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Coating Fabric RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ About a decade ago, Steve Michielsen was like a lot of inventors. He had a great idea, no money and only a vague plan for how to unleash his genius on the world. This week, a specially treated fabric is rolling off machines that will be used to make face masks that Michielsen thinks will kill virtually any human or animal virus on contact. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that if the Food and Drug Administration agrees, which could happen as soon as this fall, the associate professor at N.C. State University might be part of something most inventors only dream about — a successful company. “I really do think this can change the health of the world,” he said. Those are lofty goals for LAAMScience, a humble startup that occupies an unassuming office south of the State Fairgrounds. It’s a place where CEO Chris Price maps out strategy, makes his sales pitch and signs for the UPS packages in between. But Price, who worked for several startups during his 20 years in the life-sciences field, said the early research for this product suggests it will meet its claims. He joined LAAMScience late last year. The market for masks is huge. Price estimates that several billion masks are sold worldwide each year, used by individuals, hospital staffs and others. The difference for LAAMScience is an extremely thin antimicrobial coating placed on filters within the mask. When the coating is exposed to light, it produces agents that can kill a broad spectrum of viruses, as well as many common bacteria. The reaction, which tears apart the virus, lasts only milliseconds and remains stationary at the point of contact — or in this case, the filters of the mask. That makes it impossible for viruses to develop an immunity, while keeping the reaction from reaching the person behind the mask, said Patrick Mize, the company’s chief scientific officer. The question is whether consumers will believe the company and then pay a premium for the product. Research so far has been conducted by LAAMScience scientists, which is why FDA approval is such a critical step. “We know it works,” Price said, “but FDA approval provides credibility to our statements.” Michielsen, who works at the NCSU College of Textiles, said he first thought about attaching an antibacterial coating to fabric while working at Georgia Tech in the 1990s. Unsure what that coating would be, he teamed with two associate professors at Emory University’s School of Medicine. The first results were so weak that neither school chose to patent the idea. But Michielsen stuck with it, bringing the idea with him when he came to NCSU in 2004. He hit pay dirt when the focus shifted from killing bacteria to killing viruses. Almost 100 percent of the viruses that trigger the flu, fevers, rashes and body aches were killed instantly. “The results went from ho-hum to amazing,” he said. This time NCSU and Emory agreed to patent the idea and Michielsen was asked to present his findings at a university event that showcased new technologies. One of the people who attended that presentation in late 2005 was Tom Roberg of Raleigh. Roberg is well-known in business and political circles for his work in information technology, a stint as chairman of the Wake GOP and a congressional candidate in 1998. “I listened to Steve, and I said to the person sitting next to me, ‘Someone ought to develop that and make a company,’ “ Roberg recalled. “He turned to me and said, ‘We’re looking for someone to do just that. I’m Blan Godfrey, dean of the College of Textiles.’ “ Within a few weeks, Roberg and NCSU worked out an agreement in principle to create LAAMScience. By spring, Roberg had raised about $500,000 from a dozen investors. Since then he has collected an additional $2.5 million from 30 sources. The project has hit several bumps. The coating failed to stick to the first two fabrics, which meant it could rub off on skin. When the right combination of fabric and coating was found, the drying time was so slow that it could have been measured with a sundial. But Price is confident the challenges of science and manufacturing speed have been overcome. He is eager to send the research and test runs to the FDA this spring and hopes to have approval as soon as this fall — just in time for the flu season. Though the FDA’s blessing isn’t needed to sell the product overseas, it is an obvious starting place for a company with worldwide aspirations, including Europe and Asia. In the meantime, a steady stream of media has started showing up at the NCSU textile labs. Outlets from CNN to Discover Magazine are doing features on LAAMScience, providing free publicity. And Price isn’t about to limit the company to masks, ticking off a list of possible products that might benefit from the virus-killing coating: carpets, air filters, furniture and even hardwood floor coverings. But as the company’s chief scientist, Michielsen understands how difficult it can be to make a good idea behave. That’s partly why he isn’t as quick to recite a long list of new uses. “One breakthrough at a time,” he said.

