ES Technology Announces Sale of 1st M2 LaserCUSING Machine in the UK

Following the announcement that it has been chosen by Concept Laser GmbH as the exclusive UK and Republic of Ireland distributor for Concept Laser’s additive manufacturing systems, ES Technology has announced the sale of the first M2 machine to Airbus UK, which becomes the first UK based customer. The aircraft manufacturer will be using the M2 in its material and process projects as part of the company's research and development activities in Bristol. The machine will be on display at the forthcoming TCT exhibition in October, and will then after be directly shipped to the customer for installation.
The M2 LaserCUSING CAD-to-metal machine, has the capability to build component parts and tools in Aluminium and Titanium. The M2 machine can also produce parts in various other materials including, Stainless Steel, Inconel 718, Cobalt Chrome, and DIN standard Tool Steels.

With a build capacity of 250mm X 250mm X 280mm, and build layers from 0.020–0.050mm the machine offers the quality and accuracy expected for the production of finished parts. The M2 machine is one of a suite of machines available from Concept Laser, which provide cost-effective rapid manufacturing solutions for a range of component sizes.

Visit ES Technology Limited and Concept Laser GmbH, on Stand E20 / F17 at TCT – 21st and 22nd October 2008 at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.

Dowding Pursues Wind Turbine Machining with Massive MAG Machine Tools

A long-time contract supplier of fabricated and machined components to a wide range of companies, Dowding Industries is making the leap to large-part production and the transition to the alternative energy economy. It announced today at the International Manufacturing Technology Show the purchase of two massive machining systems from MAG Industrial Automation Systems for production of wind turbine components and large, critical parts for other big-machine makers. A MAG Cincinnati U5-1500 five-axis profiler and a MAG Giddings & Lewis PT 1800 horizontal boring mill are the centerpieces of a new state-of-the-art 35,000 sq. ft. machining facility in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. It is operated by a subsidiary, Dowding Machining. Both machines were delivered earlier this summer and are finishing installation and prove-out.

A family-owned company, Dowding in 2006 began looking for opportunities to grow while avoiding the region's industrial downturn. It was particularly attracted to the potential for wind turbines and alternative energy, according to Jeff Metts, Dowding Machining President. "We saw an opportunity to be part of the 'new energy' solution."

MAG did extensive application and time studies based on wind generator part prints provided by Dowding, according to Jim Foust, sales engineer for VMC Technologies, MAG's channel partner in Michigan. "The detail and thoroughness of the reports were overwhelming," he said. "The studies included machine recommendations, fixturing, set-ups, tooling, cycle times and earnings per hour. MAG addressed the risks and unknowns, giving Dowding the comfort level, as newcomers to large part machining, to make such a major commitment," he stressed.

"All our MAG machines - Fadal, Cincinnati and G&L - are built here in the U.S.," said Metts. "That is another important factor for us. We looked at many different machine tool companies to 'hook our wagon to' so to speak. We were convinced our success was right here in the U.S.A."

While Dowding targeted the wind turbine market, it has already picked up orders from leading construction equipment and mining machinery manufacturers. "This is a case of 'build it and they will come'," said Foust. "If you can machine big parts, there are a number of industries ready to do business with you." In fact, MAG itself will be using Dowding to produce components for large machine tools.

With the new large-part machining facility, Dowding is leading Michigan industries in the transition to alternative energy and the new economy. The new facility will create more than 350 new jobs in Michigan. Assistance was offered through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the city of Eaton Rapids is considering a 12-year abatement to support the program. During a visit to the new facility, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm said, "This new manufacturing facility will create good jobs for Michigan workers and anchor Dowding's presence in Eaton Rapids for years to come."

About MAG Industrial Automation Systems

MAG Industrial Automation Systems is a leading machine tool and systems company serving the durable-goods industry, worldwide, with a large portfolio of highly-recognized and well-respected brands. With manufacturing operations on five continents, MAG ranks as a leader in the global metalworking capital equipment market.

JANA Fails to Invests into Shenyang Machine Tool (Group)

Guan Xin, board secretary with Shenyang Machine Tool Co., Ltd. (SZSE: 000410), a listed arm of Shenyang Machine Tool Group, confirmed the story, adding that the main reason was that the deal did not gained approval from concerned Chinese authorities. However, industry experts do not think so. In their opinion, it was the US fund's capital shortage that led to the failure in cooperation.

Founded in 2001, JANA is a large-sized hedge fund with over USD 7 billion under management. Companies it bought into included Valero, Time Warner Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Co. and etc. Unlike other US hedge funds, JANA mainly earns profits via restructuring business of target companies. So far, it has invested as much as USD 20 billion in companies worldwide, with a compound 24% yearly return on investment. Stung by the US subprime crisis, hedge funds worldwide reduced their investment sizes in markets overseas to a largest extent. And there is no exception to the US hedge fund.

Founded in December 1995, Shenyang Machine Tool Group is one of the largest machine tool manufacturers in China. In order to fuel expansion, it made a decision to introduce strategic investors. And in April 2007, it put a 49 percent stake on sale via the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange. It first planned that a 30 percent stake would be sold for CNY 1.01 billion; and then, the remaining 19 percent stake would be sold for CNY 640 million.

JANA, a San Francisco-based hedge fund, defeated top Chinese engineering machinery manufacturer Sany Group Co., Ltd. and finally put the 30 percent stake in Shenyang Machine Tool Group into its own bag in last June. The fund, which also expected to acquire the other 19 percent stake, had been preparing documents for a second bidding till January this year. Notably, it hoped that the Chinese government could agree to its plan to restructure Shenyang Machine Tool Group with other two companies.

Former FD man works on food machine for NASA

A former Fort Dodge man is trying to perfect a machine that may someday help feed astronauts on Mars and starving people around the globe.

Scott Fortune, who now lives in Cresco, has a prototype device in his machine shop that reduces soybeans and peanuts to oil and an edible substance. The ultimate goal is to shrink it to one the size of a pair of staplers that can make six pounds of food and oil in an hour.

''The whole project is about finding alternative ways to feed people whether they're on Mars or on Earth,'' he said. ''The emphasis started on feeding astronauts, but the implications are even greater here on Earth.''

Fortune, who worked for 20 years in the local gypsum industry, said this effort is the largest engineering project he's been involved in.

He landed in the midst of the project after working for Celotex, Georgia-Pacific Corp. and Smithway Motor Xpress. When he left Fort Dodge in 2003, he went to work for Triple F Inc., a Des Moines company involved in the food machine job. When that company got into financial trouble, Fortune bought Upper Iowa Tool and Die in Cresco, which was doing all the metal work for the project. He purchased that company in November 2007.

Since putting astronauts on Mars is the next big goal for NASA, scientists for the space agency and Purdue University are seeking a way to feed them. Packing a lunch on the spaceship isn't possible because the trip to the red planet will take six months.

Fortune said the spacecraft would carry enough food for the voyage to Mars and the return to Earth. But the astronauts will have to grow their own food during the months they're on the red planet.

''Once they arrive on the planet, they have to become self-sufficient,'' he said.

He said current plans call for the astronauts to raise soybeans and peanuts in special greenhouses.

The machine Fortune is working on would be used after those crops are harvested.

He said the astronauts will put the beans or peanuts in the machine. After processing is completed, oil and a paste-like substance will be discharged.

The solid substance, which Fortune said would have the consistency of oatmeal forced through a tube, would be edible by itself. It could also be mixed with other ingredients to make a meal.

That process could have benefits much closer to home than Mars.

Fortune said the machine could eventually churn out food for people in Third World countries where starvation is always a threat.

''This has the ability to help people feed themselves,'' he said.

Fortune noted that the device intended to produce more food for people is being developed in Cresco, the hometown of Norman Borlaug, the scientist who created high yield varieties of rice and other crops that are credited with averting starvation for millions across the world.

BEKS Inc Developes New Teeth Whitening Machine for Dentists That Also Boosts Healing After Surgery

BEKS Incorporated, a product and development company and developer of the original BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System(R), introduces BriteWhite Medical. The BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System was the first inside-the-mouth chair-side professional teeth whitening system using Blue LED (light emitting diodes) made available to spas and med spas. "Now we've taken the same technology used in the spa version and went a step further for the dental industry," says Joyce Osborn, President and CEO of BEKS Incorporated, and inventor of the BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System(R). "The BriteWhite Medical uses both Red and Blue LED while the spa version uses only Blue LED. Blue LED whitens teeth and kills black bacteria that cause periodontal disease. Adding Red LED to the BriteWhite Medical provides treatment that will boost healing after surgery." This two-in-one machine is a great tool for dentist to have in their office with a low overhead and a high revenue return.
Unlike laser, plasma light, halogen and ultraviolet, this exciting technology attacks discolorations without affecting the pulp or softening the enamel. Ms. Osborn had used LEDs in her wellness spa for years to treat certain skin conditions and theorized that LEDs would be effective in teeth whitening. She consulted with a scientist friend who worked with LEDs for NASA and the Medical College of Wisconsin. The friend confirmed her theories that a selected proprietary wavelength and custom blend gel would whiten teeth. Ms. Osborn followed the advice of her friend to patent the process and now holds the worldwide rights and pending patent; as well as FDA clearance.
BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System(R) and BriteWhite Medical treats the entire front and back teeth by inserting the mouth plate directly inside the mouth during the treatment time, without the aide of cheek retractors, rubber dams, or goggles. Other methods of teeth whitening can dehydrate the teeth causing pain and sensitivity. The proprietary activating gel used with the BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System(R) and BriteWhite Medical is near PH balancing and contains no fluoride or alcohol; keeping the teeth hydrated while whitening treatments are completed.
Up to eleven shades of increased whiteness has been achieved on aged teeth in 12 minutes. Routinely, a minimum of 4 -- 6 shades is achieved in 10 minutes. Results have proven to be positive for hard to whiten teeth like Tetracycline. Although treatment is not recommended for everyone, especially those who are pregnant, BriteWhite is safe enough to be used by patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation if approved by their oncologist with written consent.
BriteWhite and BriteWhite Medical are sophisticated products manufactured in the USA. The machines are lightweight and portable and can accommodate up to 4 mouth pieces to treat 4 clients or patients in one sitting without the purchase of multiple machines.
In addition to inventing the BriteWhite Teeth Whitening System(R) and the BriteWhite Dental, Joyce Osborn is the author of "Take a Walk through Life with LED Light."

