DESIGN WORLD DECEMBER 2018

2018

www.designworldonline.com

Leadersh ip Winners Pages 316

December 2018

inside: Motion Control: Where internal permanent

magnet gearmotors make sense

p. 76

Linear Motion: What are precision-link

conveyors?

p. 70

Pneumatics The basics on designing

with FRLs

p. 104

DECEMBER 2018 DW COVER_FINALFINAL.indd 1

How flexible shafts improve flight

page 48

12/4/18 4:45 PM

Push Button for $avings

Use mechanical operators to control pneumatic devices

Mix valves and electric contacts to create electro-pneumatic hybrids

Pushbutton Valves

Starting at $18.75 (Valve: EVP-CS-PL + Operator: ECP3100) Pushbutton and switch operators can be used with AutomationDirect’s NITRA EVP-series pneumatic valve bodies to create manual valve assemblies, or hybrid electro-pneumatic actuators. The mechanical operators accommodate up to two 3-way valves, or one valve and one to three ECX-series electrical contact block(s). The operators fit in a standard 22mm pushbutton hole.

Also Available Foot Pedal Valves

Hand Lever and Push-Pull Valves

Pneumatic Limit Switches

Features: • All-pneumatic operation is suitable for hazardous locations • Works with NITRA pneumatic components • Mix and match; valves and operators sold separately • Plastic bezels and operators with momentary, key operated, double-head, mushroom and knob-selector types • 3-way valves have aluminum bodies with built-in push-to-connect fittings • Normally open or normally closed action • Back or side ports • Valve adapters and mounting screws included • Bases/operators also work with GCX-series electrical contacts

Research, price, buy at:

www.automationdirect.com/ pneumatic-pushbuttons

Order Today, Ships Today! * See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2018 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.

AutomationDirect 12-18.indd 1

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the #1 value in automation

12/3/18 12:46 PM

Altech 12-18.indd 1

12/3/18 12:47 PM

# Zero-Max_full_pgs_r10_Design World 2/12/10 4:02 PM Page 1

Your ball screw Your servomotor Our coupling

Together a winning combination for today’s servomotor applications.

Our ServoClass® couplings have been recently redesigned to enable your actuator to go even faster and achieve the positional accuracy that will take your designs to the next level. Our couplings will do all this with low bearing loads.

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Zero Max ad 2-18.indd 2

12/3/18 12:48 PM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

»

Lead e rs hip Winn e r s

Here in our twelfth annual issue on Leadership in

Advanced Materials

Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication, Inc.

Digital Manufacturing Electrical Fastening & Joining

Engineering, we announce the winners in the Leadership Awards Program that we have been

Fluid Power

Industrial Automation

Mechanical

promoting throughout the year.

The Design World User

Mechatronics

Motion

Community has cast votes and we are pleased to celebrate the

Networks Software

winners in this special section of

Switches & Sensors

®

SENSORS

“Leadership in Engineering.”

Test & Measurement

DESIGN WORLD

Leadership Winner_Intro 2018_Vs3.indd 3

www.designworldonline.com

December 2018

3

1/28/19 9:13 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Advanced Materials

Congratulations!

Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication Inc. Since its inception in 1982, Eagle Stainless has a sterling record of on-time delivery, fair pricing, product quality and highly skilled employees dedicated to continuous improvement and training. Eagle has earned its reputation as a supplier of choice for off-the-shelf stainless steel products and fabricated stainless steel products.

The company delivers stainless steel, high nickel alloy and titanium components to customers in medical, aerospace and high tech manufacturing

With its “Eagle Eye Quality” you are assured that 100% parts are made to

specifications, with 100% on time delivery and 100% traceable certified material.

Capabilities include: Laser welding/cutting with Eagle’s computer controlled laser welding equipment which can produce extremely close-tolerance cutting, notching, etching and welding operations.

Cut-to-length tubing – Eagle’s facilities can cut and deburr any diameter tubing in quantities from a single piece to millions of pieces or more, from lengths of 0.010′′ State-of-the-art tube bending

and longer with standard tolerances.

Bending / Coiling – The ability to bend tubes without excessive distortion, wrinkling or fracturing is an art born of experience.

Custom shaped tubing in sizes from 0.040” to 1.00” to lengths to 17 ft.

With a complete in-house tool and die facility, experienced

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tubing that will meet or exceed your expectations.

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toolmakers will develop a custom extrusion die to yield

Advanced Materials 2018 Leadership Winners P RESEN T ED BY

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Eagle Stainless 2018 winner.V2.LL.indd 4

DESIGN WORLD

12/5/18 2:07 PM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Digital Manufacturing

Congratulations!

Accumold

Accumold began in a rented garage in 1985. Its primary focus is on very small micro sized parts that other companies can’t produce. Today the company focuses on industries that require fast turn around and complex parts for high tech industries such as Micro Electronics, Automotive, Fiber/ Optics, Medical, and Military, as well as new emerging markets and new technologies.

The founders established high standards of quality when the company began. These standards still exist today. Many of the original customers that entrusted their most valuable parts production to Accumold continue to do so today. Accumold believes this is due to the professional management staff, expert tool makers, and top notch production people.

Accumold builds specialized molding machines to handle minute parts measured in microns and no bigger than 0.5 cubic inches. In addition to their size, these parts have very tight tolerances and must be molded efficiently and precisely – time and time again.

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But not every micro-molded application requires microscopic parts. Many IN ENGIN SHIP EE ER RIN D A

Digital Manufacturing 2018 Leadership Winners PR ESEN TED BY

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Accumold 2018 winner.Vs2.LL.indd 5

require demanding geometry and tight tolerances on a slightly larger scale. Micro-features – incorporating very small features on a normalsized part up to about 3 inches in diameter – are another of Accumold’s capabilities. Insert micro-molding is another capability of Accumold.

Accumold is an ISO 13485:2003, ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified company with a state-of-the-art, 82,000 square foot production plant located near Des Moines, IA.

www.designworldonline.com

December 2018

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12/5/18 2:08 PM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Electrical & Electronics

Congratulations!

WAGO

WAGO has dedicated itself to engineering electrical and electronic components that provide the utmost in safety, reliability, and ease of use.

Extreme I/O XTR I/O offers a modular, compact solution for automation operating in extreme environments. Capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -40 to +158° F, 5g vibration resistance, 25g shock resistance, and EMC isolation of up to 5 kV impulse voltages, XTR includes PLCs for stand-alone applications, couplers for distributed I/O, plus digital, analog and specialty I/O modules (e.g., Ex modules).

Electronic Circuit Breakers Single-channel ECBs provide protection against over-current and short-circuiting in a 6 mm wide housing. Available in 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 A models for 24 VDC, ECBs carry a range of approvals permitting use in a wide range of applications.

PFC200 PLCs The IIoT-ready PFC200 is a compact PLC that offers advanced computing power in an easy-to-use environment for

TCP/UDP/RTU, CAN, PROFIBUS, Smart Grid and RS-232/ 485 eliminating the need for third party converters. A 600 MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor offers high speed processing and support of 64 bit variables required to power applications involving complex algorithms.

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December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

WAGO 2018 winner.V2.LL.indd 6

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acts as a fieldbus gateway between MODBUS

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programming and process visualization. The PFC200

Electrical & Electronics 2018 Leadership Winners P RESEN T ED BY

DESIGN WORLD

12/5/18 2:10 PM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Fastening & Joining

Congratulations!

J.W. Winco

JW Winco, Inc. A Ganter Company, is a supplier of Standard Industrial Machine Components and Assembly Hardware that also specializes in offering value-added services to engineers. Along with an extensive selection of high-quality parts, JW Winco strives to make an engineer’s job easier.

Hygienic design leveling feet, stainless steel, with mounting holes The smallest of areas of equipment can contaminate entire production lines.

Therefore, Winco offers a special series of “hygienic” standard parts. These 3-A and RoHS compliant hygienic leveling feet with mounting holes are certified according to 3-A Sanitary Standard guidelines and meet EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) requirements, making them suitable for use in sanitary applications, as the bottom seal protects the area beneath the footplate from dirt.

GN 414 Metric Size, stainless steel safety indexing plungers These RoHS compliant safety-indexing plungers are used when the inadvertent retraction of the plunger pin is to be prevented. The protruding plunger is first locked and may be unlocked for pulling only by exerting axial pressure on the red safety push-button. The safety lock engages in the frontend position, i.e. automatically if the indexing pin protrudes, with the locking mechanism housed fully in the operating button and protected from malfunctions.

GN 256 Silicone Conical Type Vibration/ Shock Absorption Mounts, with Stainless Steel Components, Tapped Hole and Threaded Stud versions

e.g. for conveyors. The silicone rubber used absorbs vibrations, has a dampening effect, is age-resistant and has an increased working temperature range, resistant up to 392 °F (200°C).

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end stops, leveling feet or setup elements for machines and systems,

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These RoHS compliant silicone shock absorption mounts are used as

Fastening & Joining 2018 Leadership Winners P RESEN T ED BY

DESIGN WORLD

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www.designworldonline.com

December 2018

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12/5/18 3:29 PM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Fluid Power

Congratulations!

SMC Corporation of America

Automation is changing rapidly due to the continual demand for

increased sophistication and simplification placed on its various

components such as actuators; cylinders;

components. Thus, the Research and Development groups at SMC

directional control valves; airline preparation

are directed towards keeping up with this trend. Smaller, faster, multi-

equipment; chillers and dryers; vacuum

functional components are a high priority as is the application of

components; static elimination products; fittings

electronics and sensing to pneumatics and other devices. With SMC,

and tubing; electric actuators; grippers; pressure

you get the innovation of over 130 engineers driving performance up

switches high purity chemical valves and fittings as

and cost-of-ownership down.

well as process gas equipment.

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SMC offers technology in pneumatic

Fluid Power 2018 Leadership Winners P RESEN T ED BY

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DESIGN WORLD

12/5/18 2:36 PM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Industrial Automation

Congratulations!

OPTO 22

Opto 22 knows automation and controls and has been building reliable SSRs, controllers, I/O, and software for more than 40 years, all based on open standards and all manufactured and supported in the U.S.A.

Founded in 1974 by engineers who designed a better SSR and built a non-corporate, flat

organization, Opto 22 fosters individual responsibility, quick response to customers’ needs, and fast development of cutting-edge products.

Opto 22’s goal is to make automation projects simpler for engineers, OEMs and machine

builders, integrators, and anyone who needs to monitor and control equipment and systems.

Reliable hardware, easy-to-use software, and excellent customer service: that’s the Opto 22 difference.

Their flagship product, groov EPIC, offers a unified automation platform for Industrial

Internet of Things applications. Built from the ground up to connect automation systems to enterprise IT and cloud systems, groov EPIC combines edge processing, multiple programming options, industrial ruggedness, and decades of controls and I/O experience, all backed by people who speak your protocol and understand your code.

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• A complete IoT-enabled Automation Toolset: Industrial I/O, Control & Logic, Visualization, ER IN G

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Key product capabilities include:

Industrial Automation 2018 Leadership Winners PR ESEN TED BY

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and Data Management for the engineer, operator, technician, machine builder, and OEM.

• Free control and HMI software, along with free training and support, to integrate your automation and manufacturing systems with IT systems simply and affordably.

•

Centralize siloed processes, systems, equipment, and data, regardless of source. Move your data directly from your operations systems into your IT

systems without protocol conversion or middleware. Use edge processing to parse and report data from the network edge to cloud-based systems for data analysis.

www.designworldonline.com

December 2018

9

12/4/18 8:10 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Mechanical

Congratulations!

Zero-Max, Inc.

Servo Motor Couplings & Motion Control Products.

With many years of application experience Zero-Max excels in these areas:

• Experienced Practical Application Advice • Responsive to our Customers needs • Predictable high quality • Fast Delivery • Integrity • High Value • ISO 9001:2008 certified Zero-Max Primary Product lines are: Shaft Couplings and Torque Limiters for Servomotors, Linear Actuators, Wind Turbines, Printing Presses, Label Printing, Converting Machines, Machine Tools, Test Equipment, Feedback devices, Packaging Machines, Process Equipment, Dynamometers and other high performance applications.

Variable Speed Mechanical Drives for Agricultural, Printing, Peristaltic Pumps, Food Processing, Pharmaceutical, Packaging, and many other applications.

Overhung Load Adaptors for Timber processing, Brush Clearing, Road Construction, Marine, Fan Drives, and other rugged applications that need overhung load SH ER AD

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protection for hydraulic pumps and motors.

Keyless Locking Bushings for Packaging, Processing, Tooling, Automated Assembly, and applications that would benefit from the unique qualities bushings.

Redefining Innovation & Leadership For over 60 years, Zero-Max, Inc. has created innovative solutions

Mechanical 2018 Leadership Winners P R ESEN T ED BY

to motion control problems worldwide. With strategic distribution points located throughout the world, Zero-Max can deliver your motion control solution.

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DESIGN WORLD

12/3/18 9:58 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Mechatronics

Congratulations!

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. Manufacturing technology is becoming smarter every day and the requirements for machine intelligence has now become the norm. As primary advocates for the Smart Machine movement, Mitsubishi Electrical Automation put critical machine and production information at users fingertips for ease of integration to factory IT systems. Keeping machines in top operating condition is a benefit of advancements in machine learning providing realtime diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and continuous tuning to compensate for mechanical degradation and anomalies.

On-board analytics provide optimum performance and improved OEE, ensuring users are running at maximum efficiency.

As a global supplier of precision and performance-based servos and VFDs, advanced controllers, HMIs, and a complete line of robots, Mitsubishi provides OEMs with the ability to provide the most advanced machines or complete lines with a single platform. Most importantly, pre-engineered software tools allow you to design your system in less time with higher reliability and repeatability. Pre-configured for popular program tasks and designed to integrate seamlessly with control and IT platforms, our programming library can reduce your time to market dramatically.

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advanced and reliable automation solutions for improving performance, lowering ER IN

total cost of ownership, and enhancing competitiveness. They offer a complete

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Mitsubishi Electric offers manufacturers, machine builders, and system integrators

Mechatronics

product portfolio from controllers and visualization solutions, drives and motion control, to robotics, allowing them to create integrated solutions on one platform for highest quality performance.

2018 Leadership Winners PR ESEN TED BY

DESIGN WORLD

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www.designworldonline.com  

December 2018

11

12/5/18 9:21 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Motion Control

Congratulations!

FESTO

For over 40 years in the US and 80 years globally, Festo has been a

• End of Line Packaging

positive force for manufacturers. The company’s passion is automation —

• Flat Panel/Solar

intelligent automation solutions that transform the way people work — and the way companies compete.

• Food & Beverage • Lab Automation

The company operates with a simple manifesto: That

• Medical Technology

intelligent automation isn’t just about movement – it’s

• Printing, Paper & Converting

movement with purpose. And it’s not just about innovative

• Semiconductor

products. It’s about products that come with expert advice and

• Water/Wastewater

differentiated customer support. The aim is to help customers make their products faster, smarter and more precisely.

Complete System Solutions Experienced engineers provide complete

Full Range of Standard and Customized Products

support at every stage of development process, including: conceptualization,

With a line of more than 30,000 automation products, Festo can support

analysis, engineering, design, assembly,

the most complex automation requirements.

documentation, validation, and

• Pneumatic Drives

production.

• Servo Pneumatic Technology

• Engineering & Design

• Handling & Vacuum Technology

• Handling & Custom Assembly

• Air Preparation, Pneumatic Connections and Tubing

• Control Systems

• Valve and Valve Manifolds • Sensors and Machine Vision • Control Technology

Whether designing new machinery or modernizing existing systems, Festo can provide the resources you need to meet your unique requirements in every stage of industrial production and manufacturing.

• Automotive

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• Electromechanical Components

Motion Control 2018 Leadership Winners P R ESEN T ED BY

• Biotech/Pharmaceutical • Electronics & Assembly

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December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

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DESIGN WORLD

12/3/18 10:50 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Networks

Congratulations!

Beckhoff Automation The Beckhoff system architecture for machine and plant automation promotes control hardware consolidation by advancing powerful PCbased control technology. This approach takes the best from automation technology (AT) and IT, making powerful tools available to engineering teams. All the benefits from the early days of this effort remain from the integration of PLC, motion control, and HMI, while adding other highvalue functions for robotics, safety, high-end measurement, condition monitoring, and of course, cloud connectivity and IoT. Engineering efficiency is greatly increased because software packages share the same universal platform as all other machine programming tools from Beckhoff. Another significant innovation from Beckhoff is EtherCAT P technology. With EtherCAT P, Beckhoff unites EtherCAT communication and power supply in a standard, 4-wire Ethernet cable.

Innovative, space-saving One Cable Automation technology integrates the 24 V DC supply of the EtherCAT P slaves with the signals and data from connected sensors and actuators.

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based on advanced PC Control technology. The “New Automation Technology” philosophy at Beckhoff represents universal and open automation solutions used in a wide spectrum of high-tech applications

Networks 2018 Leadership Winners

around the world. These applications range from control of machines and robots used in manufacturing, to Internet of Things (IoT) systems, intelligent building automation and much more.

PR ESEN TED BY

DESIGN WORLD

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www.designworldonline.com

December 2018

13

12/5/18 9:26 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Software This simulation application runs in a web browser and allows users to analyze a rotor bearing system by calculating its critical speeds and Campbell plot.

Congratulations!

COMSOL

COMSOL is a global provider of simulation software for product design and research to technical enterprises, research labs, and universities. Its COMSOL Multiphysics product is an integrated software environment for creating physics-based models and simulation apps. A particular strength is its ability to model multiphysics systems such as packaging machines and motors by accounting for all physics affecting the behavior of a device or process.

Designing a machine is a company-wide effort. To foster collaboration COMSOL is providing engineers with the tools to optimize a design by taking into account all relevant physics and enable the input of experts from other departments such as manufacturing, safety, and quality control through the use of apps. COMSOL Multiphysics is uniquely positioned to address the modeling of designs such as switches, connectors, gears, cables, and more.

The Application Builder in COMSOL Multiphysics provides design teams

with tools to turn detailed multiphysics models into easy-to-use apps. COMSOL Server accessible through the web or the COMSOL Client for Windows. The adoption of simulation apps makes the workflow streamlined and inclusive. With simulation apps, designers do not have to be an expert accurate multiphysics simulation results.

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in numerical simulation to suggest a design iteration based on

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Vibration and noise analysis in a 5-speed synchromesh gearbox.

allows worldwide publishing of these apps by hosting them locally and making them readily

Software 2018 Leadership Winners P R ESEN T ED BY

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DESIGN WORLD

12/3/18 10:52 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Switches & Sensors

Congratulations!

MTS Sensors

MTS Sensors, a division of MTS Systems Corporation, is the pioneer of Temposonics magnetostrictive technology and a worldwide manufacturer of noncontact linear position sensors and liquid level transmitters that enable reliable feedback control for automation and safety applications. The company offers a full range of solutions for Mobile Hydraulics (off-highway) and Liquid Level applications

In absolute, linear position sensors, MTS Sensors offers an extensive range

of measuring stroke options, simultaneous measurement of multiple magnets, smart electronic designs with built-in diagnostics, innovative housing concepts and a wide variety of controller interfaces. The Temposonics magnetostrictive technology is maximized with powerful electronics and double-shielded construction to assure immunity against interference. Robust designs guarantee maximum reliability, high-precision position measurements and long-term operation even in the harshest environments.

The T-Series sensor is optimized for safe use in settings where there is

potential for exposure to flames and caustic substances, as well as the possibility The acquisition of PCB Piezotronics, Inc. means the company can offer a

range of accelerometers, microphones, force, torque, load, strain, and pressure sensors, as well as ICP technology (Integrated Circuit Piezoelectric). In addition to enhanced product portfolio, the combination of two organizations increases research, development and production capabilities worldwide. Temposonics and PCB sensors are used in research/development and machinery health monitoring applications, off-highway equipment, liquid level measurement and other

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of explosive atmospheres.

Switches & Sensors 2018 Leadership Winners P R ESEN T ED BY

industries to improve product performance and reduce operational downtime.

DESIGN WORLD

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www.designworldonline.com

December 2018

15

12/3/18 10:53 AM

2018

Leadership in Engineering

Test & Measurement

Congratulations!

Fluke Electronics Since its founding in 1948, Fluke has helped define and grow a unique technology market, providing testing and troubleshooting capabilities that have grown to mission critical status in manufacturing and service industries.

Fluke has achieved the number one or number two position in every market in which it competes. The Fluke brand has a reputation for portability, ruggedness, safety, ease of use and rigid standards of quality.

From industrial electronic installation, maintenance and service, to precision measurement and quality control, Fluke tools help keep business and industry around the globe up and running. Typical customers

and users include technicians, engineers, metrologists, manufacturers, R&D professionals, and computer network professionals — people who stake their reputations on their tools, and use tools to help extend their

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personal power and abilities.

Test & Measurement 2018 Leadership Winners P R ESEN T ED BY

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DESIGN WORLD

12/3/18 10:55 AM

85+ Years of Cabinet Solutions Complete any cabinet with high-quality, heavy-duty rack and outlet products

by Hammond Manufacturing.

Š Allied Electronics & Automation, 2018

SEP18Electronics_85+ Allied-Hammond Ad (DW).indd 1 17 Allied Years Ad 9-18.indd

Get your A&C fill at

alliedelec.com

1.800.433.5700 8/6/18 8:42 4:13 AM PM 12/5/18

Contents 12 • 2018

•

vol 13 no 12

•

2018

designworldonline.com

Leadership Winners Pages 3-16

A supplement of Design World December 2018

90 70 _LINEAR MOTION

96 _TEST & MEASUREMENT

What are precision-link conveyors?

12 things to know before buying a 3D industrial computed tomography system

Precision-link conveyors index components with high accuracy, speed, and quality to give manufacturers a way to make operations more efficient.

76 _MOTION CONTROL Where internal permanent magnet gearmotors make sense

developments in imagining

through generative design

118

122

114 Design differences

New additive technologies

between plastic and

compete with traditional

metal 3D printing

manufacturing

COVER_MPF 12-18_Vs1.indd 113

12/3/18 1:50 PM

113-126

I

N

S

I

D

E : VFD cables’ design requirements • Stretching the limits of USB 3.0 • Vertical cable supports

Inter

A supplement of Design World • December 2018

A computed tomography test system is a big investment. Here are the things you need to know before making the plunge.

2018

Cable & Connector Reference Guide

104 _PNEUMATICS

COVER_Interconnect_2018_FINAL.indd 127

Explore how internal permanent magnet (IPM) electric motors can work in

The basics on designing with FRLS

compact designs.

conditioning downstream components to ensure high air quality in most pneumatic machinery.

84 _3D CAD

a better

space lander

12/3/18 1:55 PM

127-147

FRLs are key in treating and

CAD and Analysis: Integration and beyond

CAD and analysis programs need to work together to ensure analysis happens quickly.

90 _MECHANICAL How to select bearings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment While semiconductors may be the brains

for electronics, they still need the brawn of manufacturing equipment to put them together to ensure major processes go smoothly.

