As the embers of 2012 begin to fizzle out, it is always a poignant time to dust down one's preferred sound bites from the year that was.

My personal favourite is reserved for the ongoing chairman of the Premier League Sir Dave Richards, an intrepid football explorer of Scott-like proportions, who gloriously decided to promote the need for a few pints of confidence when he washed up in liquor-shy Qatar back in March.

The diminutive but oil rich host nation of the 2022 World Cup finals is a spot where alcohol, in public at least, is about as welcome as your average Chelsea fan in Leeds. Richards did not see the need for such prohibition in the small Muslim state.

"In our country and in Germany, we have a culture," said an emboldened Richards, who also unintentionally stumbled into a water fountain during his magnificently outspoken mission to the desert.

“We call it, 'We would like to go for a pint', and that pint is a pint of beer. It is our culture as much as your culture [in Qatar] is not drinking. There has to be a happy medium."

Despite his apparent penchant for a tumbler or two of Bishops Finger, Richards would perhaps give two fingers to hotspots like the Alexandra Palace in London, a venue where the happy medium seems to be breached on a nightly basis during the three-week booze-a-thon that is the PDC World Darts Championship.

This Mecca to mindless elbow bending is all endorsed by live television. There is a darker side to what is farcically described as the best Christmas Party in town. It is also a reminder of this country’s depressing booze culture.

Some will say that darts has always had a drink problem, but the players dispensed with lager, vodka and fags on stage long ago as the need to be viewed as public role models and promote healthier living became glaringly obvious.

The days of the 1970s and 1980s when pint-laden men like Eric Bristow and Jocky Wilson were lost in the thick fug of cigarette smoke almost seems like an era from folklore.

The gone but not forgotten Geordie commentator Sid Waddell, whose voice is already desperately missed at this year’s tournament, once highlighted big Cliff Lazarenko’s need for a refreshment during a match.

"Cliff is off and looking for something yellow in a tall glass — and I don't mean daffodils,” said the loquacious Sid. Let us not forget that Scotland’s Jocky Wilson died a two-time world champion, but is as recalled as much for his alcoholism after checking out earlier this year.

During the World Championship semi-final in 1984, Dave Whitcombe outlasted Wilson in an epic battle, but failed to track down his opponent for the handshake after sinking the winning double. An inebriated Jocky had fallen off the stage.

Apart from the staggering Aussie Tony Fleet struggling to hold his darts during an excruciating loss to Martin Adams at the BDO version of the World Championship in 2010 when he had one over the eight beforehand, such drunken antics are now reserved for the fans.

“Stand up if you love the darts,” is a paean to the half-pissed. Without sounding prudish, there is something sad about watching some of the booze hounds who turn up to watch darts dressed in various costumes. The aim is obviously to get spotted on television stewed and dishevelled.

Some of the fans turned up in toga garb last night, almost straight out of National Lampoon’s Animal House, but Cleopatra had left the building long before Simon Whitlock was overcoming Haruki Muramatsu in the first round. Whitlock was losing finalist to Phil Taylor in 2010, but who can be bothered watching darts when you are all fuzzy.

Some of the drunkards who attend need to show a bit more respect to the tungsten tossers. A bloke sporting a beard had to be removed from the crowd at a tournament in Minehead last week when hundreds of fans began chanting Jesus at him during a Taylor match. He was deemed to be a distraction to the players.

“It was distressing. I was emotionally distraught. The crowd were bullying me and picking on me,” said the fan, who looked more like Justin Lee Collins.

There is something not right somewhere when characters can embrace such conduct when the finest player to throw a dart and winner of 15 world titles is playing.

Watching darts sober on TV enables a viewer to gain an edge of tension that is missing when lubricated. The final between between Raymond van Barneveld and Taylor in 2007 that went down to the final leg was best enjoyed with a cup of tea.

Zara Phillips stuck her snout in the darts trough a year ago, but then it is trendy for the idle rich to find out what this is all about. The difference with her is she has other interests away from the bottle and can return to her horses.

It is nonsense to suggest that all is good in darts when it is condoning a health problem of epidemic proportions. We live in moments of hardship for many, times when there is an overwhelming temptation to turn to grog because it is an easy option.

England and Wales last year averaged one million alcohol-related violent crimes and over one million alcohol-induced hospital admissions. That is without considering the long-term mental issues, liver damage and rising obesity rates among other ills that support anti-social behaviour.

Where there is a lot of drink, there is not a lot of happiness. Getting tanked up does not equate to being full of fun. Darts may be benefiting from a boom in popularity, but it is also cashing in from a parish of punters who remain more interested in doubles than double tops.

