For many adults, the first time they visited a dentist was when they experienced wisdom tooth impaction. At that point, your teeth are already crooked, and you’ve accumulated a lifetime of dental problems. So any good dentist looks at the impaction, but they also point out all the other things that are wrong with your dental health. And as an adult who stayed away from dentists for this very reason … itonly reinforces your fear.

From your perspective, you avoided the dentist because the instruments are scary, treatment really hurts, and you fork out a lot of cash. Visiting for dental surgery does nothing to assuage that. (You often need surgery to correct impaction, because your dentist has to anaesthetise you, pull back the fleshy gum tissue, dig into your jaw bone, split it open, and pull out the mis-positioned tooth.) So any other problem the dentist mentions feels like more money and more pain. You’re unlikely to come back.

Plan for your teeth

On the other hand, if you have a good dental insurance plan, or if you’ve invested in your smile, then you have more options. You could get braces, or you could take out the crooked teeth and replace them with titanium implants. Each of these options has contra-indications beyond cost, and the corrective measures taken on your teeth will really depend on what warped them in the first place.

If your teeth are twisted on account of an injury, they can easily be extracted and replaced with implants. For many people though, their dental formula arose from a poor diet in childhood. Dr. Steven Lin theorises that all our teeth problems are linked to under-developed jaw bones. Because the jaw is too small, your teeth are squashed as they erupt, making them crooked. And by the time your molars appear, they’re forced to dig into your gums, hence impaction and extraction.

Modern dentistry can repair these types of problems if they’re caught early enough. For example, laser dentistry is recommended for soft tissue repair, so if you catch your wisdom tooth on its way out, your dentist can use lasers to pull back or remove the offending gum tissue, leaving your wisdom teeth room to erupt in a less painful manner. Also, a childhood diet rich in vitamins A, D, and K – as well as foods with bite (celery, carrots, bony meat) will enable your jaw to grow adequately. This allows your teeth to stay straight and pretty.

Braces vs implants

As for the rest of your crooked teeth, specialised braces can take care of that. Conventional braces are worn by teens and tweens. Their teeth are still growing, so their ‘railway lines’ push them into place, corralling new ones as they arrive. These braces are worn for two years or more, squeezing your smile into place. They don’t work as well for older patients, because their teeth have stopped growing, so all the metal in the world won’t twist them into place. There’s an alternative though – invisible braces. They sound magic, and in a way, they are.

For one thing, you can barely see them except when there’s a camera flash (#selfie) – and in such cases, your invisibles appear as an extra glimmer in your grin – the flash bounces off them, adding sparkle to your smile. They’re easier to look after than traditional braces, because you can remove them when you want to eat, brush, or kiss. You should keep them in when you sleep though, that’s when they do their best work because growth mostly happens during sleep. Invisible braces (sometimes called aligners) work faster than traditional ones.

You only have to keep them in for 6 months to a year, depending on the condition of your teeth and the recommendation of your dentist. And while regular braces are preferred before your permanent teeth come in, invisible braces are more effective on mature teeth.  They’re advised for use after the age of 16 and all the way into adulthood, so they’re ideal for elderly patients. Of course if you’re unwilling to swap your aligners every two weeks, implants are good too. Their titanium base is fused to your jaw over a period of months, then porcelain crowns are layered on top, so they look like natural, sparkling, straight, stain-proof teeth.

The post Can you be too old to fix crooked teeth? appeared first on Expert Zine.

Modern parenting is different. Kids spend a lot of time on their screens, and they have the space to verbally express themselves. It has both upsides and downsides – more grocery store tantrums, but also more entrepreneur-ing minors, and more teenage activism against guns, bullying, sexism, racism, and other social ills. And because our kids are growing up – some would say too fast – we often forget they’re still children who just want to play.

Playing grown-up games

Kids’ playtime has always been a mimicry of the adult behaviour they’ve observed. So they’d play house, school, or shop-based games. Now they pick videogames where they role play as soldiers, animals, or characters with agency – adult characters. Even when their avatar has a child persona, that avatar has the rights and freedoms of a citizen over 21. It’s part of the appeal. And even when these kids get involved in activism and the like, they gamify it.

