Posts in category: NEWS

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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In the countryside of Connecticut lies a property called Pepperidge Farm, the place where Margaret Rudkin founded her now nationally-known bakery brand of the same name. What began as a mother experimenting with baking healthful bread at home for her family has become a company which sells over $2 billion worth of bread, cookies, snacks, and more each year.

Producing a “Top Quality Food Product”

Margaret (Fogarty) Rudkin was born into a second-generation Irish family in New York in 1897 and grew up to become valedictorian of her high school class. She spent several years working as a bookkeeper in the city before settling down with her family in Fairfield, CT––right at the beginning of the Great Depression.

While Margaret and her husband did not have any prior farm life experience, moving to their new property prompted a determination for them to learn how to make sauerkraut and jams, churn butter, raise and butcher livestock, and eventually bake bread.

Due to the pair’s youngest son being plagued by severe allergies and asthma, Margaret decided to try her hand at making some all-natural, stone-ground, whole wheat bread to supplement his diet of minimally-processed foods (despite never having baked bread before in her life). Though her first several loaves were practically inedible, her persistence eventually paid off once she perfected her recipe for “the best bread her family and friends had ever had.”

This “top quality food product”, as Margaret called it, helped her son’s health so much that his doctor began recommending it to his other patients. And with that, the astonishing demand for Margaret’s premium bread was born.

Continued Growth and Innovation

The first step in the commercialization of Pepperidge Farm’s preservative-free bread was to get it into the hands of local grocers. Though there was initial hesitancy due to Margaret’s bread being more than double the cost of typical 10-cent white bread at the time, a few samples of the product quickly earned her a spot on the shelves.

As demand grew, the homemade bread operation began expanding to larger production spaces. And though more technology was available, Margaret still insisted that the dough be hand-kneaded to maintain the quality of the product. After the first year, the company was making 4,000 loaves per week. After the first decade, they were making 40,000 loaves per hour.

Margaret’s business endeavors also eventually lead her to travel the world and finding new treats she knew she had to bring back to America. Fancy cookies from Belgium are now loved as Milano®, Brussels®, and Bordeaux®. Small fish-shaped crackers from Switzerland are now iconically known and enjoyed as Goldfish®.

After 26 years of development and expansion, Pepperidge Farm was sold to Campbell Soup, leading Margaret to become the first woman to serve on the company’s board. To account for the brand’s continued success, Margaret stated, “my explanation for our extraordinary growth is that Pepperidge Farm products are the best of their kind in the world.”

Impacts on Women in the Workforce

In a time prior to the onset of second-wave feminism, Margaret’s success spotlighted the potential for women to thrive in the American workforce. She encouraged them to find work outside the home and offered “sound advice for other women who want[ed] to go into business for themselves.”

Margaret believed that women were ideal workers due to their demonstrated abilities in maintaining households. She hired both married and unmarried women and allowed them to work flexible hours in her bakery to accommodate their schedules and other responsibilities.

“I don’t believe there is any job women can’t do. They handle machines as well as men, and they’re marvelous to work with,” Margaret told Edinburg Daily Courier in 1942.

Margaret received the Medallion of Honor at the Women’s International Exposition in 1955, which recognized her business’ success and the abundant job opportunities and encouragement she offered to other women.

As a fiery redhead who never lost her spark, Margaret Rudkin is an extraordinary example of how persistence, innovation, and determination can lead to remarkable levels of success. 

To hear more stories about professional women whose perseverance has made them inspirational figures in their fields, check out our podcast, The Art of Engineering.

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“…and in an instant, everything changes.”

Have you heard that a few times this year? 2020 will be remembered for many things, but the common thread is change.

And if we’re not talking about change, we’re talking about health and healthcare. Future needs and regulations can pop up at any time…and that makes for the (not so) perfect combination of “change” and “healthcare.”

Our feeling on change: Bring it on.

We get a quiet smile each time we pull off something others couldn’t do. We’re not the bragging type. But when it comes to tomorrow’s challenges, Custom Powder Systems loves beating the odds.

The pharma industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and our creations stay a step ahead.

Inverted Lift

The problem was a column lift in a less-than-ideal space. It needed to be out of the way when not in use, but permanently in place to accommodate precision connections. Every other engineer said it couldn’t be done. But Custom Powder turned the whole idea on its head.

If a lift can go up and down…it can also go down and up. In order to help a customer save important floor space while maintaining the needed precision of the lift, our engineers found a way to mount it to the ceiling!

This involved some masterful logistics in order to account for all the wires, conduit, and ventilation that lives in a ceiling. The result seemed to defy gravity. It also solved a huge problem for a busy company.

Virtual F.A.T.

Nobody is sure when you’ll get to easily hop on a plane and put a new piece of equipment again. The Factory Acceptance Test is one of the most crucial last steps before your equipment is put into place, but travel limitations have made them nearly impossible.

Ah! There’s that word again… “impossible.” Knowing that you needed to see your new equipment in action, we created a Virtual F.A.T. You’ll work with our engineers to make sure everything works right, and you can even take virtual control to see how it works for yourself. 

It’s important that we do everything we can to ensure the equipment performs as you want it to. And while nothing beats a friendly face-to-face and hands-on F.A.T., our Virtual F.A.T. has been shown to save time and prevent future errors.

Serialization Aggregation Workstation

S.A.W. is a marvelous combination of modern-tech and Henry Ford-like assembly. Matching labels on bottles with labels on boxes with labels on pallets got to the point of becoming mind-numbing. SAW is the way the pharma industry can scan, close, tape, and ship virtually error-free. 

• Intuitive automation means fewer hands involved in the process, breaking open bottlenecks. 
• Scanning that’s instantly cross-checked means the right product goes into the right box.

If all SAW did were those two things, it would be a huge improvement in your process. But SAW is built to keep up with the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. As DSCSA is being phased in, your procedures will be ready and compliant. 

The modular design of SAW means it can fit in many plants, with a smaller footprint than your current assembly.

And the speed and precision have been shown to take the packaging of 1 to 2 boxes per minute up to a rockin’ 10 boxes per minute. How’s that for efficiency?!

Together, this saves you time, space, and lets you put important personnel in new roles.

Looking to Tomorrow

If the future seems full of twists and you’re not sure how you’re going to handle it all, give us a therapeutic phone call. We love working with companies who are forging forward into tomorrow ready to beat the challenges that are coming.

You can reach us through our contact form, or call 417-868-8002*.

*We’ve also been known to Zoom, Meet, and Team!