Model Builders Inc Blog

GM Futurliner restoration gets a replica exhibit with aircraft models

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Fri, Jun 20, 2014 @ 05:06 PM

We were surprised and delighted last year to receive a request from Ryan DeCol of Kindig-It Design to build a replica of an exhibit that had been in a GM Futurliner they are restoring for a client. Ryan found our website and thought our models of planes, trains, spacecraft, interactive exhibits and cutaways were high quality so he called us. Model Builders, Inc. since 1950 has a long history of working on projects for GM. Eugene Kettering (son of GM's "Boss" Kettering) was a close friend of William Chaffee, the founder Model Builders, Inc., and also an early investor in the company.

Originally there were 12 GM Futurliner buses and each one had a separate set of exhibits in it. This particular GM Futurliner had a "PROGRESS FOR THE AIR AGE" theme which included a full size cutaway of an Allison J-35 Jet Engine. If you would like to know the history of the GM Futurliners please see this youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZGr3fLA5ow . If you are interested in the GM Futurliner restoration go to  www.kindigit.com and then click on the Facebook link in the upper right hand corner. Below are three photographs of the original exhibit.

GM Futurliner POWER FOR THE AIR AGE

POWER FOR THE AIR AGE - General Motors 2014 photo 

GM Futurliner talk

Discussing how a Allison J-35 jet engine works. It is cutaway so the viewer can see the parts. General Motors 2014 photo

GM Futurliner presentation

Presentation on the theory of how a Allison J-35 jet engine works. General Motors 2014 photo

Futurliner Cloud exhibit

Replica of the cloud on the backwall of the PROGRESS FOR THE AIR AGE exhibit

The cloud is 8 feet long and 3 feet high. The hemisphere diameter is 24". The continents and ocean we silk screened on the inside. The atmosphere is a 32" diameter clear acrylic disc that is 1"thick.

The aircraft are 1/27 scale models. From the top to the bottom they are the P-80 Shooting Star, F-9F Panther, Convair CV-240-2, A2D-1 Skyshark and the F-84 Thunderjet.

GM Futurliner Convair

Replica of the Convair 240 at the right end of the cloud exhibit. 

We did an extensive search but couldn't locate any of the original drawings. The pictures we found on youtube were too fuzzy or dark to be able to identify the aircraft. So we called retired GM manager Don Mayton who led the restoration at his farm in Zeeland, Michigan of Futurliner #10 starting in 1999 (however it had a different exhibit inside). A DVD on his restoration is available at http://www.futurliner.com/video.htm .  Don suggested we contact the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, MI which has over 650 GM vehicles and extensive archives.  The GM Heritage Center was very helpful and found in their archives thirteen high resolution pictures of the PROGRESS FOR THE AIR AGE Futureliner which enabled us to scale the cloud exhibit and identify the aircraft.  Futhermore they sent us a copy of the script that the instructors used for this exhibit.

Some of our other projects for GM include the entire underseas section of the GM ride at the 1964 World's Fair on Long Island, a half size Aerotrain locomotive mounted on a truck chassis and also a half size steam locomotive mounted on a truck chassis, a 13 foot long Diesel locomotive with one half cutaway down the length so you could see the interior, a transfer press model, numerous diesel locomotive models and a cutaway of a full size turbocharger for a diesel locomotive.

A blog in November, 2014 featured several nice pictures of the restored GM Futurliner No. 3 after it had been in the SEMA show in Las Vegas. There is a particularly good picture of the cloud exhibit we made in the last picture.  If you click on the picture it gets larger and provides a dramatic highly detailed view of the cloud exhibit. See: http://blog.classiccars.com/sema-seen-1939-gm-parade-progress-futurliner/ . If you would like to see the before the restoration pictures of GM Futurliner No. 3 see  http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/06/21/most-original-unrestored-futurliner-goes-under-the-knife-for-full-restoration/  .

 Model Builders, Inc. is known for helping manufacturers, industrial designers, institutions and individuals go from idea to reality. Take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

 

Tags: aviation models, model planes, model, exhibit, interactive exhibit, model builders, training aid, model builder, industrial scale model, airplane models, museum model, aerospace models

How successful product development was done with a model shop's help.

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Sat, Jan 11, 2014 @ 11:32 PM

Frequently a company or individual needs more expertise than they have  when working on the development of a new product especially in the creation of physical prototypes. The design, material selection, tool expertise and more may require the knowledge and skills of expert model makers to increase the odds of product success.

Let's take a look at how the Aluminum Extrusions, Inc. in Charlotte, Michigan got help from Model Builders, Inc. that was crucial to the development of their new wall hung Executive or Conference size board product sold by OMNI Products, Inc. That Visual Idea Center product, last known as the OMNIVIC II, sold well for over 30 years.

 OMNIVIC II Executive Conference Board Closed

Aluminum Extrusions, Inc. was looking to sell more aluminum extrusions and thought that developing a new conference board product that used aluminum extrusions in its construction might be a good idea to expand one of their office furniture conference board product lines from just heavy wood construction with piano hinges to a much lighter product that was primarily aluminum construction.

