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hyperMILL 2024 CAD/CAM software suite

OPEN MIND Technologies has introduced its latest hyperMILL 2024 CAD/CAM software suite, which includes a range of powerful enhancements to its core toolpath capabilities, as well as new functionality for increased NC programming efficiency in applications ranging from 2.5D machining to 5-axis milling. New and enhanced capabilities include: Optimized Deep Hole Drilling, a new algorithm for 3- and 5-axis Rest Machining, an enhanced path layout for the 3D Plane Machining cycle, better error detection, and much more.
Learn more.

One-part epoxy changes from red to clear under UV

Master Bond UV15RCL is a low-viscosity, cationic-type UV-curing system with a special color-changing feature. The red material changes to clear once exposed to UV light, indicating that there is UV light access across the adhesive material. Although this change in color from red to clear does not indicate a full cure, it does confirm that the UV light has reached the polymer. This epoxy is an excellent electrical insulator. UV15RCL adheres well to metals, glass, ceramics, and many plastics, including acrylics and polycarbonates.
Learn more.

SPIROL Press-N-Lok™ Pin for plastic housings

The Press-N-Lok™ Pin was designed to permanently retain two plastic components to each other. As the pin is inserted, the plastic backfills into the area around the two opposing barbs, resulting in maximum retention. Assembly time is quicker, and it requires lower assembly equipment costs compared to screws and adhesives -- just Press-N-Lok™!
Learn more about the new Press-N-Lok™ Pin.

Why hybrid bearings are becoming the new industry standard

A combination of steel outer and inner rings with ceramic balls or rollers is giving hybrid bearings unique properties, making them suitable for use in a wide range of modern applications. SKF hybrid bearings make use of silicon nitride (twice as hard as bearing steel) rolling elements and are available as ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and in custom designs. From electric erosion prevention to friction reduction and extended maintenance intervals, learn all about next-gen hybrid bearings.
Read the SKF technical article.

3M and Ansys train engineers on simulating adhesives

Ansys and 3M have created an advanced simulation training program enabling engineers to enhance the design and sustainability of their products when using tapes and adhesives as part of the design. Simulation enables engineers to validate engineering decisions when analyzing advanced polymeric materials -- especially when bonding components made of different materials. Understand the behavior of adhesives under real-world conditions for accurate modeling and design.
Read this informative Ansys blog.

New FATH T-slotted rail components in black from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added a wide assortment of black-colored FATH T-slotted hardware components to match their SureFrame black anodized T-slotted rails, including: cube connectors (2D and 3D) and angle connectors, joining plates of many types, brackets, and pivot joints. Also included are foot consoles, linear bearings in silver and black, cam lever brakes, and L-handle brakes. FATH T-slotted hardware components are easy to install, allow for numerous T-slotted structure configurations, and have a 1-year warranty against defects.
Learn more.

Weird stuff: Moon dust simulant for 3D printing

Crafted from a lunar regolith simulant, Basalt Moon Dust Filamet™ (not a typo) available from The Virtual Foundry closely mirrors the makeup of lunar regolith found in mare regions of the Moon. It enables users with standard fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers to print with unparalleled realism. Try out your ideas before you go for that big space contract, or help your kid get an A on that special science project.
Learn more.

Break the mold with custom injection molding by Rogan

With 90 years of industry experience, Rogan Corporation possesses the expertise to deliver custom injection molding solutions that set businesses apart. As a low-cost, high-volume solution, injection molding is the most widely used plastics manufacturing process. Rogan processes include single-shot, two-shot, overmolding, and assembly. Elevate your parts with secondary operations: drilling and tapping, hot stamping, special finishes, punch press, gluing, painting, and more.
Learn more.

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 interactive digital catalog from EXAIR

EXAIR's latest catalog offers readers an incredible source of innovative solutions for common industrial problems like conveying, cooling, cleaning, blowoff, drying, coating, and static buildup. This fully digital and interactive version of Catalog 35 is designed for easy browsing and added accessibility. Customers can view, download, print, and save either the full catalog or specific pages and sections. EXAIR products are designed to conserve compressed air and increase personnel safety in the process. Loaded with useful information.
Check out EXAIR's online catalog.

