“General Kinematics is a great value add for our plan.”

“The quality of the equipment and level of service we receive from GK is unmatched.”

“GK makes a quality, high-end product, stands behind it and takes care of its customer.”

“With GK, we found reliability that is better than what we’ve used in the past.”

Be sure to check out the video below. The real stars of the film are the cute kiddos having fun with GK equipment.

At General Kinematics, our number one priority is serving our clients. Let us know how we are doing, and feel free to share your testimonials with us on GK’s Facebook page.

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Getting Ready

Before you begin the process of applying for permits and constructing your facility, there are a few preliminary decisions to make. First, determine your market. Are you in an area with a strong market potential, including suppliers and purchasers? Second, find out what you’re going to collect — aluminum, all metal, plastic, paper, everything? Third, decide on a collection method. Depending on your community and market, methods vary widely. Finally, what community support, volunteer involvement, or team structure will you select? Once you have a solid foundation, you’re ready to get into the fun of starting your recycling center.

Getting the Best Collection Technique in Place

Moving the goods from point A (or many such points) to point B (your processing center) is crucial to a having a successful recycling program. The central feature here is convenience for those contributing the recyclable materials. Recyclable materials donators view what they’re doing as a service, but few are willing to go to the extent of transporting their own materials to an offsite collection center. Curb pick up, roll carts, and a streamlined organizational method may end up being your responsibility. In one 2006 study, a recycling company watched recycling participation soar from 25% to 56% simply by providing area residents with a larger rolling cart for recycled goods. Ease matters.

Getting the Best Equipment in Your Processing Center

The only way to turn recyclables into money is to process them with the right equipment. This is one area where you should refuse to compromise. The right equipment helps prevent downtime, reduce injury, increase efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and virtually guarantee the success and profitability of your organization. General Kinematics is a leading provider of recycling systems and equipment, allowing for a worry-free process of installation and startup of vibratory separation, material recovery, and sorting efficiency.

Getting in the Loop

Be sure to establish solid relationships with governmental officials, EPA contacts, and local environmental lobbying groups. This is your support team, and they form an important source of information and motivation. Attending conferences and trade shows is also a great way to network, discover new opportunities, and gain valuable industry information.

If you have chosen to launch a recycling center, you’ve selected an incredible adventure. Armed with knowledge, motivation, and ability, you’re ready to set sail. As you move forward, General Kinematics will serve as your recycling center partner, providing you with the tools, knowledge, and equipment necessary to construct and operate a successful recycling operation.

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Approach
General Kinematics developed and presented, in conjunction with the blast manufacturer and GK representative, Metcast Service, a layout which localized the cleaning room, provided “soft” loading and unloading of castings into the blast machines, and provided options for more flexible inspection and processing of the castings.

Solution
Developing drawings of the layout incorporated into the customer facility, General Kinematics provided an indexing blast load feeder to provide a central point of feeding two Metcast 34 cubic foot blast machines. The blast cabinets each fed onto a two-way feeder which, in turn, discharged to three processing lines. Incorporated into the blast machines were shot reclaim conveyors to provide a more effective and reliable collection and screening of shot.
 

 
Results
The system was provided on-time and met customer objectives of increased efficiency and reduced damage. The customer has been encouraged to move forward with plans to incorporate features and of the cleaning room from General Kinematics and Metcast to two other plants at the facility in the near future.

About General Kinematics
General Kinematics Corporation, incorporated in 1960, was established to market, design, and custom fabricate innovative vibratory materials handling and processing equipment. Today the company is one of the world’s largest suppliers of vibratory processing equipment, holding more than 200 worldwide patents, and is acknowledged as a major contributor to the technical advancement of vibrating equipment design and application. Today, over 50,000 General Kinematics units have been installed in virtually all of the world’s industrialized countries. For more information about General Kinematics products and services, visit the company’s website at www.generalkinematics.com.

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While at the show, some happy General Kinematics customers told us why they love working with the GK team. Everyone agreed that the GK team is ambitious, helpful and skilled at assessing each client’s situation and then developing a solution.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our video. We look forward to continuing to serve you. Now it is your turn. If you have a testimonial you would like to share about our company, please recommend us on the GK Facebook page.

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General Kinematics will be attending the 2013 Cast Expo and Metalcasting Congress as an exhibitor on Saturday, April 6-Tuesday, April 9, 2013, in St. Louis, Missouri. The expo is sponsored by the American Foundry Society and is the largest metalcasting tradeshow in the Americas.

At CastExpo ’13, attendees will have the chance to explore the latest in metalcasting and educate themselves on our exciting industry. Those who registered for the Expo can also look forward to:

• Quality Exhibitors – Over 400 of the brightest minds and companies in the industry will be in attendance.
• Educational Presentations – Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn something new! Throughout the four day event, there will be technical sessions and workshops to provide value and information on improving operations.
• Hearing From Experts – Cast Expo ’13 features keynotes from world-renowned experts.
• Connecting with Fellow Metalcasters – More than 8,000 attendees are projected to attend CastExpo, this year.

