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New 'breathable' rupture disk tech provides overpressure and vacuum relief

To increase equipment safety and reliability, a new rupture disk technology activates at a set burst pressure, but it can also "breathe" to relieve minor pressure fluctuations. The patent-pending, dual-function device from BS&B Safety Systems is ideal for use on low-pressure vessels that are susceptible to ambient temperature changes.
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Engineer's Toolbox: 9 considerations for specifying a slewing ring bearing

In applications that require a bearing to support a structure while it rotates (e.g., cranes, radar, tank turrets), premature bearing failure can put people and equipment at risk. While slewing ring bearings have proven themselves countless times in such applications, designers must consider many factors when specifying them. According to engineers at Kaydon, the bearing's support structure, mounting (including bolt strength, tensioning, and hole patterns), installation, and even storage are all factors in a bearing's success or failure.
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ClampDisk micro fastener is new alternative for automotive and consumer electronics

Designed as a unique alternative in assemblies for the automotive and consumer electronics markets, the ClampDisk Press-on Fastener is a new offering from PennEngineering that delivers a fast, simple way to achieve sheet-to-sheet clamped fastening while replacing the use of standard screws, nuts, and adhesives. The most common challenges that can be eliminated or reduced by using ClampDisk include over installation, cross threading, stripped screw heads, broken screws, and damaged product. This fastener can be removed easily with a sharp-edged tool.
Learn more and see how ClampDisk works.

New nylon constant torque hinge

Southco has expanded its line of E6 Constant Torque Hinges with a compact, nylon version designed for small applications. The newest addition to the company's E6 50 Constant Torque Position Control Hinge series measures 45 mm with a torque range of 4 to 16 in./lb and is 65% lighter compared to the standard E6 50 Hinge. It provides constant resistance throughout the entire range of motion, enabling users to easily position doors, display screens, and other mounted components and hold them securely at any desired angle.
Learn more.

What injection molding material do I use?

How do you decide what type of plastic to use for your next injection molding project? Xometry can help you narrow your choices. Discover the different strengths and applications for materials that could be ideal for your application by learning about the most common plastic injection molding materials in detail.
Read this detailed Xometry article.

What are carbon composite bellows springs?

The Carbon Composite Bellows Spring (CCBS) from MW Components is a system of carbon fiber elements that combine to work as a high-performance, lightweight, and design-flexible compression spring meant to replace coil springs or metallic Belleville disc springs. A functional spring is made from several individual elements paired and joined to make a stack. The stack spring rate is determined by the number of elements, the base rate of each element, and their series or parallel orientation in the stack. Applications include motorsports, aerospace, and high-performance activities.
Learn more.

Conductive Brush Ring overcomes current leakage in EV powertrains

SKF's new Conductive Brush Ring paves the way to greater reliability and longer life in high-performance electric vehicle powertrain systems. Using pure carbon fiber bristles, it provides a reliable electrical connection between an EV eAxle rotor shaft and its housing. When used in combination with SKF Hybrid ceramic ball bearings, it helps to alleviate parasitic current effects that can lead to premature failure in bearings and other components. Available in different configurations for wet (oil-lubricated) motor designs -- and soon for dry (sealed) applications.
Learn more.

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.

Simple metal cutting used to study sophisticated material behaviors

Testing how materials deform and fail under harsh conditions is key to manufacturing processes, crash testing, and defense.

By Jennifer Reiley, Texas A&M Engineering

Researchers at Texas A&M University are taking a traditional manufacturing tool -- metal cutting -- and developing a more accessible method for understanding the behavior of metals under extreme conditions.

Metal cutting -- scraping a thin layer of material from a metal's surface using a sharp knife (not unlike how we scrape butter) -- might not be the first thing that comes to mind for studying material properties. However, Drs. Dinakar Sagapuram and Hrayer Aprahamian, assistant professors in the Wm Michael Barnes '64 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, wanted to see if the process could predict material behavior under various deformation conditions. Their team included Harshit Chawla, an industrial and systems engineering doctoral student, and Dr. Shwetabh Yadav, an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad.

This side-by-side photo shows how researchers can see different behaviors of metal when it is cut. As the gray knife on the right of both photos scrapes a layer of the metal's surface, a high-speed camera and computer program capture how the metal is being shaped. [Credit: Courtesy of Dr. Dinakar Sagapuram]

 

 

 

 

"The knowledge of how materials deform and fail under harsh mechanical conditions is vital for studying and developing various technological applications, including manufacturing processes, crash testing of vehicles, and impact testing for defense-related applications," Chawla said.

Because the cutting process involves locally shearing or deforming the metal to extreme levels under high rates, the team hypothesized that it could provide fundamental information on the material's strength, resistance to plastic deformation, or irreversible shape change.

"The research opens a new and interesting application for metal cutting as a 'property test' that material scientists and physicists can use to test their theories," Sagapuram said. "The number of mathematical theories of metal plasticity under high strain rates far outstrips the experimental data. So, the property information obtained using metal cutting can test which theories are valid and which are not."

The team uses a high-speed camera to observe how metals deform and shear when they encounter a sharp cutting tool and then use this information to deduce their basic property information. A significant challenge, however, lies in obtaining intrinsic material properties from the visual high-speed imaging data. While metal cutting is not Aprahamian's area of expertise, the partnership with Sagapuram has generated new ideas and numerical techniques.

"An important aspect of this research is to establish mathematical optimization techniques that guarantee global optimality, thereby achieving the best possible solution," Aprahamian said. "Otherwise, you might obtain solutions that seem satisfactory, but they don't accurately describe the material."

VIDEO: Example of metal cutting tool. [Credit: Texas A&M Engineering, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering]

Metal cutting's advantages over the testing methods used today are that it is simple and can produce a range of conditions that are difficult to achieve using conventional tests but are important from the standpoint of various engineering applications.

"We're excited about the prospect of using cutting as a convenient method to determine material properties that are now obtained only with considerable difficulty," Sagapuram said. "Because it is so simple, in principle, anyone with access to a machine shop can now obtain material data without sophisticated testing capabilities."

The team recently published their work in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A journal, with another paper on the numerical techniques in the works. A grant from the National Science Foundation supports the research.

Sagapuram said the team recently started collaborating with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, supported by the Texas A&M University System National Laboratories Office, to cross-compare their data with the more established material dynamic strength testing platforms available on-site at the lab. These studies will contribute to validating the method and verifying whether different experiments on the same metal provide consistent data.

Aprahamian said their work to develop mathematical techniques also has potential applications outside material characterization.

"My group is extending some of these algorithms and techniques to the health care field, where we are using global optimization tools to construct robust screening strategies," Aprahamian said. "This can be used to prevent future outbreaks and improve screening for infectious diseases among the population."

Chawla said the research has allowed him to work in a field that's interested him for years.

"It was interesting to study the mechanics of the metal cutting process using innovative experimental techniques," Chawla said. "Getting to closely observe the material deformation during cutting, especially at a microscopic level at high frame rates, was fascinating."

Published August 2023

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