Content about Mechanical engineering

PERU, Ind. — Bryan Steam reports that it has received UL environmental claims validation for its Triple-Flex™ (patent pending) Ultra-High Efficiency Condensing Boilers.

The boilers feature flexible stainless-steel tubes, minimum thermal efficiency of 90% with 160 F return, and 180 F supply at maximum input. Efficiencies up to 99% are achievable with lower return water temperatures as found in new building designs, Bryan says.

Bryan Steam offers boilers in sizes from 250,000 to 25,200,000 Btuh input, plus a variety of related equipment accessories.

Tanning — the process in which animal skins become leather and are no longer subject to rotting — is not a new process. Tanned skins were likely the first clothing worn by early humans, and even clothe Adam and Eve in the Bible’s creation stories.

Outstanding Production Facility: CRDN of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nev.

Located in an industrial park eight miles from Glitter Gulch, CRDN’s 8,300-square-foot plant is built to handle restoration work throughout the region quickly and efficiently. And the spotless new plant does just that, with room to grow.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) introduced a bill last month that seeks to cut pollution by placing a 5-cent tax on single-use plastic bags from drycleaners, grocery stores and other retailers.

“Our environment is literally choking on plastic bags,” Moran said in a statement, noting that oceans and rivers are clogged with plastic wastes. “Equally disturbing, as these plastics break down, toxic chemicals are being released into the environment.”

One of the jobs of a firm is to transform "inputs" of labor and capital into "outputs" of product and service. For most of us, that means using money to buy equipment and paying labor to produce clean garments.

If the prices of labor or technology change, new production methods may be needed to reduce unit costs. Unfortunately, the industry isn’t lucrative enough to support more R&D, but it can take advantage of other industries’ “knowledge leaks” and adapt their innovations.

Q: We often receive electric blankets from customers. Some of them do not carry care instructions. Can electric blankets be drycleaned?

A: No! Under no circumstances should an electric blanket be drycleaned. Electric blankets contain wires, electrical connections and heating elements that are covered by or encased in plastic.

Drycleaning solvents can dissolve the plastic insulators, exposing the wires. And the heat produced during reclamation may melt or crack the plastic insulation.

According to the business-statistics firm BizStats, the cost of utilities in a drycleaning plant is 5.8% of its total income; for coin-ops, which many plants also operate, it’s 18.6%. A limited, unscientific survey I conducted suggests that these figures are not far off. These are high percentages that threaten to erode profits seriously.