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With the interactive configurator from STM, the construction of an STM waterjet cutting machine is illustrated in 3D

Bischofshofen. Even if wajerjet cutting is experiencing a permanent boom, for many people the technology remains a mystery. Now however, the Austrian waterjet specialist STM is offering the chance of getting a much better understanding of the technology using an unusual graphical approach. Using a virtual configurator, interested parties can look at the essential components of a waterjet cutting machine in 3D and query all the necessary details. If somebody wants to get further information, they can request free test-cuts and individual analyses. Thus any conceivable investment in waterjet cutting technology can be investigated down to the smallest detail. You can carry out a detailed investigation into the workings of a waterjet cutting machine using the STM configurator at anytime under http://www.stm.at/configurator/stm_configurator_de.html.

If you want to discover the interactive modules for yourself, you can either use the configurator’s horizontal menu-bar to appraise the individual components from all perspectives or simply move the mouse over the elements of the futuristic image. In total, the ten main components of an STM waterjet cutting system are clearly explained. This includes control unit, abrasive pressure-based transport system and storage bin, as well as the abrasive dosing system, the Z-axle, the cutting valve, the abrasive mixing head, the basic system with bridge, the high pressure pump and the abrasive desludging system. This set represents the basis of the STM modular system. The STM waterjet cutting machine can be configured and upgraded at any time using countless additional components so that it precisely fulfils any individual requirement. In spite of the consistent use of branded components and first-class materials, STM can guarantee an unmatched price/performance ratio and optimised commercial operation.

Further Information:

Stein-Moser GmbH I Salzburger Straße 77 I 5500 Bischofshofen I Austria I Telefon +43. (0) 6462. 30 30 0 I Fax +43. (0) 6462. 30 30 5 I [email protected] I www.stm.at

Pressekontakt: YNet – Agentur für Kommunikation & Mediendesign | Wilfried Hummel | Dorfwerfen 66 | 5452 Pfarrwerfen | Austria I Telefon +43. (0) 6468 8911-0 Fax +43. (0) 6468 8911-12 | [email protected]

When Avon Barrier needed a safety skirt for its new shallow-bed road-blocker it turned to bellows and machinery protection specialist Beakbane. The specially designed and manufactured bellows-type safety skirt ensures people, animals or objects cannot get trapped under the barrier when it is lowered, and prevents leaves and litter collecting in the sub-surface housing.

Beakbane is the UK’s leading manufacturer of bellows, safety covers and slideway covers in materials that include fabric, polymers, sheet metal and composites. Its products are used in industries that range from machine tool building and medical equipment to power generation and security equipment.

The new RB880CR Defender PAS68 high-security road-blocker is designed to protect against terrorist attacks using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

Placed in the access points to sensitive areas, such as government premises, power stations, airports and high-risk companies, the road-blockers can be lowered to allow traffic to pass, but in the raised position can stop a speeding truck in its tracks.

Traditional designs of retractable road-blockers use a solid quadrant section barrier that retracts completely into the ground. This requires a housing below the ground at least as big as the barrier – maybe over 1m deep – so installing one of these barriers requires extensive civil engineering works.

The new shallow-bed road-blockers are designed to offer the same high level of protection where deep foundations are not practical or possible. They feature a fabricated steel impact wedge that pivots upwards to provide a 1m high and 2m wide barrier when raised, but retracts into a buried frame just 300mm deep.

In the raised position there is a space between the impact wedge and the ground frame. Avon wanted to be able to offer customers some kind of protective safety skirt. This would need to prevent access to the underside of the barrier and fold flat when it was lowered.

Using its knowledge of developing and manufacturing bespoke protection systems, Beakbane worked with Avon to come up with the best possible solution – a flexible, fabricated, bellows-type cover. The material used was a specially-formulated polymer that would withstand long-term outdoor exposure anywhere in the world.

The covers have already been deployed in secure installations and are performing exactly as required.

