Archive for October, 2008

Easy Sensible Weight Loss

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008


Weight loss
is not an easy thing to accomplish but can be done. Since my daughter was born fifteen months ago, I have lost a little over sixty pounds. The two most important factors in weight loss are eating less and moving more. The main thing to keep in mind while working toward losing weight is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to try not to lose weight drastically. If you stick with your new eating and exercise habits then your weight
loss goals should be happily met.

The first thing to think about when working toward losing weight is to eat less. The average diet consists of about two thousand calories per day. While trying to lose weight, you can go as low as one thousand two hundred calories per day and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also, you have to remember to eat the right kinds of foods. Chow down on the fresh fruits and vegetables. Try to stay away from anything with sugar, and anything that is fried. When cooking, use the no-calorie spray butter instead of the real thing.

Switch to skim milk instead of whole milk. Also, at the beginning of the week, make out a healthy menu for the week and go by the menu when making your grocery list; this way, you will not buy things you will not need to be eating, plus it saves you money. Stick with the portion sizes listed on the food packages as well. When first starting to eat the right size portions, it may not seem like much food, but it is plenty to keep your body satisfied and healthy.

The second half to weight loss is to start moving more. It is recommended to at least walk briskly for about thirty minutes each day. If you have kids, you know this is not a problem. Take the dog for a walk a couple times a day; if not for yourself, for the dog because they need exercise too. Get together with a few friends from the neighborhood
and share the local gossip as you take a walk around the block a few times. Take a few laps around the backyard. Going shopping counts too! Pushing a fully-loaded cart around inside the grocery store is crazy good exercise. You not only get lots of walking time in, you give your arms a workout too by
pushing and turning that heavy grocery cart.

Another thing to remember where weight loss is concerned is to lose weight in a healthy way. The most healthy weight loss occurs when only two to three pounds are lost each week. This may not seem like much but it is important to keep your body healthy and not traumatize it by losing fifty pounds overnight. You may lose up to five pounds the first week or two and that is alright because you have made drastic changes to your diet and exercise habits; but after the first two weeks try to stick with two to three pounds per week.

Another option you may want to consider is a good weight loss pill. If you go this route, just remember that there is no such thing as a miracle pill. You will have to watch your diet as well. But weight loss pills can help.

Always consult a physician before taking any supplement or starting a new diet and exercise program.

Iron Casting Information

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Metal Casting

Iron Metal Casting can be referred to as products made out of melted iron molecules. These molecules are, first, poured into mold and allowed to cool. They are then extracted. The casting properties depend a great deal on the foundry practice. They also depend on the cooling rate. Iron contains huge carbon concentrations. This content facilitates melting, simplicity of casting, and machining. Iron casting designs have a great variation owing to the property of iron to resist shrinkage during the process of cooling. The end product attains a great reputation for its strength and durability. Tensile strength ranges between 20,000 psi and over 60,000 psi. The values of hardness (without heat treatment) range between 100 and 300 BHN.

Some factors need to be considered while buying iron Casting . The quality of the foundry that is being used should be one of the first things on the list of things to check. This should be done because foundry practices determine the casting properties. The consumer might have a tough time in finding the apt one. Secondly, the concentration of carbon should be looked into. The percentage of carbon commonly ranges between 2.5 and 4%. An addition of even 0.Decreasing the tensile strengh by around 2700 psi is caused by just 1%. Every foundry has different ways of doing things which means their casting procedures will be different from each other.

Green sand molding is the most commonly used type of Casting . Normally, small and medium sized products are produced using this type of casting. Shell molding is preferred for bigger applications. Shell molding is great in the fact that its really good for helping with the cooling of the heated metal in the mold. This process gives a better finishing to the final product as compared to all the other processes. Centrifugal casting is used for producing big cylinders and pipes. Both, producer and consumer would get highly satisfied if a proper blend of correct casting process and reputed foundry is made.

