Posts in category: NEWS

Dean Casady, Technical Services Director at Custom Powder, has been a runner for 45 years. Recently, he decided to take on one of the most rigorous runs on earth: A run into the Grand Canyon, traveling from rim to rim to rim, also known as R2R2R.

“It’s seven miles to the bottom, nine miles across, then six miles up to the north rim,” says Dean. Then you have to get back. “We started at 4:15 in the morning and finished at 11:30 at night.”

Because of the tremendous shifts in elevation, temperatures vary wildly. The terrain goes from mountain, to desert, to forest, and everything in between. Dean says after the first five miles when the sun begins to rise, you realize the enormity of the task ahead. “We’ve traveled five miles, and we still haven’t gotten to the bottom. We got to this outlook, and we could finally see the entirety of the river from left to right. It was like we were looking at another canyon inside of this canyon.”

No Cheering Squads or Water Stations Here

The National Park Service doesn’t allow organized runs or competitive races in the canyon. Because of this, runners need to account for everything they might need.

“You burn a lot of calories, so I had lots of energy food. A great deal of water, too. I probably consumed five litres of water.” In case the water he packed wasn’t sufficient, Dean brought along water filters and purifiers.

The route is one for serious hikers, and through the entire journey Dean and his two companions only encountered about a dozen other people. This doesn’t leave many options if something goes wrong. “We had contingency plans and cutoff points where we needed to be at certain times, but any rescue would be either via mule or helicopter. And it’s very expensive.”

Training for All Terrains

Getting ready for a run this extreme has its own challenges. There’s only one Grand Canyon, and finding similar terrain isn’t very easy. “We do a lot of back-to-back runs, which is a 15 to 20 mile run on back-to-back days. We go about 20 miles south of Springfield, Missouri to the Ozarks, or down to the Buffalo River in Arkansas. There’s some rugged terrain there.”

No matter how long one trains, Dean claims you can’t prepare for absolutely everything the Grand Canyon holds. “You’re never as ready as you want to be,” he explains. “I thought, ‘maybe I’m biting off more than I can chew.’ But I started talking to other people interested in doing the same thing, and he convinced me we could do it. I started training, and then we did it.”

Planning and Commitment

As with engineering, a run like the R2R2R requires both planning and commitment. “They both require very hard work. I don’t do either of them casually. If you’re going to do something like the Grand Canyon, Pikes Peak, or Boston Marathon, you don’t just show up. It requires a lot of commitment,” Dean says.

His career resume includes being an Automation Engineer, Automation Director, and our Technical Services Director here at Custom Powder Systems. Like our other engineers, Dean Casady’s outside passions demonstrate a determination to see a challenge through to the end.

When he’s on break from advancing his engineering skills, Pikes Peak is next on Dean’s big adventure list. Whether it’s a journey through the Grand Canyon or a solution for our customers, he knows there’s always a way to reach the destination. 

We have a team standing by ready to take on the challenge of your next project. What can we build for you?

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When Pfizer needed an aseptic system for dispensing and blending powders, Custom Powder Systems knew exactly what to do. We developed a fully automated system to dispense sterile antibiotic powders from aluminum shipping cans, mill and transport them into vial filling equipment.

We also happened to discover a diverse seaport town loved by Chinese tourists.

The End of the Trans-Siberian Railway

As far as Chinese cities go, Dalian is relatively young. Dating back to Russian colonization in 1898, Dalian became the southern tip of the Trans-Siberian Railway. As a valuable port, it was briefly occupied by the British, returned to the Chinese, then taken over by the Russians until the Japanese seized it from them in 1905. Ultimately, Dilian was returned to China and designated as a special economic zone, granting it more free-market-oriented economic policies.

Dalian is home to universities and tech corporations, but tourists know it for its city beaches. You’ll often find a large number of them along the southern and eastern sides of the Dalian Peninsula. A popular stop is Xinghai Park, where kids and adults alike can enjoy park rides, food stalls, and a perfect view of the great Xinghaiwan Bridge. 

Where History and Future Meet

Although Dalian is a mostly modernized city, one of its oldest sites is the Hengshan Temple. It dates back to the Han dynasty over two thousand years ago and is a serene location with ponds and pathways all around. There, you can find a thirty-foot-tall statue of Avalokiteśvara, as well as many Buddha statues such as the Maitreya Buddha, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Weituo Bodhisattva, the Secret Vajra, and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Additionally, back in the city are several major universities including Dalian University of Technology and Dalian Maritime University. Major industrial zones are home to international companies such as Canon, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Pfizer.

