月22日星期二
Angela Epstein: Why shouldn't the royal in-laws make a fast buck
So there you are, planning your royal wedding street party, thinking to yourself, where can I get a Corgi jelly mould or some Wills and Kate bendy straws?' Quick trawl on the internet and, va voom, it's only a hop, skip and curtsey until you land on Party Pieces, the online knick knack business run by the future royal in-laws, Carole and Michael Middleton.
Yet, you'd think that Kate Middleton's parents should be carted off to the Tower (the real one, not the papier mache cake topper variety) for daring to sell coronation-style plastic crockery, and paper hats on their website now that their daughter is set to be our future Queen.
How vulgar, crow the toffs, who have filled countless newspaper columns snootily decrying the Middletons for appearing to cash in on their daughter's royal connections.
Off with their heads for daring, as was revealed this weekend, to launch a pack of Britannia scratch cards on British trivia – with a distinctly regal feel. Players who answer all their questions correctly are given the title 'Queen of England'. Those who are less successful are dismissed as 'The Queen's corgi', or warned, 'Off with your head'. Nice.
Of course, if the soon to be Princess Catherine had hooked up with a plumber's mate, her parents would have been free to pootle along, producing royal merchandise for their successful party wear business without the establishment breathing down their neck (Though I imagine the market for U-bend fairy cake cases is relatively limited). So why shouldn't they do the same now? What are they supposed to do? Starve? Or wait for the new in-laws to make up the loss of earnings (that's if they could drag Prince Charles away from saving red squirrels and other more worthy pursuits).
This is the Middleton's business, one which is tailored around obvious commercial opportunities. They are also self-made workaholics who have created their wealth rather than sponging off the state.
And, oh, the stinking hypocrisy of it all. I wouldn't care but every other Tom, Dick and Harry is cashing in on the forthcoming nuptials. Be it the auctioning of the tea cloth Kate Middleton wore when she first caught William's eye at a university fashion show. Or the top drawer designers showering our future Queen with goodies for her wardrobe.
So please, let's drop the sanctimonious claptrap about the Middletons' business. At least they work for a living. Air Miles Andy is hardly a role model for regal endeavour.
What's more, let's be grateful Kate's parents only run a party goods company. After all, had they been the bosses at Ann Summers, things could have got decidedly sticky.
Happy ending for Howard the double victim
A couple of weeks ago I highlighted the plight of a Salford chap called Howard Gordon who was made to pay 150 to redeem his stolen car from the police. Officers found the vehicle after he reported it missing and took it to the Greater Manchester Police compound. They told Howard they would only release the car if he stumped up the cash.
Understandably, Howard, and many readers, were astonished by the inequity of the victim's position. Here was an honest taxpayer, whose car was nicked, and thankfully recovered by police – as part of their job. And yet though the crime was solved, he then had to pay up for the privilege of getting his motor back.
However, I'm happy to report that yesterday Howard contacted me to say that his money has now been returned. After reading about the debacle in this column, he was contacted by police who decided to look further into the matter. They concluded that there had been some administrative failing – namely not giving Howard the chance to collect the car where it had been found rather than taking it into the compound – and so gave him his money back.
It's gratifying to appreciate, once again, the power of this fine newspaper to highlight injustice and so breach situations where the innocent man may otherwise suffer.
Better still if the Government reviewed the stingy, mean-spirited practice for penalising tax payers and making them cough up more for law enforcement.
Yet, you'd think that Kate Middleton's parents should be carted off to the Tower (the real one, not the papier mache cake topper variety) for daring to sell coronation-style plastic crockery, and paper hats on their website now that their daughter is set to be our future Queen.
How vulgar, crow the toffs, who have filled countless newspaper columns snootily decrying the Middletons for appearing to cash in on their daughter's royal connections.
Off with their heads for daring, as was revealed this weekend, to launch a pack of Britannia scratch cards on British trivia – with a distinctly regal feel. Players who answer all their questions correctly are given the title 'Queen of England'. Those who are less successful are dismissed as 'The Queen's corgi', or warned, 'Off with your head'. Nice.
Of course, if the soon to be Princess Catherine had hooked up with a plumber's mate, her parents would have been free to pootle along, producing royal merchandise for their successful party wear business without the establishment breathing down their neck (Though I imagine the market for U-bend fairy cake cases is relatively limited). So why shouldn't they do the same now? What are they supposed to do? Starve? Or wait for the new in-laws to make up the loss of earnings (that's if they could drag Prince Charles away from saving red squirrels and other more worthy pursuits).
This is the Middleton's business, one which is tailored around obvious commercial opportunities. They are also self-made workaholics who have created their wealth rather than sponging off the state.
And, oh, the stinking hypocrisy of it all. I wouldn't care but every other Tom, Dick and Harry is cashing in on the forthcoming nuptials. Be it the auctioning of the tea cloth Kate Middleton wore when she first caught William's eye at a university fashion show. Or the top drawer designers showering our future Queen with goodies for her wardrobe.
So please, let's drop the sanctimonious claptrap about the Middletons' business. At least they work for a living. Air Miles Andy is hardly a role model for regal endeavour.