Master Bond’s sensor epoxy, Supreme 45HTQ is an extremely stable and durable epoxy for bonding and encapsulating transducers, gauges, actuators and sensors in harsh environments such as those found in downhole applications. The combination of a quartz filler and a special amine compound forms a tough superlative epoxy that will survive the high temperatures and natural gamma radiation found in drilling and extraction operations. When used to attach sensor and transducer elements to a wide variety of substrates, Master Bond’s Supreme 45HTQ is capable of withstanding even the most severe conditions. Its superb resistance to chemicals, especially acids and oils as well as water and steam is ideally suited for this aggressive environment. Also, long term exposures of 205-260°C will not adversely affect the performance of this system.

To ensure accurate pressure and temperature measurements, Master Bond’s
Supreme 45HTQ sensor bonding compound has been designed with a low
CTE. Its rate of thermal expansion is low 30-35 X 10 -6 in/in°C but it retains remarkable thermal cycling capabilities. Supreme 45HTQ will retain its physical strength properties at doses up to 1010 rads. The physical properties include a tensile strength exceeding 8,500 psi and a compressive strength greater than 20,000 psi. Supreme 45HTQ is available in pint, quart, gallon and 5 gallon container kits.

About Master Bond’s compounds for the oil and gas industry:
Master Bond offers outstanding, specially formulated epoxy compounds for numerous downhole applications. These epoxies are characterized by superb resistance to hostile environments, especially aggressive chemicals and high temperatures. Master Bond’s products are used within petroleum facilities and oil rigs in tanks, pipes, hole drilling equipment, pumps, valves and reservoirs.

Read more about Master Bond’s adhesives for the oil and chemical industry:
http://www.masterbond.com/lp/lpoilandchem.html or contact Sheila Frankel: Phone: +44-207-100-7251Fax: 44-207-060-0628 E-mail: [email protected]

Stringent standards with regard to surface quality, shape accuracy and tolerances are the challenges faced by metal grinding companies today. The requirements on grinding technologies and the efficiency of metalworking lubricants are equally as high. Efficient lubricant filtration is a decisive factor governing both service life and finishing quality. The metalwork industry and its suppliers met up at the International Trade Show for Grinding Technology, GrindTec 2010, in Augsburg, a forum for exchanging new ideas and making new contacts. Over a period of five days, more than 400 businesses from 23 countries presented new machines, technologies and processes. GKD-CompactFiltration, a system provider for filtration technology and systems engineering, was also represented at the show for a second time with its patented MAXFLOW concept.

Wide range of solutions for typical process requirements
Whether as an individual or stand-alone solution or a bypass filter unit: MAXFLOW’s custom-designed, tailor-made application attracted the visitors’ attention at the GrindTec. Particular attention was paid to the plug-and-play version, a stand-alone solution that can fast and effectively fulfil a wide range of typical process demands of oil or emulsion-based grinding. With process-specific dimensioning and an extendible tank system, this compact system is a sustainable solution for a wide variety of applications. Convenient operation and efficient maintenance make MAXFLOW the preferred system among users.

Promising discussions
Many visitors to the stand in Augsburg were so impressed by the system’s efficiency exhibited in numerous demanding applications that they engaged in lively talks. The efficiency of MAXFLOW in the filtration of aluminium filings as well as in steel and brass work was at the centre of visitor interest. “The MAXFLOW system has landed on the market”, Sascha Schönecken, Sales Manager at GKD-CompactFiltration is pleased. Customer talks were both engaging and very promising. Intelligent solutions like MAXFLOW, that can optimise central processes in the metalwork industry with efficiency and modularity, are particularly in demand in difficult economic times. “The market is witnessing more activity”, says Sascha Schönecken. With incoming orders growing in the grinding technology sector, the investment mood is also lifting. First-class filtration results and modular system components make MAXFLOW the solution to choose.

