Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Engine Power


A lot of discussions and arguments are spend in the amount of power propulsion is need in a boat.
Many theories have develop regarding the safety issues that over powering a boat, any kind of brand or size boat can create.


Many times we have discuss with customer the same issues of what is appropriate and necessary to install as engine in a boat.
And then....... I get this picture and wonder what kind of thought pattern or what is the physical and mechanical advantage to have some kind of bass boat rigged with 9 yes I say 9 outboard engines of 25HP each.
Usually I get overwhelm when I see the same kind of boat with one 300 HP or two; but this....?
Some one please explain to me what is the concept or theory or ??????

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: The working of our minds

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: The working of our minds: Gut Bacteria Might Guide The Workings Of Our Minds Could the microbes that inhabit our guts help explain that old idea of "gut fe...

The working of our minds

Gut Bacteria Might Guide The Workings Of Our Minds



Could the microbes that inhabit our guts help explain that old idea of "gut feelings?" There's growing evidence that gut bacteria really might influence our minds.
"I'm always by profession a skeptic," says Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of California in Los Angeles. "But I do believe that our gut microbes affect what goes on in our brains."
Mayer thinks the bacteria in our digestive systems may help mold brain structure as we're growing up, and possibly influence our moods, behavior and feelings when we're adults. He says, "It opens up a completely new way of looking at brain function and health and disease."
So Mayer is working on just that, doing MRI scans to look at the brains of thousands of volunteers and then comparing brain structure to the types of bacteria in their guts. He thinks he already has the first clues of a connection, from an analysis of about 60 volunteers.
Mayer found that the connections between brain regions differed depending on which species of bacteria dominated a person's gut. That suggests that the specific mix of microbes in our guts might help determine what kinds of brains we have - how our brain circuits develop and how they're wired.
Credit: Benjamin Arthur for NPR
Of course, this doesn't mean that the microbes are causing changes in brain structure, or in behavior.
But other researchers have been trying to figure out a possible connection by looking at gut microbes in mice. There they've found changes in both brain chemistry and behavior. One experiment involved replacing the gut bacteria of anxious mice with bacteria from fearless mice.
"The mice became less anxious, more gregarious," says Stephen Collins of Mc Master University in Hamilton, Ontario, who led a team that conducted the research.
It worked the other way around, too - bold mice became timid when they got the microbes of anxious ones. And aggressive mice calmed down when the scientists altered their microbes by changing their diet, feeding them pro biotics or dosing them with antibiotics.
by ROB STEIN

Thursday, October 17, 2013

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Easy bording to a tender

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Easy bording to a tender: A short demonstration to get in and out of an Aquascan tender. The Runner 16 in this video has a lot of custom features requested by t...

Easy bording to a tender




A short demonstration to get in and out of an Aquascan tender.
The Runner 16 in this video has a lot of custom features requested by the client.

A very elegant and sleek designed is a must in the tender that is reflecting the personality of a yacht owner.
A very spacious and comfortable interior, custom seating and cushions; a very soft and easy care floor are just some of the optional in the Runner 16.Aquascan Rib

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Inflatablee fenders

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Inflatablee fenders: Aquascan Inflatable fenders are designed to be used by Motor Yachts, Yachts and super Yachts as well as any other vessel. Each fende...

Inflatablee fenders

Aquascan Inflatable fenders are designed to be used by Motor Yachts, Yachts and super Yachts as well as any other vessel.


Each fender is custom made with hypalon fabric offering the maximum protection.
The choice of color is very large; the most popular among users is grey, navy blue or black.
Inflatable fenders are UV resistant the ideal fender for the marine enviromet.
The custom fenders are easily stowed and will last for years. Another advantage is that they  are easily reparable.
The fenders can be customize with the name of you vessel adding an extra elegant touch to your yacht!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Monday, August 19, 2013

Life Jackets

Boaters enjoy the feel of sun and spray. So it’s tempting to boat without wearing a life jacket – especially on nice days. But modern life jackets are available in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Many are thin and flexible. Some are built right into fishing vests or hunter coats. Others are inflatable — as compact as a scarf or fanny pack until they hit water, when they automatically fill with air.

There’s no excuse not to wear a life jacket on the water!

Things to Know:

  • Certain life jackets are designed to keep your head above water and help you remain in a position which permits proper breathing.
     
  • To meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements, a boat must have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, III, or V life jacket for each person aboard. Boats 16 feet and over must have at least one Type IV throwable device as well.
  • All states have regulations regarding life jacket wear by children.
     
