In addition to our existing portfolio of OCTG and connections, we continue to develop new products and technologies to fulfill the E&P industry’s evolving needs and introduce innovative solutions for our customers. Our research and development activities are carried out at the R&D Center located in Houston, Texas. The R&D Center was commissioned in 2011 and is the center of our innovation initiatives, employing approximately 30 engineers, technicians and scientists. This facility has a full range of testing capabilities including metallurgical analysis such as metallography, corrosion testing and SEM analysis along with two full connection testing machines that are used for developing the next generation of premium connections. As drilling technology continues to improve, we believe that the R&D Center is key to developing the steel pipe and connections that will be required to meet more stringent strength and corrosion requirements. For the six months ended June 30, 2018 and the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we spent $4.0 million, $10.2 million and $9.1 million on R&D, respectively.

This can be done on a fitness apparatus at a gym. Your hands can be in pronated (palms facing away) or a supinated (palms facing you) grip. Begin with arms fully extend and then pull yourself up. Feel free to use bands or assist machines to help complete the drill.

My favorite ornament is a milkweed pod cut in half long ways, sprayed lightly with gold paint on the outside and covered with red felt inside. There is a small plastic Santa head with a pointed hat nestled inside and on the back painted 1970-MOM-CP. It has a thread to hang it by and was made by my son in the first grade. Each year it is wrapped gingerly in tissue paper to make sure it is protected.

The blood vessels in your body are designed the same way. Don’t ignore technology that Mother Nature has perfected when it comes to the best way for liquids to flow.

At an industry trade fair in Geneva last May, I overheard an industry analyst explain Varsano’s storefront to a Russian lawyer: “It’s like you go to his shop to buy an airplane the way you might buy a dress or a car.” The booths at the fair seemed to make this comparison plausible; while some of them offered pragmatic aviation solutions (soundproofing, flameproofing, protecting your cockpit from laser attack), there were also great billowing capes of sample leather upholsteries called Monarch and Noble and Duchess, and honeycomb composites made to resemble the fine grain of any protected wood, and vendors that offered bespoke seat-perforation patterns. Varsano, however, finds the analogy flippant. In a 2013 interview, shortly after his shop opened, Varsano told the BBC: “The view that it’s all about flying off on a skiing trip with Champagne and girls is just so untrue.” For Varsano, an aircraft is a practical necessity — a “business tool” or a “time machine.”

Bolt, screw and plug extraction need not be difficult if you’re patient and think the process through. If the fastener or plug cannot be driven out with a punch or chisel, you will have to drill it out in phases until it can be removed with an extractor. Sometimes heat has to be applied to the area around the fastener or plug, which causes the area to expand and loosen up. Soaking the area with penetrating lubricant days ahead of time offers some hope, and reduces the likelihood of failure.

24. We were at Burbank Speed & Machine assembling a 489ci big-block Chevy when the head torqueing process turned into stripped threads in a wet-deck bolt hole. Dave Akard of Burbank Speed examined the hole and concluded it needed a quick fix with a Heli-Coil insert. Dave also had a Time-Sert kit on hand, which is an even better solution because the threaded inserts are solid machined pieces that screw into the existing bolt hole.

[E21B] EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING (mining, quarrying E21C; making shafts, driving galleries or tunnels E21D); OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS [5]

Individual Rights: If you are a resident of the EEA or Switzerland, you are entitled to the following rights once the GDPR becomes effective. Please note: In order to verify your identity, we may require you to provide us with personal information prior to accessing any records containing information about you.

Obscure Corvette presentation photos and GM Archives documentation photos indicate that designers considered a hatchback for the 1963 Sting Ray coupe.

An illustration from Nuvectra Corporation’s patent No. 9974108 shows paired communication between an implanted medical device and an external control device. [via USPTO]

If Mr. Makarov’s employment is terminated due to his death or incapacity, Mr. Makarov (or, if applicable, his estate) will be entitled to receive a pro-rated annual bonus for the year of termination and accelerated vesting of a pro-rated basis (or, if such termination occurs within two years following a change in control, full accelerated vesting instead of on a pro-rated basis) of any outstanding equity or equity-based awards under the 2018 Plan (as defined below), with any awards subject to performance-based vesting conditions remaining subject to the attainment of the applicable performance goals. If Mr. Makarov’s employment is terminated by us for reasons other than “Misconduct” or by Mr. Makarov for “Good Reason” (as such capitalized terms are defined in his employment agreement), then Mr. Makarov will be entitled to receive (i) twelve months of base salary continuation and continued medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage, (ii) a pro-rated bonus for the year of termination, and (iii) accelerated vesting of a pro-rated basis of any outstanding equity or equity-based awards under the 2018 Plan, with any awards subject to performance-based vesting conditions remaining subject to the attainment of the applicable performance goals, provided that if such termination occurs within two years following a change in control, in lieu of the foregoing, Mr. Makarov will be entitled to receive (i) a lump sum cash payment of an amount equal to his base salary plus target annual bonus for the year of termination, (ii) twelve months of continued medical, dental, vision and life insurance coverage, (iii) a pro-rated bonus for the year of termination, and (iii) full accelerated vesting of any outstanding equity or equity-based awards under the 2018 Plan, with any awards subject to performance-based vesting conditions remaining subject to the attainment of the applicable performance goals (unless a provision more favorable to Mr. Makarov is included in an applicable award agreement covering the outstanding equity award or we determine to treat him more favorably in connection with the change in control).