This in no way minimises their efforts or downplays their results – it’s simply an element of their thought process. And sometimes, this mature behaviour goes to the other extreme. It’s such an intellectual, mental, emotional pursuit that the kids may forget their need for … play. It doesn’t have to be childish, but it does need to be physical. After a day of signing petitions, picketing, and shooting YouTube videos, your hyper tween or angsty teen needs to de-stress.

Working off the angst

Playful physical activity is a good way to release the intensity of their day, and this matters at all ages. For infants and toddlers, it boosts their motor skills, literally helping them develop muscles and coordination to navigate the world. For older kids, it’s about exercising their muscles, but it’s also about regaining presence, focusing on their body instead of their minds. You could build them an outdoor gym like Urban Fit.

They’re designed for older teens, and adults can use them too. They basically consist of gym equipment reformatted for the outdoors. Your kids can practice their resistance training and get some weights work in, but because it’s playfully built and located in the open air, it feels light and relaxing rather than intense and punishing. It takes off the pressure of a conventional gym, but can be just as effective – maybe moreso – because of the access to sunshine and fresh air, and the absence of sweaty gym grunts.

Hanging out with friends

Playsets serve a motor function, training muscle coordination and improving physical ability. It gives kids something to do when you take away their screens, and reminds them there’s a wide, beautiful, non-digital world out there. But being ‘outside’ can be scary because it involves dealing with other human beings, and there’s no screen buffer. Making friends is hard at any age. Playsets can help with this. It’s an organic gathering place.

Mobile phones and tablets are a communication medium, and playsets are too, just a different kind. Children can learn to communicate and negotiate as they share a playset. Initially, they can use different parts of the playset, being near each other but not ‘with’ each other. They get comfortable non-verbally, absorbing lessons about body language and personal space. Then they can get into rudimentary exchanges as they bargain turns at the swing or slide. They acquire negotiation tactics and emotional intelligence.

It engages their bodies

Todays’ world – both for adults and kids – is relying increasingly on technology. Electric toothbrushes, self-driving cars, virtual musical instruments, stationary gym equipment, the internet of things. We’re using our bodies less and less, trying to substitute everything with its mental equivalent. Adults might prefer this, but kids still need to use their bodies. It’s part of the wonder of childhood – they enjoy moving their limbs and actively applying physicality. Playsets allow children to stay young. We often inadvertently impose maturity on them.

We make them babysit younger siblings, dress up ‘properly’, and take structured sports and hobbies for their (future) resumes and college applications. We also impose adult worries on them. It’s not deliberate, but our desire to keep them safe exposes their thinking to the evils of the world. Playsets are a space they can keep being kids. Their parents are watching, so they’re less worried about stranger-danger and playground accidents. With their parents feeling secure, the kids are free to stop worrying and just play.

The post Why kids all love playsets appeared first on Expert Zine.

There is a myriad of summer events such as music festivals, food festivals, sports events, and business and trade shows and it’s a very busy time of year all round. Selecting the right events for your brand will help promote and attach a positive public image to your company.

There are few things that must be taken into consideration when selecting events for your company to partake in and your exhibition display should be up to scratch to ensure your business is shining brightly and ahead of the pack. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at how to select events for your business and some exhibition display equipment that should be in your display kit.

Type of Event

Depending on the orientation and target market of your business will depend on which events you will select to promote business. If you’re in the business sector it’s hardly likely you would want to set up an exhibition at a dance music festival. The results would more likely be negative than positive as the ravers and festival goers are there to party and for the music, not to be given information on business applications and finance.

A trade show or job fair is more a better place for business displays. Sporting events are also great places to promote your company and using methods such as giveaways like water bottles or goodie bags is a great way to get your brand and name out there.

The Location

Depending on the nature of the business, whether it’s a web-based business or you have a shop front, the location of the event is important. If you’re based in Queensland and serving local customers it’s hardly a good idea to go to a trade show in Victoria. If your company is Australia-wide you pretty much have free range on locations and events to choose from. Although it is recommended choosing events that have large attendances that way you will be certain that you will get the traffic you require. Another one that people often skip over is regional events, which can be a cheaper way to reach a new audience.

