August 26, 2008


Top Stories
Plastic seems to be taking over in what has been a metal-dominated arena in the past. Our first article takes a look at self-locking threaded fasteners and their function in the workplace. The second piece explains why adhesive bonds in plastic parts may actually be more beneficial than standard mechanical fastening. Finally, a discussion on the Machine Design forums has opened up regarding the selection of raw material. Add your voice to the conversation.

Two videos take the spotlight this week - one illustrating the suggested use of stainless steel rivets to prevent a very unfortunate car hood loss, one demonstrating exactly how one might go about MIG welding to make things more secure. Visit them on Youtube and ExpertVillage, respectively.

--Kelsey Rubenking


Articles

Self-Locking Threaded Fasteners Open Opportunities
For electrical engineers combating seismic, shipping, or operational forces while working in soft materials, self-locking threaded fasteners cannot be viewed as mere commodities. A new kind of Spiralock fastener uses continuous contact that improves resistance to vibrational loosening, joint fatigue, and temperature extremes. This is good news for those who work with materials prone to stripping or joint failure.

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FLOATING ACCESS HARDWARE

A captive screw assembly for permanent installation into panels of any hardness with the capability to compensate for up to .060"/1.52mm mating hole misalignment. Their patented MAThread® anti cross-threading screw technology adds value by correcting off-angle installations, reliably aligning components, and easily sliding through potentially clogged internal threads. Type PF11MW (knurled cap) meets "operator access area" requirements similar to UL 508 and Type PF12MW (smooth cap) meets "service access area" requirements similar to UL 1950. Universal slot/Phillips recess is standard. They ideally suit close centerline-to-edge applications and can be installed on painted surfaces without marring.



Secrets of Bond Strength
Plastic replacements for metal parts and assemblies are a hot topic these days. Automotive and aerospace manufacturers use plastics to cut weight and boost fuel efficiency. For other industries, plastic means easy-to-mold, lightweight housings and internal components. And it turns out that the preferred way to assemble plastic parts is through adhesive bonding rather than mechanical fastening. Leakproof glued joints in plastic assemblies are a cinch if the surfaces are clean.

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Fast Setting Epoxy Adhesive Has One to One Mix Ratio

Master Bond EP24 is a new high performance two-component epoxy adhesive that sets in 10-15 minutes at room temperatures. Durable, tough EP24 has a convenient one to one mix ratio weight or volume. Adhesion to similar and dissimilar substrates is excellent. EP24 is resistant to many chemicals and is a superior electrical insulator.



Discussion: Raw Material Selection
An interesting question has come up on the Machine Design forums. One user has checked the actual mechanical strength of a threaded stud against its stated requirements ®“ and the strength seems to far surpass the specs. Readers are invited to read, contribute, and discuss whether this is a better or worse development for a clamping stud.

New Products

Plastic eye bolts
The eye bolts are injection molded Nylon 6/6. They resist aromatic, chlorinated, and ketone solvents, and petroleum and natural oils. The bolts are rated for very light duty. Thread sizes range from 6-32 through 3/8-16 in lengths from 1.25 to 5.5 in.
More Information:
Micro Plastics Inc.


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Comprehensive New Line of Cyanoacrylates

Fast-setting Permatex® brand ZipGrip® cyanoacrylate adhesives from ITW Devcon eliminate the need for fixturing and are ideal for bonding or repairing plastics, metals, rubber, and other materials. Viscosities range from liquid formulations for close-fitting parts and porous substrates to gap-filling gels that stay in place even on inverted surfaces.



Foam tapes
The U6000 and U6200 tapes are high-density, open-cell urethane foams. Both are coated with acrylic adhesive for long life and high tack on most clean, dry surfaces. U6000 has adhesive on one side while U6200 is double-sided.

The tapes are supplied in thicknesses from 1/32 to 1/8 in. and in lengths from 50 to 200 ft. Widths from 3/16 to 54 in. are available.
More Information:
Pres-On


Rotating component fastening system
The 96-page "Handbook of Fairloc Components, The Integral Fastener, D243," helps solve phasing, timing, positioning, and frequent removal problems that clamps, keyways, pins, or setscrews can't handle properly.

