One of the best ways to save time and money in injection mold making is by using hard milling techniques. In fact, if you are not already hard milling, you will soon find yourself at a distinct competitive disadvantage.

Why use hard milling?

* To save time
* Reduce set ups
* Eliminate a great deal of EDM work
* Eliminate hand fitting, especially of contoured shut-off surfaces
* Produce a surface that is much more true to the CAD model
* Eliminate a great deal of stoning and polishing
* Move work through the shop more quickly
* Eliminate many grinding steps
* Shorten delivery dates

Those are some pretty compelling reasons to use hard milling! After all, who doesn't want to achieve any or all of the above benefits?

Do you need specialized CNC milling machines?

Yes, and no. No, you don't have to go out and buy a half million dollar vertical milling machine, in fact, you can do a lot on a basic Bridgeport type of machine. But, if you are serious about hard milling, you should definitely invest in a machine that is designed for this purpose.

You need a CNC milling machine that is rigid enough to withstand the forces generated by the high spindle speeds, rapid feed rates and the vibrations caused during machining. Nowadays there are many high quality machines that are specifically designed for high speed milling and hard milling.

A CNC milling machine used for hard milling should have

* A column and base that is heavy
* Box ways with linear roller bearings
* A spindle that is core cooled
* Ball screws that are dual supported
* Thermal stability and structural rigidity

Do you need specialized software?

Again, yes and no. No, you don't need CAD/CAM software that is engineered specifically for hard milling. But your quality will suffer as a consequence.

This is because the requirements for hard milling are different than conventional milling of soft steel. The typical software will cause the cutter to move in a jerky manner, which will shorten tool life dramatically and fail to achieve the desired accuracy and surface finish.

Some other tool path requirements are

* The need to control how the cutter enters and exits the cut
* The need to maintain a steady, constant chip load
* Ensure that the shock conditions for each roughing and finishing pass are maintained

The idea is to produce a surface that is true to the model, dimensionally accurate, has a good surface finish and do it quickly! Sounds like a lot to ask, but it is done everyday by progressive mold making shops around the world. Having the right software is essential.

What about the spindle?

The cutting tool and the tool holder act as one unit. The spindle must be able to protect the integrity of this unit. Therefore, it must be designed for the high speeds that are necessary. Direct drive spindles are called for in hard milling applications. Gear and belt driven spindles are not advised. The control of heat and vibration is also extremely important.

The importance of the spindle cannot be overlooked because it is the link between the machine tool and the cutter. If the spindle is inadequate, the entire process will suffer greatly.

Do you need special CNC tooling?

Shrink fit tool holders and an HSK interface are mandatory for hard milling. Sure, you can use other methods, but this combination has proven to be very effective. These tool holders are the most accurate available today and they are very easy to use.

The HSK interface is simply the most accurate, secure and stiff type in use today. Failing to use the proper tool holders will shorten tool life dramatically because the chip load will fall on on flute and quickly cause premature wear.

Conclusion

The hard milling of plastic injection molds is becoming a standard method of mold making. There are so many benefits associated that shops who are slow to get onboard will soon be at a serious loss to compete.

With today's sophisticated CNC milling machines, coated carbide end mills, ceramic inserts, advanced software and reasonable prices, hard milling is within the reach of almost any competitive mold shop.

Randy Hough has worked as a plastic injection mold maker since 1978. He heads a group of industry professionals who have a web site dedicated to injection mold making. You can learn the latest trends and techniques by visiting http://www.global-plastic-injection-molding.com

They also have an interactive blog. Learn how to make a plastic injection mold, mold design, about jobs in the plastic industry and more.

"You know Dad, I've been thinkin', one is a lot more than zero!" my son, Thomas, age 5.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randy_Hough

In mid September, Mitchell Dong, chief investment officer of Solios Asset Management told a news wire service, “I think we are seeing the tip of the iceberg of financial investors entering the physical uranium market.” At the Platts Nuclear Fuel Strategies conference in Washington, this past week, Mitchell Dong was a pit bull. Not only did he take extensive notes during the speeches, but he was first-in-line to question the majority of the speakers after their presentations.

Clearly, whatever initial purchases his fund or funds had made, in entering the physical uranium and equities markets, he probably wasn’t finished loading up. Nearby, a trio of Greenwich, Connecticut hedge fund managers quietly listened to the presentations. Later, they lunched alone at their table while we observed them huddled in deep discussions about what bets they might place in the uranium bull market.