What's more, let's be grateful Kate's parents only run a party goods company. After all, had they been the bosses at Ann Summers, things could have got decidedly sticky.
Happy ending for Howard the double victim
A couple of weeks ago I highlighted the plight of a Salford chap called Howard Gordon who was made to pay 150 to redeem his stolen car from the police. Officers found the vehicle after he reported it missing and took it to the Greater Manchester Police compound. They told Howard they would only release the car if he stumped up the cash.
Understandably, Howard, and many readers, were astonished by the inequity of the victim's position. Here was an honest taxpayer, whose car was nicked, and thankfully recovered by police – as part of their job. And yet though the crime was solved, he then had to pay up for the privilege of getting his motor back.
However, I'm happy to report that yesterday Howard contacted me to say that his money has now been returned. After reading about the debacle in this column, he was contacted by police who decided to look further into the matter. They concluded that there had been some administrative failing – namely not giving Howard the chance to collect the car where it had been found rather than taking it into the compound – and so gave him his money back.
It's gratifying to appreciate, once again, the power of this fine newspaper to highlight injustice and so breach situations where the innocent man may otherwise suffer.
Better still if the Government reviewed the stingy, mean-spirited practice for penalising tax payers and making them cough up more for law enforcement.
2011年3月20日星期日
Pressure to fit the mould widens gender gap
Through the eyes of many modern women, it seems difficult to comprehend that not so many
decades ago women all around the Western world were fighting for the basic rights and
freedoms they so rightly deserved.
Amid an ongoing struggle, laws began to change and social ideals began to alter. A new sense
of empowerment quickly emerged as women entered the workforce and marked their places in the
political arena.
Had gender equality finally been won? Or did certain stereotypes of women remain beneath the
surface, waiting to be shaped by the norms of modern society and popular culture?
These days, it seems almost impossible to turn on the television or flick through any women's
magazine without being bombarded by advertisements promoting the latest cosmetics, weight
loss programs and celebrity fashion trends.
In turn, women feel inadequate and insecure about their appearance. This leads many to invest
much of their time and money towards achieving what Western society deems as "attractive".
If the results of women being constantly exposed to unrealistic images of what they "should
look like" have been proven to hold serious psychological and physical implications, then why
is there such an evident lack in popular culture of "everyday", realistic women being praised
for their intelligence rather than their attractiveness?
To put it simply, sex sells. It is nothing more than a destructive cycle of desire and
consumption. Women are encouraged to fit the mould of what popular media labels as
attractive. And many end up consuming whatever the cosmetic and beauty industries have to
offer.
The global cosmetic industry is estimated to be worth about $40 billion.
Alongside this, the amount spent on plastic surgery in Australia has risen dramatically over
the past decade. In 2007, an estimated $300 million was spent on cosmetic surgery. Women
undergo most of this surgery.
It is no surprise that many women feel the pressure to fit the standard of physical
attractiveness. The images of women in the popular media are perceived as sex symbols,
demanded and idolised by men.
How often do we come across a film, television show or story about an attractive woman
catching or pleasing a man and achieving success and happiness?
In comparison, how often do we come across the same types of media portraying attractive men
using their looks to win the heart of an intelligent, strong woman resulting in achieving
success and happiness?
The latter is rare as it is not a notion perceived as "normal" within Western society.
Women are subjected to stereotyping on the basis of their appearance and are infrequently
expected to fit any other role than an object of physical desire.
A 2009 UNESCO report referred to one global survey that said at the current rate of progress
on stereotyping women, "it will take another 75 years to achieve gender equality in the
media".
This truly is alarming. Many women are not only sacrificing a substantial amount of their
income, but more importantly their mental and physical wellbeing, to achieve unhealthy
expectations of what mainstream culture decides is attractive.
Women cannot achieve permanent satisfaction and happiness as a result of this cycle.
Not only does it widen the gap of gender inequality, but it draws us closer to the
materialistic and superficial demands of a consumerist society, and further away from the
real values and joys of life.
decades ago women all around the Western world were fighting for the basic rights and
freedoms they so rightly deserved.
Amid an ongoing struggle, laws began to change and social ideals began to alter. A new sense
of empowerment quickly emerged as women entered the workforce and marked their places in the
political arena.
Had gender equality finally been won? Or did certain stereotypes of women remain beneath the
surface, waiting to be shaped by the norms of modern society and popular culture?
These days, it seems almost impossible to turn on the television or flick through any women's
magazine without being bombarded by advertisements promoting the latest cosmetics, weight
loss programs and celebrity fashion trends.
In turn, women feel inadequate and insecure about their appearance. This leads many to invest
much of their time and money towards achieving what Western society deems as "attractive".
If the results of women being constantly exposed to unrealistic images of what they "should
look like" have been proven to hold serious psychological and physical implications, then why
is there such an evident lack in popular culture of "everyday", realistic women being praised
for their intelligence rather than their attractiveness?
To put it simply, sex sells. It is nothing more than a destructive cycle of desire and
consumption. Women are encouraged to fit the mould of what popular media labels as
attractive. And many end up consuming whatever the cosmetic and beauty industries have to
offer.
