Tag : healthful machining evnironment

Manufacturing Facility

5 Tips for Staying Safe and Healthy in the Manufacturing Facility

Ranging from poorly maintained tools to fatigued workers, manufacturing setting is riddled with hazards, both out in the open and some hidden. If you do not know a place to start checking out, then such risks may lead to injuries and sometimes death. Below are five tips to help you stay safe and healthy in a manufacturing facility.

1. Ensure Proper Use and Maintenance of Machinery and Equipment

The first step to ensure everyone is safe in a manufacturing setting is to ensure machinery and equipment are properly maintained. Failure to constantly ensure the equipment works properly can pose risks to every employee in the facility.

It is important to know that even tools with fail-safes are prone to malfunction if you do not do regular check-ups. To ensure proper functioning, ensure that the equipment undergoes regular inspection. Your employees should know how to check whether the equipment works optimally. Contacting a professional to inspect your equipment can help.

Proper use of manufacturing equipment will ensure that the machinery works well without posing any danger to those around the manufacturing facility. You should, therefore, ensure that only those qualified to handle a certain equipment are the only employees who work on it and handle it with professionalism.

2. Permanent Hazards Need Special Consideration

Numerous equipment in a manufacturing facility poses a risk to anyone regardless of whether they are functioning as required. Chemicals, for instance, will remain dangerous to anyone even when regular inspections are done. However, you can minimize these risks by labeling, and give every employee the right protective gear when handling these chemicals.

It is important to also clean spills. This will ensure that there are no health risks that are exposed to employees. Carefully cleaning up spills will ensure there is no gas emitted into the atmosphere. Some gases may pose a health risk as well as act as a respiratory irritant.

Wearing safety equipment while in a manufacturing facility is crucial. This will prevent any visitor, employers, managers, subcontractors, and contractors from hazards. For instance, wearing an eye protection such as goggles will help you prevent metal or chemical splash into your eyes.

3. Employees Should Undergo Regular Training

It is said that your firm is as safe as those people who work in it. Every employee should undergo training regularly on every contact they will be handling. You should make sure that they can spot warning signs such as burning wire smells, scraping or grinding noises, abnormal wobbles, or anything that may sound abnormal. If you find out any machine that is unsafe, then shut it down.

4. Sufficient First Aid

In case of an emergency, you need to have easy access to a first aid kit. Your manufacturing facility should be stocked with medical equipment including first aid kits for general purposes as well as those customized to meet the specific needs of your working environment.

You need to ensure every employee undergoes training to have at least some level of knowledge on how to use a first aid kit. In some cases, you will need to have your staff members specially trained to offer CPR, first aid as well as conduct a confined-space rescue.

5. Wear Proper Clothing

Having a protective gear in a manufacturing facility may not be the only preventive measure available. In fact, you should always wear proper clothing, not loose clothing that may be caught in or on the machines. Wearing a closed shoe is also an important part of ensuring you remain safe while in a manufacturing plant.

If every employee follows these tips, then your manufacturing facility will be a safe place for both your employees and those visiting.

air compressor

Who makes the best mid-size compressor?

Picking a decent air compressor depends on the project you’re working on, and if the unit should be convenient. On the off chance that a compressor unit can deal with the scheduled task, you’ll be inclined to work with that specific model instead of a massive, and difficult to deal with the model.

Most of the compressors on our list of preferred models are sufficiently small-sized and easily stored under a workbench, yet efficient for some tasks. Below are some of the best US manufacturing companies that have produced reliable compressors over the years.

Dewalt Heavy Duty PSI

The popular Dewalt brand has continuously manufactured in the US reasonably priced air compressors. The heavy-duty PSI is an oil-free model with a 12amps motor and has a flexible startup to reduce overworking the breaker. The 36-pound air compressor is portable and quite slim at only 12.5inches; therefore, it fits in any tight compartment.