Beyond seed and soil: Farmers' high-tech tools increase productivity

Technology has combined with factors such as seed science and advances in herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, changing American agriculture dramatically during the past 50 years. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farm output rose by an average of 1.76 percent every year between 1948 and 2002, even as labor declined by an average of 2.4 percent per year in the same period.

Esmond farmer Paul Taylor said he believes that the most dynamic thing to happen to farming in the last 50 years has been the increase in horsepower.

“We've just got so much more capacity now,” he said. “Grandpa probably started with a two-row planter behind two horses, planting a six-row pass at 2-

3 mph. I suppose if they did 15 acres per day, they were doing pretty good. Now we're planting 60 feet wide, and we like to average 250 acres per day. It's totally changed the productivity of labor.”

And some features that probably looked like bells and whistles when they first appeared on tractors - such as air conditioning, strong headlights and enclosed cabs - have allowed modern farmers to work even longer hours than their historic counterparts, he said.

Just as Jones is confident that ultrasounds help him to get more money per animal for his cattle, he's a big believer in the tools he uses to farm 3,600 acres of corn and soybeans. His tractor is outfitted with an autosteer system, a computer that uses a GPS signal to keep field rows evenly spaced at the end point where the tractor turns around.

The tractor's onboard computer also monitors seed spacing, how many seeds are falling into each hole, and the pressure the planter is exerting on the soil as it makes a trench.

“As seed costs have gone up, you want every seed to be fully maximized,” he said.

Most farmers also do a variety of mapping in their fields. They can take the data gathered by computers on field equipment and create color-coded maps that show which areas have the best yields and differences between those areas and lower-yield spots. Those differences include soil topography, nutrients, type or amount of fertilizer applied, and the type of seed planted.

“People are surprised to find out we split the farm up in different segments and don't just apply the same nutrients and seed over the whole thing,” Taylor said. “Those maps may look like pretty colors and mosaics, but the computer actually reads all that, and as the tractor goes over the field, it applies the nutrients based on need.”

Taylor and Jones estimate that such automated equipment increases efficiency by about 5-10 percent. That may not sound like much, Jones said, until one starts adding up $4-per-gallon diesel fuel or $200-per-bag seed.

After bull run, Rajkot machine tool units fear setback

Faced with spiralling raw material prices and high energy costs, the Rs.7-billion Rajkot machine tool industry seems to be heading for a downswing after the last five years’ bullish growth run.

Since 2003, the region began emerging as one of the top machine tool manufacturing centres after Bangalore, leaving Ludhiana and Pune behind. During this time, its production increased threefold.

Rajkot-made machine tools are now exported to Russia, the UK, the Gulf and Africa.

However, this dominance could soon be history.

Raw material prices, especially that of steel, has gone up about 40 percent, said Shaileshbhai Kawa, president of the Rajkot Machine Tools Manufacturers’ Association (RMTMA).

In addition to steel, the price of castings was also going up, he added.

‘As a result, we don’t think we can achieve a turnover of Rs.1200 crore (Rs.12 billion) by 2010,’ he told IANS.

The machine tool industry in Gujarat has undergone substantial changes in recent years. The industry is now producing the latest range of competitive customised solutions, including CNC (computer numerical control) machines.

The industry has spruced up productivity by adopting CNC machine tool technology. For this, local manufacturers teamed up with the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association, the central government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido).

Rajkot houses around 200 machine tool manufacturing units. ‘There had been a sharp growth in the machine tool industry as a whole and Rajkot had benefited the most from it,’ said Rupesh Mehta, the former president of the RMTMA.

The Rajkot machine tool industry was hit badly in 2002 when India’s the engineering sector faced a recession. Nearly 200 units shut down operations and the annual turnover of the industry plummeted from Rs.2.5 billion to Rs.1 billion during that time.

The situation turned worse following the entry of computerised tools from Taiwan and China. But the cluster development approach in collaboration with the Unido helped the industry do a turnaround.

What to watch for during a virtual machine’s life cycle

Creation: Enterprise-class configuration of the server and applications, mostly done manually through the virtual-machine manager interface. Automated image-capture of physical machines is starting to take root with such niche vendors as Transitive, particularly in the area of emulating non-x86 processors and running them on other processors, making it possible, for example, to manage Solaris and Windows.

Visibility: Machines set up for a specific purpose - for example, testing or development - can linger without administrators' knowledge. Hyper9's Virtual Infrastructure Search and Analytics tool, a Google-like search engine offering basic discovery and state inspection of virtual machines, will be free for download in September. For application visibility, Tideway Systems' Foundation maps application relationships to the physical and virtual servers.

Load balancing: Virtual machines must move around and change their purpose as needed to handle predictable and on-demand loads. Most organizations do this manually using native VMware ESX, Citrix Systems XenSource and Microsoft Hyper-V controls. Niche products, such as FastScale Technology's FastScale Composer Suite and Evidant's EvidantSP software suite, also are starting to get attention.

Machines in production: Managing live machines is done manually by using native virtual-machine interfaces, but more tools are starting to enable the cross-platform management of some of all of these features on a pick-and-choose basis. Novell's ZENworks, for example, includes asset-, configuration- and patch-management components. Life-cycle points during production include licensing; access controls; patch-, configuration- and change-management; security (settings, default services and ports, antimalware, firewalls and so forth); service-level thresholds for physical machines, virtual machines and applications; and allocation.

Jtekt to Set Up Machine Tool Sales Firm in India

Japanese machine tool maker Jtekt Corp. <6473> said Monday that it will establish a sales and after-sale service joint venture in Gurgaon, India, by the end of this month.

The new company, Toyoda Micromatic Machinery India Ltd., will be capitalized at 24.8 million rupees, of which Jtekt will provide 75.5 pct and Micromatic Grinding Technologies, India's largest grinding machine maker, the rest.

The new firm will be Jtekt's first subsidiary in India.

Nagoya-based Jtekt airms to win orders worth about 7 billion yen in the growing Indian market in 2010 by promoting user-oriented sales, it said.

So far, Jtekt has supplied machine tools mainly to Japanese automakers including Suzuki Motor Corp. <7269>. The firm aims to expand its client base to Indian auto manufactures and wind power companies, company officials said.

New Tool to Automate Cookie Stealing from Gmail, Others

A security researcher at the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas on Saturday demonstrated a tool he built that allows attackers to break into your inbox even if you are accessing your Gmail over a persistent, encrypted session (using https:// versus http://).


When you log in to Gmail, Google's servers will place what's called a "session cookie," or small text file, on your machine. The cookie identifies your machine as having presented the correct user name and password for that account, and it can allow you to stay logged in to your account for up to two weeks if you don't manually log out (after which the cookie expires and you are forced to present your credentials again).



The trouble is that Gmail's cookie is set to be transmitted whether or not you are logged in with a secure connection. Now, cookies can be marked as "secure," meaning they can only be transmitted over your network when you're using a persistent, encrypted (https://) session. Any cookies that lack this designation, however, are sent over the network with every Web page request made to the Web server of the entity that set the cookie -- regardless of which of the above-described methods a Gmail subscriber is using to read his mail.



As a result, even if you are logged in to Gmail using a persistent, encrypted https:// session, all that an attacker sniffing traffic on your network would need do to hijack your Gmail account is force your browser to load an image or other content served from http://mail.google.com. After that, your browser would cough up your
session cookie for Gmail, and anyone recording the traffic on the network would now be able to access your Gmail inbox by simply loading that cookie on their machine.

US June machine tool demand up from year ago

Demand for the machine tools that shape metal for products, such as car engines and refrigerators, rose in June from a year ago, two groups said in a joint report on Sunday.

U.S. June machine tool demand rose 2 percent to $360.43 million from $353.40 million a year earlier in June 2007, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA) and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) said in a joint report.

But June demand was virtually unchanged from an upwardly revised $360.30 million estimate for May. May demand was initially estimated at $341.21 million.

In the first six months of 2008, demand for machine tools, which gives a sense of the pace of manufacturing, stood at $2.318 billion, up 15.3 percent from $2.011 billion in the same 2007 period.

"I think everyone is excited that the underpinning for productivity in our economic growth -- manufacturing technology equipment -- continues to grow at double-digit rates through the second quarter," AMT President John Byrd said in a statement.

Quality 101: Machine Vision Fundamentals

A machine vision system is a group of components that can acquire an image on demand, and can be configured or programmed to perform extensive analysis of that image to extract useful data about the object being inspected. The image may be full color, but most applications work well with a gray-scale image, which may be processed more quickly and usually at higher resolution with respect to cost.

Machine vision systems interface with other automation components via discrete I/O signals, Ethernet, device net, serial and other communication schemes. For certain applications, a machine vision system can control the entire inspection process as a standalone operation without external communication. However, one true value of machine vision as a quality tool is its ability to collect and archive discrete and statistical data about a process, providing the quality engineer with information that can help improve a production process.

A common misconception surrounding machine vision is that it “takes a picture” of a good part and then compares subsequent part images to that picture. While this analysis technique is one capability of some systems, most machine vision image features are extracted by recognizing and processing individual geometric objects in an image. Some of the common algorithms that may be incorporated in an application include edge extraction, contrast measurement, blob analysis and pattern matching—although modern machine vision processors offer dozens of analysis and processing tools. These tools range from simple to complex, and are usually combined to form an inspection process suitable for the target application.

It is important to have a thorough understanding of how each tool works with an image and produces data in order to select the proper set of algorithms to achieve the desired inspection results. However, there is a much more critical aspect to machine vision implementation that impacts each and every application from specification to integration

Large CNC machine tool building

PTG adds the recently acquired brands to the current PTG machine tool portfolio that already includes Jones and Shipman and Holroyd.
PTG said that the new business will also add valuable re-manufacture facilities and expertise to the group.
PTG Group CEO, Mark Franckel said: I am delighted that we have acquired these historic British brands and see enormous benefits in the synergy they create within the group".
* About Crawford Swift - throughout its company history Crawford Swift has been committed to developing and manufacturing large machine tools.
The company has specialist expertise in the design and manufacture of new lathes, friction stir welding machines, acrylic polishing machines and other special purpose machine tools.
In addition to developing its own models, Crawford Swift is renowned for re-engineering, remanufacturing, repairing and servicing machines with a work piece capacity of up to 250 tonnes.
A good example of which is providing a world class service re-engineering roll grinders including Churchill, Farrel and Waldrich for the steel industry.
* About Binns and Berry - Binns and Berry specialises in the design, manufacture and repair of large capacity CNC lathes for components up to 15 tonnes.
Binns and Berry has a novel modular construction technique, which includes a three-/four-guideway bed design that allows the turning of large components in a single pass.
Other specialist turning machines include the following.
* Sliding gap bed lathes.
* Offset/T bed lathes.
* Deep-hole boring machines.
* Thread whirling machines.
Standard and full turnkey systems are available.
The company also provides re-engineering, rebuild and retrofit services for medium and heavy duty turning machines.
* Jones and Shipman benefits - existing Jones and Shipman customers will also benefit from this acquisition as they will have access to the knowledge and products of Crawford Swift and Binns and Berry.
The companies operate from a 38,000ft2 engineering works facility in Elland with one of the largest slideway planing and grinding machines in Europe which can machine 14.5m x 3.3m x 2.2m in a single set-up.
The works is serviced by heavy craneage up to 50 tonnes.
The setting up of Jones and Shipman Remanufacture means that customers can benefit from Jones and Shipman quality service when looking for expert repairs and solutions for existing large machines.
A service is even provided where specialist machines can be sourced from around the world, remanufactured and installed to match the exact needs of the client.

