Overview:



The Rhino Tuff OD4012 is a interchangeable die modular binding punch that is designed for organizations that are looking for a heavy duty machine at a great value.

It offers the same great punching capacities and motor as the larger HD6500 and HD7000 but Rhin-O-Tuff was able to cut the cost of this machine by reducing the punching throat from fourteen to twelve inches. This is great for organizations that primarily punch letter sized and smaller documents.

This system offers the ability to switch punching dies using the Rhin-O-Tuff Ez change die system. In fact, users can choose from twelve different standard punching dies that are available for this system.

Plus, the OD4012 has the same great Rhino Tuff construction that has made this line of modular punching equipment famous.

Strengths / Features:



The OD4012 has the same punching motor as is used in the HD series 6500 and 7000 rhino punches. This heavy duty motor allows the OD4012 to punch as many as 25 sheets of twenty pound paper at a time depending on the punching pattern. Although this is not nearly as many sheets as the larger HD punches can handle the punching quality produced by this machine is fairly good even at the maximum punching capacity. That is something that is not true for the HD series of punches.

The construction of the OD4012 is excellent. Like all of the modular binding punches from Rhin-O-Tuff the body of the machine is made of metal. In fact, the whole machine is made of metal components. The heavy duty construction of this machine is designed so that it can remain in service for years without the need for maintenance. Rhino even offers a full one year warranty on both the machine and the dies for this machine.

The OD4012 is offered at an excellent price point. It has a retail price of about $2500 and can usually be found for around $2000 if you call and ask for a price quote. This makes the OD4012 very competitively priced in its space. In fact, it is one of the cheapest twelve inch modular binding punches that you will find.

Including both standard and custom dies there are more than twenty different punching patterns available for the OD4012. This means that this punch can produce virtually any hole pattern that you will need to bind your documents. This machine uses the same EZ change die system that is used on the HD6500. In order to change the die out you simply lift the lid on the compartment at the front of the machine, loosen the two bolts and slide the die out of the machine. In all it takes about two minutes to change punching patterns.

The OD4012 is designed to allow users to bolt their modular finishing equipment to the top of the machine. This means that you can conveniently place your wire closer, comb opener or coil inserter on the top of the machine. You can even bolt multiple units to the top of your machine to help save space. Or if you prefer you can simply set your finishing device on the top of the machine so that it can be moved to the side when you need it.

The fact that the OD-4012 has a shorter punching throat and is smaller also makes the punching dies for this machine less expensive. With this punch each die costs less making it more reasonable to try a new punching pattern or offer a new binding style to your customers.

Weaknesses / Limitations:



It is probably obvious by now but if you haven't already figured it out, this punch has an eleven inch punching throat. Actually the throat is slightly wider than eleven inches so that it can accommodate A4 sized paper. However, it will not punch a legal sized sheet of paper in a single step. It does have an open throat for punching longer documents. However, trying to punch legal paper in two steps with a machine like this can be pretty tough.

The dies on this machine can take a couple of minutes to change. This usually isn't a big issue for organizations that primarily use one punching pattern. However, printers and binderies that need to switch punching patterns a number of times per day will find that the process is a little bit tedious.

When I tested this punch I noticed that there was a little bit of movement in the die set during the punching process. I was able to reduce the amount of movement by tightening the two bolts that hold the die in place. However, even that did not completely remove the extraneous movement. This movement in the punching mechanism causes me to be somewhat concerned that this machine may not be completely accurate over time.

The die retainer clip that holds the punching pins in place is fairly tedious to use. This makes it difficult to remove a pin in order to set up the punch. In fact, the process of inserting and removing the die on this machine actually makes setting up this machine fairly difficult. If you pull the wrong punching pin for the size of paper that you are using, you will have to completely remove the die set pull the correct pin and then reinstall it. This can take quite some time and is far more difficult than the system used with the GBC binding punches.

Recommendation:



The OD4012 is ideal for users that need a more powerful punch than the OD4000 but don't want to spend the money for a legal sized punch such as the HD-6500.

This letter sized eleven inch punch is great for organizations that primarily punch letter sized or smaller documents and don't need to change punching patterns on a really regular basis.

This machine offers a strong and durable construction, the ability to punch a wide variety of punching patterns and a great price point.

However, it is not as easy to use or as versatile as some of the other binding punches on the market.



