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Refrigeration System Sealants Some HVACR contractors haven’t discovered refrigeration sealants, because they only came on the market five years ago. LoneStar service contracting company has had great success using them to stop leaks in systems where leaks are inaccessible or too expensive to fix. In fact, we’ve applied sealants successfully to more than 100 systems in just four years, without any failure to system components. Our customers like the fact that we’ve reduced their bill from possibly hundreds or thousands of dollars in component replacement, down to a $150 injection charge plus refrigerant costs. I like to use sealants because, instead of tying up a service crew or myself for a day or two to replace an evaporator coil in a walk-in freezer, we’re in and out of the job faster, on to the next job, and the client is undoubtedly happy with the result. We specialize in restaurants and food service equipment, and have used sealants on a variety of equipment, including small refrigerators, commercial refrigerators, rooftop packaged air conditioning units, air conditioning split systems, walk-in coolers and freezers, reach-in coolers, and ice makers. Applying sealants isn’t difficult, but there are several steps and procedures that should be followed to guarantee success. Finding the Leak We always try to find the leak first and fix it conventionally with brazing, if it’s accessible and the estimated cost is economically feasible for the client. We use the same arsenal of leak detection tools as any other company such as visible/audible inspections for oil residue, electronic sniffers, dye and UV lights, etc. If we find the leak, we either fix it, or if it looks like a lengthy project, we give the client a choice of repairing it conventionally or putting in a sealant, the latter which typically reduces the service cost substantially. Rather than run up a huge bill searching for the leak after a quick look is unsuccessful, we approach the client and suggest sealing the system. Obviously, a newer system might warrant component replacement, especially if the replacement costs are included in the original manufacturer’s warranty. Preparing the System If the client chooses to go with the sealant program, we prepare the system for sealing. It’s important to know how sealants work, because moisture control is a big factor in their application. I’ve met several service technicians that falsely think HVACR sealants are like automotive radiator sealers that actually clog up a radiator hole, similar to floating debris that dams a river. Today’s high tech HVACR sealants are totally different and much more scientific than that. They’re a patented formula of organosilanes that remain a liquid along with the oil once they’re injected into a system. The sealant can remain a free-flowing liquid for years in the system without any adverse effects to the compressor, expansion valves, or capillary tubes. Once the sealant exits a leak hole however, it reacts with moisture in the atmosphere outside the system and crystalizes around the hole to form a strong bond. This is very similar to how the human body’s blood naturally coagulates around a wound to form a scab. Because of the chemical reaction when exposed to moisture, the system should be moisture-free. Sealant manufacturers recommend recovering the refrigerant and performing a triple evacuation down to 30 microns to boil off any residual moisture in the system. It’s a good idea to use a micron gauge rather than conventional refrigeration gauges, because the micron gauge provides a much more precise reading. Sealants probably won’t work on systems with a large hole. Sealant manufacturers recommend holes of 300 microns (about the diameter of a human hair) and smaller for the sealant to work successfully. The only time the sealant didn’t work for me was attempting to seal a hole that was too large. Since the system is down for repair, changing the filter/drier(s) should also be done to give the system a fresh start. While it’s recommended to assure moisture is removed, there have been several times I’ll skip that step and simply apply the sealant while topping off the system. Typically, these are long- time customers with systems I’ve maintained for years, and my familiarity with the system just tells me there’s little chance any moisture has infiltrated the system. Applying the Sealant Once the system is prepared and charged with refrigerant, be sure to choose the right type of sealant at your distributor. Sealants come in three varieties based on system size — less than 1.5 tons; between 1.5 and 5 tons; and more than 5 tons. The sealants come with a free charging hose, which should be used and discarded afterward. Used connecting hoses can have contaminants that will clog the tiny orifice in the hose. I learned this the hard way once by using an old hose where the orifice got bonded by the sealant because moisture had gotten into it. Once connected to the low side Schrader valve, purge the hose slightly while connecting to the sealant can. HVACR sealant cans are vacuum packed, so once connected, the system refrigerant rushes into the can. It should take about 10 minutes for the can and the system pressures to equalize. It’ll take a bit longer on hot days. Once the can has emptied, turn the system on for full circulation. The sealing process can take a few minutes, or it could take a day or two. Several times I’ve actually visibly seen a hole being sealed. It’s probably a good idea to follow up to check the system in a week or so. In the rare case in which it doesn’t work, we follow up with another sealant application, or a different strategy, because the hole is evidently too large. Unless it’s depleted by the first leak, the sealant typically stays in the system indefinitely, and immediately seals future leaks as they occur. Some contractors feel they’re losing business that way, but I think it helps even out our workload. We also don’t fall behind because of time-consuming component replacements that could tie up a crew for a day or two. Guarantee the Work I always give a client the choice of using a sealant for a flat fee of $150 injection charge plus refrigerant or fixing the system conventionally, the latter pg which is typically a higher cost. I guarantee the sealant application, so many customers feel comfortable choosing it. If the system still leaks after 30 days, I refund half of the $150 and fix the leak conventionally. Many of my long time customers trust us, and expect a good price and successful results. In addition, new clients become believers in our service, once we end the perpetual topping off of leaking systems every few months