  • Adult-sized life jackets will not work for children. Special life jackets are available. To work correctly, a life jacket must be worn, fit snugly, and not allow the child’s chin or ears to slip through.
  •  Life jackets should be tested for wear and buoyancy at least once each year. Waterlogged, faded, or leaky jackets should be discarded.
     
  • Life jackets must be properly stowed.
     
  • A life jacket — especially a snug-fitting flotation coat or deck-suit style — can help you survive in cold water.
Always wear a life jacket when boating!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

BEE APOCALYPSE NOW



Scientists discover what’s killing the bees and it’s worse than you thought


As we’ve written before, the mysterious mass die-off of honey bees that pollinate $30 billion worth of crops in the US has so decimated America’s apis melliferapopulation that one bad winter could leave fields fallow. Now, a new study has pinpointed some of the probable causes of bee deaths and the rather scary results show that averting beemageddon will be much more difficult than previously thought.
Scientists had struggled to find the trigger for so-called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that has wiped out an estimated 10 million beehives, worth $2 billion, over the past six years. Suspects have included pesticides, disease-bearing parasites and poor nutrition. But in a first-of-its-kind study published today in the journal PLOS ONE, scientists at the University of Maryland and the US Department of Agriculture have identified a witch’s brew of pesticides and fungicides contaminating pollen that bees collect to feed their hives. The findings break new ground on why large numbers of bees are dying though they do not identify the specific cause of CCD, where an entire beehive dies at once.
When researchers collected pollen from hives on the east coast pollinating cranberry, watermelon and other crops and fed it to healthy bees, those bees showed a significant decline in their ability to resist infection by a parasite calledNosema ceranae. The parasite has been implicated in Colony Collapse Disorder though scientists took pains to point out that their findings do not directly link the pesticides to CCD. The pollen was contaminated on average with nine different pesticides and fungicides though scientists discovered 21 agricultural chemicals in one sample. Scientists identified eight ag chemicals associated with increased risk of infection by the parasite.
Most disturbing, bees that ate pollen contaminated with fungicides were three times as likely to be infected by the parasite. Widely used, fungicides had been thought to be harmless for bees as they’re designed to kill fungus, not insects, on crops like apples.
“There’s growing evidence that fungicides may be affecting the bees on their own and I think what it highlights is a need to reassess how we label these agricultural chemicals,” Dennis vanEngelsdorp, the study’s lead author, told Quartz.
Labels on pesticides warn farmers not to spray when pollinating bees are in the vicinity but such precautions have not applied to fungicides.
Bee populations are so low in the US that it now takes 60% of the country’s surviving colonies just to pollinate one California crop, almonds. And that’s not just a west coast problem—California supplies 80% of the world’s almonds, a market worth $4 billion.
In recent years, a class of chemicals called neonicotinoids has been linked to bee deaths and in April regulators banned the use of the pesticide for two years in Europe where bee populations have also plummeted. But vanEngelsdorp, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland, says the new study shows that the interaction of multiple pesticides is affecting bee health.
“The pesticide issue in itself is much more complex than we have led to be believe,” he says. “It’s a lot more complicated than just one product, which means of course the solution does not lie in just banning one class of product.”
The study found another complication in efforts to save the bees: US honey bees, which are descendants of European bees, do not bring home pollen from native North American crops but collect bee chow from nearby weeds and wildflowers. That pollen, however, was also contaminated with pesticides even though those plants were not the target of spraying.
“It’s not clear whether the pesticides are drifting over to those plants but we need take a new look at agricultural spraying practices,” says vanEngelsdorp.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Lakota Nation

The Lakota Nation is suffering

Pine Ridge is the poorest area of the United States with the statistics of a third world country, lack of housing, lack of heat and running water, 85% unemployment, 70% school drop out, high rates of alcoholism and drugs, very high teenage suicide rates, poor health and nutrition, and a life expectancy of only 47 years. The current reality is that Lakota people are at a precipice—unless something is done to affect change, this once noble nation will be “just pages in history books.”


http://www.sunkawakan.org/

Anchoring restrictions in Florida


Under Florida law, boaters who use their boats for navigation (even if only occasionally) cannot be restricted from anchoring by a local jurisdiction (city or county) outside of permitted mooring fields. Cities and counties are expressly forbidden to “enact, continue in effect, or enforce any ordinance or local regulation ... regulating the anchoring of vessels other than live-aboard vessels outside the marked boundaries of mooring fields.” (Note definition of live-aboard below.)

