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November 19, 2024 | Volume 20 Issue 44 |
Manufacturing Center
Product Spotlight
Modern Applications News
Metalworking Ideas For
Today's Job Shops
Tooling and Production
Strategies for large
metalworking plants
BASF has introduced Basotect® EcoBalanced melamine foam, a material that helps to reduce the product carbon footprint (PCF) of many sound-absorption applications in the transportation, building, and construction industries. This easy, drop-in solution has an up to 50% lower PCF than the respective BASF standard grades but demonstrates the same material performance. Applications include engine covers, wall and ceiling sound absorbers, HVAC parts, and air cleaners.
Learn more.
When it comes to choosing a pillow block style to help provide a secure foundation for a rotating shaft, the engineers at Lee Linear suggest using something called "P.O.S.T.L.U.D.E.S" as your guide: Precision, Orientation, Speed, Travel, Load, Unknowns, Duty Cycle, Environment, and Safety. Learn all about pillow block types, construction, and applications.
Read the Lee Linear blog.
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.
Read the full article.
Learn all about low outgassing adhesives from the masters of making things stick at Master Bond. Outgassing from adhesives can pose significant challenges -- especially in the aerospace, electronic, and optical industries. "The Engineer's Guide to Low Outgassing Adhesives" ebook covers the ASTM E595 standard, initially developed by NASA, and guides you through the adhesive selection process. No registration required.
Learn more.
Discover what makes the integrated lead screw systems from PCB Linear a step above the rest. From CNC manufacturing and sophisticated parts fine-tuning to PTFE coatings, innovative anti-backlash nut development with Constant Force Technology, and high-end motors to top it all off, this presentation is full of useful information about PCB Linear production and technology. We bet you will learn something new.
View the video.
Built on Formlabs' next-generation Low Force Display print engine, the new Form 4L SLA 3D printer delivers unmatched reliability with a 99% print success rate compared to other SLA 3D printers. These benefits, combined with a build volume nearly 5x the size of Form 4, allow Form 4L users to solve big problems and print smaller parts at high volume. Large-scale prints finished in under six hours.
Learn more.
AV Monitor Mounts from Southco allow intuitive and ergonomic display positioning, enabling the operator to grab and move the screen without significant effort. These mounts also hold the screen in any position securely and resist unwanted movement when in use. Constant-torque functionality provides an arm that can withstand strong touch forces, vibration, and heavy loads. Lots of options.
Learn more.
Take a deep dive into the second revision of the macro keypad developed for Autodesk University's Factory Experience 2024 in this exclusive, on-demand webinar hosted by Xometry's Greg Paulsen and Autodesk Fusion's Jonathan Odom. This presentation features a live teardown of the keypad, showcasing how the design team addressed challenges and elevated the product. No registration required.
Watch this Xometry webinar at your convenience.
The USAVS J-4-1500 Joystick Videoscope from USA Borescopes combines high-performance tech with user-friendly features. This advanced 4-mm-diameter scope is designed to elevate the inspection process for professionals across various industries, including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. One of its standout features is the responsive joystick-controlled articulation, which allows users to easily navigate the 1.5-m-long probe in multiple directions to acquire high-res images.
Learn more.
Xometry's no-cost tube design guide offers design tips and tricks for laser-cut tube parts, including: minimums, tolerances, and sizes. The guide also covers important rules for mandrel tube bending, such as tolerancing, distance between bends, bend center line radius, types of bends to avoid, and more. Incredibly handy. If you need parts, Xometry can help with that too. It's easy to get a quote.
Learn more.
Australian manufacturer SPEE3D has developed two grades of an ultra-corrosion-resistant Nickel Aluminum Bronze alloy that are compatible with its Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing technology. The powder material is a game-changer for maritime OEMs and the U.S. Navy, as it will help with supply chain delays and keep critical maritime systems operational.
Read the full article.
Wavo Springs are produced from round-section wire to provide higher loads while maintaining the accurate loading found in wave springs. As an alternative to Belleville Springs, the Wavo provides similar loads but with an accurate, predictable spring rate. Available in carbon and stainless steel from stock, sizes range from 1/2" to 6" diameters. Free samples are also available!
Learn more.
JW Winco has expanded its range of conveying and guiding components with additional practical elements designed for common industrial applications, providing everything needed -- from guides and rails to brackets and feet -- for constructing unmotorized conveyor lines using standard parts.
Read the full article.
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.
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.
The KIMM research developed laser-processing equipment simulating environments deeper than 10 m under water. From right: Senior researcher Ryun-Han Kim, principal researcher In-Deok Park, principal researcher Su-Jin Lee, senior engineer Jung-Soo Choi, and researcher Dan-Bi Song. [Credit: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials]
Researchers in South Korea have created and tested an new, innovative laser-cutting technology for nuclear dismantlement under water. This system ensures safety in underwater conditions while minimizing contamination. Furthermore, a water tank that simulates laser cutting in an underwater environment for nuclear dismantlement has been developed and patented for the first time globally.
The development team, led by Dr. In-Deok Park, principal researcher at the department of Industrial Laser Technology of the Busan Machinery Research Center at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), successfully developed the underwater laser-cutting technology, which is capable of cutting stainless steel specimens with a thickness of over 100 mm in a simulated 10-m water-depth environment.
During nuclear power plant dismantlement, structural cutting methods include mechanical and thermal cutting. The technology developed by KIMM falls under the thermal cutting category, employing high-power lasers to perform underwater cutting that is both safer and generates minimal contamination. The research team achieved a breakthrough by successfully cutting a 100-mm-thick stainless steel specimen, the primary material used in nuclear pressure vessels, at an actual water depth of 10 m. Currently, laser cutting under water is usually limited to cutting 50-mm-thick steel max, although that figure can be achieved at depths to 200 m.
The team optimized the kerf width (cutting gap) to approximately 2 mm, and reduced the flow rate of cutting gas used in the laser process to 600 l/min. A cutting speed up to 50 mm/min. was also achieved, demonstrating the efficiency of the technology.
10-m-grade pressurized underwater tank and cutting head. [Credit: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials]
In preparation for full-scale nuclear dismantlement, the team developed and patented the world's first 30-m-grade underwater laser-cutting pressurized tank, replicating actual field conditions. They also designed a compact multi-nozzle system optimized for high-pressure underwater environments, for which a patent application is currently underway. Additionally, they independently developed an anti-collision device to prevent accidents during the underwater laser-cutting process caused by collisions between the specimen and the nozzle.
"The underwater laser-cutting technology developed is significant, as it directly simulates the nuclear dismantlement environment, greatly minimizing secondary contamination during the dismantling process," said Park. "With the number of nuclear facilities expected to permanently shut down continuing to rise until 2050, we plan to further advance and conduct demonstration research based on this technology."
The research was supported by the project "Laser Decontamination and Underwater Laser-Cutting Technology Development Project for Safe Nuclear Dismantlement," with collaborative efforts from Pusan National University and Korea Maritime & Ocean University and funded by a major project of KIMM. Follow-up demonstration tests are being conducted through the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy's Advancement and Demonstration of Laser Cutting/Dismantling Technology (Nuclear Dismantlement Competency Enhancement Technology Development Project).
Source: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials
Published November 2024