Half the crowd at the darts do not know if it is New Year or New York. While world darts continues to rage, the Ally Pally crowd has sadly become a very visible monument to the greater British booze problem.

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The Light Emitting Diode celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. It's easy to forget LEDs have been around for so long, especially as they've become ubiquitous as cheap, energy-efficient sources of light in comparatively recent times.

Take those Christmas lights, for example. LEDs have almost completely replaced the tungsten bulbs we gazed at as children, and for good reason - they're up to 90 per cent more efficient, don't get dangerously hot on our tinder-flammable Christmas trees, don't need to be troublesomely filled with inert gas, and can last for up to 100,000 hours each.

The LED has become one of the most important electronic components in modern technology. The market for general lighting by LEDs is expected to be worth $19.5bn this year and reach $31.4bn by 2017.

General lighting accounts for just 35 per cent of the total LED market, though, with mobile devices - such as smart phones and tabs - accounting for 30 per cent.

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Introduction

Tungsten has high electrical and thermal conductivity, and low vapor pressure at high temperature. It has high meting point compared to all other metallic materials. It is also considered as a good element for high vacuum technology, furnace construction, glass seals, and dimensional stability. It has an ability to absorb radioactive radiation because it has high density. The following datasheet gives an overview of tungsten.

Physical Properties

The physical properties of tungsten are displayed in the following table.
Properties                Metric                      Imperial
Density                   19.27 g/cm³              0.70 lb/in³
Melting point            3410°C                    6170°F

Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of tungsten are outlined in the following table.
Properties                     Metric             Imperial
Tensile strength            1725 MPa       250 ksi
Elastic modulus            400 GPa         58000 ksi
Hardness                     300                 300

Fabrication and Heat Treatment

Forming
Before forming, tungsten should be preheated at 675°C (1247°F).

Applications
Tungsten is used in different kinds of furnace and lighting applications due to its high melting temperature. The thermal expansion coefficient value of tungsten is almost same as that of silicon, thus using the tungsten in brazed mounts for silicon diode chips.

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Tis the season...for wedding engagements. More than a third of engagements take place between Thanksgiving and New Year's, according to WeddingWire -- so many, in fact, that it's come to be known as "engagement season."

Which means that wedding planning kicks off in earnest in the new year -- followed closely by sticker shock at the price of gold and platinum wedding bands. As the cost of precious metals continues to rise, it comes as no surprise that more and more grooms are forgoing those traditional choices and opting for more adventuresome -- and less costly -- materials, such as tungsten carbide and palladium.

Grooms spent an average of $491 for their wedding bands in 2011, almost a 23 percent drop from the $637 average in 2009, according to wedding-planning website The Knot. That's in part because fewer are buying gold: 39 percent of grooms purchased white gold bands in 2009, versus 34 percent in 2011.

Ruth Batson, CEO of the American Gem Society, chalks up the popularity of alternative materials to style as well as economics. "Alternative materials like titanium, ceramic, tungsten are top trends right now, because of the hardness factor and also for ease of care. While cost may be a factor for some, overall design and how the ring looks and holds up tend to be a priority."

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Sometimes you have to watch between the lines to understand how much authority governmental agencies really have. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a case in point. The issue is what ammunition the ATF considers to be "armor piercing ammunition" and not ammunition used for "sporting purposes."

In early December meetings, the ATF met with gun control activist groups, the NRA, firearms industry groups and others. The ATF expressed opinions that "warrant particular scrutiny," NRA representatives, who attended those meetings, noted on the group's website.

Under a law adopted in 1986, the definition of "armor piercing ammunition" is "a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, beryllium copper or depleted uranium."

The intent of the law, which is good, is to protect law enforcement officers from ammunition that could penetrate soft body armor.

The challenge is that there are handguns designed to fire certain rifle calibers and that rifle ammunition wasn't designed for anything other than sporting purposes. That means you could have a rifle caliber ammunition type outlawed on the basis that it can be fired in a handgun and pierce armor. That covers a wide range of rifle ammunition that could be outlawed under a stricter interpretation of this law.

According to the NRA representatives who attended the meetings, the ATF "suggested that it believes that the armor piercing ammunition law was intended to affect all ammunition capable of penetrating soft body armor worn by law enforcement officers."

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Introduction
Super alloys or high performance alloys include iron-based, cobalt-based and nickel-based alloys. These alloys have good oxidation and creep resistance and are available in different shapes.

Super alloys can be strengthened by precipitation hardening, solid-solution hardening and work hardening methods. These alloys can function under high mechanical stress and high temperatures and also in places that require high surface stability.

Udimet 520™ is a nickel-chromium-cobalt alloy. Addition of tungsten and molybdenum result in age-hardening and strengthening of this alloy.