18

December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

CONTENTS 12-18_Vs3.LL.indd 18

ON THE COVER Flex shafts from S.S. White Technologies drive the actuators that open and close jet afterburners such as these. | Photo courtesy of S.S. White Technologies

A | S | B | P| E

A | S | B | P| E

A | S | B | P| E

American Society of Business Publication Editors

American Society of Business Publication Editors

American Society of Business Publication Editors

2018 Regional

2018 National

Fostering B2B editorial excellence

Fostering B2B editorial excellence

Fostering B2B editorial excellence

2018 Regional

PR INT

DESIGN

DESIGN

Revenue of over $3 million

Revenue of over $3 million

Revenue of over $3 million

Award Winner

Award Winner

Award Winner

DESIGN WORLD

12/3/18 4:43 PM

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10/25/18 12/3/18 11:54 12:52 AM PM

12.18

• contents departments 22 Insights 24 Teschler on Topic 26 Technology Forward 28 Green Engineering 33 Design For Industry 48 Design Notes 56 Internet of Things 62 CAE Solutions

148 Product World 152 Ad Index

20

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December 2018

DESIGN WORLD

12/3/18 4:49 PM

DESIGN WORLD

Follow the whole team on twitter @DesignWorld DIGITAL MEDIA/WEB/ DEVELOPMENT

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2011 - 2018

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2014 Winner

Director, Audience Development Bruce Sprague bsprague@wtwhmedia.com

Staff page 12-18_Vs1.indd 21

DIGITAL MARKETING

Associate Editor Mike Santora msantora@wtwhmedia.com @dw_mikesantora

VP, Creative Services Mark Rook mrook@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_graphics

DESIGN WORLD

Videographer Graham Smith gsmith@wtwhmedia.com

EVENTS

WTWH Media, LLC 6555 Carnegie Ave., Suite 300, Cleveland, OH 44103 Ph: 888.543.2447 | FAX: 888.543.2447

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Medical Design & OUTSOURCING December 2018

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My older son, Joshua, is a high school senior, and — without any pushing from me — has decided that he wants to pursue either biomedical engineering or robotic engineering. It’s been an interesting experience looking at colleges here at home and far away, everything from Case Western Reserve University to Georgia Tech, and Lawrence Technological University to the University of New Mexico. But so far, the best investment of our time was a more immersive experience — a summer engineering camp.

A former colleague of mine turned me onto the idea of engineering summer camps, something I’d never even heard of. After some detailed comparing online, I enrolled Josh in one administered by Michigan State University in East Lansing. The five-day program was an overnight one, so attendees lived in the dorms, ate campus cafeteria food, and had roommates. I felt that big college experience would be a good thing for my son, to gauge how he liked it (he did, very much).

What I really liked about this camp was that it also gave in-depth insight into a variety of engineering disciplines. They covered mechanical engineering, as well as materials engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, and more. The kids spent a week in lecture, lab and design sessions run by faculty and student assistants from the various engineering programs.

At the end of the camp, parents were invited to a closing ceremony, where all the kids had paired up and presented a poster session, describing what they’d learned about one particular area of interest. I was blown away by their professionalism and passion.

I was also pleased to see a lot of young women participating, a much different experience from when I’d been in school. One of the three MSU student leaders was a female, and fully 13 out of the 44 camp members were.

The one camp participant who was selected for a $1,500 MSU “best in class” engineering scholarship was a young lady.

All in all, the camp helped Josh narrow his engineering focus a bit — and showed him more of what the college experience could be. If you have a high school student interested in engineering, I highly recommend a camp; there are a variety of them at colleges large and small, and they range from a few days to a couple of weeks, with both day and overnight options offered. DW

(510) 471-4000

Paul J. Heney - VP, Editorial Director pheney@wtwhmedia.com

30097 Ahern Avenue Union City, CA 94587

On Twitter @ DW—Editor

Te c h n i c a l S u p p o r t

(408) 460-1345

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December 2018 www.designworldonline.com DESIGN WORLD

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Teschler on Topic Bad juju: Does the engineering data you use come from a retracted paper?

There’s a controversy these days about the number of scientific papers that end up being retracted.

The science journal Nature estimates that the early 2000s saw only 30 retraction notices annually, but by 2011 that number had climbed to over 400 per year and continued to rise.

More troubling was the wording of the retraction notices. Many of them have become vague to the point where it’s tough to distinguish a retraction because of an error to one arising from deliberate scientific misconduct.

Though most of the retractions seem to arise in papers covering psychology and biology, engineering topics haven’t been immune. Retraction Watch, a blog and web site devoted to highlighting scientific retractions, reports that about 40% of the retractions in its database come from one source, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The vast majority of the retractions are abstracts from IEEE conferences taking place between 2009 and 2011. In all, says Retraction Watch, IEEE retracted more than 7,300 abstracts, and most of the authors are in China.

We asked the IEEE about all this, and they responded with a prepared statement that said, in part, “Several years ago, we identified a number of conference papers published in the IEEE Xplore digital library that did not meet our guidelines. We took immediate action to ensure continued research integrity and subject matter alignment, and, after review, subsequently cleared or retracted papers as appropriate. Since that time, we have reviewed and increased the rigor of our processes to better ensure we detect articles that do not meet our standards…... We have formed a dedicated committee of IEEE volunteers and staff serving as subject matter experts and ‘gatekeepers’ for incoming conference content. This committee now provides an additional level of review ....”

More illumination of the issue comes from a presentation by the chair of the IEEE conference quality management committee, Lance Fung, an emeritus professor at Murdoch University in Australia. Fung’s description of the problem makes it clear the IEEE was being victimized by a sizeable group of scammers. He says the issues included “widespread and rapidly growing misconduct, mostly

with a ‘pay to publish’ type of model” where conference paper authors would pay a conference registration fee just to have their paper published, and then never show up at the conference.

It’s also clear from Fung’s presentation that it wasn’t just authors who were problematic. Some of the conferences themselves organized back around 2009 and 2010 were scams. He notes quality issues that included acceptance of papers that were obviously generated by machines, that treated subjects wildly outside the scope of the conference, and paper stuffing behavior where a conference with 100 attendees would publish 1,000 papers in its proceedings.

The process of reviewing questionable papers from that era must have had humorous moments. Fung notes that some papers had technical content resembling undergraduate lab reports while others were only a couple pages long, and many of them suspiciously referenced only publications by the authors themselves.

Fortunately, it looks as though IEEE’s policing has had an impact. The organization rejected 140 conferences in 2011 but only a few dozen last year.

However, the lesson is clear: It’s probably wise to treat newly published technical papers as internet hoaxes until proven otherwise. DW

Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW—LeeTeschler

24

December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

Lee Teschler Column 12-18_V3.LL.indd 24

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Technology Forward

How to speak

IoT

Depending on your research choice, the Internet of Things (IoT) emerged as something to take seriously around 2008 or 2009. Like all new developments, it takes a while to get established. One sign of maturity is that there are efforts to establish common terminology.

The IoT is usually targeted at the manufacturing industry, so some of the words commonly used in that industry now have slightly different meanings in the world of IoT. As supporters of other developing technologies have learned, common terminology goes a long way toward avoiding challenges and implementation delays.

The Industrial Internet Consortium published a paper on the vocabulary for the Industrial Internet of Things to establish common definitions of IIoT terms.

The committee created definitions for these terms using the following guidelines: • The definition of a term provides an in-place replacement for that term in a sentence.

• A term whose English dictionary definition is considered sufficient is not included.

• A new definition is created only when that term is not already

defined in an existing specification or standard, such as ISO/IEC JTC 1 International Standard, or its definition is not appropriate for use in the Industrial Internet.

• In selecting appropriate references for existing terms, international standards are preferred over regional or national standards.

So, for fun, here are few terms and their definitions. You can visit the Industrial Internet Consortium website and obtain a free copy.

Analytics: synthesis of knowledge from information Architecture: fundamental concepts or properties of a system in its environment embodied in its elements, relationships, and in the principles of its design and evolution.

Cloud computing: paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of sharable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on-demand. Note: examples of resources include servers, operating systems, networks, software, applications and storage equipment.

Component: modular, deployable and replaceable part of a system that encapsulates implementation and exposes a set of interfaces.

Connectivity: ability of a system or application to communicate with toehr systems or applications via network(s).

Connectivity endpoint: interface that provides connectivity.

Edge computing: distributed computing that is performed near the edge, where the nearness is determined by the system requirements.

Endpoint: component that has computational capabilities and network connectivity.

Industrial internet: Internet of things, machines, computers and people, enabling intelligent industrial operations using advanced data analytics for transformational business outcomes.

Industrial internet of things (IIoT) system: system that connects and integrates industrial control systems with enterprise systems, business processes and analytics.

Note1: industrial control systems contain sensors and actuators.

Note2: Typically, these are large and complicated systems.

Network: collection of communicating endpoints Operational technology (OT): hardware and software that detects or causes a change through the direct monitoring and/or control of physical devise, processes, and events in an enterprise. DW

Leslie Langnau • Managing Editor llangnau@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_3Dprinting

26

December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

Tech Forward 12-18_Vs2.LL.indd 26

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11/6/18 12/3/18 4:33 1:00 PM PM

Green Engineering Paul J. Heney

• VP, Editorial Director

Sea urchins

may be key to developing lightweight engineered cellular materials

In the ongoing search for strong, lightweight materials, researchers are looking at sea urchins, which have spines made of chalk, and are generally brittle. Ironically, the highly complex three-dimensional structure of sea urchin spines is 70% to 80% porous, and thus creates an overall stable, strong structure.

Studying the sea urchin is part of a $540,000 National Science Foundation grant being investigated by Ling Li, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering. The research seeks to develop methods for acquiring, handling, processing, extracting, and evaluating the computational data for a hierarchical structure in order to integrate the information with 3D data and testing to develop engineered cellular materials.

By using design rules gathered from studying biological systems and inputting the rules into the design of bioinspired lightweight ceramic materials, Li hopes the information can be applied to creating lightweight panels and other components for a variety of industrial purposes.

“I can see this information being applicable to panels, structural support, and armor to provide impact and blast protection. The design is very damage tolerant and does not fail catastrophically,” said Li. “We want to understand how nature designs lightweight materials with brittle components and we are trying to understand the 3D architecture of the sea urchin spine’s structure to see if we can determine how the structure helps achieve high strength and damage tolerance given the inherent weakness of the chalk it’s made from.”

Working with co-investigator Yunhui Zhu, an assistant professor with the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the team will use a synchrotron

28

tomography technique and mathematical tools developed by the Argonne National Laboratory to obtain high-resolution 3-D volumetric data to determine how the porous network is designed in terms of connections, arrangements, and orientation.

“The project is based on characterizing and understanding the internal structure of the sea urchin spine to find out why it’s so strong,” Li said.

“Sea urchin spines have been shown to perform similarly to the best ceramic cellular materials people have made in the lab in terms of relative strength.”

One of the differences between man-made and natural cellular structures is the nonsymmetrical formation of cellular struts and nodes, which also vary in thickness and orientation gradually at different locations.

“Most of our current 3D printed materials are based on idealized geometries, such as cylindrical beams with a constant cross-sectional area, which may contribute to catastrophic failure behavior in some printed ceramic solids,” said Li. “Looking at sea urchins, we see curved morphologies in stark contrast to 3D printed structures. By studying these, we hope to learn how to input these natural designs into our laboratory-created materials.” DW

December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

Green Engineering 12-18 V3.LL.indd 28

DESIGN WORLD

12/4/18 10:40 AM

Power Review

Altra Industrial Motion Vol. 7 | No. 4 | 2018

The Power Brands in Power Transmission

Featured in this Edition...

Get Connected with the Altra Newsroom Altra Releases New Corporate Brochure New Bridge Application Profiles Now Available from Nuttall Gear Altra Provides Power Transmission Solutions for Hydraulic Fracturing Applications Boston Gear Open Gearing Product Offerings Altra Provides Power Transmission Solutions for the Mobile Power Equipment Market

Get Connected with the Altra Newsroom!

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Creating A Premier Industrial Company Ameridrives Bauer Gear Motor Bibby Turboflex Boston Gear Delevan Delroyd Worm Gear Deltran

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Formsprag Clutch Guardian Couplings Huco Jacobs Vehicle Systems Kilian Kollmorgen Lamiflex Couplings

Marland Clutch Matrix Nuttall Gear Portescap Stieber Stromag Svendborg Brakes

TB Wood’s Thomson Twiflex Warner Electric Warner Linear Wichita Clutch

For more information contact us at: info@altramotion.com or visit www.altramotion.com

Scan to download the interactive version of the Power Review

12/3/18 1:01 PM

Get Connected with the Altra Newsroom The Altra Newsroom is updated weekly with the latest brand, product, and market news. The Newsroom makes it quick and easy for you to get the news you need when you need it. From new literature releases to trade show schedules, the news is at your fingertips 24 hours a day.

Browse featured stories on the home page and stay updated on the latest on tradeshows, articles, application profiles, news releases and innovation spotlights. PDFs of literature are available for download.

Search news stories by brand, literature type and products or browse the news archives by month.

Explore the most recent news stories in each category. Additional stories are listed below.

Literature can be downloaded and shared via various social media platforms.

Archived news stories are organized by month. Each archive includes a short description, product or application photo and related keywords for quick and easy browsing.

www.Altramotion.com/Newsroom

Altra Releases New Corporate Brochure The corporate brochure now complements Altra’s integration, providing information related to all of the Altra brands and product categories.

Expertise Altra Brands Deliver Value Expertise in standard, modified and custom engineered products, backed by the most recognized brands in the power transmission motion control industry.

Altra’s comprehensive product offerings include various types of clutches and brakes, overrunning clutches, engineered bearing assemblies, gearing and gear motors along with linear motion products, belted drives, couplings, limit switches, precision motors, drives & controls, miniature motors and engine braking systems.

Altra’s five main product groups - clutches & brakes, couplings, gearing & specialty components, linear systems and precision motors, drives & controls are backed by over 25 of the industry’s leading brands. On average, our brands have been in operation for over 85 years. The industry knowledge and application expertise developed during this period enables us to deliver unique solutions tailored to meet the most rigorous customer demands.

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A History of Successful Mergers and Acquisitions with a Proven Track Record of Consistent Growth

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Kilian Ameridrives Marland Clutch Boston Gear Nuttall Gear Delroyd Worm Gear Stieber Clutch Formsprag Clutch Warner Electric Industrial Clutch Wichita Clutch

The brochure will be made available in the following languages: Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian and French.

Bauer Gear Motor

2018 *LTM

Stromag

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Jacobs Vehicle Systems Portescap Kollmorgen Thomson

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2016

2018

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Product Solutions

2017

2012

Our comprehensive product offerings include various types of clutches and brakes, overrunning clutches, engineered bearing assemblies, gearing and gear motors along with linear motion products, belted drives, couplings, limit switches, precision motors, drives & controls, miniature motors and engine braking systems.

With thousands of product solutions available, Altra provides true single source convenience while meeting specific customer requirements.

Many major OEMs and end users prefer Altra products as their No. 1 choice for performance and reliability.

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Power Transmission, Motion Control and Engine Braking Solutions

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A Global Footprint to Support Customers Around the World Altra Headquarters Altra Engineering & Service Centers Altra Manufacturing Facilities

The Brands of Altra Industrial Couplings Ameridrives www.ameridrives.com Bibby Turboflex www.bibbyturboflex.com Guardian Couplings www.guardiancouplings.com Huco www.huco.com Lamiflex Couplings www.lamiflexcouplings.com Stromag www.stromag.com TB Wood’s www.tbwoods.com Linear Systems Thomson www.thomsonlinear.com Warner Linear www.warnerlinear.com

Heavy Duty Clutches &

- Brakes - Custom Engineered - Clutches Products - Clutch/Brake Assemblies - Disc Brakes - Wrap Spring - Tension Control Brakes - Micro Clutches

- Pneumatic Clutches & Brakes - Hydraulic Clutches & Brakes - Caliper Brakes

Motion Geared Cam Limit Switches Stromag www.stromag.com Engineered Bearing Assemblies Kilian www.kilianbearings.com Electric Clutches & Brakes Matrix www.matrix-international.com Stromag www.stromag.com Warner Electric www.warnerelectric.com Deltran www.thomsonlinear.com Belted Drives TB Wood’s www.tbwoods.com

Heavy Duty Clutches & Brakes Twiflex www.twiflex.com Stromag www.stromag.com Svendborg Brakes www.svendborg-brakes.com Wichita Clutch www.wichitaclutch.com Gearing & Specialty Bauer Gear Motor www.bauergears.com Boston Gear www.bostongear.com Delevan www.delevan.com Delroyd Worm Gear www.delroyd.com Nuttall Gear www.nuttallgear.com

Components

Brakes

Engine Braking Systems

- Water Cooled Brakes - Fluid Couplings - Custom Engineered Products - Thruster Drum Brakes - Disc Brakes

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Precision Motors, Drives & Controls Kollmorgen www.kollmorgen.com Miniature Motors Portescap www.portescap.com Overrunning Clutches Formsprag Clutch www.formsprag.com

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New Bridge Application Profiles Now Available from Nuttall Gear Nuttall has recently released several success stories in creating custom product solutions for various bridge requirements.

Nuttall Gear specializes in custom engineered and manufactured gearboxes for the lift bridge and lock & dam markets. These gearboxes employ the use of through hardened gearing. The machining, hobbing, grinding and heat treatment processes are all done in-house which helps to provide a more cost effective solution. In addition, the upgraded test floor allows for load testing gearboxes up to 500 horsepower. Testing in-house provides advantages both from a turnaround time and cost perspective and every gearbox manufactured at Nuttall Gear is tested at the facility in Niagara Falls, NY before it ships.

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Application Profile

Product

Application

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Custom Gear Drives

m Gearboxes

Vertical Lift Rail Bridge

Custo t

Vertical

Produc Highlights

• Custom-designed enclosed reducers • Fabricated steel housings

Drives Custom Gear g Bridge Rail Swin

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Nuttall Gear Reducers Custom ardened feature through-h CWI weld steel gearing with fabricated inspected, housings Worm Gear Delroyd Reducers Custom ground hardened, worm feature a alloy steel and polished gear and bronze

• Special center distances • Load tested to 150%

setts. The the Salem, Massachu Beverly and Originally built in 1885, ockport connecting Bridge.

Danvers River, Memorial (MBTA) Newport/R e spans the Route 1A, Veterans tion Authority Drawbridg Transporta to the setts Bay The Beverly adjacent marine Massachu positioned passage of bridge is carries the Boston. year to allow the busy bridge currently in times per rail bridge tely 5,000 outbound trains cross expensive line that originates approxima requiring commuter and 30 l problems daily commuters. section rotatesthan 30 inbound of mechanica More center swing channels. to experience delays for thousands The bridge’s span, through two bridge had begun s and a new swing worked river traffic years, the included service interruption Gear bridge that and Delroyd Worm daily. In recentcausing significant span. on of the Gear 104 ft. swing repairs while a major rehabilitati motor. Nuttall for the bridge’s drives completed wedges, and drive and the MTBA custom gear steel housingsUSA” In 2017, components, bridge to design fabricated Corp., l “Buy a featured mechanica engineers at HNTB project had tests were reducers (CWI). The with project ricated enclosedWeld Inspector 150% load splash-lub no load and and Delroyd an Independent Certifiedsteel). Required by The Nuttall for the 2.53:1 inspections country of origin ratio: included Reduction ratio: 48.11:1 t (including 900 RPM, requiremen 15 HP @ @ 356 RPM, Reduction ratio: 17.1:1 in-house.

Input rating: Reduction 7.5 HP performed Reducer: Input rating: HP @ 1750 RPM, ratio: 56.42:1 l Span Drive Differentia Angle Reducers:Input rating: 10 RPM, Reduction • Primary Span Drive Right 104 Brakes: ratio: 450:1 10 HP @ • Secondary Gearmotors w/Integral Input rating: RPM, Reduction Drive 5 HP @ 1750 Angle Reducers: • Wedge Drive Right Reducers: Input rating: • Wedge Gear Gear our Worm Worm of Lift list Delroyd • Rail a complete Contact

Nuttall Gear

US (Application

Assistance)

8-4100

1-716-29

com

nuttallgear.

P-8578-C

Altra Industrial_#2_12-18.indd 30

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ion Profi

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10/18

Contact

US (Application

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2-0121

1-800-43

delroyd.com

In July of 2018, the Union Pacific Railroad replaced its aging 614 ft. long swing bridge over the San Bernard River near Angleton, Texas.

The new bridge is a vertical lift design with a 114 ft. long center span that raises 56 ft. above the Mean High Water (MHW) level to allow marine river traffic to pass under.

The busy bridge carries 19 trains per day (both commuter and freight).

To diminish track outage time, engineers designed the new bridge’s center vertical lift span to be fully constructed alongside the existing bridge and slid into position quickly once the old bridge’s center swing section was removed. to bridge construction had never This radical approach been attempted before. The entire center section replacement process took only 80 hours to successfully complete.

Nuttall Gear worked with the bridge engineering team to design and manufacture the primary differential reducer and 4 secondary reducers required for the new vertical lift bridge. All the enclosed drives featured fabricated steel housings, inspected by an Independent and all welds were Certified Weld Inspector (CWI).

The project had a US origin steel requirement.

• Primary Parallel Shaft Differential Reducer: Input rating: 20 HP @ 1170 RPM, Reduction ratio: 20.84:1 • Secondary Parallel Shaft Reducers: Input rating: 5 HP @ 56 RPM,

US (Application Assistance)

1-716-298-4100

nuttallgear.com P-8577-NG

10/18

Reduction ratio: 78.5:1

For a complete list of our global sales offices visit:

altramotion.com/contactus

tion

Applica

hts

Highlig

esigned enclosed • Custom-d aft reducers parallel-sh and with carburized ground gearing sets of • Two duplicatesupplied; each drives were a primary and set featured reducers two secondary testing • All requiredin-house performed steel housings • Fabricated

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Lift Bridg

River Piscataqua spans the lift bridge allows Long bridge vertical Sarah Mildred Hampshire. The Hampshire 1940, the h, New the Maine-New bridge had opened in to Portsmout In 2016, truss Originally Kittery, Maine the Atlantic Ocean. original twin deck maintenance issues to connecting l and that the large ships determined series of mechanicawas approved. passage of Product after a design Bridge Authority lanes Interstate end of its useful life new bridge carries two ft.

A completely span that 300 reached the closures. k center lift raised, the single-dec When fully caused repeated ate large,Application features a set of train tracks. to accommod nt bridge integrated (41 m) of clearance height for vehicle traffic, replaceme The new well as an 134.5 ft. road bed traffic as the twin-deck of vehicle center span provides positioned at the railroad tracks on a daily basis. on (91 m) long ships. While typically to align with the cross the bridge Highlights modern cargo can also be loweredtely 4000 vehicles in each of l span positioned mechanica Approxima the center • Custom-designed enclosed and cables, and of the bridge. of sheaves bridge’s engineers side spans reducers the bridge’s four sets with the by utilizing required for operates Gear worked reducers • Special center distances The bridge four towers. Nuttall re the enclosed the bridge’s design and manufactu • Fabricated steel housings primary reducers to . . The two of 1.5. The four contractor gearboxes assemblies factor • Load tested to 150% shaft main drive a service service custom parallel ratio, and 23:1 ratio, and a two sets of a were RPM, a 20:1 @ 1170 63 HP @ 58.5 RPM, Nuttall provided and all welds a “Buy USA” of 125 HP of housings met had an input had an input fabricated steel (CWI). The drives reducers in-house. secondary All the drives featured Weld Inspector performed load tests factor of 1.5. an Independent Certified to 150% by inspected and were subjected t requiremen of our

US (Application

Assistance)

8-4100 1-716-29 om nuttallgear.c

P-8572-NG

list For a complete offices visit: global salescom/contactus altramotion.

