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May 22, 2012 by Kendal White

Promoting STEM Education in America

image from teach.com

It’s a tough truth. In math and science, American students rank far below their international peers. So as the world accelerates towards technologically advanced everything, will American innovation fall behind?

We created the Colt revolver. The vacuum cleaner. The hearing aid. The light switch. The jukebox. The oil well. The metal detector, the microwave oven, the AC motor, the sewing machine. We developed Morse Code and cable TV. We implanted the first artificial heart. We built the first computer and set up the Internet. We flew the first airplane and landed on the moon.

So what happened? Probably a combination of things. According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), “During the economic turbulence of the 1970s and 1980s, it became clear that industry and academia had become estranged from each other. Manufacturing-related scientific research at the universities wasn’t making it out into the real world quickly enough, if at all.”

Furthermore, NSF explains that to succeed in today’s hi-tech society, “students need to develop their capabilities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”

Some call it the STEM Crisis or the Skills Shortage. America simply isn’t producing enough STEM graduates, and so our tech firms are pushing to expand visa programs and hire more foreign workers to fill the gap. Meanwhile, other countries like China and India have gained a competitive edge in qualified labor. In electronics alone, Asia is responsible for 90% of the world’s research and development.

What are we doing about it? Since the 1980s, various public and private entities have worked to bridge the gap between STEM supply and demand in America. The shortage of STEM grads means we lack qualified researchers and practioners as well as qualified educators to stimulate growth in STEM fields. Thus our problem is two-fold.

One approach involves offering incentives like scholarships, loan-forgiveness, and higher pay aim to attract more teachers to STEM fields. According to Time Magazine, Math For America provides $100,000 fellowships for math teachers and Partners in Science gives science teachers the opportunity to undertake actual scientific work at national laboratories during the summer.

Another approach involves exposing students to STEM subjects early on and amping up primary and secondary education to better prepare students for these rigorous careers. Scholarships, hiring bonuses, and other attractive incentives target students as well. Many STEM programs are working to retain entering STEM majors (60% of whom will switch to non-STEM majors after taking intro courses), and they are pushing for greater enrollment of women and non-Asian minorities, who currently hold a disproportionately low share of STEM degrees.

The US Department of Labor projects that 2 million STEM-related jobs will be created by 2014. Post-recession job growth is great news, but that projection gives us less than 2 years to prepare 2 million workers for STEM careers. It seems the gauntlet has been thrown. Can we rise to the challenge?

To keep up with news on the economy, employment, education, and other industry updates, subscribe to our blog.

Filed Under: Manufacturing Tagged With: education, engineering, math, Research & Development, science, skilled workers, skills shortage, STEM, technology

May 15, 2012 by Kendal White

Encouraging Insourcing to Revive the Economy

‘Made in America’—how important is it?

It’s no secret that American manufacturing has struggled since the late 1990s. We’ve seen massive layoffs and a growing trend to outsource jobs overseas—with some companies moving more than 90% of their manufacturing to countries in Asia or South America. But there is hope on the horizon. Over the past two years, the manufacturing industry has regained some of its former strength and added more than 400,000 jobs here at home.

The White House has turned its focus towards domestic manufacturing. In his State of the Union Address earlier this year, Obama advocated that insourcing would stimulate economic recovery. Companies like Ford, Honda, General Electric, Caterpillar and Intel have already moved plants back to the US, and the current administration encourages other American companies to follow suit.

“To create an economy that is built to last,” Obama announced, “we must ensure that the next generation of products are not only invented here, but manufactured here as well. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Companies that choose to invest in America, they get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. Does that make any sense? It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas.”

To encourage insourcing, the Obama administration proposed tax incentives for companies that return jobs to American workers. The White House also introduced the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, intended to accelerate innovation by investing in manufacturing technologies. By bringing together industry, educators, and federal and state agencies, the network aims to

  • Bridge the gap between basic research and product development
  • Provide shared assets to help manufacturers access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment
  • Educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills

With a united effort to reshore, it looks like the tides will turn for American manufacturing. Based on a recent survey, economists predict that one third of American companies worth $1 billion or more will bring back manufacturing plants that moved overseas during the past two decades. The outsourcing trend may be losing steam as our technology improves and domestic manufacturing becomes a more viable option.

Check out UniTherm’s American-made insulation jackets that help manufactures save significantly on energy costs.

Filed Under: Manufacturing Tagged With: domestic manufacturing, education, employment, incentives, insourcing, manufacturing, outsouring, overseas manufacturing, technology

April 17, 2012 by Kendal White

The New Heating System that will Radically Change the Way You Heat

Imagine a world where heat is always consistent, quick, efficient, and safe. Imagine a heating system that is 70% more efficient than the way you heat now and still safe enough to touch with bare hands. Is this some distant dream, or have we truly arrived at the future of heat technology?

At NPE 2012, UniTherm International introduced its latest product—RapidTherm, an innovative heat solution designed for plastics machinery. UniTherm has been manufacturing insulation jackets for over 20 years, but this new jacket is truly the first of its kind.

RapidTherm is unique in that it combines heating elements and insulation in one easy to use, easy to service unit. The 1-piece, removable insulation jacket includes a built-in thermal vein powerful enough to heat an entire machine. Not only is the thermal vein a more efficient heat source than traditional heater bands, but because it’s encased in high temperature insulation, it saves energy by eliminating excess heat loss.

In tests, the RapidTherm jacket heated barrels twice as fast (cutting start up time in half) and dramatically decreased energy usage. On production equipment, the new heating system

  • Decreased start-up time by 50%,
  • Cut energy usage by 70%
  • Kept the outer surface cool enough to comply with OSHA hot surface standards
  • Increased worker safety
  • Cut maintenance time and costs
  • Eliminated hot spots on the barrel heating profile
  • Eliminated the need for a barrel shroud

RapidTherm has proven itself as an efficient heating system and promises to liberate processors from the hassle of heater bands. “For years, we’ve known there has to be a better, more efficient way to heat machines,” explains UniTherm president Dan Sherrill. However, previous alternatives to heater bands have been plagued with problems. NPE 2012 was the perfect opportunity to unveil the new heating system, and RapidTherm sparked interest among processors looking to save time and money at their machines. It seems RapidTherm will be the solution that finally puts the heater band headache to rest.

It’s certainly an exciting time for new technology in engineering and manufacturing. Subscribe to our blog for more innovative ideas and industry updates.

Filed Under: Energy Efficiency, Plastics Industry, UniTherm News Tagged With: heat solution, heat technology, heat transfer, heating, heating elements, heating systems, NPE, plastic machinery, technology, thermal insulation, thermal technology, UniTherm, unitherm international

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UniTherm Insulation Systems

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Lewisville, TX 75057
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