Hallmark

Hallmark as much of its main productions centralized geographically in Lawrence Kansas. Here the cards arrive already printed by a third party and are cut and decorated. Shearing presses cut the cards out of the 3 foot by 4 foot sheets they arrive in on and per design are either directly folded or sent to have surface treatments performed on them. A couple of the treatments are flitter and flock, flitter or as we might call it glitter uses ink that is jet sprayed onto the card to hold the glitter in place when it is water fall poured onto the card. After this it goes through a oven to back it dry then onto the folding machines. Flock is a process that applies a finished substance that feels like felt to the card. It goes through the same sort of process as flitter but instead of just a water fall pour Hallmark also makes use of a static field to get it to stand on end and feel more like felt. These are just two surface treats that are used. There are several others such holograms and plasticizing. After the surface treatments are applied the cards are send through a folding machine that looks like its running at the speed of sound when its on. the cards zoom through starting flat and going through a series of arms and rollers that fold the card around flat. Some cards through are too complex for this and still require hand folding. With the advent of robotics and the technological revolution Hallmark as seen a significant drop on their demand so they have had to diversify; moving into many fields such as packing materials and wrapping paper. 

Marti Gra made in China

Marti Gra made in China is a documentary about where the beads thrown at the annual Marti Gra festival in New Orleans come from and who makes them. The workers in China work eat and live in more or less a prison looking compound in mainland China. Though to them this is better than the alternative, which is no work, as westerners we see their working conditions and pay to be very bad in comparison to our own. The workers to 12 to 14 hour days with a 30 to one hour lunch that they are encouraged to work through. They have impossible quotas to meet on a daily basis that determines their pay and are not allowed to talk while they work. To us as westerners this is a unimaginable circumstance to work in and in fact we pay easily $1-$5 for the beads they made which is as much as a months earnings for them. To add to this we just throw the beads away. In the documentary neither the American or the Chinese knew for sure what the documentary was about besides the beads. But when told the American public disliked the beads a bit and didn't feel as free wheeling with them as they did before. But when the Chinese workers were told what was done with the beads and how they were used they were over come with giggles and disbelief. Stepping back from the film which showed the contrast between the owners living conditions and the workers, we see a very sharp contrast in the owner and the workers, but is it so much different from America? Here the CEO's make tens and hundreds of millions of dollars while the floor guy makes just mabey $40,000. In china the CEO makes a couple million Yen and his workers may make a couple thousand. After watching the film I don't think we can compare these two societies like this because they are so different. To me its a bit like asking why won't the cat fetch the stick.

Berry Plastics of Lawrence Ks

Berry Plastics is a plastics extrusion and injection molding facility in good old heart of America Lawrence Kansas. This quaint and polite looking place may not seem like much from the outside or at first glance until you realize just exactly they do. Berry Plastics makes every plastic Taco Bell and McDonald's cup and container in the world. Quite an accomplishment when you step back and consider just how many that is. The plastic shot that is used to form all of their products is shipped in my rail car and then fed through augers all over the facility so it can be melted and pushed into form by the various presses, injectors, and molds, all over the plant. This is another plant that makes their own dies and molds with the help of on hand designers, engineers, and machinists. Something fun that we were informed of had to do with the monopoly game McDonald's holds every year. Over a million different game pieces are sent into the facility to be affixed to the containers and every single one has to be accounted for by not only the plant security but the outside security hired by the participating company as well. This is because in and amongst the pieces are game winning pieces. I had to mentally laugh because it seemed a bit of a conformation that the conspiracy of them knowing where the game winners were going to be was actually a little true. Berry Plastics to me was a fine reminder that manufacturing in America is still alive and thriving but just going through a little bit of a change at the moment.