Local governments may regulate anchoring within the marked boundaries of properly permitted mooring fields.

 As of September 2012 these are:
 Key West Mooring Field, Ft. Myers Beach Mooring Field, Fernandina Beach Municipal Mooring Field, Miami Dinner Key Mooring Field, City of St. Augustine Mooring Field, Titusville City Mooring Field, City of Sarasota Mooring Field, City of St. Petersburg Mooring Field, City of Naples Mooring Field, City of Punta Gorda Mooring Field, and Fort Myers Beach Mooring Field.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Inflatable Boat


We use all kind of tools and new technologies to build the best boat possible and then the only really you need is immagination.

It is really amazing what people can do when they are open to let creativity and ingineuty come to the rescue!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Rescue boats

At Aquascan part of the job we do is also provide service and repairs to other inflatable boats. These pictures show some service done in loco to rescue tenders in a big cruise line. The boats are not the one use by customer in case of an emergence. The inflatables are use by crew members for practice and service.





We take pride in what we do so even if the job is complicated we are up to the task.





 Safety is a priority not only fore the cruise line industry but also for us at Aquascan.







Monday, June 24, 2013

An amazing stone

I am wondering if it is real.

Shungite in nutshell

"Shungite cures, rescues, purifies, heals, protects, normalizes, restores and even stimulates the growth. Amazing rock: it kills and devours anything that harms people and other living beings, and concentrates and restores all that is good. The scholars who have studied shungite in one voice declare, it is a miracle! "
From the book by A. Doronina "Shungite - the stone-savior"
shungite
Shungite is an ancient rock formation, a natural mineral of unusual composition and structure. It has unique properties and is extracted in Karelia near the small settlement called Shunga. Hence the name shungite. From the old times, the local residents have been aware of shungite mysterious "great power" or black "slate stone"(as it was known in the old days), similar to coal and healing many illnesses and purifying water in the area.
shungite stone
Shungite is a natural mineral with the crystal lattice or grid organized in a certain way, the basis of which is carbon. As we know, carbon is the basis of life on the Earth. Modern scholars view the emergence of life on our planet as a complex process of evolution of carbon compounds. They believe that these compounds can serve as a carrier of life in any part of the universe.
Shungite receives its healing power from one of its elements, fullerenes – a globular hollow molecule consisting of several dozens of carbon atoms. When fullerenes, a special molecular formation, were discovered in shungite a few decades ago, it became a sensation. Fullerenes, getting in our body, behave as the most powerful and most long-acting antioxidant as a means to fight free radicals. Today, doctors have great hopes for fullerenes.
fullerene
The importance of this discovery is that until that time, scientists were aware only of three modifications of carbon - diamond, graphite and carbyne. The new molecule cuts diamond as oil, slows down the growth of cancer cells, and substances from fullerenes can slow down the activity of the AIDS virus. The discovery of the fullerene was a real breakthrough in nanotechnology and was declared a sensation of the 20th century. The scientists who have made it received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1996.
Shungite contains almost the entire periodic table. However, as everyone knows, not all chemical elements have a positive effect on a human being. But this is just an amazing quality of this stone: only those elements which are necessary and useful for a living organism come into water.
The natural black stone shungite is a real miracle. It is a cure of many illnesses and savior of lives.
The unique healing properties of shungite and shungite natural water sources have had no scientific explanation for a long time. But these properties were so evident that medicine has recognized the healing properties of shungite water, even without finding out how exactly it works.
Currently shungite attracts many scientists, manufacturers and politicians as a promising material for solution of many complex environmental problems and improvement of the environment in the modern world.
Shungite is:
shungite stone• a natural antioxidant that can increase human immunity with regards to many serious illnesses and suppress the development of many allergic diseases;
• a sorbent, purifying air and water from many organic and inorganic compounds and from excess of free radicals;
• a catalyst, which ensures decomposition of organic substances sorbed and restoration of the sorption properties;