Using in house personnel Aluminum Extrusions, Inc. developed the product as far as they could. Then their industrial designer, Bob Vogele, found and worked with Bill Chaffee of Model Builders, Inc. to further develop the Visual Idea Center product idea.

Conference board OMNI VIC II


Bob and Bill came up with the final design and Model Builders, Inc. fabricated the prototype for the aluminum framed VIC product which only weighed about 100 lbs. whereas the current all wood framed Visual Idea Center weighed over 150 lbs. The new aluminum framed model could also have a laminate material in a variety of finishes applied to the front of the two light weight core doors as shown in the first picture above. Furthermore Model Builders, Inc. was responsible for sourcing and inspecting the materials for the first 100 units.

One of the amazing features of these boards is that Bob Vogele and Bill Chaffee developed a continuous patented hinge by changing the shape of the two vertical extrusions where the door panel meets the wall mounted panel. Then a custom single gray plastic extrusion could connects the front panel to the wall panel .This gave the conference board a very clean modern look and eliminated the need for the piano hinge which made assembly faster since the hinge screws weren't needed. Furthermore the door panel connection to the wall mounted panel easily passed the weight stress test.

Visual Idea Center hinge

DSC07312 resized 600Patented hinge with two aluminum extrusions and a plastic extrusion in the middle.

Other functions and design details were incorporated that also made the VIC II as widely popular as it was.

Conference board features

Hiring a model shop to work with you on product development should add a new dimension to the discussions and increase the odds of creating a successful product. Don't bring a model shop in for an appearance model at the end. Get the model shop involved with the product development at the start. Their expertise will greatly improve the final product.

Model Builders, Inc. is known for helping industrial designers, manufacturers and others go from idea to reality. Take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

Tags: product model, engineering model, prototype, training aids, industrial designer, prototype models, training aid, industrial design, product development, prototype model

Why sales kits with cutaway products increase sales.

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Thu, Jun 06, 2013 @ 02:17 PM

When you are selling an industrial product like a battery, electric winch, pump or valve that has superior features and materials inside the most important tool your salesforce can have is often a product that is cutaway to show those advantages and exactly how it works. The product  should be small and light enough for a salesperson to carry in a carrying case.

Battery cutaway

 Forklift cutaway with sales case

Forklift battery cutaway with sales case

This battery cutaway uses mostly real parts but was made much lighter by using a foam block behind the first set of positive and negative grids. The paste in the real grids is toxic so colored bondo in orange or gray was used and a matte finish created to resemble the real paste. The grid is real but the connector at the top of the grid is plastic to help reduce the weight of this battery cutaway.

Seeing the product with a cutaway showing its advantages means believing them. The black top, white housing, grid and battery strap are all real parts. Part of the battery strap on the top is cutaway so you can see the copper inside. The black label on the side lists three benefits and three technologies that help to reinforce the sales message.

This battery sales kit was so effective in generating sales that the company ordered additional cutaways of some of their other battery lines for their sales people.

Battery Cell Cutaway resized 600

 Battery cell prototype cutaway with sales case

This lithium battery cell fits into a small sales case.  The wood stand is easily removed and the battery cell slips down vertically into the stand. Weight, watt hours and other sales information is silk screened on the front of the battery. With the cutaway view the story of how it works can explained by showing the various sections inside.

Superwinch Cutaway resized 600

 Superwinch cutaway sales kit

Here a potential customer can see how this winch works from the inside out as well as see the quality of the materials, mechanisms and construction. If  a potential customer can't see that inside difference of the SUPERWICH first hand they may be more likely to buy a competitors product that is less expensive. Sales kits with a cutaway product  are often the closer that makes the sale.

Aircraft oil pump with clear housing

aircraft oil pump with sales case

Aircraft oil pump model with sales case

This full size jet aircraft oil pump model with a clear housing and translucent parts (metal parts in the real pump) shows clean or dirty oil and a separator part (each in one of three different colors). The aluminum base is 12" wide X 16" long. The rugged ATA style carrying case can also be used for domestic or international shipping.

A sales kit with a cutaway product (or model of the product) will help to show how your product works, the superior materials it is made of and other internal sales features. Take the next step by contacting us at Model Builders, Inc., 773.586.6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

 

Tags: sales kit, sales kits, product cutaway, product model, training aids, model builders, model maker, model makers, training aid, product models, model builder, product cutaways

Nuclear training models improve safety

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Tue, Nov 06, 2012 @ 10:34 PM

Nuclear training models can be very effective in improving safety and reducing radiation exposure. These training models are often of a nuclear steam generator, a nuclear condensor, a nuclear reactor or even a nuclear plant site.  

The models are a focal point of planning and training discussions.  They provide a clear understanding of the entire process and the specific details of the parts and areas where workers will be doing upgrades, repairs and maintenance.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rates each nuclear plant on radiation (rad) exposure. Training in advance of going into areas where an employee can be exposed to radiation normally shortens the amount of time they are there.  This helps employee safety and minimizes rad exposure for meeting NRC requirements.