Lakshmi Machine Works Q1 sales & net profit down nearly 5%

Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd has announced its Unaudited results for the quarter ended June 30, 2008. The company's net sales and income, this quarter, is down nearly 5%, compared to last year.

There was a decline in earnings from the company's textile machinery division. However the machine tool and foundry divisions have registered growth.
LMW posted a net profit after tax of Rs 477.388 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 as compared to Rs 492.588 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2007.

LMW's machine tool and foundry divisions registered a revenue of Rs 442.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 as compared to Rs 414.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2007.

Total Income has decreased from Rs 5006.248 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 to Rs 4842.942 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008.

According to a report carried in the Business Line the fall in revenue was due to a decline in earnings from the company's main source of income - the textile machinery division.

The textile machinery division registered a revenue of Rs 4303.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2008 as compared to Rs 4526.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2007.

China's Kunming Machine Tool sees H1 net profit up 50 pct on higher sales

BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Shenji Group Kunming Machine Tool Co Ltd (SHA 600806; HK 0300) said it expects first half net profit under Chinese accounting standards to have risen by 50 pct year-on-year, mainly due to increased output and sales.

The company posted a net profit of 94.34 mln yuan in the first half of 2007, or 0.22 yuan per share.

It is due to release first half audited financial statements on Aug 28.

(1 usd = 6.8 yuan)

zachary.wei@xfn.com - xfnzw/xfntm

Taliban Using Technology as Propaganda Tool

With their own website, magazines, DVDs, audio cassettes, pamphlets and mobile phones, the ICG says, the Taliban are able to capitalize on mistakes made by the government and its allies and reveal their own "inflated tales of battlefield exploits."

Machine tool fitter

Must have experience of fitting and an appreciation of machine tools.

Needs to be able to work unsupervised, on their own inititive and fit into a small team.

Must be able to maintain good standards of cleanliness, be prepared to tidy up and have a sound understanding of good working practice and Health & Safety requirements.

Working hours are 40 hours, Monday to Friday, with 20 days paid holiday per year, plus statutory holidays.

The position is salaried, and overtime is available in certain circumstances.

Starting salary will be negotiable depending upon capabilities, and the position is permanent following a 12-month probationary period.

Site work is possible for installation and maintenance of the machines.

Our client doesn't operate a pension scheme, but can offer the Stakeholder Pension scheme.

DUTIES

The successful applicant will be responsible for the building and testing of a 3 axis CNC Router.

This requires marking out of components, manual and pedestal drilling and tapping, turning and milling of small components, a small amount of welding, assembly of small components, assembly of the machine table and gantry, installation and setting up of linear rails, installation of drive mechanisms and rack and pinions, checking levels and shimming as required, a small amount of painting of the machine frame and gantry.

Testing of the machine for sureness and accuracy.

Installation and maintenance of the machines at the customer's site.

Operating the machine for testing purposes, so knowledge of CNC operation would be an advantage.

Training will be provided, but a good basic understanding of machine tool fitting is required.

Our client has a new product and there is an opportunity for the right candidate to hopefully grow with them as their business progresses.

Japan Machine Tool Makers Log 1st Drop in Domestic, Overseas Orders in 6 Yrs

Domestic and overseas orders for Japanese machine tools in June were both down from a year earlier, marking the first such double drop since September 2002, an industry group said Wednesday.

Overseas orders experienced its first fall in five months, down 2.7 pct to 71.6 billion yen, while domestic orders dropped 2.1 pct to 56.8 billion yen, down for the fifth consecutive month, the Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association said in a revised report.

Overall machine tool orders received by Japanese manufacturers in June dropped 2.5 pct to 128.4 billion yen, it said.

The association, however, remained optimistic. "Basically, the uptrend so far has not changed," an official said.

The total machine tool orders topped 100 billion yen for the 50th month in a row, and overseas orders in June were the second-highest ever for the month, the official said.

In the month, domestic orders fell from makers of general machinery, electric appliances and precision equipment, but those from automakers grew for the third straight month, the association reported.

Among orders from abroad, those from Europe rose 11.6 pct, while those from North America and Asia were down 19.9 pct and 4.9 pct, respectively, it said.

Improving Machine Tool Accuracy without Design Changes

Most CNC machine tool manufacturers invest heavily in machine developments that improve accuracy but by using the latest calibration systems at its factory in Istanbul, Turkey, leading manufacturer Spinner has improved specified machine accuracies without the need to change designs. As Mr Nurhan, Technology Manager, explains, “The machine designs are no different but we have actually improved the accuracy, cut the support customers need by up to 90%, and have shown customers that we use the latest technology.”

Renishaw laser calibration - rotary axis compensation
Mr Nurhan explains one of the areas in which Spinner has seen most benefits from laser calibration, “We test and calibrate the rotary motion of every sub-spindle fitted to our turning centres because the encoder on the motor, although repeatable enough, does not position as well as we want. Some encoders are only accurate to 6 arc minutes but by using the Renishaw RX10 rotary calibrator unit, we can guarantee better than 1 arc second repeatability. This is done by testing the sub-spindle on the finished machine. Errors detected by the RX10 are corrected by adding compensation values generated by the RX10 software to registers in the controller. The sub-spindle is tested again to check the new positioning accuracy and provide a traceable calibration certificate, with options for formats according to various international standards.”

The RX10 is an accessory for Renishaw’s laser calibration systems, allowing the comparison of the programmed rotation of a drive or rotary table to the actual rotation as measured using a traceable laser source. This is done by mounting the RX10 on the rotary axis, then programming the rotary axis to rotate in defined steps. After each axis move, the RX10 unlocks, and rotates back to the previous position, re-locking on a highly repeatable Hirth coupling, accurate to 1 arc second. Angular optics are mounted on the RX10 and any angular error compared to the previous starting position is recorded. These error values are used for compensation

Online Tool Show - The worlds premier online machine tool and manufacturers resource.

The mission of www.OnlineToolShow.com is to provide original equipment manufacturers(OEM), importers, distributors and suppliers with a very affordable 24/7 online industrial trade show booth to exhibit their latest technology and special product offering(s) to a worldwide audience of potential buyers.

All booths are the same size, creating a level playing field for all exhibitors. Cost is kept low because we do not believe it makes sense to recreate your website on ours. Once interested, a buyer can simply link directly from your online tool show booth to your website instantly for additional information or to place an order.

For the buyer, www.OnlineToolshow.com is a user friendly door to a 24/7 accessible marketplace where you can find tooling suppliers of needed new technology that will sharpen your competitive edge or find favorably priced equipment, products, and services for which you presently have a need.

We are providing a GLOBAL 24/7 industrial tool show to exhibit your product(s) and services so that potential buyers may find your company booth quickly, easily, any most importantly at their convenience, anytime day or night.

We have made it as easy as possible to find exactly what you are looking for. There are multiple searches and indexes to help you quickly navigate to a specific manufacturer, original equipment manufacturer(OEM), product or services booth.

Exhibiting with the Online Tool ShowSince you, as original equipment manufacturers(OEM), importers, distributors and suppliers are painfully aware of your cost(s) to exhibit at a trade show, you will find the cost for your OnLineToolShow booth to be so inexpensive that your decision to exhibit will be a

"No Brainer"

It is easy and inexpensive to have a booth at the OnLine Tool Show.

2008 Machine Shop Benchmark Survey Analysis

American Machinist conducted its third annual survey of machine shops to gather information our readers need to accurately gauge their competitive positions in the industry, and to help them make plans to systematically improve their operations and become more efficient.

We have identified the critical indicators and best practices that lead to improved productivity and profitability and, with the responses to questions about those indicators and best practices, we are able to identify a set of shops whose performance puts them in the lead of all the shops surveyed.

That group of shops is our benchmark set, and represents the top 20 percent of shops that responded to the survey.

The results for the Benchmark shops are composites, so they do not represent a single shop’s performance, but the combined performance from all the best shops. We believe these performance results and the practices that lead to them provide targets that all shops can strive to reach, and they provide performance measurements that all shops can use to compare themselves and to check their current competitive positions. You also can use these benchmarks to monitor your progress in reaching higher degrees of efficiency.

To analyze the survey data, we summarized the data for all shops and compared that data to the information for the benchmark shops.

For example, on an overall basis, 76.7 percent of the shops that responded to our survey said they are independent, and 23.3 percent are part of a larger company. For the benchmark shops this year, 70.5 percent are independent, and 29.7 percent are part of a larger company.

CENIT Machine Tool Project Update

More than 60 representatives from Spain’s machine tool companies, universities and technology centers met in early May for an annual review of a fouryear, $47 million program that is designed to improve technologies for the Spanish machine tool industry.


A brief report on the twoyear- old CENIT Machine Tool Project said the program has delivered quantitative and qualitative results in advancing technologies for manufacturing equipment and processes.

The advances targeted for the project include:

A 30 percent reduction of energy consumption for presses, a 72 percent reduction in the use of toluene in the production of machines, and the use of innovative materials in machine tool components.

Designs for machine tools that are aimed at making them more “intelligent,” capable of responding to the voice of the operator and operable from a PDA or the instruction and maintenance manual of which can be projected on to the operator’s spectacles.

The use of laser or ultrasonic devices as substitutes for or complements to conventional processes, and the development of technologies to avoid using large amounts of lubricants, such as dry machining.

And, improvements to precision and production, including reductions in thermal deformation, vibrations or movements of large masses.

