In his book, Aerotropolis, Professor John Kasarda discusses the rise of the global airport-based economy, arguing that the cities which develop the airport infrastructure necessary to sustain significant air-traffic are bound to prosper in ways similar to the cities that developed port or railroad infrastructures in previous times. Reality seems to bear out his argument. Witness the meteoric growth of a city like Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which already boasts the largest airport terminal in the world. Likewise, cities in the United States with state-of-the-art airports are witnessing boom-times. Denver International Airport in Colorado, Dulles International in Northern Virginia, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, with their similarly oversized capacities for handling passenger and cargo volume, are witnessing staggering economic growth around their perimeters.
If airports are the key to the economic survival of cities caught in the throes of global competition, then airport security is one of the most fundamental sectors needed to sustain that survival. Not only must airport detection devices protect the passengers and cargo of each individual plane that takes off from a given airport, but they are – like it or not – responsible for protecting the GDP of the regional economy where they’re located. It’s a giant task for a man-sized device, but modern airport security systems are increasingly “up to it.”
Today’s airport security scanners can detect essentially any harmful substance or object that could be used to the detriment of passengers or air-cargo. We at Metal-Craft & Riverside Engineering ought to know, since we machine airport security scanner components for companies whose machines are in airports throughout the world. Riverside uses their specialized Aluminum Vacuum Furnace Brazing process to manufacture heat sinks and cold plates which are inside the security scanner. The job of these heat sinks and cold plates are to remove the heat generated by the electronics inside and make sure the scanners stay at a cool operating temperature and don’t over heat. Sounds like a small job in the scheme of things, but in reality, it’s an important component in a complex machine.
These machines are not limited simply to North America or Europe; these companies have devices in service in airports in China, India, and elsewhere. With the future of airports looking to be a bright one, we foresee an ever-growing need for the types of components we fabricate at our twin facilities. Keeping people and the skies safe is a large responsibility; Metal Craft and Riverside are right there to help the companies responsible for this never ending task.
Make no mistake; our company isn’t your standard machine shop. In addition to our immaculate CNC machining capabilities, we are a company of engineers, thinkers, and customized solutions providers. We’re a company, in part, that’s based in a former Cray supercomputer manufacturing site and we take that legacy seriously here. When you do business with Metal Craft & Riverside Machine and Engineering, you’re doing business with a company whose quality assurance certifications includes AS9100C, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 13285:2003, ITAR, WBENC, WOSB, and advanced GTAW welding operations. To sum it all up, we are capable of meeting – and exceeding – the standards and expectations of the most advanced industries the world has yet to produce.
American aerospace and rocketry systems are the technological pride of our nation. In the country that saw the large-scale birth of the Industrial Revolution, we continue to lead any and all global competitors in our manufacturing ingenuity. The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, considered by many defense experts (alongside the F-22 Raptor) to be the most advanced 5th generation fighters in the world is a perfect example. If that’s not enough, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) ballistic missile defense systems, which is second to none and being used worldwide, and our Air Force Satellite Control Network and space surveillance radars keep our skies well-warned against any potential hostile threat to the North American continent.
Where do Metal Craft and Riverside Machine and Engineering come in thought? By providing pre- and post Aluminum Furnace Vacuum Brazing services , general component machining, and complex assemblies to our valued defense clients. Our brazed cold plates and heat sinks allow some of the most mission and defense critical parts to work around the clock without overheating. By removing excess heat, these advance systems can keep us safe without us even knowing. This is just one way Metal Craft and Riverside Machine and Engineering’s services can benefit the greater good our all of our country.
Looking Forward to AAOS This March in Chicago
From March 19-23, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) will be taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. AAOS is the preeminent provider of musculoskeletal education to orthopedic surgeons in the world (www.AAOS.org). The goal of AAOS is to engage in health policy and advocacy on behalf of musculoskeletal patients and the profession of orthopedic surgery. The human musculoskeletal system is susceptible to a battery of different diseases, genetic “defects,” and horrible injuries which is why such organizations have such a big role in this field of medicine.
Our commitment at Metal Craft & Riverside Machine and Engineering is to manufacture quality parts and components for medical devices that can often be used in the fight against bone or muscular ailments. We specialize in performing in-house grinding, welding, and Swiss machining operations to produce tools such as drills, reamers, taps, surgical implants, and various types of complex instruments.
To help even more, representatives from Metal Craft and Riverside Machine & Engineering will be walking the AAOS Annual Meeting; meeting with top companies and professionals from all over the world to find out how we can help manufacture these life changing devices better. This is part of our continual commitment to Quality, Service, and Innovation; not only in the parts that we manufacture, but the results that they produce.
When It Comes to Medical Devices, the Future Will Be Customized
The idea of “limitless customization” of applications and products has long been present in small and mid-level manufacturers and suppliers across North America. In order to retain customers and attain profits, such companies have always needed to go “the extra mile” as far as being flexible in providing clients with customized equipment that caters to specific, respective applicative needs. It is a talent for customized precision that Metal-Craft and Riverside Machine have managed to maintain and perfect over the years, and it is a talent that is beginning to attract the notice of many of the largest companies in the OEM medical device manufacturing, aerospace/defense, and technology industries
We set out to fabricate parts for tomorrow’s medical devices that emphasize flexibility, utility, and specificity. For example, a specific doctor at a specific hospital or clinic may find him or herself performing upwards of 50 surgeries a day; with tools that don’t align perfectly with the size and shape of his or her hands. A doctor needs surgical equipment that’s going to be more comfortable to get them through the long days and nights of decision-intensive surgery, where the question of life-or-death is oftentimes on the line.