Long-time insiders have kept trying to put this bull market into whatever context they could. A difficult task since many of them endured a twenty-plus-year uranium drought, which only came out of hibernation the past few years. Some admitted they had nearly given up on the sector as the years passed by. Now, they and everyone else involved is trying to figure out how to make the Big Score on this amazing nuclear renaissance.

Of course there were opposing views on how to deal with the uranium price. Charles Peterson, an attorney at DC-based Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, hinted at a more transparent market, hoping uranium might be offered on a future exchange. He compared to the accessibility of other metals where traders use speculators. Later in the day, Patricia Mohr, Vice President for Economics, at Canada’s Scotiabank warned the industry that if uranium were traded on a futures market, its volatility might already have it trading at $100/pound.

Again, the uranium price worried many at the conference. Ending the HEU hung around at the back of the minds of utility executives probably because many wondered where future SWU would come from, should the Russians terminate supplies to U.S. utilities. Should preparations not be taken at this time, it would not surprise us to see a super-spike in the price of uranium which Sprott Asset Management’s Kevin Bambrough has occasionally warned us about. U.S. utilities remain complacent, assured the Department of Energy will come to the rescue at the last minute. But will they?

On the outside chance we might get insights into the complex and secretive Russian mind, we cornered Andrey A. Orekhov, counselor for the Science and Technology Department at the Embassy of the Russian Federation. He briefly attended the conference to eavesdrop on what Ronald Lorentzen, Director of the Office of Policy within the U.S. Department of Commerce, had to say at his presentation with regards to ongoing Russo-U.S. negotiations. We tested the waters by talking about the new generation of nuclear reactors, and brashly asking him if he could introduce us to Sergei Kirienko, head of Russia’s atomic energy agency, Rosatom. Instead he referred us to a lesser light for an interview.

Then, we asked him if we had been accurate in reporting that Russia’s aggressive nuclear ambitions would drive the uranium price to $100/pound. Pondering our question for a while, as if weighing whether the wrong answer would lead to his next meal in a Russian prison, Orekhov looked off into a far corner of the room and responded, “Who knows?”

His question concisely summarized the collective thoughts of the conference. No one really knows how much higher the price of uranium will run, whether it will reach $100/pound (and higher) and how soon it might arrive at the century mark. As we noted in an earlier part of this series, Dustin Garrow remarked of a possible run to the $80 to $100/pound level. The Florida Power and Light spokesman believed $52/pound was too high.

Renaissance Could Hit a Wall

Garrow made an interesting point at the beginning of his presentation, announcing, “There are now more than 400 uranium companies.” The implications of his comment are wide-ranging should one pause to ponder what he meant. Fuel Cycle Week senior editor Nancy Roth addressed this in the October 3rd issue. She reported upon the events and revelations at the Platts conference, writing, “Several speakers mentioned serious technology and equipment deficits that are a legacy of this dormant period (the uranium depression: 1980 – 2003), along with the dearth of nuclear personnel from uranium miners to nuclear engineers.”

These observations swipe at both sides: uranium producers and utility end-users of the uranium. If the labor and equipment shortages fail to provide sufficient uranium for utilities, then the price is likely to rise much higher. At the same time, should nuclear power plants fail to staff up their operations, or construction delays impact the building of new reactors, a lesser quantity of supply, less than what has been projected, will be required.

To make it short and simple: this industry is still too ‘new’ to realize all of the complications required to move forward. As Ms. Roth wrote in an email to us, “I think the uranium industry has a real chicken-and-egg problem in reinventing itself, and I think a key indicator of the severity of the problem might be in these production costs.” The cost to which she was referring was the expense required to extract uranium from the ground. In the United States, there are a handful of in situ recovery operations. That is an insufficient number to adequately calculate an average production cost for a mining operation.

What happens when another half dozen uranium properties commence new mining operations? One of the hidden problems within the uranium development sector is the lack of proven miners. Over the past year, a few existing U.S. uranium producers experienced employee raids by the newly arrived development companies. We suspect more will take place, as several companies move closer to the mine development stage. Raids are taking place because of a lack of skilled and proven personnel.

Patricia Mohr brought up another of many interesting points. Increased mining output during 2004 and 2005, but in the first half of 2006 Mohr observed, “Mine production probably dropped in the first half of 2006.” She believes production was about 20 percent of companies planned. She pointed out Australia’s Ranger mine production was lower because of a cyclone; Olympic Dam because of declining ore grades. Rugged granite, from which Namibian uranium is mined, has reportedly caused problems at this country’s Rossing mine. Mohr believes the mine’s output could slow down in the second half of the year.