Shaped Cushion AN exhibition staged by a Neath artist gives a new lease of life to our unwanted household items.Joselyn Prosser’s desire to create something beautiful from discarded items has seen her trawl car boot sales, charity shops and house clearances.The Briton Ferry resident’s Deja Vu exhibition, being staged at the Oriel Washington Gallery in Penarth, near Cardiff, sees other people’s cast offs harmonised together to look as if what they are now is what they always were.Mrs Prosser, of Neath Road, said: “I’ve always loved collecting bits and bobs and things that other people wouldn’t look twice at.“I started to look at things through different eyes and that’s where the 24 exhibits have come from.“The exhibition opened on May 2 and I have had an extremely positive reaction to it. I’m told it is one-off and I’m really pleased.”The first piece created for the month-long show was centred around a porcelin doll’s head from a broken pin cushion. It has been distinctively harmonised with playing cards, dice and old manuscripts.Another marries a marble chessboard with a painted piano-shaped trinket box and a brandy bottle in the shape of a horse’s head.The 44-year-old mother-of-two said: “It’s quite surreal. Most of my pieces are completely unconnected objects but somehow they blend together.”Toronto-born, and having held two previous exhibitions of her painting and jewellery-making work, Mrs Prosser said she had found her artistic niche.She said: “I think this type of work will be an ongoing thing. I think I have found my forte.“This is what I want to do – it’s fascinating because there’s very little I can see that cannot be used for art.”The exhibition runs until May 31 and is open seven days a week.

Sand Mat A witness has told the trial of John O'Brien that he saw the accused a number of days after his wife went missing, near the housing estate where the blood-stained pieces of her car mat and spare-wheel cover were disposed of.Eugene Aylward was giving evidence at the trial of the 41-year-old, from Ballinakill Downs in Waterford city, who denies murdering 35-year-old Meg Walsh in October 2006.Mr Aylward said he got to know John O'Brien and Meg Walsh through socialising in the Woodlands Hotel.He said that, on Saturday, October 7th, six days after Meg disappeared, he was driving by the entrance to the Sycamores housing estate in WaterfordHe said he saw John O'Brien emerging from a car park beside the estate.He was 100% sure it was John O'Brien and he saw a dark-coloured car there also.Sergeant Patrick J Murphy has told the trial that, during a search of that estate the following day, he found a piece of a car mat under the trees.He said it was blood-stained and there were hairs and sand on it.Two days later, around three feet away, he said he found a triangular piece of timber.The court has already heard that Meg Walsh's blood was found on the piece of car mat and the cutaway section of the spare wheel cover.The court has been told that the Gardai searched that area on hearing that there had been a sighting of John O'Brien there.

Rubber Sole Shoes A North Texas man is helping impoverished children half a world away, two shoes at a time. Perhaps you have seen TOMS Shoes in a store or on someone's feet, but wait until you hear the 'soleful' story behind the footwear.It all began with an appearance on "The Amazing Race" in 2002. Blake Mycoskie lost the competition, but the shoeless children he saw in Argentina won his heart.Mycoskie said, "When I saw these kids running around on glass, or trying to play soccer on a field that had a bunch of rocks, and had no shoes, I immediately wanted to find a way to give them shoes."The former reality television show star started up TOMS Shoes (TOMS for 'tomorrow'), but don't call him the CEO. Mycoskie prefers the title of Chief Shoe Giver."It's an Argentine, canvas slip-on shoe that farmers, polo players, their girlfriends have been wearing for a very long period of time," Mycoskie explained of his product. "For every pair of shoes that we sell, we give one pair away to a child that doesn't have shoes."The Arlington native started selling the shoes out of his Los Angeles loft just two years ago. Since then, he has sold more than 65,000 pairs all over the country, and plans to sell 200,000 more this year. The rubber-soled shoes, which retail for $40-$48, can be found in 300 boutiques and department stores including Nordstrom.Mycoskie's 'shoe drops' have even extended beyond Argentina, to South Africa and Ethiopia.The best part of his success, Mycoskie said, is giving it back to the children. "You can just tell in their face, as they're literally stepping down and feeling the cushion of the shoes, what a new experience that is for them. And it's amazing, every time we do it."