IMS was established, in 1969, in the fruitful North West of Italy, exactly near Cuneo. Since then the company have kept a “familiar way” about its organization, that has grown up and improved to become a world leader about the tool holder production for CNC machinery.
The challenge of the present CEO, Alberto Aprà, have been to optimize the productive chain, to internationalize the company, keeping its freshness (the average age of the employees is about 35 years old) and to catch every single change of the time, to make IMS promoting the innovation and not just staring and it. The new branch office in Thomasville, North Carolina (USA) make the company able to reach the huge American clientele, to offer a timely service, while other branch offices are to be open in countries that represent new and fresh market niches.
The constant technological research, the obstinacy not to be flattered by its goals, the desire to improve leads IMS to the top of the tool holders production for CNC machinery for wood, metal and marble. And once you reach the top, you have to keep the position. Our clients satisfaction is the first sign and that’s why IMS conducted a satisfaction survey, the result of which is that almost the 90% of the clientele is satisfied or very satisfied about relationship with IMS. This result is a spur to understand and regain the low percentage of not very satisfied clients, offering them a ”tailor made” service, that will be appreciated.
IMS is lead by the conviction that to come out of the crisis it takes research instead of inactivity, innovation instead of conventionalism, action instead of complaint.
For this reason, IMS will be exhibitor in many fairs such as the Drema fair in Polony (april), Piedra fair (Spain) and Xylexpo fair in Milan (May) and Atlanta (USA, August): to be close to its clients and those who will be.
Because in order to win the crisis, everyone has to do his own part and men and women from IMS commit themselves in this every day with constancy and devotion.

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Toyota, Earnings/Financials, UAW/Unions

This didn’t take long. Hot on the heels of NUMMI shutting its doors for good, reports are emerging that the plant’s former workers aren’t satisfied with their severance packages. Originally, employees were slated to see around $54,000 on average, depending on seniority. The newest workers were headed home with $21,000 in their pocket, while those who had put in the most years were walking away with closer to $68,000.

But that was before the last round of negotiations between Toyota, General Motors and the UAW. According to new report, under the new deal, seniority no longer factors into severance compensation. As a result, former workers at the NUMMI plant will see $21,000 on average.

While fingers are pointing every which way when it comes to who’s responsible for the plant closing and the cut in severance pay, most of the blame has landed squarely on GM, and Toyota has handed over around $250 million for severance packages, while Detroit hasn’t offered up a dime.

[Source: Just-Auto – Sub. Req. | Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty ]

Report: Displaced NUMMI workers unhappy with severance package effort from GM, Toyota originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wow, the House (great show, btw) season finale was shot entirely on a Canon 5D Mark II. You think that the HD video quality of dSLRs is challenging pro video and film gear yet? More »

A roundup of economic news from around the Web.

Recession Dating: NBER recession-dating panel member Jeffrey Frankel offers a little more background on the decision to delay the recession’s end date. “Q: But there is a glaring difference between your views, particularly as expressed in your blogpost of April 5, which was widely reported, and the Committee’s public statement that it was too soon to call an end to the recession. Obviously there is a big gap between you and the majority of the Committee. A: I can see how it looks that way, but there is not necessarily a gap anywhere near as large as you think. The decision is a matter of probabilities. There is, as always, a chance – greater than 1% – that the economy could go into a steep nose dive tomorrow. In that hypothetical and unlikely event, the Committee would have to decide whether the new downturn counted as a second recession, or whether it should be considered part of the recession of 2007-09. In the latter case, we would have made a mistake if we had already declared a trough in 2009. We would have to retract the trough statement. This is an excellent argument for waiting until we can answer that hypothetical question more definitively. It is an argument I am comfortable with.”

Recovery Risks: Tim Duy looks at things that could derail the recovery. “I don’t consider myself particularly optimistic; the forecast of persistent high unemployment rates leaves me feeling pessimistic. But even a subpar outcome (one that argues for more policy action, not less) could be consistent with sustainable growth. To undermine sustainability, it is not enough to focus on factors already weighing on the economy- weak lending, fiscal stimulus waning, crippled housing sector, etc. We already know those factors are preventing a rapid return to past trends. Instead, look for factors that are not already baked into the forecast. Most likely, wait for ongoing growth to create an environment that makes the current dynamic untenable for policymakers — in other words, wait for central bankers to start tightening policy aggressively. We just are not there yet.”

