April is Earth Month and the only proper way to celebrate and bring awareness to becoming more green is with an #ObsidianMFG and Earth Month crossover. There are many opportunities to save green as well as go green with Obsidian and our brands and we're going to help you out.
The manufacturing sector produces a lot of waste. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that in 2019, out of over 19,000 companies that reported to the Toxics Release Inventory program and 30.7 billion pounds of total waste, 88% of the total waste created was by manufacturing companies, which comes out to 27 billion pounds.
Not only does the industry produce a lot in the present, the production of waste has been increasing steadily since 2009 and projects to continue that rise.
With so much waste coming from the manufacturing industry with the addition of an increase on the way, the need to reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair is needed more than ever before.
While our #ObsidianMFG products do not necessarily produce the "toxics" that some other manufacturing companies produce, there are ways to properly dispose of our products as well as many ways to go green in another way: the bottom line.
Breaking down the ways to save, we present the four "R's" of Earth Month; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair, all of which are applicable to our brands and their products.
REDUCE
Being able to reduce excess is important in being able to save money and save on waste. With all machines, buying used is always going to be cheaper than buying new.
Specifically with Arter Precision Grinding Machines, there are many grinders that are decades old but still useful for what you need. Keeping an eye out for used machinery sales and keeping in touch with us is a good way to find what you are looking for.
Additionally, spare parts are available for Arter grinders, our Magna-Lock USA products, and the two lift magnet brands of MagnaLift and Power-Grip. We machine nearly all of the spare parts in our shop in Rockford, Illinois. Replacing spare parts is just another way to be able to save money and our products make it easy to get those parts replaced.
Replacing spare parts and buying used not only saves you money, but it also saves on waste. Not having to scrap or get rid of your machines when you are done with them or when a spare part breaks saves on having to use energy and resources on ridding your company of the machine.
Reduction is the first step in being more economical and always the first step in going green.
REUSE
In manufacturing, reusing a product is defined as being able to take a product and repurpose it for another use when the original need is no longer there.
This applies to nearly anything with the right amount of creativity and vision and is true with many of our products as well.
Magna-Lock workholding devices are the perfect examples of this and is the most applicable to reusing. With electromagnetic devices, it is easy to be able to repurpose a chuck you no longer need.
Changing the coil configuration, wiring, top plate, and finding used equipment is all outstanding ways to reuse products that you no longer need for one application.
While changing things in a chuck, one needs to be careful in doing so, as a slight miscalculation could cause a massive safety problem. We suggest contacting us directly before doing so to ensure safety.
An easier route to take is finding used chucks to fit what you need. While not overly easy to find for your exact specs and needs, we can help you find one. Currently, we have a 96" and 42" rotary in our shop, ready to be sold and used again.
Arter is also another brand that has a lot to offer in reusing products. Used Arters are plentiful, especially since there are over 100 years of producing grinders. Again, we can give you a hand in finding what you want. We currently have a Model D Arter ready to ship your way on our shop floor and are always looking to facilitate a sale.
Being able to reuse, or repurpose, products is important in being able to save your money.
RECYCLE
Similar to reusing, recycling is finding ways to repurpose something. Typically, we think of taking a waste product and finding another way to use said waste.
With our brands, there are multiple ways to recycle products when they are done being used.
Our MagnaLift and Power-Grip lift magnets are very easy to use, operating with a simple car battery. As with all other batteries, once they are done being used, they need to be recycled.
Whether it be a local hazardous waste drop off, a local auto shop, or a metal recycling establishment, there are proper ways to recycle these batteries.
As a grind shop as well, we produce swarf and chips on a daily basis. Again, these need to be recycled and disposed of properly to help the environment.
Recycling is one of the most important way to save the Earth from hazardous waste, and our products at Obsidian are no different.
REPAIR
All of the previous "R's" mentioned before combine into repairing. With many machine tools being able to be repaired, it is always going to be economical to repair your machines.
We offer repairs on all of our brands and some other products that are not under the Obsidian umbrella. While sometimes tough, our engineering team comes up with a solution to your need for a repair, despite the brand of product.
Repairing also eliminates the waste that scrapping a product produces. Getting something repaired when it breaks down over throwing the product out can both help you save money and help you reduce waste.
EARTH MONTH EVERY MONTH
The Earth is slowly deteriorating and has been for some time. With waste increasing, the need to reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair is increasing steadily as well, especially in manufacturing. Do your part and let's help each other. Happy Earth Month.
Obsidian Manufacturing Industries, Inc. is a Rockford, Ill. manufacturing company and is the OEM for Magna-Lock USA workholding, MagnaLift & Power-Grip lift magnets, and Arter Precision Grinding Machines as well providing surface grinding services. They are located at 5015 28th Ave. in Rockford, Ill. with a phone number of 815-962-8700. Check out more at obsidianmfg.com/brands.
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