Latest 5-axis machining technology

During the recent UK MACH 2008 show, Hurco Europe recruited a professional dancer, actress and singer to learn and to demonstrate the programming of machine cutting paths.
These massive machines, each weighing around 20 tonnes, are designed to accommodate large and/or heavy components up to six tonnes in weight, such as dies, moulds and parts for the aerospace and energy sectors.
The fixed-rail, bridge design of the DXC22 offers X-/Y-/Z-axis travels of 2197/1750/249mm with 24m/min rapid feeds, a 2100 x 1600mm pallet and a 40-taper spindle with 18kW of peak power.


CNC turning centres are easy to program
CNC lathes will off 12 drivel tool stations - at up to 7kW and 5,000 rev/min - in its VDI turrets for milling operations and off-centre drilling on turned parts.
Vertical machining centre cuts tough alloys
Rugged vertical machining centre with an 18kW high-torque spindle and through-tool coolant delivery enables a UK subcontractor to efficiently cut SS and Duplex, as well as other tough alloys.
Machining centre turns and mills biker parts
BFO Motorcycles in the UK plans to build 100 motor cycle conversion kits and to mill the components, the company acquired a vertical machining centre with an easily programmable control.
It can be used for continuous pendulum machining of parts within two 762 x 660 x 610mm working envelopes, or production of single parts up to 2m long spanning both zones.
This combination of performance and flexibility is ideal for shops that have a mixed schedule of parts, said Hurco.

India is Host Country at EuroMold 2008

This year’s EuroMold - World Fair for Moldmaking and Tooling, Design and Application Development - will take place Dec. 3-6, 2008, Frankfurt Exhibition Centre. About 1,700 exhibitors from 45 nations and more than 60,000 trade visitors from about 80 nations are expected.

With the Host Country India EuroMold recognises the signs of Asia`s worldwide growing economical importance. In hall 9.0 Indian companies will present their products and services. TAGMA (Tool and Gauge Manufacturers` Association of India) will organise a corporate stand.
The India Moldmaking and Tooling Synergy Bourse offers a wide range of latest market information and insider knowledge. The “Forum India” will connect Western and Indian companies. Several companies already doing business in Asia for many years will share their knowledge and expertise to help attendees making important decisions related to new business, investment opportunities and challenges.

Besides that the Associations of Moldmaking and Tooling from China (CDMIA) and India (TAGMA) will serve detailed information about their home markets.

"From Design to Prototyping to Series Production"

The unique fair concept “From Design to Prototyping to Series Production” demonstrates the entire process chain. EuroMold brings together professionals from design, moldmaking and tooling, machine tools, as well as suppliers and manufacturers.

On 80.000 sqm exhibition space EuroMold will show the latest developments in all fields of moldmaking and tooling, design und application development. The world fair will present numerous special subjects and special exhibitions and will set benchmarks.

Key Sector Moldmaking and Tooling
Traditionally EuroMold’s key sector is Moldmaking and Tooling. To meet the growing demand for complete solutions in this industrial sector EuroMold provides small and medium sized companies an excellent platform for finding partners and cooperations.

Wide range of Themes
EuroMold shows state-of-the-art technique for all industrial sectors. For instance innovations within “Virtual Reality” and “Rapid Prototyping” already today indicate the future developments of modern Moldmaking and Tooling.

At EuroMold worldwide leading companies set benchmarks – i.e. DMG and Trumpf in the sector of Machine Tools, and BASF, Bayer and Evonik in the sector of Materials.

Alongside Moldmaking and Tooling most exhibitors are active within Machine Tools, Soft- and Hardware and Prototyping. Numerous exhibitors which take part at EuroMold for the first time are active within Engineering and Design.

Home Machine Shops

A profession or hobby that uses a power-driven machine tool such as a lathe or drill to shape metal, is known as machining. The person specializing in its use is called a machinist. A machine shop that is run from home is called a home machine shop.

Most machining operations are those that remove metal from an item or those that add metals. There are typical tools that are used in home machining. A lathe is a machine tool that creates sections in circles by rotating a metal work piece. A drill or punch press is used to remove metal in the form of a hole. Some other tools that are used in machining are saws, grinding tools and milling machines.

Advanced machining operations make use of electrical discharge, electro-chemical erosion and laser cutting to shape metal work pieces. Many car restorers have good home workshops and a wide array of tools. There are also individuals who build up a home workshop with the scheme of building some project in the long run. They eventually get sidetracked into building the machine tools and their accessories themselves.

There are magazines that provide advice on ways of solving problems being faced in the home shop. It is also possible to get information about a used lathe and other machine tools, in case the owner's manual is missing. These magazines and sites have a list of operating instructions on the various tools used. They also give detailed information about various manufacturers and their details.

Information about various new technologies that are being used, are also discussed. New techniques such as computer aided manufacturing processes, which have brought about a revolution in the machine shops, are also discussed. Home shop machinists can use this type of technological software to get the desired product results.

Adverse Health Effects Of Oil Mist In Machine Tool Industries

Manufacturing environments that use oil-based cutting fluids often put workers health at risk. Applications such as CNC machines, screw machines and surface and centerless grinders produce an oil mist from the coolant used to keep cutting tools from overheating. Oil mist, also known as cutting oil or metalworking fluid, is an oily liquid aerosol dispersed in the air. Fine oil mist hangs in the air for long periods, similar to tobacco smoke.

It has been estimated that up to one million workers in the United States are exposed to oil mist. The health effects of exposure to oil mist have been studied for several decades. Many Epidemiological studies have indicated that long-term exposure to oil mist can lead to increased susceptibility to several types of cancer.

The following diseases have been associated with exposure to oil mist: skin – oil acne, contact dermatitis, and photosensitive allergic dermatitis; respiratory system – rhinitis, bronchitis, bronchial asthma, lipoid pneumonia, lung fibrosis and lung cancer; scrotum – benign and malignant tumors. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), potential symptoms of exposure to high concentrations of oil mist include eye and skin irritation, shortness of breath, vomiting, fever, rapid heartbeat and a burning sensation in the mouth, throat and stomach.

Industrial workers are exposed to oil mist by three avenues; skin exposure, aerial exposure and ingestion. The most frequent route of exposure is the skin. Occupational health experts believe that over three-quarters of all occupational diseases are caused by skin contact with oil mist. Oil mist by itself can be dangerous, but it can also quickly become contaminated with foreign material and chemicals which are aerosolized into mist. Many of these contaminants add to the hazards associated with oil mist.

In today’s highly competitive global economy, manufacturers feel pressured to increase productivity. Making machines work harder and faster often produces even more oil mist in the workplace. Even though production schedules may increase, profitability may suffer due to work-related illnesses. Sick employees don’t help the bottom line, they lower productivity and increase overhead costs.

The Tool Chest Part 1 (Or Making A Chair From A Tree Without Electricity Or Machine Tools, Part 7)

"Maybe he was a pattern maker". Alexander, my oldest son, is an engineer and was looking at the collection of gouge chisels as I put their tray back in the chest. I was wondering why Mr Wake had so many gouge chisels and whether that was a clue to his job.

All the tools in this chest are marked "C Wake" but I know nothing else about him, except for what I can guess from the chest and its contents.

"You just want to show off your collection of tools, that's why you're doing these articles !" Well, I think there's more to it than that, in fact, there are many reasons; one of them is to get on Mr Wakes' track and learn about him from his tools.

I think of the box as Mr Wakes's toolchest and only partly mine. He is still present in a way and maybe he was a pattern maker. I've thought of shop sign maker and fitter of spiral stairs - there are clues here that he did free hand curved work as will become evident. There's also a set of heavy number stamps, from 1 - 9: I can see him making up wooden cogs, wheels and bits of large wheels in some iron foundry and stamping them before they leave his bench to go to the row of sand boxes lined up for the molten metal to be poured.

"Come back with that before it gets lost."

There's even a drawknife in here; it is well used and I can only assume that he was the only person to own it as, like all the tools in this chest, there's only his name on it. This is what makes this collection especially interesting to me. Most old wooden tools have names stamped on them and many have several names, as they were passed on, perhaps to another generation. To share Mr Wakes's toolchest is a rare privilege - it's not the same as getting a grandfather clock or a commode.

Another thing worth mentioning is that it is well filled - there's not much room for anything else - so apart from one or two odd gaps this is a complete set. There's no hammer, nor is there a ruler; maybe these have been borrowed more recently.

There's no plastic in the tool collection, which dates it, and there's no plywood in the construction of the box. Although plywood dates back to the Egyptians it became common in the 20th century.

The chest is made of yellow pine and mahogany. The yellow pine is knotty and not of high quality, but I think this is a reflection of how it was to be finished rather than the purpose of the box. It was covered in "scumble" a thick coating of shellac based materials on a Plaster of Paris base, which had enough stain in it to make the wood look like mahogany.

The lid is of yellow pine too and was shattered when I got the chest so the first thing to do was strip off all the varnish and reinforce the lid. These chests stayed in the workshop, were sat on and stood on, but maybe not in their first few years; there are hours of work in making this functional and beautiful item: "Get off that, sit on your own box, there's hours of work etc, etc."

The lock is nice - it works on the second click, which is unusual and the wrought iron lifting handles are blacksmith made.

The eight drawers or trays are of mahogany and dovetailed, there are four pairs, which slide on rails and they are varying in height with the shallowest at the top, so they are not interchangeable, and only the top two have lids.

The lower part of the interior, under the trays, is divided into three sections for larger tools - saws and planes etc.

When fully loaded this chest is heavy, very heavy, not the kind of toolchest you would want to lug from job to job. Anyway motor cars were few and far between in 1900; I imagine that Mr Wake spent much of his time in a workshop... but I don't really know so will stick with the evidence in front of me. One thing I do know is that this chest was bought at a house auction in Worcestershire in the 1950s or 60s, probably near Evesham, which puts it in the West Midlands and you can almost hear the heavy industry....

The narrow tray on the top row holds very fine dividers and callipers, is this more evidence of pattern making? This is that ubiquitous drawer for all the bits and pieces. Amongst these I found bowsaw blades, but there wasn't a bowsaw in the box so I sneaked one in. I also found bits for a "Yankee" (ratchet) screwdriver, so I sneaked one of these in too; I had an old one with the traditional wooden handle. These preceded battery drills and I found them very handy in my early days, they don't need regular charges and you can still buy them.

There is also a very elegant hammer and three spirit levels - the spirit levels say to me that Mr Wake spent some of his time out of the workshop.

The next level of drawers contain saw sharpening equipment (so he sharpened his own saws) and chisels. All the chisels in the left hand compartment are gouges (what a lot!), the right hand side contains an assortment of flat chisels. All were in good condition and didn't require much cleaning up and sharpening.