Router Bit Sets First quarter net revenues increased 8.9% year-over-year to $2.5 billion, and excluding Flash Memories Group, net revenues increased 11.6% to $2.2 billion GENEVA, April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics reported financial results for the 2008 fiscal first quarter ended March 30, 2008. ST, in conjunction with Intel and Francisco Partners, completed their previously announced agreement to create Numonyx, an independent semiconductor company, with ST contributing its Flash Memories Group (FMG). The transaction was completed on March 30, 2008. The first quarter 2008 income statement incorporates FMG for the entire period while the balance sheet reflects Numonyx equity valuation at quarter end. In this press release, ST presents certain financial results for the Company as a whole, as well as for the Company excluding FMG.

printing machine parts Hirsch International Corp. (NASDAQ: HRSH), the leading provider of advanced embroidery, screen-printing, textile laser systems, and digital printing and services to the North American graphic and decorated apparel marketplace, today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. Hirsch's net loss for the quarter ended March 31, 2008 was $0.6 million or $0.07 per diluted share. This compares to net income of $0.8 million or $0.09 per diluted share for the prior year quarter.

Reliance Metalcenter is undergoing a substantial expansion to its existing facility in Salt Lake City that will greatly increase the company’s production capacity. The expansion is being delivered by the design-build team of Layton Construction and GSBS Architects, with an anticipated completion date in the late summer of 2008. Reliance Metalcenter is a diversified metals processor and distributor and is a division of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., one of the largest metals service center companies in the United States. The Salt Lake City division delivers daily throughout Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada and has been acknowledged for several years as possessing the area’s most complete carbon steel inventory and processing capabilities. Reliance Metalcenter is equipped with its own fleet of 18 trucks, two leveling lines, four plasma/acetylene oxygen plate burners, two saws and two shears. For the expansion, Layton Construction will add an additional 60,000 square feet of floor space to Reliance Metalcenter’s existing 110,000-square-foot facility. The expansion includes a new railroad spur that will accommodate larger and more cost-effective deliveries and be accessible to additional under-roof storage and crane capacity. The expansion will also increase Reliance Metalcenter’s output capabilities with the addition of three truck lanes as well as four bridge cranes that will be used to unload trains and load incoming and outgoing trucks. The addition will house Reliance Metalcenter’s new technologically advanced panel flat laser-quality leveling line and have high-definition plasma plate cutting capabilities as well as various other equipment upgrades. Construction of the expansion is a continuation of the facility’s previous design and will include the use of concrete tilt panels, structural steel columns and beams, steel joists and metal deck. Additionally, construction work incorporates the use of the new energy code and additional energy saving systems such as lighting timeouts and sensors.

packing line Foodnet, a local meals-on-wheels program, has saved thousands of dollars by using more efficient routes and work methods, thanks to a group of former Cornell operations research and information engineering (ORIE) students. Two years ago, ORIE students were asked to advise Foodnet on ways to streamline its delivery routes to save money, time and energy. Their work has paid off. The nonprofit organization has been able to stay within its fuel and maintenance budget in a business that is highly dependent on transportation, despite increased gasoline prices and demand for meals. The organization budgeted $32,000 for gasoline in 2006 but spent only $24,500. Maintenance costs dropped by one-third from the previous year, largely as a result of the new routes. The recommendations came from the master of engineering project of former students Sebastien Desfriches-Doria, Hector Espinoza and David Rimshnick, under the guidance of ORIE professor Robert Bland, during the 2005-06 academic year. Using advanced route optimization software, the team showed Foodnet how to reduce its "delivery time window" (the time between the first and last delivery of the day). The students also shortened how long it took Foodnet to pack food for delivery by reorganizing the packing line and testing alternatives in a computer simulation. Using a client information database, mapping and routing software and additional computational techniques of their own, the team also developed a computer system that Foodnet staff can use to plan routes and adapt them to changes in client population. "The outcome of the study helped us align our new routes, geographically and time wise," said Joe Fort, food service operations manager at Foodnet. "We also rethought how we served and packed our food. All in all, our goal of more timely delivery has been successful." With more clients in its network, some were not getting their midday meal until after 3 p.m. "Now most of our routes are finished by 1:30 p.m.," added Foodnet Assistant Director Carolyn Arnold. The three former Cornell students now work as logistics consultants. Rimshnick said he found the Foodnet project "a unique and fulfilling way of transitioning my academic training to real-world solutions."

