The catalogue will present over 20,000 new products, including the new Blackwoods Greener Workplace Range, complete with technical information, sizing and conversion charts.
The 1,800-page catalogue reflects “the Blackwoods commitment to service the ever-growing needs of their diverse customer base, with the addition of new technologies and the broadest range of workplace essentials available,” according to the company.
Product types featured in the catalogue include: Site Safety and Traffic Control; Industrial Fasteners; Welding; Abrasives; Personal Protective Equipment; Industrial Clothing and Footwear; Safety Products; Oils and Lubricants; Hand and Power Tools; Hygiene, Janitorial and Cleaning products.
The catalogue itself will be printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved paper, meaning it is from a sustainable source; Blackwoods says each step of the print, pack and delivery process has also been monitored and implemented to reduce the impact on the environment.
“To minimise the impact of the paper production, printing and transportation – Blackwoods has also taken the industry lead and purchased carbon offsets,” said Blackwoods.
2011年6月12日星期日
Gold rush another blight to ailing Amazon jungle
A gold rush that accelerated with the onset of the 2008 global recession is compounding the woes of the Amazon basin, laying waste to Peruvian rain forest and spilling tons of toxic mercury into the air and water.
With gold's price soaring globally as the metal became a hedge against financial uncertainty, the army of small-scale miners in the state of Madre de Dios has swelled to some 40,000. The result: Diesel exhaust sullies the air, trees are toppled to get at the sandy, gold-flecked earth and the scars inflicted on the land are visible on satellite photos.
"Extracting an ounce of gold costs from $400 to $500 and the profit is $1,000 per ounce," notes Peru's environment minister, Antonio Brack. In just a decade, gold has more than tripled in value.
The situation in the southeastern state of Madre de Dios, which borders Brazil and Bolivia, is mirrored in dozens of the countries where gold is similarly mined, and where the desperately poor often end up working for the most unsavory of opportunists.
Government controls are mostly futile.
As the industry has grown, heavy machinery has moved in bearing Caterpillar, Volvo and other international trademarks into a state the size of Maine or Portugal, whose remotest reaches are believed inhabited by uncontacted Indian tribes.
In February the Peruvian navy dynamited 13 dredges which, working in violation of a government ban, were choking the Madre de Dios river with silt, killing plants and destroying habitats. Protesting laborers blockaded Madre de Dios' only highway, and at least three people were shot and killed by police sent from Lima.
"One of the big hydraulic dredges we destroyed could easily harvest a kilogram (worth about $45,000) of gold a day," said Brack.
Rather than try to evict the thousands of protesting informal miners, the government decided to work to "formalize" their operations, which have denuded well over 180 square kilometers (70 square miles ) of jungle in Madre de Dios.
With gold's price soaring globally as the metal became a hedge against financial uncertainty, the army of small-scale miners in the state of Madre de Dios has swelled to some 40,000. The result: Diesel exhaust sullies the air, trees are toppled to get at the sandy, gold-flecked earth and the scars inflicted on the land are visible on satellite photos.
"Extracting an ounce of gold costs from $400 to $500 and the profit is $1,000 per ounce," notes Peru's environment minister, Antonio Brack. In just a decade, gold has more than tripled in value.
The situation in the southeastern state of Madre de Dios, which borders Brazil and Bolivia, is mirrored in dozens of the countries where gold is similarly mined, and where the desperately poor often end up working for the most unsavory of opportunists.
Government controls are mostly futile.
As the industry has grown, heavy machinery has moved in bearing Caterpillar, Volvo and other international trademarks into a state the size of Maine or Portugal, whose remotest reaches are believed inhabited by uncontacted Indian tribes.
In February the Peruvian navy dynamited 13 dredges which, working in violation of a government ban, were choking the Madre de Dios river with silt, killing plants and destroying habitats. Protesting laborers blockaded Madre de Dios' only highway, and at least three people were shot and killed by police sent from Lima.
"One of the big hydraulic dredges we destroyed could easily harvest a kilogram (worth about $45,000) of gold a day," said Brack.
Rather than try to evict the thousands of protesting informal miners, the government decided to work to "formalize" their operations, which have denuded well over 180 square kilometers (70 square miles ) of jungle in Madre de Dios.
2011年3月30日星期三
Groups warn Cuomo about gas extraction plan
About 40 groups, ranging from Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation to Trout Unlimited, wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday advising him to put the brakes on allowing hydraulic fracturing that they said would pose risks as currently planned. Companies are eager to drill into the deep shale deposits below New York's surface to extract natural gas.
"We are writing to you on an issue of urgent importance to all New Yorkers – assuring that New York State does not rush to allow risky new drilling techniques in the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations unless the protection of the State's drinking water supplies and other irreplaceable resources can be demonstrated," the groups, including Common Cause and the Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote.