The global cosmetic industry is estimated to be worth about $40 billion.
Alongside this, the amount spent on plastic surgery in Australia has risen dramatically over
the past decade. In 2007, an estimated $300 million was spent on cosmetic surgery. Women
undergo most of this surgery.
It is no surprise that many women feel the pressure to fit the standard of physical
attractiveness. The images of women in the popular media are perceived as sex symbols,
demanded and idolised by men.
How often do we come across a film, television show or story about an attractive woman
catching or pleasing a man and achieving success and happiness?
In comparison, how often do we come across the same types of media portraying attractive men
using their looks to win the heart of an intelligent, strong woman resulting in achieving
success and happiness?
The latter is rare as it is not a notion perceived as "normal" within Western society.
Women are subjected to stereotyping on the basis of their appearance and are infrequently
expected to fit any other role than an object of physical desire.
A 2009 UNESCO report referred to one global survey that said at the current rate of progress
on stereotyping women, "it will take another 75 years to achieve gender equality in the
media".
This truly is alarming. Many women are not only sacrificing a substantial amount of their
income, but more importantly their mental and physical wellbeing, to achieve unhealthy
expectations of what mainstream culture decides is attractive.
Women cannot achieve permanent satisfaction and happiness as a result of this cycle.
Not only does it widen the gap of gender inequality, but it draws us closer to the
materialistic and superficial demands of a consumerist society, and further away from the
real values and joys of life.
2011年3月15日星期二
Diary of a start-up - Safetray makes its Festival debut
My nails dramatically decreased in size during the month of July. I nervously nibbled as I
awaited the first production units arriving from China, desperate for Safetray to play its
own part in the largest arts festival in the world - a showcase in front of an international
audience within my beloved hometown during Edinburgh's multiple festivals.
Leading up to the arrival I had been fed worrying snippets of information regarding the
progress with the mould tool. The initial photographs were kept from me - Fearsomengine quite
rightly deciding that a snapshot image of a mangled piece of plastic might be more upsetting
than informative - and so it was a relief indeed to finally see (a fortnight ago) a physical
embodiment of the Safetray looking actually rather handsome.
And so it was, at a stall in the glorious sunshine at Edinburgh's Foodies Festival in
Holyrood Park, the very first Safetrays - hot off our production tool - were let loose on the
general public; and what a reaction we received.
The most common reaction from people was the suggestion that we should go on Dragons' Den;
the second was one of surprise that nobody had ever thought of it before.
A new reaction - limited to a handful of people, exclusively Scottish - was that Safetray is
'cheating'. A remnant of our Calvinist past, I imagine: if it makes our lives easier, it must
be immoral. Curiously, I quite liked that perspective. Maybe it's the Calvinist Scot in me
welcoming criticism.
The majority were overwhelmingly supportive and excited by the concept - especially those who
were hospitality professionals. Our pre-order book was bulging by the end of the weekend,
filled with trade buyers and consumers alike. With a few amendments to be made and our first
substantial volume of the Safetrays only arriving in October, I was just sorry that we were
not able to sell them on the spot.
An added bonus to Foodies was the amount of people who entered our competition: 'Should have
used a Safetray'. The task? To be filmed recounting a tale of an accident involving a toppled
tray. The prize for the most spectacular story was a bottle of Pol Roger Champagne, the
winner of which is to be announced when we launch our retailing website with video-embeds via
YouTube.
Over thirty people told us their stories. There were stories of A-list celebrities with food
in their laps; a girl so fresh from a coffee spill accident that she was still wearing the
bandages; red wine over a white shirt at a restaurant opening and an accident involving a
customer being set alight with a toppled tray of flaming Sambucas. Yowzers.
We chose The Famous Spiegeltent to be the first venue to use the Safetrays in situ. One of
only handful of its kind left in the world, this stunningly beautiful mirrored tent seemed a
fantastic launch pad for our trays. Amidst acrobats hanging from ropes, strong men flinging
scantily-clad ladies, jazz chanteuses singing their delicate standards and magicians turning
doves into ducks, the Safetray made its own seemingly gravity-defying debut.
Glasshouse Events, who this year manage the bars in the Spiegel Garden, also work on the Golf
Open, the Six Nations Rugby and The Grand National. It's exciting to think of the all events
at which the trusty Safetray might be acting as a silent partner in service in the not too
distant future.
awaited the first production units arriving from China, desperate for Safetray to play its
own part in the largest arts festival in the world - a showcase in front of an international
audience within my beloved hometown during Edinburgh's multiple festivals.
Leading up to the arrival I had been fed worrying snippets of information regarding the
progress with the mould tool. The initial photographs were kept from me - Fearsomengine quite
rightly deciding that a snapshot image of a mangled piece of plastic might be more upsetting
than informative - and so it was a relief indeed to finally see (a fortnight ago) a physical
embodiment of the Safetray looking actually rather handsome.
And so it was, at a stall in the glorious sunshine at Edinburgh's Foodies Festival in
Holyrood Park, the very first Safetrays - hot off our production tool - were let loose on the
general public; and what a reaction we received.