Mould Cutting Machine Exhibitors experienced high levels of serious enquiries from companies genuinely interested in their products and capabilities at the 2007 event - the Subcon 2008 event will be even more important. The annual UK exhibition for international buyers of subcontract manufacturing - Subcon - will take place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, April 22-24, 2008 Subcon will enable visitors to compare and source subcontract manufacturing services under one roof Exhibitors will be there from the UK, Europe and around the world. Apart from exhibiting a wide range of machined parts, electronic assemblies, castings, plastics mouldings and metal fabrications, many exhibitors offer full manufacturing services. Such services include design, rapid prototyping and managing full 'turnkey' projects. Subcon 2008 event director, Jon Hughes, said: "As an annual event, Subcon is a 'must-see' show in its own right, but with the added benefits to visitors of taking a broader look at their whole make/buy strategy this will be the highlight of the 2008 calendar for anyone in manufacturing". The 2008 event will be co-located with several complementary events at the NEC, such as the MACH 2008 machine tool exhibition and Design and Controls. It will help visitors to make a decision about manufacturing in-house or subcontracting out. * MACH 2008 - organised by the Manufacturing Technologies Association, MACH 2008 is attracting over 500 exhibitors and expects over 22,000 visitors. * The 'Drives and Controls' show, organized by DFA Media and running during April 22-24, 2008, covers automation, drives, power transmission and motion control. * Subcon 2007 generated high levels of serious enquiries - information gathered from 100 telephone interviews with buyers and technical specifiers indicated that exhibitors experienced high levels of serious enquiries from companies genuinely interested in their products and capabilities. Some visitors, on the other hand, were disappointed with the numbers of suppliers, especially UK suppliers, who participated. Richard Brinley of Spirax Sarco said: "I spend half a million a year on CNC machining alone and millions on presswork and fabrications and I can't understand why so few local suppliers turned out". Buyers in all sectors said they were disappointed with the number of companies - particularly UK companies - that had 'general engineering' skills. These are suppliers who can provide a 'one-stop service' to supply a finished or semi-finished component or sub-assembly from start to finish, that is, buy the material, cut it, machine it, treat it and finish it. In practise they found few suppliers that were able or willing to do more than one process. This trend is apparently driving more and more buyers to source from Eastern Europe. * Volumes and values - volumes reported were mainly small to medium (hundreds and thousands of units rather than hundreds of thousands and more) but there were some high volumes too - one company spent GBP 40 million in UK on castings alone. Spends of GBP 3 million, GBP 5 million, GBP 10 million and GBP 25 million were not uncommon, said those interviewed. * Global sourcing trends - the trend seems to be towards sourcing more from Eastern Europe. UK suppliers and those in China and India are losing business to Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, CZ, etc. Manufacture for export of components and assemblies for oil, gas and power is booming. 1 - Sector reports - automotive and motor sport - buyers who visited Subcon 2007 were interviewed from: Leyland Trucks, Denso Marston, Dennis Eagle, King Trailers, Hendrickson, KV Systems, Hexadex, WH Smith Automotive, Hindle Group, Bentley, Wicke UK, Triumph Motorcycles, Zytek, AP Driveline, B. Hepworth and Co, NSK, Carlisle Brakes, FCC Europe, Hartridge, Vepro, Cosworth Racing, Talon Engineering, Mercedes Benz High Performance. * Volumes, spends and sources - volumes vary widely, with lots of small batch work. Outsource values quoted up to GBP 40 million. Many buyers said that they would like to rely on a local supplier base (and they are comfortable about paying 10% to 20% more for parts sourced in the UK). However, many are finding it hard to locate a UK supplier who is able to do more than one process, such as a producing and plating a metal fabrication. Many buyers said that they want partners who can 'buy it, cut it, machine it, grind it and treat it'. Some buyers are sourcing only in UK and central Europe, some have suppliers in China and the Far East or India, but the trend appears to be towards switching to Eastern Europe - Hungary, CZ, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland and Turkey. * Items outsourced: heavy duty fabrications for trailer assemblies; chassis and suspension units; aluminium castings and engine components; machined castings in aluminium, grey iron, steel, steel graphite; major castings with circuit boards, bearings, gaskets and shafts in; prototyping; power press tooling; small batch CNC machining; small turned parts, bearings; springs; fasteners; laser cutting; milling; gun drilling; honing; plating; plastics extrusion; injection mouldings; tube work; plastics and rubber injections; resins; rubber/metal bonding; assembly work and electronic conversions.