Nuclear Steam Generator model

Nuclear Steam Generator training model 48" high (1:16 scale) with intuitive diagram

The nuclear steam generator shown above is a highly detailed training model used at Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland. There are many features in this new model that improved training compared to the use of a prior model that had not yet been upgraded. Instead of numbers on the model and a list of numbers with the name of each part next to the model this new model uses the intuitive diagram just below the above pictured model to correlate (with black lines) the part name to the part in the model. It also uses red (hot) and blue (cold) arrows to show the process flow of the water and steam. Comprehension of how the steam generator works is quick using this cutaway model and its intuitive diagram.

 Cutaway View of Primary and Secondary Dryers

Primary and Secondary Steam Dryers

Above is a cutaway view of the primary (blue tubes) and above them the secondary dryers (in white) to show where the steam flows. The output from the steam generator is dry steam which goes out from the top of the steam generator and then into the turbine which generates electricity.

Manway Cover

The lower half of the steam generator model shows tube bundles (containing hot water) in lattice grid assemblies and one of the manways (with the bolts) in the middle. Every bolt on the manway covers and every latch on the hatch doors is shown on the model which is important as there is a specific sequence that should be used when opening each one.

For more information on this and other nuclear models please reference a 5 page interview titled "Bill Baines: On the use of steam generator modeling at Calvert Cliffs" in the April, 2003 issue of Nuclear News magazine published by the American Nuclear Society (ANS). Go to this link docs/2003-04-01-NuclearNews-SteamGeneratorModel-ModelBuildersInc.pdf .  

Calvert Cliffs also has a scale model of their reactor vessel and its internals.  Bill Baines, the program administrator for the Engineering training program, oversees the initial and continuing training of about 180 engineers and analysts at the plant.

In the U.S. nearly 20% of power comes from 104 reactors which were mostly built between 1967-1987. Upgrades to existing equipment such as to the two Calvert Cliffs steam generators are where scale models are used for planning meetings as well as for training. The models allow everyone to see how the old and the new steam generators differ and what the workers could expect to encounter.The models provide project personnel with a visual 3-D model that shows how components might interfere with each other during removal and installation.

The US Department of Energy and some nuclear plants are also using a site model for planning and reviewing security procedures on a regular basis. Communication is easier when everyone is looking at the entire area being discussed.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss nuclear training models, site models or other projects contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net .

Tags: industrial scale models, plant layout model, architectural model, architectural models, engineering model, training aids, training aid, industrial scale model, process model, plant layout models, nuclear model

Sales kits demonstrate product advantages

Posted by Hal Chaffee on Sun, May 20, 2012 @ 09:33 PM

A sales call is one thing but a sales call with a sales kit is more likely to focus the potential client's attention on the advantages of a product.

Shown below is a sales kit that demonstrates how this particular storage silo works. The silo is hermetically sealed to keep oxygen out, thus keeping the feed fresher longer.  However, without a special feature, the silo would split open from expansion pressure if the inside air became much hotter than the outside air. If the inside air got much colder than the outside air, the silo's walls would collapse inward.  To prevent that, the top of the silo has two breather bags vented to the outside air. The bags collapse when it is hotter inside than outside and expand when it is colder inside than outside. This design enables the storage silo to keep the feed inside hermetically sealed without splitting open or caving in.

sales kit, sales kits, product model, product models

The question for the salesforce of well over 500 was how to show this breather bag process to potential clients so they believe it and remember it. The answer was the sales kit shown above.

In the bottom of the model silo is an emply aluminum soda can with the bottom missing. When the salesman lights a lighter inside the can the aluminum quickly heats the air inside which in turn collapses the two breather bags. He can then spray a can of fast freeze on the side of the aluminum can to cool the air inside and expand the two breather bags. This quick and memorable demonstration is a powerful factor in the sales process.

Sales kits often double as training aids. Shown below is a sales kit that is also used in training sessions to show how to adjust a crawler track for much longer wear.  The red rings show wear where they meet the white rods. The blue rings/rods are new with no wear. As the red rings wear down, eventually the track loosens up and the rings have to be replaced. 

However this particular design can be adjusted for wear so the track lasts about twice as long. The sales person can rotate the red rings and white rods 180 degrees with the steel tool in the middle of the yellow gear on the left so that they are facing the outside instead of the inside of the track. This puts the unworn half of the ring/rod facing the gear. You can hear and feel the difference by manually rotating the yellow gear on the left while holding the small steel rod in the gear.

sales kit, sales kits, product model, product models, training aid

Use sales kits like those above to help sell your product on sales calls or at trade shows. Give your product an edge by focusing on the key product advantages with an impact the client will remember.

If you would like more information on developing a sales kit for your product contact us at Model Builders, Inc. 773-586-6500 or info@modelbuilders.net

Tags: sales kit, sales kits, training aids, training aid