The health benefits of plant-based supplements have been known for centuries. In fact, the use of herbal medicines is said to date as far back as 60,000 years  – long before the advent of modern medicine.

Used in cuisines all over the world, some of the most well-known herbs and fruits are blessed with natural herbal extract compounds that are advantageous to human wellbeing. Specifically, these are packed with bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, which are linked to antioxidant activity in the human body.

The question is, then, what’s the point of liquid herbal extracts – like Comvita’s Olive Leaf Extract which is known for its antioxidant effects?

While eating fresh fruits and vegetables and adding herbs to your food are an important part of a healthy, well-rounded diet, here are some of the top benefits of supplementing your diet with liquid extracts.

POTENCY
Plants in their raw form don’t contain the same concentration of beneficial antioxidant compounds as you’ll find in liquid herbal extract – in fact, it’s vastly different..

So, consuming liquid herbal extract in addition to a healthy balanced diet is a convenient way to give your a top up of beneficial antioxidants without trying to eat impossible amounts of herbs, fruits and vegetables.

EASY TO CONSUME AND VERSATILE
It’s important to maintain a healthy diet, but it can be tricky to ensure you’re incorporating all of nature’s most precious compounds into an everyday diet.

Olive Leaf Extract can be taken alongside your daily meals to get the benefit of their nutrients and antioxidant compounds. For example, you could add the recommended amount of olive leaf extract to drinks such as water, juice and tea.

For a long time, extraction has long been a popular method for getting the beneficial nutrients and compounds out of plants and herbs. For the most part, this has traditionally been done using hot water to make a ‘tea’.

But while extraction methods have continued to evolve, Comvita has remained dedicated to preserving freshness and natural processes. Comvita Olive Leaf Extract is not extracted with alcohol and uses only freshly picked olive leaves in the extraction process which takes place onsite at our Queensland olive tree grove. You can find out more about our Olive Leaf Extract here.

Cosmetics are products designed to cleanse, protect and change the appearance of external parts of our bodies, like food additives in food industry. The key cosmetic ingredients present in most cosmetics include water, emulsifiers, preservatives, thickeners, moisturisers, colours and fragrances. Ingredients can be naturally occurring or artificial, but any potential impact on our health depends mainly on the chemical compounds they are made of. The doses of potentially dangerous chemicals found in cosmetics are considered too small to pose a risk to human health.

Natural products, such as natural fruit and vegerable powder, used to be sold primarily in health food stores and farmers markets with labels decorated with pictures of leaves. It was a very specific niche and not taken seriously by the beauty industry. But now sleek new brands positioning themselves as “cleaner” alternatives to the mainstream are exploding.

Daniela Ciocan — the marketing director at Cosmoprof North America, an entity that hosts a large expo where brands can display their wares in hopes of landing retail placement — says that thanks to retailer and customer demand, this year the organization doubled the amount of space it dedicated to new “clean” brands at the 2017 convention.

In the past 12 months, so-called natural brands like Tata Harper and Jessica Alba’s Honest Company products with natural color have made up about a quarter of all higher-end skin care sales, according to the NPD Group. The category is growing at a faster rate than last year.


“We’re absolutely inundated,” says Annie Jackson, a co-founder of Credo, which was dubbed the “Sephora of clean beauty” when it launched in 2015. It currently has eight stores in the US and a robust online business, where it sells about 115 brands. Credo receives about 200 new products a month from brands hoping to sell there.

And it has a competitor. Follain, which opened before Credo in 2013 as a local shop in Boston, is growing rapidly. It currently has five stores, will open two more in October and expects to have 10 by the end of 2019. Its growth rate is up more than 200 percent in 2018.

In the meantime, customer demand means mainstream companies and retailers are giving more lip service to the concept of clean beauty. In 2017, Target bumped up its natural beauty offerings. CVS announced it was removing parabens and other ingredients from 600 of its house-branded products by the end of 2019. Brands regularly remove parabens and sulfates and the like, sometimes quietly and sometimes with great fanfare.

Sephora launched its “Clean at Sephora” initiative in May, citing in-house research that revealed that 54 percent of its skin care shoppers think it’s important that their products “have a point of view on clean” and looking to shop brands that are “grounded in a ‘free of’ ingredient perspective,” according to Cindy Deily, the senior director of skin care merchandising at Sephora, though she did not say free of what. Sephora received some criticism that its clean standards weren’t as rigorous as they could be, but Deily says the “no” list is still evolving.

Our definition of natural soap is one made of oils, fats and butters that have been mixed with lye. A completely natural soap should also be coloured naturally as well, to adhere to the definition of a natural soap.

Soap is made through the process of saponification. This is where lye (a mix of either Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide and water) is mixed with oils, fats and butters to turn the oils into salts. It is a chemical reaction where the triglycerides of the fats and oils react with the lye.

This reaction is an exothermic one, which means that it produces heat. The amount of heat used to produce the nature soap will determine whether it is hot or cold process soap. The majority of natural soaps are made using the cold process method.

Cold process soap is made by as the name suggests keeping the soap cooler. Usually the temperature of cold process soap will be around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Still quite hot, but cooler than the hot process.

Cold process soap is easier to pour as it is generally still very liquid when the mixing of the soap has finished. It also yeilds a bar that looks fresh and clean cut and generally more aesthetically pleasing.

