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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.

Unlikely plan is helping the U.S. fast-track hypersonic conventional weapons

An experimental way of doing business could reshape how industry works with a national lab.

Hypersonic weapons have been a top priority for modernizing the armed forces, with ultrafast, long-range, and maneuverable munitions being touted as a revolutionary advance in modern warfare. The U.S. has fast-tracked their development and announced plans to field the first conventional hypersonic missile battery this year. To meet this deadline, some contributing organizations have partnered in unprecedented ways.

Scott Nance, a manager at Sandia National Laboratories, is at the forefront of one such collaboration. He and his team piloted a new way to transfer Sandia's technical designs to defense contractors for the common hypersonic glide body, which detaches from a rocket and soars at speeds above Mach 5.

A March 2020 test of a U.S. hypersonic missile used the common hypersonic glide body designed and built at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia has partnered with industry to accelerate manufacturing of glide bodies for future deployment. [Credit: Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy]

 

 

 

 

The program is now earning recognition and could change how Sandia partners with industry in the future.

"Sandia National Labs' successful teaming with the Army, Navy, and industry has been crucial to keeping the services on the path to our nation's first operational hypersonic capability," said Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch Jr., Director, Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office.

This year, the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer awarded Sandia a national Interagency Partnership Award for its successful transition of hypersonic technology to industry partners.

The plan, Nance said, initially alarmed some people when he proposed it.

"We got a lot of wide eyes to: 'Can we do this?'" Nance said.

New program answers call of a tight timeline
Nance manages a team of experts in transferring technical designs from Sandia to industry. He said that for similar projects, moving plans out of the lab and into manufacturing is a slow and meticulous process of documentation, training, and testing, especially for projects where the designs are very complicated and margins for error are slim.

"We were given three years to take our design, redesign it to meet the Department of Defense's weapon system requirements, make it more producible, get it into production, and get it fielded," Nance said. "It's a time scale that was very hard to meet."

The only way to get the job done, Nance thought, was to bring in outsiders, lots of them, which seemed to break every rule of a national security lab.

One does not simply walk into a national security lab
As a research and engineering lab born with the atomic bomb, Sandia prioritizes security. Its researchers work on a wide range of sensitive national security projects, including nuclear weapons modernization, critical infrastructure protection, and homeland security. Sandia is primarily located on Kirtland Air Force Base. Information is carefully protected, and access is controlled.

Sandia commonly grants access to subcontractors who pass a vetting process to assist with these projects, but Nance proposed something new. He wanted to bring in dozens of the Army's contractors, who had no agreement with Sandia, and provide them with access to Sandia equipment and resources so they could build the advanced flight systems side by side with Sandia subject matter experts.

Nance said he is unaware of any program that has brought in so many uncontracted visitors to work at Sandia. Though the idea surprised many of his colleagues, Nance and his team developed a plan that satisfied management and security specialists at the labs.

Companies and individuals would need to sign safety and security agreements. Guests would complete the same training as regular employees, from counterintelligence awareness to safety and ethics. Department of Defense security clearances would be verified.

Sandia's Heather Sandoval, an information management professional on Nance's team who helped hatch the plan, hosted on-site onboarding for classification briefings and facility tours after partners completed online training.

In 2019, the first class of 14 industry partners reported to Sandia for training. Within six months, the total number grew to 138.

"The second wave was more manageable with the new onboarding process, even though the class size increased dramatically," Sandoval said.

A new path forward for partnering with industry
At its height, Sandia had trained a total of around 200 partners and was hosting workers from seven companies, including Dynetics, the Army's lead manufacturing contractor for the common hypersonic glide body. As many as 50 partners were on site at a given time.

Alex Roesler, a Sandia senior manager involved in hypersonic weapon development, said, "Sandia's facilities team was instrumental in helping us quickly get space configured -- lab and office space -- to support the work and provide places for these partners to work."

The payoff was visible as visitors and staff formed a powerful camaraderie.

"What was most memorable to me was seeing all these companies coming together in one space sharing their expertise," Sandoval said. She was amazed at the mix of managers, technologists, administrators, engineers, and others from different companies who filled their daily 8 a.m. team meetings.

"They built Sandia flight hardware side by side with us, learning our culture, learning our language, learning our design and our drawings, and then they were able to take the information back to their companies," Nance said.

By the end of 2022, Sandia's industry partners had produced its first flight system. Collaboration at Sandia is ongoing, but components for hypersonic glide bodies are now being produced at facilities around the country.

"We have the knowledge and the expertise. Now it's our turn to pass the baton to another company for production," Sandoval said.

The success of the program could change how Sandia approaches technology transfer projects in the future. Sandoval said she has been contacted by other programs that want to learn how her team used industry partners, and Nance said he and his management are evaluating how to adapt the pilot to other programs.

"I absolutely think this is the model for future programs," Nance said.

Source: Sandia National Laboratories

Published May 2023

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