Get registered for Cast expo & Metalcasting Congress and come by General Kinematics booth 2361. While there, see our latest in rotary drum technology, the all new DUCTA-SCREEN SE™, as well as GK’s proven vibratory solutions for the metalcasting industry. We’d love to say hello, demonstrate our latest capabilities and see how the GK team can help improve your operation. 

The post General Kinematics – Cast Expo & Metalcasting Congress 2013 appeared first on General Kinematics.

One often-overlooked aspect in safety issues has to do with equipment maintenance. The CDC reports that 30% of all injuries and fatalities in underground coal mining are due to machinery maintenance accidents. It can be shocking to mining managers to realize that the simple and seemingly safe tasks of maintenance are the cause of so many injuries and deaths. For this reason, improving equipment maintainability is one of the most direct and effective ways to improve safety.

The Causes of Mining Maintenance Injuries

Part of the reason why equipment maintenance is an injury prone arena is because it is viewed as routine, even safe. To use a metaphor, if a dog looks friendly, why be on your guard? Maintenance, however, is not a friendly dog. The danger of maintenance lies also in the complexity of mining machinery. Accidents happen when workers are not properly trained to operate and maintain large and complicated machines. In the process of maintenance, some companies fail to implement proper monitoring, procedure compliance, and procedural checklists. A final cause, not to be overlooked, is the aspect of faulty equipment design. To reduce the number of injuries and deaths, it’s important to address all of these issues as thoroughly as possible. What’s the best and most effective way to proceed?

How to Improve Equipment Maintenance Safety

The best single way to improve maintenance safety is to use safer equipment. A report published by the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Mines, supplemented by investigations by the OMSHR, lists “design of equipment” as the first and primary way to improve safety.

Most mines are eager to implement checklists, improve training, change work schedules, launch new safety programs, enhance emergency response plans, and host motivational pep talks. All of those are important steps in the reduction of injuries. What they fail to do however, is to address the crucial issue of maintainability—the lack of which is one of the main causes of injuries. No safety program, regardless of its effectiveness, can mitigate the risks associated with risky maintainability on poorly-designed mining equipment.

The real solution, then, is to use equipment with improved safety and maintainability, such as the equipment produced by leading mining equipment manufacturer General Kinematics. Perhaps the reason why this issue is so easily dismissed is because it’s the most expensive and complicated solution. A mining operation exists by virtue of its equipment and personnel. To change such equipment requires Herculean efforts and costly expenses.

The barriers are not insurmountable. To view the issue from a different perspective, a company can’t afford not to have the right equipment. General Kinematics, a mining equipment manufacturer, is a key player in the field of safe and effective mining equipment. The rugged design of GK equipment reduces maintenance requirements by utilizing easily accessible machinery and few moving parts. This allows safer access to maintenance personnel. The heavy-duty design is also designed for significant life and uptime, reducing the frequency of required maintenance. To begin the process of improving your mine’s safety, survey the amazing selection of General Kinematics Mining Equipment.

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General Kinematics, an internationally-respected vibrating equipment manufacturer, offers a powerful exhibit for the conference. GK is distinguished as the most innovative vibratory equipment company in the scrap recycling industry. General Kinematics designs rugged vibratory feeders, screens, and classifiers to efficiently separate scrap materials, and possess a proven track record of reliability and support.

ISRI Expo Highlights

This year’s ISRI Convention & Exposition promises to be a huge draw for both attendees and exhibitors. Exhibitors come from composting systems companies, construction and demolition organizations, scrap recycling equipment manufacturers, truck and transportation firms, waste treatment industries, and many other fields. Visitors come from an equally diverse array of industries and companies. General Kinematics booth will focus on the company’s energy efficient two-mass vibratory solutions for conveying, transferring, and classifying scrap materials. Information will also be available at the booth for attendees involved in waste processing, recycling, bulk materials handling, scrap processing, material recovery, and more.

The event spans four days. Notable convention speakers include Tom Brokaw, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), and Dara Torres (twelve-time Olympic gold medalist). Insights from industry leaders will include discussion on market conditions, the regulatory environment, and focus groups for every segment of the recycling industry. In addition to dozens of insightful workshops and stunning exhibits, there’s fun for the whole family — a gala opener, poolside party, evening reception, and even a picnic cookout. Of course, no Orlando trip would be complete without sponsored trips to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The closing night features the unforgettable Final Night Gala at the Universal Studios.

General Kinematics is proud to exhibit at the 2013 ISRI convention and exposition. Interested in learning more about this exciting event and General Kinematics? Register for the ISRI Convention & Expo or find out more about vibratory solutions for scrap processing by visiting General Kinematics website.

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Who doesn’t want to keep costs down in the foundry? By lowering costs, a company can increase productivity, empower employees and turn a greater profit. The upsides are incredible, but the process of lowering costs isn’t always obvious. It is important to understand that there are ways to keep foundry costs lower. Here are four ways you can do so, beginning today.

