Solutions to the Engineering Skills Crisis
While plans to build billions of dollars worth of petrochemical plants, gathering and transportation pipelines are set for the next decade, there is concern that labor shortages in crafts, trades and design technicians could raise costs and delay commissioning of these important projects.
3D Printing: Changing Industry in Many Ways
It’s known by many names: additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, layered manufacturing, direct digital manufacturing and, most often, 3D printing.
Valve Automation Solutions for Emergency Shutdown in Shale Applications
In many regions of the U.S., the proliferation of gas and liquids discovered and extracted from shale formations created a need for rapid infrastructure development.
#automation
Notes on a Notable Career: Former VMA Chairman Tom Mignogna
Like many of the valve industry icons we’ve interviewed, Tom Mignogna’s notable career in the valve industry started out not so much by design, perhaps, but by good fortune.
#VMAnews
Forensic Engineering Tracks Valve Failures
Due in part to the condominium boom, there have been a large number of suite HVAC unit isolation brass ball valve failures reported in fan coil or heat pump based heating/cooling systems high rise buildings.
#materials #ball-butterfly-plug
Driving Valve Design in the Power Industry
Contrary to what might be expected, valve design in the power industry is not necessarily driven by codes and standards.
#standards
The Expanding Reach of Plastic Valves
Although plastic valves are sometimes seen as a specialty product – a top choice of those who make or design plastic piping products for industrial systems or who must have ultra-clean equipment in place – assuming these valves don’t have many general uses is short-sighted.
#basics #automation #materials
SME CEO addresses initiative to train, educate a new generation of manufacturers
In the Huffington Post, Society of Manufacturing Engineers CEO Mark Tomlinson writes, "The manufacturing industry is facing an employment crisis.
Cooperation between groups helps set standards for shale gas development
In a departure from the often contentious positioning taken by energy firms involved in hydraulic fracturing and the environment groups normally opposed to fossil fuel development, agreement has been reached to create a mechanism to establish standards for shale gas development.
#standards
What Makes Up a Servo Valve Feedback Mechanism is Mission Critical
To maximize machine operation and business results, engineers ought to consider more than how a servo valve performs with regard to flow/pressure gain, frequency response, and precision.
#pressure-relief