Display Equipment

Display equipment plays a vital role when it comes time for the exhibition. Your display kit should contain everything required to put your best foot forward and it should clearly represent the values and logo of your brand. It might be time to upgrade your display kit as they have a tendency to fade and look tatty after a few years on the event circuit.

When purchasing your display set, keep in mind what kind of set up you will need and also the locations of your events will play a vital role in which banners will work. Some banners are better suited to indoors whereas some work better in the outdoors.

Retractable banners are must-have items in your display arsenal for a number of reasons. They are easy to transport and set up. They also have solid bases and standalone which makes them perfect for outdoor areas where tie off points can be scared. You should have at least four of these bad boys in your kit.

A media wall is another essential tool for this summer season and should clearly display your branding and message. There are many other types of banners and it’s good to get a variety of shapes and sizes so you can create an engaging display that will put your brand freshly in the minds of potential customers.

A little planning will save you time and stress in the long run. So, once you have selected your events, it’s time to start planning your display set up. Draw up a rough plan and get creative. It’s also a good idea to have a few extra banners in your kit just in case and it will also give you more freedom to be able to improvise on the fly.

The post It’s Time to Select Your Summer Events, Do You Need New Banners? appeared first on Expert Zine.

Today, we’re trying to find a middle ground. Installing an outdoor playset in the yard ensures the kids stay close to home and protects them from stranger danger, but it also gets them outside and gives them some measure of autonomy. However, just because you know where they are doesn’t mean you should leave them unsupervised. Keep an eye on them, making sure they don’t play too rough, and offering a first-aid-kiss when needed.

Soften their falls

Public playgrounds often have floors made of concrete, asphalt, or grass, which isn’t the best surface to fall on. When you install your home playset, ensure the soft fall area is well cushioned. This protective landing bay should extend roughly six feet beyond the playset boundary in every direction. For climbing sets, the area in the middle of the playset should be protected too, in case of vertical falls. Higher swings need wider soft falls.

Rubber mats offer the best soft surfacing, though you can also use artificial soft turf. The flooring materials should never be trampled or packed down, because this hardens the surface. Instead, try loose flooring options like wood chips, shredded rubber, pea gravel, or mulch. If the ground is concrete, blacktop, or asphalt, apply multiple layers of protection.

Put impact mats on the ground and cover that with 3 to 6 inches of loose-fill. Then put a cloth above that and add another 3 to 6 inches of loose soft filling. The depth of your flooring material depends on the height of the playset. Include the height of the child in your measurement. If a child stands at the top of the playset, and the top of his or her head is 8 feet above the ground, you need 12 inches of loose floor filling.

Age-appropriate selection

Many playset manufacturers divide their modular units into three age groups. Toddlers and infants are under 2 years of age, while pre-school playsets cover age 2 to 5. School-age playsets are designed for ages 5 to 12. Bigger kids can break playsets intended for a younger age bracket, while the ‘babies’ can hurt themselves if they attempt to use playsets above the age grade. The proportions are all wrong for their shorter muscle groups and bones.

Spacing protects the kids as well. If you have any holes, gaps, or rungs, they should either be smaller than 8cm or wider than 20cm to prevent tiny heads or body parts from getting stuck. Nets that have a perimeter larger than half a metre could trap a child, so go for smaller nets. For swings, make sure there’s at least 2 feet between the seats, and 75cm between the outer side of the swing and the swing frame.

In general, if the playset is higher than 75cm, there should be a 9 foot gap between it and the neighbouring playset. If the playset has moving parts, inspect them carefully to see if there are parts where kids can pinch themselves or crush their fingers. Put these playsets in a separate area from stationary playsets. Examples are swings, merry-go-rounds, and see-saws.

Targeted safety guidelines

If the playset has any raised platforms or high portions, hem them in using guard rails and barriers to minimise falls. Inspect the playset regularly for paint chips, rust, rough edges, wood splinters, and potentially harmful wear and tear. Sand down sharp corners and edges to prevent cuts and bruises. Always use paint and dye that is child-safe and waterproof.

