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Superior fastening solution for securing rotating components to a shaft

Shaftloc^® fasteners offer distinct advantages over other fastening methods when securing rotating components to a shaft. The key to this compact, efficient design is its asymmetric thread geometry that produces a greater clamping force -- outperforming other fastening methods. Shaftloc is a patented fastening system manufactured by SDP/SI.
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Print 316L stainless steel on Markforged printers

316L Stainless Steel is now available for use with Markforged FX10 printers, allowing users to manufacture high-strength, accurate parts for demanding applications such as food and beverage processing, automotive, chemical and petrochemical processing, medical devices, and marine environments. This filament is safe and easy to handle. It makes machinable and polishable parts that have excellent corrosion resistance.
Learn more.

10 best updates from the last 5 years: SOLIDWORKS

Follow along with the experts at TriMech Group as they chronicle the top feature updates in SOLIDWORKS. Are you still using SOLIDWORKS 2020 -- or an even older version? Find out what you are missing, such as: enhanced rendering and new technical drawing tools; improved file sharing, collaboration, and workflows; advanced customization and UI improvements; faster and more efficient assemblies and simulations; and more.
View the TriMech video.

Engineer's Toolbox: How to design the optimum hinge

Although many pin styles are available, Coiled Spring Pins are particularly well suited for use in both friction- and free-fit hinges. To achieve optimum long-term hinge performance, designers should observe these helpful design guidelines from SPIROL.
Read the full article.

Innovative new robo welding gun

Comau's newest N-WG welding gun is designed for high-speed spot welding for traditional, hybrid, and electric vehicles, in addition to general industry sectors. It features a patented, single-body architecture that enables rapid reconfiguration between welding types and forces, and it delivers consistent performance across a broad range of applications, including steel and (soon) aluminum welding. It supports both X and C standard gun configurations, has fast arm exchange, and universal mounting options. It is fully compatible with major robot brands and represents a significant advancement in spot welding performance and cost efficiency.
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What's a SLIC Pin^®? Pin and cotter all in one!

The SLIC Pin (Self-Locking Implanted Cotter Pin) from Pivot Point is a pin and cotter all in one. This one-piece locking clevis pin is cost saving, fast, and secure. It functions as a quick locking pin wherever you need a fast-lock function. It features a spring-loaded plunger that functions as an easy insertion ramp. This revolutionary fastening pin is very popular and used successfully in a wide range of applications.
Learn more.

Engineering challenge: Which 3D-printed parts will fade?

How does prolonged exposure to intense UV light impact 3D-printed plastics? Will they fade? This is what Xometry's Director of Application Engineering, Greg Paulsen, set to find out. In this video, Paulsen performs comprehensive tests on samples manufactured using various additive processes, including FDM, SLS, SLA, PolyJet, DLS, and LSPc, to determine their UV resistance. Very informative. Some results may surprise you.
View the video.

Copper filament for 3D printing

Virtual Foundry, the company that brought us 3D-printable lunar regolith simulant, says its popular Copper Filamet™ (not a typo) is "back in stock and ready for your next project." This material is compatible with any open-architecture FDM/FFF 3D printer. After sintering, final parts are 100% pure copper. Also available as pellets. The company says this is one of the easiest materials to print and sinter. New Porcelain Filamet™ available too.
Learn more and get all the specs.

Copper foam -- so many advantages

Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
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Full-color 3D-printing Design Guide from Xometry

With Xometry's PolyJet 3D-printing service, you can order full-color 3D prints easily. Their no-cost design guide will help you learn about different aspects of 3D printing colorful parts, how to create and add color to your models, and best practices to keep in mind when printing in full color. Learn how to take full advantage of the 600,000 unique colors available in this flexible additive process.
Get the Xometry guide.

Tech Tip: How to create high-quality STL files for 3D prints

Have you ever 3D printed a part that had flat spots or faceted surfaces where smooth curves were supposed to be? You are not alone, and it's not your 3D printer's fault. According to Markforged, the culprit is likely a lack of resolution in the STL file used to create the part.
Read this detailed and informative Markforged blog.

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.

Engineer's Toolbox: How to pin a shaft and hub assembly properly

One of the primary benefits of using a coiled spring pin to affix a hub or gear to a shaft is the coiled pin's ability to prevent hole damage. Another is the coiled pin absorbs wider hole tolerances than any other press-fit pin. This translates to lower total manufacturing costs of the assembly. However, there are a few design guidelines that must be adhered to in order to achieve the maximum strength of the pinned system and prevent damage to the assembly.
Read this very informative SPIROL article.

What's new in Creo Parametric 11.0?