air conditioner pipes Singapore-listed Midsouth Holdings Ltd, a maker of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) products, said its first quarter net profit rose 19.3 pct from a year earlier to 33.6 mln yuan, supported by strong sales of vehicle parts. Revenue grew 26.3 pct to 145.6 mln yuan. Sales of vehicle parts, which accounted for about half of the company's revenue increase, rose 30.9 pct to 60.3 mln yuan. Earnings per share were 0.102 yuan, versus 0.85 in the first quarter of last year. The company plans to expand its manufacturing capacity for water pipes and air-conditioner ventilation systems. "We remain optimistic about the sales momentum of our FRP products as our product portfolio is catering to China's infrastructure development and property sectors," said chief executive Gao Yan Hua. "We will also intensify efforts to develop our client base further to include potential customers that can substitute FRP-based materials for their applications," Gao said. Midsouth shares closed up 0.7 pct at 0.700 sgd. (1 usd = 1.36 sgd)

weighing scales Seven years ago, the Jatias, a Mumbai hotelier family, bought land in the city’s derelict former textile mills district that was partly occupied by slums and was faced by a large shanty town – hardly where most would site a five-star hotel. But this week, after years of navigating red tape, the 202-room Four Seasons Mumbai became the first luxury hotel of its size to launch in the city’s south in about 20 years. “In hindsight, the choice of this location seems quite straightforward but at that time this wasn’t an obvious site for a hotel,” Adarsh Jatia, a director of the family company, Magus Estates and Hotels, says. Guests arriving at night at the Canadian chain’s first hotel in India will see slum-dwellers sleeping on one side of the road and on the other the glittering glass tower of Mumbai’s newest symbol of luxury. In India’s financial capital, engine of the country’s rapid economic growth, such scenes are increasingly common as high-end developments sprout up among the sprawling huts that house more than half the city’s 18m people. With land prices in Mumbai reaching record levels, the state government of Maharashtra, which controls the city, has been pushing an ambitious plan to rehabilitate its legendary slums. The idea is to move slum-dwellers into apartment blocks occupying a corner of the area over which they sprawl and redevelop the remainder, in developments of hotels, offices and apartments. The Four Seasons slum-dwellers living on the site were compensated for the loss of their homes and the government wants to use the model for two big slum rehabilitation projects that will transform the city if they are realised. The first is Dharavi, said to be Asia’s largest slum, and home to 60,000 families. The second is on the grounds of the city’s airport where 80,000 families live. The two will involve moving between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the city’s population. “This will be the way of the future,” Mukesh Mehta, the consultant for the Dharavi project, says. “Especially in the prime part of the city of Mumbai and in Parel [the mill district] and all those areas that are the upcoming areas.” The result is not lost on those selling the new Four Seasons. “You’re seeing Rolls-Royces on one side, luxury hotels on the other and slums in between – that’s why they call Mumbai the Maximum City,” Jason Stinson, marketing director at the hotel, says . There are good business reasons behind the development. Property analysts estimate there is a shortage of 100,000 hotel rooms in India – more than the existing supply. Archaic restrictions that have prohibited the construction of high-rise buildings and sky-high land prices have contributed to the shortage, Vincent Lottefier, chief executive of Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, says. Bureaucracy and a shortage of skilled workers make building hotels difficult – the opening of the Four Seasons was delayed by at least two years. The hotel needed 165 government permits – including a special licence for the vegetable weighing scale in the kitchen and one for each of the bathroom scales put in guest rooms. In the end, the hotel cost $100m (€64.5m, ￡51m), or about $500,000 per room, and prices – which start at $500 per night rising to more than $1,000 – reflect that. But there is little social envy. Vishal Doshi, whose shop sells samosas in the slum, says the hotel brings prestige. “Everyone can now say: ‘I’m living near the Four Seasons’,” he says. He is under no illusions that he will be a guest there any time soon. “This side of the road is for servants, that side for bosses,” he says.