The Aseptic Powder Dispensing and Blending System

The task Pfizer in China challenged us with was to find a way to get sterile antibiotic powders from aluminum shipping cans milled and transferred into vial filling equipment in an aseptic space. The system comprised of an IBC  blender, a through-wall transfer system, a milling system, proprietary robotic manipulators integration of 3rd-party aseptic robotics.

To this day, this ranks near the top of our favorite projects – partially because Dalian is a city we will always remember fondly and especially the exceptional hospitality of our Chinese hosts

We’d love to invent something to help you find solutions, whether you’re up the street or around the world. Contact us here today so we can start exploring ideas.

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While some celebrities know from childhood that they are destined to be an actor, model, comedian, or other iconic personality, others may not begin pursuing these passions until they get older.

But what, then, are they doing in the meantime? Well, for these six famous individuals the answer is: studying engineering.

Ashton Kutcher

Most famously known for his breakout role as Michael Kelso on That 70’s Show, Ashton Kutcher is an actor, model, producer, and entrepreneur.

Prior to his Hollywood career, however, he attended the University of Iowa in pursuit of a degree in biochemical engineering inspired by the desire to find a cure for his twin brother’s heart condition. Though he never completed that degree, Ashton was hired by Lenovo as a product engineer in 2013 and is now considered a skilled investor in tech start-ups such as Foursquare, Skype, and Flipboard.

Bill Nye

While it is likely no surprise that “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” has a background in, well, science, his start in the field consisted of a mechanical engineering degree from Cornell University and employment as an engineer for Boeing.

Then, after winning a Steve Martin look-alike contest, he completely transitioned his career into being a comedy writer and performer, creating his iconic character while on the Seattle-based show Almost Live!. Bill went on to produce several award-winning shows (including Bill Nye the Science Guy) and write multiple bestselling books, and today continues to inspire change in the world through research and education.

Cindy Crawford

A true example of beauty and brains, supermodel Cindy Crawford graduated as valedictorian of DeKalb High School in 1984 and went on to pursue a chemical engineering degree at Northwestern University.

Finding it difficult to commit to both of her passions at once, however, she eventually decided to move to New York City and start modeling full-time. An instant success story, Cindy became one of the most iconic fashion models in the country and branched out into television appearances and product development.

Donald Sutherland

A star in films such as M*A*S*H, Don’t Look Now, and The Hunger Games, Donald Sutherland has been a critically-acclaimed and award-winning actor for over half a century.

Though he was pursuing a degree in acting at Victoria College, University of Toronto, he also double-majored in engineering as a “fall-back” option. Right after graduation, however, he moved to Britain to begin studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, landed a few breakthrough roles in the UK, and eventually moved to Hollywood to fully pursue his lifelong acting career,

Rowan Atkinson

Before his portrayal of the beloved Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson was a student at Newcastle University and The Queen’s College, Oxford in the 1970’s and earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in electrical engineering.

It was during his time in school that he truly realized his love for acting and created his iconic character. After performing in many live shows, Rowan eventually landed his television series, leading to his success as a world-renowned actor and comedian.

Teri Hatcher

Before Teri Hatcher was a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award winner, she was a student at De Anza College studying mathematics and engineering.

She later went on to become an NFL cheerleader before eventually pursuing her acting career. Teri is known most famously for her roles as Lois Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Susan Mayer in Desperate Housewives.

As humans, we all have diverse sets of interests. While it is easy to put people into boxes according to their main profession, we may be able to connect with each other on different levels based on the things we spend time learning about.

To hear more stories about individuals who have achieved great success in their fields, check out our podcast, The Art of Engineering.

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The morning of April 2, 2021 brought devastating news for luxury brand Valentino: a fire had ravaged one of their shoe plants. Thankfully, no lives were lost. However, the structure and contents of the building were not so lucky.

With 90% destruction, Valentino Shoes Labs was nearly a complete loss, including over 38,000 pairs of shoes.

160 workers woke up that day not knowing if they would be able to go to work. Needless to say, Valentino was in a bind. What would they do? How would they produce their beloved product? Where would they produce their product?

A Rival to the Rescue 

Prada, another high-end luxury brand whom many would see as a rival, stepped in to help. Their CEO reached out to extend an invitation to use one of their factories that was, at the time, vacant.

Jacopo Venturini, the CEO of Valentino, quickly gained control and began to steer the company forward. He graciously accepted the offer and began using Prada’s vacant factory. An unfortunate circumstance that could have taken a year or more to recoup from took just a few weeks thanks to Prada’s location and available systems in close proximity.