HuhTamki

Huhtamki is a paper manufacturer base largely in Desoto Kansas. They are the ones that design and create essentially every paper cup and plate that we see in the fast food market. Everyone from KFC to Taco Bell and McDonald's uses Huhtamki to manufacture their paper containers. They use a great many machines such as presses, printers, cutters, and rollers to create the cups and containers that their clients require and in fact build most of their own equipment right on site using computer controlled machining. Many of the dies for both old and brand new cups are still located at the facility as they are proprietary objects. What was most interesting though was to find out that not all the cups were allowed to go to the same states. Most prominently California has such stringent laws that about 95% of the cup has to be recyclable. I found this a bit laughable in my Midwestern mentality in that the state laws are placing essentially all of the responsibility for the disposal of the container on the manufacturer rather that having to worry about cleaning up the mess themselves and ensuring that the waste is disposed of in the proper manor. But it is what it is and the politics have allowed it. The over all facility is very efficient in that all of the waste is sent through a central vacuum system to the waste room as well has using mostly robotic lifts to move completed pallets to inventory. Quite a fascinating facility.

waste equals food

I recently watched a documentary on the cradle to cradle design concept called Waste Equals Food. This documentary had a great many interesting points not only about building techniques but life strategies as well. For instance in the film they redesigned a Ford plant from what looked like a near abandoned industrial park in to a lush park setting that just happened to have a car manufacturer right in the middle of it. This design concept bluntly put states; do not build or make anything that the world or people could not ingest, live in, or be disposed of in natural means. The film overall was interesting and did prove a lot of very good points about rethinking how we build our environment around us. We must consider the 100 year impact of what we create could do to the earth and by chain ourselves down the line. That plastic may be safe to ship that package in but what happens as it breaks down and goes into the water supply? To quote a famous film always be mindful of your surroundings.

Sketches by Frank Gehry

We recently watched a video about the world renown architect Frank Gehry and his chosen methods and style of designing his work. It was a lovely insight and a welcome view to see that as a designer we all scribble and sketch to get started. In this digital world more and more the technology seems to be getting in the way of the creative process allowed by simply cutting, folding, and crumpling paper and other materials to create. Since the technological revolution we are so hell bent on using technology for everything we forget the greatest tool of all is ourselves. This video showed just that. Frank doesn't really like computers he is a paper and pencil kind of person and he believes that to create something great you have to put your hands to it.
     Another thing I really liked was the lost wondering path Frank took to being a world renown person. He didn't like how the architects thought. So he surrounded himself with artists. People who were more free thinking and problem solvers. These are the ones that said to him "Rules? Screw the rules!!" When it comes to a beautiful building if you want to do something extraordinary and original you cant abide by all the rules set forth for the last 300 years. You have to break a few to make a few.

A. Zahner

A. Zahner is a industrial architectural metals manufacturer based in Kansas city Missouri. Zahner makes facades and architectural pieces for the exteriors of buildings around the world. These pieces are on a variety of buildings for a variety of clients. Everyone from government and private businesses to individuals. Basically anyone that wants a more than ordinary finish on a building. The staple materials that Zahner works in are aluminum, stainless steel, bronze, and brass. They use a variety of tools to cut, roll, break, and shape these materials to the specifications set forth by the architect, designer, or artist. Using a industrial break, a multiheaded pin roller, a hydro cutter, and a three axis rottery cutter there is very little that they are unable to do in their facility. Preferring to work in prefinished material Zahner doesn't have to invest a lot of time in finishing their pieces after they have been cut and formed. Upon arrival at the facility I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of mock ups they do for their clients to see to scale what they are buying.

One object from my kitchen

Now we have to choose an object from our kitchen and explain how it is made. I happen to own a cast iron skillet so that is what I'm going to do this post on.

Cast iron cookware has been around for over 2000 years. Examples of this have been found as early as the Han dynasty circa 206 BC. Cast iron skillets are in fact iron. But more specifically pig iron. Pig iron is iron that is high in carbon and therefore very weak and very brittle. By adding various minerals to the metal during the process a strong durable pan can be made. Cast iron skillets are a use it or lose it kind of cookware. The oils from the food you cook in the skillet impregnate the metal of the pan and form a fine nonstick layer on the pan that also prevents it from rusting away. Most cast iron skillets bought today already have a protective layering on the outside like the one in the picture above. Some of which even have a ceramic enamel on the outside. Cast iron skillets are made by melting down a mixture of scrap iron and new iron in a crucible while adding minerals to purify and strengthen the metal. Once the melted iron reaches the desired temperature and consistency it is poured into a mold made of sand, clay, and other minerals. After the skillet is cast and allowed to cool the molds go onto a shaking belt where the sand mold is shattered away leaving the newly formed pan behind. Next the pan goes through and inspection where all rough edges left by the casting are smoothed away using a variety of grinders. After this the pan goes through a finishing process where the protective coating of choice is applied to the surface of the pan. Here is a video of the process. 