Teach kids basic safety tips – like no pushing on the playground – and always check before sliding or swinging, to make sure there are no other kids in the way. Remind them not to play on hot or wet surfaces, and check that their play clothes don’t have strings or laces that could trip them or get tangled in the playset.

Some safety tips go counter to kids’ preferred ways of playing, so just keep an eye on them. For example, kids shouldn’t slide on their tummies, kneel on swings, kick off the ground on see-saws, or play hands-free on a log roll. Enforcing all these rules can be exhausting, especially since the unsafe options seem to be what kids instinctively want to do. That’s why adult supervision is still the first and most important law of playground safety.

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It sounds easy, but at times it’s easy to get caught up in the rat the race and before you know it you’re getting home from work exhausted and time poor, struggling to muster the energy for any extracurricular activities, like taking the family to the park.

So it is important to manage your time wisely and take care of your body so you are at your best when it comes time to spending quality time with the family. In this post, we will give you some red hot tips on how to free up some time and take care of yourself, so you can be at your very best for your family.

Get Quality Sleep

There is a difference between sleep and quality sleep. The optimal time where your body gets the best rest is between 10:30 pm to 6:30 am. Circadian rhythms follow the sun. You might also want to get into a relaxing practice such as breathing exercises or some light yoga to wind down your body and mind so it’s ready for deep sleep. Getting a restful night’s sleep will give you the energy to power through the day and into the afternoon, so when you arrive home and the kids want to play you still have some reserves in the tank.

Time Management

This is an obvious one but it’s one of the hardest to maintain. Buy a diary, set alarms and utilize all apps you can that will help you manage time wisely. A little bit of planning goes a long way and will allow you to get things done and free up some time for you to spend with your family. The night before, plan your day so you have a clear idea of what needs to be and done and when. Of course, allow as much time as you can afford for quality time with your family.

Plan Day Trips

Try to dedicate at least one full day a week where you leave the phones at home and take the family out of the city and into nature. The natural environment will not only feed your soul, it will also bring your family closer together and is the perfect setting for some quality time. Nearly every city has some hidden gems just outside the city limits. Do some research online during the week, pack a picnic hamper and set off with the family.

Outsource Duties

If you are time poor and you are struggling to get a moment for yourself let alone your family, try outsourcing some of your daily chores. Get a cleaner in a few times a week for a regular clean. You would be surprised how much time doing household chores consumes. Don’t be too proud to let someone else help out like a house cleaning service. That way when you get home from work you can tend to what’s important such as playing some board games with the family.

This can also be done in the work arena. Try outsourcing some of the tasks that you feel someone else can handle. You may have to sacrifice a few dollars in the process but you will be buying something that is priceless. Time!

Just Say No

It’s quite common in our work and social lives for us to want to be agreeable and feel like we aren’t letting people down. Whether it’s a work function or an invitation to a wedding or party. It’s ok to say no without feeling guilty. Obviously, use some tact when approaching the situation and politely decline where it’s possible. Saying no to certain engagements will free up your time for you to spend with your family.

Get Your Priorities Straight Mate

Get out a pencil and paper. Now!  Make a list of work and life of the things that you spend the most time on. This will give you a visual representation of your life in its current state. Then make another list of how you would like to prioritise your life. Look at every day and work towards achieving it. The results may not come instantly but chip away at it little by little giving more time to things that you hold dear.

Don’t Get Distracted

It’s easy to get distracted in our current times. You start listening to a podcast while you’re working and the next minute you’ve been taken down a rabbit hole and you are reading about the mysterious disappearance of Harold Holt. Recognise this behaviour and avoid it. Get back on track and hammer away at your work, get it done.

These are just a few general tips for you to free up some valuable time that can be spent with your family. You know your life better than anyone else, therefore, you have the best understanding of how to make some tweaks and refine it so you can be living a well-balanced life and spend quality time with the people you love.

The post Spend More Quality Time with Your Family appeared first on Expert Zine.

People assume the only way to keep employees happy is to pay their salaries on time, but there are lots of other ways to motivate your staff. Offer benefits that improve their family lives. Things like child care or elder care go a long way, so you could invest in an office crèche, help with the bills for day-car centres and nursing homes, and offer flexitime.