By: Jeff McRitchie
























About the Author:

Having acquired two of the best known carton makers in England's North-East, Benson Group is now further expanding the die-cutting capacity at both plants.

"We wouldn't have bought Integrated Packaging, or Print Design and Graphics, if we weren't committed to carton making in the North-East," says Benson Group Managing Director, Mark Kerridge. "We want to make sure that our food packaging customers continue to get the service they expect. That's why we acquired these businesses and it's also why we are investing in new equipment."

End of the bottleneck

Having bought Integrated Packaging at the end of last year, Benson Group embarked on an immediate review of capacity at the Gateshead plant. The first finding was that a lack of cutting and creasing capacity was creating a bottleneck, one which was holding back print output. With some up-to-date cut and crease technology already in the plant, in the form of a recently installed Bobst SPanthera 106-LER, Mr Kerridge says it was soon clear that rolling such technology out through the plant was imperative. "We needed to achieve substantially higher running speeds as well as faster makereadies, something we simply couldn't achieve while still using the old Bobst SP102-SE that was supporting the SPanthera and SP104-ER blankers. Replacing the 102-SE with a second SPanthera has given us three, high-productivity, machines."

John Nouch, Technical Manager at Integrated, says that the new diecutter has balanced the workflow in the plant. "Before the arrival of the SPanthera, diecutting was always running behind print. Now, thanks to its productivity, the number of sheets that we diecut per operating hour has increased significantly. In fact it's gone up so much that we have all but eliminated printed sheet work in progress, something which has never been achieved at Integrated Packaging before."

Mr Kerridge says that the SPanthera has released the latent capacity in the plant. "Modern technology like this is not only more productive, but the fully blanked product it turns out also improves the quality and performance of everything downstream."

Lateral thinking

The availability on the pre-owned market of a completely refurbished Bobst SP104-ER, set Benson Group brains thinking about their various machine parks, and attention soon focussed on the recently acquired Print Design and Graphics (PDG) plant on Tyneside.

Here, a pair of Bobst SP104-ER's provide high performance blanking, supported by a pair of, non-blanking, SP102-E's. "We wanted to increase the amount of work we blanked at PDG, and buying the SP104-ER for the plant has given us the opportunity to do that," says Mr Kerridge. "On top of this, it freed up a fairly new SP102-E which we could usefully use at our Medica pharmacare packaging business."

Medica Packaging, in England's North-West, has recently acquired a new Bobst Alpina II line which has increased capacity in the plant's folding and gluing operation, putting pressure on cutting and creasing. "We are currently having the machine from PDG completely overhauled by Bobst, and it will be used to replace an old machine at Medica," says Mr Kerridge. "Its superior speed and consistency will improve diecutting at Medica, and make it much easier to keep up with customer demand."

Paul Tye

This article originally appeared in the leading industry journal "Folding Carton Industry"

Benson Group - Packaging Manufacturer



By: Paul Tye
























About the Author:

Why is journaling so important? Imagine the difference between a photo album of your family 100 years ago with just photographs and no words. You would enjoy looking at the photos but wouldn't you have a lot of curiosity about the story of the people in the photos? You would have to guess about their lives.

Journaling is a chance to capture your life and what it feels like to live it for your own benefit and that of anyone else that ever sees it and wants to know more about your life and that of your family.

You will want to be reminded of what your life was like when you see it in 10 years time. How great to have a reminder of all your milestones. When you look at your scrapbook in 10 years time it will bring back happy memories of what your life is like now. So capture the details now while it's still fresh in your mind.

The best pens for journaling are dark pigment-based inks which are easiest to read.

There are lots of ways to include words in your scrapbook. These are just a few and by no means all:

1. Writing on die cuts. Using a die-cut machine to add the color and design of your choice to the page for your journaling.

2. Putting words on stickers. There are a large variety of stickers in all sizes and shapes that you can add words to for fast and easy journaling.

3. Use journaling blocks. You can cut these yourself in any shape and color to suit your page. You can also buy them from scrapbooking shops.

4. Border journaling. You can use the borders of your pages to gain the interest of the reader. This is very effective and can stop and start wherever you like.

5. Printing words on the computer. This does lack the human touch but can make a nice change especially as there is an opportunity to use so many different fonts.

6. Writing on the page. If you want to write directly on the page by all means do so. Be sure to use a pigment-based ink for longevity.