The following datasheet provides an overview of Udimet 520™.

Chemical Composition
The chemical composition of Udimet 520™ is outlined in the following table.
Element                   Content (%)
Nickel, Ni                 52.18-59.976
Chromium, Cr          18.0-20.0
Cobalt, Co               11.0-14.0
Molybdenum, Mo     5.50-7.00
Titanium, Ti             2.90-3.25
Aluminum, Al          1.80-2.30
Tungsten, W          0.800-1.20
Carbon, C             0.0200-0.0600
Boron, B               0.00400-0.0100

Physical Properties
The following table shows the physical properties of Udimet 520™.
Properties                       Metric            Imperial
Density                          8.21 g/cm³      0.297 lb/in³
Melting point                  1371°C            2500°F
Mechanical Properties

The mechanical properties of Udimet 520™ are displayed in the following table.
Properties                                             Metric                 Imperial
Tensile strength (@950°C/1740°F)        350 MPa               50800 psi
Yield strength (@strain 0.200%, temperature 850°C/strain 0.200%, temperature 1560°F)                                                          500 MPa               72500 psi
Elongation at break (@50°C/122°F)      100%                    100%

Fabrication and Heat Treatment

Annealing
Udimet 520™ is annealed at 1107°C (2025°F) and then cooled in air rapidly.

Cold Working
Standard cooling methods are used for cold forming Udimet 520™. Minimization of galling is possible with the usage of heavy duty lubricants and soft die materials though the die life is limited. Tooling is recommended in the cold working process to allow liberal radii and clearances.

Welding
Welding processes recommended for Udimet 520™ include gas-tungsten arc welding, gas metal-arc welding and shielded metal-arc welding. This alloy can be welded by the commonly used welding procedures, and the welding surfaces should be free from paint, crayon markings or oil.

Forging
Udimet 520™ is capable of being forged as it is ductile.

Forming
Conventional methods can be used to form Udimet 520™ with ease as it has good ductility. To obtain good forming results, a powerful equipment is used along with heavy- prevent embrittlement of this alloy at high temperatures.

Machinability
Udimet 520™ can be machined by conventional machining methods. and tThis alloy contains higher strength, gumminess and work-hardening qualities. Usage of water-based coolants is preferred for milling, turning or grinding. Usage of heavy lubricants is preferred for boring, drilling, broaching or tapping operations. Work-hardening of the alloy before the cutting process and chatter can be minimized by tooling and a heavy duty machining equipment.

Aging
Udimet 520™ is treated at three different temperatures to be air-hardened.

    Heat for 4 h at 1107°C (2025°F) and cool in air.
    Heat for 24 h at 843°C (1550°F) and cool in air.
    Heat for 16 h at 760°C (1400°F) and cool in air.

Heat Treatment
Udimet 520™ can be hardened when heat treated.

Applications
Udimet 520™ is used in gas turbine hot section components and industrial applications that need hot high heat strength with good quality.

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Dwarven treasure map – Have you ever wanted to reclaim your homeland and the treasures that are your birthright? Well now you can with a prop replica of Thorin Oakenshield’s map to The Lonely Mountain from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, complete with hidden Moon Rune text that can only be seen in the moonlight (well, any light will work, but won’t be as much fun.) If the $200 price tag is a little too much, with all your gold currently being horded by an ill-tempered dragon and all, you can always opt for the $30 parchment version of the map.

The Lord Of The Rings: The One Ring – This ring may not give you the power of invisibility, but that’s okay, because you’ll want your friends to be able to see your good taste as you sport this gold plated tungsten carbide One Ring replica that is stylishly decorated with Elvish runes reading, “One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” This is guaranteed to be the most precious gift of all!

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With a sparkle in his eye, a spring in his step and a throat lozenge in his mouth, Phil Taylor on Tuesday night won the PDC World Darts Championship for the 16th time.

The greatest player ever to hurl a dart, the Power picked up the Sid Waddell trophy after beating the young Dutchman Michael van Gerwen by seven sets to four. And, as the great commentator after which the huge bauble is named would have put it, in winning Taylor proved he has tips of tungsten.

One thing is for sure, across his previous 15 titles, Taylor can have faced few challenges as intense as the one presented here by the young Dutchman. At one point he was 4-2 down, with Van Gerwen, the chucker who appears not to aim, hitting a speedy succession of magnificent trebles. As the 23 year-old from Boxtel in the south of the Netherlands moved apparently inexorably towards becoming the youngest man ever to win the crown, Taylor was sucking on his flights, shifting uncomfortably in his over-sized shirt and mouthing “what can you do?” to the boisterous Alexandra Palace crowd.

