Electrical Industry Articles and Stories

Yeah, I’m sure you know the saying — “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” And I’d imagine you probably chuckled, just a little anyway. A friend of mine gave his small boy a hammer for his birthday. And the kid beat on everything, all day long, when Tommy was at work… including the gas meter in the yard.

The concept of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, initially surfaced in the 1980s, thanks largely to the innovative work of engineer Chuck Hull. Hull invented a process called 'stereolithography', or SLA, a method that allowed for the creation of 3D models layer by layer, literally bringing ideas to life. It was a revolutionary breakthrough that sparked the beginning of the 3D printing era.

Rooftop support systems are an integral part of conduit, piping, and mechanical installations that often go underappreciated. These unsung heroes of the rooftop world provide a stable and secure foundation for equipment, ensuring that everything from HVAC units to solar panels stays in place, regardless of weather conditions or external forces.

Think of cable distribution for either power or data, and you might first picture overhead racks, either solid or ladder-style, loaded with wiring, with dropdown channels for access to the equipment being served below

As you know intimately, conduits are tubing systems that safeguard and guide wiring within a building or structure. Three types you've likely used —Intermediate Metal Conduit (IMC), Rigid Metal Conduit (RMC), and Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT)— are steel-based conduits, each with its unique attributes.

Recently, my wife and I had the “pleasure” of visiting a relatively new hospital complex. For almost a year, I watched the 5-story edifice being built as I traveled up and down Highway 49 in Northwest Arkansas.