7. Alphabet stamps and word stamps. These are great when you want one word that sums it up. Alphabet stamps are great but not for large chunks of text. Use them instead for single words or short phrases.

A really good idea is to carry around a notebook at all times to jot down things you really like and are inspired by. Write down things that you want to remember and might otherwise forget.

Always date your entries so you can make a note of these dates in your scrapbook. Recording your ideas and thoughts is a good habit to get into.

If you find memorabilia for the scrapbook add that to the notebook as you can later decide whether to include it or not. If you come across interesting articles in magazines or letters add these to the notebook so you have it to consider for including in your scrapbook. You may decide against but you will have a larger choice of items to include.

Once you get into the habit these things become second nature and they are a great help in your scrapbooking routine.



By: Karen O'Donnell
























About the Author:

You have seen several of your friends' scrapbooks. You have also developed a growing interest to make one of your own. You finally decide to make some moves and go to the scrapbooking shop and grab some supplies. But once you enter the shop and see what is in store for you, you found yourself totally lost with hundreds of items to choose from. The same feeling of being lost also happens to other starters like you, believe it or not. Surely, you don't want to end up picking up some items you just thought you might need but you really do not. You want to have specific list of scrapbooking supplies you can use.

To help you out on this, here are some of the scrapbooking supplies must haves to start you with your scrapbook making:

Album - When selecting an album, consider the size and the theme you want to achieve. A definite size would help you plan the overall look of your scrapbook while the theme would help you choose the style of album you need. Try to find a large album if you want a good space for elaborate decoration; of course, this would depend on the theme you want to adopt. A small album is also okay if you prefer a manageable space. Sometimes, scrapbook enthusiasts have small and large ones but as a beginner, you may want to start on one size and improve from there.

Album refill - You may want to include album page refills the moment you buy your album. This is because album refills do not have standard sizes and you may not see refill that matches the size of your album in the future. Grab some packs so that you would not have to worry about finding one when you need them. Make sure also that when you buy an album, refills are available. Pick refills from the same album manufacturer you have bought.

Adhesive - There are several types of adhesive. There are also several brands of adhesives you can buy. Pick one or two that would match the exact need of your scrapbook. Glue Dots, Mod Podge, Triple Thick, EZ, 3D Dots, and Xyron are some of the brands you might want to pick.

A Pair of scissors - It is always advisable if you have a separate scissors for your scrapbook. This will let you keep it as sharp as possible. Your mom does not want you to use the kitchen scissors is another good reason why you should have your own pair of scissors exclusively for your scrapbook.

Papers - Different kinds of papers would let you have a beautiful scrapbook. But if you select one, make sure that the colors you pick match your chosen theme. You may want to go to scrapbooking shop and get different types of paper sold in sheets. This will give the pages of your scrapbook some variations.

Journal pens - If you buy journal pens, consider the permanent marking, fine tips, and acid-free ones. Acid-free pen is a must because it will keep the album clean and free from chemical reaction that would cause the pictures and the album to deteriorate.

Additional supplies:

Acrylic paint - For more vibrant look of the pages of your scrapbook, colored pens and papers may not be enough. You may want to add some acrylic paint on your shopping. You can buy them in batches or individually.

Rubber stamps - Rubber stamps could add more color and style to your scrapbook. Rubber stamps come on different shapes, sizes, and styles. Choose some that would enhance the look of your scrapbook.

Rub-Ons - To free yourself from cutting or writing texts on to your scrapbook, rub-ons are nice alternatives.

Die Cut Machine - To have a perfect cut every time you make some texts, purchase a die cut machine.

Scrapbooking kit - a clean and exclusive compartment of all your scrapbooking supplies is a must. Thus, you may want to have your own scrapbooking kit.

These are some of the things you could have as you start your own scrapbook. Make sure you have the primary things before buying other supplies that are more expensive.

Gook luck and happy scrapbooking!



By: Jon Simms
























About the Author:

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For the next film in the series, see Die Hard 2.