Iron castings are utilized extensively in machinery, automotive, and agricultural industry. Parts such as turbine and pump housings, dynamometer bases, compressors are made out of iron castings. Majority of manufacturers have the caliber to go for high and low production outputs. They are also entitled to go for short order runs. To give the customer the highest accuracy and quality there are standard prototypes that should be used. Some manufacturers provide finishing services like galvanizing, painting, and machining as well. In general, iron castings include alloy casting, ductile castings, and malleable castings. There are some terms relating to iron castings. They need to be known in order to get a fair idea of iron.

Brinell Hardness Number (BHN): It can be defined as the method used for measuring the hardness of iron. For iron castings, a metal ball of 3000Kg is put on a flat iron piece. After the removal of ball, indentation observed is recorded. This measurement indicates the value of hardness.

Tensile Strength: Tensile strength can be defined as the quantity of bending and stretching undergone by a material before tearing or breaking. Here the metal is iron.

Modulus of Elasticity: It can be defined as the ratio of stress to strain. This value determines the elasticity as well as the stiffness of the concerned material.

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Aluminum Casting and the Types of Aluminum Casting

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Metal Casting

Aluminum is amongst those metals which can be ‘cast’ by every process used in metal casting. These processes, in descending order of quantity of aluminum  casting are: die casting, permanent mold Metal Casting , sand casting, plaster casting, investment casting, and continuous casting. The Metal Casting process is selected on the basis of factors such as cost, feasibility, quality, etc.

Feasibility is not a problem, as all the above methods are quite practicable. However, the most suitable casting method can be decided according to the design features or dimensions.  For instance-Large products are made using sand casting. The quality factor is also important in selecting the casting process. Quality refers to both, mechanical properties (ductility and strength) and soundness (surface imperfections, cracking, and porosity freedom).

The methods most commonly used can be described as follows:

Die Casting : As per the statistics, around $2.5m worth of die-castings of aluminum  alloys are produced in the US alone every year. The process of die casting utilizes almost two times the tonnage of aluminum  alloys as the combination of other casting processes. Die casting is best suited for large quantity production of relatively tiny parts. Aluminum die castings upto 50 Kg of weight can be produced if casting-machine costs and high tooling are justified.

Some common applications of die cast aluminum  alloys are inclusive of alloy 380.0 for Lawnmower housings, Alloy A380.0 for streetlamps housings, dental equipment, typewriter frames, Alloy 360.0 for frying skillets, instrument cases, cover plates, parts needing corrosion resistance, Alloy 413.0 for outboard parts of motor like connecting rods, pistons, housing, and Alloy 518.1 for conveyor components, escalator parts, aircraft, marine hardware.

Die castings cannot be easily heated or welded due to entrapped gases. Efforts are being on the war footing to overcome this obstacle. The die castings of aluminum  alloys are generally produced using aluminum -silicon-copper alloys. This alloy family gives an excellent combination of corrosion resistance, strength, and cost, along with respite from ‘hot shortness’ and high fluidity which are mandatory for easy casting. Alloys with a lower content of copper will really help to avoid corrosion and should be used for corrosion to be avoided.

‘Permanent Mold’ casting: ‘Permanent mold’ casting is best suited for high-volume production. Their size is larger than ‘die castings’. These castings have a very low pouring rate. They are gravity-fed. Outstanding mechanical properties are exhibited by ‘permanent mold’ castings. There is a lot of scope for further improvement if they are given heat treatment.

Some of the most common alloys of ‘aluminum  permanent mold casting’ include Alloy 366.0 for automotive pistons, Alloys 355.0, A357.0, C355.0  for impellers, timing gears, compressors, missile and aircraft components, Alloys A356.0, 356.0 for aircraft wheels, parts of machine tools, pump parts, valve bodies, marine hardware, and 296.0, 333.0, 319.0.

Sand casting: This type of casting involves formation of casting mold (with sand). It is inclusive of conservative sand casting & lost-foam casting. The first thing we are looking at involes the process of making a pattern of sand and then pouring the hot metal into it and then allowing it to form and then breaking it. When you are using a lost foam pattern, you are using a dispensible pattern of foam that goes into the mold. The rest of the procedure is the same as conservative sand casting.