Custom Heavy-Duty Gearboxes Swing Bridge The Lindsey Warren bridge that spans 3 miles across the North Carolina recently underwent a major renovation. Alligator River in Originally built in 1962, the two-lane bridge carries U.S. 64 vehicular traffic between Tyrrell and Dare counties. The North Carolina Dept. of Transportation approved the renovation project that included the mechanical and electrical components positioned below the bridge’s center swing span that allows marine traffic to pass through the bridge.

Nuttall Gear designed and manufactured two new enclosed gearboxes for bridge. Both units featured the fabricated steel housings and were load tested to 150%. All welds were inspected by an Independent Certified Special center distances Weld Inspector (CWI). were required.

• Primary Parallel Shaft Differential Reducer: Input rating: 25 HP @ 870 RPM, Reduction ratio: 30.41:1 • Wedge Machinery Parallel Shaft Reducer: Input rating: 7.5 HP @ 870 RPM, Reduction ratio: 28:1

10/18

For offices visit: global salescom/contactus altramotion.

US (Application Assistance)

1-716-298-4100

nuttallgear.com P-8576-NG

For a complete list of our global sales offices visit:

altramotion.com/contactus

9/18

12/3/18 1:02 PM

Altra Provides Power Transmission Solutions for Hydraulic Fracturing Applications As industry leaders in electromechanical power transmission products, the global companies of Altra Industrial Motion supply technically advanced driveshafts/ universal joints, couplings, clutches, brakes, gearing and belted drives for all types of diesel and electric powered truck-mounted hydraulic fracturing pump and blender units. All Altra products are designed to withstand the often harsh, rugged conditions of oil and gas shale plays in North America and around the world.

The companies of Altra Industrial Motion offer advanced technologies together with unparalleled engineering capability. Our experienced application engineers analyze every application challenge in order to provide the optimal power transmission solutions for our customers.

Altra brands that support the hydraulic fracturing market include Ameridrives, TB Wood’s, Twiflex, Stromag, Wichita Clutch and Nuttall Gear.

www.AltraMotion.com/HydraulicFracturing For more information, download P-8583-C from www.AltraLiterature.com

Boston Gear Open Gearing Product Offerings Boston Gear has been a leader and pioneer in manufacturing gearing products since 1877, when they introduced the concept of gear standardization and stock gears - innovations of enormous benefit to power transmission system designers, specifiers, and users. Today, Boston Gear manufactures open gearing at the state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte, NC, where they continue to improve product quality and manufacturing efficiencies with programs like gear cell manufacturing, CAD/CAM design and manufacturing and CNC/DNC programming.

In addition, Boston Gear offers the Guaranteed Same Day Shipment Program - a revolutionary, premium-free delivery program that ensures same day shipment for all in stock items for the timeliest delivery possible.

• Stocked Gearing Immediate Availability (Over 2,500 Stocked Varieties) • Modified Stock Gears Mounting Flexibility • Custom Gearing Broad Capabilities For more information, download P-1930-BG & P-7202-BG from www.AltraLiterature.com See the Complete Product Offering

Altra Provides Power Transmission Solutions for the Mobile Power Equipment Market The well recognized brands of Altra Industrial Motion supply technically advanced clutches and brakes, couplings, linear actuators, speed reducers, and bearing assemblies for a wide range of mobile power equipment, including agriculture, construction/off-highway, forestry, specialty vehicle, and portable power unit applications.

Major OEMs routinely rely on the vast mobile power equipment application knowledge of Altra’s engineering teams that collaborate to thoroughly analyze specific customer applications and then apply the latest technologies in design, materials and manufacturing. Whether a modified standard product or a custom solution is required, Altra provides complete sales and engineering support to customers around the world from the very first concept to the detailed planning, design phase and commissioning.

Altra brands that support the mobile power equipment market include Stromag, Warner Linear, Guardian Couplings, Warner Electric, Stieber, Wichita Clutch and Twiflex.

www.AltraMobilePowerEquip.com For more information, download P-8571-C from www.AltraLiterature.com

Altra Industrial_#3_12-18.indd 31

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Altra Industrial_#4_12-18.indd 32

www.AltraMotion.com 12/3/18 1:03 PM

Design for Industry Energy

This wire could change how you

design motors

Despite the global transition from fossil-fuelbased transportation to more efficient electric vehicles, aircraft, and vessels (for moving people and goods) limitations in magnet technology prevent many producers from realizing top revenue and environmental impact.

A developer of magnet-based applications, AML Superconductivity & Magnetics (AML) recently completed successful development and testing of permanent-magnet manufacturing technology.

Called PM-Wire, it could change the way electric motors and generators are designed, manufactured, and used across industries worldwide. The magnets are made of traditional NdFeB or SmCo or other bonded or sintered material. However, PM-Wire gives engineers flexibility in magnet sizes, shapes, and magnetic field directions. It boosts reliability and enables new configurations; it replaces the challenging process of molding, machining, and coating PMs with highvolume continuous production that’s highly automated.

Permanent-magnet technology could change how electric motors and generators are built — and help the emerging $80B electric-motor propulsion market.

PM-Wire boosts the performance of permanent-magnet-based designs such as electric motors and generators — for top power density, efficiency, and torque — for weight and design cost that’s far lower than existing technologies. According to AML CEO Mark Senti, techniques for producing PM-Wire could also return rare-earth mining and permanent-magnet manufacturing to the U.S. The process dramatically improves the yield and removes laborious processes of manufacturing — a major driver for China’s dominance of the market. More specifically, it increases PM material yield 10% to 30% by cross-section and long length pieces. DW

AML pm-wire.com

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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Design for Industry Food/Beverage

POWER TRANSMISSION

RETAINING DEVICES & maintenance & assembly tools

Steel face sensors increase uptime in

harsh environments

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Compared to conventional plastic-faced sensors, the stainless-steel sensing face fights failure from impact, abrasion, and erosion while new Factor 1 technology extends the sensing range to 8 mm, even when flush-mounted in metal, for additional mechanical protection.

Factor 1 technology allows the sensor to detect both ferrous and non-ferrous materials at the same full range, a boon in cases where sensor de-rating for non-ferrous materials forces a reduction in the distance between sensor and target material, increasing the likelihood of damaging impacts. Factor 1 technology offers true weld-field immunity, enabling sensor status to be continuously monitored even during a welding cycle.

Application-specific types are available with options such as anti-weld-spatter coating, and ferrous-selective and nonferrous-selective variants.

All models have a protection rating of IP68, assuring resistance to liquid ingress even when fully submerged for extended periods of time. DW

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12/4/18 11:12 AM

Design for Industry Food/Beverage

Virtual commissioning helps

manufacturers eliminate inefficiencies

W

When adding an extension to a house, an architect will often use computer-assisted design (CAD) software to visualize what the extension will look like. Similarly, commissioning a new system for a food manufacturing plant requires software assistance to plan effectively, and with digital twinning, manufacturers can optimize its ongoing operations. Here, Brith Isaksson, of ABB’s food and beverage business, explains.

Planning can be time-consuming, but when adding to an existing building like a house, it could be the difference between a crumbling foundation and a dream home. To make the process smoother, architects use specialist software that allows them to draw the designs and integrate the electrical and plumbing elements of the existing structure into the plan.

Architects can then review the plans to ensure compliance with regulations, the practicalities of the design and eliminate any potential issues. However, while CAD plans are often used for planning system installations in manufacturing plants, the software is often limited by the variables that arise during operation.

As a result, there has been a shift towards virtual commissioning technology and other forms of simulation software in the industrial sector.

Virtual commissioning allows manufacturers to build and run a new factory process line virtually, before building it in the physical world. This type of test run includes simulating a replica of the line with its current automation system and network in a virtual realm, which is then modified to add in any new equipment.

Virtual commissioning allows plant engineers to program robots

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and automation systems in the virtual world. They then run virtual tests, and any discovered issues can be resolved in advance to reduce costs and the system’s start-up time.

For example, if a plant manager plans to install a new robotic cell to pick product from a conveyor and place the product in a box at a specific rate per minute, the line can be choreographed and tested virtually. This virtual trial run ensures that the robot can perform the movements and required maneuvers in conjunction with the flow of product and packaging. With a virtual process architecture, various scenarios can be run, and the automation software programmed without having to stop production on the physical line.

By using virtual commissioning, manufacturers can also eliminate operational inefficiencies in their existing

lines to boost productivity. Ability RobotStudio can simulate the different processes in a food and beverage plant so that managers can identify what strategies should be revised to provide better quality and increase output.

For the ongoing support and maintenance of equipment, managers can also integrate other simulation software like digital twinning applications.

A digital twin works by simulating a replica of an asset, sub-system or system and combines digital aspects of the equipment such as the design model with real-time aspects of how it operates and is maintained, to offer insights into the condition of equipment and the likelihood of any part failures.

While virtual commissioning creates a safe space for engineers to test and make sure the right mix of components are being used in their application,

digital twinning offers managers further verification of the overall 3-D design.

By using simulation software during the planning stages of this process, plant managers can calculate figures such as the optimum use of supply resources to meet consumption schedules, to make improvements in the whole supply chain.

The steps required to extend or adjust a factory are similar to that of adding to your home. Disruptive delays or problems not identified in the initial stages can be costly, but with virtual commissioning, food and beverage manufacturers can review the final model before deployment to address any issues and avoid any unexpected costs. DW

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Design for Industry M a c h i n e To o l

IS

Analog encoders with O

0 90

1

ISO 13485

programmable measurement characteristics

T

This new generation of analog rotary encoders for position control creates more versatile programming options. Engineers have the option of programming at the factory, in a distributor’s warehouse, or at their job site with the UBIFAST programming tool. Compared to the earlier analog encoders, these new models have improved accuracy, faster dynamic response and new

Tube bending

perfection in stainless

programming options. They also accept a wider range of supply voltages, an advantage for mobile machinery applications.

These analog encoders are designed for positioning tasks that use analog control systems. Outputs are either voltage (0-5 V, 0.5-4.5 V, 0-10 V or 0.5-9.5 V) or current (0-20 mA or 4-20 mA). The magnetic measurement mechanism is wear-free and durable so that these devices offer better accuracy, reliability and service life.

An essential feature of the analog encoders is that they are programmable with measurement characteristics that can be customized to meet specific application requirements, (This feature is also available with POSITAL’s digital encoders with SSI and incremental interfaces.)

Programmable characteristics include direction of rotation (CW or CCW), zero set and the encoder output range. Measurement range programming allows the full range of electrical outputs (voltage or current) to be set to match a user-defined range of mechanical motion, improving control system accuracy. For single-turn models, the measurement range can be set to 90°, 180°, 270° or 360°. For multi-turn models, the range can be set anywhere between 1 and 65,536 complete rotations. Analog encoders are available with push-buttons on the housing that enable the user to easily specify the upper and lower limits of the mechanical motion, with the electrical output fully spanning this range. DW

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M a c h i n e To o l

Simpler integration for Engineers must often must spend valuable time searching for a motor flange kit

IS

linear motion systems

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and then installing the individual components upon receipt. Now, they can order the upgraded RediMount solution, reducing lead time and having only to bolt their motor on upon arrival.

RediMount is a pre-engineered, modular adapter kit for installing motors or gears

into systems in five minutes or less.

According to Niklas Sjostrom, Product Line Manager EMEA & Asia at Thomson, “Lead time is minimized significantly as the motor or gear and systems can now be shipped with RediMount pre-installed. The upgraded RediMount adapter kit enables quick and effortless motor/gear installation.

RediMount accommodates a range of motor types and sizes or gears, which can be mounted to linear motion systems and actuators faster and with less effort.

“RediMount also includes updated smart part numbers with a specific motor ID, which reflects the motor or gear manufacturer and type,” added Sjostrom. “For engineers with old product numbers, we developed a translator, which converts the old product number to a new one including motor ID.” RediMount manages to minimize lead and engineering time while enabling high torque. Furthermore, by using the Linear MOTIONEERING tool, customers can check if their motor is powerful enough and meets the specifications of their application. DW

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December 2018

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Design for Industry M a c h i n e To o l

Dual cylinder actuator system assists clamp and press mode productivity

T

Traditional clamp and press mode actuation applications present the challenge of

having a rapid stroke at a low force while requiring a steep ramp-up to a high force for a short period. The inherent nature of these parameters means expensive oversizing of hydraulic infrastructure to provide high speed and high force.

Within this large machine footprint, delivering position and force control goals present complex motion and expense variables. In addition to having too many overall pieces in the equation, other factors include: oversized and continuously running pumps, large hoses that often leak, and the energy consuming frequency of stopping/starting with valves repeatedly turning on/off, while transitioning from high speed (low force) to lower speed (high force).

To overcome the need to oversize actuation components for applications that have a rapid stroke at low force with a load stroke at high force– Kyntronics has developed the patent-pending HSHF (High Speed/High Force) All-In-One Actuator.

Combining technologies from its servo-based SMART Hydraulic Actuator (SHA), coupled with a high-speed actuator and a high-force pair of actuators–the HSHF is a scalable, modular, “power-on-demand” machine platform. The design is self-contained with no hoses — eliminating leaky infrastructure.

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In Clamp Mode, rapid cycling times are needed while holding higher forces (170,000 Lbf / 756 kN) going back and forth. This mode is predominant in injection and blow molding applications which require rapid back/forth position and hold, which puts a lot of pressure on the actuator.

Traditional systems include hydraulics which feature check valves that lock in position. This requires a large footprint with a large pump and hoses.

Electromechanical is also an option, but this requires large and expensive components including motors, gearboxes, and roller screws/ball screws. Furthermore, the consistent metal-to-metal contact results in reduced life.

Press Application: Typically, this mode is used for 20-80 ton presses which need to come down quickly, and do work within DESIGN WORLD

12/4/18 11:23 AM

a small distance (1⁄4 -1⁄2-in. [6-13 mm]) for short periods of time. This application is currently dominated by hydraulic systems with huge power units, and excessive pumps/hoses. The HSHF system provides force control for both clamping and press application performance. The HSHF’s multi-cylinder, drop-in design has a variable displacement pump, servo motor, servo drive/motion controller, and closed-loop position and force control, with precision position and pressure sensors.

The reduced machine footprint is significant, as it eliminates the hydraulic infrastructure and all oversized elements–providing cost savings.

Because it only uses power-on-demand, energy savings are built-in.

Since there is no large cylinder or large pump waiting for the cycle to start, the HSHF uses minimal energy for the

rotary flange servo worms

long stroke and proportional energy for the load stroke.

Ease-of-integration with machine control systems and versatile control is also an inherent benefit, as the HSHF Actuator is compatible with Fieldbus, I/O (selectable indexes), and Analog (0-10 Vdc or 4-20 ma).

Vertical market industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, Packaging, and Plastics, with unique applications including Injection Molding, Blow Molding, Toggle/Platen Clamping, Metal Forming, Injection Carriage Actuation, Trim Press Actuation, Thermoforming Platen Actuation, along with many others will benefit from HSHF Actuators lower costs and higher precision.

According to Kyntronics’ President, Wayne Foley, “The HSHF Actuator is a production enhancing product via cycle time reduction at a lower cost

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vs. current alternative hydraulic and electromechanical options. Accurate position, force, and speed control move quickly under the low load, then the balance of the cycle (5-10%) retracts/ repeats quickly like nothing else on the market.” DW

Kyntronics | kyntronics.com

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Design for Industry O f f- h i g h w a y

Pressure transducers handle harsh environments

T

The MP Series of harsh media compatible pressure transducers is comprised of a ceramic substrate on which the microelectromechanical systems MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensor is hermetically attached. They are well-suited for applications including HVAC, heat pumps, compressors, hydraulics, off-road vehicles and industrial equipment such as forklifts.

The design uses a media compatible rear-entry packaging strategy for media contact with the Silicon sensor, eliminating the contact of bond wires and electrical signals to the media which also enhances reliability and the ability to operate in conductive media. The MP Series hermetically seals the ceramic to a pressure fitting eliminating the problematic O-ring approach that has been adopted by many suppliers of pressure transducers. The adoption of an O-ring not only compromises the overall reliability of the design but creates challenges and wastes valuable time during the selection of the materials that will not be compromised by the media; DunAn Sensing’s approach enables sensor chip performance.

Additionally, this packaging approach provides improved reliability and performance over pressure sensors which use an oil-filled cavity and a metallic diaphragm. The pressure sensor ceramic is hermetically bonded to the pressure

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fitting giving the series enhanced ruggedness and reliability and avoids O-ring problems due to incompatible materials. Signal conditioning for the pressure measurement and performance compensation is provided by an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) mounted on a PCB. The Sensing MP Series is available in pressure ranges from 0-15 to 0-750 psi in both absolute and sealed gage providing the designer with the flexibility to address a wide number of applications. Device accuracy at 25° C (combined linearity, hysteresis, and repeatability) is +/- 0.5% span.

Accuracy over the -20° C to +125-degree C is +/- 1.5% of span. The MP Series guaranteed proof pressure of 3X rated pressure (maximum of 1500 psi) and burst pressure of 5X rated pressure (maximum of 2500 psi) ensures trouble-

free operation in the most demanding applications. These devices will provide OEMs with superior reliability, accuracy, and affordability. Output signal is ratiometric 0.5-4.5 VDC (typical).

Other electrical outputs are available; 4-20mA, 0-10VDC and 0-5VDC. The MP series body material is available in stainless steel or brass and is available in a wide range of mechanical interface (color coded) connectors to provide the designer with maximum flexibility in their system design. Their extended operating temperature range of -40° C to +125° C, rugged hostile media package and lowest price in the industry are ideal for applications including HVAC, heat pumps, compressors, hydraulics, off-road vehicles and industrial equipment such as forklifts.

A great deal of the market for this product is in cost-sensitive consumer

HVAC applications. However, even with the imposed price constraint, engineers require a highly robust product that can measure pressure accurately and be compatible with harsh media including refrigerant. This NO O-ring version of the DURAsense technology to satisfies these needs. The design integrates the pressure sensor internal to the package with Hermetic seals and NO O-ring which provides exceptional reliability versus those that use an O-ring on the media side. Products that also employ an all welded hermetic internal integration strategy sell at a much higher cost. DW

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DFI 12-18 Vs4.LL.indd 43

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Design for Industry Medical

2-way traction drives reduce motor torque ripple

T

The MAR-17-2-2.1 Traction Drive and the MAR-23-2-2.1 Traction Drive are 2-Way gearless

traction drives with only six moving parts and use an engineered traction fluid with a coefficient of friction of just 0.1 to 0.12. These are crucial features for engineers designing for applications where explosive environments are expected. Medical (including patient handling), pharmaceuticals, wafer handling, robotics, conveyors, sorting, pumps, assembly, battery operated vehicles, and other power transmission and motion applications can benefit from the MAR-17-2-2.1 and MAR-23-2-2.1 Traction Drives have demonstrated an up to 84% reduction in motor torque ripple when measured at the output shaft of the motor and then measures at the output shaft of the traction drive. The MAR17-2-2.1 Traction Drive is designed for speeds to 3600 rpm with 10 to 20 in/lbs of torque, and the MAR-23-2-2.1 Traction Drive is rated for 3600 rpm with 20 to 30 in/lbs of torque.

Having no metal to metal contact these vibration, and no torque losses from compact drives generate up to 72% 10 to 3000 rpm, these traction drives less heat after 24 hours of continuous permit a motor to operate at peak operation, and these permanently efficiency. These drives are also lubricated traction drives typically last available with an optional overriding three times longer than conventional clutch. Incorporating standard NEMA gearboxes. They also create up to mounting dimensions, these drives 38% lower dB at 3000 rpm than can be easily integrated into new and conventional gearboxes which is less existing applications. DW than a typical home appliance. Even though there is no metal to metal Rolling Motion Industries contact, there is no slippage or lost RMIDrive.com WHAT DO motion between the input and output YOU shafts.

THINK? Connect and discuss this and Operating at temperatures that other engineering design issues with are lower than a motor’s, with little thousands of professionals online

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Medical

Digital temperature sensors for RTD-based medical designs

F

For engineers looking to simplify design complexity for industrial and medical applications, this single-chip digital temperature sensor has ±0.1°C accuracy across a wide temperature range. These sensors help engineers reduce system complexity with the accuracy required for their application without the design and manufacturing complexity of standard solutions. Comparatively, to achieve a similar level of accuracy with a platinum RTD, engineers must select a multitude of precision components, simulate and fine-tune the circuit, carefully lay out the PCB to avoid impedance mismatches, develop software to linearize the output and calibrate each system.

The TMP117 and TMP117M are I2C- and SMBus-interface compatible and have a direct digital readout of the temperature, which significantly reduces design, layout and simulation time, and speeds time to market. They also slash power usage by up to 95% using only 6.3 µW, the TMP117 and TMP117M enable engineers to achieve longer battery life and more accurate temperature measurement in their designs.

The TMP117 is the first single-chip temperature sensor with similar performance to platinum resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) while reducing design complexity and power consumption. Additionally, the TMP117M, a digital temperature sensor for medical applications, supports requirements for medical thermometers. These new devices enable engineers to more quickly develop accurate ultra-low-power patient monitoring, field transmitters, and metering applications.

The also TMP117 consumes up to 95% less power than a typical RTD measurement system, enabling designers to meet tight power budgets in field transmitters or battery-powered applications.

This sensor supports clinical temperature requirements. For medical applications, the TMP117M provides ± 0.1°C accuracy from 30°to 45°C and supports American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E1112 and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 80601 requirements for patient thermometers. They also have Class-AA RTD accuracy for industrial applications and a direct readout of temperature, with no additional linearization or acquisition error, and maintains accurate temperature over a wide range. DW

Texas Instruments | ti.com

DESIGN WORLD

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Design for Industry Semiconductor

Capture objects in motion, distortion free This Emerald family of image sensors with a new 2 Megapixel sensor is a new CMOS image sensor designed for cost-sensitive applications that require full HD resolution images of objects in motion, without distortion. The sensor is designed for machine vision applications and includes 5° Chief Ray Angle compensation. The Emerald 2M is offered in a CLGA package or miniaturized organic fan-out package that is only 1.19 mm thick.

Emerald 2M provides flexibility to R&D engineers with its global shutter and MIPI CSI-2 interface, which allow it to use the latest Image Signal Processors (ISP) available for mobile applications.

Digital functionalities (multi-region of interest, subsampling, auto exposure at first frame, single frame HDR and onchip statistics) are also embedded in the

sensor to reduce processor load and hasten timeto-market.

The Emerald family of small global shutter CMOS image sensors address a range of machine vision applications and this 2M device has the smallest footprint. Emerald image sensors are also available in resolutions of 8, 12, 16, and 67 Megapixels. DW

As the smallest full HD global shutter sensor available, Emerald 2M helps engineers looking to lower the cost of a full HD camera system.

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submersible level transmitters

The Acculevel is intended for high accuracy measurement in a wide array of liquid level applications. Use only as directed. Product contains no-cost guaranteed lightning protection. Common side effects include increased reliability and decreased system downtime. Contact Keller America right away if you experience lead-times greater than 3 days with other manufacturers. Warning: In many cases, the desire to switch to all Keller instrumentation can occur as this indicates a high degree of customer satisfaction. In such cases, contact Keller America at 877-253-5537 or email sales@kelleramerica.com for assistance.

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Design Notes

Flexible shafts are common in fighter jet afterburner nozzle control systems. The actuators controlling the nozzles opening and closing are driven and synchronized by a series of flexible shafts that ring the engine. These flexible shafts are highly engineered to withstand the extreme temperatures and torque loads presented by this demanding application.

How flexible shafts improve flight Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

In the history of aerospace manufacturing, there have been several innovative technologies that have changed the shape of flight. Some of these technologies aren’t well known or influential on their own, like the propeller or jet engine, but are instead innovations that occurred behind the scenes, quietly enabling steady improvements to aerospace technologies in various ways. One case in point is the flexible shaft.