Die Hard

Directed by

John McTiernan

Produced by

Lawrence GordonJoel SilverCharles GordonBeau Marks

Written by

Novel:Roderick ThorpScreenplay:Jeb StuartSteven E. de Souza

Starring

Bruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaAlexander GodunovReginald VelJohnsonPaul Gleason

Music by

Michael KamenChris Boardman (uncredited)

Cinematography

Jan de Bont

Editing by

John F. LinkFrank J. Urioste

Studio

Silver Pictures

Distributed by

20th Century Fox

Release date(s)

July 15, 1988

Running time

131 minutes

Country

United States

Language

EnglishGerman

Budget

$30,000,000 (est.)

Gross revenue

Domestic:$83,008,852Worldwide:$138,708,852

Followed by

Die Hard 2

Die Hard (1988) is the first action film in the Die Hard series. The film was produced by Lawrence and Charles Gordon, along with Joel Silver.

It was written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, stars Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Alan Rickman, Paul Gleason, Alexander Godunov, Reginald VelJohnson and William Atherton, and was directed by John McTiernan. A critical and commercial success, Die Hard propelled Willis' film career and established Rickman as a popular portrayer of villains in American film. The film also started the Die Hard series.

The movie is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which was previously made into a 1968 movie starring Frank Sinatra.

Plot

Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, portrayed in the film as "Nakatomi Plaza"

John McClane, a detective with the New York City Police Department, arrives in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, attempting to reunite and reconcile with his estranged wife Holly, who is attending a Christmas party thrown by her employer, the fictional Japan-based Nakatomi Corporation at its American branch-office headquarters, the high-rise Nakatomi Plaza, on the 30th floor. While McClane refreshes himself from his flight, they see each other for the first time in several months and have an argument over her use of her maiden name, Gennero, but Holly is soon called away to make a speech. As the party continues, a group of 12 apparent terrorists, actually robbers, led by Hans Gruber seize the building and engage in panic fire as they round-up the partygoers as hostages. McClane was able to escape from the floor (without his shoes) and runs up the stairwell to check out the building's top floors. He watches as Gruber and 3 henchmen question Joseph Takagi, Holly's boss.

Gruber explains to Takagi that his intention is to steal $640 million in bearer bonds stored in the building's vault and demands from Takagi the access code to the corporation's computer system which is the first step in unlocking the vault. When Takagi refuses to give Gruber the code, saying that he does not have it and that it is useless to Gruber anyway, Gruber kills Takagi. McClane is upset that he was unable to save Takagi and sneaks away before he is seen by any of the robbers. Karl, Gruber's presumed second-in-command, however, senses that there may be a problem.

McClane, realizing that the building's phone lines have been cut, desperately looks for a way to alert the local police. He sets off the fire alarm and the fire department responds rapidly. However, Gruber's men cancel the alarm and hunt down McClane. McClane kills Tony, Karl's brother and secures a two-way radio and machine gun before placing Tony's body on an elevator and sending it down to the 30th floor for everyone to see. McClane hides on top of the elevator to listen to the robbers' response and try to learn more about them and their plans. Meanwhile, Karl, upset by his brother's death and believing McClane to be a serious threat, swears revenge against McClane but Gruber insists that he be patient while Theo, the group's technical expert, breaks each of the vault's first six locks and the explosives team rigs up C4 explosives beneath the building's roof.

Gruber and his men listen over the radio as McClane contacts the Los Angeles Police Department, who are skeptical, in part because of the earlier "false" fire alarm. LAPD Sergeant Al Powell drives around the building, checks the lobby, and begins to drive off after finding nothing amiss. However, McClane has just killed two more of Gruber's men and secures Powell's attention by dropping one of the corpses onto Powell's patrol vehicle. The situation rapidly escalates but Gruber remains calm, only telling Theo to work as quickly as possible on disabling the vault's locks. The SWAT team quickly...(and so on) To get More information , you can visit some products about Urine Test Kit, air stapler, . The Gillette MACH 3 TURBO RAZOR BLADE(4-pack) products should be show more here!



By: himfryang
























About the Author:

There are so many awesome crafts you can create using the Cricut, but are there any good Cricut ideas out there to get you started? The Cricut personal die cutting machine, created by Provo Craft, is a wealth of creative die cut possibilities. Its dozens of cartridge options make it easy to find shapes, fonts, and elements for any of your projects.

Once you have gotten started with your Cricut machine, you will likely be looking for Cricut ideas. You are in luck! This die cutting machine is chock full of possibilities, and the number of resources for Cricut ideas is endless!

