Category Archives: Engineering

Vista Industrial Products has over a millennium’s worth of manufacturing and mechanical engineering experience. So we felt it would be helpful to everyone to share some of our engineering tips and tricks! Feel free to leave comments or ask questions!

San Diego Business Journal’s Manufacturing Awards 2015

Posted on by
Reply

We are proud to announce that Vista Industrial Products, Inc. was a finalist in the “Large Company” Category for the San Diego Business Journal’s Manufacturing Awards 2015! This is an honorary award given that we were a finalist out of all sorts of manufacturers within the San Diego area and even Mexico! Some of the manufacturers include those within our metal fabrication industry, and others like the medical, pharmaceutical, beer brewing, and many more! The award was based upon “Celebrating Regional Excellence”…sounds so fancy!

Here are some photos from the award ceremony: Continue reading →

Metal Finish vs. Surface Finish

Posted on by
Reply

SheetMetalImage1Have you ever had metal parts fabricated and you indicated no finish, and when you received the parts, the surface finish was not what you expected? Maybe you were hoping for a mill finish, but the parts were sanded to a uniform finish? Or maybe you expected a smooth mill finish, but there were scratches and gouges from the fabrication process? In the metal fabrication industry, there can be confusion and a misunderstanding when it comes to metal finishing and surface finish, which are not the same thing. They are actually completely different from each other and one does not indicate the other. To help clarify the distinction between the two, we will identify the differences between the two from a manufacturer’s point of view. Continue reading →

Configuration Management: When to Change Part Numbers and Revisions

Posted on by
Reply

For today’s blog post, we will be discussing the importance of when to change part numbers and revisions on manufacturing drawings. This is a major part of engineering change control and maintaining the proper documentation based on the minor and major changes made. Before we get started, it is important to mention that this blog is not meant as a “how to” of maintaining documentation and engineering change control. Many OEMs and companies maintain their document control based on their own system of rules of configuration or interchangeability (when to change part numbers, how to properly roll revisions, what letters and numbers to use, etc.). Continue reading →

The Importance of Deviation Management in Manufacturing

Posted on by
Reply

It’s agreeable that quality is the number one most important aspect of manufacturing. There are numerous quality standards throughout industries and throughout the world. Without them, many products wouldn’t serve their purpose and would be complete junk without them. For instance, without FDA quality standards, the medical devices that are used during surgery could be inefficient causing the surgery to fail. Or without auto industry standards, your car wouldn’t operate the way it’s supposed to.  Another would be if there weren’t FAA quality standards, airplanes could be unreliable and unsafe to fly. Continue reading →

The Importance of CAD Models in Manufacturing

Posted on by
1

CAD (computer-aided design) models have changed the way the manufacturing industry designs and manufactures parts. There’s no doubt that since CAD technology, there has been a huge turning point for the better. Before CAD, designers used paper, pencils, rulers, compasses, and other tools to go about their drafting. It was cumbersome, time consuming, and a nuisance at times especially when there were changes being made to the design. Continue reading →