The standard manufacturing design in the US brand compressor comes in black and yellow colors. It is slightly underpowered and cannot run consistently with the reduced power. Users may only use it for smaller jobs to avoid damage and more complications other than aging. It’s suitable for short to mid-sized jobs.

Porter Cable PC Pancake Compressor

The Porter air compressor is one of the least expensive air compressors on the list, and the lightest, weighing at only 26 pounds. Due to its compact size, it’s easy to use and store. With just 135 PSI, the Portable Cable PC compressor requires low maintenance since it runs on a 12v motor and puts out an impressive power. It is an oil-free pump with a longer life and minimum problems, even in cold weather.

However, this air compressor produces the loudest noise on the list, with an output of 82Dba. It is a reliable compressor for anyone in search of a stable US manufactured equipment made by top engineers from some of the best mechanical engineering schools. It offers long lasting service, if well taken care of.

Senco Horsepower Peak

Senco CNC manufacturing produces low priced portable compressors. This 20-pound Senco compressor handles small jobs and, it’s incredibly silent at 73 dBA and one complete horsepower. It runs ½ power at its peak to complete a task. The accessories include a ¼ quick disconnect coupler, individual tank gauges, and synchronized output pressure.

The manufacturers offer a one-year warranty of assurance. Long-term use degrades the covering around the handle, but it doesn’t deteriorate its overall usefulness. The manufacturing skill on this unit is flawless and performs best if handled correctly.

Makita Big Bore Compressor

This is a powerful, relatively low priced air compressor. It has an iron pump with big pistons and cylinder, a combination that provides peak performance when in motion over extended periods. The large Makita compressor with a 1,720-RPM pump is quiet and performs well even at lower RPM.

It comes with a one-year warranty, and, manufactured with a solid cooler running pump that lasts for several years. The 2.6-gallon tank weighed 52 pounds and labeled at 130 PSI with a ¼-inch universal quick coupler, which is easy to use. It’s listed as compact, but the manufacturing specs make it mid-range at 52 pounds. You need about 20 seconds to refill, so it’s still powerful considering the size that it comes in, though it cannot handle specific tasks and it lasts a very long time.

automation

What is Powering the New Manufacturing Plants?

CNC manufacturing is evolving at a rate that is faster than anticipated. Today, regardless of whether the source of power is wind, water, gas, solar, or steam, automation procedures and the latest technologies in CNC machining are essential in manufacturing industries. Here is a detailed view of what powers new manufacturing plants:

Water Power

This kind of power sources requires different turbines which as designed to produce efficient power in water power plants. When it comes to machining in these facilities, speed and accuracy are essential. Water can only generate productive electricity if it is made to flow at high speed, meaning that turbines with have not been appropriately reinforced can crack under pressure.

Wind Power

Whenever wind energy is used, the plant needs to have superior performance capabilities. Wind power, when used for mechanical engineering processes, for instance, requires gears and systems that are not only precise but also very efficient. The equipment needs to be highly flexible, and it also needs to react to the slightest changes in wind pressure without compromising the performance of the power plant.

Across all the states in the US, there are more than 500 manufacturing plants that manufacture equipment used to generate wind power. There is a lot of demand in the sector by manufacturing facilities.

Steam and Gas

Geothermal power stations use these forms of forms of energy to generate power. Steam and gas power comes with a lot of pressure, so the manufacturing processes using these resources for energy need to have turbines and equipment that can remain functional even when subjected to high stress and tension.

Gas, being a non-renewable source of power, is not as popular as the renewable sources. Manufacturing companies, however, still use gas because of its speed and efficiency in producing electricity.

Solar

Solar energy is the most efficient source of power currently in use in USA manufacturing. All countries around the world, and even in manufacturing schools, solar power is perfecting processes that have been in existence for years.

Manufacturing in the USA and the rest of the world is quickly embracing CNC automation procedures. To power these plants and these processes, companies are moving towards better power sources. Wind, water, solar, and steam are just some of them, but these four are the best and most efficient sources of power for new manufacturing plants.