Hot process soap like the name suggests is made at a higher temperature, which for most soap makers will be around 150 degrees fahrenheit or hotter. Extremely hot and you would know about it if you got any spilt on you.

Hot process soap is less easy on the eye as it is harder to pour into a mould. Let's just say if you like the rustic look then you will like hot process soap better than the clean cut of cold process soap. Hot process takes only 1-3 weeks to cure as most of the water has already left it in the process, where as cold process will take from 4-6 weeks to cure.

Once the saponification has happened and the raw soap has been poured into the mould, it will take around 24-48 hours for the process to be complete. The soap will then have to cure for a set amount of time which will depend on which process was used but can range anywhere from 1 week to 5 years.

Benefits of natural soap
Natural soaps are great as skin care products and they have some amazing benefits for the skin. Let’s look at the benefits of natural hand soap and what it can do for your skin.

Benefits of Natural soap include:

Moisturising

Natural soap bars naturally produce an ingredient called glycerin. This ingredient is highly prized for its moisturising abilities and in the over the counter soaps you usually find in supermarkets and pharmacies, this ingredient is removed and sold on. Natural soaps tend to contain a lot of glycerin which is why they are so moisturising, and they are perfect as bath gift sets for kids.

Gentle

Natural soap bars are generally gentler on skin than common soaps found in the shops. They contain no drying chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulphate which can strip the skin of its natural grease and cause excessive water loss. This causes the skin to dry out. Natural soaps with glycerin are less aggressive in their cleaning action and also contain moisturising glycerin to draw moisture back towards the skin.

Enviromentally Friendly

Natural soaps are a great way to be more green. By using a natural skin care soap instead of a plastic packaged shower gel, your saving a lot of plastic from ever being created. You are also preventing lots of the chemicals used in over the counter soaps from getting back into the environment.

One of the chemicals used in antibacterial soaps turns into a dioxin when exposed to sunlight and these carcinogenic dioxins are being found in higher densities in our drinking water. Find out more in our dedicated article on antibacterial soap here.

Smells great

True natural soap bars are made with essential oils rather than fragrance oils. Essential oils come directly from the plant and thus smells like the scent you would know from nature. They also have a wide array of natural benefits for the skin and body.

No Chemicals

Natural soaps don’t contain any synthetic chemicals. Chemicals used in over the counter soaps can cause the skin to dry out and can possibly lead to eczema. Also natural soap contains essential oils for scents rather than fragrance oils.

Fragrance oils can contain over 100 different chemicals within them, including parabens and phthalates. These chemicals are potential carcinogens and are used to enhance the scents and increase shelf life.

Better Ingredients

Natural handmade soaps tend to be more expensive than over the counter bars of soap. One of the main reasons for this is that natural soaps usually contain better ingredients. For instance most bars bought from a supermarket will contain palm oil and cheap chemical ingredients such as sodium laureth sulphate.

Both are very cheap, not great for skin. On the other hand natural soaps usually but not always tend to have more expensive ingredients which are better for skin such as olive oil, cocoa butter and hempseed oil.

These ingredients make a more moisturising bar, but the ingredients are generally more expensive than palm oil and chemicals used in soap making, but with these come greater benefits for the skin.

Natural soaps have many benefits and each will have slightly different benefits depending on the oils chosen. For instance our soaps have been specifically designed for dry skin, as they contain lots of glycerin and emollient ingredients which aid the skin in retaining moisture. Other natural soaps will do different jobs depending on how they have been formulated.

In general natural soaps are really amazing for baby skin care and we know ours are great for dry skin as we specifically designed them to be this way!

What properties do natural soaps have?
A good natural soap will be made of a variety of ingredients. This is because different oils fats and butters will have different properties that they will bring to a soap. The properties we look for in soap making are:

Hardness

For instance if you were to make a bar out of pure cocoa butter (a very hard butter) then your soap would be extremely hard, unlike if you were to make a soap out of pure sunflower oil which would then give you a very soft bar.

The only exception to the rule is castille soap which traditionally is made out of purely olive oil. This soap is named after the region in Spain where it originates. Once this soap is made it is extremely soft, which is why traditional castile soap is cured for a long time; approximately 5 years.

During the curing process the soap loses moisture content and gradually gets harder. This is unusual as most cold process soaps will take around 4-6 weeks to cure and hot process around 1-3 weeks.

Hardness is important in a bar because it determines how long a bar will last. Harder bars will last for a long time, whilst softer bars will not last as long. It’s important to get a balance and a good level of hardness in a soap bar, but this is not the only quality we need.

Some of the oils, fats and butters you can use to make a harder soap are animal fats such as lard and tallow. Other vegan options you can use to make your soap hard include cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil and palm oil.

Cleansing

This is the cleaning properties of the soap. This is important as it is the soap’s main job. Some of the oils, fats and butters used have cleansing properties.

These cleansing properties leave the skin clean and unlike soaps that contain sodium lauryl sulphate or derivatives of it. These soaps, shower gels (including bath bomb) and hand washes will clean your skin as they are a chemical surfactant, but they will also rinse away the natural grease your skin produces.

This natural grease is what plugs the gaps between the skin cells, and stops moisture loss from the skin. When you use these chemical based soaps the surfactant will dry your skin, causing damage and exacerbating dry skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. They can also cause your skin to over react and produce large amounts of natural grease which clog skin cells and can lead to acne.

