Manufacturing
Castings – Part 2: An Introduction
Thursday, September 29th, 2011In a previous article we briefly introduced three casting approaches, each with its own application. In this article we will explore cast iron, miniature zinc, and brass casting. Cast Iron Cast iron is an alloy of carbon, iron, and other elements. It can be cast into a soft and strong iron, or into a hard [...]
Die Casting Resource
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011Part I of our series on castings can be found here. Part II of our series will be postedsoon, but if you are interested in exploring die casting further, I want to recommend the excellent website of the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA). This helpful resource not only provides a good introduction to the [...]
iPhones & the US China Trade Deficit
Thursday, December 16th, 2010This article is cross-posted in the Baselodge blog: http://baselodge.com/blog/2010/12/iphones-the-us-china-trade-deficit/ Apple’s wildly successful iPhone line is a bright shining testimony to American design and engineering. Can it really be that such a great American product is actually adding to the United States’ trade deficit with China? Given the current way trade deficits and surpluses are calculated, [...]
Castings – Part 1: An Introduction
Friday, August 6th, 2010Almost anything your mind can conceive of that requires a product to be cast or formed can be manufactured. We will save a discussion of plastics and other materials for later, but if your design requires a mold or die and a metal casting, you have many options. Your specific application will drive the material, [...]