Roller Buckle Last Friday afternoon, while Kennywood officials gushed on about the spirited delights of Ghostwood Estate, the new ride that replaced (at a cost of about $2 million) The Gold Rusher, I spied the eight "people" lucky enough to be sitting in the first two cars of the Thunderbolt.There they were, zooming up and down hills at breakneck speeds, without a single scream, for more than two hours. Then I learned that the "people" were actually water-filled, screw-top dummies taking the Kennywood favorite for a long test run. (The dummies weigh an average of 180 pounds, representing a cross section of actual human weights. Some have hair, a few have smiles, and all are white, not the shade of green I'd expect from roller-coastering for so long.)As a newbie to town and an amusement park aficionado, having the near-empty 40-acre Pittsburgh landmark to roam through was better than blue cotton candy, three hot dogs, a few funnel cakes and fresh-cut potatoes topped with cheese and bacon wolfed down right before getting on a ride.I got to ride Ghostwood Estate that day (more about it later), and I made a promise that I would return to Kennywood the following day, the official opening day, and test all the rides myself.Kennywood's promotion machine encourages one and all to "make a new memory." At my age (51) and my weight (yeah, right) I made memories all right ... and a few boo-boos. Sit down, buckle up and come share the rides with me. And there are no height restrictions!First stop: The Racer. This handsome wooden coaster, built in 1927 and the only single-track racing coaster in the country, packs a thrill. It boasts a respectful 50-foot drop at about 40 miles per hour, and at one minute and 30 seconds, it's just what I need to get my creaky bones cracking. I ride it twice, once in the front seat and once in the rear ... and, yes, the back is better and bumpier. (One Kennywood factoid I pick up along the way: The differently colored cars are not actually racing; weight distribution determines which color comes in "first.")My next stop: Cosmic Chaos. The aliens welcoming me to the ride look so cute (one fiddles with a digital camera, one is stuffing his/her face with popcorn), and I get to spin around in an open-air UFO. But I forget my body cannot take spinning in out-of-control circles at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour while 50 feet off the ground. I close my eyes. I silently beg for the ride to end. And it does, one minute and 40 seconds later, but not before I have spent the entire time screaming, praying and listening to the young woman next to me crying out that the centrifugal force made her "left boob fall out!"Two rides down, 31 more to go. And I am feeling sick, already stopping for a cup of water to ease my nausea.Aero 360 would have turned me into a human pendulum with a 360-degree over-the-top experience -- I thank God it's closed for maintenance. I spot this black and gold steel tower shooting 251 feet into the air. It's the tallest structure in the park; Kennywood calls it the "Pitt Fall" because riders get to ride all the way to the top then free-fall all the way down to the ground. I call it Sissy Suicide, refuse to ride it and start thinking I should head over to Kiddieland.Instead, I head over to the Phantom's Revenge. I sit in the pretty purple and teal car. The first car. Alone. It chugs up the metal track ... higher and higher ... until it reaches 160 feet. I see nothing but air -- where's the track? I momentarily convert back to Catholicism, say a Hail Mary, repent for all my wrongdoings. And then Zooooooooom! The coaster flies at 85 mph (even I have never driven that fast), twisting and turning over banked curves and reminding me that under my padding there are ribs. Sore ribs. But it's the second drop that's the killer -- a whopping 230-foot descent that leaves me quivering and queasy. Wow! This gets my highest fear and fun factor, a 10.What next? I remember how much the dummies loved the