We believe the production costs for many of the up-and-coming projects are going to be greater than expected. When was the last time a new uranium mill was built? Not in this century. When was the last great uranium deposit discovered? Twenty years ago. How does a new company calculate its start-up and operating mining and milling costs in today’s dollars? Some might believe they know the answer, but we won’t really know until the actual production scenario takes place. And that might be two years down the road at the very earliest. Factors such as those do puzzle the forecasters, the analysts and the industry insiders. They truly do not have a proven benchmark against which to make an accurate evaluation. The last time they could was during the uranium bull market of the 1970s.

What about those 400 uranium companies? “Do you read their news releases?” asked Nancy Roth. She does, we read many of them. “Aren’t most of them just hype?” she inquired. We had to agree with her assessment. But in understanding the junior uranium companies, it is the news release which attracts investors to provide market support for their stock prices. Some have no real plans but to mine the stock market, as author and long-time uranium insider Julian Steyn once told us. Over dinner, Ms. Roth provided us with an important insight. She covers the NRC hearings for various companies hoping to move their projects forward. Those who are actually meeting with NRC aren’t doing so for a free trip to Washington at the expense of their shareholders, but instead to bring their project into the mine development stage. Among the most recent applicants were some of our favorites, such as Uranerz Energy (AMEX: URZ), UR-Energy (TSX: URE) and Energy Metals (TSX: EMC). Another was the privately held Concentric Energy Corp.

Coincidentally, StockInterview fan Laura Stein had been emailing us to meet with Ralph Kettell, Chief Executive of Concentric Energy. Because of Ms. Stein’s insistence, and our review of Mr. Kettell, we met with him about his project. Aptly, he chose the Greenbelt exit on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. For those unfamiliar with this exit, it is the road to NASA. As an electrical engineer, it was for NASA that Kettell designed the radio frequency (RF) portion of the Space to Space Communications System used in the construction of the International Space Station. Kettell also likes to seriously dabble in natural resource stocks, having been the lead investor and a director in AuEx Ventures.

No stranger to the uranium market, he had written an article for a resource website in 2003, proclaiming the coming bull market in uranium. Kettell forecast that some of his favorite stock picks, such as Strathmore Minerals – then trading for about C$0.30/share, would jump by 1000 percent. Strathmore’s 2006 high was C$3.00.

Kettell had created an index of five uranium stocks (there weren’t 400 to choose from, back in 2003) from which he started at a base number of 100. Kettel’s favorite stocks were Cameco Corp (NYSE: CCJ), Denison (TSX: DEN), International Uranium Corp (TSX: IUC), JNN Resources (TSX: JNR) and Strathmore Minerals (TSX: STM). He told us this past spring, the value of his index had soared to the 3,000 level – up 30 times from when he began tracking his favorite uranium stocks. Since then, the index had dropped to 2,200. We asked him in which direction he believed it was heading next. He responded, “I’ve looked at the technicals (technical analysis), and it should blow through the 3,000 level in 2007.”

By early 2007, Kettell believes his private company, Concentric Energy, should be publicly trading. He told us he had rounded up the support of Jim Dines, Doug Casey and other newsletter writers for his private placement stock. Kettell said Pinetree Capital (TSX: PNP) was one institution backing his project. His company plans to develop the Anderson uranium mine, about 75 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. The property had produced about 33,000 pounds in the 1950s. Additional exploration by Unocal and Urangesellschaft in the late 1970s demonstrated sufficient promise in the property. He told us Unocal was planning a 2,000-ton-day mill in 1978 for a proposed open pit mine.

We mention this meeting to bring home a very strong point about the future price of uranium. Upon our asking Mr. Kettell what his operating costs for the milling and mining operations at the Anderson property, he told us, “About $65/pound.” At least he was honest. This may not be the price level U.S. utilities want to hear about, but it might become the floor price for the future price of uranium. Perhaps, Mr. Kundalkar, the vice president from Florida Power and Light whom we mentioned during the first article in this series, should pay attention to what the uranium miners are saying.

xHands up who likes office Christmas parties? The one time of the year when ideally everyone gets to relax, celebrate the year and get to know people a bit better beyond their normal work roles.

That is the ideal ... what generally happens is a committee is formed or the office admin is drafted into the role of event organiser. They then run the gauntlet of:

First - the fight about the venue " I don't want to go there", "They don't have what I can eat", "Can't we go bowling/sky diving/ deep sea fishing instead", "That's too far to drive to", "We went there 4 years ago - can't we go somewhere different".

Next - setting the date. You are more likely to win Division 1 in Lotto than be able to pick a date that everyone can attend and even if you pick a date that starts out where everyone is free, at least 2 key people will pull out at the last minute.