Cleansers in soap include coconut oil and palm oil among others. These oils should be used in soap sparingly, as soaps with a large proportion of these oils will cause the skin to dry out. These oils should always be below 40% of total oils used in soap. When these oils are used in high amounts like a lot of the soaps you can buy at the supermarket, they can leave your skin feeling dry and rubbery.

A lot of soaps you can buy on the high street are made using majority palm oil or palm kernel oil which are cleansers and will explain why you are left feeling dry and rubbery after washing.

One additional drawback of palm oil in soap is it produces a very small amount of glycerin during the soap making process. Glycerin is a humectant which means it draws moisture to your skin, this is hugely important in natural soap as the glycerin will leave your skin feeling moisturised and soft after washing.

When you use super cleansing soaps with palm oil in or sodium lauryl sulphate then your skin will feel dry and lose moisture fast. The benefit of using our natural soap with a blend of natural ingredients is we have formulated a bar of soap which will clean you but also leave your skin feeling soft and moisturised.

Conditioning

This is an important quality in soap as it conditions and moisturises your skin soft. Conditioning means the soaps emollient content. An emollient is something that helps the skin retain moisture. They also sooth the skin and keep it moisturised and soft.

Conditioners include: olive oil, apricot kernel oil and hempseed oil. Two of those ingredients are included in our soap as they have amazing skin benefits. They leave your skin conditioned and soft. I like to think of the conditions in soap, as similar to a conditioner for hair. After you have used your shampoo, your hair may feel slightly dry, when you use conditioner it softens the hair and makes it feel silky.

This is the same in soap. The coconut oil in our soap will clean your skin, and then the olive oil and hempseed oil will then condition your skin leaving it feeling soft and moisturised.

As well as the conditioning properties of our soap, we also like to keep all of our glycerin in our soap. A lot of the soap sold on the high street or out of the supermarket are made by large brands.

These large brands take the glycerin out of their soap. This is a relatively simple process of separating the soap through the use of salt water and boiling off the salt water to leave the glycerin.

This is another quality in soap we love. When your soap produces a rich creamy lather, it feels nice on the skin, suitable as adult skin care.

Creaminess and bubbles are a compromise you need to make when formulating your soap recipe. When you have a soap which produces a lot of large bubbles then it will not feel creamy, where as when you have a very creamy soap you will have very small bubbles.

Creaminess is important in soap as it feels luxurious, which is what you want when you are using a luxury natural soap. Creaminess has no real benefits to the skin, it’s more of a benefit to the experience of using the soap.

If you enjoy a luxury soap, especially if it contains natural essential oils and smells amazing, then you will benefit from the soap by feeling, relaxed, de-stressed and treated to a luxury experience. This is why we hold creaminess in such high regard, even though it has very small benefits to the skin.

Bubbly

Again one of the properties of soap which may not provide an actual benefit to your skin, but adds to the psychological benefit of using a soap. Oils that produce a lot of bubbles are popular to use in natural soap. In particular coconut oil and castor oil can produce larger bubbles when used in soap.

Bubbles have no real benefit in soap, large or small the soap will be good for your skin if it is a good blend of oils. But lets not underestimate the benefit of bubbles in soap, the psychological effect of bubbles is so important in soap that larger companies have ensured their soap, hand wash and shower gel produce them regardless of hard or soft water.

One of the main reasons larger companies use sodium lauryl sulphate and derivatives of this chemical is that it is a foaming agent.

People generally associate bubbles with cleanliness. But this is not always true. Soap will still work even if it has no bubbles because soap loosens dirt from the skin and allows it to be washed away.

In our soap, we use coconut oil to produce bubbles. This natural cleanser also has the properties in soap that allows it to produce large stable bubbles adding to a creamy lather and increasing the satisfaction in using our products.

Well something that we feel quite strongly about is how a soap is scented.

Soap can be made naturally and then scented with something in the industry we call fragrance oil. This fragrance oil is synthetic, which means it is made artificially. In brutally blunt terms, it’s made with chemicals. There may be a natural element to it, but it will have chemicals and additives to it to enhance the smell and also its shelf life.

This is because during the soap making process the actual process can dilute the smell and make it weaker. This is why companies use fragrance oils as they are usually chemically enhanced to smell stronger, especially through the saponification process.

When you use natural essential oils they tend to lose their smell in the process unless you use large amounts. In the EU and United Kingdom the maximum amount of fragrance you can use is 3% of total mixture.

This is another reason why companies use fragrance oils, as they are stronger and you will only use a small amount for a similar result. Again this shows you profit margins are more important to large companies than your skin.

Fragrance oils are protected under EU law. The manufacturers do not have to disclose the ingredients included in the fragrance. This is for fear their competition will copy their recipe. Whilst this may be the case, I think the consumer would like to know what exactly they have been putting on their skin.

Fragrances or perfumes are made by combining a number of ingredients, of which the raw materials can be in many forms such as liquid, solid, crystalline etc. To combine these ingredients they use phthalates, which is a type of solvent to dissolve these ingredients all into liquid form.

Phthalates have been linked to a multitude of diseases and disorders including asthma, ADHD, obesity and even breast cancer.