The latter is often maligned and taken for granted, but a parent with young kids or a staffer with ailing parents will appreciate being let off work early so they can pick their kids from school or relieve their parent’s day nurse. Plus, allowing them to spend one or two days a week working from home makes a world of difference.

Keep your people fed

Within the office itself, perks like parking spots, affordable snacks, and in-office meals can really make life easier. It offers convenience, facilitates bonding between colleagues, and as a sneaky benefit, keeps your team within the office space, so you lose less time to long lunches, midday traffic, and queues at the local coffee shop. Also, it just boosts office morale.

Whether you’re a proponent of open plans or cubicles, ensure everyone has a comfy, ergonomic chair, since they’ll be sitting on it for hours at a time. Be generous with your staff medical programme, and allow it to encompass not just physical ailments but also mental health and overall well-being. Translation: include optical, dental, and psychological cover in your staff medical package. It’s worth it.

These may seem like over-reaching principles that are inaccessible to the regular work place, but your ‘comfy staff programme’ doesn’t have to be expensive. Think about little things you can do to improve office life, like installing a vending machine, a fridge, or quality coffee. Introduce training sessions so staffers can upgrade their skills, and implement holiday internships for their teens.

Optimal thermal control

One point that’s easy to overlook is physical comfort. The biggest battle in many offices is the AC war. In a space with ten or more people, it’s virtually impossible to settle on a room temperature that everyone is happy with. If the office dom sets it too low, that’s workable, because colleagues can wear shawls or scarves. They won’t be happy about it, but at least it’s an option. If the remote hog sets it too high, it’s not like their workmates can just strip …

This isn’t an argument that’s easy to mediate, so you might get a sneaky solution by going analogue. Instead of hiding all the batteries and remotes, install roller shutters. They double as a security feature, because they’re impervious to every criminal tactic from cyber-hacking and crowbars to glass cutters and battering rams.

They also offer protection from floods, bush fires, and tornadoes. You could set up an electronic system so they can be opened or closed by remote, but it’s just as easy to operate them manually by yanking them up and down. When you close them, the bottom latch automatically clicks shut, but you can reinforce it with a padlock. They come in a wide selection of colours, so they can be a good option for style and branding.

Comfort and safety

Probably their biggest convenience in this context is temperature control. Roller shutters are made using two aluminium panels with a layer of insulation between them. This protects them from physical damage, but also makes them good for thermal management. The insulation layer keeps heat in and cold out, depending on the weather.

When it’s hot outside, you can raise the shutters and open the windows to cool the office. On chilly days, lower the shutters to retain indoor heat and prevent the breeze from getting into the office. You can also opt for perforated shutters that have gaps for improved air circulation. They offer a view to the exterior portions of the office.

Series 3 shutters, mini-view shutters, and poly-view shutters all have see-through slots for visibility and ventilation. All these shutters are coated with protective paint that minimises ultraviolet damage, and when they’re closed, they can keep the rain out (as long as you buy a model with overlapping slats). Combine your office AC with roller shutters to lower power bills, or opt out of AC altogether and moderate your office temperature the roller way.

The post Control The Temperature Of Your Commercial Premise With Roller Shutters appeared first on Expert Zine.

On the occasions you do decide it’s worth going to all the trouble, you need a venue that can deal with your child’s tantrums. It might help if they have child-friendly staff, the kind that can flow with uppity baby moods. There should be an adequate number of high chairs to accommodate your entire brood (and everyone else’s). They should also have a kid-friendly menu full of coloured finger foods in interesting shapes, as well as something for adults.

Eating with children is a bit of a gymnastic feat. Many parents in restaurants don’t even order their own food. They just wait for the kids to be done with their meals, then they eat the leftovers. That said, it helps if there’s at least some opportunity for the parents to have a quiet moment to enjoy their food, and outdoor playsets have a big role in that. It can distract the children long enough to give parents some respite and a meal.

Healthy baby exercise

Of course the type of play space makes a difference too. You want something with a wide variety of play options, like the Sensory maze. It can entertain kids of different ages, and with varying interests, from the puzzle solver to the one who enjoys ‘long solitary walks’, or even the rule breaker who will try to jump over the wall dividers instead of working their way around the path. Playsets work off bubbling baby energy while boosting appetites.