As with doctors, so with patients: we’ve built custom implants for hip and knee replacement surgical procedures. One particular case study involved a woman who had multiple fractures in both her previous hip and knee implants. Her femur bone was degraded such that any standard implant would only contribute to her hip and/or knee fracturing again. We found a workaround solution where we provided her with a device unique to our engineering expertise that let her solve her problem once and for all. Now she’s up and walking like the best of them.
We also aim to be the nation’s best custom braze house. Specializing in aluminum vacuum furnace brazing, we can customize any type of heat sink or cold plate for any project you might have. With thousands or even millions of dollars into your project you can’t risk going anywhere else to protect the most important of instruments. We have been thankful to be a part of numerous projects that have had a great impact for our client and the country and look forward to continuing to work on such fulfilling projects.
This is just part of our initiative to let industries and markets know just how flexible and capable our experience is when it comes to customization. Take a look at today; world renowned companies like Chrysler and GM are releasing cars for the first time that feature hundreds of thousands of potential customizable options for drivers to pick from. All we can say is that it’s a good thing they’re taking a page from small manufacturing’s long-time playbook – it will only increase their competitiveness in the long-run. The future belongs to the customizers, in medicine and elsewhere. Contact Metal-Craft or Riverside Machine today to see what customized options we can develop for your specific needs and expectations.
Riverside Machine & Engineering: Standing on the Shoulders of Supercomputers
As Cray computers gradually (in the mid 1990s) became outdated in the face of newer, more self-contained, and less pricey competition, Cray Computer Corporation found itself having to shut down multiple production and engineering facilities throughout North America, including the one now occupied by Riverside. Only a few months after the company had been sold to another corporate entity, Mr. Cray, the man and living legend, sadly passed away.
That’s where Metal Craft stepped into the fray, purchasing Cray Machining Center – of Cray’s north Wisconsin subsidiary, in 1996. We took the pioneering engineering processes developed by Cray Corporation and gave them the ultramodern update they needed. When we bought the facility, it was suffering from a 17% overall product scrap rate. By the time we were finished revamping and restructuring, a period that lasted only a few weeks, the scrap rate had become almost non-existent.
Here at Metal Craft/Riverside, we’d like to think we follow in the path-breaking spirit of Seymour Cray. Leaders in our own high-tech field, we take our cues from legendary forebears.
Seymour Cray’s only surviving talk; introducing the Cray-1 at UC Berkeley:
Quality Time Spent at OMTEC this June
As we in our industry all know well, the retirement of the so-called “Baby Boomer” generation is truly upon us. As this huge demographic finally makes its well-earned exit from center stage, a question remains: what comes next? What’s the next chapter in their lives? If we at Metal Craft and Riverside Engineering have anything to say on the matter, what happens next is a long, happy, and productive respite for those who led the U.S. into our greatest era of national prosperity ever. As a company that provides design and machining services for OEM medical manufacturers, we want to help build the tools and applications that our retirees need to continue enjoying their lives at full capacity.
To that effect, this June our company exhibited in Chicago at the foremost orthopedic exposition in North America, OMTEC. OMTEC, (Orthopedic Manufacturing and Technology Exposition) is an annual “meeting-of-the-minds” for companies and organizations involved with providing both surgical and non-surgical means of treating musculoskeletal injuries and degenerative diseases. It is where OEM’s can partner together with manufacturers to develop relationships needed to manufacture products of high quality and get faster delivery to market at a cost that’s in line with the rigors of the ever changing healthcare debate. The demand for minimally evasive procedures, faster recovery, and improved patient outcomes while trying to produce a high quality product at a cheaper price has been a challenge for OEM’s and manufacturers; with the addition of more requirements it has also limited the ability to be innovative.
Going on nine years, OMTEC allows for major players in the orthopedic industry to meet up face-to-face with each other, talk shop and plan business ventures, and gain a better sense of the latest technological and procedural developments in orthopedic medicine.
We had a great time meeting up with fellow businesses, as well as presenting our own work and findings in panel discussions with our peers. We found new companies to partner with, and discussed new strategies for developing OEM medical technology to keep safe the health of our senior population. With record numbers of hospitals and senior care centers being rapidly constructed in cities, suburbs, and towns across America, our medical industry is at a historic watershed moment. It would be amiss to pass up on the opportunity – and the privilege – of ensuring that the Baby Boomer Generation continues thriving for many years to come.
“Space Junk” can pose a hazard to satellites and other equipment in space.
Our country’s command of rocketry has placed us on the cusp of commercializing space. Already there’s talk in the wings about the viability of thriving commercial space-trade as well as “space tourism”. But there are obstacles to insuring this potential becomes fiscally – and safely – feasible. Our sixty year legacy in space has created millions upon millions of fast-flying pieces of manmade debris orbiting our planet – so called “space junk” – that pose hazards to satellites, observational telescopes, shuttles, and space stations.
While the need to keep track of these pieces of space debris is pressing, it hasn’t been until now that one company – Raytheon – has developed a radar tracking device that keeps close tabs on very small objects closely orbiting the Earth. With its 70 year legacy in building radar systems, it’s no surprise that Raytheon helped provide a cost-effective solution to keeping our weather and communications satellites safe from flying debris. Dubbed the “Space Fence”, the net-based system will be capable of tracking upwards of 750,000 smaller objects with its new X-band radar system: a radar system that Riverside Machine & Engineering has played an essential role in helping bring into being.
Because of our extensive experience in vacuum furnace brazing, we were asked to manufacture custom cold plates that would go directly into the framework of the radar system. We’re proud to be doing our part in keeping the skies friendly for cutting-edge aerospace and global communications systems, making sure they continue to perform their daily (and utterly vital) functions in maintaining modern society.