Cricut Ideas for the Scrap Booker

Are you a scrap booker looking for Cricut ideas? You are in luck! The most popular use for the Cricut machine is for creating phenomenal scrapbook layouts. The font cartridges make it possible to create professional-quality sentiments and page titles for any event, occasion, or theme! Of course, you will also fall in love with all of the Cricut ideas you can think of using the shapes and elements cartridges as well!

For example, if you wanted to scrapbook your family's trip to Disney World, you could very easily create a layout using the Disney characters found in the Disney Mickey and Friends cartridge. You could die cut Mickey Mouse and some accessories in cardstock colors that coordinate with the colors in your photos.

You could arrange your layout how you'd like it, secure your photographs, and then use the Disney Mickey Font cartridge to spell out the perfect title for your page! There are websites dedicated to helping you find Cricut ideas just for your scrapbooks!

Cricut Ideas for the Paper Crafter

Whether you are creating wedding or party favors, gifts, or home décor projects, there are plenty of Cricut ideas that are sure to help get you started! The perfect starting place for creating wedding or party favors, or even gift packaging, is the Tags, Boxes, Bags, and More cartridge.

This cartridge can make the perfect sized container for you, no matter what Cricut idea you have! After cutting out your box or bag, you can stamp, embellish, or alter your container to your liking. You could even add on a die cut shape or sentiment using your Cricut machine again!

There are also plenty of party Cricut ideas floating around as well. Have you ever tried to throw a party but had trouble finding exactly the right themed items or colors? You can create perfect party hats, banners, or gifts tailored to your exact party theme and colors! The Cricut is also widely used in card making. Of course, the power to create any sentiment in any font you could possibly need is any card maker's dream! But don't forget to take advantage of Cricut ideas for adding shaped elements and even shaping your actual cards!

Where to Find More Cricut Ideas

The most obvious place to find Cricut ideas is in the Cricut idea and information book that comes with the machine. But are there other Cricut idea resources? A fantastic place to start is the Cricut.com website.

This website has a gallery of Cricut ideas and tips, but it also houses an entire forum devoted to the product!

You can chat with live people about your favorite Cricut ideas! Browsing a search engine can also be helpful, especially when you are looking for Cricut ideas using a certain cartridge or theme. Don't forget to also look for Cricut ideas in scrapbooking and paper crafting magazines, which have articles and even advertisements from the newest and best products in the paper crafting world.



By: Cathy Scraps
























About the Author:

The most common types of paper used for scrap booking are patterned paper, cardstock, mulberry paper, and vellum. Patterned paper can be either single or double-sided.

Some scrap booking paper is very thin, such as the patterned paper you purchase in large multi-packs. Other paper, such as cardstock, is thicker and much more durable.

While scrap booking paper used to be fairly plain, it’s now quite common to see paper that includes embossing, glitter, or metallic details. Cardstock is often available in many different textures as well.

Some scrap bookers don’t care who makes the products they purchase, but others find that it’s easier to create coordinating layouts when you purchase a complete line of supplies from one particular manufacturer. For example, Making Memories makes paper as well as ribbon, silk flowers, buttons, eyelets, and stickers.

If you’ve been scrap booking for more than a few months, you’ve probably discovered that storing your paper is quite a challenge. However, coming up with a suitable storage system will prevent your supplies from becoming damaged and allow you to make the most of your cropping time.

Most scrap bookers use either vertical or horizontal paper storage. While vertical storage takes up less space, many scrap bookers feel horizontal storage is more user-friendly.

Paper can be sorted by colour, theme, pattern, manufacturer, or a combination of these criteria. To choose the right storage system for your needs, pay attention to how you normally select supplies for your layouts. Do you look for colours that match your photos or do you head for a line designed by your favourite manufacturer? Do you scrap lots of pages with holiday themes or do you prefer to stick to papers with bold geometric patterns?

Scrap booking paper is so fun to use that it seems rather wasteful to throw any of it away! Fortunately, there are several tricks crafters on a budget can use to make sure their scraps don’t go to waste:

Tags, borders, photo mats, and serendipity squares can easily be made from leftover paper scraps. If you have a die-cut machine, you can also turn your scraps to create letters and shapes for future projects. Paper making is surprisingly simple and a great way to add a special touch to your scrap booking projects.

If you have paper scraps and extra stickers or embellishments on your desk after completing a layout, consider creating a handmade greeting card with these supplies.

