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How ball spline coatings enhance performance and extend component life

According to Thomson, "Precision ball splines have gained popularity as an ideal choice for applications that require low-friction linear and rotary motion. These components, which utilize a single splined shaft, enable complex movements in multiple directions." But how do you keep these ball splines performing at their peak for longer? Coatings can do the trick, and Thomson has three of them: black oxide, hard chrome plating, and nickel plating. Learn more about these coatings and which one makes the most sense for your precision ball spline solution.
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Key factors for ball screw applications

Learn the six key factors that should be considered when specifying ball screw assemblies in motion control applications. PCB Linear gathered a panel of experts in the field of linear motion to concentrate on this important topic -- particularly when it comes to the company's new miniature ball screw product line. Learn about precision and accuracy, orientation, speed and acceleration, duty cycle, linear motion travel, and load capacity. Podcast available too.
Read the PCB Linear blog.

3D printer uses pellet extrusion system instead of filament

The latest addition to 3D Systems' industry-leading portfolio of EXT Titan Pellet systems is the EXT 800 Titan Pellet. With a build volume of 800 x 600 x 800 mm, this thermoplastics 3D printer harnesses the speed, reliability, and efficiency of the company's large-format pellet systems in a more compact unit with lower upfront investment. Use this machine to fabricate more modestly sized functional prototypes, tooling, fixtures, sand casting patterns, thermoforming molds, and end-use parts. Markedly faster than competing FFF and FDM printers, and up to 10X reduced material costs compared to filaments.
Learn more.

Test your knowledge: High-temp adhesives

Put your knowledge to the test by trying to answer these key questions on how to choose the right high-temperature-resistant adhesive. The technical experts from Master Bond cover critical information necessary for the selection process, including questions on glass transition temperature and service temperature range. Some of the answers may surprise even the savviest of engineers.
Take the quiz.

World's first current-carrying fastening technology

PEM^® eConnect™ current-carrying pins from Penn-Engineering provide superior electrical connections in applications that demand high performance from internal components, such as automotive electronics. This first-to-market tech provides repeatable, consistent electrical joints and superior installation unmatched by traditional fastening methods. Features include quick and secure automated installation, no hot spots or poor conductivity, and captivation options that include self-clinching and broaching styles.
Learn more about eConnect pins.

New flat quarter-turn clamping fastener

IMAO Fixtureworks has expanded its One-Touch Fastener lineup to include a new quarter-turn clamping fastener that features an innovative flat design and is ideal for clamping in limited spaces. The QCFC flat quarter-turn fastener features a recessed body that protrudes only 2 mm from the mounted surface, a knob that rests flush inside the body, visible ON and OFF markings for safety, and an audible click when fully turned to clamped or unclamped position.
Learn more.

Bellows and disc couplings with higher torque capacity

Ruland Manufacturing now offers bellows and double disc couplings with bore sizes up to 1-3/4 in. or 45 mm for use in systems with torque up to 1,400 in.-lb (158 Nm). High-torque applications in precision semiconductor, solar, conveyor, and factory automation applications often use these shaft sizes. Ruland disc and bellows couplings accommodate all forms of misalignment, are zero-backlash, and have a balanced design for reduced vibration at speeds up to 10,000 rpm.
Learn more.

Simplify your designs with slewing ring bearings

According to Kaydon Bearings, "A slewing ring bearing has rolling elements designed to create a reactive moment within the bearing's dimensions envelope to oppose applied (overturning) moment load," so you can use one bearing instead of two, reducing the height requirements, and even improve performance. Slewing ring bearings can also simplify a drive system by utilizing gear teeth on the inner or outer race. Learn all about slewing ring bearings in this informative article.
Read the Kaydon whitepaper.

Jet valve for ultra-small dispensing

DELO's DELO-DOT PN5 LV pneumatic jet valve is designed for micro-dispensing low-viscosity adhesives and other media in miniaturized applications. Thanks to its compact design, it also requires very little space to install in production systems. Interchangeable nozzles with different diameters and a flexible, adjustable plunger stroke ensure precise and reliable applications at different droplet sizes. Volumes of as low as 1 nl can be achieved, which corresponds to droplet diameters of 250 µm or less.
Learn more.

Stainless steel constant-torque flush-mount hinge

Southco has introduced a flush-mount version of its popular and durable E6 constant-torque hinge. Its low-profile, corrosion-resistant package makes it an ideal solution for maximizing security, longevity, and aesthetics. It offers high torque for demanding applications while maintaining its low profile. Lots of uses.
Learn more.

Claw vacuum pump for industrial applications

Vacuum expert Leybold has added a new model to its proven CLAWVAC dry claw vacuum pump series: the CLAWVAC CP B. This innovative, rough vacuum pump, designed for robust processes including food processing, material handling, and environmental industries, is powerful, energy efficient, and easy to clean. The intuitive handling of this unit is mainly due to its functional design, which features a pair of claws that rotate in the cylinder with no contact or wear. Its separate gearbox prevents oil contamination. The design ensures short downtimes and long service intervals: 20,000 hr between oil changes and up to 48,000 hr between general overhauls.
Learn more.

DualVee linear guides and tracks used in warehousing

See how Bishop-Wisecarver's DualVee^® motion tech can add huge benefits to warehousing operations. This video highlights two applications: a manual storage and retrieval system and an automated storage and retrieval system of long aerospace-grade carbon fiber in sub-zero temps. Patented DualVee guides and tracks keep operations running smoothly.
View the video.

