The Robot in the Next Cubicle

In2Design - How automation allows quick response to customer problems.

The above article talks about robots in the workplace; this article discusses how one company (In2Design) is using the latest in design and manufacturing automation to meet customer needs. 

Several years ago,In2 Design invested heavily in CNC machines to help improve their ability to respond to customer's requirements. 

What is CNC?  Numerical control (NC) refers to the automation of machine tools that are operated by abstractly programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to manually controlled via hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone. These early servomechanisms were rapidly augmented with analog and digital computers, creating the modern computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools that have revolutionized the manufacturing process.

In modern CNC systems, end-to-end component design is highly automated using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programs. The programs produce a computer file that is interpreted to extract the commands needed to operate a particular machine via a postprocessor, and then loaded into the CNC machines for production. Since any particular component might require the use of a number of different tools-drills, saws, etc., modern machines often combine multiple tools into a single "cell". The complex series of steps needed to produce any part is highly automated and produces a part that closely matches the original CAD design.

So what does all this mean to the factory's customers?  At In2Design, the automated factory allows the company to modify existing product, or create new product (specials) quickly, and cost effectively.

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Do you need a unique looking reception desk with special dimensions? No problem. 

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                                    Do you need lockers for a golf club house? No problem.

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Do you need workstation layout with the look of millwork?  No problem. 

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      Do you need break room cabinets at a better cost than millwork? No problem.

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Do you need animation workstations for artists?  No Problem.

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                                     Do you need privacy panels for a desk layout?  No Problem.

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When you combine the capability to create and/or modify products with the great selection of design oriented standard product from In2Design, it's a winning combination.

Click here to learn more by visiting the website

Click here if you would like us to quote on a requirement

Desire for choice and control

A patient at Todd Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, California, stated during a focus group session, "Sense of control is important because cancer takes away your control." During the research study, specific questions were asked to understand what types of control are desired by patients. One of the questions on the patient survey asks, "What control would an infusion patient most want?"

The patient was able to select multiple options from a list or write in their own answer. Many of the results related to controlling light, sound, and entertainment.

As measured by patient survey results, temperature control was the most important criteria, mainly due to the fact that infusion patients are pumped with fluids that are cooler than the body temperature. At many centers, after a patient is positioned in the station, one of the first things a nurse will do is bring the patient a warm blanket. Infusion centers should consider other ways to allow patients to have individual control over the temperature of their environment. Usually this is done through the building heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system, although some manufacturers are currently installing heated seats within the recliners-an absolute patient favorite.

Patrician is one of the manufacturers addressing this "patient favorite" with heated seat and back options in both the Narrative and Acclaim series of patient recliners.  Providing heat in the recliner offers several advantages over other temperature control approaches.  If the infusion center elected to offer a warm blanket after the treatment, the center is then faced with laundry or disposal issues.  Without careful management, the spread of bacteria, odor, and other undesireable conditions might present themselves thru the use of blankets in the treatment area.   If the center's solution to patient temperature needs was to simply increase the room temperature in the treatment areas, then they adversely affect the care giver's comfort.  Changing the room temperature also leaves little margin for individual patient control.  Adjustable heat in the recliner offers patient comfort with control and little, if any, unintended consequences.  

Click here for more information on Acclaim

Click here for more information on Narrative

8 Reasons to Drink More Water

It's old news by now that we don't really need to drink eight glasses of water per day. Nobody really knows where the "8 x 8 Rule" originated, and most researchers agree it isn't supported by science. But don't put down that bottle or cup yet; there are still plenty of reasons to keep well hydrated, and water is the best option.

1. Water Regulates Body Temperature

Water has "high specific heat," which means it is resistant to changes in temperature, up or down. Body temperature affects the rate of the chemical reactions that keep us going; normal body temperature, which can vary slightly depending on person, mood, or time of day, is the most efficient. When it's hot, we sweat, and the evaporating water on our skins cools us. When it's cold, blood vessels near the skin contract, holding blood and water closer to our cores to provide more insulation and to prevent heat loss.

2. Water Lubricates Our Joints

Most of our joints contain a dense, egg-yolk-like liquid called synovial fluid, which nourishes cartilage, removes waste, reduces friction between cartilage, and acts as a shock absorber. Elsewhere, the fluid in our organs helps them keep their shape because water is resistant to compression.

3. Water Is Essential to Proper Cell Function

Water transports all the sugars, salts, fats, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals our cells need. About two-thirds of our water is found inside our cells, which are mostly microscopic drops of water with dissolved ions of sodium, potassium, and other elements; and larger protein molecules doing this and that. Metabolism, the transformation of food into energy and building blocks, happens in these little drops of water. Afterward, water carries away cell waste and other toxins via the lymphatic system.

4. Water Is Important to Digestion

Digestion begins with the first bite, and water plays a key role throughout, first as enzyme-rich saliva, next as the enzyme-rich mucus covering of our stomach lining, and eventually as the food and enzyme-rich fluid that passes into our intestines.

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