In a statement of gratitude, Venturini remarked, “I would also like to thank from the bottom of my heart Patrizio Bertelli, Prada CEO, who immediately contacted us to express his solidarity and by making available one of his factories located a few kilometers away from our production site.”

Keeping the Luxury Brand Industry Alive

What motivated Prada to do such a thing?

Imagine your rival staring at you. You’re pinned to the ground and this is potentially the end for you. But, instead of letting you be defeated, they help you get back up.

The reality is that rivalry doesn’t always hold the standard definition of one against the other as we see in the movies. Industry competitors can actually often be very beneficial for companies. In fact, without rivalry, much of the value of many companies would be diminished.

Prada and Valentino certainly contend for space in the minds of the buyer. However, without each other, what makes their brands so prestigious? 

The luxury brand industry as a whole is fighting for its existence. Prada knew that if they let a giant fall, the balance could falter and they could be next. How refreshing is it to know that your “rivals” can see and look out for the industry as a whole, not just themselves?

How can you help an industry competitor? Do you look for ways? Have you considered what it could mean for your brand if theirs no longer existed?

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Sending a working rover to Mars is a remarkable feat. 

Keeping the rover working longer than expected is even more remarkable. 

When the rover, Curiosity, landed on Mars on August 6th, 2012, the mission was planned to last 90 sols (Martian days), equivalent to approximately 92.73 Earth days. To this day, Curiosity has been in operation for more than 3,130 sols.

Mallory Lefland and Amanda Steffy are two of the incredible engineers who have helped keep Curiosity alive behind the scenes for over 34x longer than originally expected.

Mallory Lefland

Lefland’s work as a fault protection engineer revolves around making sure Curiosity can protect itself. Because we can only send a few communications per day to Curiosity, that leaves it with a lot of downtime. 

In between these relays of communication from Earth, Curiosity has to be able to determine if it is in danger and protect itself from internal faults. To help “teach” Curiosity how to keep itself alive, Lefland imagines scenarios that could occur and then writes and sends corresponding code. She is constantly looking for ways to improve Curiosity and its ability to recognize various threatening situations.

Once Curiosity learns to recognize these faults, it should then know how to go into the safest mode possible so the team on Earth can assess the situation and send back the proper commands to it. These fault protections are crucial to the longevity of the rover’s life.

Amanda Steffy

Steffy works directly on the “Mars Yard” here on Earth. Her job is to analyze different parts of the rover and take them to failure. 

Yes, take them to failure. 

Steffy puts together scenarios and actual terrains that mimic those of Mars. For example, the Curiosity team realized that the rocks of Mars were sharper on the edges than they initially expected and, as a result, Steffy had to figure out how long the wheels would last. She set up a course and ran actual replicas of Curiosity’s wheels over the rocks until the wheels experienced failure. She was able to use this data to know time limits and relay back certain conditions to avoid.

Steffy plays a key role in keeping Curiosity alive by taking these replicas to failure and developing plans to keep it safe from potentially dangerous situations.

Do you know the limits of your systems? 

We can help you with that.

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The Incas developed an accounting system, brain surgery, and freeze drying.  They were also brilliant metalsmiths, and are likely the source of a technique still used today:  Powder Metallurgy.

As it has evolved over the years, it has produced unique materials like tungsten carbide, and reduced the need to use metal removal processes.

It began with the art of metal and ceramic sintering. Ancient Incas would use precious metals to form jewelry and other artifacts. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the planet, ancient Egyptians believed to also be using powder metals to make everything from iron daggers, to ornamentation found in the tomb of Tutankhamon. But it would take another 500 years after the Incas, before metal powders would be used in mass manufacturing. 

Russian scientist, Peter G. Sobolevsky, figured out a way to create new things from platinum powder. This involved ammonium chloroplatinate being hot-pressed and shaped into easily transportable blanks. In the late 19th century, iron was extracted by hand and then reintroduced as a powder.

But the beginning of the 20th century is when the use of powder metals really took off. For that, you can thank the lightbulb. 

Powdered metals were used to make tungsten wire, which had the unique traits of being easy to heat up, but not so fragile it would come apart.

In 1922, the production of cemented carbides was involved in making heavy alloys, multi-carbides, and contact materials. The ability to make metals lighter while making them stronger has caused advancements in everything from architecture to aerospace.  

Breaking these various metals down to a powder also brings along some challenges. When metals are pulverized into a powder being micrometers in size, it can become a hazard for workers. These small particles can enter the lungs and do significant damage. That’s something we in this industry study and take very seriously. Bins, hoppers, and other systems must be made to contain these powder metals safely and completely, while not inhibiting the workflow of a business.

It’s a fascinating field of study, and we would love to help you learn more about this historical process.

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