Thunderbolt. It's suggested I sit in the last car ... the first one may be scarier (the first plunge is immediate), but the rear gets all the rumblin' and rockin'. Fast? Yes. Fun? Yes. The New York Times dubbed the Thunderbolt "King of the Coasters" (way back in 1974), but it only hits a 7 on my fear factor scale.By now, my ribs ache. My throat hurts. My head pounds. But I want to make more memories.Then I get to The Exterminator. It looks so benign from the outside ... but who knows what evil lurks in its depraved heart? The ride sends me on a whirlwind into total darkness. I fight getting sick as I am violently tossed this way and that way with hairpin turns so sharp and so unexpected I felt like, well, a trapped rat.Other riders leave squealing with delight and returning back to the line. I head straight for the men's room and make a different kind of memory.I rest. I drink more water. I am refreshed but not rebuffed. Even though it's starting to rain, I decide to try the trio of water rides. I get soaked on the Pittsburg Plunge (its spelling pays homage to the days of yesteryear). The ride lasts about a minute, but oh! what a 50-foot drop! Oh what a splash! (Another Kennywood factoid: The "lake" at ride's end holds 200,000 gallons of water.) Another 10 on the fear and fun factor scale. The Log Jammer is too tame for me; the Raging Rapids less so. I still wonder if the group I rode with ever got dry.I trot off to Ghostwood Estate. The interactive ride --"guests" shoot at 200 targets and score points while helping Lord Kenneth rid his Addamsesque abode of ghosts -- is a disappointment. It's a slow, unexciting ride that proves mixing a video game with a dark ride doesn't work. Fear factor? 0. Fun factor? 1 ... the same rating as a cold corn dog.I meander. I listen to the screams at King Kahuna, Pirate, Wipeout, Skycoaster and Volcano. I think that taking a shot on Swingshot -- and plummeting to the earth at 50 miles an hour -- would make me the park's first ride casualty. I look at my water-sodden park map. Two dozen rides to go. I admit defeat. I roam through the park, making note of the "next time" rides.I end up in Kiddieland. I listen to the laughs coming from the Wacky Wheel, Whippersnapper, Steel City Choppers, Pounce Bounce and Red Baron.I sit, I watch, I listen. I am tired. I am aching. I am wet. But I am still making memories.

Rayon Ribbon Bethanie Brandon has been a fabric artist for three decades.Her son, Robin, is just beginning his artistic career.The mother and son, residents of Lucas Valley, will show their work during one of the two weekends of Marin Arts Council's Open Studios - appropriately enough, Mother's Day weekend. They are among 280 artists, from Sausalito to West Marin, who will open their studio doors to the public May 3 and 4, May 10 and 11.Bethanie, 50, will open her garage-studio to show scarves, throws, pillows and table runners, most of them handpainted or appliqu d on sueded rayon. She will also show dresses, dusters and flare-leg pants of her own design.Robin, 13, will show a series of hand-painted skateboards - art that evolved from his hobby as a skateboarder. Last week, he was nursing a broken arm, product of an accident at the McInnis Park skateboard arena.As they prepared to get their home studio ready for public viewing, Bethanie's pride was starting to show and Robin knows to give credit when it's due."She always influenced me to be artistic and supported that, so that's what got me into this," he says. "Her artwork doesn't really influence mine, but her being an artist does."Bethanie saw Robin's knack for art early on. "When was he young and started doing drawings, I could see that he was into color and texture," she says. "I was hopeful. He was surrounded by art at home. We're always doing stuff around art; we have friends who are artists and photographers. But I think it's really in him, not something he picked up on because it was in his environment. I think it's genetic."Robin, a Miller Creek