A Guide to How Diesel Locomotives Work

September 30, 2015January 27, 2020 admin

Starting up a diesel locomotive is a lot different than starting up an ordinary car. In fact, it’s a lot more complicated. Here is a breakdown from beginning to end on how these industrial mammoths run.

The first step in the process is entering the cabin and powering up the locomotive. A knife switch is flipped which connects the battery source to the circuit breaker. Then, the switches on the circuit breaker panel are all turned on by the engineer. This powers the entire vehicle. Because of the immense amount of power that is needed to start up a locomotive, a portable power source is required in many cases to get the engine to even turn over.

The next step is for the engineer to prime the fuel system and engage the motors. Once the engine begins to crank over, the locomotive is ready to begin a forward motion.

The engineer then heads to the back of the train to release the hand brake once the brake system has been pressurized.

Upon approval by the conductor, the engineer then begins moving forward, ringing the bells and air horns to signal the motion.

Once the locomotive starts moving, the engineer has to work the throttle control. The higher the position of the throttle – also called a notch – the more voltage is produced, therefore increasing the speed.

While the train is in constant motion, the computer inside the engine begins its magic by automatically adjusting the fuel injectors to match the engine power required.

If the engineer needs to slow the train down, he can utilize the brake control which work alongside the motors. The control creates air pressure within the cylinders of the brakes to apply the pressure to the brake pads.

For maintenance purposes the engineer has to continuously check the readouts that are displayed by sensors all around the train. This is a vital tool for the engineer as a problem can be scoped out and addressed before a major accident occurs. For instance, if there is an issue with the power, the engineer can utilize a railroad locomotive starter to help restore and somewhat jumpstart it back to life. An engineer that drives a train without the adequate diagnostic readings are putting other people’s lives in danger. Safety precautions are always taught to the engineers to ensure the least amount of risk.

Now that you have an understanding on how a diesel locomotive starts and runs, you now know the immense responsibility placed on the engineer. The fact that trains have continuously progressed and have kept up with technology shows that they continue to play a large role in society.

How Coating Application Changed the Medical Scene

August 27, 2015March 22, 2022 admin

Medical device coatings have come a long way in terms of development and application. Years of extensive research have led to a product capable of entering the human body without harming the patient or exposing them to the risks of infection. These coatings vary in form and can be as simple as thin metal or as advanced as pore-laden polymer coating.

Creating the Coating

There are multiple forms of technologies that engineers can use to create the coating. Being such a vital part of the process, the application of the coating must be taken care of with precision and care. A thorough and complete inspection is necessary to check for any potential detrimental effects. Upon approval by inspectors, the coating is then introduced to the market.

The creation of the coating can be done in various intricate ways such as: PVD thermal evaporation, surface polymerization, spray coating etc. Through all of these methods, viscosity plays a huge role in the delivery of the liquid to the surface, therefore determining its efficiency.

The Importance of Coating

The human body’s defense mechanism is extremely complex. The insertion of medical devices will naturally provoke the body to defend itself. Certain plastics, or metals, are compatible with the body but lack the properties which would make them effective. The same goes the other way around where some materials irritate the body but once inserted, would generate a relatively positive response. This is where coating application blossoms.

Minimal irritation and inflammation following placement of the medical device is important for the patient’s well-being. A coated medical device can not only achieve that, but can also: encourage tissue growth and promote a rapid healing process, severely decrease the chance of infection due to device placement, and even manipulate the body’s defense system into “accepting” it. Through rapid-fire advancements, coating applications have become an integral part of medicine.

Flow Control

To improve production processes, new flow control technologies have been produced. This is especially important in the area of liquid spray coating. By utilizing this type of technology, one will see an increase in uniformity which coating is dependent upon.

Wrapping it Up

With today’s advanced coating discoveries, medical science can now apply advanced methods such as thin film evaporation and chemical vapor deposition to technologies giving them the potential to reach new heights.
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Denton Vacuum transforms barriers into thin-film technology breakthroughs for customers across the globe in providing vacuum deposition systems.

The Emerging Technology Behind Precise Engineering

August 17, 2015March 22, 2022 admin

Summary: See three industries that have been dramatically affected by improvements in American manufacturing.

The United States is a world leader in emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing techniques. The applications of these technologies are useful in a wide array of industries, and the discoveries are driving science the world over. American manufacturing has made so many aspects of our daily life easier, and continues to push the envelope in future technologies.

Here are three industries that directly benefit from these innovations.

