Metal stamping

Ever looked at piece of metal and wondered how it attained its final shape? For example, a metal sheet may appear wavy, very flat or even have holes punctured through it.

Metal stamping is an extremely complex process that involves transforming a flat metallic sheet into different shapes. The flat sheet is referred to as a blank. Generally, the blank is fed into a system comprising of dies.

The dies are what are responsible for the shape changing. The process is cold forming and does not involve the use of heat to change the metal shape.

Some of the processes involved include flattening, swaging, piercing, coining, bending and cutting.

1. Flattening. As the term suggests, it involves making the material flatter. This is done to either make it smoother or make it thinner if it is thick.
2. Swaging. This is more commonly done in wires or rounded metals, not flat sheets. Basically, the process makes one end of the material narrower than the other end, usually to help it fit easily into an opening.
3. Piercing. The process may also be referred to as punching and involves creating holes into metallic materials. For this step, you may use a punch press.
4. Coining. Coining involves pressing sheet metals into specific shapes. For example, you mat pres a metal sheet into a coin.
5. Bending. Sometimes, you may want to turn your flat metal sheet in a certain way or create a wave. This is called bending. To bend your material, you may use a bending machine or a mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic brake press.
6. Cutting.  Cutting is regarded as a stamping process if the component is formed after cutting. The most common and effective way to achieve this is through laser cutting.

Types of stamping processes

There are three major process types.

• Progressive.
• Multi-slide.
• Deep Drawn.

Machines and Tools

To achieve a basic complete stamping process you need a blank, a force tool, and a die.

The blank is the metal part that requires shaping. It can be a thin metal piece and sometimes a wire. The force tool is used to administer force on the blank at a great force and fast speed.

In manual situations, the force tool can be a hammer. In a more industrious procedure, it may comprise of a hydraulic press. Lastly, the die is the part which contains the desired shape. The die then helps curve the metal into the required form.

Other additional features include a method of feeding the metal into and out of the system. The most used is a conveyer belt.

Why is the process beneficial?

Sheet stamping as an industrial process offers several benefits.

For example, the procedure enables production of identical shapes of metal at a lower cost and high speeds. Imagine wanting to convert millions of square feet into a certain shape. Doing so manually would mean spending a lot of working time.

And even then, achieving purely identical shapes would be nearly impossible. In addition, you would need to hire so many employees, or have few ones for a long time to achieve the feat. The process helps you to beat all these challenges and obtain perfection in a fraction of the time.

Another crucial advantage is that the process is entirely cold forming. This means that at no given point will you need to raise the temperature of the materials. As such, no extra cooling operations are necessary, hence saving resources. You will also not require additional postproduction cooling time thus making it time efficient.

Very little waste is also generated during the procedure. For example, during a metal piercing procedure, part of the sheet is pushed to the sides to create a hole. This is contrary to if you were to create a hole manually by cutting it out. Using the procedure therefore helps you maximize on the available material and reduce the amount of waste scraps afterwards.

Metal forming

Stamping is a type of metal forming. Metal forming is similar to the stamping process in that it results in the alteration of the shape of a metal. However, it does not result in a change in weight or cohesion. Metal forming is the process by which the surface, material and form properties of a metal are altered while retaining its mass and cohesion. Click here to read more.

Types of metal forming processes.

Some of the common examples of forming processes include the following:

• Roll Forming. In this procedure, you feed a long metal strip into a series of prearranged drum rollers. This is done continuously to ensure the metal attains a certain desired cross-section.
• Extrusion. Here, you make a die with a cross-section you want then force the metal into this die. The effect is you obtain metal with your desired cross-section.
• Braking. The press brake can be mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic. It is done to give the metal the desired angle by bending it.
• Stamping. It involves using a tool, die and force to change the shape of a flat metal sheet.

Advantages of metal forming processes.

The procedure has a wide array of benefits. For example, they alter the shape of a material. The alteration leads to the material being in better mechanical or operational shape. In addition, the raw material, metal in this case is not wasted. The processes also enhance production of high volumes of identical, accurately sized and shaped metallic parts.

Metal stamping and forming processes are crucial in the making of metallic materials. They enable fast, and easy production, without necessarily altering the quality produced. In a sense, the steps are a saver without which shaping metals would be a long and tedious procedure. 

The wastage minimization is also very capital intensive. Of emphasis also, is the fact that the processes yield material of uniformly required dimensions, a feat that is nearly impossible to do manually. Now can you imagine a world without forming and stamping processes?

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New York internet service providers were required to provide high-speed internet access at affordable costs for low-income households. This was stated by Governor Andrew Cuomo on a Friday morning at an event in Buffalo.

