Aluminum Leaves Apple’s Desktops

Apple has announced that its new Mac Pro desktop computer will use 74 % less aluminum and steel than its predecessor. The new design of Mac Pro is also said to be 84 % lighter than the previous version.

Reducing the amount of aluminum and steel as well as reducing the overall weight is said to decrease the green house gasses that the manufacturing process would omit. The emissions caused by shipping of goods will also be reduced as the weight becomes substantially lower. This will also reduce Mac Pros’ value-to-weight ratio because according to Apple, the change of materials will not hinder the desktops’ efficiency.

Even though Apple will reduce the percentage of metals in Mac Pros, they still represent the majority of the desktops’ weight. Aluminum and steel still represent about 60 % the Mac Pro’s weight. In addition, aluminum, steel and copper will represent about 73 % of the weight. The total weight of the computer will be close to 13 pounds (six kilograms).

Metals such as aluminum, copper and steel are still in a crucial role in the mobile phone and computer industry. Even though Apple drastically reduces the use of these metals,  it is very unlikely that they will leave the manufacturing process for good. It remains still important for businesses to have good relations with reliable providers of metals, such as the Shanghai Metal Corporation.

Apple Mac Pro’s packaging slightly resembles wine packaging.

In Shanghai Metal Corporation we offer high-quality service for our international clients as well as help them to find the best metal products for their needs. If you are planning to procure aluminum or any other metals, just send us an inquiry and our English speaking staff will guide you further. For specifications of our products, please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Inhabitat, CleanTechnica, Treehugger, Tapscape, Cnet

Lamps can have a soul

Last time I wanted to buy a lamp, interesting, functional, eco-friendly, “with a soul”. I went to a shop and I looked around. Nothing. Is it really hard to make things in a different way? All you need is just some creativity.

Lamps made from used coffee filters

Many cities all over the world are full of coffee fans. Small cafes or Starbucks everywhere. Now one designer from New York collects and converts old coffee filters and recycles them to make beautiful lampshades. Because of the soft tones from the coffee stains, lamp gives a romantic low-light.

Lamps made from electrical parts, pipe fittings and vintage lamps

One company in United States, Lamp Revival, creates unique lamps out of old materials. Their 2 very impressive and successful creations were Fred Astaire lamp when they used pipe fittings with sheet metal and Ginger Rogers lamp, using two recycled glass shades.

Lamps made from steel steamers

Designer Nadia Belalia deconstructed the lowly kitchen utensil into stunning lamps. She works with classic collapsible steamers and takes the natural geometry of the perforated steel wings and expands them into satisfying shapes.

Lamps made with wine bottles

Designer John Meng has created gorgeous and green lamps made with wine bottles. Those amazing lamps serve as a nice interior decoration for home or office.

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers not only steel products but also a pipe embossing machine which is suitable for construction and decoration, lamps, lightning, golf clubs and many others. For more information please don’t hesitate and visit our website or send us inquiry. Our English speaking staff will gladly answer all your questions. We will be happy if you also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LindkedIn. You could also download a new application by scanning QR code below.

 

 

 

 

Silvia M.//SMC Editor

You can read more articles written by this author here.

Credits and pictures : inhabitat.com, wikipedia.com. pinterest

 

To Oak or Not To Aak? That Is The Question!

Wine, vino, vin, or 葡萄酒- no matter how you say it, is recognized worldwide. But its popularity could not have been reached if not for stainless steel. Wine making itself is a tricky and tedious business, with attention to detail and constant monitoring, the introduction of stainless steel into this industry changed everything forever.

In the world of wine, and wine-making there are constant arguments about any little thing; from which corkscrew to use, to old world and new world wines, wooden or steel and the newest one-cap or cork? Today we will focus on the argument of wooden or steel-while stainless steel has improved the process of wine-making everywhere in the world through its introduction into its machinery, it has also been the topic of many heated arguments.

The arguments are in the style of: taste, time and value it gives or takes away from the wine. Let’s use French Chardonnay as our example to this argument. While many like the traditional oak or “buttery” taste of a traditional Chardonnay, many prefer the citrus; more fruit forward taste a non-oak fermented Chardonnay will have. Many say the use of stainless steel vats lets the grape ferment in a very different manner; some believe the lack of presence of oak lets the natural sweetness or citrus come through, giving it a self identity and not adhering to any from the oak.

Many “old world” vineyards still adhere to tradition, but you cannot argue that since the introduction of stainless steel, “new world” vineyards have been able to expand its product line as well as produce more affordable wines. Stainless steel vats lowered their overhead dramatically, although at first the cost is great, the steel vats outlive their oak barrel or oak vat compatriots.

Steel oak has paved a new era for wine all around the world. Not only has it changed the era of Chardonnay’s but as well as red wine, and sparkling wines. Today, we can find wines from anywhere in the world all thanks to stainless steel vats and its influence in the world of wine. I say thank you, but you may not,- so let’s grab a glass of wine and  let the argument begin.