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A flexible shaft is a precisely defined and configured nested group of springs, tightly wound, so that it has torsional or rotational strength, as opposed to the tensile strength found in standard wire rope or cable, to which flexible shafts bear a resemblance. What makes flexible shafts particularly useful is that flexible shafts can bend, but also still rotate; a flexible shaft transmits rotary motion much like a solid shaft, but it can be routed over, under, and around obstacles that would make using a solid shaft impractical.

A flexible shaft assembly consists of a rotating shaft (sometimes called a core) with metal end fittings

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Two looks at flexible shafts used in TRAS on commercial aircraft.

for attachment to mating parts. A protective outer casing is used when necessary. This casing has fittings (called ferrules) that keep it stationary during use and can serve as an environmental protection.

A flexible shaft is a highly effective means of transmitting rotary motion and is more efficient than universal joints, gears, sprockets and chains, and belts and pulleys. It is typically lower in cost than these other devices and offers the added benefit of compensating for misalignments. Flexible shaft assemblies are successfully used in everything from 787 airplanes to children’s toys.

Their long lives are not affected by continuous operation at speeds up to 50,000 RPM, and they can withstand temperatures ranging from -300 to 1000° F. Flexible shafts are used in many aerospace applications. Some common applications include thrust reverser actuation systems (TRAS), flap actuation, valve override systems, afterburner nozzle actuation, and more.

Flexible shafts are a vital part of TRAS systems on many large commercial aircraft. TRAS systems are essentially an engine brake for these aircraft. Located at the back of the engine, the thrust reverser of a turbofan/ jet engine essentially closes the by-pass and diverts the thrust forward to slow the plane. In forward motion, the thrust comes in the intake and out the exhaust and bypass. In the stop-motion, the thrust comes in the intake and, since the by-pass is closed, the thrust reversers divert the by-pass flow through forward facing matrices, causing the plane to stop. There are four flexible shafts used in this system, which synchronize and connect the actuators that open both halves of the thrust reverser.

There are two other flexible shafts used in the trans cowl lock, which keep the TRAS from deploying while in flight.

Why flexible shafts?

While some applications in which flexible shafts are deployed appear extremely complex or demanding, other applications seem straightforward. However, flexible shafts are a constant in all these applications.

Flexible shafts are often the preferred choice in

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Design Notes certain applications for rotary motion transmission over gearboxes, universal joints, and belts-and-pulleys.

One company, S.S. White Technologies, designs custom flexible shafts for each application to maximize effectiveness. This is part of the beauty of the flexible shaft. Each flexible shaft assembly can be carefully designed and created to meet the needs of a specific application. If one application needs a precise amount of torsional strength or power, the flexible shaft can be made to match that exactly. This is not easy to do.

Flexible Shafts are a surprisingly complex product and is not easily modeled by simple calculations.

For example, one of the most challenging aspects of designing a flexible shaft is balancing the opposing properties of bending flexibility and torsional deflection. S.S. White engineers

solved this problem with a program called Perflexion, a computer modeling software.

This software allows design engineers to optimize the performance characteristics of a flexible shaft. With Perflexion, S.S. White fully models the behavior of all the wires within a flexible shaft and arrive at a design that provides maximum bending flexibility while allowing minimal torsional deflection with 20 to 30% improvement above accepted industry standards.

When transmitting rotary motion, especially in a tight space, the flexible shaft is efficient, versatile, and durable. The flexible shaft is one of the backbones of the aerospace industry. From windshield wipers to TRAS systems to jet afterburners, flexible shafts are there, doing their job quietly and efficiently, unbeknownst to many, but indispensable to all. DW

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S.S. White | www.sswhite.net

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Design Notes

Machine vision system watches over injection molding process

A robot removes a part from the mold and presents both sides of the part to a Cognex In-Sight 7000 smart camera located on top of the mold press.

Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor For most businesses, automated quality assurance systems such as machine vision are rarely promoted as competitive advantages, much less as revenue centers. Instead, quality control activities often fall into the same category as risk mitigation, IT security, and maintenance — a necessary expense but not one to be celebrated. MVA Stratford Inc., recently worked with Cognex Preferred Systems Integrator, Radix recently to reduce rework costs and improve its bottom line.

MVA Stratford is one of North America’s leading supplier of plastic injectionmolded parts for the automotive and related industries. Anyone that has purchased a new car in the last decade has likely touched one of its products when placing coffee into a cup holder or securing their seat belt.

Last year, MVA Stratford contacted one of their machine vision integrators for help solving short shots on plastic molded injection machines for automotive components. Short shots occur when liquid plastic is injected into a mold but fails to fill the mold for any

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number of reasons. As a result, the final part is ejected from the mold before it is fully formed. This poses a significant problem for manufacturers who depend on low inventories and just-in-time component suppliers to keep overhead low and profitability high. Under some contracts, a customer can reject an entire shipment and impose financial penalties on the supplier (in addition to the lost revenue) based on a single short shot. As such, contracts become more common, providing 100% quality assurance is becoming a competitive advantage.

In response to concerns about

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short shots from a leading automotive customer, MVA Stratford called in Sean Lett, vision and automation sales engineer for Radix, for help developing a mold inspection system to identify short shot parts before they ship to the customer.

“MVA Stratford is one of the few plastic injection-molded part suppliers to use robots to unload plastic injectionmolded parts from their presses,” explains Lett. “This opens up several advantages for MVA Stratford.” According to Lett, most companies retract holding pins from molds and let parts drop onto DESIGN WORLD

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conveyors. With this method, a manufacturer can use machine vision to inspect only one side of a part; if the short shot is on the bottom of the part, it is undetectable.

To resolve this issue, a robot removes a part from the mold and presents both sides of the part to a Cognex In-Sight 7000 smart camera located on top of the mold press. Robot unloading also keeps parts from getting stuck in molds. In some cases, a molded part may not fall out of a mold onto the conveyor even when the pins are fully retracted, resulting in unplanned downtime. The machine stops until a technician can clear the mold or fluid polymer is injected into the open mold, causing considerable downtime and cleanup. When carefully positioned to see both the part from the robot and the mold, a machine vision camera can also verify that the mold is empty, eliminating a common point of failure.

On the MVA Stratford press line, the In-Sight 7000 smart camera processes images using PatMax geometric pattern location algorithms and other image processing functions. It identifies the edges of a part and confirms that the part outline meets specifications. If the part passes, the In-Sight 7000 sends a “pass” signal to a nearby Yaskawa robot controller, telling the robot to place the part on the conveyor with other good parts. If the part fails, the robot puts the part on a conveyor with scrap parts.

“One of the keys to success for MVA Stratford was taking ownership of these systems,” says Lett. “A part may run this week and not again for four months. And in every case, settings on the mold, press, robot, and vision system change. Trained MVA Stratford technicians can quickly train the In-Sight 7000 to accommodate a new part or switch to a stored program from a previous run. Our training helped make this possible for MVA Stratford.”

The plastic mold inspection upgrade has been so successful that one of MVA Stratford’s largest automotive clients pulled six other plastic injection-molded parts from competitors. DW

Cognex | cognex.com

Two plastic molds are entirely empty and ready for the next cycle of injection molding

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Design Notes

Thermoplastics create a smooth

ride for shuttle systems

Faigle shuttle wheels are made completely from thermoplastic material. They have a soft, thick walled tire and resilient hub. This provides damping and quiet running properties.

Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Vibrations in high bay warehouse aisles pose a challenge for the safe handling of goods in shuttle systems. These are caused by poor wheel concentricity or impacts in the rails. Goods in the bays may also slip to such an extent that the telescopic arms can no longer grab them.

If this happens, the system needs to be switched off and the goods retrieved manually. Plastic wheels minimize this type of vibration.

Depending on the application, high performance plastics may meet resistance and fatigue property requirements for components better than metal. In the past, shuttle wheels were usually made of a metallic hub and a pressureless cast tire made of polyurethane. Faigle

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produces shuttle wheels completely of thermoplastic. They consist of a soft, thickwalled tire and hub. This provides them with damping and quiet running properties that can cope with the dynamic starts and abrupt stops which are typical of shuttle systems. This is the best way to avoid vibrations in high bay aisles.

These wheels are produced through an injection molding process that provides bonding between the tire and the hub. There is no need for additives such as primers and this increases process reliability in production. Shuttle wheels produced completely from plastic are lighter than models with a metallic hub. The lower weight requires less drive force and reduces unsprung mass.

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Design Notes 12-18_Vs3.LL.indd 54

If the shuttle system is at standstill for longer periods of time, on weekends for example, soft tires tend to flatten. This causes vibration when the system is restarted. The thermoplastic wheels have a soft tire but do not flatten and ensure quiet running.

Wheels need to reliably transfer drive and brake force to the rails. One condition is good grip between the wheel and the rail. Despite this, wheels are prone to a certain amount of slippage which may lead to abrasion that is deposited on the rails, causing vibration.

Thermoplastic materials are resistant to wear and prevents deposits on the rails.

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of orders and low order volumes. The demand for wheels has risen considerably due to the trend in automatic storage and retrieval systems. Manufacturing wheels using the injection molding process allows the rapid and economical production of high volumes.

Custom solutions are also increasing in popularity: For example, economical mold inserts in master molds specially developed for shuttle wheels with diameters ranging from 80 to 150 mm. This minimizes the initial costs for the customer for implementing an injection molding solution.

The use of high performance plastics is also suitable for other shuttle system components, such as the shuttle flaps on telescopic arms. These are normally made of aluminum or steel, and are mounted in pivot bearings and fitted with a rotary drive coupling. As a result, shuttle flaps are complex milled parts.

Fibrer-reinforced plastics for the production of shuttle flaps are lightweight and can also be manufactured economically, even in complex geometries. At the same time, plastic flaps can meet the high requirements regarding load capacity and durability much better than components made of metal.

Telescopic arms in shuttle systems must be linearly guided during advance and retraction operations. Sliding elements made of PAS-LXY have a low friction coefficient, which prevents the stickslip effect, allowing telescopic arms to slide without jerking. The sliding elements are maintenance free and require no lubrication. In addition, the sliding elements and their mating components are extremely wear resistant. DW

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Sliding elements for faigle shuttle telescope arms are made of PAS-LXY thermoplastic material. They are maintenance free, require no lubrication and minimize wear, also on their mating components.

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Internet of Things

Measure temperature fluctuations in IoT devices

T

Temperature is an important factor to the functioning of Internet of Things (IoT) and personal computing devices. Developers look to integrate temperature sensors that reduce power consumption and lower system voltage in applications. To meet these needs, the EMC181x temperature sensor family offers a range of features, including system temperature rate-of-change reporting, a feature that provides advanced warning on how the temperature of a system is fluctuating.

Monitoring temperature at multiple locations with a single, integrated temperature sensor reduces board complexity and simplifies design. The EMC181x temperature sensor family offers remote channels at 1.8V operation to fit different design needs, ranging from two to five channels. The family suits applications migrating from 3.3V systems to lower voltage rails, such as battery operated IoT applications, personal computing devices, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Additionally, the EMC181x family is register and voltage compatible with 3.3V EMC14xx temperature sensors, making migration to 1.8V testable and achievable. With the three-channel sensor available in an 8-pin 2 x 2 mm footprint and the five-channel in a 10-pin 2 x 2.5 mm footprint, the sensors can also reduce the number of devices needed for remote temperature monitoring.

With the ability to measure the system temperature rate of change, the EMC181x devices offer two-dimensional temperature sensing. In addition to reporting on the regular temperature, the feature notifies customers of the rate of temperature change in a system and shares data that can help better regulate applications. Suitable for closed control

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loop systems and other applications that prioritize lower voltage rails, the system provides early notification of rising or falling temperatures, protecting against potential system failure.

The ADM00773 evaluation board provides everything needed to demonstrate the 1.8V three-channel twowire EMC1833 temperature sensor and gives functional insight into the other EMC181x family members. It facilitates evaluation of programmable features such as rate of change, temperature alert limits and Resistance Error Correction (REC), in addition to providing offboard temperature measurements and data logging.

The evaluation board connects to a PC through a USB interface board and comes with the Microchip Thermal Management Software Graphical User Interface (GUI). DWÂ

Microchip Technology Inc. www.microchip.com

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Internet communication goes the distance

T

This VDSL package enables users to reach remote places where PoE is unfeasible. This long-reach technology allows for data transmission via twisted pair and coaxial cables. It fits remote areas that require internet communication service but cable rewiring and redeployment are difficult.

The VDSL extender series carries Ethernet communication and extends power serving distance with twisted pair and coaxial cables. With this series, applications such as traditional parking lots, remote surveillance systems, isolated asset monitoring, and long-distance transportation routes are all free from the power barrier typical of wired systems.

The VDSL SFP module can be plugged into Ethernet Switches, bringing function to remote areas. The combination of a VDSL SFP module and Ethernet switch contributes to monitoring possibilities, especially for intelligent transportation systems as well as environment and energy industries. DW Advantech | www.advantech.com

Rotary Knife Assembly

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Internet of Things

Supporting legacy systems to connect with the IoT

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Not long time ago, serial-based communication was the standard in the networking industry. Hence, legacy serial or CAN-based equipment, machinery, robots and PLCs can still be found in many industrial sectors.

In the Industry 4.0 era, modern industries keep looking for the faster networking solutions to process a larger amount of data because the outdated equipment cannot simply manage it. Upgrading perfectly running networking system is, however, a painful process. Furthermore, changing sensitive utility infrastructure is always risky. Readapting existing equipment into a new layout can be just too overwhelming.

The Mencom Protocol Gateway series can provide an efficient and economical solution for network updates by seamlessly integrating new protocols into the existing layout and connecting them to outdated protocols. The supported protocols are Modbus RTU, Modbus TCP, Profinet RT/IRT, DNP3.0 Ethernet, DNP3.0 Serial, IEC 60870-5-101, IEC 60870-5-103, IEC 60870-5-104, IEC 61850 devices, and PLCs. 80 different protocol combinations can be selected in the firmware and integrated with 10 different hardware platforms based on the network/application requirements, which gives hundreds of flexible options for end-users.

The Protocol Gateway series is equipped with hardware platforms and reliable software to manage the translation from protocol to protocol.

They are designed to withstand harsh environments with temperatures ranging between -40°C and +85°C degrees with up to 95% humidity.

MTBF exceeds 20 years and complies with industrial EMC requirements/

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IEC 61850 chapter 3. SFP, Ethernet, TB5 or DB9 serial connectors are available for the connector types. The Din-Rail and Rackmount versions are standard, and the wall mount is optional for models with the Din-rail mount.

All products can be embedded with Security (VPN over IPSec or OpenVPN function) that protects sensitive data from unauthorized accesses. Through this device, remote or unmanned site monitoring can be set up quickly. In addition, they share the same configuration tool, which helps migration from one platform to another. This user-friendly Java-based configuration tool also helps the system integrator to manage data point mapping, polling frequency and configuration upload in with a fast and costeffective manner. The data flow is monitored through the embedded debugging tool and it makes sure the conversion is performed as the applications require. DW

Mencom Corp. | www.mencom.com

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Internet of Things For motion control innovation, Solution City never sleeps.

Multiprotocol gigabit TSNenabled processors for Industry 4.0

T

The integrated Sitara AM6x processor family provides industrialgrade reliability, with quad and dual Arm Cortex-A53 core variants built to meet the needs of Industry 4.0 in factory automation, motor drives and grid infrastructure.

By supporting gigabit throughput rates for TSN standards and other industrial

protocols in a specific subsystem, Sitara AM6x processors handle Ethernet and realtime data traffic on one network. This capability enables software-reconfigurable cyber physical systems in factories.

The inclusion of an on-chip isolated dual-core microcontroller (MCU) subsystem enables designers to use AM6x processors to create more dependable and functional safety-certifiable products, while reducing overall system-level complexity for applications including programmable logic controllers (PLC) and multi-axis motor drives. Comprehensive support for error-correcting-code (ECC) memory protection for both on-chip memory and external DDR memory and for 100,000 power-on hours (PoH) at a 105˚C junction temperature (TJ) operation enable AM6x processors to perform in high-reliability applications. This processor family allows developers to scale their designs to fit the needs of their system with pin-compatible processors that operate with a unified software platform.

Key features and benefits: • Optimized for industrial networking: Gigabit industrial communications subsystem (PRU-ICSS-Gb) supports multiple Industrial Ethernet protocols including TSN, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP and PROFINET and provides the flexibility to support the evolving needs of industrial communication.

• Integrated features enabling functional safety: On-chip isolated dual-core Arm Cortex-R5F central processing unit (CPU)-based MCU subsystem that can operate in an optional lockstep mode, diagnostic libraries and ECC memory protection help enable functional safety subsystems.

• Enhanced on-chip security: Secure boot, secure storage and smart crypto engines enable enhanced system security.

• Integrated 3D graphics and display: Enables HMI and Industrial PC applications.

• Unified software platform: Supported by the Processor SDK, customers can seamlessly reuse and migrate Android, Linux and TI-RTOS software across TI processor families.

• Simplifying system complexity: Integrated subsystems, streamlined power sequencing, integrated low-dropout regulators and pin-to-pin compatibility enable hardware reuse across platforms and reduce system complexity and cost. DW

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© 2017 by AMETEK Inc. All rights reserved.

12/4/18 11:58 AM

Internet of Things NEWS Working toward a better open industrial Ethernet

A

A group of leading technology companies from the CC-Link Partner Association (CLPA) announced a significant step toward the future of open industrial Ethernet at SPS IPC Drives 2018.

Prominent members of the CLPA including Analog Devices, Balluff, CKD, FESTO, Hilscher, Hirschmann, HMS, Mitsubishi Electric, Molex, Renesas and Security Matters announced a new Ethernet technology that the group predicts will fundamentally change the landscape for Industrial Ethernet.

John Wozniak, Manager of the CLPA in the Americas, comments: “The implementation of Industry 4.0 (IIoT) concepts is occurring faster than most experts have predicted. The IIoT and ‘smart factories’ now have many real-world applications, and these trends rely on efficient high-bandwidth networking solutions. The amount of data generated by these manufacturing processes is expected to undergo an “explosion” of exponential growth. Hence networks that address this trend towards “big data” are vital. Moreover, these networks need to be connected seamlessly to company IT systems and the internet.

“A high bandwidth, open network technology such as gigabit Ethernet CCLink IE has provided a significant tool to help end users and system integrators move forward, but our latest development involves fulfilling further aims expressed by many of our partners and the market in general. It is safe to say that we are anticipating a positive reaction to the announcement about the future of open industrial Ethernet at SPS IPC Drives 2018.” DW

CC-Link Partner Association Am.cc-link.org/en

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CAE Solutions CAD’s role in Comsol Multiphysics modeling

G

Geometry has a central role in setting up multiphysics simulations, said Lorant Olasz, Comsol’s technical product manager working with CAD. He spoke earlier this month at the Comsol Conference held in Boston. Comsol makes Multiphysics modeling software.

The software contains two engines for creating and managing geometry: the native geometric kernel that’s part of the basic package, and then a CAD import module for, as the name implies, directly importing CAD geometry. The former kernel allows users to create their own geometry within the multiphysics package.

Regardless of how you get CAD into the software, “you must set up the geometry inside the software to work with the geometry,” he said. “When selecting the physical phenomenon you want to apply, you select geometry for forces to apply it.

You need to make sure all the different domains are meshed properly.”

Users can even apply different materials to different parts of the model.

Both CAD import and the CAD design kernel allow users to import and then repair geometries, “and if you’re using the design kernel you have a few extra operations like fillets or the option to thicken the surface of a solid,” he said.

The CAD Import Module supports the import of a variety of different file formats including the Parasolid and ACIS formats, and standard formats like STEP and IGES. Users import their files by saving them in any of these formats. The import module also allows users to import the native file formats of a number of CAD systems, such

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as Inventor, Creo Parametric, and SOLIDWORKS. The optional file import for Catia V5 provides support for importing the native file format for this system.

All imported CAD files are automatically converted to a Parasolid geometry, using the Parasolid geometry engine that is included with the module.

The native CAD kernel offers a solution for geometry not created inside Comsol, he said. It also provides a lot of functionality for geometrical operations, including extra functions that don’t exist within the CAD import module.

When importing, it’s possible to change the geometrical representations, or one of the settings of geometry nodes, “But it’s generally not something you have to think a great deal about,” Olasz told attendees to his workshop, which was part of the conference.

“The native geometry kernel isn’t a CAD software, of course, he said. “We’re not creating geometrical models for manufacturability. But you can actually create pretty much the same things as you would in a CAD software package. Perhaps it’s not the most advanced geometrical forms, of course, but in general whatever you’d like to model in CAD you can draw it in the native kernel nowadays.”

After setting up the geometry and ensuring it’s correct, the user can then leave that geometrical mode to apply physical forces to the model or to mesh the model, he added.

A “form union” step brings all the geometries together into one object, Olasz said. “So you have one object with several domains.”

Or, users could choose the “form assembly’ function for objects that should be treated separately, such as parts that move in relation to one another.

Either way, “this creates the final object that will be seen by the physics or the mesher,” Olasz said. DW

Comsol | www.comsol.com

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CAE Solutions How tolerance analysis software can help

S

Somehow you don’t hear much about tolerance and tolerance analysis. Obviously geometric dimensions and tolerances are a big part of every engineer’s life and, as with anything so everyday, yet vital, software has been created to help.

As engineers examine the interaction of critical components in systems, they are typically performing some

level of tolerance analysis. First let’s look at the reasons to perform tolerance analysis? Here are a number of them.

• To test and improve geometric dimensioning and tolerancing.

• To determine gap and flush conditions based on manufacturing processes.

• To optimize these processes by simulating and optimizing manufacturing and assembly.

• To reduce overall product variation.

• To control rework and scrap • To resolve manufacturing issues, which can be done by using measurement data • To resolve issues with the CAD model.

Software producers include Sigmatrix, of McKinney, Texas, which makes Cetol 6σ tolerance analysis software–just updated to version 10.2. The tolerance analysis software helps product development teams understand the impact of dimensional and assembly variation on their designs.

This allows them to make necessary adjustments before problems appear in manufacturing or, even worse, in their customers’ hands.

The software includes intuitive messages based upon the user’s step in the process. These “Advisor” messages show the users what they need to do when they need to do it.

Dimensional Control Systems of Troy, Mich., offers the tolerance analysis tool 3DCS Variation Analyst, which lets users analyze the relationship between their parts, and track part sources.

The software simulates both part and process variation, meaning engineers can analyze their manufacturing process and how it affects the assembly of the product and how it will function when produced.

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Geometric Stackup is a tolerance-stackup analysis software. It automatically assesses minimal and maximum tolerances on assemblies using worst-case analysis scenarios.

These solutions work directly with CAD geometries. Engineers no longer need to manually enter nominal values from the CAD model to Excel spreadsheets, as in the “olden days.” Geometric Stackup, for example, is integrated with SolidWorks and WindChill, so users of those systems don’t need to leave them to access the tolerance analysis tools.

Like many types of engineering software, today’s tolerance analysis software today is also designed for the non-specialist. It’s easy to use, with a short learning curve.

Another tool, called TolAnalyst is included with the SolidWorks premium package. The information is uses has been brought into the system by a tool called DimXpert that automatically includes manufacturing and inspection dimensions with tolerances based on data the engineer inputs.

In fact, DimXpert is included within all SolidWorks package. With it, users can input surfaces as data. The result is a part that is defined with dimensions and tolerances according to the requirements of ASME Y14.412003 and ISO 16792:2006. Users with TolAnalyst can then perform stack analysis on assembles.