The appetite portion is important as well, because it’s a useful solution for finicky eaters. Even if they don’t find anything on the menu they might want to eat, they’ll eat it better if they’ve jumped around enough to actually get hungry. Keep in mind that while dining for parents is about the food, for kids it’s about the novelty.

Kids want to be anywhere that’s not home, doing something out of the ordinary. For them, their meals don’t really need to offer nutritional value, since most of it will end up on the floor. They don’t even really need to feel full. They just want to play with their food, which is why multi-coloured items they can eat with their hands will be a hit. For parents, the playset can be a positive opportunity to have someone else occupy their kids for a bit.

Set the right tone

As a restaurant owner, it could be helpful to assign ‘babysitters’ whose job is to watch the play area. Yes, good parents will still keep a hawkish view on the playset, so design your playground in a way that has the playset front and centre. Carve the seating spaces around the modular play set with 360 degree access and a clear eye-line from all over the restaurant.

If that’s not possible, designate a family seating area, so if anyone comes in with kids, you can give them tables around the playground. You could supplement the playset with other entertainment options that are attractive to kids. Clowns, magic shows, and bouncy castles are always popular, and some of the adults may partake as well. Partner with kid-friendly brands like toy-makers, storybook sellers, or clothing lines to put together kiddie events.

The thing to remember is parents need a break from their beloved children, and they need kind strangers won’t treat their potentially trying children like an annoyance. Installing a well-made playset sends a message to your patrons. It tells them they – and their kids – are welcome, and so are all their friends. And considering how close parenting groups can be, impressing one parent (or their kid) leaves you open to a stream of extra business.

The post Why restaurants with playsets will always be a hit appeared first on Expert Zine.

Individual UNFCC members are already applying actions and policies in accordance with the accord. France currently uses coal to generate electricity, but intends to stop by 2022. She also intends to ban diesel and petrol in cars by means of a five-year plan set to culminate in 2040. China has imposed environmental regulations on copper, tin, and aluminium production, cutting down pollution levels in the metal industry and general reliance on coal.

National responses to climate change

She has committed to peaking her carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 and declining ever after. In Australia, the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) is in the process of redesign and evaluation by the Council of Australian Governments Energy Council (COAG). The aim is to promote renewable energy by making it cheaper, cleaner, and more plentiful. As for the US, President Trump has announced his plans to exit the accord in 2020, which is the earliest possible date for opting out of the accord.

Renewable energy includes power generated from solar panels, wind turbines, water-based sources, steam force, and organic sources (e.g. biomass). Thy contrast finite sources like fossil fuel (oil, petroleum, coal, liquid gas etc.). Renewable energy is cleaner, because it emits less carbon dioxide and toxins, both when producing and utilising these green sources. In theory, renewable energy can be re-used and recycled, so it will never run out.

Defining renewable energy

As an example, biogas comes from rotting waste, and when it’s used up, it biodegrades and re-joins the waste cycle. Wind and solar radiation are perpetual, unless the earth stops moving and the sun burns out. Steam can condense into water, which can be re-boiled to create more steam. And the same water source can be used and re-used in an endless spinning turbine to generate electricity and movement.

Interestingly, while water-based power is renewable, water itself is not. 70% of the earth’s surface is water, but less than 5% of that water is accessible in a form we can use. The other 95% is over-salted sea and ocean water, which we have to desalinate before we can use it. Desalination is effective, but expensive. Out of that 5%, some is in the form of water vapour, clouds, precipitation, or underground water tables we can’t reach.

Actual water vs accessible water

And yet the little we have, we pollute. When we use water, we pour it into our sewer systems where it’s treated then released beneath the ocean. It could take centuries for that water to pass through the earth, eliminate all toxins, and get back to us in usable form. By cleaning industrial wastewater before it gets into the sewers, we shorten that process, because the sewers can’t treat industrial poisons – only organic ones.

Centrifugal separators are used to filter wastewater so it can be re-used or safely emptied into the sewers. The solid products derived from this process can sometimes be repurposed as agricultural fertiliser, laundry products, or kitchen additives. This mostly applies to edible sludge derived from filtration in the food and beverage industry. Examples include potato starch and fruit pulp. The fruit pulp results from juice and wine processing.