In level three on the back left hand side, I found a collection of mortice chisels with one or two others, some of them very big! On the right hand side there are lots of files, some for saw sharpening, some for the difficult bits of moulding plane blades - some for pattern making? What about the assortment of bullnose and rebate planes, at the front right hand side? These were obviously for fine detailed work - pattern making again? Does it matter? You just want to use them!

The last section contains fine chisels - I'm better acquainted with these; essential for dovetails etc.

In level four, the larger tray has an assortment of spokeshaves and home made scrapers, with the aforementioned draw-knife. There are all handy for shaped work or freehand details of a Chammer chair.

There are keyhole saws and gimlets - there's also a marking gauge, but there's a more interesting one coming up later.

The contents of the Toolchest were going to be one chapter, but that was ambitious, even without slavering endlessly over the tools. I still have the lower level to deal with and must close the lid for now.

The Chi Machine - Your Body's Best Friend

The Chi Machine has been proven to benefit the body in many ways, including:

* Oxygenating the body and the spine,

* passive aerobic exercise,

* weight loss,

* eliminate fatigue,

* improving blood circulation,

* boosting the immune system,

* stress relief,

* stimulate the lymphatic system

All of these benefits can be achieved by regular use of a good Chi Machine. Most users have found that a daily 20 minute session is a great way to start. To reap the benefit from your 20 minute session all you need to do is to lie on the floor on your back with your ankles on the chi machine and turn on the machine for 20 minutes. At this point you can sit back, relax, and allow the Machine to do its work. A good machine will swing your legs and ankles in a gentile right to left motion that will move your lower spine in the same figure S motion that is like the motion of a fish as it swims. The constant swing motion of the legs and spine will serve to detoxify the body by working to effectively stimulate the lymphatic system, helping to release excess fluid and toxins. This was verified in June of 2000 when Flinders University in Adelaide Australia did a study on the effectiveness of Chi Machines. Participants of the study lost an average of 1.32lbs in addition to losing 1.5 ounces of fluid from their legs.

In addition to relaxation and detoxification the Chi Machine will also help with weight loss a 20 minute session with the unit operating at 160 swings per minute provides the same aerobic benefit as walking on a treadmill for 90 minutes. The key to weight loss and stress relief with a Chi Machine is regular daily use of at least 20 minutes per day and two sessions of 20- 30 minutes a day are best. To maximize the weight loss benefits it is recommended that you lie flat on the floor with your arms stretched above your head. You can also incorporate meditation to reinforce the benefits you receive from the Chi Machine.

Looking For A Quality Elliptical Trainer To Lose Weight With? Try The Eclipse Elliptical Machine

If you're looking for a high quality machine to use for your elliptical workout, then take a look at the Eclipse range of products. If you're looking for a great overall workout, then using an elliptical machine is a great choice for you. Although many people favor more traditional workouts such as jogging, running, walking or even a treadmill, an elliptical machine can actually give you a better overall workout. This is because it reduces the stress to your body, by eliminating the slight shock that occurs every time you take a step. The tension on your body is greatly reduced, and so the results are enhanced.

Choosing an Eclipse machine means that as well as a great overall workout, you also get a machine that gives a solid performance, couple with high quality in both design and looks. Eclipse elliptical machines give you a wide range of benefits. For starters, they are easy to use, which means you can get on with enjoying your workout, rather than fiddling with the machine itself. They're also built to last, so you don't have to worry about the machine breaking before you've well and truly got value for the money you spend. Quality of design and use are very important things to consider when choosing an elliptical machine, and Eclipse will give you both these things in abundance.

Eclipse has a range of elliptical machines available, so it's important that you know exactly what features you are looking for before you make your final choice. Choosing a machine that correctly meets your needs means that you're more likely to use it consistently and benefit from doing so. Yes, you can buy the top of the range model and pay the appropriate prices, but you may prefer a more basic model if you feel that you won't need all the extra features on the more expensive model. Eclipse is sure to have a model that suits your requirements, at a price you're able to afford.

Computerized Sewing Machines

Computerized sewing machines are similar to electronic sewing machines. The difference between the two is that the computerized sewing machine has a microprocessor. The microprocessor helps the computerized sewing machine to accept new information in a card form; it then creates patterns that are loaded on to the card. Computerized sewing machines are produced with on-board computer chips.

All computerized sewing machines can be set up to create designs which are automatically generated by the program without any help in guiding the material and deciding the pattern. Singer XL-1000 is a good computerized sewing machine. The features of Singer XL-1000 are the following: sews 750 stitches per minute, 25 year manufacturer warranty, free shipping,

Computerized sewing machines have a lot of features, some of them are: automatic needle threader, solid metal construction, multiple needle positions, start or stop button, mirror imaging, can perform 103 stitch functions, top rotary drop-in bobbin hook system, LCD screen displays stitch length, width adjustment, stitch patterns, needle positions etc., sews through multiple layers of denim, programmable quilting sewing machine, three styles of one step button holes include keyhole, round tack, and bartack.

Computerized sewing machine includes the embroidery machine also. SE270D sewing/embroidery machine is a computerized sewing machine. Its features include: new quick load thread cassette system that threads the needle automatically.

DC3050 Décor computerized sewing machine is used for sewing curtains, comforters, custom pillows, slipcovers etc. Features of this machine are digital LED display, fully computerized, external feed balancing dial, memorized needle up or down, immediate stitch selection, superior feed system, built-in needle threader, 15 built-in needle positions, 50 stitches including quilting stitches etc.

Operation of Turing machine Simplicity Verification - Visual Turing Machine 2.0 Appearance

2.0 So actualization of the large-scale work space which clears the addition of a-ary set of symbol, the mounting and memory problem of MDI (10,000x10,000 pixel), the function where such as use statistics of actualization of the function which compiles itself machine many is new, actualization of the type function which executes the n time machine, appointment and the tape of effective speed and use statistical function of order and the function which converts the program to other language is added.

As for the Turing machine at one of the calculation models which are simplified, with computer science there is many a thing which is picked up as study item. Visual Turing Machine in addition to operating simply, because operation is visualized, is easy to see. The user which has interest using it should have tried probably.

New features are recently moderated:

- n-ary set of symbols
- multiple windows (MDI)
- huge workspace (10000x10000 pixels) without a memory issue
- ability to edit your own machines
- execute machines n times (where n is undefined)
- use expressions, for example n+5, to execute machines
- execute machines at desired speeds
- statistics to see how many instructions were executed and how much tape was "used"
- easily translatable to other languages
- developed using MVC pattern

Cutting Tool Resharpening Decisions

Cutting tool resharpening is called for when your sharpened cutting tool grows dull. If the job the cutting tool is for is a high tolerance job, than resharpening may be more economical than reconditioning the cutting tool every time it grows dull. An example of high tolerance job where cutting tool resharpening would be more economical than reconditioning could be using a table saw to rip long pieces from stock for further manufacturing processes. In this case, the saw blade could be resharpened over and over again until sharpening is not a possibility because the teeth are all gone.

When a cutting tool grows dull, it may become dangerous to use. A dull cutting tool may bind up in the material that you are cutting. When a cutting tool binds in the material being cut, the possibility exists that the cutting tool may break. When a cutting tool breaks while spinning at the rate needed to perform it's cutting, it will become a dangerous flying piece of shrapnel with the potentiality of injuring one or more of your workers. If it does become a piece of shrapnel, it will cost you much more than resharpening it would. Between lost time from your worker having to receive medical attention and the production slowdown, Cutting tool resharpening is a much more cost effective process than using dull cutting tools with all the potentially dangerous things that can happen.

If your cutting tool is used for low tolerance applications, then cutting tool resharpening may not be feasible for that tool. In some cases, it may still be an option. For example, when the cutting tool is used for a simple part-off from stock already machined, then resharpening could be considered instead of sending the cutting tool out for reconditioning each time it grows dull. But if your use of the cutting tool is more complicated procedures that call for a specifically shaped cutter, then cutting tool resharpening should not be considered as a viable option at all. In this situation, the cutting tool should either be reconditioned at your work place or sent to a specialist each time the tool becomes dull, so that you retain the capabilities needed to manufacture the part within allowable tolerances.

Doing cutting tool resharpening at your facility might be more economical than sending your cutting tools to a specialist. If you are causing enough cutting tools to grow dull through use to keep one person busy sharpening them for a full day's work, than it might be less expensive for you to purchase a sharpening machine and train an employee to do the resharpening on your premises rather than sending out to a specialist. Machines that do cutting tool resharpening are not very large and relatively inexpensive. Training schools for cutting tool resharpening can be found in many places and once again, are relatively inexpensive. When taking all of this into consideration, and the amount of cutting tools that can be simply resharpened in your place of business, the decision to resharpen your cutting tools yourself might just be the most economical choice to make.

Building Wealth - Getting a Cash Machine

Building wealth is easy once you get a cash machine. What is a cash machine? Well it’s not some magical machine, its something every one of us can build.

A cash machine is a business that you start or buy that generates income for you. The easiest way to get this cash machine is to build a business around skills you already have.

Don’t worry if what your skills are exactly what you love doing, because you need to focus on getting your business up and running quickly.

For example if you are an accountant, see if you can get some independent jobs on the side, either at night or on the weekend. Actively try to solicit work as an accountant and if you have extra work give it to a friend and charge them a finder’s fee.

Even if you don’t love being an accountant, by doing what you already know you can build a cash machine faster.

If you don’t want to build a cash machine you can buy one. This could most likely come from franchises. There are dozens, even hundreds of franchises you can buy for under $1,000.

Start today to get at least one cash machine up and running within the next three months. Then take that cash and keep reinvesting it into other assets, this is the best wealth building plan.

A lot of people get caught up in the details of trying to come up with a detailed business plan, but don’t get caught up in the little details, start right now. Building wealth requires large bold steps, start today.

A Vending Machine Distributor – Find Out What / How This Person Can Help You

A vending machine distributor is a person that sells and delivers vending machines of all kinds. If you are planning to get started in the vending machine business, you do need to start with a distributor in order to get the machines that you need. The distributor could be a single person that sells the vending machines out of his/her basement or it could be a large company with salespeople and a catalog that you can browse through. The vending machine distributor works with the vending machine manufacturers to bring you the machines you want to use in your business.

When you want to start a vending machine business of your own, the first thing you need to do is find a vending machine distributor that has the type of vending machines you want to start with. The problem is knowing how and where to find the distributor and what vending machines are right for you. Many of the distributors you contact can give you valuable advice about what types of vending machines would be best for your area. The distributors that deal with your area will also be able to give you advice about getting into this type of business opportunity. Vending machine routes may be available where the machines are already in place.