So why is tolerance analysis important? A Sigmatrix specialist offers an example.

As electronic devices get smaller and more densely packaged, the importance intensifies to more precisely understanding the interaction of manufacturing variation and design tolerances.

And that’s true for other industries as well.

Likewise, in the aircraft, automotive and medical device industries, liability continues to grow, so companies need to understand more precisely what may cause a failure. DW

Dimensional Control Systems www.3dcs.com Geometric Stackup tolerancestackup.com

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3D master allows native CAD models, including dimensions and tolerances, to be converted and displayed with all specific functions of the model based definition technology. The use of 3D master reduces the need for 2D drawings, because in the 3D model all production-relevant information is saved in so called views or captures.

The 3D_Evolution software converts data from all CAD systems including 3D master relevant formats such as Catia V5, NX, Creo as well as STEP AP 242 and JT. The viewer software 3D_Analyzer reads all current CAD data and supports all 3D master specific functions.

To display all the information contained in a 2D drawing on a 3D model requires a special technology that combines tolerances, annotations, and dimensions in the views. By selecting a view, the model is aligned as previously defined by the designer and zoomed into a particular area. So only the dimensions chosen by the designer are shown.

In addition, sections can be saved in the views. As a result, 3D master models eliminate the need for 2D drawings to produce the part. Also, 3D master models are easy to use and

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enable better comprehension compared to specific views created and printed out as 2D drawings. With 3D master there is only one data source needed to produce the parts, which reduces errors and confusion often caused by different revisions of ambiguous 2D drawings.

The 3D_Evolution CAD converter suite transfers the graphical representation of the dimensions and the semantic, i.e. textual data of the Product Manufacturing Information (PMI), as well as the reference to the surfaces to the 3D model. An analysis function available in the converter and the viewer allows the comparison of the PMI, so that even large models with hundreds of 3D dimensions are automatically compared within seconds and differences are visible and documented. DW

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GoToINVENTOR is based on ITI’s Proficiency software technology. By providing functional models that retain the original product knowledge in INVENTOR, GoToINVENTOR maximizes CAD data re-use and offers a reliable basis for further product design and development.

Users can convert geometry, features, history, sketch relations, manufacturing information, metadata and assembly information from CATIA V5, NX, Creo/Wildfire, Solid Edge and SOLIDWORKS seamlessly to INVENTOR. GoToINVENTOR can also convert associative drawings along with the linked 3D models in one automated procedure. DW

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L i n e a r

M o t i o n

What are

precision-link

conveyors?

Precision-link conveyors index components with high accuracy, speed, and quality — to give manufacturers a way to make assemble, mark, weld, and manufacturing operations more efficient.

Conveyor designs abound, and the last decade has brought more use of application-specific offerings — especially for the subcategory that industry calls transfer systems. One such conveyor is the precision-link conveyor — for assembly, marking, welding, as well as mechanical and optical inspection of parts.

Standard precision-link conveyors deliver standard link-positioning accuracy of ±0.08 mm (±0.003 in.) or better.

While there are belt-driven versions, many of these precision-link conveyors consist of one continuous run of high-precision drive chain. Then each chain link (often aluminum) contains four cam followers that guide the link along hardened and fine-milled guide rails. In some cases, the cam followers are sealed and lubed for life.

Marc Halliburton | Engineering manager | Motion Index Drives Inc.

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L i n e a r

Dowels and bearings complete the chain assembly: The cam followers are pressed into needle bearings at the link joints to eliminate wear and prevent moving parts from contacting the links themselves.

Each chain link also includes tapped holes and dowel holes to accommodate individual pieces of product to be transported and otherwise machined or worked. Link fixtures can either interface with station tooling installed inboard or externally.

Typical precision-link conveyor frames are made of extruded aluminum frame and steel plates; the link track is machined, hardened, and ground steel. Some advantages of aluminumextrusion frames is that they are very straight over long distances, are easily machined, and allow for easy mounting of accessories.

More on conveyor versions with aluminum components Precision-link conveyors with an inner structure of aluminum extrusion offer distinct benefits. The extrusions allow long straight conveyor runs that maintain rigidity. Such structure also allows easy customization and mounting of accessories.

DESIGN WORLD

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Links made of aircraft-grade aluminum also offer benefits. Aluminum links have a mass that’s a third that of steel — for inertia that’s also a third that of steel links. That lets engineers use a smaller drive unit (whether index drive or high-accuracy gearmotor) or add heavier tooling without having to oversize the drive unit or compromise on indexing speeds.

Precision-link conveyor drives and customization Driving the chain on a precision-link conveyor is either a customized drive based on a servomotor or the hardened cam wheel of a standard indexer. If the latter, one indexer cycle can spur any number of link stroke lengths … ranging from a few millimeters to a meter. No matter the drive, most precision-link conveyors are setup for long dwell times and quick indexing.

At the non-drive end of the conveyor circuit, a hardened and preloaded cam guides the chain and

www.designworldonline.com

M o t i o n

Motion Index Drives (MID) offers many variations of its LFA Precision Link Indexing Conveyors. The conveyors come with any number of different fixed strokes; completely programmable servodriven versions are also possible. For highly complex precision-link indexing configurations, MID works with design engineers to devise custom arrangements.

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M o t i o n

Aluminum-extrusion frames simplify the mounting of accessories on precision-link conveyor systems.

This Motion Index Drives (MID) custom conveyor has a unique kidney-bean geometry and 37.5-mm pitch.

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provides takeup to prevent backlash at the link connections. Common precision-link conveyor arrangements make runs that include two straight runs with 180° turns at the cam guide end and cam wheel end (if the drive is based on an indexer design). That said, variations include kidneybean-shaped tracks, round tracks, and vertical variations — those that recirculate links with empty fixtures back to a start position on the underside of the conveyor as a way to minimize overall footprint.

Customized precision-link conveyors are manufactured to end-user requirements.

With some manufacturers, nonstandard requests receive support beginning with the project design phase — for final conveyors that may include specialty drive units, tailored frame shapes, custom pitches and strokes, tapped holes, mounting plates, through holes in the chassis, and custom coatings on the components. Here, another option is custom link cover plates to prevent particulate ingress into the track and eliminate pinch points around curved conveyor ends.

Where precision-link conveyors excel Precision-link indexing conveyors are most suitable for high-speed assembly of components — especially when there are high part counts or complicated assembly processes. Work processes are usually performed along the conveyor’s linear sections. Most useful for manufacturing tasks for aerospace, solar and wind energy, automotive, defense, electronics, consumer goods, and medical devices, precisionlink conveyors are fast and accurate in positioning to allow assembly (and other tasks) on up to 150 parts per minute. That’s because whether driven by a servomotor or cam-controlled indexer, precision-link conveyors advance the fixtures precisely and without the need for additional positioning DESIGN WORLD

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L i n e a r

M o t i o n Shown here is a link and section of track.

Cover plates shield the conveyor from particulate ingress and boost safety by enclosing pinch points.

systems to locate fixtured parts before processes are initiated.

For example, these conveyors speed the manufacturing of dental floss and razor blades and other consumer goods with intricate assemblies. They also help make printing and marking applications faster (while maintaining image quality).

Typical precision-link conveyor operation Precision-link conveyors allow automated processes right on the conveyor. After each indexed stroke (to advance the links) equipment mounted around the conveyor executes parallel and serial tasks. Most installations include multiple work stations along one or both long conveyor axes.

So unfinished products are mounted to the conveyor one time and then removed from the end of the conveyor — usually as completed product. In other words, 74

precision-link conveyors are usually designed and engineered to be core productpositioning chassis of machines executing critical functions.

Precision link conveyors are designed to run high-volume manufacturing to millions of cycles without intensive maintenance.

Typical maintenance involves tension checks and adjustments of the chain … and cleaning of the conveyor if it runs in a dirty environment.

Precision-link conveyors are unsuitable for feeding parts to a line, where a process is not being done on them. This is because their accuracy is not required. Similarly, due to their cost, they’re also inappropriate where application accuracy isn’t critical. DW Motion Index Drives www.motionindexdrives.com

December 2018 www.designworldonline.com

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Link fixtures often include geometry to accommodate specific products.

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

Where internal permanent

make sense Use of internal permanent magnet (IPM) electric motors abounds in electric vehicle traction motors and large stationary motor applications needing efficiency. As we’ll explore, the motors work in more compact designs as well.

John Morehead | Consultant at Motion Mechatronics Brother Gearmotors of Brother International Corp.

I

IPM motors need a drive to operate, so aren’t suitable alternatives to induction and brush motors used in fixed-speed designs. But it often makes sense to specify IPM motors in small motor and gearmotor applications — to replace ac induction motors (operating with VFDs) or brushless and brush dc motors under speed control.

Let’s look at how IPM motors work in designs typically run on 1/8 to 3-hp brush motors, brushless dc motors, ac induction motors, and gearmotors under speed or torque controlled.

Justifying high efficiency in small motors In the past, small-motor specifiers were primarily concerned with low motor cost.

But a couple years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy Small Motor Rule (and Amended Integral HP Rule) spurred new interest in small-motor efficiency. The former required certain motors in the ¼ to 3-hp range to meet new energy-efficiency requirements. The latter required motors in the 1-to-500-hp range to meet premium-

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efficiency requirements set in the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) MG 1, Table 12-12 … while also covering more motor types than the Small Motor Rule. The changes came after years of pushback from the motor industry itself — concurrent with new OEMs interest in efficiency for the small motors in their machine builds (to satisfy end users’ aim to reduce operating costs).

Of course, NEMA ratings are for the U.S., and there are International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards comparable to NEMA ratings. Case in point: IE3 meets NEMA Premium efficiency standards, while IE4 meets NEMA Super Premium Efficiency standards. IE3 is currently mandated for three-phase induction motors of 1 hp and larger. IE4 is a higher IEC standard but yet to be regulated.

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Brother Gearmotors IPM offerings boost operational efficiencies and reduce maintenance requirements.

Some include hypoid bevel gearing for compactness and long life.

An electrostatic coating ensures watertight and chemically resistant motors that withstand harsh environments. The gearmotors come in an array of standard variations for easy mounting and design compatibility. Shown here are IPMax interior permanent magnet gearmotors that maintain efficiency over wide synchronous speed ranges.

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MOTOR EFFICIENCY COMPARISON

M o t i o n

IE4 IE3

IPM motors can reach efficiencies that surpasses IE4 ensuring reduced electrical consumption compared to IE4 and IE3 requirements. Though IPM motors are typically more costly than comparable IE3 ac induction gearmotors, they’re more efficient than IE3 and IE4 gearmotors so make for lower cost of ownership.

INTERNAL MOTOR-LOSS COMPARISON APPLIES TO 0.75-KW (1-HP) MOTORS

INDUCTION GEARMOTOR

IPM GEARMOTOR

Because no electricity flows through the rotor of an IPM motor, there are no secondary copper losses.

YEARLY MOTOR-LOSS COMPARISON IE3

IE4

IPM

e

C o n t r o l

Because the magnetic flux that turns the motor originates from permanent magnets, electrical consumption is lower than that of other motors.

IPM motors can reach efficiencies that surpass IE4 — for lower electrical consumption than motors meeting IE4 and IE3 requirements.

IPM motors do this by having very low secondary and primary copper losses — thanks to magnets embedded in the rotor. Because no electricity flows through the rotor, there are no secondary copper losses.

Because the magnetic flux that turns the motor originates from permanent magnets, electrical consumption is lower than that of other motors. What’s more, IPM drivers often optimize efficiency by reducing current to a minimum needed for the load. That’s an improvement over standard induction-motor operation, for which efficiency decreases with reduced speed or load.

Note that gearmotors with an IPM at their core may operate at NEMA Super Premium Efficiency (IE4) levels … but drive and gearing losses affect overall system efficiency. So IPM gearmotors should include efficient helical parallel-shaft or hypoid right-angle gearing (with a properly matched drive), for top efficiency.

Helping end users with green designs OEMs today are increasingly involved with initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases. IPM gearmotors’ high efficiency reduces overall electrical consumption and helps end users meet green-initiative goals.

Where designs only need fixed speed (and energy efficiency is no concern) IPM gearmotors aren’t a good fit.

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ELECTRICITY SAVINGS PER YEAR (IN kWh)

IE3

IE4

Our example facility consumes 3,800 to 17,450 kWh per year.

Every IPM motor in this setting (operating 4,160 hours annually) can reduce electricity consumption by up to 349 kWh compared to IE3 and IE4 motors.

Consider this: When run 4,160 hours

per year (16 hours a day) IPM motors can reduce electricity consumption by about 76 to 349 kWh (compared to IE3 and IE4 motors) for 1/8 to 3-hp variations. So a facility has 50 motordriven axes would use 3,800 to 17,450 kWh per year. Such reduced electricity consumption decreases CO2 generation.

For an industrial installation employing 50 IPM gearmotors (and average emissions of 0.5542 kg of CO2 per kWh) CO2 emissions are reduced about 9.6 metric tons per year (when compared to that of IE3 ac induction motors) and 5.1 metric tons per year (compared to IE4 gearmotors).

What’s more, IPM motors are compact and 30% lighter (on average) than comparable induction motors.

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

That allows for small and light packaging for shipment to the OEM — for lower freight costs than those associated with ac induction motors.

Other IPM motor and gearmotor benefits Synchronous speed: With magnets embedded in its

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You’ll Get NO Interference on OUR Part!

rotor, an IPM motor rotates in synchronization with the revolving magnetic field.

In contrast, ac induction motors need slip of up to 5% to induce rotor currents … so reduce speed as load increases. Synchronous IPM motors run at the speed set by the drive under varying load — for synchronous operation that’s particularly helpful in conveying and similar applications.

Constant torque: IPM motors output high starting

torque and high continuous torque over the entire speed range. In contrast, ac induction motors exhibit a decrease in available torque at low speeds.

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Sensorless speed regulation: Internal permanent-

magnet motors operate synchronously without the need for an encoder or other feedback required for brushless dc motors. simplifies installation and makes designs more robust.

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to clean than comparable motors with standard and ingress-protected designs — as those rated to IP65, for example. IPM motors have no fans, fan covers, encoders, or encoder cables — so stay cleaner longer.

When cleaning is required, the motors’ streamlined design also makes the process simpler.

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gearmotors and motors can run up to 30% cooler than comparable induction motors. This lets the motors run sans cooling fan — for a shorter overall length.

Omission of a fan can also make the machine design quieter.

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More internal permanent-magnet motors in the future Predicting the future (particularly when government regulations are involved) can be problematic at best … but coming years will likely bring more regulation to get still-higher efficiencies from large motors. Then small motors will likely be subject to tighter regulation as well. Design engineers may observe macro trends driving motion-component purchasing to confirm: Just as “you can never be too rich or too thin” motors and gearmotors can never be too torque dense or too efficient.

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DESIGN WORLD

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FAULHABER coreless (brush) DC motors feature compact dimensions, low power consumption, high efficiency, and low noise, making them ideal for challenging medical equipment applications requiring high precision and smooth motion.

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M o t i o n

C o n t r o l

REDUCED C02 EMISSIONS PER YEAR

IE3

IE4

IPM gearmotors can reduce CO2 emissions by about 9.6 metric tons per year over typical IE3 induction motors — and by 5.1 metric tons per year over IE4 gearmotors.

MOTOR WEIGHT COMPARISON INDUCTION MOTOR

IPM MOTOR

Reduced weight and length have a substantial effect on the amount of CO2 produced when transporting motors from the motor manufacturer to the OEM. IPM motors can be up to one third lighter and shorter than competitive designs.

ELECTRICITY SAVINGS PER YEAR (IN DOLLARS)

IE3

IE4

It often makes sense to specify IPM motors in small motor and gearmotor applications — to replace ac induction motors (operating with VFDs) or brushless and brush dc motors under speed control.

IPM gearmotors and motors are relatively new to industry, so not widespread … though worth the price premium for their features and benefits.

IPM advantages over more traditional motors paired with variable speed drives (and OEM demand for reduced operating costs) will bring increased use of IPM motors. This increased volume will in turn spur lower costs … especially considering how IPM motors include 20% less steel and copper than comparable ac induction motors (with the magnet cost only about 10% of total motor cost). That means IPM motors (and the electronic drives to go with them) could ultimately become a less expensive alternative to ac induction motors … in terms of both operating and upfront costs. DW

Brother Gearmotors | www.

brother-usa.com

Assuming 260 operating days a year and an average electricity cost of $0.1041 per kWh, 50-motor installations that switch to IPM motors can save about $1,800 on electricity annually. In New England (where electricity costs average $0.17 per kWh) savings can reach $3,000.

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3 D

C A D

CAD and Analysis: Integration and Beyond CAD and analysis programs need to work together. Regardless of how the geometry gets to the analysis program, the important thing is it gets there easily and can be quickly analyzed. That smooth transfer and analysis are how companies are cutting product lifecycle time and increasing profits.

Y

Jean Thilmany | Senior Editor

You’ve created your CAD design, but you’re not done. You need to

analyze the geometry to ensure air or fluid will flow through it correctly, that it can withstand a certain amount of pressure, that it’s structurally solid, or that it meets a host of other specifications.

The important thing is that the model needs to be analyzed within the analysis software.

CAD and analysis software work together much better than in the past, when CAD models had to be exported, then imported into the analysis software that then required engineers make even more changes before they could be read.

Today, CAD and analysis integration is key. But it’s not everything. The way modeling and analysis work together depends on the type of work you do and the physical forces you need to analyze. Sometimes geometry is imported directly from the CAD package.

Sometimes geometry is created within the analysis software itself.

Because these needs vary, some products--like Comsol multiphysics analysis software-contain two engines for creating and managing geometry. Once the geometry exists within Comsol, the software can solve for more than one physical effect that acts on the geometry at the same time.

Comsol’s CAD import module--as the name implies--directly imports CAD geometry.

Or, users can create their own geometry directly within the multiphysics software.

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C A D

Engineers at Kejako built

a full-eye multiphysics 3D model with consideration for mechanics, fluidics and optics. With the help of the model, researchers and engineers were able to brainstorm a list of potential solutions to presbyopia and model the way those solutions would affect the human eye.

The CAD Import Module supports the import of a variety of different file formats including the Parasolid and ACIS formats, and standard formats like STEP and IGES.

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Regardless of how they get CAD into the analysis system, engineers and analysts will need to select the physical phenomena they want to apply. For this, they’ll need to mesh their designs. The mesh, which looks like a net over the model, creates nodes that the analysis software applies mathematical formulas to and studies.

“Some of our users analyze designs that are generated within a design department. That could be a product that’s close to being released,” says Lorant Olasz, Comsol’s technical product manager working with CAD. “Those geometry files are not drawn for simulation, so they come with some challenges for analysis.”

In those cases, the existing model will need to be meshed and, often, simplified, for analysis.

“But, in the end, we provide tools that allow you to work as if the geometry had been drawn directly within Comsol,” he adds. “You shouldn’t feel like, ‘I’m importing something and it’s not going to work!’ It just works,” Olasz says.

Electrical engineers can also analyze their printed circuit board designs in Comsol.

The recently upgraded software now has the tools to generate geometric objects from the 2D layouts of ECAD files, group them into easy-to-use selections for simulation setup, and automatically take care of the geometric complexity inherent to ECAD formats before meshing.

All multiphysics analysis tools offered by Comsol can be run on the imported CAD model.

Engineers need not worry they won’t be able to

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solve for, say, both structural and fluid-flow within the same, imported model, Olasz adds.

Both CAD import and the CAD design kernel allow users to import and then repair geometries, “and if you’re using the design kernel you have a few extra g operations like fillets or the option to thicken the surface of a solid,” he said.

The CAD Import Module supports the import of a variety of different file formats including the Parasolid and ACIS formats, and standard formats like STEP and IGES. Users import their files by saving them in any of these formats. The import module also allows users to import the native file formats of a number of CAD systems, such as Inventor, Creo Parametric, and SolidWorks.

The optional file import for Catia V5 provides support for importing the native file format for this system.

Sometimes, for various reasons, engineers will choose to make preliminary, or even final designs directly within the analysis tool, he says.

At the beginning of the design process, for instance, engineers sometimes quickly create a model directly within their analysis software, which they use to test and analyze the feasibility of several ideas and variations.

This makes it easy to find the geometry needed to meet fluid-flow and other specifications before designers commit to modeling the part in-depth within a CAD package, Olasz says.

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“If you don’t need all the details, sometimes it’s faster to quickly draw something in your analysis package rather than try to simplify a complex assembly and take out the components not needed before you analyze it,” he says. “It really depends on the workflow you’re in.”

Designing directly within the analysis tool is often done if the piece will never be created in real life. The geometry still needs to be analyzed for other purposes.

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A model eye Take the case of the human eye. One company recently created an exact digital replica. They don’t intend to actually create a human eye.

Though researchers are experimenting with 3D printed organs, they haven’t yet moved to experimenting with the eye. Instead, the model is used to study the human eye with the intent to change it with laser treatment. Or, as many middle-aged humans like to think, to perfect it.

Engineers at the company, Kejako, in Switzerland, created and imported 3D geometries pertaining to the human eye. Once the geometry was in Comsol software, they worked on that model some more. They were studying how laser treatment might work for aging eyes.

Let’s face it, almost everyone will need reading glasses or bifocals or specialized contact lenses as they age thanks to presbyopia. There is an operation that can decrease dependency on reading glasses and like, but as with all surgeries, it’s invasive and comes with risk.

Presbyopia is very common in middle age and older adults as it’s due the loss of elasticity in the lens of the eye that comes with aging, according to the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institute of Health. In 2015, 1.8 billion people around with world had presbyopia, according to researchers publishing in the journal Ophthalmology in 2015.

Younger people who still have soft and flexible lenses within their eyes, can adjust their eyes easily to focus on close and distant objects. That’s why they don’t have to hold their restaurant menus at arm’s length to read them.

David Enfrun cites research that finds presbyopia will affect 2.3 billion people across the globe in 2020. He theorizes, probably correctly, that quite a few of them will resist wearing reading glasses or bifocals because they

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Presbyopia is a common eye condition due to the loss of elasticity in the lens of the eye that comes with aging. In 2015, 1.8 billion people around with world had presbyopia, according to researchers publishing in the journal Ophthalmology in 2015. Kejako hopes to develop a procedure that helps people with this condition.

think the look will immediately age them, he says.

Enfrun is Kejako’s chief executive officer.

His company is at work on a method to fend off the need for reading glasses and do away with the need for the invasive surgery that can correct presbyopia.

To that end, two years ago engineers at the company built a 3D model of the human eye that they use to determine how the eye changes over time.

“We built a full-eye multiphysics 3D model with consideration for mechanics, fluidics and optics,” Enfrun said. “We have imbedded in our multiphysics model everything necessary to simulate visual accommodation, explain the root causes of the occurrence of presbyopia, and to test any potential solution,” Enfrun says.

Computational modeling enables the company to validate their concept before it goes to clinical trial, he adds.

With the help of the model, researchers and engineers were able to brainstorm a list of potential solutions to presbyopia and model the way those solutions would affect the human eye, Enfrun says.

The company is now moving forward with a concept of what it calls phakorestoration, which is a series of laser eye surgeries. They begin when a patient first develops presbyopia and continues until the patient develops cataracts. Kejako plans to soon bring phakorestoration to market.

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Engineers at Kejako in Switzerland created and

imported 3D geometries pertaining to the human eye to study how laser treatments might work for aging eyes.