Build-to-order knobs and hand hardware

Rogan Corp.'s innovative use of two-shot plastic injection and insert molding has been providing customers with high-quality plastic clamping knobs, levers, and control knobs for almost 90 years. Rogan offers concurrent engineering, product design, and assistance in material selection to ensure customer satisfaction for standard or customized parts, with a focus on cost optimization and on-time delivery. Custom colors, markings, decorative inlays, or engineered materials to meet special requirements, such as adding extra strength or utilizing flame-retardant material, are all offered.
Learn more.

Slewing ring bearing made of wood and plastic

The PRT-02-30-WPC slewing ring bearing is another step forward by igus toward integrating renewable raw materials into industrial production. Made of 50% wood and 50% high-performance plastics, the cost-effective and lubrication-free slewing ring bearing balances strength and durability with a proven low CO2 footprint. The materials incorporate solid lubricants, making the new slewing ring bearing smooth running and maintenance-free.
Learn more.

Flex Locators for quick fixture changeover

Flex Locators from Fixtureworks are designed for quick changeover of small and large fixtures, automation components, and more. They are ideal for applications that require frequent disassembly, providing excellent repeatability for locating and clamping in a single operation. Manual and pneumatic versions are available. Just turn the handle, knob, or screw!
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Researchers use acoustic voxels to embed sound with data

Columbia Engineering researchers, working with colleagues at Disney Research and MIT, have developed a new method to control sound waves using a computational approach to inversely design acoustic filters that can fit within an arbitrary 3D shape while achieving target sound-filtering properties.

Led by Computer Science Professor Changxi Zheng, the team designed acoustic voxels -- small, hollow, cube-shaped chambers through which sound enters and exits -- as a modular system. Like Legos, the voxels can be connected to form an infinitely adjustable, complex structure. Because of their internal chambers, they can modify the acoustic filtering property of the structure; changing their number and size or how they connect alters the acoustic result.

Acoustic Tagging. By optimizing the structure of acoustic voxels, Columbia Engineering researchers can control the acoustic response of an object when it is tapped and thereby tag the object acoustically. Given three objects with identical shapes, they can use a smartphone to read the acoustic tags in real time by recording and analyzing the tapping sound and thereby identify each object. [Credit: Changxi Zheng/Columbia Engineering]

 

 

 

 

"In the past, people have explored computational design of specific products, like a certain type of muffler or a particular shape of trumpet," says Zheng, whose team presented their paper, "Acoustic Voxels: Computational Optimization of Modular Acoustic Filters," at SIGGRAPH 2016 on July 27. "The general approach to manipulating sound waves has been to computationally design chamber shapes. Our algorithm enables new designs of noise mufflers, hearing aids, wind instruments, and more -- we can now make them in any shape we want, even a 3D-printed toy hippopotamus that sounds like a trumpet."

He adds, "We also have proposed a very intriguing new way to use acoustic filters: We can use our acoustic voxels as acoustic tags, unique to each piece we 3D print, and encode information in them. This is similar to QR codes or RFIDs, and opens the door to encoding product and copyright information in 3D printing."

Last year, Zheng's team used computational methods to design and 3D-print a zoolophone, a xylophone-type instrument with keys in the shape of zoo animals. The zoolophone represented fundamental research into vibrational sound control, leveraging the complex relationships between an object's geometry and the surface vibrational sounds it produces when struck.

In this new study, Zheng's team came up with a computational approach that would enable better design for manipulating acoustic propagation of many products, such as automobile mufflers and instruments.

"With 3D printers today, geometric complexity is no longer a barrier. Even complex shapes can be fabricated with very little effort," Zheng notes. "So the question is: Can we use complex shapes to improve acoustic properties of products?"

They proposed using acoustic voxels, single, modular acoustic filter shapes, whose acoustic filtering behavior can be precomputed using numerical simulation. They developed a new algorithm that allowed them to assemble the acoustic voxels -- like Lego bricks -- into complex structures to produce the targeted acoustic filtering properties.

The creation of acoustic voxels has also led Zheng's team in a completely new direction: acoustic tagging to uniquely identify a 3D-printed object and acoustic encoding to implant information (like a copyright) into an object's very form.

Acoustic filters work by manipulating sound waves; acoustic voxels have given the team a way to exactly control that manipulation.

A unique voxel assembly produces a unique acoustic signature. Two objects may have the exact same exterior appearance, but if their hollow interiors contain different voxel assemblies, each object, when filtering a sound wave, produces a sound unique to that object. The researchers recorded the sound made by objects with different voxel assemblies and used an iPhone app they created to accurately identify each object.

Acoustic tagging could be a valuable complement to QR codes and RFID tags, both of which entail operations entirely separate from manufacturing. If fabricators can build ID information directly into the object, they will save the time, effort, and expense of individually labeling parts, especially useful when building larger structures from many separate pieces. Acoustic tagging could also encode copyrighted originals, such as 3D-printed figures from individual artists like Jeff Koons or companies like Disney or Marvel.

Zheng's current acoustic voxels project is for fabricating sizable objects producing audible sounds, and his team has been able to demonstrate how information and identification can be embedded into the acoustics of an object, requiring no additional procedures or labor after fabrication. They are looking ahead to how they might use acoustic voxels to computationally control ultrasound waves.

Says Zheng, "We are investigating some of the intriguing possibilities of ultrasonic manipulation, such as cloaking, where sound propagation can be distorted to hide objects from sound waves. This could lead to new designs of sonar systems or underwater communication systems. It's an exciting area to explore."

The work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation and Adobe.

Source: Columbia Engineering

Published August 2016

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