5 cost-saving design tips for CNC machining

Make sure your parts meet expectations the first time around. Xometry's director of application engineering, Greg Paulsen, presents five expert tips for cutting costs when designing custom CNC machined parts. This video covers corners and radii, designing for deep pockets, thread depths, thin walls, and more. Always excellent info from Paulsen at Xometry.
View the video.

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.

Load fasteners with integrated RFID

A crane, rope, or chain may be required when something needs lifting -- plus anchoring points on the load. JW Winco offers a wide range of solutions to fasten the load securely, including: lifting eye bolts and rings (with or without rotation), eye rings with ball bearings, threaded lifting pins, shackles, lifting points for welding, and more. Some, such as the GN 581 Safety Swivel Lifting Eye Bolts, even have integrated RFID tags to clearly identify specific lifting points during wear and safety inspections and manage them digitally and without system interruption.
Learn more.

Couplings solve misalignments more precisely with targeted center designs

ALS Couplings from Miki Pulley feature a simplistic, three-piece construction and are available in three different types for more precisely handling parallel, angular, or axial misalignment applications. The key feature of this coupling design is its center element. Each of the three models has a center member that has a unique and durable material and shape. Also called a "spider," the center is designed to address and resolve the type of misalignment targeted. Ideal for unidirectional continuous movement or rapid bidirectional motion.
Learn more.

What is 3D-MID? Molded parts with integrated electronics from HARTING

3D-MID (three-dimensional mechatronic integrated devices) technology combines electronic and mechanical functionalities into a single, 3D component. It replaces the traditional printed circuit board and opens up many new opportunities. It takes injection-molded parts and uses laser-direct structuring to etch areas of conductor structures, which are filled with a copper plating process to create very precise electronic circuits. HARTING, the technology's developer, says it's "Like a PCB, but 3D." Tons of possibilities.
View the video.

Researchers improve tractor hydraulics efficiency by 25%

Agricultural tractors and implements use a lot of hydraulic power. By creating new solutions to optimize their hydraulic control systems, Purdue researchers (left to right) Andrea Vacca, Xiaofan Guo, Patrick Stump, and Jake Lengacher are working to make tractors more powerful and fuel efficient. [Purdue University photo/Jared Pike]

 

 

 

 

Modern agricultural tractors contain so much cutting-edge technology, they rival even the latest spacecraft. But the back end is still old-school, relying largely on fossil fuels. So, any optimization in tractor efficiency is a huge win for the environment.

With this in mind, Purdue University researchers have undertaken a $3.2 million Department of Energy (DOE) project to optimize the hydraulic systems that connect tractors and implements.

"Fluid power is everywhere," said Andrea Vacca, Purdue's Maha Fluid Power Faculty Chair, professor of mechanical engineering and agricultural and biological engineering, and director of the Maha Fluid Power Research Center, the largest academic hydraulics lab in the country. "It's used in airplanes, in cars, and in all kinds of heavy equipment. A tractor is an example of a vehicle that uses fluid power to actuate everything from the steering and propulsion, to powering the implements it pulls behind it."

But powering the implements has proven to be a problem. The hydraulic control system of the tractor has shown only 20% efficiency when connected to the hydraulic systems of certain implements like planters, seeders, and bailers.

"There's a conflict in the controls, where the two systems are almost fighting each other," said Patrick Stump, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering. "As a result, when it's connected to a planter, the tractor always has to run at extremely high power, which wastes fuel and increases emissions."

In this study, funded through the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vacca's team focused its attention on a specific combo of tractor and planter, both provided by Case New Holland Industrial, with hydraulic systems provided by Bosch Rexroth (see video).

The planter is 40 ft wide, with 16 planting rows.

"Each row has multiple machines working together to plant the seed," said Xiaofan Guo, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering. "There's a cleaning wheel in front to remove existing vegetation. A cutting disc cuts a tiny ditch in the ground, a motor actually drives the seeds into the ground, a sprayer feeds water and fertilizer into the hole, and then a final disc covers the hole. There are 16 of these planting rows, which need specific amounts of pressure to successfully plant the seeds. And all of them are powered by a single hydraulic system."