As an independent vending machine business owner just getting started, you may not be able to deal with the manufacturers of the machines. This is where a vending machine distributor can really help you. These people know the manufacturers of all the different types of machines and may be able to put you in contact with someone that has used vending machines for sale that are in excellent condition. Since the distributor is usually a good client of the manufacturer buying many machines, for you and others taking advantage of a vending machine business opportunity, he/she will also be able to get a better deal on a new machine.

The Internet is your best source of finding a vending machine distributor. When you come across a business opportunity, vending machine distributors will be able to get you any type of vending machine you want. These people may also be able to supply you with the products that you need for stocking and restocking the machines. This is one factor that you do have to consider when you want to start a vending machine business – how difficult or easy it will be to get the products that you need. You also have to consider the location of the distributor in relation to where you are so that the costs of shipping the machines and the supplies will not be too expensive.

Just looking at the website of the vending machine distributor will give you a pretty good idea of whether or not this person is right for you to deal with. Check to make sure that the distributor keeps the website up to date and that he/she does have the latest vending machines available. Once you find a distributor that you think you might be able to work with to start a vending machine business, you should contact him/her by email or telephone to get further information. In addition to finding a vending machine distributor, you do need to check the references to make sure that you will be dealing with a reputable distributor.

How to Find a Discount Espresso Machine

Until recent years, espresso machines were only seen in coffee shops and cafes. Today, the espresso machine is a common item in many kitchens worldwide. Many new models of low-priced home espresso machines have been developed to meet an increased consumer demand for espresso. Before you go out and purchase a discount espresso machine, here are a few tips to ensure you get one that best meets your needs.

Water Supply

Look for a discount espresso machine that come with its own water reservoir, or tank. Having a built in water reservoir eliminates the need to connect your espresso machine to a water line. This can be a major undertaking likely requiring the services of a plumber. To avoid this extra work, look for a machine that can hold at least 32 ounces of water, so you do not need to constantly refill it.

Number of Cups

Think about how many cups of espresso you plan on making at one time with your discount espresso machine. Many newer models of home espresso machines are designed to make only cup of espresso at a time. These machines are commonly referred to as one cup espresso makers or single cup espresso makers. If you plan on serving espresso to more than one person at a time, you will need to purchase an espresso machine that is capable of this. Keep in mind that the price of espresso machines tend to go up depending on the number of cups it is capable of making.

Warm Up Time

The amount of time it takes for a home espresso machine to warm up can vary quite a bit. Look for a discount espresso machine that only takes a few minutes to warm up. You may think the machine is warmed up because the ready light is on, but this does not indicate that its internal parts are warmed up sufficiently to produce great espresso.

Steaming Methods

The steaming method of a discount espresso machine can vary greatly from one machine to another. Look for a home espresso machine that does not require you to add water into the milk while it is steaming. Try to find a machine that has a dry steamer in order to eliminate this step. This will result in a much higher quality of espresso, as it will not be watered down by any added water.

If you are looking to buy a discount espresso machine, a great place to look is online. There are a number of sites that offer a selection of espresso machines at prices that you just cannot find in your local store or shopping mall. eBay in particular is a great place to find discounted espresso machines that are often priced hundreds of dollars below retail prices.

Choosing The Best Home Elliptical Machine For Your Space And Budget

For years elliptical machines have been one of the most popular machines in many health clubs around the world. These machines do a wonderful job at helping people lose weight and feel better. There are however many people who would prefer to workout at home and use the best home elliptical machine they can afford to do so. Choosing the best home elliptical machine represents a large investment to the potential buyer, not just financially but also in their physical health. The last thing you want to happen is to buy the wrong machine and get frustrated before you even start. Knowing a few major things to look for can help you make the right decision for a machine you will enjoy for years to come.

Elliptical Machine Shoping Points

Price: You have to be honest with yourself when it comes to price and shop in the price range that you can afford. Although they start around a few hundred dollars many fitness experts claim a great home elliptical will cost around $1000.

Machine Feel: You should visit your local exercise machine dealer and try various machines in your price range out. This will allow you to feel what machine is the best home elliptical machine for your style. You may find that you may need to spend a little more then you thought once you try some machines out.

Machine Size: Ellipticals come in many different sizes, from large commercial style machines to the smaller fold up machines. You should make sure that you look at machines that fit your living style and space. For example you maybe better off with a smaller fold up machine if you have a small apartment or do not like clutter!

Many different companies manufacture ellipticals and they all claim to have the best home elliptical machine. But in reality many of these machines are poorly engineered machines that will do nothing more then anger the buyer and even destroy the desire to exercise. So be sure and shop thoroughly before you commit to buy!

Espresso Coffee Machine Essential Buying Tips

Most avid coffee drinkers will concur that an espresso coffee machine is the one and only piece of kit you can purchase that will deliver the perfect cup of coffee. You will be surprised, then, that many of these coffee fans don't actually own an espresso coffee machine. There are a number of different types of machine. Knowing where to start can be confusing so here is an overview of the main types available on the market.

Espresso Coffee Machine Buying Tips.

In total there are three different types of espresso coffee machine. These are manual, semi automatic and fully automatic. In order to decide which one is best for you, one needs to consider what balance of how easy it is to use versus the degree of control over the coffee making process. Knowing the difference between espresso machines is vitally important in this respect.

Manual Espresso Coffee Machines

This is made up of a pump driven machine for frothing. Some of these are also semi automatic for speeding up the process.

Semi Automatic Espresso Machines

These are much easier to use than their manual counterparts. Use of these involves starting the pump and then waiting for the extraction process, which literally takes twenty to thirty seconds. This version of the espresso coffee machine is highly popular and a breeze to use compared with the old style machines.

One Touch Systems

This involves pressing a pad to initiate extraction. Once the required volume of espresso has been delivered using this machine, it automatically switches itself back off without the need for manual intervention. This type of machine is often used in commercial outlets such as cafeterias or restaurants.

Super Automatic Espresso Machines.

These machines are very quick and integrate both water and coffee grinders into the process that are activated with the press of a button. Everything is programmed including the amount of coffee required/delivered. This type of machine is very popular and has many obvious advantages over the others outlined above.

Some Instructions On How To Use Your Espresso Machine

The word espresso literally means an extraction of coffee using high pressure from a special espresso machine. But you may need some special espresso machine instructions if your machine is different from some of the other types of machines are available, but basically to make an espresso is much the same no matter what machine you use.

Below are some hopefully foolproof instructions, which will help you to make the ideal espresso.

1. It is important that you have a good quality machine. If you can purchase one that comes with a built in grinder (as the finest ground beans make the best coffee). 2. Get some cold clear water and pour this into the machines water tank. Then make sure that the boilers cap is secure. For one shot of espresso use one ounce of coffee for a double shot use two ounces of coffee. Some machines will give as much as four shots in one go. 3. Place the basket of coffee in the filter holder. If you want you can place a little pack in the ground coffee and the filter has a measure which will tell you the amount for the type of espresso you are preparing. 4. Brush off any grounds from the top and sides of the filter and then place the filter holder inside the machine. 5. Place the glass carafe that comes with your machine under the spout and then turn the machine one. The machine will warm the water up to the correct temperature and then force it into the coffee grounds. This should take between 15 to 20 seconds and as the coffee starts to flow into the cup the foam starts forming on top. This foam is brown in color and is known as Crema but once this foam becomes white in color then the best tasting liquid is not flowing any longer and you should stop the machine now. 6. Remove the cup immediately and your cup of espresso is now ready to drink.

In order to get the best results from your espresso machine you should select beans that are specifically for making espressos. These can be found in many coffee specialty shops as well as your local grocery store. If you want to get the best espressos then I suggest buying an espresso grinder, as this is efficient enough to produce a fine grind for making espressos with. Also use filtered or bottled spring water, as tap water is too hard.

How To Buy The Perfect Sewing Machine For Your Needs

Sewing Machines can be huge investments, cost a few hundred dollars or more for the nicer models. Therefore, it is important to know what you are doing when you go to the store to purchase a sewing machine. There are countless models from which to choose, so you need to know what you're looking for in a sewing machine in order to find the best buy possible. Taking your time to find the best product for you will save you money and frustration in the end.

The first thing you want to understand when looking for a sewing machine is what you will be using this sewing machine to do. Will it be used for quick repairs on clothing? Will it be used heavily every day to help run your craft business? Find a sewing machine that is durable enough for your needs. If you will be sewing for hours every single day, you're probably better off choosing a more heavy-duty machine, even if it is a little pricier, because a less expensive machine will only break down since it is not fit for heavy use.

Next, look at the extra feature of each sewing machine you are considering. Some sewing machines have settings that allow you to control the width and kind of stitch that is made. If you'll be using your sewing machine for a variety of things, this is important for you. Also check out the foot pedal. Make sure it is comfortable and easy to use. The foot pedal should work smoothly, and you should be able to either use this pedal or a switch to backstitch easily. Check the machine to find out where all of these buttons are located.

Ask about each sewing machine's warranty as well. Like any other mechanical device, sewing machines can stop working. If this happens to you, make sure that you are covered, at least for a year or two, so you can protect your investment. Be wary if no warranty is offered at all. This is often the case in renting centers and other discount places, because the sewing machine is not brand new. If someone previously owned the sewing machine, it might have had hard-to-fix problems that will happen again when you purchase it. Proceed with caution.

The last factor is, of course, price. Stay within the budget you set for yourself, because spending too much for extra features you don't need is common among consumers. Visit stores when they are having sales, like after the holidays to find the very best deal on a sewing machine that can fit your every need.

Truck Tool Box Tonneau Covers

Truck tool box tonneau covers are for people who want a tonneau cover but don’t really want to give up the advantage of owning a truck tool box. Owning a tonneau cover has some great advantages such as protecting your cargo from the weather and keeping your cargo out of sight from people who like to take things that don’t belong to them. A tonneau cover can also increase your gas mileage. With today’s gas prices this can make owning a tonneau cover all by itself worth the cost of purchasing one.

You can have all the advantages of owning a tonneau cover and still have a truck tool box to protect and store your tools. Different companies such as Extang with several different models of tool box tonneau covers which require you to either have a truck tool box or purchase one. Access also has a tool box edition which you also have to purchase or own a truck tool box.