School student, works on a table set up in the family patio. His tools are spray paints, bottled acrylics, a drill. His art is highly fanciful and colorful, evolving lately into studied design rather than the cartoonish motifs of his first boards.Bethanie's art is coolly artistic: the designs are simple, often with an Asian aesthetic, the colors muted. Several of her works hang on the walls of her home, an airy Eichler whose simplicity reflects her artistic eye.On one wall, suspended from a pole, are three ribbon-like hangings inspired by Tibetan prayer flags. On a bedroom wall is a series of bundled bamboo sticks wrapped in fabric and installed behind Plexiglas. On a wall in one hallway is a collage of colored chips made to resemble an American flag."I have always loved the American flag," she confides. "The flag is very fragile and we must take care of it."In the works: a Union Jack. In her plans: a Tibetan prayer flag.Bethanie studied textile design at what is now Philadelphia University in Pennsylvania, and got her first job with J.P. Stevens in New York, designing fabrics for women's coats and suits. When her husband, real estate developer Peter Brandon, got a job in San Francisco, she came, too, and worked for Levi Strauss as a clothing designer. After two years, she joined a startup clothing company, Schram and Company, where she earned her skills as a businesswoman.When daughter Caely was born, Bethanie decided to work from home - and Bethanie Brandon Design was born.First she designed hats, then matching scarves. She soon adapted the sueded rayon she used in the scarves to make pillow covers and throws. "The home-decorating market was expanding enormously just then," she says.The owner of Summer House Gallery in Mill Valley persuaded her to enter the San Francisco Gift

screw air compressor The Boge SLF series combines a direct-coupled drive system with frequency control to provide the ultimate compressor for pressure control under variable output requirements. LH Plastics enjoyed compressed air energy cost savings of 67% per annum after installing a Boge SLF40 frequency-controlled screw compressor This low-carbon technology was financed with an interest-free 'energy-efficiency' loan from The Carbon Trust Compressed air is used for a number of processes within the factory as part of the injection moulding machines, pad printing and hot foiling processes to powering the robotic and manual paint spraying systems. As part of a company-wide environmental drive, Paul Cahill the Production Director at LH Plastics contacted Boge Compressors to review the energy efficiency of the current compressed air system. The existing compressor had provided several years of reliable service but a comprehensive compressed air energy audit revealed that changes in compressed air demand coupled with the age of the compressor, meant the system was not performing efficiently. Boge recommended replacing the existing compressor with an SLF 40 to optimise energy efficiency and performance. The Boge SLF series combines a direct-coupled drive system with frequency control to provide the ultimate compressor for pressure control under variable output requirements. The SLF is therefore a low-carbon technology that works strictly in accordance with the compressed air demand by producing the exact volume of compressed air at the pressure required. Frequency control minimises idling time and evens out air demand fluctuations. A Boge SLF40 was subsequently installed at LH Plastics. LH Plastics chose to purchase the new energy efficient equipment with an interest free 'energy-efficiency' loan from The Carbon Trust. These loans are aimed at SME's within the UK who are making a commitment to save energy by investing in energy efficient technologies to replace dated existing equipment. Paul Cahill said "We have been very satisfied with the performance of the Boge SLF 40 to date - not least because we have created a 67% cut in our compressed air energy costs per annum".