Vellum is a translucent specialty paper that is often a prominent element on wedding announcements, anniversary cards, and baby shower invitations. However, vellum has become a popular addition to the scrapbook world as well.

Scrapbook supply manufacturers have created a number of vellum products for you to incorporate into your layouts.

Incorporating memorabilia into your layouts is a great way to reinforce the theme of your photos and journaling. Of course, memorabilia can also be cheap scrapbook paper. Consider adding the following to your next layout- wrapping paper, newspaper clippings, old maps, programs from plays or concerts that you have attended, pages from a calendar, pictures from a magazine

While finding cheap scrapbook paper in untraditional places can give your layout a one-of-a-kind look, it’s important to realize that paper not originally designed for scrap booking may not be acid-free. If you’re concerned about archival safety, use duplicates of fragile photos or test your items with a pH pen.



By: Abhishek Agarwal
























About the Author:

Overview:



The Akiles DuoMac 531 is the only combination desktop binding system that is designed for use with 5:1 pitch spiral coil and 3:1 pitch twin loop wire.

This high quality machine is excellent for organizations that are looking for a highly durable and versatile binding machine to produce professional documents and reports.

Using the two punching patterns that are produced by this machine it is actually possible to bind your documents with four different binding styles. This is excellent for organizations that want to bind different types of documents with different styles of binding.

Strengths / Features:



The Akiles DuoMac 531 is designed to punch documents with a 5:1 pitch round hole pattern or a 3:1 pitch square hole pattern. The five to one pitch hole pattern is designed to bind your documents with 5:1 pitch tightly wound spiral coil for a highly professional appearance. The three to one pitch punching pattern is normally used with twin loop wire. However, it is also compatible with GBC Proclick binding spines and with 3:1 pitch spiral coil. This provides users with four different options for binding their documents using one machine.

This machine includes a high quality wire closer on the front of the machine. This wire closer can be used to close 3:1 pitch double loop wire spines. These spines are available in sizes ranging from 3/16" up to 9/16" in diameter.

The DuoMac 531 includes two small knobs on the right hand side of the machine. These knobs allow you to adjust how far the holes will be punched from the edge of your paper. For small sized documents you can adjust the holes so that they are closer to the edge. This will ensure that the pages in your presentations will turn freely. However, for larger documents it is a good idea to set the holes so they are further away from the edge of your sheets. This helps to provide strength to your bound proposals and prevents sheets from tearing out of your documents.

The three to one wire binding punch on this machine has fully disengageable dies for punching any sheet length up to fourteen inches. The five to one coil punch includes five strategically placed disengageable punching pins to allow for punching the most common sheet sizes up to 13 inches in length. Both punching throats are open for handling longer paper sizes using a two step process.

The 531 also includes a pair of high quality spiral coil crimping pliers. These pliers are used to help finish your spiral bound documents. The pliers are designed to help cut and crimp the ends of your spiral coil so that the coils don't spin off your bound documents.

Weaknesses / Limitations:



Using 3:1 pitch wire and 5:1 pitch coil it is possible to create highly professional presentations and proposals. However, both of these binding styles are limited in the thickness of books that they can bind. Three to one pitch wire can be used to bind documents up to 9/16" thick. Five to one pitch coil is available in sizes up to 25mm for binding documents up to an inch thick. If you need to bind documents that are larger than one inch you can potentially use three to one pitch coil for this machine. However, if you need to bind a lot of documents that are over an inch thick it might be a good idea to look at one of the other DuoMac binding machines.

Although this machine is designed for binding documents with spiral coil and includes a pair of spiral coil crimpers, it does not include a coil inserter. Akiles suggests that users combine this machine with a Roll @ coil modular spiral coil inserter to help finish documents that are bound with 5:1 pitch coil.

The Duomac 531 is designed to a lot of different things. It is built well and shouldn't break. However, adding all these features to one machine does make it fairly bulky and makes it appear a little bit intimidating. There are a lot of handles and knobs on this machine. It really isn't that difficult to use but users who have never used a binding machine before may get a little bit confused with all of the options.

Recommendation:



If you are looking for the flexibility to bind documents with both five to one spiral coil and three to one pitch spiral coil or GBC Proclick then the DuoMac 531 is the right machine for you.

In fact this is the only desktop binding machine that offers this combination of binding options.