Metal Casting ZOne is a new community website all about Home and DIY Metal Casting. Come by today and join the site for free and you get a free Metal Casting Basics EBook just for signing up! Stop by the website MetalCastingZone.Com Today for your free Ebook on Metal Casting.

Learn about the basics of Lost Wax, types of Lost Wax Casting, and the process of Lost Wax Casting

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Metal Casting

Lost Wax Casting is known as Cire Perdue in French. This is a very important process where a scuplture made by an artist is used to cast bronze. The Lost Wax Casting method is also known as  Investment Casting in the modern industrial world. This is a very ancient method used for casting small bronze sculptures, but today it is used to make many different artifacts and the process varies from foundry to foundry. Today this developed method of Lost Wax Casting is used to make articles like fine jewelery, show pieces, dental restoration, a few specific industrial parts and also some machine tools.

Process of Lost Wax Metal Casting :
 
Rough Sculptor making: A creative artist makes an original sculptor or mold or an artwork by using raw material like wax, plaster of Paris or clay. A mixture of oil based clay and wax is preferred as these materials retain their softness.

Final Mold Making: A mold is then made as per the original sculptor. The mold is made up of two pieces and a key with shim is placed between the two pieces during construction so the mold can be put accurately back together. Molds are generally made using plaster or fiberglass or any other material that may be suitable. An inner mold of latex or vinyl or silicone is put pup preserve the details of the original art work. Generally, the original art work made of plaster mold cracks and breaks during the initial phase of deconstruction. Many a times, numerable molds are required to get the exact replica of the original art work.

Filling up the mold: Once the latex and plaster mold is complete and finished, molten wax is poured into the mold till it gets an even coating all around the mold. The thickness of the wax coating is around 1/8 inch. This process is then repeated until the desired thickness is achieved.

Removal of wax replica: The hollow wax replica of the original art work is then removed from the mold. It would be nice if you could reuse the mold a variety of times but becausee there is significant wear and tear it really can only be used one time.

Softening: Each wax mold is then chased or softened using heated metal tools. The metal tools are rubbed around portions that show cracks or the joining line of the mold, where the pieces have come together. Separately molded wax pieces are then heated and attached. You will then do what is called “dress” the mold so you can hide any and all imprefections. The final piece then looks like a bronze sculpture.

Making paths for molten bronze: It is also known as “spuring”, in short the wax copy is then branched with treelike wax, so that the molten bronze reaches the right parts and also it helps the air to escape. The critical and careful spuring begins from the top of the wax copy. The top of the copy is attached to by wax cylinders to different points on the wax copy.

Slurry, burnout, testing, pouring, release, metal-chasing, and painting are the final steps in the process of Lost Wax Metal Casting .

Metal Casting Zone is the premiere place to go to discuss everything about Metal Casting, Home Casting and anything else Metal Casting. Come by today and join the site for free and you get a free Metal Casting Basics EBook just for signing up! Stop by the website MetalCastingZone.Com Today for your free Ebook on Metal Casting.

Advantages of Rapid Prototyping

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

prototyping

Invention Prototype is a process of software development wherein physical objects are automatically constructed by means of SFF or solid freeform fabrication. In the process of rapid prototyping, a prototype or working model can be constructed quickly, and tested for its functionality, performance and output. The new features or ideas can be illustrated well in the prototype and early user feedback can be gathered with regards to the product. There are numerous advantages of rapid prototyping.

Benefits of Rapid Prototyping:

Significant advantages of a Invention Prototype include reduction of project cost and risk. Generally, one or more prototypes are developed in the process of software development in a series of incremental and iterative steps. Every prototype that is manufactured is based on the previous designs’ performance and it is a corrective process through which the past design defects or problems are corrected. The product is readied for production when the prototype is refined as per requirements and meets all the design goals like manufacturability, robustness and functionality.