The most manufacturing in the world today is done in China eve through for a time, the United States held the number one position. The US, however, still holds the number position when it comes to providing quality manufacturing processes.

Monitoring the Environment

Power generation needs to be by the laws of the environment. Power plants, in sourcing for ways of energy generation, need to be wary of the effects that they have on nature and the well-being of the people around them. Using natural sources of power like wind, water, and solar is best as they have minimum effects on the environment.

These energy sources are also renewable, meaning that manufacturing plants can reduce wasted during their processes. Although some plants still use non-renewable sources that are harmful to the environment, manufacturing processes, technologies and automation are making it much easier for these companies to switch to sources of power that do more good than harm to the surrounding areas.

coolant

Coolants: Evolving to Support a More Healthful Machining Environment?

In CNC automation, knowledge of machine tool coolant is ever-evolving. At Tag Team Manufacturing, we have a stake in quality, including the environmental and health aspects of the materials used throughout U.S. manufacturing. Today we offer a rundown of the safety and performance improvements in coolants. 

Coolant is Essential

Metal cutting would be impossible without coolants of some type. Coolant is essential for moderating the temperature of tools, chips, and workpieces.

Yet a big concern surrounding coolants is whether they are safe for workers and the environment. Can coolant work well—without compromising health and safety? The answer is complicated, but progress is being made.

Mineral or Vegetable?

Innovations in cutting fluids are solving workplace hygiene problems related to tramp oils, by improving filtration performance. Traditional, petroleum-based cooling fluids would attract bacteria, as tramp oil mixed with debris tended to form a film on them. Managers would apply antiseptics, but those chemicals introduced further environmental health and safety issues, and could compromise metalworking performance.

Today’s coolant makers put an emphasis on vegetable emulsions in place of the traditional petroleum-derived fluids. Companies sell these newer products based on the fluids’ growing reputation for improved outcomes on the shop floors. It turns out the benefits of the innovations are environmental as well.

Beyond the Cheap Chlorine Mixes

Product developers once brought chlorinated paraffin into cooling fluids meant for application in nickel-based metals and stainless steel. The additive’s purpose was to bond under pressure, and create a lubricating film capable of withstanding high heat.

Chlorine alternatives, such as sulfur and phosphorous, tend to cost more. Today’s manufacturers avoid chlorine ingredients, and offset extra costs by recycling the fluids. Recycling systems are available from Eriez, PRAB, and Canada’s Custom Coolant Equipment corporation.

Additionally, we’re seeing innovative, ester-based coolants that take U.S. manufacturing workers’ safety and well-being to higher levels. These products significantly cut down on fume release, or misting. This is the way of the future, as Canadian suppliers recommend chlorine-free solutions, and in light of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent moves to restrict chlorinated paraffins in fluids marketed for manufacturing in USA workplaces.

You’ve Come a Long Way, Ester

The early, natural vegetable ester fluids lacked staying power. And, like petroleum-based fluids, they had an undesirable smell. Bio-stability was a key issue for the emerging products, because bacteria were attracted to the oils. But as Condat and others today develop synthetic esters, the chemical makeup makes these fluids practically bio-resistant.

Products based on vegetable esters, including Vasco, cost more up front, but pay off in performance. There is also Condat’s innovative MECAGREEN line. It uses a high-performance mix of synthetic, vegetable-based esters. Tool life is lengthened up to 20%, and the amount of product used can involve savings as much as 40% relative to petroleum-based fluids. Bonus improvements include smaller amounts of residue on parts, ease of cleanup—and a measurable difference in workplace skin issues.

Catch Up With Tag Team Today

Tag Team Manufacturing is an innovative CNC manufacturing company, dedicated to continuous improvement in the process of CNC machining.  Call us at 303-841-5697, or toll free at 866-915-2058.