August 28, 2012 Volume 08 Issue 32

Mechanical News & Products

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Adjustable Spot Cooler provides precise industrial cooling

EXAIR's Adjustable Spot Cooler System offers a low-cost, reliable, and maintenance-free solution for industrial spot cooling needs. This tool offers precision control, versatility, and ease of use for a variety of applications including milling, machining, soldering, gas sampling, welding, and more. Utilizing cool and clean compressed air, the Spot Cooler allows users to precisely adjust temperatures from as low as -30°F (-34°C) to room temperature with the simple turn of a knob.
Learn more.


What can you secure with a retaining ring? 20 examples

From the watch dial on your wrist to a wind turbine, no application is too small or too big for a Smalley retaining ring to secure. Light to heavy-duty loads? Carbon steel to exotic materials? No problem. See how retaining rings are used in slip clutches, bike locks, hip replacements, and even the Louvre Pyramid.
See the Smalley design applications.


Fastest large-format SLA 3D printer in the world

Built on Formlabs' next-generation Low Force Display print engine, the new Form 4L SLA 3D printer delivers unmatched reliability with a 99% print success rate compared to other SLA 3D printers. These benefits, combined with a build volume nearly 5x the size of Form 4, allow Form 4L users to solve big problems and print smaller parts at high volume. Large-scale prints finished in under six hours.
Learn more.


SOLIDWORKS catch up: What's new in Assemblies?

The last couple of major releases of SOLIDWORKS each introduced significant new Assembly modeling features and workflows. Want to know what's new? Catch up on what you might have missed out on since your last upgrade -- and get a first look at highlights from the upcoming SOLIDWORKS 2025. Some very useful changes!
View the video.


Did you know you can 3D print rubber?

3D-printing materials just keep getting better -- and now there are more choices than ever. Watch as Walter Voit, SVP Polymer Materials, Desktop Metal, describes the 3D printing of DuraChain Elastic ToughRubber photopolymers, which produce tough and resilient end-use parts while eliminating the need for a two-part resin. DuraChain photopolymers also demonstrate a long pot life of roughly one year, depending on environmental conditions, making them more suitable for volume production and reducing waste from spoiled, unused material. These materials are offered exclusively on the ETEC Xtreme 8K top-down DLP systems. ETEC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Desktop Metal.
Learn about this exciting material.
Learn about the ETEC Xtreme 8K DLP systems -- and what makes them so much better.


Best high-speed rotary bearing in THK history

THK has developed its best-performing, high-speed rotary bearing ever: the High-Speed, Double-Row Angular Contact Ring BWH. This rotary bearing has balls aligned inside a cage between the inner and outer rings and is part of the THK Rotary Series, along with the cross-roller ring. The main features of this product are its ability to receive loads in all directions as well as its high rigidity and rotational accuracy, which are equal to that of cross-roller rings. By adopting a new structure to change the rolling elements from rollers to balls, this product achieves the greatest high-speed performance ever offered by THK.
Learn more.


Large bore zero-backlash jaw couplings from Ruland

Ruland Manufacturing has expanded its jaw coupling line to meet the demands of high-torque applications, now offering bore sizes up to 1-3/4 in. or 45 mm and torque capacities of 2,655 in.-lb (300 Nm). Target uses are in precision systems with high deceleration and acceleration curves, such as semiconductor, solar, conveyor, and warehouse automation applications. Features include zero-backlash, industry-leading misalignment capabilities, and a balanced design that reduces vibration at speeds up to 8,000 rpm.
Learn more.


How Nord-Lock washers work

Can you get a design and functional edge with a wedge? In this animated video, Nord-Lock explains the principle behind their original wedge-locking technology, which secures bolted joints even when exposed to severe vibration and dynamic loads. The company says it is impossible for this washer type to loosen unintentionally, due to the wedge created underneath the bolt head and nut.
View the video.


Copper foam -- so many advantages

Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
Learn more.


New patented wave spring engineered for EV market and more

Rotor Clip has just launched its new, patented InterShim™ Wave Spring design, which has been engineered for high-acceleration electric motor applications. It features alternating turns between inactive (flat) and active (waved) turns to ensure reliable performance under torsional loads and precise rotational movement. The highly customizable wave spring's advanced design addresses physical challenges such as extreme forces and vibrations, making it a versatile solution for high-speed and high-stress applications across various industries.
Learn more.


Tube bending and cutting design guide

Xometry's just-launched downloadable Laser Tube Cutting and Tube Bending Design Guide covers design tips and tricks for cutting parts, including minimums, tolerances, and sizes. The guide also covers important rules for mandrel tube bending, like tolerancing, distance between bends, and bends to avoid. Interested in even more in-depth information? Watch the corresponding on-demand webinar, which introduces how Xometry is bringing AI and machine learning to provide instant pricing and lead time on tube bending and cutting to its Instant Quoting Engine.
Get the guide. No registration required.
Watch the extended Best Practices webinar.