Cap and Trade: Robert W Hahn and Robert N. Stavins look at the political appeal of cap and trade. ” Are cap-and-trade schemes working? This column presents a summary of eight existing schemes arguing that half meet the independence property whereby the initial allocation of property rights does not affect the environmental or social outcome and the scheme is cost-effective. This success is a contrast with other policy proposals where political bargaining reduces the effectiveness and drives up cost.”

Compiled by Phil Izzo

David Rosenberg is still at it, pouring cold water on your optimism.

————————

• The FASB 157 changes a year ago have allowed the banks to post great
credit-related earnings even as their asset base shrinks.  Ex-financial
earnings are up the grand total of 5% in the past 12 months.  That doesn’t
look so V-shaped to us – far less than the market would have you believe. 

• Inventories will only take you so far in an expansion – -to perpetuate the
inventory cycle, final sales have to come through.  In a normal post-
recession recovery, final sales growth averages nearly 5% in the first two
quarters.  This time around, the big rebound has been barely over 1.5% —
and with record amounts of government stimulus. 

• If the savings rate continues along the path it has been on so far this year it
will be back at zero by mid-summer.

• It is amazing how many people believe that home prices are stabilizing in
the United States when there is so much evidence to the contrary.  The
FHGA price index is down two months in a row.   Ditto for the
LoanPerformance house price survey.  The Radar Logic 25 MSA price index
has deflated now for three months running.  The key Case-Shiller index has
yet to decline but that is only due to the generosity offered by the seasonal
factors – the raw data show four declines in a row.  With the new unsold
housing inventory rising back to a nine-month high of 9.2 months’ supply,
and to a six-month high of 8.6 months’ in the resale market, why would
anyone think that there could be anything but downside to housing values?
• We get this all the time – looking at US profits in the context of US GDP is
misleading because so much of the earnings pie is being influenced by the
global economy.  Really?  Well, which countries does the US really do
business with because last we saw, shipments bound for the BRICs account
for barely more 1% of U.S. GDP.  Europe is three times as important and
again, last we saw, the EMU economy stagnated in Q4.  When you dig
through the National Accounts data, what is apparent is that total earnings
derived from the non-U.S. economy are actually down 7.6% YoY.  This has
been, and remains largely a story of the financial sector being able to
manufacture their own model-based credit-improvement-led profits
rebound. 

• While everyone gazes at the drib-drab improvement in jobless claims and
the BLS data showing renewed job growth in the private sector, how much
better have conditions improved in the labour market when Congress yet
again passes a bill to extend jobless benefits?  The grim reality is that the
U.S. labour market is so weak that the average number of weeks that the
unemployed have been without work at a record 31 weeks is now higher
than in Newfoundland (17 weeks) where much of the workforce is seasonal
in nature.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that after an 8.4 million
slide in payrolls to levels prevailing a decade ago, that we have likely hit
some point of inertia. But to describe the job market environment as
anything but grim – as difficult as it is to speak the truth – is nothing less
than dishonest; at a minimum, irresponsible.  

• There is pervasive belief that housing has hit bottom and about to
bounce.   At 10, the NAHB customer traffic sub index is back to where it
was when the equity market thought the world was coming to an end back
in March/09.  How does that comport with a housing recovery view that has
become so prevalent? 

Join the conversation about this story »

-Justin Bieber thanks his fans for making him a daily Trending Topic on Twitter….

-Welsh songbird Charlotte Church is engaged to wed rugby star Gavin Henson, the father of her two toddlers…

-Tiger’s approval rating is in the toilet….

-Oh dear, Little Josie Duggar is back in the hospital after coming down with a stomach aliment….

-The Vatican finally makes peace with The Beatles….

-Broadway’s Jersey Boys has filed a lawsuit against another musical for alleged copyright infringement….

-Hey Hustler, enough with the porn spoofs!

-Someone finally put the whale popularly known as The Queen of Soul on a diet. She’s lost 23 pounds…..

-Police in Prince George’s County, Maryland are investigating an apparent case of police brutality after cops in riot gear attacked a University of Maryland student — unprovoked — following a basketball game on campus last month….

This story on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer highlighted the work of a UT Graduate School of Medicine professor being conducted in partnership with faculty in UT Knoxville’s Southeastern Transportation Center (STC) and College of Engineering.