¨https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVCXuQGh_Ms

one object from my bedroom

How its made is an interesting topic. We were assigned to choose one object from our bedroom and research how it is made. I chose my basket lamp.

For the purposes of this post I want to focus on how the body of the lamp is made. This is commonly referred to as a Garrison Basket Lamp. the coils of the body are formed by placing them into a screw press that first takes any were from 4 to 12 rods and first coils them tightly to form a cable shape. Then to create the basket they are uncoiled as they are pressed inward forcing the rods to bend outward and form the coiled basket we see. After this the base and top plate are welded into place holding all the rods in this configuration and then the wiring tube is inserted through the whole apparatus and the wiring of the lamp commences. That is how a Garrison Basket Lamp is made. I like this lamp in particular because it has more of the industrial character that I like.

what is my bedroom made of?

The question was what is your bed room made of. What a question!! I have very few things in my bed room that I haven't made myself. From the door in a counter clockwise rotation. The door is made of textured masonite with sheetrock surrounding it. The little wooden man and canvas painting with a wood frame sit above my white oak dresser. The dresser has several wood boxes made from pine, mahogany, and elm sitting on top of it as well as several different ceramic clay pots and bowls. moving from there over my plastic trash can to the rubber backed nylon rug by my bedside. The mirrored closet doors show the reflection of my steel bed frame with cotton, nylon, and polyester fabric matress, sheets, and bed spread. Moving on along the walls we pass over my plastic laundry basket to my custom made night stands on either side of the bed. These are made of pine 1x12's with a cherry blossom marble top slab. On top of them are various leather and paper bound books of mine. Between these stands is my head board made of 6x6 cedar posts, 5/4 cedar deck grade lumber, 2x4 oak, as well as a large glue and biscuit bound slab of oak. moving on around the walls we see two sword canes in the corners both of which I made. Hanging on the walls we see my blue steel spear with brass collar and caps with the dainty hawks feather hanging from it. The heavy steel hand cannon with its oak butt stock hangs not far away. In the opposite corner hangs a picture drawn on paper framed in foam core. Beneath that sits my stack of trunks. Stained and sealed pine boxes with my poplar hard box right on top. To the left of that is the cedar trimmed glass paned window with its pine rails and posts. The red and gold tapestry curtains frame it well. Then just past that before you get to my bench you see my wood case holding an antique set of screw drivers and knives. Adorning my walls with these are two ceramic masks just above my semester one book project slip cover printed on paper.
I could move onto my bench and shelves but we would be here for another 7 hours...

IKEA

IKEA furniture manufacture is known around the world for their high quality affordable home decor and furnishings designed for the everyday customer and families.

The primary materials of IKEA are wood, metal, fabric, plastic, rubber, MDF, particle board, masonite, and hollow core honeycomb technology. The tools used to manipulate these materials are thus; press, saws, sanders, laser cutting, CNC routing, roller, glue binding, rapid prototyping, as well as automated craftsman technology in the form of an assembly line. 

The parts are held together with many different mechanical fasteners as well as a myriad of glues and adhesives. These parts are finished with paint, lacquer, paper and foil, UV paint, and upholstery.

The basic in home shelf is the staple of IKEA furniture.  Through this simple piece IKEA discovered a shipping and packaging method that revolutionized the industry. Flat packing allows customers to take product home the day they buy it. It also allows the company to be much more efficient with their stocking and supply chains. Because the material is in a near perfect compact box shape the items fit easier onto shelves, into trucks, and into customers vehicles and homes. This is very helpful considering IKEA has over 10,000 different products.

In the IKEA outlets something else was done to keep customers spending money in the store. Employees discovered many customers would leave to eat then return to buy. So to keep them in the store talking about their potential purchases IKEA put in a resturant for them to eat and then continue shopping.

IKEA's manufacturing and selling strategy is unique to them and a destinct mark in the furniture industry.

Star Signs

Star Signs of Lawrence Kansas creates and produces signs for all venues. Everything from commercial complexes to Individuals to Sporting centers. The staple material of their production is aluminum for its superior strength to weight ratio. The aluminum is cut, broke, rolled, welded, riveted, and epoxied into place on the shop floor before being rolled to their in house paint chamber. There the signs are coated in a protective enamel. After baking the paint dry the acrylic lenses are glued into place before the lights are added. In other applications, Star signs uses photo reactive plastic and printed vinyl to create their spectacular results.