• a carrier of wide range of microelements and biologically active substances, intensifying biological processes in the bodies of human beings and animals;
• a material, actively interacting with electromagnetic fields of different nature (anthropogenic high-frequency, solar, geopathogenic, biofields) and neutralizing their negative impact.
It possesses:
• adsorptive activity, the ability to absorb substances from the environment;
• bactericidal action;
• high level of adhesion, the ability to connect with any substance;
• anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic effects;
• radio shield properties;
• electroconductivity;
• ability to absorb oxygen, actively interact with it at the room temperature in water and in the air.
shungite
Ecological potential of shungite is very wide. It realizes in the processes of water purification and air, protection of people from electromagnetic radiation of different nature, increase of the immune system of human beings and animals, medicinal properties in relation to a wide range of illnesses.
Shungite water has been used long ago to treat skin illnesses. There is a spring "Three Ivans" on the territory of Zaonezhsky peninsula in Lake Onega. The local residents honoured the spring as sacred. Many people have been coming to it for treatment in spite of its difficult accessibility. The water is so clean in Lake
Shungite of Zazhoginsky deposits is an electro-conductive rock. The research by Tula Scientific and Research Institute "New Medical Technologies" has shown that the presence of shungite materials close to the source of cellular frequency radiation significantly weakens their effect on the human body.
Researches of shungite have also shown that direct contact of the stone with the human body ensures relief from pain and releases from a number of serious illnesses, especially of musculoskeletal system, any skin deceases, contributes to a rapid healing of cuts, etc.
Taking into account its healing properties, shungite is successfully being used in medicine, ecology, agriculture, water supply, metallurgy, energetics, chemical and construction industries. Shungite in its pure form is used as inserts in the floor of the Kazan Cathedral. St. Isaac's Cathedral entire inner lower belt made of the shungite stone.
Long experience of using shungite, its healing properties and high effect of protection from electromagnetic radiation, allowed to create shungite room for adaptation and psycho-emotional correction, for both adults and children. Recovery is the main effect of the shungite room.
Staying in such a room enhances the overall vitality and body resistance, improves work efficiency of healthy individuals. This gives an opportunity to use shungite rooms for physical and psychological rehabilitation and non-medical recovery of human beings. Shungite room can also correct the energy bio-field of a person.
Such shungite rooms are constructed in St. Petersburg Military Medical Academy, in Petrozavodsk, in the spa center "White Springs", in the office of the company "Pritsero P" in Moscow, in Saratov. There are also a shungite room in the prison "Matrosskaya Tishina", where the guards visit this room for 20-30 minutes to relieve fatigue after the shifts.
The shungite room contstructed in Beslan school No.1 in 2006 has shown amazing results. It became a unique generator of life force to those who have survived the the well-known Beslan tragedy (the seizure of children in this school by terrorists in 2004). The smiles of children, their colorful drawings that symbolize the good and the friendship, sunshine and flowers, the improvement of emotional status of teachers and parents of children who have experienced this tragedy are the best evidence of surprising properties shungite, the "stone-comforter", as it is known here. These properties were confirmed here in full.
"This stone, which possesses amazing cleansing and healing properties, brings more pure and spiritual pleasure. Just contemplation of it calms down and comforts. It literally absorbs negative energy while emitting only positive. "
(From the book by M. Polevaya "Shungite - the magic stone of health ")
"The God gave Karelia the most powerful deposits of shungite. On the diamond, to turn it from the mineral into precious stone, 57 edges are usually applied. Shungite is opened only on 10-15 of its edges, and the man is yet to turn this mineral into the stone, representing a particular value".
(From "Lectures on the healing properties of minerals" academician Podchaynov S.F.)
Let it be as it should be, but what is for sure is that there is a mineral which has no analogue in both healing qualities and other diversity of properties.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Robot

     A Robot that Runs Like a Cat
Mon, 06/17/2013 - 12:56am
Sarah Perrin, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne


This is cheetah-cub, a compliant quadruped robot. Credit: EPFLThis is cheetah-cub, a compliant quadruped robot. Credit: EPFLEven though it doesn't have a head, you can still tell what kind of animal it is: the robot is definitely modeled upon a cat. Developed by EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory (Biorob), the "cheetah-cub robot," a small-size quadruped prototype robot, is described in an article appearing in the International Journal of Robotics Research.
The purpose of the platform is to encourage research in biomechanics; its particularity is the design of its legs, which make it very fast and stable. Robots developed from this concept could eventually be used in search and rescue missions or for exploration.
This robot is the fastest in its category, namely in normalized speed for small quadruped robots under 30Kg. During tests, it demonstrated its ability to run nearly seven times its body length in one second. Although not as agile as a real cat, it still has excellent auto-stabilization characteristics when running at full speed or over a course that included disturbances such as small steps.
In addition, the robot is extremely light, compact, and robust and can be easily assembled from materials that are inexpensive and readily available.
Faithful Reproduction
The machine's strengths all reside in the design of its legs. The researchers developed a new model with this robot, one that is based on the meticulous observation and faithful reproduction of the feline leg. The number of segments – three on each leg – and their proportions are the same as they are on a cat. Springs are used to reproduce tendons, and actuators – small motors that convert energy into movement – are used to replace the muscles.
"This morphology gives the robot the mechanical properties from which cats benefit, that's to say a marked running ability and elasticity in the right spots, to ensure stability," explains Alexander Sprowitz, a Biorob scientist. "The robot is thus naturally more autonomous."
Sized for a Search
According to Biorob director Auke Ijspeert, this invention is the logical follow-up of research the lab has done into locomotion that included a salamander robot and a lamprey robot. "It's still in the experimental stages, but the long-term goal of the cheetah-cub robot is to be able to develop fast, agile, ground-hugging machines for use in exploration, for example for search and rescue in natural disaster situations. Studying and using the principles of the animal kingdom to develop new solutions for use in robots is the essence of our research."
For more information visit www.epfl.ch.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Pollen and Climate

Picture Climate: How Pollen Tells Us About Climate

Image of a bee covered in pollen on a flower
As bees gather nectar from flowers like this one, they become covered in pollen and spread it around to other flowers enabling the plants to reproduce.
If you have allergies, you know exactly what this bee is covered in. It’s pollen! Every year around springtime, pollen spores come out and wreak havoc on thousands in the form of itchy watery eyes, runny noses, and uncontrollable sneezing. But how can these pesky spores help scientists learn about the past climate?
Pollen grains are the sperm-carrying reproductive bodies of seed plants like conifers, cycads, and flowering plants. Each of these grains has its very own unique shape depending on what plant it comes from, and their walls are made of a substance known as sporopollenin, which is very chemically stable and strong.
When pollen grains are washed or blown into bodies of water, their tough outer walls allow them to be preserved in sediment layers in the bottoms of ponds, lakes, or oceans. Because of their unique shapes, scientists can then take a core sample of the sediment layers and determine what kinds of plants were growing at the time the sediment was deposited. Knowing what types of plants were growing in the area allows the scientists to make inferences about the climate at that time by using knowledge about modern and historical distributions of plants in relation to climate.
Once they take a core sample, the scientists isolate the pollen and spores from the sediments and rocks using both chemical and physical means. The grains are very small, typically between 10 and 200 micrometers, which requires mounting them on microscope slides for examination. To give you an idea of how small that really is, there are 1,000 micrometers in 1 millimeter, and a millimeter is about equal to the width of a pinhead. The scientists then count and identify the grains using a compound microscope and generate diagrams of the type and abundance of pollen in their samples.
By analyzing pollen from well-dated sediment cores, scientists can obtain records of changes in vegetation going back hundreds of thousands, and even millions of years. Not only can pollen records tell us about the past climate, but they can also tell us how we are impacting our climate. Comparing trends in vegetation from the last few thousand years to recent trends in vegetation can also help scientists determine whether human activities have had significant impacts on ecosystems.
NCDC’s Paleoclimatology Program distributes the data products of various collaborative efforts to collect and organize pollen records from around the globe. These data include pollen counts and related information, as well as several different derived datasets. Check out all of NCDC’s available fossil and surface pollen data at on the Paleoclimatology Program’s Fossil and Surface Pollen Data web page. 

Friday, May 17, 2013

Laser cutting.


At Aquascan we use a laser to cut the tender names, logos and much more.

Focusing on downtime reduction in laser cutting

Automated laser optics management can keep the laser cutting when it normally might not be
If a laser cutting machine is not cutting, it has no chance of making money for the shop. Downtime related to maintenance is understandable. Downtime related to the slow process of attending to laser optics is frustrating. Automation, however, can help keep that laser cutting machine running, even when it's cutting different material thicknesses.