Having used fragrance oils at the start of our soap making journey and accidentally spilling some on our scales, I initially though, no problem I’ll just wipe it up.

After wiping, spraying with antibacterial spray, white spirit and iron wool wouldn’t remove it, we made the conscious decision to only use natural essential oils in our soaps. Something that cannot be removed by such a serious amount of cleaning chemicals and effort surely can’t be good for skin. There are also novel soaps like fruit shaped bath bomb.

I can confirm essential oils are much easier to clean up if spilled as they are completely natural. Essential oils come directly from the fruit or plant and are produced by either squeezing them out of the organic material or distilling them.

Plus they also have some amazing natural benefits which we have listed on all of our product pages.

This article will present the definitive guide to choosing and using balloon inflators as you prepare to create your next masterpiece balloon decoration.

Inflating balloons can be a tiresome activity if you are inflating more than two balloons with air from your lungs. Fortunately, manual balloon pumps and electric balloon inflators make this process a breeze.

The Old Way of Inflating Balloons
So you are having an event, maybe a party and you want to decorate using balloons. As you consider inflating tens of balloons with your lungs, you may be dreading the consequences: sore cheeks, painful jaws, tired arms, aching lungs, and chest, just to name a few. The old method required time, people, patience, and determination.

The solution to the problem of inflation
A solution to your problem is here. Thankfully it is the dawn of a new era; balloon inflators have now become extraordinarily cost-effective and accessible to the DIY person or balloon decorator. These devices exponentially reduce the time and effort required to inflate a large number of balloons. It takes approximately 10 pumps on a double-action balloon pump to fully inflate a balloon and about 3 seconds to do the same using an electric balloon pump. So now, you are free to create your balloon arches, garlands, stands, centerpieces, and backdrops for your special events.

What is a Balloon Pump?
A balloon pump or inflator is a device that makes filling balloons with air faster and more efficient. Balloon Pumps are either manually or electric balloon pump. A balloon pump is designed with a special nozzle that can securely hold the balloon in place during inflation.

Types of Balloon Pumps
There are various types of balloon pumps, they are primarily separated into manual and electrically operated pumps:

Manual Hand-operated Balloon Pump/Inflator
A manual hand inflator is a cylindrical device with a handle connected to a shaft. The shaft is attached to a disc that extends to the edges of the tubular body of the pump.  The pump is operated by using the handle to force air through the connected nozzle. There are two additional categories of manual inflators:

Single Actions Balloon Pump
A single-action balloon inflator will only push air through the nozzle into the balloon on the forward stroke. The reverse stroke will refill the pump with air. This is great for a small number of balloons.

Dual or Double Action Balloon Pump
A Double action manual balloon pump can inflate a balloon on both the forward and reverse stroke. Making the process twice as efficient for the same amount of energy you put out. This is great for inflating an average number of balloons for a small event.

Electric Balloon Pump(AC air pump, DC air pump)
An electrically operated balloon pump uses a motorized pump to quickly send high volumes of air through its nozzle to fill the balloons. They deliver significantly more air in a shorter time when compared to a manual pump with practically no effort. Many are even outfitted with as many as four nozzles to support the inflation of multiple balloons at once. This is great for a large number of balloons and a big event.

When choosing between manual and electric balloon pumps, you have to take several things into consideration.

How much are you willing to spend?
An electric balloon pump can be more than 5 times the cost of a manual inflator. That price does not include the professional balloon pumps that can pump all ballons to the same size, adjust pressure settings, or the ones that come with a portable battery. Those can go upwards of 20 times the cost of a manual balloon pump.

How Many Balloons do you need to inflate?
If your balloon arrangement has more than 200 balloons, it may make sense to get an electric balloon pump. At this many balloons, it becomes a physical workout to use a manual balloon pump. However, if you have the time and the energy, you can consider it your arm workout for the day. You can even share the task between more than one person to lighten the effort.

Is this a one-off activity?
If you are planning to create large, multi-hundred balloon arrangements regularly. It will probably make more sense to invest in a reliable electric balloon pump. Not only will it require less time and effort, but most manual ballon pumps are made of plastic; frequent usage can cause the pump to become brittle, and the handle tends to break from overuse. This can be mitigated if you have multiple hand pumps, but for efficiency, an electric pump is more advantageous.

Will you have access to an electrical outlet.
For outdoor balloon decoration setups that are far away from an electrical outlet, a manual hand pump is the most ideal tool for the job. You can pull it out on the spot and inflate as many balloons as you need without going back and forth to an electrical outlet. Even though it is the most convenient way to inflate balloons for outdoor use, it is by no means the only way.

You can use large garbage bags and inflate your balloons ahead of time then transport them to your outdoor location. You can invest in a very long extension cord that will provide the reach you require. If you have a vehicle nearby, you can use an electrical inverter to power your balloon pump from your vehicle. You can also utilize the long extension cord there as well. The final method is to invest in a battery-powered electric pump. Battery-powered electric inflators are rechargeable and portable and can cost a pretty penny for these extra features. However, sometimes the investment may be worth it if you need the advantage of portability and the power and ease of an electric pump.

Is your environment noise friendly?
Electric balloon inflators are noisy. This is due to the powerful motor it uses to inflate balloons quickly and at high pressure.  If you are setting up a balloon arch at daycare during nap time, you might want to opt for your manual balloon hand inflators.