Reds Beds offer an aluminum diamond plate tonneau cover which accepts a truck tool box but they also offer a diamond plate aluminum tonneau cover which includes an aluminum diamond plate truck tool box. Truxedo has the Truxedo plus which is a truck tool box tonneau cover with the truck tool box built into it.

Tools are expensive so you definitely want to keep them protected from the weather and keep them from rolling around in your truck bed. Truck tool boxes are made to do just that. The creation of the truck tool box tonneau cover was a great idea for those of us who wanted the advantage of both a tonneau cover and a truck tool box.

Elliptical Machine Workout

An elliptical machine workout is perfect if you want to workout your entire body. If you are ready to kick your existing workout up a notch add an elliptical machine to tone and work your entire body.

An elliptical machine workout is great for any level of exerciser from beginner to more advanced. Elliptical machines are widely used in gyms across the country and they are available for home use as well.

They come in any price range to make them more obtainable to all different budgets. The great benefit of elliptical machine workouts is they can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and increase your overall health in just 30 minutes a day.

Using a full body workout machine can help you get a great workout for your entire body in a shorter amount of time than other machines can. It is also easier on your joints than other workouts and can give great results.

Adding regular exercise into your day can increase your energy levels and even help to lift depression. These are great benefits of the elliptical machine workouts.

An elliptical exercise trainer is a perfect machine for at-home use. It takes the movement of stepping and combines it with cross-country skiing. Some machines even have poles for you to use to get a full body workout that will work every major muscle group in your body.

It can provide a more complete workout than even jogging can give you. The great thing is that you can exercise within the comfort of your own home during the cold winter months and during the extreme hot summer months.

To vary your elliptical machine workout you can reverse your motion to use even more muscles. Increasing the intensity for a few minutes makes it more challenging and interesting to you.

Keeping your routine interesting can help you to remain committed in your quest for better health. Commitment is the key to getting results with any exercise regimen, including an elliptical machine workout.

If you are looking for a great full body workout machine consider purchasing an elliptical trainer. With the health benefits that the elliptical exercise trainer can help you achieve you will be feeling healthier in no time.

Linux Training for the New Linux User - Linux Virtual Machine Tips & How to Use Linux in Windows

You uncompress the single Linux download file into a folder to put the Linux virtual machine files onto your Windows hard disk. One of these files is the main virtual machine file that is opened to run the Linux virtual machine.

To run Linux in Windows, you just run the free virtual machine player and open the main virtual machine file!

Linux Tips You Need to Know about Linux Virtual Machines - So You Can Easily Run Linux in Windows

1. There are hundreds of free Linux virtual machines available for download, but all Linux virtual machines are not created equal.

To create a Linux virtual machine, a person installs the Linux OS on a computer system with various Linux software programs and configuration settings. The person doing the Linux installation decides what Linux software components are installed and what Linux configuration settings are made. After the installation, the person then creates the Linux download file that contains the virtual machine files, and then makes it available for download.

For example, some virtual machines will be installed with a Linux desktop, but others, such as one that has been installed to be a Linux server, won't. Some will have a Linux firewall installed (and turned on) and others won't.

2. Get the Specs of the Linux virtual machine before doing the Linux download.

When you go to a web site to get a Linux virtual machine, be sure to have a look at the specs of the Linux download (virtual machine) file to see what Linux software components it has installed. Unfortunately, some web sites that have virtual machines don't show very much information about their Linux download files.

Linux Tips: If you are a new Linux user, be sure to only download virtual machines that have a Linux desktop. This will make it easier for you to run Linux software programs and to open a terminal emulation window on the desktop. You open a terminal emulation window to get to the Linux command line prompt and run Linux commands.

Starting a Gumball Machine Business

The most frightful competition where gumball vending machines are considered is candy vending machine, and soda vending machine. Candy vending machines are an alternative to gumball ones, because they are both considered to be sweets. The difference however, is the fact that gumball vending machines are so much cheaper, so they have more popularity among people. Sales from a gumball vending machine are much higher than a candy one. And besides, the gumball vending machines are smaller and can be placed in any food store. A gumball vending machine is first of all a vending machine business niche element. So in order to make profit and be successful in your business, you most certainly must think about positioning the gumball vending machine. Considering the fact that candy vending machines can’t be placed in a local food store - a gumball dispenser is, however, a great replacement, being smaller and much more adaptable to a local store. Kids are the main targets to a gumball vending machine, so placing vending machines in locations where kids go is a major factor in increasing your revenue and developing a profitable vending machine business.

The gumball vending machine business

It’s true that gumball machines produce gum that is extremely cheap, so the price can’t be so high. But think again, because things can be different. Having gumball sold in million pieces a day, you can even make a fortune out of gumball vending machines. Purchasing more than just one gumball machine is the key to increasing your profit. And placing them in children’s way is the key to a successful vending machine business. One of the major factors that can bring you trouble is direct sunlight. Having your gumball vending machine put straight into the sunlight can affect the quality of the gum not to mention the color that will slowly fade away. So, in order to protect your vending machine business, make sure you place your gumball vending machines in a shady cool place for the durability and good maintenance of the quality of the gumballs. Find out detailed information here: Vending Machine Expert

Use Your Answering Machine To Get You More Clients

Another effective marketing tool is your answering machine.

Most gift basket business owner use it to entertain callers.

Some messages people usually use to entertain are:

“This is the Bobby’s residence. Sorry we are not at home right now. Please leave a message after the tone“ “You have just reach 058 434 43433. I’m not available at the moment…..“

This is not a professional way of doing business and it would not help you get more customers. You should record what you do and the service you provide. It must be used as another way to position yourself as an expert.

Market yourself with your voice

You are going to have a marketing message on your answer machine. Clients that call you are interesting in you business so they would be interested in listen to a message that interest them if you not available.

Answering Machine Script

So, instead of saying, “This is the Bobby’s residence. Sorry we are not at home right now. Please leave a message after the tone“. Why not say “Hello, Thank you for calling to discuss how to improve your business and get more clients. It’s Anne Williams, Your Local Gift Basket Producers.”

“I’m quite busy at the moment but your call is extremely important to me. So at the tone, please leave your name, telephone number and a detailed message slowly and clearly and I’ll guarantee getting back to you.”

Choose A Vending Machine Distributor – Find One That Supplies Bulk Products Too

When you contact a vending machine distributor, you have the option to choose from many different types of vending machines. Some distributors specialize in one type of vending machine, such as soda vending machines, whereas others have all kinds for you to choose from. Most of the distributors have a website where you can browse the list of used and new vending machines. When you do choose a vending machine distributor, you should choose one that can also supply you with the bulk products that you need.

Bulk vending distributors have a wide variety of supplies that you can purchase for stocking your vending machines. When you sit down to discuss the business with a vending machine distributor, you can get a good estimate of the costs involved in operating this type of business. You do have to factor in the costs of buying the machines and the bulk vending products that you need. You also have to deduct the commission that you pay the business owners of the locations where you place your machines.

Distributors of vending machines deal directly with the manufacturers and they also have great associations with other vending business owners. If you want to find a vending route for sale, you best source of information is a vending machine distributor. In dealing with the various operators, the distributor will be able to tell you why the person is selling the route and whether or not he/she thinks it would be profitable for you to buy it. There are also bulk vending distributors that sell products only and do not deal in the vending machines themselves.

Take at look at the types and condition of the machines that a vending machine distributor has to sell. Most of the time you will see very little difference in a new and used vending machine. The main difference will be in the price of each one, so after your inspection you will realize how much money you can save by buying used vending machines. Distributors of vending machines also offer payment plans so that you can finance the cost of the machine over a period of time, saving you money on the initial investment. If you are not sure whether or not you will remain in the vending machine business, you can also lease the vending machines from bulk vending distributors.

You won’t find it hard to contact a vending machine distributor when you search online. Distributors of vending machines will deliver the machines to you and will also arrange to pick them up if you decide you no longer want to use the machines of a specific distributor or you want to get out of the business. However, bulk vending distributors do not take back any supplies that you purchase, but you may be able to sell what you have left over to another person just getting started in the vending machine business. A vending machine distributor will be able to give you expert advice on how to operate your vending route and on the products that have the most profit.

The Right Tool for the Job

Imagine this: You’ve just tucked your child in for the night and - well, it seems as though you’ve just tucked him in, but, now that you think about it, the news is coming on and you’ve managed to fold the laundry, do the dishes, and tidy the family room in the meantime, so maybe it’s actually been a couple of hours and, and - he’s calling for you! Why isn’t he asleep yet?!

You’ve been summoned for one last whisper, snuggle and butterfly kiss. In your attempt to navigate the four feet between the bedroom door and the bedside you manage to plant your unprotected left foot smack on top of a Mars colony created from LEGOs. (Why are those blasted blocks so painful?!) As you attempt to regain your balance (and refrain from swearing out loud) your right foot lands on and collapses the K’Nex version of the International Space Station. You are clearly losing the navigational battle of your child’s bedroom floor and now, on your way to greeting that when-was-the-last-time-this-was-vacuumed-floor with your face, you notice that hurled under the bedframe like so much forgotten dirty laundry, is the homework assignment that was DUE THREE WEEKS AGO!!

Feel free to replace the LEGOs and K’Nex with puzzles, art or construction materials, books, blocks, marbles, beads, play-doh, ribbons, scissors, stuffed animals, chess pieces, or any number of other items. Then switch the misplaced homework with anything else that nobody but you seems to understand the value and importance of – like, say, homework. If this scenario sounds even remotely like an evening from your life, you are probably the parent of a visual-spatial learner.

Visual-spatial learners are the delightful little darlings (and big darlings, too, seems you can’t outgrow this) in our lives who crave for time with such joys as building, painting, drawing, daydreaming, dancing, music making, and letting their creative imaginations soar. They struggle to find the time or inclination to put their clothes away, maintain some degree of organization (at least what passes as organization in the rest of the free world), and you can forget altogether about punctuality. They have the most incredible, “A-Ha!” moments of discovery, invention and problem solving, but the skills of managing a time schedule or showing their work may absolutely elude them. They march to their own drummer and virtually nothing you do will convince them it may be offbeat.

Is knowing someone’s learning style important?

Does it matter whether or not you know your child is a visual-spatial learner? Well, one might just as easily ask, does it matter whether or not you know if they are right- or left-handed? When we know a child is left-handed, we don’t insist they use right-handed scissors. We used to, but then we realized that lefties are born that way, that there’s nothing wrong with being a leftie and we, the right-handers of the world, finally accepted lefties as they are. When given the proper tool, the task became easier, the job more interesting, and the end result more pleasing.