The most common reaction from people was the suggestion that we should go on Dragons' Den;
the second was one of surprise that nobody had ever thought of it before.
A new reaction - limited to a handful of people, exclusively Scottish - was that Safetray is
'cheating'. A remnant of our Calvinist past, I imagine: if it makes our lives easier, it must
be immoral. Curiously, I quite liked that perspective. Maybe it's the Calvinist Scot in me
welcoming criticism.
The majority were overwhelmingly supportive and excited by the concept - especially those who
were hospitality professionals. Our pre-order book was bulging by the end of the weekend,
filled with trade buyers and consumers alike. With a few amendments to be made and our first
substantial volume of the Safetrays only arriving in October, I was just sorry that we were
not able to sell them on the spot.
An added bonus to Foodies was the amount of people who entered our competition: 'Should have
used a Safetray'. The task? To be filmed recounting a tale of an accident involving a toppled
tray. The prize for the most spectacular story was a bottle of Pol Roger Champagne, the
winner of which is to be announced when we launch our retailing website with video-embeds via
YouTube.
Over thirty people told us their stories. There were stories of A-list celebrities with food
in their laps; a girl so fresh from a coffee spill accident that she was still wearing the
bandages; red wine over a white shirt at a restaurant opening and an accident involving a
customer being set alight with a toppled tray of flaming Sambucas. Yowzers.
We chose The Famous Spiegeltent to be the first venue to use the Safetrays in situ. One of
only handful of its kind left in the world, this stunningly beautiful mirrored tent seemed a
fantastic launch pad for our trays. Amidst acrobats hanging from ropes, strong men flinging
scantily-clad ladies, jazz chanteuses singing their delicate standards and magicians turning
doves into ducks, the Safetray made its own seemingly gravity-defying debut.
Glasshouse Events, who this year manage the bars in the Spiegel Garden, also work on the Golf
Open, the Six Nations Rugby and The Grand National. It's exciting to think of the all events
at which the trusty Safetray might be acting as a silent partner in service in the not too
distant future.
2011年3月13日星期日
New alloys are as mouldable as plastic and stronger than steel
Material scientists at Yale University have developed metal alloys that are easily mouldable
and yet stronger than steel. The new materials cost around the same as high-end steel, but
can be processed as cheaply as plastic.
The bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), developed by a team led by Jan Schroers, have a random
atomic structure, as opposed to the orderly, crystalline structures found in conventional
metals. This means that they can be "blow moulded" (in the same way that plastics are) into
very complex shapes that can't be achieved using regular metal, without losing any of their
strength or durability.
Blow moulding is a process used to make hollow plastic parts which involves heating the
material and then forming it into a mould using air pressure. The new alloys required low
temperatures and low pressure to soften and mould, as well as allowing the team to combine
three separate steps in traditional metal processing (shaping, joining and finishing) into a
single step, saving time and labour costs. The findings were announced in the journal
Materials Today.
The team has demonstrated the mouldability of the metals by creating complex shapes like
seamless bottles, watch cases and biomedical implants that can be moulded in less than a
minute and are twice as strong as typical steel.
The BMGs are made up of a range of materials, including nickel, titanium, copper and
zirconium (which is used in dentistry). The team is already using the materials to create
tiny resonators for microelectromechanical systems.
Schroers said in a press release: "This could enable a whole new paradigm for shaping metals.
The superior properties of BMGs relative to plastics and typical metals, combined with the
ease, economy and precision of blow moulding, have the potential to impact society just as
much as the development of synthetic plastics and their associated processing methods have in
the last century."
and yet stronger than steel. The new materials cost around the same as high-end steel, but
can be processed as cheaply as plastic.
The bulk metallic glasses (BMGs), developed by a team led by Jan Schroers, have a random
atomic structure, as opposed to the orderly, crystalline structures found in conventional
metals. This means that they can be "blow moulded" (in the same way that plastics are) into
very complex shapes that can't be achieved using regular metal, without losing any of their
strength or durability.
Blow moulding is a process used to make hollow plastic parts which involves heating the
material and then forming it into a mould using air pressure. The new alloys required low
temperatures and low pressure to soften and mould, as well as allowing the team to combine
three separate steps in traditional metal processing (shaping, joining and finishing) into a
single step, saving time and labour costs. The findings were announced in the journal
Materials Today.
The team has demonstrated the mouldability of the metals by creating complex shapes like
seamless bottles, watch cases and biomedical implants that can be moulded in less than a
minute and are twice as strong as typical steel.
The BMGs are made up of a range of materials, including nickel, titanium, copper and
zirconium (which is used in dentistry). The team is already using the materials to create
tiny resonators for microelectromechanical systems.
Schroers said in a press release: "This could enable a whole new paradigm for shaping metals.
The superior properties of BMGs relative to plastics and typical metals, combined with the
ease, economy and precision of blow moulding, have the potential to impact society just as
much as the development of synthetic plastics and their associated processing methods have in
the last century."