Another great advantage of rapid prototyping is that it finds use and application in almost all the industries. The other advantages of rapid prototyping include the following:
Visualization capabilities are enhanced in the early designing phase with use of rapid prototyping. The user gets a fair idea of how the final product will look by observing the working model in early design stage.
The design flaws can be detected before manufacture process is initiated.
Rapid prototyping enables producer and users to participate actively. Active participation between the users and producer is encouraged.
The user is able to get a higher output.
The development costs are reduced considerably, hence rapid prototyping proves to be quite cost effective.
Rapid prototyping increases the speed of system development.
With Invention Prototype , it is possible to detect deficiencies in the earlier prototype, coding activities and requirement analysis.
Rapid prototyping assists in refining the potential risks that are involved in the delivery
The different aspects of the prototype can be tried and tested and immediate feedback is possible form user.
Better communication is enabled between the users and designer as there is clear expression of requirements and expectations in the start itself.
Rapid prototyping enables easy delivery of high quality product.

Cost and Time Savings:

Savings of development time and process costs are some of the greatest advantages of rapid prototyping. Time can be saved by reducing the amount of time required to produce the prototype parts and tooling. Production costs are lowered as the mistakes regarding tooling are identified in the early stages and hence, the modification costs can be cut down in the actual production.

Advantage of Innovation:

Rapid prototyping can be used in many innovative ways. There are many firms that use rapid prototyping innovatively, hence, offering additional benefits. The advantages of rapid prototyping in innovative applications are advancement of new testing procedures and analysis, production tooling manufacture, improved communications across production departments and support of customized manufacturing. The new technologies can be used in a cost effective and successful manner with innovative applications of rapid prototyping.

Marketing Guru Dan Kennedy Marketing Courses

Monday, October 27th, 2008

There are many direct marketing materials out there, and as far as authors of direct marketing strategies and techniques go, Dan Kennedy is just one of many. But, if you were required to to sit down and ‘rate’ direct marketing heros, most everybody in the direct marketing business would agree that Dan is the champion of them all.

Dan Kennedy is well known in business and marketing arenas by his nickname — the “millionaire maker”. The neat thing is that his fame comes from his results. Fundamentally, Dan Kennedy is only a freelance copywriter who is regarded as a hero by many in the copywriting profession. Of course Dan Kennedy is one of the highest paid, hardest working, most in-demand direct marketing experts in all of America today. Not only that, but Dan Kennedy marketing is also already a best-selling book machine — Dan is author of more than 5 books and numerous (too many to count) “how-to” courses and packages. Some of his packages retail for greater than $3,000.

When it comes to interesting direct response marketing opportunities, Dan Kennedy has a unique straight-forward (what he calls “No BS”) style and is certainly putting himself out there every day! As everyone knows, Dan is a thought leader in the coaching movement (especially in the west coast), and was one of the first coaches in the area to be certified by the exclusive International Coach Federation. Dan offers and teaches a unique brand of coaching that smartly focuses on what is already working in your life and your business. His goal is to show his customers the precise road map to take their ideas and turn their ideas into a successful business.

There are particular situations in business where direct marketing is more likely to work than others. First and foremost, the direct marketer must be able to specify the target market and audience in terms of shared characteristics and common interests.

Obviously, the secret to successful direct marketing is to get the right offer to the right person. You must select your target audience, clearly identify exactly what you are trying to accomplish, and use the steps in some of Dan’s how-to guides to formulate a direct marketing campaign that will impress your new prospects and strongly motivate them to respond.

Direct Marketing is a well-known form of marketing that tries to send its messages directly to prospects and consumers, using directly addressable media such as mail and email. Therefore, direct marketing differs from regular advertising (such as television) in that it does not place its messages on a third party medium, or in the public market, such as a billboard or a radio commercial would.

Bottom line, chose your direct marketing strategy carefully. An when you are ready to learn more about direct marketing, consult an expert link Dan Kennedy.