Managing solid refuse

In cases where the solid waste is unusable, it can still be burned or buried. Its dryness and lightweight compact proportion means less fuel is used to incinerate or transport it, which results in net conservation benefits. Centrifuges aren’t just used to filter wastewater. They can also be combined with magnetic fields to filter cutting fluids and coolants. The process removes bio germs from biofuel, making it burn cleaner with minimal harmful emissions.

Centrifugal filtration extracts metal shards, glass fragments, and other contaminants. Without removal, these particles damage factory equipment, causing it to stall and break down, reducing its overall lifespan. That means more resources have to be used to buy and build new machines. In this sense, rotary filters play a seemingly small, cumulative role in supporting the renewable energy industry.

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In the industrial world, centrifuges are used to filter wastewater. They are most commonly designed as rotating drums, and they work in combination with magnets, exhausters, blowers, and conveyor belts to separate recyclable liquid from solid pastes or dry waste cakes. The process makes the waste cheaper and safer to dispose.

In some cases, the water and paste is recycled and the dry cake goes to the land fill, while in other cases, the wastewater goes down the sewer, as long as all the toxins have been removed. Industrial plants generate tons of waste every day, so these centrifugal machines are essential to the manufacturing process. However, industrial centrifuges are more complex, so let’s look at the steps that apply to lab centrifuges.

Laboratory centrifuges

In laboratory settings, a centrifuge is used to test samples for individual cells and bacterial or viral content. They’re most commonly used for blood tests, so it’s important that the samples don’t get contaminated. A centrifuge could be small enough to sit on a table top or large enough to fill a room. Samples are most frequently loaded into delicate test tubes.

Because these tubes are so fragile, you need to be careful not to shatter them. After all, you don’t want bits of glass in your fingers or eyes. Worse, it may be impossible to collect new samples if your testing matter spills onto the floor. A patient can only give you so much blood and urine in one sitting, so handle your samples with care and label them clearly

Wear gloves at all times – preferably surgical disposables, because they give you a better grip. Check the test tube for cracks and replace them if needed, since any crack can shatter the tube at spinning speeds. Seal the tube tight to prevent the sample from slipping out, and wipe it with a disinfectant so that none of the sample remains on the outside of the glass. Load the test tubes securely into position, tightening the chamber seal.

Lab testing procedures

Many centrifuges have an electronic control panel you can use to set the speed, temperature, and duration of the test. The calculations are complex, but lab techs are familiar with them. In some cases, the sample might need to be counterbalanced with ‘control tubes’ that have distilled water. Without this, the centrifuge can wobble, damaging itself as well as the specimens. Modern centrifuges have an automatic shut-off that stops the spinning if it detects any disturbance in the force of your spinning tubes.

While the lab equipment is hi-tech (and expensive), it’s not above human error, so keep an eye on it and make sure you load it right – and more importantly, position it right. It needs to be on a flat surface, since any jiggling could do a lot of damage, both to the test results and the equipment itself, and this isn’t the kind of problem you can fix by wedging folded paper under one of the wobbly legs. Also, this may seem obvious, but never open the lid until the machine is at a complete stop.

Industrial centrifuges

Wastewater centrifuges are much easier to use. You just pour the liquid into the rotating vat. Drums are usually loaded from the top, so that gravity minimises the energy needed. Blowers can be used to sift the incoming wastewater, getting rid of surface foam. Magnets are also sometimes positioned at the entrance of the vat, to catch metallic particles floating in the wastewater as it spins in the centrifugal drum.

At some point, the drum will have to be cleaned, because solid waste gathers at the bottom or sides. In some equipment, the wastewater passes through a conveyor belt lined with filtration media. The belt moves the solid waste to a collection bin, and once the bin is full, it empties itself. In this type of self-cleaning machine, no further action is needed.

For manual machinery, sludge coats the sides of the centrifugal drum, while cleaner liquid flows out of the exit pipe. Use a scraper to remove the paste from the sides of the drum. This paste is often edible. No, you’re not supposed to eat it, but it can be harvested and sold as a separate by-product such as vegetable starch for thickening soups, feeding livestock, stiffening collars, or making adhesive products.

