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Dual-laser metal AM system makes parts faster

Renishaw's new dual-laser RenAM 500D metal additive manufacturing machine has been designed to offer exceptional product quality and productivity for a wider range of budgets. The RenAM 500D features two 500-W lasers that can access the entire build platform, delivering superior performance when compared with single-laser systems. Additionally, the RenAM 500D Ultra, fitted with Renishaw's TEMPUS technology, allows the laser to fire while the recoater is moving, saving up to nine seconds per build layer and reducing cost per part. This also helps to deliver a production speed up to three times faster than conventional single-laser systems. Many more features.
Learn more.

NEW! Aluminum Press-In Inserts for plastics

SPIROL is pleased to introduce a range of 2024 aluminum Press-In Inserts. Available in symmetrical (Series INS 50) and headed (INS 51) versions, the new aluminum Press-In Inserts line complements the existing brass line. Threaded Inserts are essential for reinforcing plastic components and provide a reusable thread within a bolted assembly. This ensures a proper seating torque and prevents the potential for plastic creep over time. These inserts are designed to be Pressed-In without heat and provide the lowest cost to install with acceptable joint performance for many applications.
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When glass or plastic can't cut it: Transparent ceramics solve critical design challenges

Complex designs are still possible when grinding and polishing Fused Silica or Sapphire. Ceramic properties such as wear, abrasion resistance, and strength of these optical materials can be a designer's dream solution when high temperatures or severe environments rule out standard optical glass or plastic. INSACO is a machine shop specializing in ultra-hard and extreme materials.
→ Contact Jackson Evans, Sales Engineer at INSACO jpe@insaco.com.
→ Learn more about INSACO materials and capabilities.

New contactless link magnetic couplings use magnetic field to transmit torque

Miki Pulley Magnetic Couplings are shaft couplings that transmit torque from one shaft to another using a magnetic field instead of a physical or mechanical connection. These Magnetic Couplings are non-contact and rely on the attraction and repulsion of magnetic poles to generate rotational power. The full product range can withstand significant misalignments and are silent, vibration-free, and do not generate thermal conduction. Design advantages include configurations that are versatile for use in various engagement angles and installations. Max transmittable torque is adjustable.
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New aero and defense PEKK-based FDM polymers from Stratasys

Stratasys has partnered with top aerospace and defense companies to develop two newly qualified materials for 3D printing. Antero 800NA is a PEKK-based FDM polymer with excellent physical and mechanical properties for demanding applications. Antero 840CN03 is a high-performance PEKK-based FDM polymer with electrostatic dissipative (ESD) properties. These new advanced industrial solution materials were rigorously qualified in collaboration with Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Blue Origin, Raytheon, Naval Air Systems Command, the National Institute for Aviation Research, United States Air Force, BAE, and Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.
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New washer tech for leak-free automotive sealing

Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has launched the Rubore^® Washer, a unique solution offering virtually leak-free sealing beneath screwheads to safeguard critical systems in vehicles, especially electric ones.
Read the full article.

EOS expands its Nickel superalloys for 3D printing

EOS, a leading supplier of manufacturing solutions for industrial 3D printing, has added two new metal additive manufacturing materials: EOS NickelAlloy IN738 and EOS NickelAlloy K500, both delivering excellent performance, part properties, and value to a variety of industries that leverage EOS Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LBPF) 3D-printing technology. The IN738 superalloy is aimed at high-strength, high-stress energy and turbomachinery applications, while the K500 superalloy is a cost-effective, corrosion-resistant option for chemical, maritime, and space industries.
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Ruland acquires RoCom Couplings, expanding beam coupling and machined spring capabilities

Ruland Manufacturing has acquired the assets of RoCom Couplings, a Santa Maria, CA-based company specializing in beaming technology, including beam couplings, machined springs, and custom beamed components. The acquisition expands Ruland's beam coupling offerings and enhances its manufacturing capabilities to better serve customers requiring precision-engineered flexible couplings and custom machined solutions.
Learn more and see what's offered.

norelem adds 30,000 new components to its range

norelem, a global manufacturer and supplier of standard components for machinery and automation, has expanded its product range by adding 30,000 parts to its catalog. Unique in the industry, this expansion brings norelem's selection of high-quality components to over 130,000 products for design engineers and machine technicians. From sensors and clamps to plungers, levers, and measurement instruments, norelem's entire supply is available to order from its online shop with guaranteed fast and reliable delivery times.
Check out what norelem has to offer. They are new to Designfax.

Wear-resistant precision hinges from JW Winco

The precision hinges GN 7580 from JW Winco supply a pivoting movement to elements such as swing arms, spacers, and clamping plates in applications such as jig construction, automation systems, or testing systems. These wear-resistant hinges feature low radial play and adjustable axial play. They are made of black anodized and high-strength alloyed aluminum, while the bearing bushings are made of bronze. Stainless steel is used for the hardened hinge axis as well as the thrust washers and adjusting screws. An additional polyamide coating on the adjusting screws provides for thread locking.
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Supercar of the skies: Autodesk Alias design

Learn how Hill Helicopter is using Autodesk Alias to design the innovative HX50, the "supercar of the skies." The next-gen, private copter marries high-end automotive and aero design and materials to create a futuristic flying five-seat SUV for a discriminating clientele. A neat insider look.
View the video.