What if we’re not giving the appropriate tools to specific learning styles? If you, your child’s teacher, and others involved in this person’s life, understand that people can have a preferred learning style, just like having a preferred writing hand, and that you could teach to that preferred learning style, wouldn’t you be offering them the same advantage for learning that appropriate scissors are to preferred handedness?

I didn’t know people actually thought differently until my son was old enough to describe for me how he thought. For instance, one night as I was tucking him in, I asked him which goodnight song he wanted. He sat straight up in bed and stared intently at the ceiling. “What are you looking at?” I asked. “My song list.” “Oh, what does it look like?” He proceeded to “draw” with his finger in the air a sort of shelf holding every picture of every song he knew. He described the images of a number of songs for which he could also find a word, the song’s name, to match his image. He could see the song he wanted but couldn’t find its name. I asked him to describe the picture: a hand with two fingers up. While I was guessing songs with two items, songs with the number two, anything “two,” my hand (with two fingers raised) was bouncing and he got it: Little Bunny FooFoo!! This was not a song I had sung to him in many years, maybe four or more, but the image, the picture he had created of the song, lived on in his mind’s eye, on his shelf of songs.

What I discovered about my son’s learning style was that he thinks in images. His brain is one gigantic filing system of pictures that symbolize words (like song names!). Visual-spatials, like my son, can often solve complex math equations accurately, but they may not always be able to show their work. They excel in “right-hemispheric” talents, skills requiring aptitude from the right side of the brain: art, geometry, thinking in multiple dimensions, music, creativity, empathy, design and invention, and the sheer joy of creating something wonderful out of the trash you nearly threw away.

One evening, after enjoying a take-out meal from a local restaurant, my youngest couldn’t wait to get his hands on some tape and the Styrofoam containers our food had been delivered in. He “saw” airplane propellers in the lids, an airplane body in the boxes and all the other pieces required to create his custom jet. They were all there, their potential being wasted just holding our food. When dinner was over, voila, the airplane was created – food crumbs and all! (I’m almost certain it still exists somewhere, probably under his bed!)

Ok, one more story. Once, as we were headed out for some unmemorable chore, and still backing out of the driveway, Visual-Spatial Poster Child was obviously struggling in his seat. “What’s up?” I called back. “I can’t get the backward seven to work!” I’m thinking, “backward seven??” – what is it, how does it work and why does he need it? “Uh, what’s a backward seven, honey?” I cautiously asked. Meanwhile, I’m headed down the street and the panic level in his voice is rising. At the stop sign I looked back to discover that he had not been able to connect his seatbelt, which from his vantage point, coupled with his ability to see the image and not find the matching word, is clearly a backward seven!

Most people, I have learned, are a little sequential and a little spatial. My oldest, for example, is very strong in both auditory-sequential abilities and visual-spatial abilities. For him, learning comes easily and rapidly. He can grasp complex concepts with little effort regardless of how they are presented. What a gift to be able to call upon the strengths of either or both hemispheres at any given time!

In an effort to meet the needs of children like mine, we parents and teachers must first recognize that there are distinct differences in how many people think and learn that are inherent in each individual, even in our learning styles. Many of us are strongly auditory-sequential or strongly visual-spatial. To require visual-spatial learners to conform to an auditory-sequential structure, in their home and/or school life, is equivalent to the archaic practice of forcing left-handed children to write with their right hand.

Visual-spatial abilities – your child’s gift

Think you’ve got a visual-spatial on your hands? What do you do now, right? As a homeschooling mom, I have the luxury of creating a classroom that is custom-designed to meet the unique needs of my children and their abilities. Whenever we approach any new learning material, we think about how to present it visually. Often my children come up with remarkably effective, visual ways they would like to learn new material. From maps of South America in multiple colors of clay (including transparency overlays of the ancient Aztec, Mayan, and Incan civilizations) to gigantic sheets of butcher paper (to trace the paths of the first Polynesian explorers and Lewis and Clark), we are always incorporating some interesting visual activity to accompany and expand upon our traditional curriculum. You haven’t truly appreciated Shakespeare until you’ve seen us dissect it, diagram it, and create a cartoon version of it!

Visual “props” such as math manipulatives, graphic organizers, the computer, good old paper and crayons, clay, transparencies, mnemonic devises, cartoons, and much more, serve to enhance the overall educational experience for every learner, visual-spatial and auditory-sequential. I’ve never met an auditory-sequential learner who didn’t enjoy squishing and shaping clay to re-create ancient artifacts, but I’ve known several visual-spatial learners who couldn’t recite the dates or the names if they had only learned the information by having it read or lectured to them. They remember what they see, not always what they hear. And for what they hear, they must be allowed time to create a visual image to accompany that new knowledge or it is lost.

Visual-spatial learners learn by observation. At just 20 months I discovered my eldest son “playing” on the computer. He had learned how to manipulate the mouse, get into a document and ask the printer to do its thing just by watching me! I wasn’t teaching him, but he had been on my lap and seen the process maybe two or three times, and he learned it. Today he approaches computers as many kids of his generation do, without any trepidation or concern, fully understanding how it performs pure acts of magic.

The following picture was created when I asked my son to tell me how he was able to learn Spanish so well. (Foreign languages are not typically mastered by visual-spatial learners unless they are involved in a total immersion program.) He proceeded to draw, in great detail, (rather than try to explain!) how his “satellites” (ears) receive information which was then forwarded to the “Picture making building” which transforms the signals into pictures. Those pictures then travel to the “picture stamping” area which “puts what the picture means on” the picture. (Must have missed this step with the Little Bunny FooFoo song!) Finally, the image travels to the “Filing Building” where all images are stored for later recollection. What I particularly enjoyed hearing about was where all the employees (who were responsible for receiving signals, stamping the pictures and filing) lived: Employee Paradise, a fenced-in village complete with swimming pool and small store!

Successfully harnessing the gift

If your child is a visual-spatial learner, one of your jobs as a parent is to work with the classroom teacher to understand and teach to a known preferred learning style. Chances are your child isn’t the only visual-spatial in the classroom; studies have shown that at least one-third of the population is visual-spatial. By enriching the learning experience with a more visual, hands-on approach, with activities that engage all students, the classroom teacher doesn’t sacrifice anyone’s learning, only adds to everyone’s. If the teacher can reach everybody, nobody falls through the cracks.

At home, take a look at how you communicate with your child. Imagine it’s time for the weekly (monthly?) Clean Your Bedroom Or Else ritual. Do you typically rattle off a list of do-this, do-that chores then leave the room believing that your “picture” of a clean living space will somehow manifest itself out of the reigning chaos? And that it will do so within a prescribed timeframe? Now think about your success rate with this approach. Next time, try this: work with your child to create a poster of pictures (either drawings you create together or clippings from magazines) of what the end product, the Never Been Seen Since We Moved In Bedroom, should look like when the job is finished. The pictures might include one of a nicely made bed with all the stuffed animals aligned and waiting. Another picture of folded clothes neatly tucked into drawers that are still within the dresser, while another picture shows matching shoes lined up nicely on the floor of the closet. Yet another of similar toys gathered carefully into tubs ….ok, you get the picture. Now help them get the picture.

Getting a visual-spatial child out the door can be an on-going challenge. There are so many distracting and more entertaining options available. One technique that works, at least some of the time, is to create a picture of the consequences of not getting to your destination on time. For example, suppose you are running late to an afternoon Tae Kwon Do practice. You could create the following picture for your child: “If we are late for your class, that will upset the instructor and possibly interrupt the start of the lesson for all the other students who did arrive on time. How do think your instructor will feel? How will the other students feel?” If they can see the consequences of not arriving on time, you may actually stand a chance of getting out the door – and, with the shoes! Assure your child that whatever they were longing to do instead of getting in the car will be there for them when they return. Visualizing what will happen, or not happen, as a result of their action, or inaction, is often an effective way to get results. Also, effective although militaristic sounding, are one word commands, “Shoes – Car - Please” convey all the instructions they need.

If you are not a visual-spatial learner and your child is, you must try to “see” from his or her perspective. Unless you have created a picture for the visual learner to remember, consider it lost. You could deliver an entire set of instructions regarding the laundry: gather it all, bring it down to the laundry room, sort by colors, fill the washer with detergent, turn on the water, add the bleach, put the clothes in, etc., but if you have not planted the image of the chore’s goal – clean laundry – your child will be stuck envisioning gathering the laundry in a room full of temptations that draw attention completely away from the chore at hand. Once you think you’ve created a picture, ask your child to describe for you what that image is. Make sure you both agree on the “picture” that will result when the chore is complete.

Imagine you are helping your visual-spatial child to master something new. Whether it’s riding a bike or memorizing the multiplication tables, the greatest gift you can give your child is to present that new material visually. I once met an incredibly dynamic teacher who taught the 13 colonies by having his audience memorize a ridiculous story – in pictures that each person drew - of a Jersey cow named Georgia, atop the Empire State Building. Are you “seeing” New Jersey, Georgia and New York here? I taught my sons their times tables by reading them the silliest cartoons that exchanged the names of numbers for characters and other objects. What’s 8 x 2? “Skate times shoe = Sick Queen, Sixteen!” from the cartoon story of a queen spinning dizzily while wearing a shoe on one foot, and a skate on the other. (You can find the entire collection available at www.multiplication.com.) There are a number of math programs out that include presenting material visually including Borenson’s Hands-on Equations, Mortenson Math, Math-U-See and more.

Maybe if we ignore it, they’ll outgrow it!

Preferred learning styles don’t affect just school-age children! My husband and mother-in-law recently learned there was a name to refer to how they thought and learned. Neither knew that their way of thinking was different from others, they thought everybody learned and thought in images. And, while neither did well in elementary school, both are very bright. Understanding their uniqueness has helped to heal old wounds from their school days and to create confidence in their abilities and contributions.

The future for visual-spatial learners

Parents of visual-spatial learners everywhere, take heart! We are on the eve of an educational revolution and your child’s time to shine has come. For the first time in perhaps centuries, their special gifts will be recognized and honored. How can I make such a prediction? Because in this new century, our reliance on the computer and the visually-oriented careers that will spring from it mean the talents that come naturally to the visual-spatial learner will be of highest value. It can be exceedingly challenging for sequential, left-hemispheric thinkers to imagine objects in dimensional form, to create pictures in their mind’s eye, to think in terms of space rather than time. But for the visual-spatial learner it is precisely how they think and learn. Perhaps one day, there will be remedial courses in how to think sequentially because the talent for such will have been lost.