Next - the outfits. Guaranteed someone will suggest fancy dress (or at least funny ties and Christmas hats).

Next - the entertainment. Karaoke, versus lawn bowls, versus just sitting and chatting.

Next - paid or unpaid. There are always "discussions" about whether attendance should be classed as work time or in their own time.

Next - the menu and alcohol. Set menu or self choice. To serve alcohol or no alcohol.

Finally - Secret Santa. Will you run one, how much will be spent and on what.

The big day finally arrives, the time to start arrives and people are still milling around the office fixing last minute emails and phone calls. One or two very lonely people wait at the venue by themselves until about half an hour late the rest of the crew arrive.

No Christmas function can happen without at least

* one inappropriate comment to the boss,
* two drunken office juniors create office gossip for the next six months by their antics,
* three people hate their secret Santa present,
* four people spend the whole time running down the company and
* five employees leave early.

For years I was the HR Manager at many Christmas functions and I can tell you - I hated Christmas parties!

I counted a party a success if there were no sexual harassment allegations popping up over the next week, if no junior embarrassed herself (it was always a girl) by doing a Brittany Spears and her many wardrobe malfunctions, if no girlfriend or boyfriend of an employee threw up or hit another staff member, if no one uploaded a video taken on their phone of the drunken antics and uploaded it to You Tube and if everyone got home safely without any car accidents or brawls on the way home.

Here are my top 10 "in the trenches" tips to hosting a Christmas party at your work.

1. Intent - be clear on why you are having a party. Is it to have staff relax and get to know each other better, to celebrate a great year, to commiserate a bad year, to get families involved in work? Whatever your intent - be clear and tell people what you are doing.

2. Parties are not a motivational tool - a Christmas party (no matter how expensive) generally is not a motivational tool for staff. They will not work hard all year for no praise and average wages on the hope you throw a great party once a year!

3. Parties are work functions - there is a lot of case law about this. If someone attends a work Christmas party they are generally considered to be "at work". That means managers are liable both directly and vicariously for accidents, injuries, harassment, vilification and all of the other nasties when people are at your party. Put in risk mitigation measures from the beginning.

4. Alcohol - in one word NO!!!!! If you really must supply alcohol you must also supply taxi vouchers to get people home from the party safely. You also need to ensure you have at least 2 managerial level staff (one male and one female) to be the "fun police" and keep an eye on people drinking and not drink themselves.

Most complaints and problems arise when people overindulge in alcohol or illicit drugs. The fun police's role is to keep an eye on drinking, protect people from themselves, go into the toilets and help people who are ill to get themselves safely sorted out and then go home. They also need to keep an eye out for videos and video phones recording inappropriate behaviour.

5. Have someone sober monitor the bar tab. Unless you have very deep pockets, if you are running a bar tab keep an eye on the spend during the night. I know some functions that started by costing $3000 and when the bar tab was added it ended up costing over $20,000.

6. Wages - if the party is during regular work hours then I would suggest attendance is paid (unless they are under absolutely no obligation or even subtle pressure to attend and they can remain at their desks if they choose instead of attending). If the party is out of hours then the party is unpaid.

7. Mandatory attendance. Don't do it! All attendance should be totally optional.

8. Secret Santa presents - they are fine to do but set limits on both money and the sort of gifts bought. A $10 limit is fine - make sure the limits include that there are no pornographic, R rated, insulting or abusive gifts bought (remember your vicarious liability ....).

9. Venues - do consider if the venue is appropriate for all members of your staff. This not only includes people with disabilities but also people of different religions and ages. Make sure the menu caters for Vegans as well as kosher if needed.

10. Codes of Conduct - remind all staff about your Codes of Conduct both on the lead up to the party as well as at the beginning of the function. Yes it puts the damper on things, but it will save you a lot if you do get taken to court (you can show all reasonable steps were taken to prevent a problem).

If you follow these tips your after party hangover should only be related to too much red wine and not in cases before various courts and jurisdictions.

Ingrid Cliff is a Freelance Copywriter, Business Development and Human Resources Consultant to Small and Medium Businesses with her business Heart Harmony. Ingrid writes a free weekly business development newsletter and daily blog for small to medium sized businesses.