Advantages of the system includes built-in overload protection, full use of the bore, easy adjustment, and compact self-contained design. The catalog covers 3,405 products such as inch and metric Fairloc hubs, spur gears, timingbelt pulleys, couplings, shaft extenders, shaft collars, and dials.
More Information:
Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument


Featured Content

Car Hood Gets Airborne
Racing for thrills is all well and good, but you have to wonder if it®™s worth the drop in your stomach when you realize that your car is suddenly missing its hood. According to the author of this video, stainless steel rivets might have been a better choice than aluminum for the fastener brackets on his ride.

How to MIG Weld
Looking for tips and techniques on how to set up and use a MIG welder for various welding projects? ExpertVillage.com offers a few instruction sets, including how to weld a butt joint, angled joint and lap joint. Purchasing and safety tips for MIG welders are also included in this series.

News from MD


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Rev up your interdisciplinary design skills

What happens when a microcontroller turns on a power FET, sending a current pulse to a motor coil that develops a magnetic field which turns the rotor shaft, advancing a timing belt that drives a pair of nip rolls suspended on bearings in a web-processing operation on a form, fill, and seal machine installed on a potato chip line at a Frito Lay plant in central California? And how can you be sure that the encoders, prox sensors, and other feedback devices you plan to use will accurately see and report every relevant motion, machine state, and process condition? And will the signals get through the networks fast enough, without being corrupted, giving the controllers time to execute their algorithms as intended? It's a lot to think about, and it only scratches the surface of what many engineers grapple with today. If you happen to be one of them, then the place for you — where you can find answers and meet others with similar concerns — is www.Mechatronic-Design.com.

Backed by some of engineering's top information sources including Machine Design, Electronic Design, Motion System Design, and Power Electronics, Mechatronic-Design.com is the interdisciplinary engineer's desktop, toolbox, library, and lifeline in one easily accessible place.

Find. Learn. Apply.

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Experience National Instruments Technologies From the Comfort of Your Own Computer!
With more than 200 on-demand webcasts, videos, interactive tutorials and demos available for users of any experience level, it is easier than ever to learn about the newest products and features available from National Instruments.
Begin your search here with a collection of webcasts specifically chosen for design and automation engineers.

CAD Library offers advanced CAD Resources
The Machine Design CAD Library, includes millions of configurable 2D and 3D CAD models of components and assemblies downloadable for easy use in new and existing designs. Our models are in native CAD formats. No translation required!

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UPCOMING IN-PERSON EVENTS
Design-2-Part Shows are America's longest running and most trusted events for sourcing custom parts and services. Ten shows covering the country offer OEMs, engineers and purchasing personnel the opportunity to meet job shops and contract manufacturers face-to-face.

UPCOMING WEBCASTS

More Machine Uptime through New Developments in Advanced Machinable Plastics
Sponsored by Quadrant
DATE: August 26th, 2008
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT

Engineers and designers are faced with the constant challenge of increasing uptime and reliability - while improving the performance of mechanical systems. New, machinable advanced plastic materials can help you reduce weight, eliminate costly and complex lubrication systems and increase the performance of your design. Newer, more cost-effective materials might fit into designs where before only an exotic polymer might have done the job. Our speakers will provide an update on new materials, selection criteria and a few case histories to show how these new ideas have worked for other designers.

Click here to learn more and register!



Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) Gives Designers New Freedom and Manufacturers a Higher Degree of Quality Control
Sponsored by Morris Technologies
DATE: September 4th, 2008
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT

DMLS is more than a prototyping tool; it®™s a viable manufacturing alternative that can deliver parts in volume with competitive pricing. Primarily employed for rapid prototyping, DMLS now plays an important role in manufacturing by delivering parts in volume with competitive pricing. Applications are wide ranging and include inserts for plastic injection molding and die casting, as well as direct parts for a variety of applications and industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics and many others.

Click here to learn more and register!



ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING


Click Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.

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