Dr. John Dougherty, who is also the medical director of the Cole Neuroscience Center at UT Medical Center, is using a high-tech driving simulator to test the driving abilities of those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. The simulator is the result of a partnership between STC, the College of Engineering and private donors. The story coincided with the announcement of new guidelines on driving and dementia from the American Academy of Neurology.

To read the story, visit the ABC World News Web site.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama called on Congress to send him a new jobs bill to sign. He said it should be “our number-one focus in 2010.” The House of Representatives has already passed the NEA-supported Jobs for Main Street Act, which would save or create hundreds of thousands of education jobs, and provide a critical infusion of funds into struggling communities.

By Phil Giraldi

The People’s Republic of Maryland is considering legislation that would install a device in the automobiles of drivers who have been convicted once of “driving under the influence.”  The device would sense alcohol on the breath of the driver using something similar to a breathalizer device and would disable the car ignition.  I know that many will consider the measure to be appropriate as drunken drivers kill a lot of people, but I have to wonder where it will all end up.  One could plausibly argue using the same logic that someone who has had a drink and who has not been convicted of DUI could equally get into an accident and kill someone, so having a drink and getting into a car must be prevented.  So the next generation of this law will be to install the device in ALL vehicles and anyone who goes out and has two glasses of wine with dinner will return to his vehicle only to discover that it will not start. 

We can then install devices in people’s houses that will result in an automatic fine if you smoke a cigar in your house because it is bad for the health, like the truck driver in Canada who was fined because he was smoking in the cab of his own truck.  And then we can legislate all other behavior.  What bothers me is that there is a definite movement in the direction of controlling the lives of citizens to a point where the only thing safe to do will be to sit at home staring into space. 

Patients already lie to their doctors. And almost half of respondents in a new survey said if there was any hint their health information — even stripped of identifying details like name or date of birth — would be shared with outside organizations, they might be even less forthcoming.

A study on electronic medical records use by the California HealthCare Foundation, a philanthropic group, found that 15% of the 1,849 adults surveyed said they’d conceal information from a physician if “the doctor had an electronic medical record system” that could share that info with other groups. Another 33% would “consider hiding information.”

Privacy concerns still hover around EMRs, with 68% of survey respondents reporting some degree of worry about what happens to their personal information once it’s stored in a doctor’s computer. EMR use by consumers is rising, though, with 7% of Americans reporting having used one, compared with 2.7% in a 2008 survey conducted by another organization. (Those that did use EMRs said they were helpful, and a significant number of them said the electronic records prompted them to ask questions about or take steps towards improving their health.)

Of course, not being completely honest with doctors is practically an American tradition, with or without EMRs. Another study out earlier this year, conducted by General Electric, the Cleveland Clinic and Ochsner Health System, broke down what patients generally lie about. Lack of exercise led the pack, with 13% of respondents, followed by compliance with medication instructions (9%), dietary habits (9%), drinking (7%), smoking (7%), use of illegal drugs (4%) and unprotected sex (4%).

Image: iStockphoto

Adam Bereki calls his new book a true account about being a gay cop in Orange County.

Huntington Beach’s police chief calls it fiction.

Bereki, a former Huntington Beach police officer who in 2008 settled a harassment
lawsuit against the city, has released a book about his experiences as a
gay Surf City cop.

“Friendly Fire: The Illusion of Justice”  purports to tell  “what it felt like being a young gay man in a macho, homophobic
profession,” he wrote in his book.

“Though California is viewed
by much of the country as one of the more gay-friendly states in the
union, the Huntington Beach Police department seemingly occupies an
island of its own, pinned in a period of time that runs prior to
enlightenment,” Bereki wrote.

In the book, Bereki, who received a $150,000 settlement after he left the department, claims that taunts about his sexual orientation crippled his physical and emotional well-being.

Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken
Small, who was chief during Bereki’s time on the force, said he had
read excerpts of the book and that it has “no basis in fact.”



“I think it belongs in the fiction section,” Small told the Huntington Beach Independent.

Read the full story here.