2011年3月9日星期三
Golden vision for men with mussels
WAY OF LIFE: Waylon Brown (left) and Cost Peters use "walking wheels" to lift buoys and the
"backbone" lines on a Gold Ridge mussel farm to re-seed it with juvenile greenshell mussels
encased in stocking to keep them next to the dropper rope until they form a secure attachment
of their own. By Elaine Fisher
HARVEST COMPLETE: One of Gold Ridge Farm's mussel barges heads back to Sugar Loaf wharf in
the Coromandel Harbour to unload a morning's harvest of greenshell mussels ready for
distribution to North Island supermarkets.ABOVE: David Myers, operations manager of Gold
Ridge, opens mussels taken straight from droppers on one of the Coromandel marine farms.
LEFT: Bags of young greenshell mussels have been graded for consistent size before being used
to re-seed a section of one of Gold Ridge Marine Farm's mussel farms in the Coromandel
Harbour. Gold Ridge Marine Farm
The thriving mussel farming industry off the Coromandel Peninsula may owe its existence to a
Peruvian earthquake in the 1960s.
Industry pioneer Gilbert James doesn't discount the possibility that the tidal wave created
by the quake across the other side of the Pacific may have destroyed the Coromandel wild
mussel population but whatever the cause, he was able to see an opportunity for farming
mussels to meet the needs of an already established market.
"Wild Coromandel mussels harvested by dredges had been in demand and available for 50 years
in Auckland and the Waikato, including sports clubs and fish shops," he said.
While his father Joe James believed over-dredging of the beds by harvest boats probably
caused the demise of the wild mussels, Gilbert said another theory was that the tidal wave
was to blame.
"In New Zealand it passed almost unnoticed as it happened at low tide but Coromandel locals
remember the tide coming in when it shouldn't have and then receding to below normal levels.
Advertisement
It opened up an area between the mainland and Whanganui Island now called Little Passage and
many people think it moved sediment from the Waihau River and upper Thames Estuary over the
beds smothering the mussels which died and became putrid and the beds never recovered."
However, even though the wild mussels began to disappear in the 1960s it wasn't until 1984,
after years of planning and application rejections that Gilbert finally gained a licence to
establish a mussel farm in the Hauraki Gulf.
Today the company Gilbert named Gold Ridge Marine Farm is a thriving business in the Gulf and
supplies most North Island supermarkets with fresh mussels year round.
It's been a long and sometimes troublesome voyage to reach that point.
Gilbert grew up in Coromandel, the town his great grandfather Samuel James came to from
England in 1875, lured by gold mining. Samuel established a merchant's store, supplying
mining equipment, including dynamite, and general goods. Today his name is preserved in the
main street park where he built rest rooms for mothers and babies and in the James & Turner
store not far up the road.
It was Gilbert's grandfather Arthur James who bought an abandoned gold mine and the land
around it at Preeces Point just south of Coromandel where today Gold Ridge Marine farm has
its land-based operation.
"We didn't live here, but as a child this was my playground. We roamed freely around the
hills and harbour," said Gilbert. There's still gold in the old mine which was abandoned when
the seam was lost. Gilbert has no plans to re-open it - he's more interested in what he calls
the gold in waters of the Gulf - the greenshell mussels.
By the 1960s Gilbert had left Coromandel, working first as a shearer and then as production
manager for Wattie's at a maize starch factory in Auckland. However, much as he enjoyed that
experience, he was already planning to farm mussels.
"I knew there was at least a 2000 bag market between Auckland and the Waikato."
Mussel farming began in Marlborough before it got started in Coromandel and Gilbert and other
North Island marine farmers were able to learn from the South Island experience, adapting
techniques to suit local conditions.
Having a land base was essential and for that Preeces Point proved ideal, providing the
ability to bring a flat bottom mussel barge in close to shore. However, the barges load and
unload their harvest and all their farm gear at the Sugar Loaf wharf not far from Preeces
Point.
Gilbert believes in running an efficient and cost effective operation, employing the best
people he can and carrying out as much of the operation as possible in house.
That includes manufacturing the distinctive large black mussel buoys which support the 'back
bones' and droppers of the marine farms.
"If we needed a large number of buoys in a hurry we often couldn't get them and don't have
the room to stock pile them so we decided to make our own. It's far easier to store 15kg bags
of the raw material than buoys and moulding them also gives staff diversity of work which
they enjoy."
Key mussel buoy maker is Trish Janmaat. She can produce one buoy an hour using the large
mould, filled with granulated plastic, which is baked in a special oven which reaches
temperatures of 270C. The mould constantly revolves inside the oven, causing the melted
plastic to adhere to the sides to produce the buoys.
"When we first started we cut the buoys open to find out how well they had been moulded. I
didn't care how many we destroyed so long as we got the method right," said Gilbert, who
expects the buoys, which retail at about $140 each, to last up to 10 years.
Threading 6km of cotton "stocking" onto a 110mm diameter pvc pipe is another essential task
and David Blythe, Gold Ridge operations manager and Gilbert's partner in a mussel farm in
Wilson's Bay, demonstrated how the stocking is automatically fed onto the pipe in preparation
for use during re-seeding of juvenile mussels out on the water.
