Category: Industrial Tech

Regular maintenance to your building will keep your company running efficiently. However, making repairs that are energy efficient will help the environment and cut your utility costs. Here are a few things you can do to improve your building.

Doors and Windows

Check your automatic doors to make sure that the heavy duty spring loaded hinges are functioning properly. These keep the doors shut preventing cold air from getting inside your building which will conserve energy. Inspect the insulation around these and the windows for wear. Add extra caulk to seal any cracks that might have formed to reduce the energy from escaping the structure. 

Lighting

Consider changing out switches for sensors in your lighting fixtures. These will control the light you use and only allow it on when someone is in the building. Install a timer to shut down only a few lamps for security purposes when the building is vacant. Install LED lighting for the best lighting and efficiency. While these initial costs for these might be more, the cut to your utility bill will be worth it in the end. You can do this within your facility as well as the security lamps and street lights in your parking lot.

Temperature Control

Set up a digital thermostat within the office space of your building. Program it to lower the temperature in the winter and raise it in the summer when the space is vacated. Regularly maintain your furnace or boiler to prevent shut down and to regulate the energy it uses. Look at the insulation that is already installed in the facility and determine if more should be added to trap the air within the structure. Consult with your maintenance supervisor to see which areas might be the most susceptible to let energy escape and find out how much it will cost to reinforce these spots. 

Review Your Costs

Bring an expert in to look over your facility and find what might be using the most energy. Watch your utility bills for any increases or decreases in the costs and where the change might be. Consider the opinions offered by the person hired to complete your audit and determine the amount of money it will take to implement the measures they suggest. Write out a timeline when these improvements can take place, then budget for the repairs to be done. Monitor your energy costs for the savings that will come as each job is accomplished. 

Since plastic is a large part of modern life, the techniques and processes used to make those items are of great interest such as extrusion molding and plastic welding. In general, extrusion molding is used to make many of the smaller or single piece plastics available to the general public while plastic welding is used to fuse together semi-finished plastics into larger or more complex items.

Who Uses It?

Plastic welding is used to manufacture items used to make other products such as plating tanks or in industrial processes like ducting and drip pans. It is common to outsource your plastic welding needs to companies and individuals who have the skills and tools to make the things that you need. For instance, it is a lot easier for metal plating companies to source their tanks from a specialty company than to set up an area dedicated to making them, buy the equipment and hire welders.

What Is It?

The welding of plastic is like the welding of metals in that it uses softened materials to fuse together pieces in an air-tight seam. This allows the product in question, from tanks to boats, to not leak and is incredibly important when working with hazardous materials. There are two types of welding techniques which can be used, applied heat and solvents. Solvents are more often used in plastics and applied heat is more often used in metals, but the method used depends on the properties of the materials and the specifications of the finished product.

How Is It Done?

Welding, in general, requires the right location, it needs to be done in a well-ventilated area with access to everything you need to clean and weld the surfaces. Safety equipment for plastic welding includes heat or solvent resistant gloves and clothing, a mask to filter dust and fumes and eye protection. Since plastic does not require the same amount of heat that metal does to melt, you only need a soldering iron instead of a welding torch, and your eye protection does not need to filter harmful light. Once the items are cleaned and held in place, heat or solvent is applied to both the seam and to the rod of material used to fill any gaps and the weld is made.

Plastic welding can be done on an individual basis at home to repair products or on an industrial scale to make items like plating and storage tanks, drip pans and ducting. Many manufacturers will get their plastic items from a welding company to make their lines run more smoothly and even work with these businesses for custom items.