The Esco New Mach CNC 647 combines coil fed economy with CNC flexibility and is useful for short and long runs of precision parts. The machine features a 12,000-rpm rotating toolhead, four independent cutting tools and backworking capabilities including cross drilling, threading, milling and broaching. The latest option allows the rotation of the part in the pickup spindle with C-axis interpolation or at a turning speed of up 4,000 rpm. The company says the Esco CNC New Mach 649 Plus features two additional back-working stations and a multiple function subspindle designed for producing complex, tight tolerance and high quality surface finish parts up to 1/4" diameter. The machine uses either bar stock for short runs or coil stock for high volume production applications. Its tool presetting unit is said to speed up both the initial setup and subsequent tool change times. The machine has the same 12,000-rpm rotating tool head with four independent cutting tools as the 647 model.

Hansco Technologies. Inc., (201) 3910 700. Enter 233 at www.mmsinfo.com to visit Online Showroom, or write 233 on RS card.

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 1999--Spatial Technology Inc. (AMEX:STY), the world's leading developer of open, component 3D modeling technology, announces ACIS(R)-enabled MYPAC SUPER CAM, a Japanese machining software package developed by Kuraki Co., Ltd. (Kuraki). Kuraki is a highly respected Japanese machine tool manufacturer known for their CNC horizontal Boring Mills, CNC Horizontal Machining Centers, and CNC Vertical Machining Centers. Kuraki developed the MYPAC line of machining software to complement their sophisticated machine tools. The de facto standard ACIS kernel provides the core 3D modeling functionality to MYPAC SUPER CAM. "Kuraki Co. has been successful in commercializing the MYPAC CAD/CAM application based on ACIS 4.2. We are very grateful to Spatial, because this success is due to the enhanced functions in ACIS, like blending, shelling, and free-form surface creation," said Mr. Yoshiteru Wanifuchi, general manager, System Engineering Department, Kuraki Co. Ltd., Japan. "We are now working to integrate ACIS 5.0 and are very excited with the additional functionality. Particularly, the IGES input feature, healing, and tolerant modeling, which are a great merit for mold manufacturers."

"We are pleased that Kuraki Co. is enjoying success with ACIS-enabled MYPAC SUPER CAM," said Karlheinz Peters, senior vice president, worldwide sales, Spatial. "Working with highly precise models is extremely important in machining operations and the high-fidelity of ACIS makes it the `kernel-of-choice' for generating models for these sophisticated machines." In addition to the advanced functionality, performance, and precision of ACIS, the industry standard ACIS SAT(TM) file format gives MYPAC SUPER CAM users 3D model interoperability with over 175 ACIS-enabled applications. MYPAC SUPER CAM is Windows 95 and NT compatible and supports 2 1/2, 3 and 5 axis machining operations.

About Spatial Technology

Spatial Technology Inc. is the world leader in the development of open, component 3D modeling technology. The ACIS 3D Toolkit, Spatial's flagship product, is universally recognized as the de facto standard 3D modeling kernel for the MCAD, CAM, CAE, and AEC industries. With over 480 ACIS licensees and more than 1.3 million end users of over 175 ACIS-enabled applications, ACIS is indisputably the most widely used 3D modeling kernel in the world.

The open architecture of ACIS and the industry standard ACIS SAT file format are known as the "ACIS Geometry Bus." The ACIS Geometry Bus is the key to 3D model interoperability among ACIS-enabled applications, including ABAQUS/CAE by Hibbit, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc., AutoCAD and Mechanical Desktop by Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), CADKEY by Baystate Technologies, Inc., Grade/CUBE II by Hitachi Zosen Information Systems, GSCAD by Intergraph Corporation (Nasdaq:INGR), IronCAD by Visionary Design Systems, Inc., Maxwell 3D Field Simulation by Ansoft Corporation (Nasdaq:ANST), TurboCAD Solid Modeler by IMSI (Nasdaq:IMSI), Vellum Solids by Ashlar Inc., and Working Model 3D by MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (NYSE:MNS).

To further extend Spatial's leadership in sharing and accessing CAD model data throughout the design and manufacturing process, Spatial and InterData Access, Inc. (IDA) have combined their technical expertise, products, and financial strength. IDA, Spatial's Interoperability Solutions Subsidiary, is a leading provider of product data viewing, data translation, and digital mock-up software and consulting services to Fortune 500 industrial companies worldwide. IDA products include IntraVISION(R), CALSVIEW(TM), VisionShare(TM), Data Exchange Manager, and IGES/STEP development tools. IDA's customers include Boeing, Bombardier, Caterpillar, Diebold, General Electric, Harley Davidson, Hitachi, Lear Jet, Motorola, Northrop Grumman, and Silicon Graphics. For more information, visit IDA's Web site at http://www.ida.com.

Spatial Technology is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, and has offices in Europe and Asia. Shares of Spatial stock are publicly traded on the Nasdaq-AMEX exchange under the symbol "STY" (AMEX:STY). For more information, visit Spatial's Web site at http://www.spatial.com, or call 303/544-2900.

Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by any forward-looking information. A description of risks and uncertainties attendant to Spatial Technology Inc. and its industry, and other factors which could affect the Company's financial results, are included in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the Company's annual report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 1997.

Spatial Technology Inc. and SAT are trademarks. ACIS is a registered trademark of Spatial Technology Inc. CALSVIEW and VisionShare are trademarks of InterData Access, Inc. IntraVISION is a registered trademark of InterData Access, Inc. All other products are trademarks of their respective owners.

Lawler Gear Corp., Lee's Summit, Missouri, is celebrating its 2511 anniversary.

The gear manufacturing firm, started by Cal Lawler in 1978, started out of the Lawler family home.

Soon after, the company (with two employees) moved to a 3,000-sq.-ft. facility in Raytown. Two moves, one expansion and 20+ years later, Lawler gear operates in a 31,000-sq,-ft. facility with 20 employees.

Lawler Gear produces spur, helical, spline, worm, bevel and rack gears in metals and plastics from 1/2" to 90" in diameter.

The company also offers: gear inspection; gear grinding; gear hobbing; gear shaping; gear racks; sprockets; broaching; CNC milling; CNC turning and automatic sawing."What we can accomplish with our experienced crew (average tenure is 15 years), efficient facility and CNC equipment is incredible," commented Ray Lawler (Cal's son), who has been with the company since 1979.

Ray and his brother, Wayne Lawler, handle the daily operation of the business. Cal, now 74, still comes in most days to help out. Cal's wife, Pauline, also assists in the office.

"In our line of work, quality is a given," stated Ray as he reviewed the company's successful history. "We focus on taking care of our customers."

Ray pointed out that a large portion of the company's customer base has been with the Lawler Gear for a long time.
The extensive range of equipment at the company includes: 31 pieces of spur and helical gear machinery; ten lathes (4 CNC); ten mills (one CNC); three pieces of worm/worm gear machinery; seven pieces of bevel gear machinery; four pieces of gear grinding equipment; three broaching machines; two pieces of keyseating equipment; 14 pieces of grinding equipment and 3 saws.

The company, which has been ISO certified since 1997, serves a wide range of industries in the Midwest and across the country including: printing, agriculture; food processing; construction; utilities and general industry.

Lawler Gear Corp can be contacted at: (800) 346-3038; (816) 525-0002; Fax (816) 525-1113; 1320 South East Hamblen Road, Lee's Summit, Missouri 64081.

The Sinumerik 840D NCU 573.5 is a CNC system that offers a range of specialized functions for milling, drilling, turning and grinding. Its capabilities also include nibbling, punching and laser machining technologies. When used with the integrated PLC 317-2DP, the company says the NCU provides approximately 160 percent higher numerical control performance and 300 percent PLC performance over previous versions, as well as more CNC user memory. When expanded to the maximum, the system has 31 axes/spindles and ten channels/ten mode groups. The CNC also offers features to increase productivity, especially in high speed and five-axis machining.

Everyone goes through the reception line and you have your first opportunity to greet your guests as a newly married couple. This is your first opportunity to talk to everyone before going into the reception hall to begin an evening of dining and dancing.

Place cards (also known as table markers) may seem old-fashioned, but serve the same purpose today as they did years ago. In fact, many believe that they are a must for any reception with seventy-five guests or more. A guest milling about trying to decide where they want to sit makes the wedding look haphazard and unstructured.

The elegantly presented place cards holders are a wonderful way to create fabulous first impressions as your guests arrive. The place card holders let guests know where to find their seats. The place cards holders should be used to your advantage by placing people together with compatible interests and separating guests who may dominate conversations. Simple cards may be positioned in the place card holder at the head of each place setting on the table.

The use of place card holders is also a unique way to present the theme of the wedding. Whether you have a detailed seating chart or are planning a reception with open seating, a place card holder is a wonderful wedding accent. It adds an elegant tone to the table settings and provides each guest with another wedding favor that they can take home.

You can also personalize the place card holders with special events related to the bride and groom. On the bottom of each, you can add information related to the date the couple first met, their first date, favorite song, restaurant, meeting each other parents, proposal date, where they were when the proposal was made, etc.

The place card holders can be simple and homemade or you can purchase personalized elaborate holders that can also be used as the wedding favor. This allows you the opportunity to merge two different components of the reception into one, saving time and money.

While working as a professional coffee taster and quality controller with several of the top coffee companies in Kenya, cupping hundreds of coffees every day for many, many years, I found that certain physical characteristics in the formation of the green beans consistently produced very specific and identifiable qualities in the profile of the resulting roast.