Outside in the yard are large mussel sacks full of what looks like frayed rope. Gilbert
explains that the rope's 'frayed' nature gives extra surface area for the mussels to attach
to.
He's impressed at a new rope invented by Nick Franklin of Auckland especially for mussel
farmers.
"It is a braided, not twisted rope so it's not constantly trying to unwind like the ropes
we've used for years have. I think it's pretty remarkable that someone can invent a new rope
and that's just what Nick has done."
To understand how the buoys, stockings, ropes and shellfish all come together, Gilbert and
David took us out to see a re-seeding operation on one of the farms in the sheltered waters
off Rabbit Island.
We watched as Costa Peters and Waylon Brown finished harvesting young mussels from one of the
outer lines of the farm, stripping the shells from the rope in a machine mounted on the barge
deck, and grading them for size.
"It's better to be growing mussels of a similar size together, because they will all mature
around the same time, " said David.
The crew began work at day light but within just a few hours the mussels were back in the
water. Bags were hoisted by an on-board hiab and emptied into a hopper, to be released at a
pre-determined rate into the stocking-covered pvc pipe through the middle of which ran the
continuous growing rope.
The stocking holds the mussels close to the rope until they re-attach, often within hours,
and over the next few weeks the fabric rots in the salt water, allowing the mussels to grow
to harvest size.
Today nearly every supermarket has fresh mussels on sale and in the North Island nearly 50
per cent will be from the Gold Ridge farms, harvested four times a week and delivered fresh
by another partner company, Future Cuisine.
To ensure food safety and the quality of greenshell mussels there are strict conditions
around when they can be harvested.
Because mussels are filter feeders, they can't be harvested for a prescribed period after
heavy rain which may wash containments and bacteria into the sea.
"backbone" lines on a Gold Ridge mussel farm to re-seed it with juvenile greenshell mussels
encased in stocking to keep them next to the dropper rope until they form a secure attachment
of their own. By Elaine Fisher
HARVEST COMPLETE: One of Gold Ridge Farm's mussel barges heads back to Sugar Loaf wharf in
the Coromandel Harbour to unload a morning's harvest of greenshell mussels ready for
distribution to North Island supermarkets.ABOVE: David Myers, operations manager of Gold
Ridge, opens mussels taken straight from droppers on one of the Coromandel marine farms.
LEFT: Bags of young greenshell mussels have been graded for consistent size before being used
to re-seed a section of one of Gold Ridge Marine Farm's mussel farms in the Coromandel
Harbour. Gold Ridge Marine Farm
The thriving mussel farming industry off the Coromandel Peninsula may owe its existence to a
Peruvian earthquake in the 1960s.
Industry pioneer Gilbert James doesn't discount the possibility that the tidal wave created
by the quake across the other side of the Pacific may have destroyed the Coromandel wild
mussel population but whatever the cause, he was able to see an opportunity for farming
mussels to meet the needs of an already established market.
"Wild Coromandel mussels harvested by dredges had been in demand and available for 50 years
in Auckland and the Waikato, including sports clubs and fish shops," he said.
While his father Joe James believed over-dredging of the beds by harvest boats probably
caused the demise of the wild mussels, Gilbert said another theory was that the tidal wave
was to blame.
"In New Zealand it passed almost unnoticed as it happened at low tide but Coromandel locals
remember the tide coming in when it shouldn't have and then receding to below normal levels.
Advertisement
It opened up an area between the mainland and Whanganui Island now called Little Passage and
many people think it moved sediment from the Waihau River and upper Thames Estuary over the
beds smothering the mussels which died and became putrid and the beds never recovered."
However, even though the wild mussels began to disappear in the 1960s it wasn't until 1984,
after years of planning and application rejections that Gilbert finally gained a licence to
establish a mussel farm in the Hauraki Gulf.
Today the company Gilbert named Gold Ridge Marine Farm is a thriving business in the Gulf and
supplies most North Island supermarkets with fresh mussels year round.
It's been a long and sometimes troublesome voyage to reach that point.
Gilbert grew up in Coromandel, the town his great grandfather Samuel James came to from
England in 1875, lured by gold mining. Samuel established a merchant's store, supplying
mining equipment, including dynamite, and general goods. Today his name is preserved in the
main street park where he built rest rooms for mothers and babies and in the James & Turner
store not far up the road.
It was Gilbert's grandfather Arthur James who bought an abandoned gold mine and the land
around it at Preeces Point just south of Coromandel where today Gold Ridge Marine farm has
its land-based operation.
"We didn't live here, but as a child this was my playground. We roamed freely around the
hills and harbour," said Gilbert. There's still gold in the old mine which was abandoned when
the seam was lost. Gilbert has no plans to re-open it - he's more interested in what he calls
the gold in waters of the Gulf - the greenshell mussels.
By the 1960s Gilbert had left Coromandel, working first as a shearer and then as production
manager for Wattie's at a maize starch factory in Auckland. However, much as he enjoyed that
experience, he was already planning to farm mussels.
"I knew there was at least a 2000 bag market between Auckland and the Waikato."