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Colourful

Small children are drawn to bright colours, and even though we lose some of this excitement as adults, our eyes are still reflexively attracted to brilliant things. If you walk past a newspaper stand, you’re more likely to browse a glossy magazine than a black-and-white newspaper.

Select a design in full colour and get it done by a reputable publisher. Before you select the company that will produce your catalogue, ask to see other catalogues and brochures that they have produced. If you can see what they’ve done in the past, you’ll have a good idea of what your finished product might look like.

Informative

The whole point of a catalogue is to tell prospective customers all about your business. It gives them a visual representation of what you can offer them. Think about the questions they might have and try to answer all of them. Your product descriptions should include available sizes, colour options, and any accessories the product might need.

Sometimes, there is a series of products or services that have similar features. Since you know your products better than anyone, focus on what differentiates them from each other. Put that information in the catalogue, so it’s easier for readers to choose.

Concise

A catalogue is more visual than a price list. The latter might include the name of the product and its price with no further details. Catalogues are more visually driven. That means you should use as few words as possible to express the necessary information. It may help to offer your copy in bullet points, so it’s more compact and easier to absorb.

Well-laid out

The most important part of any catalogue is professional structuring. If you want to hire a sound catalogue designer, Sydney serves as a base for quite a few. They combine design skills and marketing know-how to make your catalogue easy to use. For example, they can call out slow-moving products so that consumers are more likely to focus on them.

Good design also makes your catalogue aesthetically pleasing, making users less likely to throw it away. They may even put in on display in a waiting room, which means more people see it. The wider your catalogue’s reach, the better your chances of making a sale.

Good photography

As we’ve mentioned before, catalogues are visually driven, so it pays to invest in a good photographer. For your products, don’t use stock footage. Get your pack shots professionally done, in high resolution, and with the right lighting. If you build up an archive of good photos, you can re-use them for years to come.

Target-friendly models

You might have noticed that people like context. That’s why an outfit on a mannequin sells better than something folded on a shelf. Use this element in your catalogues by placing your products or services in-situ. Show a relatable model enjoying your service. The models you choose should be representative of your target audience. For example, if you’re selling household products, pick a friendly mum-next-door rather than a celebrity socialite.

Accurate pricing

If you’ve been in business for a while, your product offering might not change. You probably have an upgrade of what you had before or a wider selection, but your range is consistent. However, prices shift constantly, and you should make sure the costs in your catalogue are up to date. If a customer calls because he or she is ready to buy and you quote a higher price than what they were prepared to pay, you don’t just lose the sale; you may also lose their trust. It may force you to offer a ‘discount’ which will lower your profit margin.

Clear font

Some brands select their font based on how pretty it is. They will pick a cursive font or one with elaborate serifs. A professional designer can help you choose one that is easy to read. They will also advise you on what style or colours to use in headers and prices. Customers shouldn’t have to struggle and strain to read your catalogue. Make it easy for them.

High-quality paper

Sometimes, marketing decisions are driven by budgetary demands. It’s much cheaper to print your catalogue on recycled paper and newsprint. However, your catalogue isn’t something you publish every week. It’s more likely to be a monthly project. For some products and services, the catalogue covers the entire year.

Because it’s a one-off expense, you can justify splurging on it. Plus, since it will be thirty days or even a year before you produce another catalogue, it would be nice if the catalogue lasted that long. If your catalogue is useful, customers will thumb through it, again and again, leaving it smudged and dog-eared. High-end paper will safely withstand a year of usage.

Contact details

The most important part of any catalogue is you. Yes, you’re marketing products and services, but none of that matters if your prospective clients don’t know where to find you. The inside covers should contain your contact details.

You can have them listed on the front and back, to make sure clients can remember. Positioning them at the beginning and end of the catalogue also makes them easy to look up. Include your office location with a map where possible. You should also list phone numbers, websites, social media accounts, email addresses, partner agencies, and distribution centres.

Read More:

• 5 Catalog Design Essentials for Your Business

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