The Reuter Organ Company

        Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence Kansas has been in business since 1917. They are the largest organ manufacture in North America and have in fact been making quality organs for near a century now. An organ according to Google is a large musical instrument having rows of tuned pipes sounded by compressed air, and played using one or more keyboards to produce a wide range of musical effects. The pipes are generally arranged in ranks of a particular type, each controlled by a stop, and often into larger sets linked to separate keyboards.
       Reuter builds their instruments from a variety of materials from quality hardwoods to cast on location metals. The construction of the organs starts with the planning and rendering of the instrument. Originally all plans and renderings were done by artists and drafters in house. But now this process is sped along with the help of programs like C.A.D.D..

 

After the instrument is designed and rendered production can begin.

All of the internal wooden parts to the organ are made from a type of wood called poplar. This is because of the straight clean knot free nature of the wood. It makes it an excellent choice for the air tight internal components of the organ. Once these parts are complete craftsmen can begin work on the external features of the box such as facades and the pipes themselves. Using a large variety of shears, saws, sanders, CNC routers, castings, and clamps the organ begins to come to life.

 

As the case is being made the pipes themselves must be manufactured. This as well is done in house out of sheet metal using copper and zinc.

For the larger pipes the zinc must be cast into sheets by melting ingots down and passing them over a slate table in a grooved trough to produce a sheet of soft malleable zinc.

Once these are made they are then rolled by hand over a dye to produce a pipe anywhere from 8 to 16 feet long.

When all the parts are complete the organ is assembled and tested to ensure that it works properly. The electrical circuit boards are wired and everything is labeled to be reassembled at the clients site.

Reuter doesnt only manufacture organs but they also maintain the ones they have sold. By tuning and repairing the organs they ensure quality and performance to their customers.

After the organ is repaired and tuned properly it is returned to the customer where it will continue to serve them well for many years after.

Things I've been working on

So I do a lot of work for myself on the side as well as making a few things for customers and friends now and again but I don't really publish them so I thought I might start putting a couple out there now and again just to kind of put myself out there. most of you have seen this one. It is a chandelier that I made. Entirely paper and thread, its 15 feet 9 inches long and nearly 3 feet wide at the head. Its not as fluid as I would have liked but it came out fine. I could imagine about six of these in any open air setting pretty easily.

this one is not as extravagant as the light but it did come out well. This is a chess/checker board made out of solid marble and granite. The offset of the mounting gives it a floating effect while still being totally stable.

This last one was just fun. This was a cardboard letter from a previous project that I turned into something else. I removed the facing and replaced it with paper then put a light inside for fun to look like the A from Avengers. It is currently in my office and gives me a laugh every time I see it.

how to capture an idea

So as the lost post just stated I am building a box. But this box has to hold something that I hold near and dear to my heart  including ideas. But how do you go about doing this without the vessel becoming altogether just a sculpture? Well that is the delicate dance we will play isn't it?

BAND SAW BOX!!!!!

HOLY CRAP I LOVE DOING THESE THINGS!!!! There is nothing more simple or complex than a container. The purpose is simple yet complex just like the design. They are functional art. There is so much that you can do with a container that it is really easy to go over board and have a over engineered horrific piece of junk. But as museums around the world will show they can also be one of the most beautiful things humans have ever created.

Art

Art comes in many forms most commonly the two dimensional variety. On some levels I do consider myself and artist but the problem is that I prefer to work in the round as opposed to making pictures. So when I see someone that can really draw I get depressed, impressed, and frustrated all at the same time. I can do CAD all day long and do it well but I cant sketch to save my life. So as a designer I feel like this is going to hold me back at some point and that I day I fear is creeping ever closer.

inspiration

Haven't posted in a while and thought I would talk a little bit about how I get inspired. I have always felt like a guy out of my time period so I tend to gravitate towards history and the future. So to get fired up I'll watch ten or twelve episodes of Sons Of Guns or The Highlander or watch something like Blade Runner. I really love watching how its made, especially when they are doing heavy equipment or something really simple like ball bearings. Of course the side effects of shows like this is I tend to not want to work on what I'm supposed to and move in the direction or working on something else that I want to build.