What is your next big idea?
What is your next big small idea?
Whether your next idea is a big product or a miniature project, it is likely that you will need some kind of fastener for assembling it. Traditional sized large fasteners like standard screws and bolts will work in many traditionally sized products. Smaller product design, however, often relies on the development of custom made miniature micro fasteners. In fact, the top design teams do not even start with the limitations of standard fastener sizes. Instead these leading design teams create their dream products and then find a company to make the micro fasteners that they need.
If you are on a laptop or a cellular phone right now, take a look at the underneath side of your device. It is likely that somewhere on the back, bottom, or side of your electronic device you can locate a couple of miniature screws. Unique to each product, it is likely that these miniature screws had to be specially ordered once the Beta product was designed. In fact, the bid for the necessary custom screws was likely offered to more than one company. Those companies submitting bids had to not bid on creating the custom set screws, they also had to be able to provide a pricing scheme as well as an accurate lead time for the production schedule.
With all of the technological progress that has been made in the last years, it should come as no surprise that economists predict that by the year 2016 revenues of consumer electronics and appliance rental in America are projected to reach approximately $5.7 billion. A part of that revenue will be from the design and production of not only the large products themselves, but the smallest components as well.
Steel Makes the World Go Round
In America and other countries, the material that is most often used in the development of many metal products is steel. In fact, steel is not only a vital material for many of the functions of the modern day world, it is an industry that is an integral part of the U.S. and world economies. The steel industry, in fact, directly keeps two to three million people around the world employed. Additionally, another six million people are employed in roles that support the steel industry.
Endearing itself even more to the environmentally friendly consumers, steel is not only strong but it is easy to recycle when it is no longer in use. In fact, environmental scientists indicate confirm that steel is the most recycled material on the planet, most often with a recycled content of 90%. Although many people think of steel production as an industry that makes large pieces of equipment and machinery, the steel industry also provides materials for the tiniest of micro fasteners for the latest pieces of technology.