attaching machine The Middle East's largest manufacturer of welded casing (pipe), the Arabian Pipes Company (APC) based in Riyadh Second Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, sought to replace two hollow spindle lathes Aberdeen consultants, Norkram, approached Broadbent Stanley first, a specialist lathe builder in Halifax, West Yorkshire APC's specification initially specified two 'stand alone', hollow spindle CNC lathes with a 21in (535mm) spindle bore for machining an 18.625in (473mm) oil standard, buttress thread on each end of a 40ft (12.2m) long steel casing. APC wanted the machines delivered on a short lead time. The lathes would then be supplied to another party who would be responsible for the complete turnkey package. Further reading Non-linear error correction is major factor As well as being reliable and very user-friendly, the Acu-Rite/Quadra-Chek technology deals with non-linear error correction, which is another factor that sets it apart, says a user. Training Centre has latest in CNC and DRO CNC and DROs are helping ensure that the Humber Engineering Training Centre is one of the finest of its kind in the UK. The cell incorporated a complex mechanical handling system for manoeuvring the 40ft casings and a torquing machine for attaching the threaded joining collars to them. Thomas believed that with the experience and knowledge available within Broadbent Stanley, the company could handle the complete project and contacted APC via Ron Slater of Norkram to quote for the full turnkey package. Thomas told manufacturingtalk that so impressed was the Saudi customer, a contract price was negotiated and an order duly placed. While negotiations were proceeding, the Broadbent Stanley Company, purchased by Thomas in 1999, was becoming increasingly busy. While producing the two model LC50 x 1.5m heavy duty oil country lathes wasn't a problem, there was now no space within his Burnley Road factory to lay out the full manufacturing cell. People in the UK say Yorkshiremen are resourceful. Thomas proved this by contacting specialist machine tool rebuilder and CNC retrofitting company, Halifax Numerical Controls, (HNC) based in nearby Halifax. HNC agreed that Broadbent Stanley could use the facility and HNC skills. Broadbent Stanley completed the lathes, fitting them with Schunk front and rear mounted pneumatic self centring, three-jaw chucks, and shipped them to HNC. At the same time AMC Engineering in Aberdeen, Scotalnd, delivered the torquing machine, with all mechanical handling equipment from American casing manipulating specialists OCTG of Houston, Texas, to HNC. At HNC, Broadbent Stanley engineers, assisted by HNC personnel, constructed the cell, complete all the climatically enclosed electrics. They also developed and wrote the additional software for the GE Fanuc 18i-TB controller including the necessary thread repair cycles. All this was done within the tight schedule previously agreed with Broadbent Stanley's customer. Successful cutting trials followed with the turnkey package delivered and installed as agreed. Broadbent Stanley said that the customer was so impressed with the speed and efficiency of the project, combined with the quality and competitive pricing of the two lathes, that Broadbent Stanley now tops APC's preferred supplier list for all their oil country, hollow spindle turning requirements.

PVC pipe extruder In December 2007, Cincinnati Extrusion GmbH, Vienna, Austria delivered its 7,000th conical extruder, a Konos 63, to Pipelife Austria GmbH & Co. KG in Wiener Neudorf near Vienna. The extruder is being used there to manufacture PVC corrugated pipes. Conical extruders from Cincinnati Extrusion are operating worldwide in the production of pipes, profiles and wood-plastic composite products. They are suitable as both main extruders and coextruders and can make virtually any product from small technical profiles, such as glass strips, foamed baseboards and cable conduits, up to multi-layer pipes and corrugated pipes. The Konos 63 delivered on this occasion belongs to the latest generation of conical twin-screw extruders. With their flexibility and extremely compact design, the four Konos models 38, 50, 63 and 72 have quickly established themselves in the market. In profile production, they cover a performance range from 20 to 300 kg/h throughput, and in pipe production from 50 to 500 kg/h respectively.

asphalt mixer The Double Barrel Green system is an option that can be included with any new Astec Double Barrel? drum mixer/dryer or added as a retrofit. Using water to produce a foamed, warm mix asphalt that is odorless, smokeless and longer lasting, the system is a major breakthrough in warm mix asphalt technology because it does not require the addition of expensive commercial additives. Instead, water is injected into the mix along with the liquid asphalt cement. The injection of water causes the liquid asphalt to foam and expand in volume and the foaming action helps the liquid asphalt coat the aggregate at a lower temperature. Benefits of the Astec Double Barrel Green System There is no smoke and no smell because the light oils in liquid asphalt never reach the boiling point. The Double Barrel Green system has the ability to run high percentages of recycle mix with a standard grade of asphalt. Due to 50-degree Fahrenheit lower temperature, approximately14 percent less fuel is used corresponding to a 14 percent increase in production.