How fast do you want to work?
In the time it takes to inflate one balloon using a double-action balloon pump, you can inflate 4 using a two-valve electric balloon inflator. Electrical inflators are fast and powerful. If you need speed and power, electric battery air pumps are the right choice.

How many people are working along with you?
If you have multiple people working on your balloon decoration project, you can choose between a electric or a hand air pump. Various people using their own hand-operated balloon inflators can work out well in terms of a balance for the cost and speed you may need. This is the least expensive and most efficient use of a manual balloon inflator.

Electric rechargeable air pumps can also use multiple people at the same time. Depending on your pump type, electric balloon pumps can have as many as 4 active valves used to inflate balloons simultaneously. This will increase your efficiency.

How strong are you?
Manual balloon inflators require an average amount of physical strength to inflate a large number of balloons. A good quality hand-held balloon pump will be well lubricated. It should not provide much friction when pumping air into the balloons. However, if this is not the case, or if the lubrication has somehow dried up, it will take added energy to inflate balloons with a manual pump.

Children should generally have little to no problem using a manual balloon inflator if it is well-lubricated. An electric balloon pump takes limited effort more than the strength to hold the balloon in place as it is inflated.

Multipurpose usage
Due to the design, portability and lightweight of the hand balloon pump, it can be easily used to inflate other inflatables such as pool float toys, exercise balls, inflatable toys like the Rody Horse, and even small sleeping mattresses. Manual Balloon pumps can also be used to blow dust from hard-to-reach crevices instead of purchasing a can of compressed air.

Helium Balloon Inflator
Helium balloons do not require a balloon pump since helium is usually stored in a cylinder in compressed form. Balloons are then simply inflated by opening a valve attached to the cylinder of compressed helium.

Where to buy
The cost of balloon inflators has reduced over the past couple of years. You can get professional level pumps, such as high pressure air pump, for a fraction of the price.

Inflatable paddle boards are typically quick and easy to inflate, and many of them come with a manual pump that can inflate a SUP in about 10 minutes. However, younger or much older SUPers might find inflating them difficult, while others just want to spare themselves from the strain and sweat that comes with manual pumping. Alternatively, if you’re heading to the lake to get some yoga or meditation in, having to put so much time and work in inflating a SUP electric pump doesn’t exactly put you in a peaceful mindset.

That’s why our number one recommended accessory for all inflatable paddle boarders is an electric pump. An electric pump can inflate your paddleboard just as fast as a manual pump, but without the effort of having to do it yourself. Electric pumps can also help finish deflating your iSUP for you, making sure all the air is out and it can be packed up super tight at the end of the day. Some electric pumps are also smaller and weigh about the same asn traditional manual pumps, making them easier to pack and carry as well. Some electric pumps even come with an integrated or portable battery, meaning you don’t even have to be near a car to use them.

An electric pump is better than a manual pump in almost every way, with many of them available for less than $150. However, just like SUP pump, there are a ton of electric pumps to choose from.

The term CNC stands for 'computer numerical control', and the CNC machining definition is that it is a subtractive manufacturing process that typically employs computerized controls and machine tools to remove layers of material from a stock piece—known as the blank or workpiece—and produces a custom-designed part. This process is suitable for a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, wood, glass, foam, and composites, and finds application in a variety of industries, such as large CNC machining, machining of parts and prototypes for telecommunications, and CNC machining aerospace parts, which require tighter tolerances than other industries. Note there is a difference between the CNC machining definition and the CNC machine definition- one is a process and the other is a machine. A CNC machine (sometimes incorrectly referred to as a C and C machine) is a programmable machine that is capable of autonomously performing the operations of CNC machining.

Subtractive manufacturing processes, such as CNC machining, are often presented in contrast to additive manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing, or formative manufacturing processes, such as liquid injection molding. While subtractive processes remove layers of material from the workpiece to produce custom shapes and designs, additive processes assemble layers of material to produce the desired form and formative processes deform and displace stock material into the desired shape. The automated nature of CNC machining enables the production of high precision and high accuracy, simple parts and cost-effectiveness when fulfilling one-off and medium-volume production runs. However, while CNC machining demonstrates certain advantages over other manufacturing processes, the degree of complexity and intricacy attainable for part design and the cost-effectiveness of producing complex parts is limited.

While each type of manufacturing process has its advantages and disadvantages, this article focuses on the CNC machining process, outlining the basics of the process, and the various components and tooling of the CNC press machine. Additionally, this article explores various mechanical CNC machining operations and presents alternatives to the CNC machining process.

Overview of CNC Machining Process
Evolving from the numerical control (NC) machining process which utilized punched tape cards, CNC machining is a manufacturing process which utilizes computerized controls to operate and manipulate machine and cutting tools to shape stock material—e.g., metal, plastic, wood, foam, composite, etc.—into custom parts and designs. While the CNC machining process offers various capabilities and operations, the fundamental principles of the process remain largely the same throughout all of them. The basic CNC machining process includes the following stages:

1. Designing the CAD model
2. Converting the CAD file to a CNC program
3. Preparing the CNC machine
4. Executing the machining operation

Hydraulic mechanism
Hydraulic cutters, including swing arm cutting press, utilize a hydraulic mechanism to close the scissors’ hardened steel blades. Oil under high pressure (around 700 bar) is pumped to the movement mechanism to deliver enough power to cut even the hardest materials. The hydraulic cylinders of some cutters are filled through an external pump, while others have an electric pump with a battery integrated in the scissors’ handle. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Read on to find the type of hydraulic cutter that is most suited for your job.