Here at Shanghai Metal Corporation we are a one stop shop for all your stainless steel needs. As stainless steel ambassadors we can meet any of your stainless steel needs.

Fore more information on stainless steel material, please visit our website. Be sure to join the conversation on our Linkedin group, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. You can also try our new mobile application by scanning the below QR with your tablet or smart phone.

Mario B.//SMC Editor

Sources: Super Monte, Cellar Work, ucdavismba.org

Liquid Packaging Business That Prospered Without Angels

Shark Tank is an ABC reality show that has attracted millions of viewers worldwide. In Shark Tank entrepreneurs get a chance to pitch their business ideas to a group of venture capitalists and ask for some funding in exchange for a share of their companies. In most cases the entrepreneurs leave the tank with empty pockets, but there was one idea that the sharks would really have wanted.

Copa di Vino is an innovative way to pack wine into a glass. The company holds a utility patent for packing alcoholic beverages into a sealed glass-like plastic container. In other words, the company is the only one in the world who can pack wine in ready-to-drink glasses.

James Martin, the CEO of Copa di Vino went to the tank two times.  In the first time one of the angels Kevin O’Leary offered him a licensing deal including 600,000 dollars for 51 % stake in his utility patent . Martin refused the offer and left empty handed. In the second time he was given a two million dollar evaluation and an offer from O’Leary, Marc Cuban and Robert Herjavec.  That deal was never made and still, the entrepreneur has managed to sell over 15 million glasses and to reach a growth of over 1000 percent.

Liquid packing seems to be a field where businesses compete with patents and design. An example of a creative use of liquid packaging is given by a watch brand Festina. The company has packed its water resistant watches in a plastic bag of distilled water in order to demonstrate the quality of their watches. For details on the brand, please have a glimpse of our former blog on liquid packaging through this link.

Shanghai Metal Corporation is a reliable provider of automatic liquid packing machines. We also apply a high standard quality assurance and offer high-quality post-sales services. To learn more about our liquid packing machine, please visit our website. Please also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

 

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Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Wallstreetinsanity.com, ABC, Justelementary.com, ABC News, Hogshead Wine Wordpress, Seblogger.com, Nowyouknowevents.com, Festina

 

Cork or Screw Cap For Your Wine Bottle?

If you are a wine lover, you might have noticed an increase of screw cap closures for your wine bottle in the shops. The reason for this shift from cork to metal is that an increased amount of wine is being contaminated by cork taint, leaving the wine tasting musty and dull. The culprit for this unpleasant phenomenon, which can spoil up to one in 10 bottles, is trichloroanisole (TCA), a compound formed when chlorine used for bleaching reacts with mould already growing in the cork. Humans are incredibly sensitive to the compound and can detect it even at weak dilutions of six parts per trillion. TCA can flourish in several areas of a bottling facility, such as drains and barrels, but corks pose the biggest problem.

The problem of tainted corks is thought to be on the up because cork manufacturers are finding it increasingly hard to find supplies of good quality cork to meet demand – more wine than ever is being sold in bottles, rather than in bulk form. Looking further afield from a production perspective, an enormous number of screw top bottles are already produced for spirits and fortified wines, so a change to bottling wine with screw caps should not pose any problems, and in fact may be easier.

Screw cap closures consist of an aluminium cap with threads which fit the neck finish of a bottle and a liner of plastic (often PVDC), cork, rubber, or other soft material as wad to make a seal with the mouth of the bottle. While they can form a very tight seal, there is debate as to the extent of reduction and is one factor that limited the use of plastics and screw caps in the past. Reduction which results from too little oxygen being present during winemaking and aging, increases the presence of unfavourable sulphur based components that cause an odour of rotten eggs.

Oxygenation is also the subject of debate among wine producers who believe that oxygen  is able to gradually seep through cork and into the bottle, and that this is the only way wine can mature. In this sense, screw cap producers argue that wine is aged by oxygen in the wine itself and a tiny amount of residual air held between the cap and wine.

Although screw caps seem to increase in popularity, only some wine producers are switching from cork to aluminum caps. Traditional French wineries do not seem to start bottling their premium Bordeaux wines with screw caps, but if so, then we will know the wine world will be really changing. Tell us your preference and if you notice any difference between cork wine bottles and screw cap ones.

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers aluminum is varying types including sheet, plate, coil, strip, plate, tube, pipe, in varying fittings and sizes. SMC also produces aluminum profile for radiator, motor shell, and furniture. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on  LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Source and photo credit: bestinpackaging.com, azom.com, winefolly.com,  youngberghill.com, parade.condenast.com, Wikipedia, corkdiaries.com,  divinediversion.wordpress.com

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

Read more articles by this author here.

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