It was a fair question. Van Gerwen, whose square-mouthed yells of celebration really ought to carry an 18 certificate to prevent vulnerable youngsters suffering nightmares at the sight of it, looked unassailable. He was out-Tayloring Taylor. As he threw nine 180s, everyone in the arena was asking: what exactly could anyone do against such a force of darts? Not even the Power had an answer to this.

Well, what Taylor could do was to dig deep and produce some of the finest throwing ever seen, even in his imperious reign on the Ally Pally’s giant red stage. At 52, three years after he appeared to have relinquished his grip on the world title, Taylor showed absolutely no intention of falling to the exigencies of time.

Age does not appear to wither the man from the Potteries. Demonstrating precisely what it is that has made him the most decorated player in darts history, he clawed his way back, averaging over 103 for every three darts he threw, chucking in five 180s, finishing with a double 16 and throughout the final providing a masterclass in nerveless application.

And he needed to. Make no mistake, Taylor was up against it here. The Matt Lucas lookalike Van Gerwen is already a superb competitor, a player of flair and flamboyance, whose storm to the final had encompassed darts of a kind rarely before delivered in this competition, even by Taylor. His near double nine-dart finish in the semi-final had seasoned observers fearing for old guard’s prospects here.

“He’s phenomenal that kid, I just couldn’t seem to crack him,” said Taylor afterwards, his voice threatening to crumble with emotion. “He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen in my career. I am absolutely over the moon, I’m so proud tonight.” As Taylor swung the competition his way, slowly, relentlessly reeling in his opponent, the hugely boisterous, fancy-dressed crowd filling the Alexandra Palace chanted his name to the echo. They were all, they insisted, walking in a Taylor Wonderland. And this after many had booed him to the oche at the start, keen to express their displeasure at his graceless reaction to his semi-final win over Raymond van Barneveld. But then the darts Taylor produced here had that effect on people: there was no other response than to stand and loudly acknowledge his brilliance.

What an evening they were having in the crowd, toasting their good fortune at being present at the self-styled “hottest ticket in sport”. Indeed, it was clear that Alcohol Concern’s Dry January campaign had singularly failed to establish a foothold in Alexandra Palace on Tuesday night. Drink was everywhere in evidence; the place was awash in beer.

But then, this has always been a thirsty competition. A few years back at the final, I was queuing up at the bar behind a fan who, when his turn came, ordered 20 pints of lager. The barman, evidently not amused at the scale of the order, rolled his eyes and sighed ostentatiously.

“Sorry about that,” came back the fan, by way of excuse for his demand. “But there are four of us.”

As it turned out, however, there was little need for any outside assistance to achieve a gleeful dose of seasonal good cheer. Taylor’s exhibition was elevated enough to lift any mood. Never mind that his vocation requires nothing more physical than an occasional walk of a couple of yards to retrieve his arrows from the board, Taylor demonstrated here the kind of mental resolve that is rare in any kind of athletic pursuit. He simply refuses to countenance defeat. And as he does so, you can almost feel the waves of certainty undermining his opponent.

As he began to claw his way back into the match, first equalising the sets, then opening up a lead, Van Gerwen seemed to shrink before him. The Dutchman missed doubles, missed chances, missed doing what earlier in the evening had appeared to be second nature to him. And the more he missed, the more the wry smile played on the old champion’s lips. He knew he had him. He knew he was about to remind us all who really is the boss around here.

Afterwards, as he basked in triumph, a winner’s cheque for £200,000 in his pocket, Taylor made no mention of the threat to retire he had issued ahead of this final.

“They got me through this,” he said of the crowd.

And as he spoke, thrilled by the response to his victory, he did not look like a man keen to depart the scene at any time soon.

For which those of us lucky enough to witness his performance can be profoundly grateful. Quite simply, this was an act of true sporting genius.

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In the past, 3D printing for manufacturing, or "additive manufacturing," had been primarily used as a rapid prototyping tool for plastic parts. However, the sphere of applications is expanding as use of printable metal alloys, such as tungsten and titanium, gains traction. Creating prototypes is still the dominant application; however, the technology has matured to the point where manufacturers can use it to complement or replace traditional production processes.

Leading manufacturers are now looking at potential 3D printing applications in multiple areas to determine where it could save time or costs. For production processes, it appears that 3D printing can provide the most benefit for manufacturers seeking to move toward smaller production quantities.

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If you live in Scandanavia, you probably take great pride in showing visitors from warmer climes your tungsten-studded winter tyres. Yet keep strangely silent on the amount of swearing you do twice a year when you have to change them. When we’ve got a set of auto-adjusting all-weather tyres we might come and visit you again. Less tyre chat next time, please.

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