At Joyworks Studio, we are involved in ductile iron and Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) research……..but we’re more than that. We do artworks and personal creations in steel, cast iron, bronze and aluminum. But the other function of Joyworks is teaching students (young and old) about the metal casting process. One of the recent projects was executed by a team of Material Science and Engineering students from the University of Michigan. They explored computer modeling and the derivation of the thermodynamics of solidification. They modeled the process and compared their model to the experimental casting results. They packaged the whole thing in a video that can be found on YouTube ( ). Check it out. It’s worth a look. Congratulations to the team of Jason Meng, Ali Al-Heji, Chencheng Zhou, Wenkun Wu and Wenjia Wang for a job well done.
As Memorial Day approaches we want to thank the men and women of our US armed forces for their service. It is they who sacrifice to protect our liberty…..so that we can do what we do. Thank you for your service.
Those of us in the Midwest US have seen our share of rain this year. Southeast Michigan has just recorded the wettest spring on record and we’ve got three weeks left! Although we are complaining about the rain and the gloom and minor inconveniences it brings, we mourn for those in the Mississippi River valley and the south who have suffered extensive flooding and killer tornadoes.
Do you sometimes wonder if the people doing the talking on television really BELIEVE what they’re talking about? I do wonder. Lately all the buzz has been about taking away billions in “subsidies” for oil companies. Once that was stated by one reporter I must have heard it 1,000 times from 500 different people. So I decided to find out the facts. The oil companies take advantage of Research & Development tax credits. These are the “subsidies” that we’re giving to the oil companies. Gosh, suddenly I feel crooked, because my companies also take advantage of the R&D credits for the research that we do. I’ve never considered it a subsidy….but then I actually PAY taxes. But I’m game. Let’s eliminate R&D tax credits for ALL COMPANIES. Then maybe GE might have to pay some taxes. American taxpayers aren’t stupid, and they are fair minded. That’s why I find it particularly cynical when political people and slanted journalists blur federal revenues and spending. People and organizations that create wealth and pay taxes are not “subsidized”. People that receive checks from taxpayers and “spread the money around” are.