Focusing on downtime reduction in laser cutting - TheFabricator.com
Figure 1
As metal fabricators take on more low-volume, high-mix work, they have to minimize downtime of laser cutting machines to maintain a high level of productivity. Automated management of laser optics can save hours of downtime over a year’s worth of laser processing activity.
The metal fabrication industry has gone through several volatile years—expanding during the dot-com and real estate booms and contracting during the recessions that followed. This roller coaster ride (much more tumultuous than my favorite childhood roller coaster, Mr. Pip’s Wild Ride at Palisades Park, N.J.) feels like it is nearing its final stages. The major gyrations are done, and things are smoothing out just a little.
Somewhere between the start of this ride and today, business models in the metal fabricating industry evolved into something different (see Figure 1). Business owners are struggling with uncertainty as they are unable to forecast order streams confidently and faced with escalating operating costs, especially as they relate to new government regulations and health care. Companies are still interested in increasing throughput, but unlike in the past, they are not immediately hiring people to solve their productivity problem.
These shop owners are instead relying on automation—both for material handling and basic machine functions. These advanced features make machine operation more efficient and productive.
Automated material handling increases green light time for laser cutting machines. Material loading is done much more quickly than can be done manually. Additionally, automated material handling allows for unattended operation—loading blanks, unloading cut parts and the accompanying skeletons, and repeating the operation until all sheets have been processed.
Laser cutting equipment with material handling automation is identified easily in fabricating operations. The machines have single-level loading systems nearby or, in some instances, very large material storage towers that have shelves for different sheet metal sizes, material types, or even finished parts.
Productivity improvement because of the automation also is easy to identify. Shop management typically can expect to see a 40 percent increase in throughput after installing an advanced material loading and unloading system.

Automation Beyond Material Handling

But what about downtime associated with setting up the laser cutting machine? Other areas for downtime management are often less obvious than material handling, but they also can have a dramatic effect on throughput.
The downtime problem is exacerbated with today’s smaller batch sizes. Orders aren’t as large as they once were, and companies are working with thousands of part numbers, not hundreds. These volumes can lead to drags on productivity and spikes in costs of operation if shops aren’t prepared properly.
For example, laser cutting equipment without automated setup functions use compromised settings when cutting varied materials. This commitment to one type of cutting lens may enable the laser to cut with limited operator intervention, which may be desired especially when running with automated material handling, but the laser cutting machine is not being run optimally.
For the record, laser cutting machines without these automated functions can run efficiently. However, it is difficult to maintain long-term, efficient production if the job shop has regular part changeovers. Research done on actual machine changeovers reflects that manual changes typically take around 26 minutes to complete, when done properly. If the shop considers all of the steps involved in a standard laser setup—set up lens, install nozzle, focus the lens, set the gap, set the focal point, do a test cut, tweak the lens if necessary, and start production—it can understand how setting up for a job can get out of hand very quickly. Simply put, waiting for an operator delays production while the machine sits idle.
Automated changeover functions are much more efficient and take less than 1 minute, including a torch change and pallet transfer. Many operators skip or shorten the changeover process and run the laser cutter in a compromised cutting condition with general settings that can reduce machine performance by 25 percent to 30 percent. The machine is running and has the appearance of being a productive, money-making investment, but it is actually costing the shop added expense because the setup is not fine-tuned to the cutting application.
Compromised laser cutting reduces cutting speeds dramatically, but because shop owners are rarely involved directly in laser machine operation, they are not aware of the lost revenue. This oversight can offset the performance gains available with new technology and, ultimately, devastate the return on investment that a company is looking for with the purchase of a new machine.
Focusing on downtime reduction in laser cutting - TheFabricator.com
Figure 4
Some metal fabricating shops stick with a 7.5-in. lens to cut all material thicknesses, not just plate. By not changing over to a 5-in. lens for thinner materials, for example, the operator is taking more time than necessary to complete the cutting job and simultaneously consuming more assist gases.

Automated Setup Functions

These new functions automatically set up the machine, check for wear on critical components, and make adjustments to optimize the cutting parameters. Core automated setup functions include torch changing, nozzle changing, intelligent focal distance measuring/adjusting, and profiling.
Torch and Lens Changer. Some manufacturers have designed torches that can adjust focal lengths to accommodate different material types and thicknesses. All manufacturers, however, make a variety of lens configurations that are optimized for specific applications. Unless workpiece type and thickness don’t vary much, the shop needs to change out torches for optimized cutting of the material (see Figure 4). If a fabricator elects to use a standard lens for multiple cutting jobs, it risks slowing the process down because feed rates are not maximized and the operator likely has to spot-check the material to ensure clean cuts are being made.
Nozzle Changer. Nozzle diameter is critical in cleaning the molten debris from the cut path. If a nozzle diameter is too small, it will need to slow down to clean the cut path. If the nozzle is too large, it will need more gas to flush the path, which can significantly increase laser gas costs.
Automated Focal Distance Adjustment. Measuring and adjusting focal distance traditionally requires considerable setup time as well as a skilled and experienced operator. Intelligent functions enable an operator with limited experience to set the focal distance automatically using programmed commands. This helps to ensure dross-free cutting. Additionally, these systems compensate for focal distance changes that occur as lenses become contaminated.
Automated Profile Adjustment. The automated profiler recalibrates to ensure the optimal distance between the nozzle and workpiece is achieved.

