Environment

The Shop Operations column from the March 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering covers the steps necessary to effectively supply compressed air in a metalworking shop.

With a substantial portion of the U.S. manufacturing base in earthquake-prone California, we would be wise to study how Japan orchestrates this recovery, suggests CTE Editorial Director Alan Rooks in his April 2011 Lead Angle editorial.

CTE Editorial Director Alan Rooks laments the long and winding road to economic recovery in this Lead Angle editorial in the September 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Manufacturing was a star in 2011 and looks to shine brightly in 2012.

Recycling coolant pays big dividends for job shops.

As the U.S. strives to become less dependent on foreign energy sources, energy producers are increasingly employing hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” to drill shale deposits and extract natural gas and some oil. That booming market requires a range of parts from shops around the country.

States near the Marcellus Shale, a huge natural gas formation centered in Pennsylvania, are feverishly pursuing a $4 billion ethane “cracker” to be built by Royal Dutch Shell. The cracker will process ethane-rich gas from the Marcellus Shale into ethylene, and the ethylene will be used by the pharmaceutical, chemical and plastics industries. The plant will create 10,000 construction jobs and several hundred permanent jobs.

Applying 'green' coolant to maintain machining performance while being friendly to workers and the environment.

Managing energy costs and improving energy performance requires an ongoing commitment.

Machine tool idling, unnecessary pump rotation and continuously running peripheral equipment drive up machining costs. These energy wasters are in the crosshairs of a new suite of power-cutting control applications from Japanese machine tool builder Okuma Corp.