The DuoMac 531 is durable, versatile and practical. It is a great fit for small and medium sized organizations that want the ability to create highly professional reports and presentations that are bound with either wire or coil.

However, users should carefully consider the size limitations of the binding styles offered by the DuoMac 531.

Many users may be better off choosing the DuoMac 431 which binds documents using 4:1 pitch coil and 3:1 pitch wire. Four to one pitch coil is more commonly available and comes in a wider variety of sizes. However, it is not as tightly wound and some users prefer the look of 5:1 spirals.



By: Jeff McRitchie
























About the Author:

Women at risk for developing diabetes type 2 can take a valuable tip from some recent news out of researchers at the University of Glasgow, UK. The British Heart Foundation study found that insulin resistance (a key biological risk factor for developing diabetes) in women identified as "high risk" dropped by 22% after just seven weeks on an exercise program.

Your risk for developing type 2 diabetes can be influenced by a variety of factors. Some you can control... others you can't. Here's what you need to watch out for:

- being overweight

- being inactive

- having a family history of diabetes, a parent or sibling with the disease

- getting older

- being a member of certain races, blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asian Americans

- having prediabetes, gestational diabetes or babies over 9 pounds.

Currently the medical community is not sure why some people get diabetes and others don't, but if you have one risk factor (or more) there's plenty you can do to help reduce the risk.

The Glasgow researchers studied the effects of regular aerobic exercise in 34 females who had at least one type 2 diabetic parent, and 36 women who had no family history of the condition. At the beginning of the study, the group with the family history connection to diabetes had higher insulin resistance than the subjects who didn't have a diabetic parent or sibling did.

Bu just what type of exercise did they do? The study involved a program of three 30 minute sessions the first week, working up to five 1 hour sessions by the end of the study. The exercises the women were given were cardiovascular in nature - running, aerobics, cycling or using a rowing machine. A good, solid workout. And while the family history group showed such a marked improvement in their insulin resistance, the control group showed no significant change by the end of the study.

Though more research is surely needed, this result is a good argument for getting up, and getting moving, especially if you carry a family risk of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a nasty enough condition on it's own, but it has been shown to also increase the risk of heart disease in patients, with a rather worryingly two thirds of diabetics actually dying from heart disease. The good news though according to Dr. Nick Barwell who participated in the study is that, ""People at high risk have it within their power to substantially reduce their risk by increasing their activity levels."

So, if you have a parent, sibling or grandparent with diabetes type 2, it does not necessarily mean that the condition has to become a part of your life too. You can take steps today to do something about it. It may require a bit of effort... and a bit of change... but starting a regular exercise regime now, which involves aerobic exercise, can absolutely have a positive impact on your chances of avoiding this life altering disease.



By: Kirsten Whittaker
























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Die Casting for Promotional Products

Die Casting is a process where a mold is cut with the shape of the product you wish to produce. The mold consists of 2 halves. The one half forms the outside of the part, which you normally see, the show surface. This is called the cavity. The second half forms the inside of the part, the backside of the part. This is called the core. There is a gap between the cavity and the core that creates the part.

The mold can be produced in two different ways.

The first method is that a replicated model of the shape you want to mold is created. This shape is the same form as your finished product. This form is then used as a duplicator to cut metal away from a solid block to create each half of the mold. A separate model must be made for each half. The mold is then created in reverse to the part that is being produced.

The second method is that the mold halves are CNC cut using a CAD model. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control and is used on automated machines to follow a pre-defined path to cut a shape. The CAD model can be produced in a few ways. CAD stands for Computer Aided Design.

One way to produce a CAD model is using 3D (3 dimensional) CAD software. A CAD Designer would design a virtual model of your part on the computer.

Another way would be to produce a part in CAD by using an actual sample of an existing part measured using a CMM and importing the data. CMM stands for coordinate measuring machine. These types of machines measure objects in 3D. The information that they generate can then be used in a CAD software program to construct a part.

3D Scanning can also be used for a process called Reverse Engineering. These scanners work with optics or lasers. They scan an actual part and produce an exact virtual replica within computer software. This CAD model can then be used to produce a mold.

Once the part is produced it can be painted, decals applied and assembled with other parts. Die cast parts are very durable. The are generally produced in aluminum or zinc. A big advantage of this method is that if you can think of a shape, you can make it.



By: Randy Fields
























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