CNC machining: How to avoid high costs on thin walls

Parts that are light and strong are crucial to nearly every industry. To achieve better performance without risking part failure, parts must maintain a specific wall-height-to-thickness ratio and wall-height-to-length ratio. Additionally, some geometries and supports can support thin walls to achieve a lighter component weight. Dive deeper into the cost drivers behind CNC-machined thin walls in this Xometry design-for-manufacturing article.
Read the full article.

Before you design your next application, try this

Smalley's industry-leading Spirolox^® Retaining Rings feature a gapless design with 360° of retaining surface. Unlike other rings, Spirolox has no protruding ears to interfere with mating components in your assembly! The highly versatile Spirolox rings are also groove-interchangeable with circlips, meaning they can replace circlips without any design changes. Are you ready to try the Smalley Advantage? Request your free samples today!
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No-cost courses in fastener technology

Master the theory of fastener design to expand your product knowledge and become an even better and more efficient design engineer. PennEngineering's PEM FastenerClass^® courses aim to give participants insight into peer and competitor techniques, a better understanding of loads and stress analysis, and enhanced career opportunities -- all beyond the basics of fastener design, selection, and installation. Self-clinch, threads, press-in inserts, surface-mount options, and sheet-to-sheet are only a few of the many topics covered.
See what courses are offered.

Engineer's Toolbox: The secret to living hinges that fold flat

Living hinges are often used to produce a container and its lid as a single molded part. If properly designed, they can open and close thousands of times without ever losing strength or flexibility. Protolabs provides valuable tips on designing these (sometimes thin and fragile) parts.
Read the full article.

Weird science: Friction at highest speeds causes less damage

When two metal surfaces slide against each other, a variety of complicated phenomena occur that lead to friction and wear: Small crystalline regions, of which metals are typically composed, can be deformed, twisted, or broken, or even fuse together. It is important for industry to understand such effects. After all, wear can destroy machinery and cost a lot of money.

Typically, the faster two surfaces slide past each other, the greater the wear. But at extremely high speeds, comparable to the muzzle velocity of a firearm, this can be reversed: Above a certain speed, the wear decreases again.

New research shows that a slow sliding speed (left) leaves the structure of the metal intact. Fast sliding (middle) completely destroys it. Extremely fast sliding (right) partly melts the uppermost layer, but this effect protects the layers below. [Credit: TU Wien]

 

 

 

 

This surprising and seemingly contradictory result has now been explained using computer simulations by the Research Unit Tribology at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) and the Austrian Excellence Center for Tribology (AC2T research GmbH) in cooperation with Imperial College in London.

Simulations on high-performance computers
"In the past, friction and wear could only be studied in experiments," says Stefan Eder (TU Wien, AC2T research GmbH). "Only in recent years have supercomputers become so powerful that we can model the highly complex processes at the material surface on an atomic scale."

Eder and his team recreate various metal alloys on the computer. These are not perfect single crystals, with a strictly regular and defect-free arrangement of atoms, but an alloy that is much closer to reality: a geometrically complicated arrangement of tiny crystals that can be offset from each other or twisted in different directions, manifesting as material defects. "This is important, because all these defects have a decisive influence on friction and wear," says Eder. "If we were to simulate a perfect metal on the computer, the result would have little to do with reality."

Surprising results
The research team calculated how the sliding speed affects wear. "At comparatively low speeds, in the order of 10 or 20 meters per second, wear is low. Only the outermost layers change, the crystal structures underneath remain largely intact," says Eder.

If you increase the speed to 80 to 100 m/sec, the wear increases -- that is to be expected, after all, more energy is then transferred into the metal per time unit. "You then gradually enter a range where the metal behaves like a viscous liquid, similar to honey or peanut butter," says Eder. Deeper layers of the metal are pulled along in the direction of the passing surface, and the microstructure in the metal is completely reorganized. The individual grains that make up the material are twisted, broken, pushed into each other, and finally pulled along.

The team experienced a surprise, however, when they moved on to even higher speeds. Above some 300 m/sec -- which roughly corresponds to the top speed of aircraft in civil aviation -- the wear decreases again. The microstructure of the metal just below the surface, which is completely destroyed at medium speeds, now remains largely intact again.

"This was amazing for us and for the tribology community," says Eder. "This effect has been observed by other scientists in experiments -- it is just not very well known, because such high speeds rarely occur. However, the origin of this effect has not yet been clarified."

Melting of the surface protects deeper layers
More detailed analyses of the computer data have now shed light on how this effect is possible. At extremely high speeds, friction generates a lot of heat -- but in a very uneven way. Only individual patches on the surfaces of the two metals sliding against each other are in contact, and these small areas can reach thousands of degrees Celsius. In between, the temperature is much lower.

As a result, small parts of the surface can melt and then re-crystallize a fraction of a second later. The very outermost layer of the metal is thus dramatically changed, but this is precisely what protects the deeper regions of the material. Only the outermost layers of the material feel the wear; the crystalline structures underneath change only slightly.

"This effect occurs with different materials," says Eder. "Wherever friction occurs at high to extremely high speeds, it will be essential to take this into account in the future." This applies, for example, to modern, high-speed bearings and transmissions in E-mobility, or to machines that grind surfaces. The now better-understood effect also plays a role in the stability of metals in a vehicle crash or in the impact of small particles on high-speed aircraft.

See "Does speed kill or make friction better? Designing materials for high-velocity sliding" in the upcoming issue of Applied Materials Today, December 2022.

Source: Vienna University of Technology

Published September 2022

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