Mussel farming began in Marlborough before it got started in Coromandel and Gilbert and other
North Island marine farmers were able to learn from the South Island experience, adapting
techniques to suit local conditions.
Having a land base was essential and for that Preeces Point proved ideal, providing the
ability to bring a flat bottom mussel barge in close to shore. However, the barges load and
unload their harvest and all their farm gear at the Sugar Loaf wharf not far from Preeces
Point.
Gilbert believes in running an efficient and cost effective operation, employing the best
people he can and carrying out as much of the operation as possible in house.
That includes manufacturing the distinctive large black mussel buoys which support the 'back
bones' and droppers of the marine farms.
"If we needed a large number of buoys in a hurry we often couldn't get them and don't have
the room to stock pile them so we decided to make our own. It's far easier to store 15kg bags
of the raw material than buoys and moulding them also gives staff diversity of work which
they enjoy."
Key mussel buoy maker is Trish Janmaat. She can produce one buoy an hour using the large
mould, filled with granulated plastic, which is baked in a special oven which reaches
temperatures of 270C. The mould constantly revolves inside the oven, causing the melted
plastic to adhere to the sides to produce the buoys.
"When we first started we cut the buoys open to find out how well they had been moulded. I
didn't care how many we destroyed so long as we got the method right," said Gilbert, who
expects the buoys, which retail at about $140 each, to last up to 10 years.
Threading 6km of cotton "stocking" onto a 110mm diameter pvc pipe is another essential task
and David Blythe, Gold Ridge operations manager and Gilbert's partner in a mussel farm in
Wilson's Bay, demonstrated how the stocking is automatically fed onto the pipe in preparation
for use during re-seeding of juvenile mussels out on the water.
Outside in the yard are large mussel sacks full of what looks like frayed rope. Gilbert
explains that the rope's 'frayed' nature gives extra surface area for the mussels to attach
to.
He's impressed at a new rope invented by Nick Franklin of Auckland especially for mussel
farmers.
"It is a braided, not twisted rope so it's not constantly trying to unwind like the ropes
we've used for years have. I think it's pretty remarkable that someone can invent a new rope
and that's just what Nick has done."
To understand how the buoys, stockings, ropes and shellfish all come together, Gilbert and
David took us out to see a re-seeding operation on one of the farms in the sheltered waters
off Rabbit Island.
We watched as Costa Peters and Waylon Brown finished harvesting young mussels from one of the
outer lines of the farm, stripping the shells from the rope in a machine mounted on the barge
deck, and grading them for size.
"It's better to be growing mussels of a similar size together, because they will all mature
around the same time, " said David.
The crew began work at day light but within just a few hours the mussels were back in the
water. Bags were hoisted by an on-board hiab and emptied into a hopper, to be released at a
pre-determined rate into the stocking-covered pvc pipe through the middle of which ran the
continuous growing rope.
The stocking holds the mussels close to the rope until they re-attach, often within hours,
and over the next few weeks the fabric rots in the salt water, allowing the mussels to grow
to harvest size.
Today nearly every supermarket has fresh mussels on sale and in the North Island nearly 50
per cent will be from the Gold Ridge farms, harvested four times a week and delivered fresh
by another partner company, Future Cuisine.
To ensure food safety and the quality of greenshell mussels there are strict conditions
around when they can be harvested.
Because mussels are filter feeders, they can't be harvested for a prescribed period after
heavy rain which may wash containments and bacteria into the sea.
2011年3月7日星期一
Magnetisable plastics for automatic sensors
German moulder Oechsler worked together with the LKT chair of plastics at Erlangen
Nuremberg university to develop a novel system for production of a three-component
rotary signal transmitter with an automatically-inserted Hall effect sensor.
Production of the part - which consists of a magnetic disc, carrier plate with shaft
and a protective cap - was demonstrated on a 70-tonne Arburg 370S injection moulding
machine at K2010.
One of the novel aspects of the process is injection moulding of a multi-polar
magnet, which is orientated and magnetised in the mould. This moulding is produced in
a ferrite filled polyamide 6 compound (LKT also produces a PA12 version ) supplied by
Mate of Japan. The compound contains a combination of strontium ferrite with a
remanence (Br) of 430 milli-tesla (mT) and neodym-iron-boron (Br = 1340mT).
An Arburg Multilift V vertical robot is employed to transfer the magnetised plastic
disc to the second station on the ejector side of the mould and to insert a sensor
component, which is encapsulated by overmoulding with an easy-flow BASF 30% glass
fibre reinforced PBT. This final overmoulding stage forms the carrier plate and the
integrated shaft for the rotating magnetised disc.
Meanwhile, the magnetic disc's MABS protective cap was moulded in a BASF resin at a
third station. The Multilift V robot then assembles the cap, carrier plate and disc
to form the complete rotary encoder.
LKT developed the proprietary ferrite filled PA compound for its polymer-bound magnet
(PBM) technology, selecting the fillers for optimum orientation in magnetic fields.
The institute also developed the concepts for moulding and in-cavity magnetisation of
axial, radial, diametric and multi-polar PBM magnets.