–Britney Barnes

Photo: Adam Bereki. Credit: Special to the Huntington Beach Independent via Starlight Photography

In the wake of the air crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and others, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel went to the Polish embassy on Sunday before the nuclear security summit to pay his respects and sign a book of condolences.
I’m told Emanuel did it more as a Chicagoan–and Chicago has a vast Polish population–that as a White House official.

As colleges and universities across the nation look for ways to cut costs, a number of schools are trading in-house e-mail systems for Gmail. Google provides schools with more disc space and a special Apps for Education package at a very competitive price: free.

via Colleges Turn From In-House E-mail To Free Gmail : NPR.

Starting today, you’ll see a new byline on the Health Blog. I’ve long been a fan of The Wall Street Journal’s health and health-business coverage, and I’m looking forward to being a part of it by continuing the strong three-year tradition of this blog. Whether delivering the latest breaking news, bringing you expert insights or digging up tidbits you won’t find anywhere else, the goal is to keep the Health Blog your first and most trusted source of health-related news. I’ll be helped out by plenty of contributions from staffers at the Journal, WSJ.com and Dow Jones Newswires. We also hope to expand the blog’s scope even more to appeal not just to those in medical-related industries, but to anyone who is interested in his or her own health.

I joined the Journal from U.S. News & World Report, where I covered health and medicine for many years. Before that, I wrote about business for USN&WR, TheStreet.com and Bloomberg News. I’ve had the chance to write about the science of cancer metastasis, why the notion of “superfoods” is silly, medical fraudster John Brinkley (Google his name and “goat” for some entertainment on your lunch break) and London casinos. I hope to bring the same eclecticism to this blog in pursuit of making the Health Blog uniquely informative and interesting.

And there’s plenty of raw material ahead: the effects of health-care overhaul, the often-contentious debate on the effectiveness of screenings and new drugs and how information technology is changing the business — just to name a few looming issues. I’m thrilled to start the conversation today, and I hope you’ll be vocal with your input in comments and emails to [email protected].

Greg Blencoe, the CEO of Hydrogen Discovers, Incorporated of Oak Ridge, Tennessee is advocating for a Southern California based Hydrogen Fueling Station Cooperative system to be built by 2015 when the major automakers say they will start rolling out large numbers of production hydrogen cars. Mr. Blencoe has in the past proposed a Hydrogen Manhattan Project for putting up hydrogen fueling stations nationwide.

The system Mr. Blencoe is talking about does not involve government subsidies, but rather is a grassroots movement aimed at early adopters of technology and environmental activists. The idea is that a group of similar minded consumers who live near each other actually own a hydrogen fueling station in a cooperative system.

This group can fuel up their own cars with hydrogen or perhaps even decide to let others use the station as well, thus making a profit. Southern California would be the ideal location to start this cooperative as there are already a number of hydrogen fueling stations open in Los Angeles and Orange counties along with hydrogen cars to refuel at those stations.

This would mean that hydrogen car owners could expand their radius of travel in Southern California (SoCal). In addition, Southern Californians tend to be early adopters of green technology so the chances of marketing this plan in this location will be greatly increased.

Another spin off this same idea that comes to mind for me is for less expensive hydrogen fueling pumps to be built as part of some master planned communities in Southern California. There is already a company that is building, near Denver, Colorado, a master planned community where every residence comes with solar panels.

If a hydrogen fuel pump were installed in some master planned communities in SoCal, then homeowners would pay for it with their association fees just as they would for the swimming pool or other amenities. And, as an option, this could also be accomplished cooperative style with each homeowner owning a part of the hydrogen pump, allowing those outside the community to fuel up there as well for a profit.

I think Mr. Blencoe’s idea has merit. It doesn’t rely on government, big oil companies or even the large gas companies to make the initial investment to get the ball rolling. What it will take is a strong grassroots movement of like-minded people who advocate for hydrogen fuel and cars and want to see them succeed.

Perhaps the SoCal people involved in General Motor’s Project Driveway might want to take up the torch on this one and start their own Hydrogen Fueling Station Cooperative system? Or perhaps there is another group of green tech investors out there just itching for this opportunity. We’ll see how this develops in the weeks and months to come.