Creo Parametric 11.0 is packed with productivity-enhancing updates, and sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest impact in your daily workflows. Mark Potrzebowski, Technical Training Engineer, Rand 3D, runs through the newest functionality -- from improved surface modeling tools to smarter file management and model tree navigation. Videos provide extra instruction.
Read the full article.

What's so special about wave springs?

Don't settle for ordinary springs. Opt for Rotor Clip wave springs. A wave spring is a type of flat wire compression spring characterized by its unique waveform-like structure. Unlike traditional coil springs, wave springs offer an innovative solution to complex engineering challenges, producing forces from bending, not torsion. Their standout feature lies in their ability to compress and expand efficiently while occupying up to 50% less axial space than traditional compression springs. Experience the difference Rotor Clip wave springs can make in your applications today!
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Gases separated and stored in powder could make them safer -- including hydrogen

Researchers at Deakin University in Australia have made a breakthrough that could help address one of the biggest barriers preventing the widespread adoption of hydrogen energy: safe storage and transport.

Hydrogen is increasingly being touted as one sustainable solution to Australia's gas crisis. However, finding a material that can store enormous quantities of gases for practical application remains a major challenge.

That's where the recent Deakin discovery could offer an answer. The new process, first described by nanotechnology researchers from Deakin's Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) in the journal Materials Today, offers a novel way to separate, store, and transport huge amounts of gas safely -- with no waste.

"Right now, Australia is experiencing an unprecedented gas crisis and needs an urgent solution," said Alfred Deakin Professor Ying (Ian) Chen, IFM's Chair of Nanotechnology. "More efficient use of cleaner gaseous fuels such as hydrogen is an alternative approach to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming."

Traditional oil refinery methods use a high-energy "cryogenic distillation" process to separate crude oil into the different gases used by consumers, such as petrol or household gas. This process makes up a whopping 15% of the world's energy use.

What the IFM research outlines is a completely different mechanochemical way of separating and storing gases, which uses a tiny fraction of the energy and creates zero waste.

The breakthrough is so significant, and such a departure from accepted wisdom on gas separation and storage, that lead researcher Dr. Srikanth Mateti said he had to repeat his experiment 20 to 30 times before he could truly believe it himself.

"We were so surprised to see this happen, but each time we kept getting the exact same result, it was a eureka moment," Mateti said.

The special ingredient in the process is boron nitride powder, which is great for absorbing substances because it is so small yet has a large amount of surface area for absorption.

"The boron nitride powder can be re-used multiple times to carry out the same gas separation and storage process again and again," Mateti said. "There is no waste, the process requires no harsh chemicals, and creates no by-products. Boron nitride itself is classified as a level-0 chemical, something that is deemed perfectly safe to have in your house. This means you could store hydrogen anywhere and use it whenever it's needed."

During the process, the boron nitride powder is placed into a ball mill (a type of grinder containing small stainless steel balls in a chamber) along with the gases that need to be separated. As the chamber rotates at a higher and higher speed, the collision of the balls with the powder and the wall of the chamber triggers a special mechanochemical reaction resulting in gas being absorbed into the powder.

[Image Credit: Deakin University]

 

 

One type of gas is always absorbed into the powdered material quicker, separating it out from the others and allowing it to be easily removed from the mill. This process can be repeated over several stages to separate the gases one by one.

The ball-milling gas absorption process consumes 76.8 KJ/s to store and separate 1,000 L of gases. This at least 90% less energy than the energy used in the petroleum industry's current separation process.

Once absorbed into this material, the gas can be transported safely and easily. Then, when the gas is needed, the powder can be simply heated in a vacuum to release the gas unchanged.

The breakthrough is the culmination of three decades of work led by Professor Chen and his team and could help create solid-state storage technologies for a range of gases, including hydrogen.

"The current way of storing hydrogen is in a high-pressure tank, or by cooling the gas down to a liquid form. Both require large amounts of energy, as well as dangerous processes and chemicals," Chen said. "We show there's mechanochemical alternative, using ball milling to store gas in the nanomaterial at room temperature. It doesn't require high pressure or low temperatures, so it would offer a much cheaper and safer way to develop things like hydrogen-powered vehicles."

With their current research, the IFM team has been able to test their process on a small scale, separating about two to three liters of material. They hope, with industry support, it can be scaled up to a full pilot, and they have submitted a provisional patent application for their process.

"We need to further validate this method with industry to develop a practical application," Chen said. "To move this from the laboratory to a larger industry scale, we need to verify that this process is cost saving, more efficient, and quicker than traditional methods of gas separation and storage."

Source: Deakin University

Published March 2023

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