Stratasys, BASF partner on new polypropylene for 3D printing

A new additive manufacturing material from Stratasys and BASF is aimed at driving greater part quality, versatility, and cost efficiency. SAF™ PP is recognized for its exceptional chemical resistance and airtight capabilities, making it the ultimate choice for complex applications across various industries. It can also be welded to other polypropylene components.
Read the full article.


Cam followers with space-saving polymer outer ring design

The new CFL Series cam follower from IKO International boasts a unique, space-saving outer ring design and polymer layer that exceeds the capabilities of conventional resin-type cam followers. Many conventional cam followers press-fit a layer of resin onto the unit's standard outer ring to maintain radial load capacity and provide quiet, clean, and durable operation. However, this thicker assembly makes it difficult to fit into constrained spaces. The CFL Series significantly improves on this design with a polymer layer that is molded directly onto the IKO exclusive thin-walled steel outer ring. This construction solves the dilemma of being able to install a cam follower with special polymers, offering self-lubricating and shock-absorbing properties into existing applications.
Learn more.


NEW! Semi-automatic pin installation technology from SPIROL -- Better, faster fastening

SPIROL's new video showcases their updated Model PR and Model CR Semi-Automatic Installation Machines for Pins, Alignment Dowels, and Bushings. The video demonstrates how to operate the machine, details standard features, and optional quality and error-proofing enhancements. More than 80% of the components in this installation equipment are standard, pretested, production-proven, off-the-shelf parts. This translates into faster delivery, greater reliability, and lowest cost for equipment of comparable quality.
View the video.


Advanced tips for CNC designs and drawings: On-demand webinar

Greg Paulsen and Steve Zimmerman from Xometry present a comprehensive understanding of CNC design principles, what features are considered common, and what can drive costs. The experts also go through guidance to make great technical drawings to communicate design intent to manufacturers. Lots of good info here. Flip through now and take it all in later when you have the time.
View the video. No registration required.


Laser-sintering technology soars in rapidly evolving UAV industry

Watch the skies: More and more, you'll see unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) doing both commercial and public work. And a greater percentage of those devices will incorporate components manufactured with technology from EOS, a technology and market leader for design-driven, integrated e-manufacturing solutions for industrial applications. Examples were everywhere at AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America 2012 event held August 7-9 in Las Vegas.

EOS displayed a variety of innovative laser-sintered aerospace parts, some of them difficult or even impossible to manufacture any other way, at their booth. Around the corner, Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems and its sister company, Northwest Rapid Manufacturing, ran a FORMIGA P 100 plastic laser-sintering system from EOS.

"Laser sintering provides a competitive business advantage that is helping us find new customers," said Alexander Graham Dick, VP operations and technical sales manager of Northwest Rapid. "It offers high quality, rapid turnaround, and the ability to create efficient, integrated components."

One example is the company's generator set, which made use of their EOS plastic laser-sintering system. The set, which consists of a combustion engine that drives an electrical generator, increases fuel capacity through a plastic tank design that takes maximum advantage of available space and incorporates the fuel tank and its enclosure in one part.

View of a generator set for a UAV. The laser-sintered fuel tank (cap is visible at the right) is shaped to take maximum advantage of available space in the assembly, increasing fuel capacity. [Image courtesy: Northwest Rapid Manufacturing]

 

 

 

 

Another view of the generator set, showing internal components and the complex shape of the fuel tank wrapped around them. Plastic laser sintering from EOS enabled the manufacture of the fuel tank and its enclosure as a single part. [Image courtesy: Northwest Rapid Manufacturing]

 

 

 

 

Noted aerospace and defense analysts Teal Group observed in a recent market study that UAV spending is set to nearly double worldwide over the next decade, from $6.6 billion to $11.4 billion per year. Others predict that a sizable segment of this expansion will be civilian applications.

"Nearly every day someone recognizes a new use for UAVs for which the vehicle or payload needs to be adapted," said Udo Behrendt, EOS' global business development manager, aerospace. "That means re-thinking designs and quickly remaking components -- which is where the manufacturing capabilities of laser sintering are invaluable."

UAV manufacturers can benefit from laser sintering in many ways. The plastic or metal materials are strong and durable. Lightweight parts can be built with complex shapes. Laser sintering enables instant customization and re-design without tooling, making it inexpensive to re-purpose an existing UAV from one mission to another. The technology has been used to make fuel tanks, engine housings, cowlings, nacelles, ducts, and even entire fuselages.

For more information about EOS, click here.

For more information about Northwest Rapid Manufacturing, click here.

Source: EOS

Published August 2012

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