Aerospace

UHV sputter deposition is central to many of the electrical components in an airplane, which can include the skin of the plane itself. The technique applies a film that can be microns in thickness, which is ideal when working with precision instrumentation. One good example is electro-static shielding, which houses navigational components as well as the plane itself.

Medical

Another field seeing improvement measured in leaps and bounds is the field of medicine. The medical manufacturing industry has made major breakthroughs involving plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. One example is the aqueous coating applied to tubing that goes inside the patient’s body. The coating allows the patient to experience minimal discomfort. Coupled with an anti-microbial solution, the patient returns to the hospital fewer times from infections related to those devices.

Optics

PVD thermal evaporation is useful in the production of lenses for eyeglasses. Chemicals used for anti-glare properties must first break down into gaseous form. Those particles are bounced around a sealed chamber, where they eventually come to settle on the lens in an even coating. The coating dries, remains durable, and provides the protection from glare that allows the owner to get around safely.

Retired Staff Sergeant First to Receive Mechanical Hand

July 28, 2015February 10, 2016 admin

A retired staff sergeant from Colorado is the world’s first recipient of a major medical breakthrough. Sergeant James Sides lost his hand while disarming an IED he found during his second tour in Afghanistan. Sides went blind in one eye after the bomb detonated close to his body. The blast also took his right hand.

When Sides returned home, he made a healthy recovery but he found basic tasks to be difficult. The Alfred Mann Foundation, which specializes in testing revolutionary robotics for medical use, found Sides and offered to give him a new device they’d created. They surgically implanted a device within Sides’ forearm that reads his muscle movements.

That device sends a signal to the robotic hand that he wears, which allows him to move each fingertip individually. He says he still has to look at an object and think about doing something before it happens, but Sides can manipulate the world around him in ways he thought were lost to him.

Opening a bottle of water, reaching for his wallet and more everyday tasks are far more manageable now that he has a hand that can move with him.

Prosthetics are a tricky piece of technology because it’s difficult to replicate the kind of motion that we have naturally. Even Sides is limited to three ranges of motion. The good news is that this technology is deployable now, and is beginning to get the publicity it deserves thanks to the work of Steve Doctrow and the team at Rogers & Cowan. This test includes six other individuals, but the hope is that this technology will soon see circulation in the general public.

Advantages of a portable air conditioner

July 20, 2015January 27, 2020 admin

During the summer months it can get very hot. That is the perfect time to look at portable air conditioning. It is the type of air conditioner that you can move around with from room to room, office to office, hence an appropriate climate control solution for an otherwise non air-conditioned environment. Portable air conditioners also have other advantages.

The advantages of a portable air conditioners.

Cheaper than all the other types of air conditioners.
Does not require any installation-this is because you do not have to find a professional to help you install since installation is easy. All you need is to make sure the hose is outside.
More efficient on energy consumption- it uses less energy as compared to central air conditioners which will cool the whole area even if you just need to cool a specific room or section.
Additional features – some portable air conditioners have extra features such as air “dehumidification” which reduce moisture in the air. This is especially important as it helps to reduce growth of mold and other agents.
It also functions as the perfect stand in when a running a/c unit fails. For example, when a server room air conditioner fails, a portable a/c is the perfect interim solution until it is repaired.

The Advantages of using an Online Time Clock

July 19, 2015May 8, 2021 admin

Unlike the traditional time machine, online time clocks allow employees to clock in and out online. This can be done on a browser or a mobile phone app. There are a few advantages online systems have their traditional counterparts:

Speed

Unlike physical time tracking systems, the data is available instantly. This is convenient when distributed teams and multiple locations are involved. Usually the data needs to be synchronized from each machine to a central server or computer and then the data is processed. With an online time clock, all this data is available instantly regardless of where the employee signed in or when.

Cost

Online time clocks are cheaper to deploy than physical systems. With the online system, only Internet access is needed for anyone to sign in and out. Even when an employee is out in the field they can sign out from a smartphone app. Physical systems on the other hand require the upfront costs to purchase the machines and install them. Then there is the maintenance cost. In addition if any machine breaks down then all the data for that day is unavailable until it is repaired.

Ease

Deploying an online time clock is also easy. Once you signup with a vendor you just need to provide access to the sign in and sign out screen to all your employees. For mobile employees only the app is necessary.

Allied Time specializes in providing solutions for businesses, enabling employers and employees to track your time clock online with a cloud-based timekeeping system.