My Precious
For the past fifteen years I’ve worked at a cheese processing factory without incident—until last week. I was taking off my gloves to go on break and my wedding band came off with them. I reached out quickly to try to grab it, but it was too late; it had fallen into one of the massive vats.
I immediately ran downstairs to shut off the machine and try to retrieve the jewelry. The ring isn’t expensive, but it’s been in my family for six generations, so it has some substantial sentimental value. Luckily the stainless steel strainer in the bottom of the vat caught the ring and my family’s precious heirloom was preserved.
Our Burgeoning Dairy Endeavor
A few years ago my wife and I sold our home in the Hamptons and decided to purchase a small farm in our home state of Nebraska. After living in suburban areas for most of our lives, we were ready to reconnect with the pastoral pleasures of the Midwest. Since we’re getting older now, we didn’t want the full rigors of farm life, but we didn’t want to be sedentary all day either.
The homestead came with a small barn, so we decided to focus on raising cows and creating our own dairy products. As I said, we didn’t want much work, so we only bought enough cows to supply ourselves and some of the locals with milk and other dairy products. We started out with the basics, but our small enterprise has blossomed and we recently invested in some new cheese processing equipment.
What is Ultra Filtration?
The term “ultra” is a modifier that is thrown around haphazardly to enhance the meaning of virtually any phrase. But when it’s attached to filtration, as in ultra filtration, it distinctly alters the meaning. In ultra filtration, hydrostatic pressure is used to force a liquid through a semipermeable membrane, effectively removing large molecules from the solution.
You’re probably asking yourself, “Who actually does this?” Typically the process is used to purify and concentrate protein solutions, such as those used in the dairy industry. The only difference between this and other types of filtration is the size of the molecules that are removed from the liquid.
Reveling in Technological Advancements
As someone who’s grown up immersed in technology, it’s easy to take the innovations of the last few centuries for granted. I mean, we get frustrated if we don’t have communication for a couple of minutes, whereas a century ago many people would be happy to hear from their relations a few times per year. Not only has communication grown exponentially—particularly with the advent of the internet—but so has the quality of our products.
Thanks to precision machining, manufacturers can mass-produce millions of tiny parts that work in conjunction flawlessly. From the tiny screws and microprocessors that go into your cellphone and laptop to the massive beams and steel plating used to construct immense edifices, everything around us is meticulously designed. And what’s even more amazing—in my opinion at least—is that many of us now take these amazing feats of design and engineering for granted
The Benefits of Waterjet Cutting
If you’ve ever used a saw in any capacity, you are undoubtedly aware of the amazing amount of heat the tool creates. Whether you are using a handsaw or a bandsaw, the friction heats both the blade and the material you’re cutting. For most applications, this isn’t a huge concern, but there are times when the heat generated by sawing can be hazardous to your materials.
While it may seem like something out of a science-fiction flick, waterjet cutting has, to a large extent, solved this problem. A water jet cutter uses extremely pressurized water to cut through everything from metal and wood to minerals. There are several variations of this machine, but they all offer the same advantage; precision cutting without excess heat.
Expanding My Business
For three generations my family has owned and operated a small dairy farm in southern Pennsylvania. Most of our business has been confined to a 10 to 20 mile radius from our headquarters, but when I started working with my dad a few years ago, we began to discuss expansion. Over the past few years our clientele has more than tripled, which has necessitated some significant changes.
First of all, much of our equipment and machinery had to be updated. This included a new stainless steel vat, as well as modernized packing equipment. While it has been a lot of work, the process is certainly paying off; we recently purchased a farm in New York and plan on growing our company even further.
What is a Heat Exchaner?
A heat exchanger is a basic piece of equipment that facilitates heat transfer from one source to another. Heat exchangers come in a variety of shapes and forms, being utilized for everything from refrigeration and sewage treatment to chemical and power plants. Some of the most basic types of heat exchangers are shell and tube, plate, and fluid.
As you can imagine, finding the proper heat exchanger for your particular purpose can be challenging. To that end, finding a heat exchanger manufacturer that can customize components for your specific equipment is often the best route. While this may not be feasible for small companies, this methodology can save larger corporations a significant amount of time and numerous headaches.
Dairy Industry Looks to Rebound from Crisis
Virtually every industry has experienced hardships due to the current economic crisis, and the dairy industry isn’t an exception. Many farmers maintain that the current crisis was the worst in history for the industry. But despite the trials and tribulations that farms have undergone in the last year and a half, it appears as if they are primed to turn the proverbial corner.
Milk prices hit startling low levels last year, but it appears that prices are stabilizing as the rest of the economy continues to recover. The Dairy Industry Advisory Committee expressed a sense of optimism during their meetings earlier this month. By the end of the year, they hope to have a proposal that outline ways to stabilize prices further and plan for prolonged prosperity.
What is a Gear Reducer?
Many machines utilize gears to carry out their designated tasks. Often times, it will be necessary to change the amount of speed or rate at which the gears rotate. When this is the case, a gear reducer is needed. There are several variations on the standard gear reducer, and the model that you select will be dependent on your particular needs.
The three main types of gear reducers are the worm, bevel and helical. A worm gear reducer is at a right angle and provides the highest level of speed reduction in the smallest package. A bevel gear reducer is at a right angle as well but it has a much higher efficiency. Helical gears are more efficient and can handle higher work loads than their two counterparts.
Fast Food Debacle
My skills in the kitchen are severely limited, but with the job market like it is, the only place that I could find work was in the kitchen of a fast food restaurant. While this certainly wasn’t my dream job, at the time I was simply satisfied to have a job in any capacity. From my first day on the job, it was evident this wasn’t a career path I should pursue.
I started by burning a batch of fries and nearly setting the entire facility on fire. That was followed by spilling a five-gallon bucket of cola while trying to refill the machine. Lucky for me there was a stainless steel floor drain, so the sugary mixture didn’t flood the whole place, although it did take me hours to remove the sticky residue.