Optimized Cutting = Improved Cash Position

Not only does automated setup technology typically result in a significant increase in throughput by reducing operator intervention, it also results in reduced assist gas consumption because the proper nozzle is selected for the application. To illustrate the impact of this type of automated laser optics management, all a shop has to do is take a look at an analysis of its laser-related production over a full year.

The wider the variation in materials and thicknesses, the greater the economic advantage gains with automated setup. For these calculations, a consistent nest configuration was applied to the annual production analysis. Nozzles and other setup functions were performed automatically to match optimal cutting parameters. With automated setup functions, the laser cutter cut the annual production volume in 3,287 hours as compared to 4,170 hours with a single lens. The shop also has a considerable laser gas savings because of the automated functions.
An experienced laser applications engineer can provide a detailed review of an entire production model based on a metal fabricator’s nested sheets using the shop’s actual materials. The economic impact analysis specific for the shop should be comprehensive enough to show the real cost benefit.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Defense Contracts

Pentagon Cuts Defense Contracts

   

Charles Dharapak/AP - The Pentagon is seen in this aerial view in Washington.
  •   

By Nick Taborek, Published: May 12

  Pentagon contracts tumbled 52 percent in April from a month earlier as across-the-board federal budget cuts took hold.
The Defense Department announced awards with a maximum value of $19 billion in April, about 22 percent lower than a year earlier, according to procurement data. The biggest contract, a $6.9 billion network equipment deal, was won by a group of eight companies led by General Dynamics.
The military is scheduled to absorb $37 billion in cuts this year under the reductions known as sequestration. The contract slowdown is "undoubtedly tied to sequestration'' and reflects an even sharper drop in awards than mandated under the cuts, said Larry Allen, president of Allen Federal Business Partners, a consulting company in McLean. In March, the Pentagon awarded $39.4 billion in contracts.
Military buyers probably have "erred on the side of caution'' by holding back spending to preserve funding for priorities later in the year, Allen said in an e-mail. "There is a tremendous sense of pressure not to spend right now.''
The possibility of furloughs for civilian Pentagon workers, which haven't yet begun, may be further delaying awards, Allen said. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he's still reviewing options that may avert furloughs more than three months after the Pentagon said automatic budget cuts may require unpaid leave for as many as 750,000 civilian workers.
The automatic reductions began March 1 and will cut as much as $1.2 trillion in federal spending over nine years if President Obama and Congress fail to agree on a broader program of budgetary reductions.
April's award total was 34 percent less than the monthly average of $28.8 billion in the 12 months ended March 31, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The military is required to announce awards valued at $6.5 million or more.
The $6.9 billion, six-year network equipment contract is part of an Air Force program known as Netcents-2. The agreement was awarded a year ago and then rebid after more than 10 companies filed protests with the Government Accountability Office, which arbitrates federal contract disputes.
The deal may be delayed again. Eleven companies, including Dell, have filed new challenges, according to the GAO's Web site.
Round Rock, Tex.-based Dell declined to comment, Scott Radcliffe, a company spokesman, said in an e-mail.
Rob Doolittle, a spokesman for Falls Church-based General Dynamics, also declined to comment on the award, citing the pending protests.
The second-largest contract in April was a five-year, $1.5 billion award for Army helicopter maintenance and upgrades. It went to two closely held businesses: Science and Engineering Services, based in Columbia, and Support Systems Associates, based in Melbourne, Fla.
The contract, announced April 30, involves work on Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters and represents new business for Support Systems Associates, said John Hamilton, the company's vice president of contracts.
"It is a major effort for the company,'' Hamilton said in a phone interview. The work will result in the company starting a new operation in the Huntsville, Ala., area, he said.
Hamilton said his company, which has 200 employees, plans to subcontract work to London-based BAE Systems, the Pentagon's seventh-biggest supplier.
The top two awards and eight of the 10 biggest defense deals in April were "multiple-award contracts." In such arrangements, several contractors are selected to supply a certain type of product or service. They then compete with one another for orders as specific needs arise.
The biggest award to a single company was an $830 million agreement with Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's top contractor, to provide F-16 jets for Iraq's military.
The order is expected to extend work at the Fort Worth F-16 production line through mid-2017, Mark Johnson, a Lockheed spokesman, said in an e-mail.
The Bethesda-based contractor received awards with a potential value of $1.03 billion in April, excluding multiple-award contracts, the highest total of any company.
 -Bloomberg Government

 

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Friday, April 26, 2013

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Toys for Yachts

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Toys for Yachts: OCEAN SLIDE If you come to visit us today this is what you get at the front door a huge slide. Normally it is used to propel the gues...