"Specifically, we ask that you clearly confirm that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be allowed both adequate time and resources to fully and properly evaluate the full range of potential risks associated with new natural gas development utilizing hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," before issuing a revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impacts (DSGEIS) pursuant to Executive Order 41 (EO 41). Simply put, the arbitrary June 1, 2011 target date established by former Governor David Paterson in EO 41 is wholly inadequate to allow for the development of an appropriately comprehensive or legally sufficient revised DSGEIS."
The letter was copied to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens.
"We are writing to you on an issue of urgent importance to all New Yorkers – assuring that New York State does not rush to allow risky new drilling techniques in the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations unless the protection of the State's drinking water supplies and other irreplaceable resources can be demonstrated," the groups, including Common Cause and the Natural Resources Defense Council, wrote.
"Specifically, we ask that you clearly confirm that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be allowed both adequate time and resources to fully and properly evaluate the full range of potential risks associated with new natural gas development utilizing hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," before issuing a revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impacts (DSGEIS) pursuant to Executive Order 41 (EO 41). Simply put, the arbitrary June 1, 2011 target date established by former Governor David Paterson in EO 41 is wholly inadequate to allow for the development of an appropriately comprehensive or legally sufficient revised DSGEIS."
The letter was copied to Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens.
2011年3月28日星期一
Problem is 'more hydraulic than mechanical'
Q: We have a manual transmission 2000 Honda Civic with 36,000 kilometres. The car is well maintained: a complete tune-up twice a year. Recently, we drove on Highway 15 toward Montreal at 90 km/h. To give precedence to a car entering the highway, I lightly applied the brakes. To my astonishment, the brake pedal was all loose and went completely down to the floor. I changed fast into first gear to slow the car down and applied the handbrake. The mechanic at our garage replaced the brakes, but it seems nobody can explain how -without any warning -they could completely fail.
Do you have any explanation?
- Margrit Gluckman
A: Both mechanics we spoke with suggest a problem with the master cylinder could be to blame.
"The problem here seems to be more hydraulic than mechanical," said Marc Lebrun, co-owner of Total Auto Service in Pierrefonds."Afailureinthe brake pads or discs will not cause the pedal to go down completely to the floor. However, a leak in the hose or malfunction of the caliper or wheel cylinder will cause the pedal to go to the floor."
Pierre Brunet, a co-owner of Autotech Performance, also in Pierrefonds, says he has seen this happen before.
"A failure in the master cylinder would cause that type of problem," he said.
He provided the following steps to help determine what the issue could be: "Try,without the car running, applying the brake. Put your foot down and moderate the pressure between firm and loose to see if the brake pedal will not sink. If it does sink, it's time to condemn the master cylinder," Brunet said.
He added that even if the mechanic who repaired your car could not give you a reason for the brake failure, and if the pedal did sink in the test, you would be better off replacing the master cylinder for "your peace of mind."
Lebrun also had another suggestion.
"Given the age of the car,I would recommend a brake flush to clean out the hydraulic system," Lebrun said.
"Lastly, I would like to add that a complete tune-up does not necessarily mean that the brake hydraulics were verified."
Do you have any explanation?
- Margrit Gluckman
A: Both mechanics we spoke with suggest a problem with the master cylinder could be to blame.
"The problem here seems to be more hydraulic than mechanical," said Marc Lebrun, co-owner of Total Auto Service in Pierrefonds."Afailureinthe brake pads or discs will not cause the pedal to go down completely to the floor. However, a leak in the hose or malfunction of the caliper or wheel cylinder will cause the pedal to go to the floor."
Pierre Brunet, a co-owner of Autotech Performance, also in Pierrefonds, says he has seen this happen before.
"A failure in the master cylinder would cause that type of problem," he said.
He provided the following steps to help determine what the issue could be: "Try,without the car running, applying the brake. Put your foot down and moderate the pressure between firm and loose to see if the brake pedal will not sink. If it does sink, it's time to condemn the master cylinder," Brunet said.
He added that even if the mechanic who repaired your car could not give you a reason for the brake failure, and if the pedal did sink in the test, you would be better off replacing the master cylinder for "your peace of mind."
Lebrun also had another suggestion.
"Given the age of the car,I would recommend a brake flush to clean out the hydraulic system," Lebrun said.
"Lastly, I would like to add that a complete tune-up does not necessarily mean that the brake hydraulics were verified."