This law was referred to as the Affordable Broadband Bill and was signed at the Northland Workforce Training Center. This initiative was concluded from the Reimagine New York State Commission wherein Cuomo stated that providing high-quality and affordable internet sources would greatly, significantly affect the positive growth of the state even after the pandemic.

The said law requires the Internet Service Providers to provide high-speed internet connections to households who cannot afford such prices, specifically low-income households for a rate of $15 per month. Aside from this, modems and routers will be provided by the ISPs as well as any other equipment needed to establish quality internet accessibility.

ISPs who were included in this program were Charter or Spectrum, Verizon, Altice, Frontier, Greenlight Networks,Hughesnet, and Windstream. Households who are qualified in SNAP benefits, the National School Lunch Program, Medicaid, and Utility Affordability Programs are automatically eligible for these affordable internet services. However, it was not stated when the application for this program will be conducted.

1 out of 5 students in New York metro households have no access to high-quality internet. What does this imply to Remote Learning? Students, as well as workers, need high-speed internet amidst COVID-19. This led to the conclusion of Cuomo of broadband use where 98% of New Yorkers can access this type of technology, and that financial problems and internet quality are the main barriers. 

As said by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal People-Stokes, “Students are at home trying to learn remotely, there are telehealth issues – people need to have access to good quality Internet”. She also added that not all students holding their smartphones have access to the internet, some have to bring their children to a library for them to do their homework. “Some folks even sit near parking lots of McDonald’s or Taco Bell to gain internet access. So the action is taken this year… is critical.”, she added. On the other hand, there is a separate partnership creating a program called, “ConnectED NY” between the Schmidt Futures and the Ford Foundation as an emergency program.

The goal of the fund is to provide free access to the internet to about 50,000 students in disadvantaged school districts. This provides cost-free internet access for students through June of 2022 who are disadvantaged in terms of access to the internet.

This is New York’s newly implemented price for a high-speed internet connection otherwise known as broadband. Relating availability and cost of service throughout New York will reveal gaps and help statal leaders to ensure that all New York residents can afford to have access to high-speed internet to connect to their jobs, school, health care, as well as their loved ones.  This is a remarkable move towards making broadband internet the most affordable utility since it will greatly benefit the community. Not only a law was implemented, but as well as a website called, “Affordable Broadband Portal” which helps people find affordable internet providers in their area. Overall, paying $15/month for 25 Mbps is a whole lot better than $50 for those same speeds. Pandemic has affected so many aspects of life yet technology, every day, will always find a way to ease our work.

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Using software composition analysis (SCA) tools is crucial to helping companies manage and reduce the risk of vulnerabilities impacting their system. 

Software Composition Analysis Explained 

Software composition analysis is used to help you find where open-source code is located within a codebase. It’s a process that’s automated and helps you to improve the quality of code and overall security. 

In addition to this, software composition analysis helps you to be more informed about the possible constraints involved with your open source licenses. Since this is an automated system, it’s much easier than manually checking the agreements individually. 

As a result, software composition analysis helps with overall productivity for companies when it comes to improving the quality and security of their code. 

How Software Composition Analysis Works

Using SCA tools enables you to observe source code, files, container images, and binary files with ease. Through this process, you’re able to compare your open source system by placing the files into a Bill of Materials. 

This lets you compare your open-source with a range of other databases. The most notable database being the National Vulnerability Database. You’re able to compare your open-source with the standards set out by the National Vulnerability Database to ensure your security measures are up to scratch. 

Within this database, you can find details about some of the most common vulnerabilities to open source systems. In addition to this, SCA allows you to compare your open-source system with other commercial systems to assess the quality of your code. 

Utilizing SCA tools makes it easier for security departments to locate potential vulnerabilities in open source systems, which includes legal vulnerabilities. The faster they can act, the quicker the open-source systems can be fixed. 

Why Should You Use Software Composition Analysis?

Using open-source code analysis tools that are automated improves your security and development. Some of the main benefits of using SCA include the following: 

• Provides you with an extensive risk assessment of your open-source system. 
• Compliance and security features are already integrated into the system to make it easier to identify and fix vulnerabilities. 
• You’re able to clearly see the open-source system and compare it with other systems. 

Using open-source systems has become the main method of building software applications. However, there are still many companies that don’t take the correct steps to ensure that their open-source systems are legally compliant and free from security risks. 

There are many SCA tools available nowadays and developers are gaining a deeper understanding of how best to use them to keep open source systems safe and compliant.