Toys for Yachts

OCEAN SLIDE



If you come to visit us today this is what you get at the front door a huge slide. Normally it is used to propel the guest from the yacht into the ocean. No only for fun this is not an emergency exit and is not use ether if  you are not having fun or they do not like you!

We are just having a funny day since is the end of the week we need a good laugh and also we are checking that is working properly!



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Aquascan Yacht Tender


A unique master piece for your yacht!


AQUASCAN has developed the Sprinter F Jet series to service the needs of the "no compromise" yacht tender market.

In response to a wave of customer requests, we have created a new line of yacht tenders with jet propulsion designed specifically for Pershing, Riva and Ferretti Yachts.


These tenders are custom designed to fit perfectly inside the garages of these yachts without compromising style and performance.
They can be purchased directly from your dealer or through us.

Real World engineering designed with hands on experience that provides the ultimate performance, styling and durability.


Our dynamic design and manufacturing team takes every opportunity to create and develop advancements in design and performance in response to the every changing needs of the tender boat market.

Thankfully our customers are always presenting us with new challenges and requirements that allow us to constantly improve our boats and develop new techniques and accessories.

The Sprinter Jets are high performance, custom built jet tenders.

Although all the models have standard measurements and designs, they are all customizable in every sense of the word from the inside out.

The jet inflatable boat can be built with Carbon Fiber or Kevlar, design is limited only by your desires.

If height, width, length or weight is an issue, not to worry, we can customize all of our jet ribs to fit your requirements.

The four stroke inflatable jet boat was premiered at the 2001 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and has been our number one seller since.

Because we are a custom manufacturer of inflatable boats all of our base models have dozens of accessories available to them, and each model and accessory can be customized to your preference

Each Aquascan is hand built in Fort Lauderdale Florida.

Call Aquascan for a quote! 1-954-463-0579

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Jet Tenders and rigid hull inflatables!

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Jet Tenders and rigid hull inflatables!: What makes Aquascan different?? To better serve their customers, Aquascan is on a constant pursuit for perfection. “Good Enough”  ...

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Aquascan Runner inflatable!

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Aquascan Runner inflatable!: The Runner tender series is a vibrant and multifaceted series of inflatable boats. It was created to fill a void in the market, for the cus...

Friday, April 19, 2013

Uploaded videos (playlist)

Uploaded videos (playlist)

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Satisfied customers

World of inflatable boats, Jets and RIB Tenders: Satisfied customers: Check out what some of our customers have to say about our boats! http://www.aquascanribs.com/testimonials/ We go to work every day ...

Satisfied customers

Check out what some of our customers have to say about our boats! http://www.aquascanribs.com/testimonials/



We go to work every day with the intention to do our best to produce a boat that will be at the top in quality. It is hard work do not get me wrong. It is a constant battle to find materials suitable to the very demanding market and deserving customers.

We keep on working and do really our best to satisfy every one but is so great when we receive their thank you notes that make us really proud and makes this work much easier!

So we have decide to just show some of them to you because we are proud of what we do!

So from all of us at Aquascan a big Thank you to all our clients and friends!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Monday, April 8, 2013

Inflatable Boat Cleaner.



 Boat Cleaner

Your RIB is your favorite toy, and you love showing it off. The best way to do that is to keep it clean.
While we have been a manufacturing company for over 15 years, we have also been a full service maintenance and repair center for the same amount of time. In that time we have tested so many product and had such poor results that about 12 years ago we finally decided to create our own. After all, who would know better than the people who work on inflatables 7 days a week.
Our cleaner is formulated to be safe to use on every surface of your boat. It safely cleans Hypalon without removing the protective UV coating.
You can use it to clean your marine upholstery and vinyl, stainless, aluminum, fiberglass and pvc.


If your problems is diesel stains give this cleaner a try you will be pleasantly surprise. If you like to order the cleaner just give us a call! Aquascanribs.com