To create the accurate 3D model of the eye that led to the creation of phakorestoration, several physics phenomena were considered as were the eye’s material properties, said Aurlien Maurer, research and development engineer at Kejako, who lead the project.

Always acting within the eye are many different types of physics, such as the fluidics of the aqueous human; optical behavior of the lens and cornea material; and refractive index, which involves modeling the muscle ligaments as they deform the lens.

“We wanted to model the entire eye and adapt its properties to look at different outcomes,” Maurer says.

The Kejako researchers used geometries from statistical measurements and optical coherence tomography imaging techniques, which they then translated into a 3D geometry. Then they imported that information into Comsol. When the geometry was within the analysis software they modeled the mechanical elements of the eye, including the complex muscle ligaments that pull the lens into shape, and the viscoelastic properties of the vitreous fluid that fill the eye.

Once the Kejako tool is released, clinicians will be able to use the standard OCT imaging to image a patient’s eye.

They’ll then send that information to Kejako, where a team can create a personalized 3D parametric full-eye model of the individual’s eye. The model is then further optimized

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and customized and a phakorestoraction procedure particular to the patient is created.

The procedure tells doctors how to perform the laser surgery on that particular eye and can detail when it will likely need to be done next, after the patient’s lens changes and needs further accommodation. DW Comsol | www.comsol.com

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How to

select bearings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment While semiconductors may be the brains for electronics, they still need the brawn of manufacturing equipment to put them together. These applications require highspeed and high-precision parts to ensure that major processes like lithography, deposition, etching, diffusion, ion implantations, and metrology go smoothly.

Many responsibilities fall on the bearings that enable semiconductor manufacturing equipment to operate efficiently without damaging the final products. There are several considerations that should go into selecting which bearings are best for each part of the manufacturing equipment. Here are four areas to consider when investing in bearings for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

Chris Wilson General Manager at Ritbearing Corporation

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Design space and dimensions Size is a big consideration when selecting which bearings are best for an application. Depending on the design of a piece of equipment, engineers may deal with restrictions on the size or width of the bearings that will work within an application. These restrictions create a situation where the design team needs to balance the size, shape, and effectiveness of a part. The overall size of a bearing adds to the total weight of an application.

If not managed properly, this can increase the amount of friction in your equipment. When dealing with size restrictions, it might be good to consider thin section

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bearings. Not only can they fit in very tight spaces, but they’re also lighter than bulkier bearing styles, which means smoother operation and less chance of overheating.

Another consideration is to note whether certain bearing supplies are available in inch, metric, or both series dimensions.

Certain specialty parts, such as thin section bearings are primarily made in inch series dimensions. This may not be an issue for companies that use the U.S. customary system of measurement, but it can create problems for those who use the metric system. Regardless of which group an engineer is in, it’s a good idea to check if a bearing supplier can provide the required parts in the correct dimension.

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Clean room conditions Semiconductor wafers can go through hundreds of steps to reach certain production standards, and the manufacturing environment must maintain clean room conditions to ensure success.

The bearings used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment play a role in maintaining these conditions.

There are multiple ways that a bad bearing can contaminate the semiconductor manufacturing process. Incompatible materials can corrode or rust over time.

Some manufacturers can offer thin section bearings and other parts in stainless steel or offer options like ceramic balls that will eliminate the chances of the

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Thin section bearings are not typically made with stainless steel. Exploring what customization options are available can ensure the right parts for an application.

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Semiconductor wafers can go through hundreds of steps to reach certain production standards, and the manufacturing environment must maintain clean room conditions to ensure success. The bearings used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment play a role in maintaining these conditions.

parts themselves disrupting clean room conditions.

For example, it’s important to consider a material like stainless steel for applications that involve a chemical bath. Another item that should be considered is the lubrication that is used in the bearings. Lubrication leaks or outgassing can contaminate products made in vacuum chambers and other environments with clean room conditions. There are many factors that can impact lubrication options, such as where it’s located in a piece of equipment or the

type. Consider working with your bearing supplier to determine an option that will keep your environments clean and maintain performance.

Customization capabilities While some environments or applications call for certain design features, there is a chance that standard bearings won’t have key features you need. For example, thin section bearings are not typically made with stainless steel. This means exploring what customization options are available can

There are multiple ways that a bad bearing can contaminate the semiconductor manufacturing process. Incompatible materials can corrode or rust over time. Some manufacturers offer thin section bearings and other parts in stainless steel or offer options like ceramic balls that will eliminate the chances of the parts themselves disrupting clean room conditions.

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ensure the right parts for an application.

Several customization options may be available depending on the supplier. Special coatings or special materials can enhance or protect bearings and applications. Other options include changing out bearing cages, turning parts into full-complement bearings, adding part numbers, notching the outer diameter to prevent it from spinning, adding Teflon seals, and more. Each option can have various benefits that can help depending on the application; don’t be afraid to ask if there is a way to improve performance and product life through customization.

Order size and inventory In addition to design elements and capabilities, there are also some logistical and financial factors that need to be taken into consideration as well. In general, larger bearing manufacturers encourage customers to make a large order of parts or institute higher minimum order requirements. This may not be an issue for those planning to order large quantities of a specific part, but it can create issues for smaller requests. Some manufacturers will have a minimum order amount, which can force an engineer to order more than they want.

One way to get around these requirements is to ask potential suppliers upfront about minimum order sizes and if they provide some form of inventory system.

If they do the latter, a supplier can release pre-determined shipments of bearings at set periods of time. This allows the buyer to receive regular amounts of products on a recurring basis so that they’re not sitting on more inventory than they need at any given time. It also saves them from dealing with manufacturing delays if they try to order bearings that are not typically available or need to be specially made.

Another potential inventory consideration is asking if a manufacturer can add part numbers to your bearings.

This can help create an aftermarket for equipment parts, which can be an added benefit of having extra bearings on hand. DW Ritbearing | www.ritbearing.com

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

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before buying a

3D industrial computed tomography system A computed tomography test system is a big investment. Here are the things you need to know before making the plunge.

Dirk Steiner Business Development Manager for CT YXLON

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One of the company’s larger systems, the YXLON FF85 CT system shown here is a computed tomography system with a dual tube configuration. It’s designed for extremely precise inspection across a wide variety of material types and part sizes. Here the system is shown scanning a laptop computer (below) and a cylinder head (left).

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Computed tomography (CT) is a well-established test and inspection technique, perhaps best known for its use in medicine. But CT testing has industrial uses as well, particularly for internal component imaging and inspection. A CT X-ray system uses X-rays to generate a three-dimensional representation of a scanned object. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a non-destructive test. This makes industrial CT a good choice in failure analysis, flaw detection, and metrology, for instance.

If you’re beginning the process of choosing a CT X-ray system for purchase, there are a few things to consider above and beyond price. Here are a dozen important points you’ll need to keep in mind.

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A CT scan of a medical ICU ventilator’s air reservoir, with GD&T analysis examples.

To get the most from your investment when running a CT system it’s important to do preventative maintenance on a regular basis, to ensure operational reliability and operator safety.

1

Know your application This can be a tough one unless you buy the system for a specific task. Most CT system users have a variety of samples they want to image, not just one item imaged repeatedly. Describing the variety of what is required for all samples can be difficult. Applications should be specified in terms of cycle time required, along with an acceptable type and size of defect/tolerance specified in the drawing for each feature. If you’ll need to use the equipment in different ways, it would help to categorize your different applications and make sure the system you choose can perform all of them equally well.

2

Be able to compromise and prioritize needs It’s always a good idea to express the ideal situation; so go ahead and ask for the “perfect world” with regard to your specific needs. With some industrial CT systems, there is one solution for everything. In other cases, the “perfect world” can be far more expensive than the justifiable amount. It might be a good idea to describe applications in groups and assign a priority to each of them. The categories can be as simple as “Sample Sizes,” or something like “CAD comparison,” “Metrology,” or “Wall thickness measurement.” By doing this, you are able to see how much each of your requests is worth. The end may not justify the means and you may find one type of application puts you way over your intended budget. If so, perhaps a discussion with a CT service provider on the pricey application would be the best idea.

3

Inquire about your special requirements If you want to buy a system for a special project, you’re probably looking for a flexible vendor with an experienced engineering group. You’ll want to make certain the vendor you choose is capable of handling the project with an experienced, knowledgeable staff. You also want multiple employees working on your project. This way, you are never put in a position for your project to stall because one person is on vacation or because the one employee working on your project leaves the company.

Typical projects have 3 aspects:

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5

YXLON systems feature touch screen technology and can be operated remotely.

a) Project management A good vendor names one project manager who will be in direct contact with you, the customer. He or she will play a key role and be your point of contact throughout the entire project. The project manager will help engineering to understand your problems and will help you to understand the engineers. The better your relationship and the more comfortable you are with your project manager, the better chance of success your project has. b) Engineering If the system you’re buying is multifaceted and customized to your needs, perhaps including part handling or interfacing to your company’s existing infrastructure, you want to ensure the vendor you are buying from has the power and experience to complete it. Ask for references with similar complexity. Try talking with the engineering group directly and, if possible, visit the vendor’s applications lab or factory. c) Software development Depending how special the system is, the software can be critical. It’s good to inquire how many software engineers the vendor employs and what levels of skill they have.

You want a good mix between control software and image processing people.

4

Know the system’s available technical capabilities Depending on the task, there are a few technical features that might help to generate better results. Let’s start with Laminography. If the conventional approach cannot create a “good enough” image for your need, then Laminography may be able to create better results. This is typically used when large samples can’t be rotated at least 180 degrees inside the CT system and a high resolution image is required. Laminography eliminates the need for the sample to rotate. Instead it penetrates from different angles and the image is processed using a special algorithm. The result is not 100% comparable with CT, as the information in the slice is also influenced by features outside the so called “focus plane”. Another technical feature available is Helical CT and this way of CT scanning has two aspects.

First, it can generate a single, seamless 3D dataset for “long” objects (e.g. a pencil shaped object). And second, it creates better images when a normal cone beam CT would generate some blur at high wide cone beam angles. Another technical feature is Scan Modes: On a state-of-the-art, flat panel CT system this allows for toggling between different imaging options.

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Look beyond the numbers, not just cost Technical data sheets can be misleading, especially if you’re looking for the maximum magnification, resolution, speed, etc. Your evaluation should be based on your specific applications—not on claims of highest, lowest, fastest, best, most, etc.

A magnification of 1000X won’t work if your sample size can only be magnified to 50X. Also, system literature can make a detector’s spatial resolution appear relevant when it may not be to your application. There are detectors with high resolution but a poor dynamic range or a high lag, either of which can turn a high resolution into a poor image quality. What should count are the results for your specific applications, not what the data sheet says it can do.

6

Ease of use can be deceiving “Easy to use” is typically one of those overused terms in marketing brochures.

Most likely, in the case of a CT system, they are referring to the “ease of use” of the software, but pay close attention to the user interface when the vendor demonstrates how to use it. You may find it is anything but easy compared to other vendor’s software. Another important factor to consider is how the software relates to the hardware. If you choose to purchase hardware based on expense, for example, a less expensive manipulator that can reproduce a mechanical position, then you might end up doing more steps on a daily basis.

It sounds like less work but some CT systems require a so-called “calibration scan” before or after the actual CT scan. In this process, the operator has to set up the scan parameter on the actual part, perform the scan, then open the system door and put the calibration standard on the manipulator, without moving anything inside the system, which is tricky. This process should not be referred to as user-friendly or easy to use. Instead, it is time consuming and certainly not effortless. A good CT system with a stable manipulator and a good control system should be able to run a good scan without having to do all of this.

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7

If one CT system can’t cover 100% of your applications, consider a vendor with additional scan services

it because the company designed, tested and built the system. And the chances of having a replacement component, now or even years from now, is more likely with a manufacturer.

In some cases, you may have to compromise and set a certain application aside. When the need for that application arises, you may want to use a CT service provider to handle the imaging. If that is the case, it’s important to have a good source for CT service. Some vendors are able to provide this service for their customers without sending it out to another company. Consider the pros and cons of this factor in your purchasing decision. If you have purchased a system through a vendor, chances are good you will get priority when dealing with them on additional CT services.

8

Investigate the core competency of the vendors Try to find out if the company you intend to buy a system from is “just” an integrator or a “real” manufacturer.

It will be a benefit for your future support not to purchase from a company who sources components, puts them together and calls it a system. If there is a problem with one of the major components in your system, it’s more likely a manufacturer has more knowledge to fix

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Select a vendor with a good support team If you’re in the process of buying an industrial CT system, you’re probably busy with a lot of things including writing justification paperwork, meeting budget, management approvals and speaking with multiple vendors for competitive quotes. Of course, all vendors will be trying hard to sell you their product but a good sales pitch or a likeable sales person doesn’t mean you’ll be supported after the purchase.

Unfortunately, buying an industrial CT, like other capital equipment, isn’t a simple decision. You’ll need to know that the system generates high voltage, which is required to produce X-rays and the X-ray tubes typically run between 100 kV and 600 kV. Some of the X-ray tubes are open (which means you can release the vacuum) and some are closed (basically maintenance free except for the high voltage cable connections). To get the most from your investment when running a CT system it’s important to do preventative maintenance on a regular basis, to ensure operational reliability and operator safety.

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Ignoring these factors can lead to maintenance and repair issues.

The bottom line is to buy from a vendor who can support you on a regular schedule and in an emergency situation. Good support means finding a vendor where your priority of keeping the system on-line is just as important to them. Ask how many direct field service engineers would be able to support your specific system (not the total number of service engineers they have), where they are located, how many years of experience with the system they have and what is average wait time for a service engineer to be on site.

10

Try to find a vendor that will be in business as long as your investment is expected to last X-ray systems are typically in use for more than a decade, sometimes two. Businesses can change a lot during this span of time. Companies are changing more rapidly than they used to, with larger companies spinning off parts and buying smaller companies on a global scale. It wouldn’t be prudent to base your decision on the simple fact that a vendor is a multi-billion dollar company. Instead, make sure the company you decide to consider is in a stable situation, and is not depending on a particular single system for all their sales. Also, check into the history of the company, their financial background, and company size, because this can give you confidence that you have made the right decision. You want them to be around as long as you own your system for support throughout the years.

12

Get references If you’ve narrowed your choices down to a few potential vendors and you’ve done your own assessment, it’s time to request a list of customers to contact about their entire experience with the vendor. Most likely, the names you’ll be provided are customers who are pleased with the outcome of their involvement with the vendor. Keep in mind you’re discussing the “best case” customer projects, but you can still gain a good overall feel for a vendor. And, you may find what is most important to them is not what’s most important for your project. Put together a list of your top three or four questions you want answered.

Then make sure you include a question about when the system went down: Was the vendor responsive? Did they keep in contact and provide you a contact person who could answer questions? How did they handle problem projects? DW

YXLON | COMET Technologies USA Inc. www.yxlon.com

11

Ask for a thorough, and if necessary, on-going training program When buying a CT system for the first time, you need training on the basics of CT. And if you’re buying a CT system that is new to you, you’ll need machine-specific training regardless if you’ve used another CT system in the past. For the operator, it’s more important you’re taught how to use the system and its software for your specific applications. Ideally, this should be done in a hands-on training facility on the actual equipment you’ll be installing. Not all vendors can do this. It’s essential that the trainer is experienced and able to share their expertise. If a trainer is talking over your head or wants to spew knowledge that is not applicable for your needs, then the training is not going to be effective. If possible, try to visit the vendor’s lab and have a discussion with the engineers running the lab to see if they understand your application, and are able to provide solutions. Speak with the trainer, or at the very least, get a breakdown of what will be covered in the training class. If you don’t see something you want covered, ask if they can deviate from their standard training proposal. If you anticipate operator turnover in the future, find out in advance what the approximate cost will be to train a new operator down the road.

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P n e u m a t i c s

The basics

on designing with

FRLs

FRLs are key in treating and conditioning downstream components to ensure high air qualty in most pneumatic machinery.

Josh Cosford | Contributing Editor

Often forsaken, the FRL appears in the bills of materials for commissioned pneumatic machinery, only to never be touched again or considered by the end-user. Even when penciled into the design of such a machine, the selection criteria for FRLs is digital at best … “did we add one? Good, done.”

Although you may overlook the FRL as the place in the circuit where you adjust

pressure and from which water sprays, its value is only trumped by the actuator, directional valve and air compressor. The FRL — standing for Filter Regulator Lubricator — conditions the air sent to each pneumatic component in your plant. From air tools to packaging and from automation to machine tool, the uses for the FRL are as plentiful as there are applications.

In a nutshell, FRLs are used to treat and condition air for downstream components, most of which need dry yet lubricated air at a stable pressure less than the output of the main compressor. There is no harm running your air-powered beer can crusher from your portable compressor, but the needs of sophisticated automotive paint systems or massive torque wrenches command high quality air with consistent properties to ensure high performance.

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P n e u m a t i c s

In a nutshell, FRLs are used to treat and condition air for downstream components, most of which need dry yet lubricated air at a stable pressure less than the output of the main compressor.

Filter comes first for a reason Although airline components come in many forms, the most common is an assembly offering the combination of filter, pressure regulator and lubricator. Most often cut from the combo is the lubricator, as not all systems call for any aerosol oil lubrication for their components.

Some airline components such as locking safety valves, drains or dryers are common, but this article will stay true to the three components of the FRL. The filter’s importance cannot be overstated, as the precision and reliability of a circuit’s innards must be ensured. Contamination affecting the health of your system can be generated from the ambient

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air drawn into the compressor, from the compressor doing the heavy lifting, from the air receiver and from the distribution piping.

Most air compressors draw primarily through a filter, because just as contamination can damage downstream components, so too can the particles damage the compressor, itself sometimes the single most expensive piece of equipment in the plant. However, these large suction filters are designed to flow with little resistance leaving all but the smallest particles removed but does not protect downstream components from the high volume of microscopic particles from atmospheric dust and microorganisms.

As well, particle contamination is also internally generated, sometimes from the compressor itself. And if the distribution system is old, oxidation and friable rust forms and breaks off, infecting downstream valves, actuators and instrumentation. It helps to install a filter regulator assembly directly after the air dryer of the compressor, which removes the bulk of externally sourced particles, and ensures stable pressure for the entire circuit.

Filters remove more than particles because contamination exists in more forms than microscopic chunks of matter. The filter of every FR or FRL uses uniquely shaped internals to swirl and disperse liquid contaminations such as water and oil. Liquids collect at the bottom of the filter bowl and these contaminants exit through the drain at the bowl’s bottom, either manually or automatically, depending on the complexity of the filter.

The low cost of airline preparation equipment easily allows for automatic drains, although attention should still be paid to them, ensuring malfunction doesn’t allow fluid to accumulate and pass downstream.

The removal of fluids from a standard filter occurs at less than 100% efficiency. Applications with sensitive components such as electronics, or advanced motion control constituents need a higher level of liquid removal. Equally important are industries where contamination removal nears perfection — medical, pharmaceutical, food processing, and electronics. The coalescing filter removes aerosol oils and vapors sourced from compressor lube oils, residual cutting oils, condensed moisture, and other dissimilar oils and their solutions. Coalescing filters are sometimes used as the primary filter in the FRLs designated to the above applications and industries, although often they exist as a single component only when and where needed.

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In the location after the compressor, a high-flow filter is more important than anywhere else in the circuit. At 100 psi, you waste 1% of the input energy for every 1 psi of pressure drop through the filter.

So, if you’re running a 50-kW compressor with your undersized filter squandering 15 psi of pressure drop, then you’re blowing 7.5-kW right off the top, and you haven’t even considered downstream components yet. And if you’re paying 13 cents per KW/h, like we do here in Ontario, you’ll be paying thousands of dollars per year just because you chose the incorrect size of filter.

Regulators ensure stable pressure You won’t choose a lubricator to be mounted directly after the pump, unless of course every downstream part needs lubrication.

More likely your filter will just be paired with a regulator. The regulator is important to promote stable pressure (and therefore flow) downstream of the compressor. Most components — especially actuators — need stable pressure drop for smooth, predictable motion. Running multiple machines with multiple cylinders, rotary actuators or motors from full compressor pressure will result in unstable plant pressure higher than what most machines demand.

An air regulator senses downstream pressure at its secondary (controlled) port, which acts upon a diaphragm or piston, itself pulling up a plug or poppet. As controlled pressure rises near the spring value of the regulator, the poppet at the primary (inlet) port is pulled upward to choke inlet flow, thereby reducing the rate of flow. The reduced flow rate results in lower downstream pressure. The movement of the control assembly is dynamic and incessant, yet imperceptible; regulated pressure is simply maintained as adjusted if upstream flow and pressure are more than is needed.

When there exists the potential for overpressurization on the governed side of the regulator valve, a relieving function must be chosen. Relieving regulators use a vent to exhaust excessive pressure, especially helpful when downstream functions are static, but

need safe, stable pressure. Should heat or loads cause pressure to rise in an unsafe or uncontrolled fashion, venting some air keeps pressure at its set level, even when the inlet port is completely blocked.

Selection and sizing is critical Each machine or drop line location should have its own FRL, because each machine has its own pressure, flow and conditioning requirements. Your pneumatic tools, for example, require high pressure and flow with airline lubrication. In fact, some tools such as high-speed sanders and impact wrenches use upwards of 10 scfm at 90 psi, making them the most demanding air consumers in your shop. Air flowing at a high velocity through an FRL results in high pressure drop, meaning less energy is available to do work, but wastes itself as heat.

A 1-in. drive impact wrench running full steam at 10 scfm at 90 psi regulator setting from an undersized ¼ in. ported FRL will likely lose 20 psi just through flow alone, as noted in the accompanying graph, leaving the wrench with only 70 psi with which to create work. A more appropriately sized ½-in. FRL will waste only a few psi to flow the same rate, leaving nearly all 90 psi available for torquing nuts.

more accurately, reliably, and efficiently when well lubricated.

Because FRLs are so important and prominent, their refinement, performance, quality, and cost are all available in one package. Every pneumatic manufacturer makes them, providing you competitive choices for every price point and performance level. When in doubt, choose the highest performing option for your application, and even as pricing rises, so too does your return on investment. A highflowing, finely filtered FRL with an efficient lubricator will always pay off in the end. DW

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Let the application determine lubrication Air tools are lubed to extend life and enhance performance, and the easiest way to guarantee oil delivery comes from the lubricator. The mist-type lubricator flows incoming air across a venturi, itself attached to a drop tube dipping into the bowl of tool oil. Partially pushed and partially sucked, the oil vaporizes as it exits the venturi, carried away with the air flowing to the outlet port.

Some tools, machines or components may need specific forms of lubrication, making FRL’s important at each drop leg or machine in your plant. Spool valves, cylinders, air motors, rotary actuators and any other pneumatic item with sliding, moving or rubbing parts, will function

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A d v e r t o r i a l

Q&A on IIoT in manufacturing:

The value of being practical and starting small Lisa Eitel | Senior Editor

R

Recently, three IoT experts answered several questions about

how manufacturers and machine builders can benefit from IIoT with more efficient, productive, and sustainable industrial enterprises … and best practices for approaching cybersecurity, ramping up a digital workforce, and appropriately scaling the digital transformation. Here’s what they had to say.

What’s the best way to get started with IoT? MacGillivray: IoT is shifting from being a technology solution to a key enabler of digital transformations. Companies on a digital transformation or DX journey are leveraging IoT by bringing together their stakeholders to execute their organization’s collective IoT vision.

Research we did with Schneider Electric shows that more than 40% of IoT projects are funded upfront by the line-of-business … and that’s impressive, as it indicates line-of-business understands challenges faced in R&D, operations, engineering, and even marketing. One caveat: IT is still heavily involved in longer-term budgeting for IoT … and must understand the necessary networks, connectivity, and storage as IoT projects are developed and deployed.