SCA Solutions

Let’s take a quick look at what some of the main SCA solution tools involve. 

Expansive Language Assistance

The best SCA tools work with languages that you’re using, as well as languages that you may potentially use sometime in the future. This can prevent the extra hassle of having to implement another SCA solution in a couple of years because the current one didn’t support enough languages.

Detailed Databases

The building blocks of SCA solutions involve databases. The more detailed a database is, the better the system is when it comes to finding security risks within open source environments. 

If you’re using an out-of-date database, current security risks would be trickier to access. Not to mention, your system wouldn’t be finding the most up-to-date licenses for compliance, and security teams would always be a step behind when it comes to making fixes. 

Having a detailed database is crucial to ensuring that you benefit the most from SCA tools as it’s the only source of information when it comes to updates, licenses, and security information. 

Automated Policies

There are SCA solutions available that include automated policies that are also incredibly flexible. This is highly beneficial as it allows companies to customize their policies to their unique needs. 

Developers are also able to have an easier time when it comes to approving, selecting, and tracking open source systems due to how it’s an automated process.

Reporting Tools

SCA solutions that include extensive reports will benefit you the most. They provide you with details when it comes to reporting bugs and vulnerabilities, as well as information on licensing and inventory. 

Implementing detailed reporting tools makes it easier to find security risks and policies so that developers can make quick fixes to the system. 

Vulnerability Tools

SCA systems that include vulnerability trackers allow security teams to identify and fix security risks much more effectively. There are systems that will put your security vulnerabilities at the forefront for you to see clearly. 

In addition to this, you can use vulnerability tools that also give you tips on how to go about solving the issue. These tools work with an automated system which means security teams and developers don’t have to manually check for security risks. 

Conclusion

Software composition analysis helps organizations when it comes to complying with licenses and improving the security of their open-source systems. Since technology is progressing, trying to manually track open source code isn’t a viable option anymore. 

The more complex these systems get, the more crucial it becomes for companies to be using SCA tools. There are more security risks that are impossible to keep track of without using a dedicated and automated system. 

SCA tools make the task of identifying security risks and licensing compliance issues a lot smoother. As a result, developers and security teams can be much more productive and act quicker to fix any issues. 

Hopefully, you can leave this post feeling more assured about how software composition analysis works and why it’s more necessary than ever for organizations to be using these systems.

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Importance of Hydration

Your body is made up of roughly 60% of water. Meaning, even the slightest dehydration can already negatively impact how your body functions, from immunity and digestion to energy levels.

Keeping your body hydrated helps in improving your body’s ability to absorb all the essential nutrients. An adequate amount of water plays a vital role in healthy gastrointestinal functioning because it breaks down food while stool soft. Mild dehydration can lead to lower mood, less alertness, and more fatigue.

Drinking water is essential for everyone as it regulates different bodily functions. Water helps detoxify your body, hydrate your skin, boost your energy, maintain the balance of your body fluids, and aid indigestion. However, some people find it boring, so they end up with unhealthy beverages.

Smart Water Bottle Overview 

Today’s world becomes more aware of the importance and benefits of proper hydration. So, it’s no surprise why smart bottles continue to become more popular than ever.

Different smart bottle types are designed to cater to different lifestyles and hydration needs. Some smart bottles are built for ease of use and simplicity, while others are intended to be a piece of high-tech equipment. Regardless of the smart water bottle design you choose for your needs and lifestyle, the bottle will improve your hydration and healthy and overall quality of life.

Technology Behind the Smart water Bottles 

Generally, a smart water bottle uses a type of software allowing the bottle to connect to a phone application. This app tracks the water amount you have consumed, how many ounces you still need to drink, and your ounce goals within a day.

If you can visually see how much more water you have to drink and your progress for a day can make you more motivated to keep drinking. For such reason, great apps and software are integrated to the water bottles. It offers you motivation while keeping track of your hydration goals.

Some smart water bottles can connect with different fitness trackers and apps like Apple Watch, Amazon Echo, Garmin, and Fitbit, to name a few. These bottles help you keep track of water consumption through most of the devices and apps. 

Most people prefer smart bottles that allow them to pair with their fitness trackers or apps. That is because these bottles give them a more accurate detail and picture of their daily water intake. Plus, this feature is more beneficial if you go to the gym, run, play sports, etc.

How Will Your Smart Water Bottle Track How Much You Drink

Basically, a smart bottle uses technologies to gauge how much water you drink from the bottle. An accelerometer is one of the most common technologies. It can sense whenever you tip the bottle to drink water because of the acceleration or gravitational pull. Plus, it can also detect when you put the bottle back down after taking a sip of water.