1.  Increase operating hours.

Higher uptime is often associated with employee dissatisfaction, lower equipment performance, and higher collateral costs. In a foundry, the opposite is actually true. Provided it is implemented with effective management and employee protection, around-the-clock operations can reduce overall costs. Most foundry equipment manufactured today is designed to perform heavy-duty tasks on a continual basis. Shutting down and starting up accumulates vast amounts of wasted time and lost revenue. Improving your uptime will actually lower your costs.

2.  Implement an Environmental Management Program that is coordinated with the company’s strategy as a whole.

Organizations with ISO 14001 certification must maintain a program that enables them to better achieve their environmental objectives (Section 4.3.4). Some companies view EMP requirements as a drain on resources and efficiency. Nonetheless, by improving compliance, health, safety, quality management, and employee involvement of these programs, a company can lower liability, improve efficiency, and save large amounts of money. The important feature to remember is that EMPs must be maintained as part of a company’s overall strategic direction. Trying to maintain an EMP independent of the company’s goals is an unwieldy and financially compromising effort.

3.  Buy the best equipment.

An effective foundry is built from the foundation of effective equipment. There’s simply no way around this. Properly designed equipment saves time, saves money, and requires little downtime and maintenance. It’s obvious that high-quality equipment will save money. Unfortunately, sometimes companies with budget pressures factor only the original equipment purchase price when deciding on new equipment. Considering the cost of a machine over the useful life of the machine is important, as lower cost equipment may save you initially, but can be a liability in the long run, making it even more important for struggling companies to do whatever it takes to buy the best solution initially.

4.  Negotiate electrical rates

If your foundry is located in a deregulated energy market, it is crucial to seek a company that can help you to negotiate lowered costs. Such companies can negotiate bulk energy supply, buyback, and other cost-savings solutions. Many companies have seen annual cost-savings into the millions of dollars due to renegotiation with electrical delivery companies.

Keeping costs down in the foundry is crucial to market success and profitability. You’re bound to save money in your foundry by implementing at least one of the cost-savings methods outlined above. General Kinematics specializes in supplying high quality foundry equipment designed to maximize your foundry operations, all while providing a long life, low maintenance solution to keep your operation efficiently running. Be sure to explore General Kinematics products to see how you can lower costs and improve operations in your foundry.

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Continual Improvement Product Testing Case Study.

 
Part being tested:
Stabilizer bushings found in stabilizer legs on GK and other brands of vibratory equipment.
 
Reason for Evaluation:
Three of our Major foundry based customer in North America had experienced sudden and severe unacceptable performance problems, such as side motion and lack of material conveyability, followed by subsequent structural failures. GK was called in to help each of these customers to get them back into a reliable state of performance. The situation had degraded so bad in some situations that schedules were planned around the continued repairs needed until we were available to help sort things out.
 
On these service calls, the GK Technical Service Engineer discovered that the leg bushings installed by these customers appeared to be similar to our bushings, but noted that our normal identification marks were missing. Further investigation discovered that each of these cases involved replacing General Kinematics leg bushings Part number 10-01-464-01 with bushings from a GK competitor who had claimed his bushings were equivalent, but less expensive. Upon replacing them with the correct bushing designed for the application, the operating characteristics of each of the units involved immediately return to a proper operating level of performance. Basically, General Kinematics knew that the use of these sub-standard parts were causing performance problems and wanted to evaluate why.
 
Observations and Findings:
The competitor supplied bushing appeared similar in appearance to the General Kinematics bushing. All physical measurements were manufactured close to GKC tolerances except inner sleeve i.d. However, the bushing was made from a different process than the GK, such as a molded process. The rubber was not molded to either inner or outer sleeve.
 
The volume of compound inside the suspect bushing is far less than that of GK bushing. Our testing results verified this with significantly lesser load and tensional capacities we currently have in the 10-01-464-01 GK bushing. The compound properties of the competitors bushing resulted in a stiffer bushing than the GKC bushing. These tensional results equate to a far shorter bushing life than the GK bushing.
 
An Independent evaluation and comparison also suggests that “the end user would find these bushings(competitor bushings) identical or very similar in appearance as well as initial use, but would also speculate that longevity and loading capabilities are reduced/minimized when compared to orange (General Kinematics) bushing.”
 
Obviously, these findings are clearly supported by actual field experiences of our customers.
 
Conclusion:
While these customers thought they were getting a great deal by saving a couple dollars buying bushings from another supplier, the downtime costs and maintenance costs experienced far surpassed any savings they would have accumulated over the life of the machine. Once these customers switched back to genuine GK stabilizer bushings, all their performance issues went away.
 
To learn more about GK’s premium line of vibratory replacement components, visit our GK Parts page, or contact a GK Parts specialist here.
 
 

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General Kinematics is ecstatic to announce the launch of our new website! The new generalkinematics.com features a stylish Web 2.0 look and quick intuitive access to our vibratory equipment line.

Our visitors will love the improved navigation, extensive resources and easier ways to get in touch with us. We hope you enjoy exploring our improved website.

On another note, you may have missed us on the “What’s Shaking at GK,” blog. Now that our site has launched, look forward to new posts that highlight the latest technologies, products and applications in the field. We’ll also highlight the great employees who work at GK and present ways for you to improve your products and process.

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