In this article we are going to share our experiences as to how these various flaws in the physical formation of green coffee beans can help you understand the cause of resulting cup and, therefore, help you with your green bean purchases.

There are many factors within the various stages of plant husbandry and harvesting that cause these flaws in green bean formation which we'll identify in this article. More important, we'll speak to how these formation flaws can directly affect cup acidity, body and flavor.

To begin, the major formation flaws found in green coffee beans prior to roasting include:

• Shriveled
• Thin edged
• Boat shaped
• Ragged
• Hollow or Shell
• Multiple center cut

Since a number of these formation flaws tend to occur together in the same beans, we're going to group those flaws that have a similar cause and effect.

Shriveled, Thin Edged and Boat Shaped

Green beans that are shriveled are deformed beans, usually small, irregular or immature in formation, usually with multiple center cut. Thin edged and boat shaped are easily identified as the name of the flaw indicates.

Beans with these formations are lacking in nutrition, including Chlorogenic acid and magnesium during the growth process. Causes also include drought or lack of sufficient irrigation. As a result, these beans will normally be whitish to brownish-yellow in color.

The beans will sometimes open during roasting and almost always produce a soft roast. In addition, these flaws in formation often cause the beans to break during the roasting and blending process.

As a result, the roasted beans will tend to give you a smoky taste because they require over roasting, compensating for the pale beans. More often than not, they will also have excessive hay and grassy flavors.

During cupping, you'll also experience a flat cup, a harsh full body and lacking in acidity. The excessive presence of shriveled beans will result in a high percentage of moisture loss (20% plus) during roasting.

Ragged

These beans are not smooth, but instead have a rough and corrugated appearance. This is caused by overbearing, drought-affected cherries and immature in ripening, often leading to a yellow cherry. You'll notice that these beans will also have a sticky sliver skin which isn't completely removed during the milling process.

Roasted ragged beans will result in a pale color with a lot of chaff, partially because of the sticky silver skin. The result will be a soft roast which is more permeable and, together with the chaff, will result in very fine fragments in the brewed coffee, giving a heavy and viscous body in the cup with many impurities.

Hollow or Shell

This formation flaw is sometimes caused by deficiencies in minerals in the soil, but with a generous water supply, causing the tree to produce large beans that mutate. This condition can also be caused when two beans are growing together and then one dies while the other continues to grow, which are commonly referred to as shells because of the resulting formation.

The roast of hollow or shell beans is very similar to that found with shriveled, thin edged and boat shaped beans as described above.

Multiple Center Cuts

These beans are identified by having two or more center lines. This formation is usually found in shriveled beans and ragged beans, but can also be found in full solid beans. The causes range from either overfeeding or because the coffee trees have been drought affected.

Still, too many multiple center cuts, all other things being acceptable, will cause an uneven grind after the roast, negatively affecting the body in the cup.

Conclusions

High quality beans will not contain formation flaws, whereas most coffee beans that do contain these types of flaws will remain pale and under roasted at a normal roast. As a result, beans with these flaws require over roasting which will result in a high percentage loss in total weight of 20% or more. This loss in weight should be taken into account when buying green coffee and measured against high quality alternatives.

Over the years, we've found that green bean quality and its resulting cup is not a result or origin, but primarily a result of superior plant husbandry, milling, grading and sorting, enabling each country to produce top quality coffees with ideal characteristics for that region.

This article is the second in a five-part series describing general guidelines on how to determine quality characteristics of green coffee beans before the cupping analysis.

Coffee was first introduced to the Islands by Chief Boki, the Governor of Oahu, in 1825. He acquired coffee plants in Rio de Janeiro while aboard a British warship, the H.M.S. Blonde. These first coffee plants were planted in Manoa Valley, on Oahu, where they flourished. From this original planting, coffee trees were introduced to locations around the Islands, including the now famous Kona Coast.

The coffee tree needs six specific conditions to thrive: rich soil, proper elevation (between 500 and 3000 feet is ideal), sunshine, cloud cover, rain and a moderate slope for proper drainage of roots. While some good coffee comes from climates which offer just a few of these conditions, The Hawaiian climate offers all six elements. This perfect blend of conditions provides coffee trees with the ideal environment, and allows Hawaii to produce some of the richest coffee in the world.

The growing season in Hawaii begins in January and ends in June. Coffee growers watch expectantly for coffee blossoms to appear on the trees after rains early in the season, and these flowers eventually turn into coffee cherries. Much like the grapes destined for fine wines, coffee cherries are allowed to ripen on the tree, under the close watch of the farmers. When they are bright red and ripe, each coffee cherry is harvested individually.