Mobile hydraulic cutters
Holmatro’s mobile hydraulic cutters are specially designed to be used on site. Examples include the dismantling of buildings, cleaning up of industrial cables, and the remediation of gas stations. For those kind of purposes, mobile cutters are made with easy handling and portability in mind. The electric and fuel-driven mechanisms in Holmatro’s mobile cutters are lightweight and compact. The brand also offers models with batteries, which are specially designed to work in hard to reach places. The durable yet lightweight aluminum construction of most mobile cutters makes them easy to handle and carry around.

Stationary hydraulic scissors
In contrast to mobile cutters, stationary cutters are made for continuous use on a fixed worksite. These hydraulic cutter machines are often used in production processes, and in the recycling of cars and household appliances. Because of this, stationary cutters are developed for maximum durability and frequent use. The machines are largely made from high-grade steel, which results in a higher weight. Thanks to a so-called balancer, however, the weight does not rest directly on the user and a great ease of use is maintained.

Automatic Travelling Head Cutting Press

Where high speed output with predictable accuracy and material yields are needed, move up to a GCT automatic travelling head press.

Cutting jobs and patterns are pre-programmed into the machine’s computer or this can be carried out off-line and information sent down to the machine.

Thus, the operator has no more to do than load the material and cutting tool and gather the cut pieces as they emerge from the machine – the machine dictates the speed, accuracy and material yield.

In all cases, the cutting tool, such as swing arm cutting press, is loaded onto the machine’s cutting head which, on 3 axis models, can be rotated to obtain the best fit or interlock of cutting patterns. Cutting can be onto a polypropylene cutting board for easily fed material but the most versatile model uses a moving cutting and feeding belt. This acts both as a cutting barrier and as a conveyor to carry the cut components away from the cutting area.

For work which is exclusively in sheet form a version is available with a powered, mobile, feed table – very popular in the envelope industry.

Metal stamping is a cold-forming process that makes use of dies and stamping presses to transform sheet metal into different shapes. Pieces of flat sheet metal, typically referred to as blanks, is fed into a sheet metal stamping press that uses a tool and die surface to form the metal into a new shape. Production facilities and metal fabricators offering stamping services will place the material to be stamped between die sections, where the use of pressure will shape and shear the material into the desired final shape for the product or component.

This article describes the metal stamping process and steps, presents the types of stamping presses typically employed, looks at the advantages of stamping parts compared to other fabrication processes, and explains the different types of stamping operations and their applications.

Basic Concepts of Metal Stamping
Metal stamping, also referred to as pressing, is a low-cost high-speed manufacturing process that can produce a high volume of identical metal components. Stamping operations are suitable for both short or long production runs, and be conducted with other metal forming operations, and may consist of one or more of a series of more specific processes or techniques, such as:

1. Punching
2. Blanking
3. Embossing
4. Coining
5. Bending
6. Flanging

Punching and blanking refer to the use of a die to cut the material into specific forms, such as pole line hardware. In punching operations, a scrap piece of material is removed as the punch enters the die, effectively leaving a hole in the workpiece. Blanking, on the other hand, removes a workpiece from the primary material, making that removed component the desired workpiece or blank.

Embossing is a process for creating either a raised or recessed design in sheet metal, by pressing the raw blank against a die that contains the desired shape, or by passing the material blank through a roller die.

Coining is a bending technique wherein the workpiece is stamped while placed between a die and the punch or press, such as sheet metal fabrication. This action causes the punch tip to penetrate the metal and results in accurate, repeatable bends. The deep penetration also relieves internal stresses in the metal workpiece, resulting in no spring back effects.

Bending refers to the general technique of forming metal into desired shapes such as L, U, or V-shaped profiles. The bending process for metal results in a plastic deformation which stresses above the yield point but below the tensile strength. Bending typically occurs around a single axis.

Flanging is a process of introducing a flare or flange onto a metal workpiece through the use of dies, presses, or specialized flanging machinery.

Metal stamping machines may do more than just stamping; they can cast, punch, cut and shape metal sheets. Machines can be programmed or computer numerically controlled (CNC) to offer high precision and repeatability for each stamped piece, and this technology is widely used in furniture hardware. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) and computer-aided design (CAD) programs ensure accuracy. Various tooling machines for the dies used in the stampings are available. Progressive, forming, compound, and carbide tooling perform specific stamping needs. Progressive dies can be used to create multiple pieces on a single piece simultaneously.

Types of Stamping Operations
Progressive die stamping
Progressive die stamping uses a sequence of stamping stations. A metal coil is fed into a reciprocating stamping press with progressive stamping dies. The die moves with the press, and when the press moves down the die closes to stamp the metal and form the part. When the press moves up, the metal moves horizontally along to the next station. These movements must be precisely aligned as the part is still connected to the metal strip. The final station separates the newly-fabricated part from the rest of the metal. Progressive die stamping is ideal for long runs, because the dies last a long time without becoming damaged, and the process is highly repeatable. Each step in the process performs a different cut, bend, or punching operation on the metal, thus gradually achieving the desired end-product shape and design. It is also a faster process with a limited amount of wasted scrap.   