Regardless of the stakeholders at the table, IoT promises to drive efficiencies with intra-company efficiencies, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligences … as it’s a key data source for AI applications. No wonder that in manufacturing, 49% of all digital transformation (DX) efforts are led by IoT.

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Meet the experts Carrie MacGillivray | IDC • Group Vice President, IoT & Mobility

Until recently, most IoT deployments were internally (operationally) focused — and less focused on driving end customer value. But now, improving customer experience and controlling costs. So according to our research, there are three reasons to invest in IoT now: • Improve internal efficiencies and trim operation costs — even for maintenance • Increase revenue opportunities • Differentiate from the competition

Cyril Perducat | Schneider Electric • E.V.P. of IoT & Digital Offers

Jean Cabanes | Accenture • Managing Director & Industrial EALA Lead

What are some ways to cut through the IoT hype?

Perducat: Key is regarding on an IoT solution as a business decision — not a technology decision. I think it’s easy to get lost in all the technology bells and whistles … but, ultimately, IoT should solve a concrete problem. So first define that problem and then identify the technology and services to solve it. At Schneider Electric, which is leading the digital transformation

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A d v e r t o r i a l

Leading your industry with IIoT: Steps to digital transformation Business outcomes

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of energy management and automation in homes, buildings, data centers, Infrastructure, and industries, we leverage IoT to advance solutions for our customers to improve efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

its intelligence or connectivity, even to full autonomous operation. The IQ would be its service, platform, and ecosystem.

And the IoT enables both. Consider a hypothetical autonomous product offered with standard after-sale services. We’re seeing that such products serve customers who are not looking for direct ownership … which for example is why Tesla may soon offer ride-sharing products. Robots as

How can companies create new digital business models with IoT applications?

Cabanes: There are two dimensions to consider here — and I like to use the EQ and IQ human-intelligence models as an analogy. The EQ of a product would be

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EcoStruxure Plant

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A d v e r t o r i a l

a service is a related trend here and indeed a new business model.

IoT also allows autonomously operating products through ecosystems so it’s not a single company but rather an ecosystem of companies selling a design. For example, French company Faurecia collaborates with German car companies on intelligent car cockpits; FANUC collaborates with Cisco and Rockwell on artificial intelligence for industrial robots.

Perducat: We design new offerings and their business models at the same time. IoT transforms How can co-innovation help companies keep pace with digital transformation (DX)?

Cabanes: Co-innovation helps vendors and IoT users keep pace with DX in industry because let’s face it, customer expectations are such that what once took industrial suppliers many years to deliver must now be available in months. So companies must leverage digital capabilities as never before. Evolving to go beyond a productdriven business core (primarily focused on customer usage and expected product attributes) to offering products that include support services and operating platforms that customers say they want.

Design approaches must also go beyond the linear step-by-step processes of the past to more adaptive processes for active design and prototyping. That speeds up test-fail-test-fail-test-success cycles which in fact go beyond siloed in-house designs to leverage open ecosystems for more holistic innovation as well. That in turn makes for competitive advantage.

optimization and cut time to market. Part of the work on this front is examining specific business problems driven by customer needs and identifying early DX adopters interested in updating their operations — and then trying and iterating only solutions that are relevant to their business. It’s key for these projects that the co-innovation is rooted in a concrete business context.

Schneider Electric uses similar approaches in its involvement in other ecosystems — with thousands of partner companies. Consider how in the industrial field, we have more than 3,000 system integrators. We design software with and for those partners — and not just for end users.

Close relationships with such customers let us analyze their business problems and deploy relevant solutions. Innovation here focuses on making solutions that are easy to sell, deploy, and install. That extends to our end-to-end IoT EcoStruxure architecture.

With it, we’re not trying to be everything for everybody. We’ve only integrated the best solutions for top partners … with most work on improving integration, customer experience, and ease of use. We’re also not going it alone — and are partnering with multiple companies … including a range of organizations such as Microsoft and other large companies to small startups.

The aim has been to get the right pieces of technology and architecture to ensure the excellent customer experience with sophisticated deployments.

Read more in “The Value of IoT for Manufacturers” eBook we developed in conjunction with IDC. DW

Co-innovation has been key for us over the last several years — via an expanding network of collaborating companies and Schneider Electric’s IoT-enabled EcoStruxure™ Platform.

Schneider Electric www.schneider-electric.us

Perducat: Co-innovation has been key

for us over the last several years — via an expanding network of collaborating companies and Schneider Electric’s IoTenabled EcoStruxure™ Platform. We’ve also worked with other companies including Accenture on the Digital Services Factory — an internal, “virtual” factory that enables Schneider Electric to rapidly build and scale new offerings in areas such as predictive maintenance, asset monitoring, and energy

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A supplement of Design World December 2018

developments in imagining

a better

space lander through generative design

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Design differences

New additive technologies

between plastic and

compete with traditional

metal 3D printing

manufacturing

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A d d i t i v e

T e c h n o l o g y

Design differences

between plastic and metal 3D printing Most 3D CAD design software programs don’t yet distinguish between metal or plastic as the substrate in additive manufacturing. It’s up to the engineer to exercise the proper judgment when inputting CAD data.

Gordon Styles • CTO and founder • Star Rapid The use of 3D printing in plastic is well established for making rapid prototypes and, increasingly, as a means of low-volume manufacturing for relatively simple parts. Compare this to metal 3D printing, which has been in development for a far shorter period of time but ultimately represents a much higher potential value for industry, reaching $10 billion in the next 15 years according to a report from McKinsey. If you’re a product developer considering using either of these additive manufacturing processes for your project, you should be aware that they differ not only in the behavior of the raw material but also in the fundamental physical performance of the hardware. Therefore, they are not interchangeable as manufacturing solutions and this knowledge needs to be applied early in the design stage for the best results.

Since 3D CAD design software programs such as AUTOCAD, SolidWorks, NX and CATIA don’t yet distinguish between metal or plastic as the substrate, it’s up to the engineer to exercise the proper judgment when inputting CAD data. Poor design practices at this stage will lead to failed parts when it comes time for production. This is especially important if you’re transferring a design to metal printing that was previously made in plastic. The first steps to converting a design are to clearly understand the role of heat, location of supports and the importance of postfinishing.

Heat Generally speaking, heat is less of a critical issue for plastic parts than it is for metal. The most common form of plastic 3D printing

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Advanced software can show the effects of supports on heat zones.

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Additive Technology

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is fused deposition modeling. Here the relatively low melt temperatures are safe.

If a part is melted or warped by excessive heat, it’s inexpensive to try again until the process is dialed in. There are also few, if any, dire consequences to the processing equipment itself if the part fails.

The same is not true with metals.

Sintering or melting powder with a high-powered laser can produce temperatures of 2500° F or more. Some of this heat may be absorbed by the build plate as well as the surrounding unused powder, but certainly not all.

Without proper design engineering there will be warping and curling of the part, which can potentially damage the wiper of a powder-bed 3D printer. In addition, it’s a more expensive proposition to remake a failed metal part.

For these reasons, product developers need to work closely with process technicians to understand the exact power characteristics of

the machine being used and the ideal parameters to achieve the best results.

One of the most important pieces of advice is the correct use and placement of supports.

Where’s the support?

Powder bed printing in plastic or metal requires the use of supports. Plastic parts tend to have more of them, for a few simple reasons.

One, plastic is less intrinsically rigid and so may need more additional stability to withstand the mechanical stress of printing. Two, plastic supports are relatively easy to remove, and the resulting marks cleaned up on the finished part. And three, the raw material is less expensive so there’s relatively little economic incentive to conserve on their use.

However, for metal printing there are different dynamics at work. Supports are necessary but it’s usually best practice to keep them to a minimum. To do

The size of the heataffected zone is a function of the power of the laser, feature size and material type.

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This unfinished 3D printed heat sink will take considerable work to polish between the fins.

this, part orientation is more critical to achieve an alignment that preserves the part’s geometry with the fewest supports.

Why is this? One of the reasons is again due to heat. The high temperatures formed at the focus of the laser induce shear forces in the surrounding metal. To a certain extent this shearing action is held in check by the presence of the metal support.

When it’s later removed, this force is released like a spring and the part may deform badly. Smart product developers, working with their process control technicians, will anticipate this and will allow for such movement in the design of the part – something that is not a critical factor in a corresponding plastic piece. Also, powdered metal can be an expensive raw material so it’s costly to use it unnecessarily – another good reason to be conservative.

But the main difference is that removing metal supports is a difficult, time-consuming operation that can require a lot of post-machining. One does not simply snap off titanium struts by hand. This adds considerably to the project’s cost and also makes it harder to achieve a nice finished surface.

Finish with perfection Both plastic and metal parts will require some form of finishing after being printed. Some of these steps may be common to both, like support removal, sanding or drilling holes. Other processes for metal are more extensive and demanding of manufacturing resources, like grinding, CNC milling, stress relief and heat treatment.

One of the advantages of plastic

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printing is that post-processing can often be done by hand or with simple tools, which makes this an attractive operation for DIY product developers or small prototype shops. For metal printing, this post-processing work is not a trivial concern and it must be done professionally. That’s another reason why a plastic printed CAD design cannot simply be switched over to a metal printer to achieve a similar result.

Also, each type of printer creates an intrinsic surface finish on the part. Some processes show a more pronounced layering effect that may need to be sanded or polished off before a part can be painted, plated or anodized.

Putting it all together New additive manufacturing technologies for both plastic and metal are being introduced to the marketplace all the time. Most of these are focused on trying to scale up from one-off prototyping to true volume production. HP’s Jet Fusion printer for plastic and Desktop Metal’s Production System for metal are two such platforms. There are some product development difficulties that are still being ironed out in real-world testing, which is further evidence

that, so far, the great advantage of 3D printing does not lie in speed or volume, where conventional manufacturing still dominates.

The true value of 3D printing is in the creation of complex geometries that combine light weight with high strength, as well as the ability to make finished parts without the need for expensive tooling. Redesigns can be done quickly, again saving on tooling costs and development times. But as we’ve seen, the product developer needs to clearly understand the differences between metal and plastic printing technologies and to design for the specific process and equipment that’s going to be used.

Working in partnership with the machine operator is crucial to achieving reliable results. n MPF Star Rapid | www.starrapid.com

Working with clients to optimize their CAD drawings for metal 3D printing.

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imagining a better through generative design Leslie Langnau • Managing Editor

As newer technologies--like additive manufacturing and generative design—converge, engineers are tackling design challenges they couldn’t address, let along build, before these technologies arrived.

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M a t e r i a l s NASA is looking to explore beyond the planet Mars for signs of life, but it will need a lander that can handle the challenges of such a journey.

N

NASA has spent decades exploring Mars through various mobile vehicles. So far,

there has been scant signs of life on that planet. Now, the plan is to examine other planets for possible life.

Thus, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is turning to the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. However, JPL engineers must solve several challenges. One of the larger challenges is distance. Jupiter lies more than 365 million miles away, compared to the 35 million mile trip to Mars. And if they go to Saturn, that’s an additional 381 million miles past Jupiter. How do you create an interplanetary lander that can go these distances?

Now, add in the following design constraints: an interplanetary lander must perform complex tasks in the sub zero temperatures of space; it must withstand radiation levels far in excess of those on Earth; it must carry a number of sensors and instruments, and it must carry enough fuel to reach its destinations.

Weight will be a critical design spec. The less a lander weighs, the more scientific sensors and instruments it can carry to the planets, along with fuel.

For the most part, JPL researchers will use traditional materials and manufacturing process, because they’ve been proven in previous lander designs. Titanium and aluminum are favored materials for space travel. And traditional CNC machining has delivered reliable products. Even so, new manufacturing technologies are available, along with newer materials, and these may solve problems the researchers couldn’t address because of the inherent limitations of traditional approaches.

Thus, JPL teamed up with Autodesk to explore new design options and manufacturing technologies for exploring these outer planets. One key technology they will use is Autodesk’s generative design technology.

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M a t e r i a l s

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Designed using Fusion 360 generative design software, this interplanetary lander was recently introduced at the 2018 Autodesk World conference.

Generative design uses machine intelligence and cloud computing to develop a number of design solutions that fit within specific constraints set by engineers. The benefit is that designers can examine a number of design options quickly to find the one that suits the best. A commercial form of generative design technology is available today in Fusion 360, Autodesk’s cloud-based product development platform.

Because many of the suggestions given by a generative design program have a complex geometry and organic look to them, most of these designs are best made using additive manufacturing technologies.

Even so, Fusion 360 is not focused solely on additive technologies. It also gives design options for specifications associated with more traditional manufacturing technologies like CNC machining and casting.

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Additive manufacturing was one of the technologies used to build the generatively designed lander.

JPL engineers initiated their generative design exploration using the ideas behind a suspension system for a Formula One race car. This exploration led to innovation thinking about the internal structure that holds the scientific instruments and the external structure that connects the lander legs to the main payload box. Using generative design, the weight of the external structure was reduced by 35%, a considerable success since JPL was looking for something close to 30%.

A version of the lander design was unveiled at the 2018 Autodesk World held in Las Vegas. The fully assembled lander is about 2.5 meters across and 1 meter tall. 3D printing (additive manufacturing), CNC milling, and casting were used to fabricate the different parts of the lander.

JPL researchers are still exploring options, but this lander is in interesting start. n MPF Autodesk | www.autodesk.com

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A d d i t i v e

T e c h n o l o g y

New additive

technologies compete with traditional manufacturing Additive manufacturing continues to explore out-of-the-box thinking for ways to make three-dimensional parts fast.

Leslie Langnau • Managing Editor Vendors of additive manufacturing technology continue to introduce new ways to build threedimensional parts. The main driver behind this continuing evolution is to build parts faster to compete more with traditional manufacturing technologies. Here’s a look at some of the more recent introductions of 2018.

New ways to three dimensionally build parts: Dot Forming Mitsubishi Electric Corp developed a dot forming technology that delivers near final shaped parts. The technology uses a combination of laser deposition, computer numerical control (CNC) and computer aided manufacturing CAM technologies in its 3D printer.

The three-dimensional parts are solid, with few voids. A laser-wire directedenergy deposition (DED) method uses focused thermal energy to fuse materials as they are deposited at high speeds. The method involves repeat spot forming by synchronously controlling the pulsed laser irradiation, the supply of metal wires and shield gas, and the shaping position. Shape accuracy is 60% more precise compared to conventional consecutive forming technology.

Oxidation is reduced by more than 20% compared to conventional technology because high temperatures are limited to a narrow spot forming area.

Mitsubishi Electric believes that this technology will raise productivity in a range of applications because of its ability to deliver near-final shaping of aircraft and automobile parts and build-up repairs.

A three-dimensional metal shaping machine incorporating the new technology was shown at the 29th Japan International Machine Tool Fair in November. Mitsubishi Electric expects to launch a commercial version within the fiscal year ending in March 2021.

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New ways to three dimensionally build parts: Electrophotographic technology Evolve Additive Solutions, Inc., developed a process it is calling Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process or STEP. This process is for automated manufacturing and factory-floor integration, and enables users to work with production-grade thermoplastics for volume manufacturing applications across multiple industries, including consumer, automotive, industrial and medical. It combines 2D imaging technology with proprietary IP developed by Evolve to precisely align incoming layers. Special bonding DESIGN WORLD

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» The Mimaki 3DUJ-553

3D printer delivers more than 10 million colors.

The 3D printer colors are consistent and repeatable due to the use of ICC color profiling.

techniques create final parts that are fully dense with isotropic properties equal to or exceeding injection molding.

This scalable and extensible process combines Evolve’s proprietary technology with electrophotography to produce additive manufactured parts that meet or exceed the attributes of traditionally manufactured parts.

The system is in the Alpha development stage. Evolve recently announced it is working with Kodak to further develop the technology for use in a manufacturing environment. Kodak will also test the applicability of the STEP technology for new manufacturing strategies to reduce time to market and expand product design capabilities.

Kodak has been pioneering work on electro-photographic technology for more than 40 years. The Kodak NEXPRESS Platform delivers unique print capabilities in a modular and upgradeable package, making it the platform for Evolve to use in its additive technology.

Evolve will use a Kodak-developed

toner manufacturing process to make the part toners for the Evolve system. The electrophotographic technology is part of the whole solution comprising hardware, materials, processes, workflow software, and services required to print and finish parts cost effectively at high quality and high speed.

“As the co-inventor of STEP and the executive in charge of development over the last nine years, it’s not only exciting but critical that we get the technology into a customer’s hands for development of realworld applications,” said Steve Chillscyzn, CEO of Evolve Additive Solutions. “The Alpha stage is key to our progress and provides the necessary feedback to R&D to get to commercialization.”

Faster deposition BigRep approaches manufacturing with a faster way to deposit material. Its Thermoplastic Extrusion (MXT) will power its two new 3D printers, BigRep PRO and EDGE. Both printers can print with highperformance materials for applications in

automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, manufacturing and more.

Metering Extruder Technology (MXT) establishes a clear separation between filament feeding and melting and molten extrusion, which allows full control over the amount and speed of material extruded at any given time. This technology takes advantage of the printing materials BigRep, in partnership with BASF, develops.

PRO and EDGE are equipped with two MXT modular extrusion heads, which manage and synchronize the extrusion and printing operations. Thus: · Printing speeds of >600 mm/s when the PRO is used with its finest 0.6 mm nozzle. The EDGE surpasses that with speeds of 1,000 mm/s with the finest 0.6 mm nozzle in place. · Demonstrated filament throughput rate of 5x at the maximum extrusion rate and 3x at the average extrusion rate.

BigRep PRO can handle large-scale industrial features with a build envelope of one cubic meter and a large, temperaturecontrolled spool chamber for continuous printing with high-performance materials, like ASA/ABS, nylon and more. The insulated, enclosed metal frame ensures an optimal even temperature control. The heated print bed is mounted with polyimide foil for better adhesion during the printing process, and an integrated inductive sensor semi-automatically levels the bed.

BigRep EDGE, with a print bed measuring 1500 x 800 x 600 mm, uses high-end, high performance materials for

» The XRIZE 3D color printer,

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from Rize Inc., prints more than 810,000 colors with a layer thickness of 0.250 mm or 0.125 mm. Printer accuracy in X/Y is +/- 0.127mm, or +/-0.003mm/mm, whichever is greater; and in Z is +/- layer thickness 0.250 mm or 0.125 mm.

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end-use parts, functional prototypes and composite tooling. Its heated build chamber controls the environment to 200° C in the chamber and 220° C in the print bed. The EDGE also features automatic, upward-moving doors and an easy-to-use graphical interface on a large screen for control over all print settings.

The technology powering the printers includes hardware from Bosch Rexroth.

The PRO and the EDGE will include a state-of-art CNC control system and drives by Bosch Rexroth, making these systems IoT-ready with full connectivity and data.

BigRep PRO is available to order immediately. BigRep EDGE is scheduled for release in Q2 2019.

More 3D printers deliver more color Mimaki introduces an advanced color additive manufacturing technology that delivers more than 10 million colors.

The Mimaki 3DUJ-553 3D printer helps designers and product developers reach high levels of photorealism because of the fine detail and extensive color capability.

Said Bert Benckhuysen, Senior

» The additive manufacturing system from Evolve

Additive Solutions, Inc., combines 2D imaging technology with proprietary IP in a process it is calling Selective Thermoplastic Electrophotographic Process or STEP. Special bonding techniques create final parts that are fully dense with isotropic properties equal to or exceeding injection molding.

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Product Manager at Mimaki, “Skin tones – where the slightest variations can easily be detected by the human eye – are reproduced with photorealistic quality to meet the accuracy of scanning equipment. Product developers striving for accurate representations of their designs get smooth color gradations, minimizing granularity, and special spot colors can be precisely created for brands.”

The 3DUJ-553 3D printer colors are consistent and repeatable due to the use of ICC color profiling. Mimaki has also developed a clear resin for full transparency and semi-transparent colors. Printing in 19, 32 or 42 µm layers assures fine detail and smooth surfaces, which are preserved during postprocessing as the support material is water-soluble.

Through a collaborative project with Materialise, Mimaki 3D printed models are available through i.materialise.com under the name Multicolor+.

Said Miranda Bastijns, Materialise Director Manufacturing Online, “Materialise is trying out Mimaki’s full-color 3D printing technology. The material, Multicolor+, offers vivid and intense colors and enables strong, sturdy materials with a minimum wall thickness of 1 mm. It also will print interlocking parts. Multicolor+ suits printing decorative parts such as figurines, avatars and architectural models.”

Mimaki 3D printed models have a strength comparable to ABS plastic.

Printed in UV-cured photopolymer resins with inkjet printing heads, models can be handled direct from the print build tray, which is a large 500 x 500 x 300 mm. The 3DUJ-553 3D printer is easy to operate either remotely or through a touch panel. Mimaki 3D Link software also allows colors to be changed on-the-fly.

Another color 3D printer introduction was the XRIZE, from Rize Inc. This desktop printer prints more than 810,000 colors and has a build volume of 12”x 8” x 8” (310 x 200 x 200 mm).

Like RIZE’s first product, RIZE ONE, using

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the XRIZE 3D printer is as easy and safe as an office 2D printer. Printed parts require minimal pre- and post-processing and minimal material management.

XRIZE leverages RIZE’s Augmented Deposition process by extruding an engineering-grade thermoplastic and simultaneously jetting C, M, Y, K (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) inks through industrial print-heads for a full-color part.

RELEASE INK is jetted between the part and the automatically generated supports.

Once built, users can quickly peel the supports away from the part, leaving a smooth surface finish and eliminating the need for additional finishing. With RIZE ONETOUCH software, users can apply text, images and texture maps to monochrome part files and import color CAD files.

The company also introduce new materials for the printer: RIZIUM carbon and RIZIUM ENDURA. RIZIUM Carbon is an engineeringgrade thermoplastic filament reinforced with carbon fiber for a good visual finish and high modulus. RIZIUM CARBON fits applications such as functional prototyping for manufacturing.

RIZIUM ENDURA is a fiber-reinforced filament providing high-accuracy and high-impact strength. It suits large functional parts and is compatible with RIZE’s full-color inks.

Materials and 3D printers that can take the heat Cincinnati Inc. (CI) launched a hightemperature version of its SAAM (Small Area Additive Manufacturing) 3D printer series. The SAAM HT 3D printer is the next step up, processing the highest performance polymer and composite materials.

Constructed from an all-metal enclosure and frame, it has a nozzle that can sustain temperatures up to 450 degrees C (842° F) and a bed temperature up to 260 degrees C (500° F). This allows the system to process materials such as ULTEM for the aerospace industry; PEEK, for use in medical applications; and polycarbonate for applications requiring high impact strength and heat resistance.

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SAAM HT can manufacture tooling involved in high temperature operations such as parts that need to go into an autoclave for sterilization. The system can also be used for small batch production (from 10s to 100s of parts per run) because of its patented automatic-ejection mechanism.

“All materials compatible with SAAM can be used on the HT version,” said Chris Haid, General Manager of the NVBOTS Business Unit at CI. Like the original version, the SAAM HT uses fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology to 3D-print parts directly from a CAD design using CI’s 3D printing software and certified materials.

Continuous automated operation enables high-capacity 3D printing of functional parts without the need for a dedicated operator. Parts are 3D printed and then ejected into a storage chamber, readying SAAM HT to begin producing the next part automatically.

