QUALITY
DEVELOPING STORY: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) delivers possible REVOLUTION in Manufacturing!
THREE DIMENSIONAL PRINTING (abbreviation: 3DPTM) is going to change radically the way industries are going to produce any kind of material!
How does it work? MIT experts explain: "Three Dimensional Printing functions by building parts in layers. From a computer (CAD) model of the desired part, a high-tech algorithm draws detailed information for every layer. Each layer begins with a thin distribution of powder spread over the surface of a powder bed. Using a technology similar to ink-jet printing, a binder material selectively joins particles where the object is to be formed. A piston that supports the powder bed and the part-in-progress lowers so that the next powder layer can be spread and selectively joined. This layer-by-layer process repeats until the part is completed. Following a heat treatment, unbound powder is removed, leaving the fabricated part".
Dear readers, it really looks like this machine is able to literally print a single piece of equipment or a single machine part starting from powder! If you wanna read more about this amazing technology go to MIT Three Dimensional Printing Laboratory!
4th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONTEMPORARY CAST IRON
The 4th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art took place at the Johnson Atelier, in Mercerville, New Jersey in April 2002. This conference demonstrated the growing interest in cast iron as a sculptural material. It was a forum for artists and industry to exchange ideas on recent trends, aesthetics and techniques in iron casting and to establish important professional networks. Panel discussions addressed the history and tradition of casting iron and as an emerging contemporary art form will be conducted by leading authorities. One of our objectives illustrated at the conference was to publish a cohesive journal, which would contain various cupola (furnace) designs, recipes, and technical information from around the world. Currently, an integrated publication of this kind does not exist, but it would become an extensive tool and instruction manual for individuals, foundries and universities engaging in cast iron activities. Interested in contributing? Please contact: micfineart@cs.com
“RENAISSANCE” OF WROUGHT IRON!
“Nowadays in the U.S.A. and in the whole world, wrought iron is constantly object of interest and growth” So affirms Bruno Gonzato, architect and entrepreneur, proud that a big slice of this success can be credited also to Ind.I.A. - Industria italiana Arteferro, that he manages. There is therefore a going back to the culture of wrought iron that extinguished after the industrial revolution. And what’s the reason of this “new renaissance” ? “Wrought iron returned to be a cult object because of its impact on man unconscious - affirms Gonzato - if we carefully look into the history of each single family we would find a blacksmith. In short, wrought iron strikes us because it recalls far away ages, memories that fade away in generations. We can say that wrought iron is an archetype that exists in every culture: in the history weapons and ploughs have been made out of iron. Nowadays, ploughs and weapons are no more made by beating the iron manually: technologies are different and more advanced. Practically, we revitalized a dying art, the blacksmithing one, enhancing the ornamental side of this activity. And the public became excited by this dark side of wrought iron, that calls forth the ancient emotions buried inside us”.
WHAT'S PURE IRON??
Bruno Gonzato is an architect and an entrepreneur. He lives and works in Italy and specifically in Vicenza. He manages the world leading company in the Wrought Iron market, Ind.I.A. - Industria Italiana Arteferro and he is in this field since 30 years.
We asked Bruno Gonzato what was today the meaning of the definition “pure iron”: in the market, in fact, such a named product is sold at 1 US$ per Kilo.
“To talk of pure iron, few cases excepted, is senseless - affirms Gonzato - In the past, till the nineteenth century, the exceeding percentage of carbon was reduced in a mechanic way by beating the iron (and here comes the name “Wrought iron”). In Venice, for instance, in the Middle Ages, squares of even 80 millimetres of almost pure iron were used. All this before that the high temperatures we are nowadays using, could be reached - and concludes - it is not worthwhile to pay for some iron 1 US$ per kilo when its value is less than half-a-dollar” Therefore, pure iron is not particularly indicated for the actual uses of the metal: a little percentage of carbon is necessary to make it resistant; too much carbon would make it brittle (cast iron) and the total absence of carbon would make it too malleable
KNIFE WORLD
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THE MASTERMYR PROJECT
In 1936 on an island off the coast of Sweden a farmer plowing a recently drained swampland was stopped by something buried in the ground. He found his plowshare entangled in an old chain. As he dug deeper he found the chain wrapped around a chest that contained many old tools. Subsequent investigation by Sweden's archaeologists revealed that it was a tool chest from the Viking era of about 10 centuries ago. They were blacksmiths and carpenters tools over 1000 years old! The purpose of the Mastermyr Project is to accurately recreate the artifacts of the Mastermyr Find in the interest of investigating ancient manufacturing methods and providing an exhibit for the purpose of public education. The project members are an association of volunteer blacksmiths, from the United States and Canada. Each participating smith will reproduce one or more of the included items. For more informations,
contact Rob Fertner, Project Coordinator afertner@kscable.com
STRANGE BUT TRUE
Submitted to the Pennsylvania Striker by Karl Orndorff
As a blacksmith, I buy gloves by the dozen. I am right handed so I use only the left-hand glove. I have a better grip and better hammer control without the right hand glove. I end up with a pile of unwanted gloves in the smithy and that turned out to be a blessing. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Like all coal forges, mine quits burning after as little as 15 minutes if left unattended. I can extend the 15 minutes to a couple of hours by burying a couple of wood blocks in the coal. One day while hammering iron I decided to go up to the house for coffee and to check for phone messages. I looked around for a block of wood but the supply was depleted. On a whim I threw an old glove in the fire and covered it with coal. When I got the phone message from my wife saying meet me soon at….. A quick shower and I was gone.
About 24 hours later I returned to my forging task. I was surprised when I walked past the brick forge and could feel a little heat. I flipped the blower switch on and had a roaring fire within a minute. What a good use of old gloves! I use one every time I plan on forging the next day. On 5/12/99 at 5PM I tried the glove thing. I did not get back to the forge till 5/14/99 at 6PM. Forty nine hours and the coal still lit without help. In this case the blower ran for several minutes before I had a good fire. Also I did not disturb the coal at all before turning the blower on. A couple of caveats: there is a rather unpleasant odor from the smoldering glove. If you have close neighbours they may not appreciate this. If your shop is close to the house, your wife may not appreciate this. The length of time the coal stays lit may vary with the coal you use.
The old oily gloves work best. I use gloves with a leather palm and cloth back.
Coating: there are various finisching systems available to coated finisches. Dipping: a procedure of immersing parts in a tank of paint, simplicity of equipment and 85% efficiency. Flow coating involves holdin a part over a tank and pumping a stream of paint over the part. The excess paint drains into the tank and is recirculated over the parts. Spray: you can use "spray painting" (popular method!) or "elctrostatic spray". In this case the system, electrically charged paint is forced between an electrically charged spray gun and a grounded part. Both liquid and powder paint can be applied electrostatically.
Powder coating is the application of a coating in the form of a finely ground dry powder. When applied electrostatically, the powder adheres to the part weakly by means of electrical attraction. After the powder has been apllied, the part is heated (cured) in curing ovens to melt the powder, which is the cooled to form a solid film. E-coating or Electrodeposition: in this process, electrically charged paint particles are 'plated' onto a conductive part. In some ways, electro coating can be thought of a similar to the plating process, except that the parts are immersed in a tank of electrically charged paint.
