Info War

One of the benefits of an artificial grass lawn or playing field is that it is more durable than its natural grass counterpart.  This means that it can stand up to more wear and tear and will require less maintenance work to keep looking its very best.  This can be a great selling point for arenas and other organizations that can put their fields to work more often, bringing in additional revenue by renting out the grounds to other groups to use.

However, what some might consider a top selling point of synthetic lawn turf is a negative feature for others.  Some residents living in the Delaware Valley have taken umbrage at the way changing a nearby school’s playing field from natural to artificial turf has affected the neighborhood.  Because the field can be used much more often and in more weather conditions, noise has become an issue for the residents whose homes border the school.  Previously, the field was only used occasionally on the evenings and Saturdays.  Now, it sees heavy use on nights and weekends.

The addition of the artificial grass lawn is only one of the elements that has contributed to the shift in usage.  New lights were installed that also make night use easier.  Additionally, the landscaping that separated the school from the surrounding homes was removed.  Residents are in talks with the groups who use the fields to reach a compromise that will please everyone. Even positive changes can have a negative impact on some.

After years of improvements and technological advances, synthetic grass has reached the point where it can be made to pass for the real thing. This means that not only is it suitable for practical applications like sporting fields, it can be used in projects where aesthetics are the key, such as residential landscaping.

Of course, that only works if your neighborhood allows building materials like artificial grass turf to be used.  As one resident of Cerritos, California recently learned, they aren’t always considered acceptable by local policy.   The resident in question, a 68 year old man, felt that an artificial lawn would free up all of the time that he was currently dedicating to taking care of his natural lawn: mowing, weeding, watering, and spraying herbicides and pesticides. However, the Cerritos Municipal Code prohibits the use of artificial plants in the front lawns of residences.  Although he stated his case, he was turned down by the Planning Commission.

Water conservation has become a serious issue for many Californians over the past few years, which means that artificial grass suppliers have seen their sales jump.  Synthetic lawns have increased in popularity because even without watering, they will remain vibrant.  Although the early attempts at developing these materials were little more than eyesores, artificial turf has come a long way in the last two decades.  However, there are still opponents to the material, who feel that covering natural material with artificial might not be as green a solution as it sometimes seems.

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Many cities are finding that fake turf grass is an affordable alternative to natural grass, which can be expensive to maintain.  In some areas, where the climate can make life for plants difficult, artificial grass can guarantee a green lawn year-around.

However, not everyone is pleased with the prominence of synthetic lawn turf in today’s cities.  A bill was recently passed in New York City that will help ensure that building materials such as artificial grass will undergo strict review in the future to ensure that they are safe for both the public and the environment into which they are being introduced.

Critics of the use of artificial turf say that the materials used need to be examined more closely before being put in playgrounds. There are also concerns about the heat retention of the materials used. The artificial turf has the ability to soak up the heat from sunlight and emit it back. There are records of these materials being able to produce temperatures as hot as 150 degrees. However, critics do feel that the new bill is a positive step.

The New York City Parks Department states that wholesale artificial turf is actually a material that provides benefits for the environment that grass can’t. Natural grass fields in a city the size of New York requires millions of gallons of water to maintain.  Additionally, chemicals like herbicides may be needed to keep the grass alive, which is something that many parents don’t want to expose their children to.

Thanks to the Department of Homeland Security, administrators at the Telstar Middle and High Schools in Bethel, Maine won’t have to worry about what to do if the power goes out during a class day. The Bethel Citizen says the school board recently approved the purchase of a $149,000 standby generator primarily paid for with funds from a Department of Homeland Security grant.

In case you are wondering, the Department of Homeland Security isn’t handing out emergency generators to any school: Superintendent Dave Murphy said that the school district received the money because it is a Red Cross shelter. However, the generator can be used to school purposes, and it very well might be in the future – along with outages because of storms, the school has had to close because of cold weather that knocks out the power.

The school board voted to approve the purchase of a 1,600-amp industrial generator, giving the school the ability to run at its full level of output with room to spare. The school will need to cover an additional $33,000, which rankled some as it comes on the heels of budget cuts.

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It’s no secret that water jet technology can be applied to almost any material that requires a clean, detailed cut. The concept of high pressure water for cutting has been extended to everything from softer materials such as paper, food, and foam to metals, ceramics, and stone. Now the technology behind the standard water jet cutting system has even been put to the test in medical devices.

Human Med AG, a German manufacturer of medical and aesthetic devices, and Elipsemed Ltd., a distributor of medical and aesthetic equipment, have teamed up to create a water jet-assisted liposuction technology called Body-Jet. Similar to the approach used in cutting harder materials with water, the Body-Jet trims fat cells by using a gentle, controlled sequence of pulsed sprayed saline, often without general anesthesia. In comparison to traditional liposuction techniques, the Body-Jet is said to be less traumatic and result in less discomfort and downtime, as well as allow practitioners to sculpt contours without corrective procedures later on.

The sky is the limit when it comes to precision cutting with water. Both hard and soft materials benefit from the effects of highly pressurized water. And because water jet cutting technology is so versatile, manufacturers continue to devise novel ways to apply it—the Body-Jet is only one innovative example!

If you own an industrial or commercial work area and need more space but cannot afford to expand your operation, a mezzanine structure may be the right solution. Instead of building outward, consider using the space above the work area and building upward. A steel mezzanine is designed to transform the unused air space into sturdy and practical floor space. Mezzanines can be designed with two, three, or four levels and be used for a variety of purposes. In fact, the most practical aspect of building a mezzanine is that it can be created to meet your specific needs. In addition to more storage space, mezzanines can be used as equipment platforms, in-plant offices, manufacturing activities, walkways, or stair towers. Multi-level mezzanines can be built to feature material handling equipment, conveyor systems, and rack and shelving systems. All custom mezzanines should be created to comply with required building codes and must be tested to endure in seismically active areas, such as Southern California.

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What holds our world together?  Fasteners: nuts, bolts and more are responsible for the public’s safety in more ways than most people can imagine (or care to.)  In 1990, the Fastener Quality Act (or FQA) was signed into law in order to help regulate the standards of the fasteners industry, thus lower the risk of fastener failure do to unacceptable quality.  Here are just some of the changes in the industry after the law came into being.

• The Secretary of Commerce was established as the one responsible for keeping track of compliance with the new FQA regulation.  The director of NIST (The National Institute of Standards and Technology) was named as the administrator in charge of establishing the accreditation program for laboratories.
• A handbook (NIST Handbook 150) and its supplement (NIST Handbook 150-18) were published, providing fastener testing labs with detailed testing requirements and product support for nuts, bolts, and other fasteners.
• The establishment of a program for the purpose of laboratory accreditation was required to be documented within 180 days of the signing of the law.  There was allowance for private and foreign agencies to provide accreditation thanks to the Accreditation Body Evaluation Program.
• Machine screws and other fasteners that fall under the jurisdiction of the FQA are required to have head markings.  If a manufacturer wants to use unique markings, there is a registry provided for just such a purpose.

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RELECTRIC is a not just a leading supplier of electrical parts like Zinsco circuit breakers. They also purchase used electrical components from companies every day, usually giving a detailed quote within 48 hours. But what do you do if you have a large amount of used parts and you don’t want to send in for a quote for each piece?

All you need to do is send your bulk used electrical parts to RELECTRIC and we’ll do the rest. If you send us a blind shipment of circuit breakers and other electrical parts, we’ll send you a purchase order for the value of the electronics and you can choose if you want a check or credit account. For more information on our Blind Ship program, please visit www.relectric.com.