Trion, a division of Fedders Corporation, has developed an innovative mist collector called the Mini Mist Eliminator (Mini M.E.). Virtually all screw machines, CNC machines, surface and centerless grinders use water-soluble, synthetic and petroleum coolants to protect cutting tools and parts. The mists associated with these coolants can be harmful to the health of the machine operator through inhalation and contact with the skin and eyes. Based on potential health risks, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established recommended exposure limits for oil mist.

The Mini M.E. removes oil mist from the air by utilizing the principle of electrostatic precipitation. This principle involves drawing the oil mist through an impinger which removes a majority of the mist, especially large droplets. The remaining mist is drawn through an ionizing section, charging the remaining mist particles which then pass through oppositely charged collector plates. The charged mist particles are attracted to the collector plates like a magnet. These particles then drip back down to be recaptured or drained away. The dirty collector plates can be simply washed clean, eliminating costly filter replacements.

The Mini M.E. also eliminates the need for extensive duct work because it can be easily mounted on the machine, platform or ceiling. This also helps to free up floor space. The Mini M.E. can help save on energy costs by being wired directly to the machine tool control, operating only when the machine tool does. It also helps to reduce maintenance costs by protecting equipment from oil mist.

This quality unit not only traps and removes the oil mist, but also the smoke associated with cutting tools and grinders. The Mini M.E. cleans and recirculates indoor air with up to 95% efficiency rate on 0.3 micron particles. It also offers a great advantage in that it can be seamlessly integrated into pre-existing machine tool systems.

Trion is one of the most trusted names in air purification systems. Trion has produced high quality products for industrial, commercial, military and residential markets since 1947.

Coffee was first introduced to the Islands by Chief Boki, the Governor of Oahu, in 1825. He acquired coffee plants in Rio de Janeiro while aboard a British warship, the H.M.S. Blonde. These first coffee plants were planted in Manoa Valley, on Oahu, where they flourished. From this original planting, coffee trees were introduced to locations around the Islands, including the now famous Kona Coast.

The coffee tree needs six specific conditions to thrive: rich soil, proper elevation (between 500 and 3000 feet is ideal), sunshine, cloud cover, rain and a moderate slope for proper drainage of roots. While some good coffee comes from climates which offer just a few of these conditions, The Hawaiian climate offers all six elements. This perfect blend of conditions provides coffee trees with the ideal environment, and allows Hawaii to produce some of the richest coffee in the world.

The growing season in Hawaii begins in January and ends in June. Coffee growers watch expectantly for coffee blossoms to appear on the trees after rains early in the season, and these flowers eventually turn into coffee cherries. Much like the grapes destined for fine wines, coffee cherries are allowed to ripen on the tree, under the close watch of the farmers. When they are bright red and ripe, each coffee cherry is harvested individually.

Trion, a division of Fedders Corporation, has developed an innovative mist collector called the Mini Mist Eliminator (Mini M.E.). Virtually all screw machines, CNC machines, surface and centerless grinders use water-soluble, synthetic and petroleum coolants to protect cutting tools and parts. The mists associated with these coolants can be harmful to the health of the machine operator through inhalation and contact with the skin and eyes. Based on potential health risks, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has established recommended exposure limits for oil mist.

The Mini M.E. removes oil mist from the air by utilizing the principle of electrostatic precipitation. This principle involves drawing the oil mist through an impinger which removes a majority of the mist, especially large droplets. The remaining mist is drawn through an ionizing section, charging the remaining mist particles which then pass through oppositely charged collector plates. The charged mist particles are attracted to the collector plates like a magnet. These particles then drip back down to be recaptured or drained away. The dirty collector plates can be simply washed clean, eliminating costly filter replacements.

The Mini M.E. also eliminates the need for extensive duct work because it can be easily mounted on the machine, platform or ceiling. This also helps to free up floor space. The Mini M.E. can help save on energy costs by being wired directly to the machine tool control, operating only when the machine tool does. It also helps to reduce maintenance costs by protecting equipment from oil mist.

This quality unit not only traps and removes the oil mist, but also the smoke associated with cutting tools and grinders. The Mini M.E. cleans and recirculates indoor air with up to 95% efficiency rate on 0.3 micron particles. It also offers a great advantage in that it can be seamlessly integrated into pre-existing machine tool systems.

Trion is one of the most trusted names in air purification systems. Trion has produced high quality products for industrial, commercial, military and residential markets since 1947