A smart water bottle also comes with weight sensors that help detect how many ounces you have currently drunk. This technology gives an accurate tracking of how much water you drink, and the water bottle sends that detail to the water-tracking app. Then, you can easily track your daily, weekly, or even your monthly progress.

How Will, Your Smart Water Bottle, Give You Water Consumption Notification?

A smart bottle have different ways on how to notify you every time you drink. Vibrations, lights, and sounds are the most common ways of notification.

For instance, if you have not yet taken a drink from your smart bottle for a specific time, it will instantly notify you to drink. It occurs as the smart bottle sends a signal through lights. The bottle’s body or lid will light up to remind you that it’s time to drink water. It may also notify you through vibrations or sounds if lights are not enough to remind you to drink water.

Most smart bottles allow you to adjust the amount of water you have to drink based on your sex, age, height, weight, climate conditions, and activity levels. These factors should be considered since they will affect the amount of water you need to consume within a day.

For instance, if your activity level is lower for a specific day, you need to drink less water. When the weather is humid and hot during summer days, keep proper hydration by drinking more water.

Once you combine your smart bottle with an app that detects essential hydration data, you become more informed of how much fluid you need to drink.

Choosing the Right Smart Water Bottle

You can find lots of smart water bottles on the market. So, ensure to find the one that suits best your needs and lifestyle for the best results.

Affordability and Simplicity 

You can go for a smart bottle that offers simplicity at an affordable cost. Most of these bottles come with a digital display so that you can see how much water you must drink or how much water you have already drunk.

High-Tech Performance with Sleekness 

You can find smart water bottles that come with an elegant glow to notify you that it’s time for you to take a sip. They have great apps to keep you track of the daily hydration goals and water consumption.

Ease of Use and Convenience 

If you prefer a bottle that offers convenience and ease of use, it is also available. It will allow you to choose whether you want a reminder through vibrations, sounds, or lights.

Conclusion 

If drinking water is boring for you, it’s time for you to level up your hydration game with a smart bottle. As you combine the health benefits of water and a high-tech bottle, you have no excuse for not drinking. Stay hydrated and healthy!

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1. Don’t underestimate the value of supply chain ethics

Though the good you’ll be doing in the world should be motivation enough, sometimes we all need a little extra push to do the right thing; especially when the right thing requires a whole lot of extra work on our part. If you find yourself in need of a motivation bump when establishing your socially responsible supply chain, consider this: 

Around 90% of millennials will switch to a brand if it displays impressive business ethics. On average, these customers are also happy to pay $27 more for a $100 product if they’re guaranteed that workers operate under good conditions. Similarly, people are willing to pay $18-$19 more for products made with ethically-sourced materials from businesses that offset their carbon emissions. 

These statistics, provided by the 2015 Cone Communications Millennial CSR Study, prove that supply chain ethics can be a profitable exercise for businesses large and small. 

2. Identify trustworthy trading partners and nurture those relationships

Whether you’re assessing an existing trade partner or considering a new one, you’ll want to confirm that they maintain sustainable working practices, treat all staff fairly, use conflict-free materials in their products, and have eco-friendly initiatives in place.

With so many moving pieces, it can be hard to find companies who not only tick all these boxes but whose other trading partners are equally scrutable and scrupulous. Once you’ve established working relationships with ethical companies, it’s essential to nurture the connections as they are of immeasurable value to your business. Try finding an ecological consultant if you find it difficult to make a right decision. 

3. Do a reality check on claims and labels

In a bid to boost profits, many businesses play fast and loose with the truth when it comes to their marketing and product labels. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to be honest and transparent with your customers. A big part of this involves ensuring all the claims made on the products you sell are legitimate. 

Walmart offers an interesting example of a supply chain ethics overhaul in action. The company recently made an effort to do away with food labels that come with a misleading “use by” date. Many food items are safe to consume well after the dates on their packaging. However, companies can make more money if people throw “expired” items out and purchase new ones. Of course, this contributes to the 103 million tons of food wasted each year in America alone. 

4. Never stop monitoring your supply chain

This may sound like a monster task, but it can be easily achieved through the wonders of AI and machine learning. These tools can help you ensure your supply chain is measuring up well against your ethical standards. They can also help you set goals and apply measurable KPIs for you and your trading partners. 

It may take some extra work and a whole lot of research to get your supply chain in order. However, the benefits for you, your business, and the world at large are immense enough to make the exercise well and truly worth it.

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1. What is digital signage?

Digital signage is a form of signage that uses screens to display content. By utilizing visual communications technologies such as LCD, LED, and Projections, digital signage can present personalized content such as images, video, information, and other forms of streaming media.