Transfer Die Stamping
Transfer die stamping is similar to progressive die stamping, but the part is separated from the metal trip early on in the process and is transferred from one stamping station to the next by another mechanical transport system, such as a conveyor belt. This process is usually used on larger parts that may need to be transferred to different presses.

Four-Slide Stamping
Four-slide stamping is also called multi-slide or four-way stamping. This technique is best-suited for crafting complex components that have numerous bends or twists. It uses four sliding tools, instead of one vertical slide, to shape the workpiece through multiple deformations. Two slides, or rams, strike the workpiece horizontally to shape it, and no dies are used. Multi-slide stamping can also have more than four moving slides.

Four-slide stamping is a very versatile type of stamping, such as in electronics hardware, as different tools can be attached to each slide. It also has a relatively low cost, and production is fast.

Fine Blanking
Fine blanking, also known as fine-edge blanking, is valuable for providing high accuracy and smooth edges. Usually done on a hydraulic or mechanical press, or by a combination of the two, fine blanking operations consist of three distinct movements:

Clamping of the workpiece or work material in place
Performance of the blanking operation
Ejection of the finished part
Fine blanking presses operate at higher pressures than those used in conventional stamping operations, hence tools and machinery need to be designed with these higher operating pressures in mind.

The edges that are produced from fine blanking avoid fractures as produced with conventional tooling and surface flatness can exceed that available from other stamping methods. Since it is a cold extrusion technique, fine blanking is a single-step process, reducing the overall costs of fabrication.

Types of Stamping Presses
The three common types of stamping presses include mechanical, hydraulic, and mechanical servo technologies. Usually, presses are linked to an automatic feeder that sends sheet metal through the press either in coil or blank form. 

Mechanical
Mechanical presses use a motor connected to a mechanical flywheel to transfer and store energy. Their punches can range in size from 5mm to 500mm, depending on the particular press. Mechanical pressing speed also varies, usually falling between the range of twenty and 1,500 strokes per minute, but they tend to be faster than hydraulic presses. These presses can be found in an array of sizes that stretch from twenty to 6,000 tons. They are well-suited for creating shallower and simpler parts from coils of sheet metal. They’re usually used for progressive and transfer stamping with large production runs.

Hydraulic
Hydraulic presses use pressurized hydraulic fluid to apply force to the material, such as in agricultural machinery parts. Hydraulic pistons displace fluid with a force level proportional to the diameter of the piston head, allowing for an advanced degree of control over the amount of pressure, and a more consistent pressure than a mechanical press. Additionally, they feature adjustable stroke and speed capabilities, and can typically deliver full power during any point in the stroke. These presses usually vary in size from twenty to 10,000 tons and offer stroke sizes from about 10mm to 800mm.

Hydraulic presses are usually used for smaller production runs to create more complicated and deeper stampings than mechanical presses, such as car spare parts. They allow for more flexibility because of the adjustable stroke length and controlled pressure.

Mechanical Servo
Mechanical servo presses use high capacity motors instead of flywheels. They are used to create more complicated stampings at a faster speed than hydraulic presses. The stroke, slide position and motion, and the speed are controlled and programmable. They are powered by either a link-assisted drive system or a direct drive system. These presses are the most expensive of the three types discussed.

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Junction boxes are metal or plastic enclosures used as housings for wiring connections. The connections within are called branch circuits and usually represent the end of a conduit run. Junction boxes make wire access easy, since all one must do is remove the covering to make alterations, repairs, or additions to a conduit. Junction boxes also protect wiring from the elements or environment, which can sometimes be corrosive or otherwise harmful to wiring material. Finally, junction boxes protect wiring from unwanted tampering, whether malicious or unintentional.

Junction Box Wiring Basics
Essentially, a junction box houses wire connections in order to split off power from a single source to multiple outlets. For instance, a junction box might contain one wire power source that is connected through multiple wires to power several different lights.

Electrical junction boxes are usually between 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches long and made of metal or hard plastic. The functional difference between plastic and metal depends whether or not the junction box is supposed to support any weight. Some metal junction boxes can support light fixtures; plastic junction boxes cannot withstand this weight. Additional differences include installation, in that plastic IP65 junction boxes are typically quicker and easier to install than metal ones. However, a standard junction box designed to simple cover wire splices can be either metal or plastic.

Wire Splices in Junction Boxes
All wire splices must be contained within a junction box for a building to meet electric code, although sometimes splices are missed and may present hazards as a result. Any exposed wiring can be dangerous, but exposed wire splices are especially prone to accident because they can be tripped over, expel sparks or misrepresent themselves be misperceived as playthings by children or pets. Junction boxes are helpful for wire splices because they also allow one to easily locate the wire splice area.

Waterproof junction boxes provide an important function of providing a safe transition of power produced from the photovoltaic (PV) cells in the laminate to the external wiring system for interconnecting modules and loads. Electric distribution boxes, also referred to as “jboxes,” are used in a wide variety of electrical applications and serve to protect the connections between wires and cables. In a PV module, however, the jbox also houses the bypass diode that provides a PV cell-protective function and it is prewired and terminated for rapid interconnection of modules in the field. The junction box enclosure consists of a body enclosure and lid both of which are almost exclusively made of injection-molded polymeric construction and are adhered to the substrate of the module with an adhesive compatible with both the junction box polymer and PV module substrate.