Simulation studies were made at the university to optimise the geometries and pole
structures of PBM magnets. This included magnetic field flow optimisation for multi-
polar magnetic rings used in special sensor and motor applications, as well as on
production tools and magnetising equipment.
Nuremberg university to develop a novel system for production of a three-component
rotary signal transmitter with an automatically-inserted Hall effect sensor.
Production of the part - which consists of a magnetic disc, carrier plate with shaft
and a protective cap - was demonstrated on a 70-tonne Arburg 370S injection moulding
machine at K2010.
One of the novel aspects of the process is injection moulding of a multi-polar
magnet, which is orientated and magnetised in the mould. This moulding is produced in
a ferrite filled polyamide 6 compound (LKT also produces a PA12 version ) supplied by
Mate of Japan. The compound contains a combination of strontium ferrite with a
remanence (Br) of 430 milli-tesla (mT) and neodym-iron-boron (Br = 1340mT).
An Arburg Multilift V vertical robot is employed to transfer the magnetised plastic
disc to the second station on the ejector side of the mould and to insert a sensor
component, which is encapsulated by overmoulding with an easy-flow BASF 30% glass
fibre reinforced PBT. This final overmoulding stage forms the carrier plate and the
integrated shaft for the rotating magnetised disc.
Meanwhile, the magnetic disc's MABS protective cap was moulded in a BASF resin at a
third station. The Multilift V robot then assembles the cap, carrier plate and disc
to form the complete rotary encoder.
LKT developed the proprietary ferrite filled PA compound for its polymer-bound magnet
(PBM) technology, selecting the fillers for optimum orientation in magnetic fields.
The institute also developed the concepts for moulding and in-cavity magnetisation of
axial, radial, diametric and multi-polar PBM magnets.
Simulation studies were made at the university to optimise the geometries and pole
structures of PBM magnets. This included magnetic field flow optimisation for multi-
polar magnetic rings used in special sensor and motor applications, as well as on
production tools and magnetising equipment.
2011年3月3日星期四
New metals are moldable like plastic
New forms of metal can be turned into complex shapes easily and inexpensively like
plastic but retain the metals' strength and durability, U.S. researchers say.
Materials scientists as Yale University say some recently developed bulk metallic
glasses—alloys with randomly arranged atoms rather than ordinary metals' rigid,
orderly structure—can be blow molded like plastics into complex shapes that can't be
achieved using regular metal but without sacrificing any of the metals' characteristic
strength.
"These alloys look like ordinary metal but can be blow molded just as cheaply and as
easily as plastic," says Yale scientist Jan Schroers, whose team has created a number
of complex shapes including seamless metallic bottles, watch cases, miniature
resonators and biomedical implants, molded in less than a minute and twice as strong
as typical steel, a Yale release reported.
The alloys—made up of different metals, including zirconium, nickel, titanium and
copper—cost about the same as high-end steel, Schroers says, but can be processed as
cheaply as plastic.
The team blow molded the alloys at low temperatures and low pressures, where the bulk
metallic glass softens dramatically and flows as easily as plastic.
To carefully control and maintain the ideal temperature for blow molding, the team
shaped the alloys in a vacuum or in fluid.
"The trick is to avoid friction typically present in other forming techniques,"
Schroers says. "Blow molding completely eliminates friction, allowing us to create any
number of complicated shapes."
In addition, the researchers say, blow molding combines three separate steps in
traditional metal processing—shaping, joining and finishing—into one step, making
previously cumbersome, time- and energy-intensive processing quick and easy.
"This could enable a whole new paradigm for shaping metals," Schroers says.
plastic but retain the metals' strength and durability, U.S. researchers say.
Materials scientists as Yale University say some recently developed bulk metallic
glasses—alloys with randomly arranged atoms rather than ordinary metals' rigid,
orderly structure—can be blow molded like plastics into complex shapes that can't be
achieved using regular metal but without sacrificing any of the metals' characteristic
strength.
"These alloys look like ordinary metal but can be blow molded just as cheaply and as
easily as plastic," says Yale scientist Jan Schroers, whose team has created a number
of complex shapes including seamless metallic bottles, watch cases, miniature
resonators and biomedical implants, molded in less than a minute and twice as strong
as typical steel, a Yale release reported.
The alloys—made up of different metals, including zirconium, nickel, titanium and
copper—cost about the same as high-end steel, Schroers says, but can be processed as
cheaply as plastic.
The team blow molded the alloys at low temperatures and low pressures, where the bulk
metallic glass softens dramatically and flows as easily as plastic.
To carefully control and maintain the ideal temperature for blow molding, the team
shaped the alloys in a vacuum or in fluid.
"The trick is to avoid friction typically present in other forming techniques,"
Schroers says. "Blow molding completely eliminates friction, allowing us to create any
number of complicated shapes."
In addition, the researchers say, blow molding combines three separate steps in
traditional metal processing—shaping, joining and finishing—into one step, making
previously cumbersome, time- and energy-intensive processing quick and easy.
"This could enable a whole new paradigm for shaping metals," Schroers says.
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