Whether you opt for an interactive touchscreen station, a transparent LED display, a video wall, a multi-touch kiosk, or something else entirely, this technology offers organizations the opportunity to produce high-impact visual communications. The benefits of this are significant as it can improve customer experiences, educate visitors, increase sales, and boost KPIs.

2. Who should implement digital signage?

Organizations of every size and in every industry are utilizing digital signage in order to boost their business and achieve their goals. Today, you can find digital signage implemented in event venues, public spaces, healthcare facilities and corporate establishments.

Additionally, digital signage can be applied in retail marketing and branding, workplace communications, and mass transport hub wayfinding. It is also effective for self-guided learning at museums and exhibits, digital menus at restaurants, bars, service counters, outdoor a frame signs, and advertising and promotions.

3. What are the benefits of digital signage?

One of the main benefits of using digital signage is that it allows organizations to share important information with their target audience and presents opportunities for more in-depth conversations. This, in turn, helps you deliver target messages specially created to improve customer experience.

Engaging with your target audience is crucial if you are going to stand out from the competition. No matter what kind of digital signage technology you are using, you can be assured that it is more likely to catch your target audience’s attention than static signs. And, more than just your target audience, digital signage is more likely to attract passersby who might not have otherwise noticed your messaging.

Additionally, as you can easily update digital signage displays, you can change the content at a moment’s notice. Plus, this change can be done from a remote location and can be deployed across all digital signage simultaneously. This is especially important if you have multiple locations and need them to stay consistent. Moreover, you can also program the displays to change throughout the day, which isn’t possible with traditional forms of signage.

Finally, one of the other significant benefits of digital signage is that it can be optimized to deliver essential analytics. Depending on your organization’s goals, you can choose from a selection of analytics. For example, in a store, you may have an interactivedisplay that permits customers to browse your inventory. This, in turn, can provide you with data insights into which products customers are most interested in and for what they are searching.

You can also have digital signage outfitted with video cameras to record eye movements that reveal the areas of the display that entice the most attention. These analytics can help you design more compelling signage in the future.

4. How do you implement digital signage?

Prior to implementing digital signage, you first want to assess your goals and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of what you are aiming to achieve. By outlining goals and objectives as thoroughly as possible, it will help everyone involved to stay on track while also making it easier to measure your ROI.

Once you have your objectives laid out, you can then start to envision how the system will work to help you achieve them. During this part of the process, you want to brainstorm the type of content the digital signage will display, as well as the creative and approval process. Furthermore, you want to plan who is in charge of maintenance and where you will store the hardware. Make sure you are including everyone who will be involved in these discussions so that you incorporate their input and ideas.

Next, you need an action plan that includes key activities, timeframes and resources required. In this plan, you want to locate where the digital signage will be, your budget and potential revenue sources, your IT needs, and your maintenance processes. By considering all these aspects during the planning session, you will decrease the likelihood of being surprised with unexpected costs and issues later.

At this point, you are ready to install your digital signage! Generally, it is recommended that you work with a high-quality digital signage company who can help you plan and install the technology. By partnering with a company that specializes in these products, you can be assured that your digital signage is set up correctly and placed effectively. Moreover, they will be able to provide you with the necessary support to ensure your digital signage stays up and running.

5. Where should you obtain digital signage?

No matter what type of digital signage you are looking to implement or for what reason, it is crucial that you are opting to obtain your digital signage from a reputable digital signage architect firm. The best digital signage in Dubai is guaranteed to amaze viewers and make a significant difference in your organization.

When looking at potential digital signage providers, you want to ensure you are considering the cost and only paying for services you will use. It is also crucial to examine the ease of use and user management as you want the technology to make life easier for your organization. Reliability and compatibility are other important considerations, as is scalability.

Once your digital signage is implemented, you want to make sure you stay current with hardware and software upgrades as this will help you avoid technical issues and content challenges. By working with the best digital signage firm in Dubai, you can be assured that you will have a reputable partner on your side, every step of the way.

Are you considering implementing digital signage into your organization this year? Why or why not? What specific benefits do you think it will bring to your organization? What challenges do you expect? Let us know your thoughts and any additional questions you have in the comments below!

Author Bio

Nicholas Giorgetti is the Managing Partner at 2.0 Concepts, one of the leading audio-visual experts in the Middle East. The company specializes in digital signage and video conferencing solutions, with experts designing, building and managing effective visual communications projects of all sizes. The team understands the technical infrastructure, implementation process, and operational models needed to implement communication projects of all sizes.

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