To tackle the problem of optimizing the tractor-planter combo, Vacca's team chose a three-phase approach. First, the researchers needed to characterize the hydraulic system and build a simulation model in the computer.

"These tractors are expensive and complex machines," said Xin Tian, a Ph.D. student who developed the models over a four-year span. "So, we started by modeling individual components and testing them in a stationary condition here in the lab. When those are accurate, we combine the component models into a system and test the system, so we can verify that the entire model is valid. The model is so big and complex, my team calls it 'The Monster!'"

Once they had validated their model, the researchers moved to phase two: developing solutions they could test.

"Different planting conditions require different amounts of pressure and flow rate," Tian said. "If the model shows promising improvements in power and efficiency, then we can begin to implement these changes under real-world conditions."

For the third phase -- real-world tests -- the team outfitted the tractor-planter combo with a variety of sensors.

"We need to know how much power the tractor is consuming, what the hydraulic pumps are doing, and what the pressure and flow rates are throughout the planter," said Jake Lengacher, a first-year Ph.D. student. "All of that wiring leads into a new data-acquisition box we installed in the cab, so we have a full picture of what's going on during a planting cycle."

VIDEO: Purdue University's Prof. Andrea Vacca has undertaken a $3.2 million Department of Energy project to optimize the hydraulic systems that connect tractors and implements.[Credit: Purdue University Mechanical Engineering]

Thankfully for the team, Purdue has plenty of places for giant tractors to roam. The College of Agriculture allotted Vacca's team a quarter-mile strip of land at the Animal Sciences Research and Education Center in West Lafayette.

"We are very fortunate at Purdue," Vacca said. "We have a lot of lab space at Maha where we can test these large machines under controlled conditions; and Agriculture also has lots of farm plots where we can conduct field research."

Since none of the team members had ever operated such a large tractor in the field, Case New Holland provided training to teach them how to drive.

"The sheer power of a 35,000-pound tractor with 435 horsepower, towing a 10,000-lb planter -- it's amazing," Stump said. "But there's also quite a lot going on in the cab, especially to operate the planter. It's definitely a two-man job, so usually Jake is also in the cab monitoring the data on a laptop."

The team conducted several runs in the spring of 2021, where they planted corn seeds at different pre-determined engine speeds and planting rates. Combing through the data, they found that their new hydraulic control systems translated into an overall 25% efficiency increase.

"Given the amount of fuel that a typical tractor consumes, that's a massive improvement," Vacca said. "And this is only the beginning. Our project goal is to double the efficiency of the overall hydraulic control system. In the future, we plan on instituting a pressure control approach for the control logic, which has never been attempted in agricultural vehicles."

What changes were made to the control system? Vacca told Designfax exclusively, "The hydraulic control system was modified so that from a traditional flow control approach, realized by the load sensing systems installed in today's tractors, we control the system on a pressure-based control approach. This allows limiting the pressure losses occurring at the flow control valves installed in the agricultural implement (a planter for the case of this project)."

Vacca added, "Proper components, under specs defined by Purdue, were provided by Bosch Rexroth and installed into the tractors. ... The project first simulated the proposed solutions replicating typical usage. Then lab tests in controlled conditions were run to validate the model, with the tractor and implement stationary. After that, a proper control strategy was developed in LabView to control with a National Instrument data-acquisition and control system the new hardware in actual field conditions."

"When I saw the data that proved our solution worked, I was so happy," Guo said. "I grew up in a city, so being out on a farm like this is a pretty exciting experience for me. My specialty is control systems, so it was so interesting to see our theories in the lab being put to the test in the real world. Fluid power is a well-established field, but there is still so much potential to propose new systems and new architectures to make things even better."

Stump said, "I never imagined I would be driving a tractor through a farm field for my Ph.D. I had plans to go into aerospace. But the hydraulics on these tractors is every bit as complex as an airplane or a rocket. Diving deep into fluid power has been hugely applicable to my future in engineering."

Source: Purdue University (Jared Pike) with updates from Designfax

Published October 2021

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