Author: Barbara Gerard

Generally, there are four commonly used thermal properties of plastics: Heat Deflection Temperature, Continuous Service Temperature, Melting Point or for some, Glass Transition Temperature (T_g) and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.
 
Heat Deflection Temperature (ASTM D648): Heat Deflection Temperature or heat distortion temperature (HDT) is the temperature at which a polymer deforms to heating or cooling under a specified load. ASTM stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials which is an international society that develops and publishes voluntary technical standards for materials among other things. … Read more

So the screw in my reading lamp fell out and disappeared. I propped it up but from time to time it would let loose and crash down on my face. A trip to the hardware store was clearly in order.  Replacing the screw was easier said than done.  There are so many types. Different threads, head styles, lengths, drives and other criteria.  So what was that screw?
 
The Simple Screw
The screw is one of the six classical simple machines. … Read more

ABS: Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a plastic that is a terpolymer, a polymer consisting of three different monomers. ABS is made by polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene.  Acrylonitrile is a synthetic monomer made up of propylene and ammonia while butadiene is a petroleum hydrocarbon, and the styrene monomer is made by the dehydrogeneration of ethyl benzene. Dehydrogenation is a chemical reaction that involves the removal of hydrogen from an organic molecule and is the reverse of hydrogenation. … Read more

The screw is one of the six classical simple machines.¹ It is a mechanism that changes rotational motion to linear motion and rotational force or torque to a linear force.  If looked at geometrically, a screw can be regarded as a narrow incline plane wrapped around a cylinder. The screw is one of the most common simple machines and consists of a cylindrical shaft with helical grooves or ridges around the outside called threads.   … Read more

Hudson, NY — Craftech Industries, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has received ISO 9001:2015 certification, an upgrade from its previous ISO 9001:2008 certification. With ISO 9001:2008 certification becoming obsolete in September 2018, it became important to Craftech to pursue the latest ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Whereas ISO 9001:2008 focused on meeting customer expectations and delivering customer satisfaction, ISO 9001:2015 focuses on performance while emphasizing the adoption of risk-based thinking and a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle throughout the organization. … Read more