2011年3月14日星期一
Eaton Announces Breakthrough in Hydraulic Hose Technology; The Hose That Knows
Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation today announced the launch of a new
breakthrough technology that enables reporting of imminent hose assembly failure by means of
real-time monitoring of high pressure hose assemblies used in hydraulic systems. Eaton's
LifeSense hose, a patented hydraulic hose condition monitoring system, will be introduced to
the North American market at the International Fluid Power Exposition (held in conjunction
with ConExpo 2011) in Las Vegas, March 22 - 26, and to the European market at Hannover Messe
2011 in Hannover, Germany, April 4 - 8.
"Hose failures in the field present serious safety issues, environmental concerns and
result in unscheduled system downtime, all of which have serious economic impacts."
Eaton's LifeSense hose was developed in conjunction with Purdue University and the Purdue
Research Foundation's Office of Technology Commercialization to continuously monitor the
health of hydraulic hose assemblies and alert users when an assembly approaches the end of
its useful life. The LifeSense hose can monitor and track the health of each hose assembly in
a hydraulic system. This system does not estimate or predict through arithmetic calculations
when a hose is going to fail, like some products on the market today. The LifeSense hose
actually detects when a hose is nearing the end of its useful life. Then an alert is sent to
the user so that the assembly can be replaced to prevent downtime. A single monitoring unit
can handle input from multiple hose assemblies.
"Most hydraulic maintenance programs are designed to avoid hose failures by replacing
assemblies at regular intervals, using a schedule based on usage data or past experience,"
said Doug Jahnke, Eaton product marketing manager. "As a result, a large number of perfectly
good hydraulic hose assemblies are discarded long before the end of their useful life out of
fear that they might fail. The LifeSense hose allows the user to utilize virtually all of the
useful life of a hydraulic hose assembly, more than 50 percent longer life in a typical lab
test, thus saving on replacement costs and associated downtime while providing peace-of-mind
that productivity will not be impeded and safety not compromised by unpredicted hose failure.
"Additionally, hydraulic hose failure is one of the largest causes of unplanned maintenance
events," Jahnke said. "Hose failures in the field present serious safety issues,
environmental concerns and result in unscheduled system downtime, all of which have serious
economic impacts."
The initial LifeSense hose offering will include the widely-used -8, -12 and -16 two-wire
hose assemblies. Eaton's LifeSense hydraulic hose condition monitoring offers performance
equal to industry standard 2SN pressure-rated hose and is certified to the same industry
specifications as conventional hydraulic hose products. The technology is currently available
for trial with factory-made assemblies including straight JIC swivel fittings.
breakthrough technology that enables reporting of imminent hose assembly failure by means of
real-time monitoring of high pressure hose assemblies used in hydraulic systems. Eaton's
LifeSense hose, a patented hydraulic hose condition monitoring system, will be introduced to
the North American market at the International Fluid Power Exposition (held in conjunction
with ConExpo 2011) in Las Vegas, March 22 - 26, and to the European market at Hannover Messe
2011 in Hannover, Germany, April 4 - 8.
"Hose failures in the field present serious safety issues, environmental concerns and
result in unscheduled system downtime, all of which have serious economic impacts."
Eaton's LifeSense hose was developed in conjunction with Purdue University and the Purdue
Research Foundation's Office of Technology Commercialization to continuously monitor the
health of hydraulic hose assemblies and alert users when an assembly approaches the end of
its useful life. The LifeSense hose can monitor and track the health of each hose assembly in
a hydraulic system. This system does not estimate or predict through arithmetic calculations
when a hose is going to fail, like some products on the market today. The LifeSense hose
actually detects when a hose is nearing the end of its useful life. Then an alert is sent to
the user so that the assembly can be replaced to prevent downtime. A single monitoring unit
can handle input from multiple hose assemblies.
"Most hydraulic maintenance programs are designed to avoid hose failures by replacing
assemblies at regular intervals, using a schedule based on usage data or past experience,"
said Doug Jahnke, Eaton product marketing manager. "As a result, a large number of perfectly
good hydraulic hose assemblies are discarded long before the end of their useful life out of
fear that they might fail. The LifeSense hose allows the user to utilize virtually all of the
useful life of a hydraulic hose assembly, more than 50 percent longer life in a typical lab
test, thus saving on replacement costs and associated downtime while providing peace-of-mind
that productivity will not be impeded and safety not compromised by unpredicted hose failure.
"Additionally, hydraulic hose failure is one of the largest causes of unplanned maintenance
events," Jahnke said. "Hose failures in the field present serious safety issues,
environmental concerns and result in unscheduled system downtime, all of which have serious
economic impacts."
The initial LifeSense hose offering will include the widely-used -8, -12 and -16 two-wire
hose assemblies. Eaton's LifeSense hydraulic hose condition monitoring offers performance
equal to industry standard 2SN pressure-rated hose and is certified to the same industry
specifications as conventional hydraulic hose products. The technology is currently available
for trial with factory-made assemblies including straight JIC swivel fittings.
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