The combination of the enclosure, bypass diode, transitioning wiring, connectors, and adhesive makes the jbox a complex component that appears deceptively simple and is not designed to be maintained or serviced. This combination of system behavior and lack of maintainability poses a reliability challenge for the PV module manufacturer, where a service lifetime of 25-years is expected. The importance of design, characterization of the failure and degradation modes, sufficient qualification and durability testing, and manufacturing quality control for the Jbox system (box and connectors) cannot be overestimated since failures of this system account for approximately 18% of 180 fire incidents studied from 1995 to 2012. This study indicates that the jbox with its associated PV connector was the number one cause for a fire, with the second being inverters at 16%. The International Energy Agency’s 2014 report suggests that PV connectors alone may be responsible for up to one-third of PV module fire incidents suggesting that special attention to this component is required.

A junction box is an electrical enclosure that protects electrical conductors at the points where they are spliced, tapped and pulled. These enclosures allow electricians to easily access the conductors to perform work when needed while simultaneously keeping the conductors safe from damage and unauthorized access.

Sometimes, you’ll hear the term “junction box” used to refer to an electrical fixture box. In the true technical definition of a distribution box, wires should connect only to other wires and raceways. However, in practice, the term is also frequently used to refer to many other electrical box types in which wires connect to a fixture such as a ceiling fan, light switch or wall socket.

Sizing a junction box is critical for making sure the junction box functions correctly. In a junction box that’s too small, an electrician may have to bend conductors excessively to fit them fully inside the box, which risks damaging the insulation on the wires. Conductors and other components spaced too closely may also create interference or hazardous conditions.

Article 314 of the National Electrical Code contains most of the key regulations that you’ll need to follow when choosing and installing a junction box. These regulations describe in detail the required junction box size, depending on the number and size of conductors and fittings enclosed within the box.

You’ll need to calculate both box volume and box fill when determining the appropriate size for a power distribution box. What do these concepts mean?

Box volume is the total enclosed volume of the junction box, including any extended space provided by attachments such as domed covers or extension rings.
Box fill is the total space occupied by the components that will be contained within the junction box with electric breaker.
The box volume should always be greater than or equal to the box fill. To calculate box volume and box fill, you’ll need the tables from NEC 314.16 and knowledge of how to use them. Next, we’ll look at how to use these important tools.

Seeing the joy on a loved one’s face when they’re handed a gift is one of the most rewarding moments. If you’re looking to wow your family and friends the minute they receive your gift, then a little creative gift wrapping is just what you need. Luckily, it doesn’t take much time, skill or money—once you have a few gift wrapping ideas.

To offer you inspiration for your Christmas, birthday or holiday gifts, we’ve created a collection of over 20 gift wrapping ideas. From simple ribbon techniques to gift-wrapping masterpieces, we have something for everyone. And if you’re still looking for extra special presents for you loved ones, make sure to check out our personalized gifts.

1. Recycle In Style
Design your own festive gift wrap from a material you already have: paper shopping bags. Make the project easier by choosing bags from stores that issue holiday patterns. Add colorful ribbon or string to your gift for extra personality.

2. Tea Towel Wrap
Choose a gift wrap idea that also doubles as a gift: a tea towel. Bundle a bottle of wine, olive oil, sauce or balsamic vinegar for a present that will go straight to the kitchen.

3. Colorful Hodgepodge
Gather your paints, paintbrushes, and sponges. Use white or solid colored paper as your base and sprinkle on all of your favorite colors in any shapes you want. Your gifts will be dressed full of character and personality.

4. Baked Goods Cardcoard Boxes
Take empty cardboard candle boxes from rolls of parchment paper or foil. Paint them with festive colors and designs for decorative baked good gift package boxes or other food gift ideas.

5. Holiday Lights
Christmas lights aren’t just for hanging on your roof. Cut open brown paper bags to create your wrapping material. Then, draw or paint a set of holiday lights on the paper for a jolly feel.

6. Paper Bows
Cut bow shapes out of colored cardboard construction paper. Use an online printable for a cutting guide or make your own stencil. For a tasty twist to this project, fill the centers with a teaspoon of sprinkles.

7. Add A Tag
Dress up brown paper gift wrap with fine string or ribbon. Add a gold foil holiday tag for a gift special box wrapping design that looks polished and professional.

8. Washi Tape Weave
Washi tape isn’t just for home decor. You can use it to dress up your gift wrapping, too. Create a layered effect by weaving the tape horizontally and vertically in an alternating pattern.

9. 3D Wrapping
Wrapping gifts for your kids, grandchildren or nephews? Create your own interactive gift wrap by gluing on their favorite toys like cars, crayons or building blocks.

10. Origami Bows
Add a little fun to your gift wrapping project by designing bows out of origami paper. Fold several at a time so you have a stock of bows to use throughout the year.

11. Silver Detailing
Wrap your gift in plain brown paper, then use a lustrous silver pen to add details. Draw geometrical shapes, snowflakes or simple lines to accentuate your package.

12. Using box to contain the gift
For different kinds of gift, there are watch box, PVC box, food box, perfume box, cosmetic box, etc.

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