Production platforms Desktop Metal will install the first Production System in Q1 2019 at a Fortune 500 company. Additional customer installations at major automotive, heavy duty and leading metal parts manufacturers will follow throughout 2019, with broad availability in 2020.

Powered by Single Pass Jetting technology, the Production System is for mass production metal 3D printing.

Dekstop Metal claims it is more than 4 times faster than any binder jet competitor and offers a 100 times speed improvement over any laserbased system.

It delivers printing speeds to 12,000 cm3per hour. The system has a build volume of 750 x 330 x 250 mm. Two full-width print bars, advanced powder spreaders and an anti-ballistic system spread powder and print in a single quick pass across the build area.

The System uses 32,768 piezo inkjet nozzles for a range of binder chemistries to print an array of metals - including tool steels, low alloy steels, titanium, and aluminum - at a rate of 3 billion drops per second.

The build is done in an industrial inert environment, including gas recycling and solvent recovery, to safely print reactive metals in mass production. It can print more than 60 kilograms of metal parts per hour.

The Production System is capable of mass customizing batches of generative designed gears at varying amounts with mass production efficiency. Instead of needing to post-process each part using laser or electrochemical etching, ink marking, or dot peening, parts can now be printed with serial numbers – or other customization detail – in place, rending an entire build volume of unique parts with no need for post processing.

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Additive Technology Metal 3D printing Stratasys will offer its newest innovation in metal 3D printing in 2019. The “Layered Powder Metallurgy” (LPM) technology will

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parts. The technology uses standard Powder Metallurgy (PM) alloys for parts with controlled shrinkage.

“Current approaches to 3D printing metals often consist of slow post-processing, painstakingly intricate support removal, and hours of machining and grinding. Combined with the high cost of AM powders, this means each part is expensive, with a total cost of ownership that is hard to justify,” said Rafie Grinvald, Director of Product Marketing and Management, Stratasys. “This platform is an alternative to typical production methods, helping customers reduce the costs of creating reliable, consistent production-grade, metal parts for short-run applications.”

Developed internally over the past several years, Stratasys’ platform uses the company’s proprietary jetting technology and commonly used powder metallurgy, starting with aluminum powders. The LPM solution includes a 3-step, additive manufacturing process combining traditional powder metallurgy with Stratasys’ PolyJet ink-jet technology. The process prints boundaries with proprietary thermal ink, dispenses and spreads powder, and then compacts the powder layer for density and controllable shrinkage.

The end result is intended to be economically competitive in cost-per-part and throughput with easy to implement postprocessing and high part quality. Stratasys is currently in closed-loop feedback discussions with OEMs and Tier-1s on the new metals platform. More details – including product specs and detailed launch timelines – will be made available soon. n MPF

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Cincinnati Inc. | www.e-ci.com Desktop Metal www.desktopmetal.com Evolve Additive Solutions www.evolveadditive.com Mimaki | www.mimakieurope.com Mitsubishi Electric Corporation www.mitsubishielectric.com RIZE | www.rize3d.com Stratasys | www.stratasys.com

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E : VFD cables’ design requirements • Stretching the limits of USB 3.0 • Vertical cable supports

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A supplement of Design World • December 2018

2018

Cable & Connector Reference Guide

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An update on VFD cables’ design requirements VFD cables have had to adjust over the years to meet the changing needs of the motors they run. New changes in the Electrical Installation Code will facilitate more updates in the coming years.

Neal Allen • Vice President of Engineering • HELUKABEL USA

The variable frequency drive (VFD) cable business has become an extremely large market for cable manufactures in the last 20 years. In the past, standard ac motors had the complexity of a squirrel cage motor — just get power and it would run. The first silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) was developed by Bell Labs/GE in 1958 to vary the speed of dc electric motors used in various applications. Since then we have seen motor speed control technology evolve from large-scale integration (LSI), gate turn-off thyristor (GTO), pulse-width modulation (PWM), insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), and space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM).

These new forms of power conversion to support speed control in VFD motors has caused the demand on the cables to change as well, which has led to many new cable options.

We have seen new requirements for these cables which includes: 1

The need for cables to support greater than 600 V (many VFDs run at 600 to 800 V), which UL addressed with the wind turbine tray cable (WTTC) 1,000-V approval that not only addressed VFD issues but also the challenges of wiring a wind turbine.

the NEC. However, if more than 6 ft (1.8 m) of cable is brought out of the tray for a connection to a motor or other electrical device, cables without an ER rating must be either armored (type MC) or be installed in conduit or some other type of raceway.

In some cases the cables are made so they are suitable as portable cordage (STO), which can be exposed for as long of a length as needed.

2 Addressing reflective wave phenomenon, which could increase the voltage spike potential to as much as 1,600 4 Providing continuous-flex VFD cables V. Dealing with developing corona launch points and high suitable for drag chain applications. potential voltage could cause heat from current between the conductor and shield, and individual conductors. Many manufacturers adopted spark-type technology, which uses 5 Providing low electromagnetic noise (EMC) rubber insulation, while others chose semi-conductive PVC/ internally and radiated. nylon to dissipate the launch points of corona and current 6 Providing low capacitance cables to provide flow. better capacitance match to the motors 3 Providing the necessary approvals to allow customers to not and connectors. only put the cable in a tray (UL TC or UL PLTC rated), but 7 Providing a cable with low harmonic noise also exposed run (ER) to the panel or motor. Tray cable according to IEEE 519. types TC, ITC and PLTC are permitted in cable trays by

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VFDs are adjustable-speed drives used in These requirements have been addressed by cable manufacturers but sometimes system specifications dictate additional conditions that cables must meet. The point is that one cable will not meet all the requirements listed. As an example a customer can’t get a tray-rated, continuous-flex cable in polyurethane.

electro-mechanical drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and voltage. They are used in applications ranging from small appliances to large compressors.

Changes in Electrical Installation Codes A new change occurred recently in the latest revision of NFPA that cable manufacturers are currently addressing, as well as

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The current NFPA guidelines require RHH, RHW, RHW-2, XHH, XHHE or XHHW-2 insulation for use inside the motor’s control panel or cabinet, but the expectation is this requirement will move to include cable used in external wiring of VFD applications in the upcoming years.

additional new alterations that may occur in NFPA 2021.

The most notable update in terms of the suitability of cables for VFD use according to NFPA 79 (2018 edition) is specifically Chapter 4 - General Operating Conditions. Currently, the general interpretation of the current 2018 NFPA for wiring amongst cable manufacturers is that Chapter 4, Article 4.4.2.8 - Circuits Supplied from Power Conversion Equipment, which requires RHH, RHW, RHW-2, XHH, XHHE or XHHW-2 insulation, is intended for inside the panel where the wiring is contained between the drives and protection equipment (of the panels) that may experience unusual overload and/or a fault condition. The reason behind this belief is because the requirement is not included in the section that applies to cable for external wiring — Chapter 12 - Conductors, Cables and Flexible Cords.

Many manufacturers are making adjustments to their VFD cable stocks in anticipation of a possible update in three years that requires the use of RHH, RHW, RHW-2, XHH, XHHW, and XHHW-2 insulation to comply

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with NFPA Chapter 12. Manufacturers do believe that the requirement for thermoset conductors in VFDs may be a shift in the market rather than a real concern for safety since voltage spikes, overload and inrush currents can be handled for long durations by thermoset insulation (common to RHH, RHW, RHW-2, XHH, XHHW, and XHHW-2) without premature failure, and would further be safeguarded by the circuit protection device used in the system (circuit breaker or fuses).

XLPE and PE insulation do offer a real benefit in terms of lower capacitance ratings (as opposed to other insulation options) to better match the motor’s impedance for helping to reduce electrical issues in the system that can waste energy and increase electrical noise.

To address the continuous-flex requirement for cables used in drag chains, the use of polyurethane (PUR) jackets and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) insulation has proven to be the best option for performance and high cycle life (over 10 million cycles). PUR jackets provide the greatest resistance to abrasion and chemicals, and also provide an elastic property to the jacket

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that helps hold the cable’s conductors together over a long duration of flexing along with uniform alignment to the outer part of the cable chain, which prevents the cable from moving (whipping) in the track.

Dealing with harmonics, EMI/EMC Harmonics is another common question that arises in VFD vernacular and many of these concerns have been addressed with more noise resistant hardware in the drive units. It is still an issue that needs to be addressed because it still causes reliability issues if the proper precautions are not taken during cable installation. VFD cables are shielded with tinned copper wire braids and aluminum/Mylar foils. This construction allows the cable to have very low EMC emissions that allow them to comply with many electrical requirements like IEEE 519 and CE. IEEE 519.1 applies to the European community to help regulate the harmonics in a power system. CE’s concern is geared more towards an employee’s health due to EMI radiation and the negative effects from wireless communication.

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WISHING YOU ALL A

HAPPY HOLIDAY!

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Select TOPFLEX and TOPSERV products from HELUKABEL have been upgraded to use XLPE conductor insulation to better serve the industrial VFD market.

The result of lower EMI/EMC is that the energy dissipated from the shielding is transferred to current in the shield through inductive coupling. The longer the cables are, the higher the current. Depending on how a system is grounded, these cables could allow the current to flow through the system to the point that potential voltage that is supposed to be zero volts in a drive ground is not zero. This changes the timing of the drive and causes the motors to not run at the speeds for which they are not calibrated.

Most drives manufacturers require a minimum of 85% braid coverage and an independent ground system for the shield. This helps eliminate the ground loop problems found in today’s VFD drives.

Continuing changes in the VFD supply chain and products offered require that the cable industry adjust to new customer requirements in terms of both performance and regulation. Suppliers are interested in filling the needs of the customers through innovation and testing of

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Stretching the limits

of USB 3.0

Understanding USB 3.0 is critical for connector and cable manufacturers to thrive in this new fast-paced world.

Ryan Satrom Signal Integrity Engineer Omnetics Connector Corp.

USB 3.0 was introduced in 2008.

There were early adaptors to this new technology but it took several years before it became ubiquitous as it is today. About a decade after its initial release, USB 3.0 remains a key player in current electronics.

As this technology has progressed, cable assemblies have improved accordingly to meet the requirements of new and challenging applications. While initial USB 3.0 products typically ran well below the 5 Gbps specification, many newer products seek to utilize this maximum data rate, sometimes with cables up to 5 m in length. The combination of higher data rates and increased cable lengths requires maximum performance from the cable assembly.

The mechanical requirements are also being challenged. Though USB was designed for the commercial environment, new industries such as military and aerospace are seeking to implement this technology. This requires a rugged connector design that can be lightweight, protect from dust and water ingress (IP67/IP68), and successfully operate under shock and vibration stresses, while providing 1,000-plus mate/de-mate cycles.

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These challenges require a meticulously designed connector and cable. In this article, we will provide an introduction to USB 3.0 and then describe some of the technical challenges that connector and cable manufacturers must consider in order to thrive in this new world.

Specifications and connector types Within the span of one year, the USB organization released two different specifications: USB 3.11 and USB Type C2. “USB 3.1” and “Type C” are sometimes used interchangeably, but the reality is these are two separate documents: USB 3.1 primarily defines the electrical requirements for USB 3.1 functions and signals; while the Type C specification primarily defines the connector requirements for the new Type C footprint.

The confusion arises because there exist connectors that are both USB 3.1 and Type C. However, clarification is needed because there are also Type A and Type B connectors for USB 3.1, and there are USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 connectors that use the Type C footprint.

USB 3.0 versus USB 3.1 Added confusion arose with the USB 3.1 specification when the descriptor USB 3.0 was obsoleted: What is often described as USB 3.0 is now officially called USB 3.1 Gen 1, and what is typically understood as USB 3.1 is actually USB 3.1 Gen 2. In other words, USB 3.0 no longer exists. This obsolescence, however, has not stopped most of the industry from continuing to use the USB 3.0 descriptor. For simplicity, this article will use USB 3.0 to refer to USB 3.1 Gen 1.

The progression of USB 3.0 technology In the early stages of USB 3.0, many cable and connector manufacturers were unable to meet the requirements of USB 3.0. The impedance requirement of 90Ω ± 15Ω at the connector and the skew recommendation of 15 ps/m were seldom met. When Omnetics ran an informal test of a dozen off-the-shelf USB cable assemblies in 2014, only one of the assemblies met the USB 3.0 specification. However, because the products were not pushing the limits of the technology, it was rare to hear of any performance issues in the field. The bottom line was, in the early stages of USB 3.0, even cable assemblies that did not meet the USB specification were functioning properly in the field. Consequently, there was little motivation to improve their performance.

As the technology has matured, new hardware has been introduced that utilizes the 5 Gbps date rate, forcing cable and connector manufacturers to meet the full requirements.

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Meeting the connector requirements The primary specification that the connector impacts is the differential impedance. Controlling the impedance requires a constant cross-section for the critical signals. This is easy to achieve in a cable, as the cross-section remains mostly constant throughout the entire cable. It is much more difficult through the connector because the crosssection is continually changing: The signals travel from wires, to solder pads, then to connector pins. Each of these regions has a different cross-section, and thus a different impedance. It is for this reason that the specification allows a larger impedance range through a connector than through a cable (90Ω ± 15Ω for the connector versus 90Ω ± 7Ω for the cable).

The main area which causes the impedance to fail specification is the signal wires near the connector pads.

In this area, the foil around the twisted pairs is removed in order to connect the wires to the solder pads. Since the foil is used to control the impedance of the wires, its removal causes the impedance to spike. For this reason, it is critical to minimize the length of foil shield that is removed.

In Figure 1, the top connector shows a good termination.

The foil shield is held tight against the wires until it is very close to the blue insulator. Conversely, the foil shield on the bottom connector is cut back about 1/3-in. The difference between these two connectors is likely the difference between passing and failing the impedance specification.

Meeting the cable requirements Successfully designing a USB 3.0 cable must include proper consideration for the impedance and intra-pair skew of the critical pairs.

Matching the impedance requires controlling the thickness of the wire insulation, tightly twisting the pairs

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Figure 1. USB 3.0 connector terminations.

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together, and including a shield around each pair. Controlling the wire insulation thickness and twisting the pairs alone will provide a relatively good impedance match, and the foil is used to maintain a tight impedance tolerance throughout the cable.

Minimizing intra-pair skew — the time difference between electrical signals within a pair — requires a tightly controlled design. If the surrounding environment is not identical for the two lines within a pair, skew is introduced. This can be a result of asymmetries in the wire extrusion, pairs that are too loosely twisted, or slight variations within the extruded plastic. In short, minimizing skew requires a good cable design and a tightly monitored manufacturing process.

It is also important to consider cable length. To meet specification, the length of the assembly must be kept to a maximum between 2 and 3 m. Cables that are longer than this will fail the loss requirement. For most applications, this means the cable will fail the application3. However, not all applications will fail. Omnetics works with customers that can successfully pass signals through cables with a length of five meters.

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Ruggedizing the design Electrical requirements are not the only parameters that are being challenged.

Mechanically, USB 3.0 is being pushed into arenas well beyond commercial.

Many military applications are seeking solutions, typically requiring a flexible and abrasion resistant cable jacket combined with a dust/water-proof connector solution with high mate/demate cycles. Aerospace, another area that is expressing interest, typically looks for stringent shock/vibration testing and low outgassing requirements.

Connectors must be designed to be small and lightweight, with an IP68 seal, and up to 2,000 mating/de-mating cycles.

Latches can also be used as a locking mechanism without compromising the shock and vibration requirements called out in many military specifications.

A ruggedized cable requires replacing jacket material — typically PVC for most USB 3.0 applications — with various formulations of either polyurethane or Teflon.

Polyurethane provides excellent flexibility and abrasion resistance, so

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Quick Lock USB 3.0 Micro-D - Differential Impedance

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Figure 3. Differential insertion loss for 2-meter Omnetics Quick Lock USB 3.0 connector assembly it is preferred for most military applications. Teflon is preferred in aerospace, because it provides low outgassing and high temperature performance.

Putting it all together One solution on the market that is meeting these requirements is the Omnetics Quick Lock USB 3.0. Advanced techniques are used to maintain tight control over the manufacturing process.

These new techniques enable the pair shields to be kept tight to the wires all the way up to the solder pads, which is necessary to ensure a good impedance through the connector (See Figure 2).

The proper cable was determined through a lengthy process that involved countless cable iterations. As mentioned earlier, finding a cable that provides less than 15 ps/m of intra-pair skew 138

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is not trivial. Our final cable yielded an intra-pair skew of around 12 ps/m.

High performance insulation material was used to maximize the insertion loss.

Figure 3 shows the insertion loss of a 2-m assembly, which meets the loss requirements for USB 3.0.

The design includes a housing that ensures the highest levels of reliability while giving users the ability to mate and de-mate in a rapid fashion without any tools. Once mated, this ruggedized high-speed connection is secure and waterproof to IP68 standards, and utilizes a significantly smaller footprint than other ruggedized USB connectors that are packaged in the MIL-DTL-38999 circular standard.

Assemblies are also available with commercial USB assemblies (Type A, Type B, Type B Micro) terminated to the other side.

Conclusion In this new era of connector design, mechanical and electrical requirements must be considered equally. Finding a proper solution also requires the connector and cable to both be considered equally. By applying the concepts discussed in this article, a solution that meets the needs of a wide variety of customers is possible. DW Omnetics omnetics.com Footnotes 1 “Universal Serial Bus 3.1 Specification,” Rev 1.0, July 26, 2013.

2 “Universal Serial Bus Type C Cable and Connector Specification,” Rev 1.2, March 25, 2016 (Rev 1.0 was released August 11, 2014).

3 Active USB 3.0 cables are also an option at longer lengths. This topic is beyond the scope of this article.

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Hanging tough

with vertical cable supports

Cable supports make the difference between being connected or disconnected in longer vertical raceways.

Frank Cunningham Product Launch Manager | Electrical Apparatus & Lighting Emerson Automation Solutions

When constructing the Empire State Building in 1930, engineers found that the heavy nonarmored electrical cable installed in vertical raceways or risers imposed excessive strain on terminations, panels or other connected devices. In all, electricians installed a staggering 2,500,000 ft of electrical wire to convey the 40,000,000-kW hours used by the building and its tenants annually. To answer this challenge of how to safely install vertical conduit raceways in a 102-story building, the engineers relied on cast iron and hardwood cable supports. This year, as the Empire State Building celebrates the 88th anniversary of its groundbreaking, many of those same cable supports remain in service.

Cable supports are one of the electrical industry’s unsung heroes. Designed specifically to support cables in vertical raceways and eliminate strain on terminations, the supports can make the difference between being connected or disconnected in multi-story buildings. When installed, they provide end-users with enhanced safety and lower maintenance.

Cable supports must provide support to the heavy cable without damaging the insulation or excessively reducing the amount of insulation over time, so the materials that are used and their engineering are important.

Impregnated hardwood or Bakelite wedging plugs are standards. Iron or Bakelite bodies, combined with sealing compound, are also used for certain applications since they can include a weatherproof seal and provide ventilation at the top of the conduit riser. Proper venting can reduce the temperature in a riser by up to 20° F.

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Types of cable supports Cable support design is deceptively simple. Essentially, cable support bodies are threaded to conduit or rest on existing bushing atop any conduit raceway in which nonarmored cables pass through. The one-piece or multiple segment wedging plug is inserted into the cable support body. The wedging plug exerts pressure around the cable, providing holding force of that required by code.

There are two basic types of cable supports: the one-piece plug and the multiple segment plug. The one-piece has a single wedging plug with a groove for each wire. It is ideal for all types of non-armored cables 600 V or less, plus it is considered the easiest to install. In contrast, the multiple segment version has a wedging plug constructed so that each cable is supported between grooves in adjacent segments. This uniform pressure distribution is required by the softer types of insulations frequently used at higher voltages. Some supports line cable grooves with coarse grain grit to improve holding power without damaging the jacket or insulation on the cable. In both cases, either one-piece or multiple segment, it is good practice to space conduits about ½ in. or more further than normal to accommodate the cable support body.

Properly designed cable supports such as the O-Z Gedney Type S from Emerson must not only be capable of supporting a given weight of cable with a good margin of safety but must also support the cable without damaging the insulation or excessively reducing the amount of insulation over the conductor in the area where the cable is supported.

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Transmit Data SEAMLESSLY

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Getting a grip on the code The National Electric Code (NEC) calls out specific installation methods for long vertical runs. NEC Article 300.19 (Supporting conductors in vertical raceways) states that cable support is needed at the top of a long raceway, with intermediate supports installed at specified lengths according to a formula based on the size of the wire, some as frequently as every 40 ft, as seen in the accompanying chart.

Let’s look at an example. In a 10-story building with conduit runs from the basement to the top floor with raceway containing 4/0 copper conductors, the unsupported copper cable length cannot exceed 80 ft.

The heavier the wire, the shorter the unsupported cable length.

According to the NEC, the only exception is “Steel wire armor cable shall be supported at the top of the riser with a cable support that clamps the steel wire armor. A safety device shall be permitted at the lower end of the riser to hold the cable in the event there is slippage of the cable in the wire-armored cable support. Additional wedgetype supports shall be permitted to relieve the strain on the equipment terminals caused by expansion of the cable under load.”

The NEC also lists these four ways to support cable.

1 By clamping devices constructed of or employing insulating wedges inserted in the ends of the raceways. Where clamping of insulation does not adequately support the cable, the conductor also shall be clamped.

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2

By inserting boxes at the required intervals in which insulating supports are installed and secured in an approved manner to withstand the weight of the conductors attached thereto, the boxes being provided with covers.

3

In junction boxes, by deflecting the cables not less than 90° and carrying them horizontally to a distance not less than twice the diameter of the cable, the cables being carried on two or more insulating supports and additionally secured thereto by tie wires if desired. Where this method is used, cables shall be supported at intervals not greater than 20% of those mentioned in the preceding tabulation.

4 By other approved means.

There is a mistaken belief that the NEC does not come into play on low voltage installations, however, there is no exemption whatsoever for voltage. NEC 300.19 applies to all installations, high or low voltage.

Additionally, there is a misconception that the use of wire mesh grips or even sheet rubber wrapped around conductors and tied off in the box is enough to satisfy the code. Neither approach meets NEC Article 300.19 for supporting conductors in long vertical raceways in situations outlined in the table. While wire mesh grips are very useful in shorter runs they have no place in applications outlined in the NEC chart.

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DES

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NEC Table 300.19(A) shown here provides the distances required between supports for the conductors.

ONE COMPONENT SILVER FILLED EPOXY

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Specifying cable supports When ordering a cable support, manufacturers ask the purchaser that they specify the number of conductors being supported and to provide each conductor’s outside diameter (OD), in addition to the conduit trade size, voltage, and dry or wet location. Slight variations in cable OD can render a support plug either too large or too small. Jacket sizes, in particular, can fluctuate, as can stranded wire depending on things like the number of strands, amount of twist and manufacturing processes. For this reason it is recommended that the person doing the ordering, whether it is the purchaser, project manager or lead electrician, use a digital micrometer or calipers to accurately measure the cable’s OD. Another problem that occurs in the field is when an electrician, pressed for time to complete a job, upsizes the cable being installed to one that is available onsite, rather than waiting for the right-sized cable to be delivered. Needless to say, the factory-drilled supports are now too small for the cable. Ordering and installing only the cable support body prior to wire pulling can alleviate the problem. The other part of the support, the wedging plug, can be ordered later.

Retrofit applications When electricians hear the word “retrofit” they assume they are replacing an existing worn part for a new one.

However, in the context of cable supports, “retrofit” refers to specialized supports that are installed after conductors are pulled and terminated, not before. The support isn’t being replaced since it wasn’t there in the first place.

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Emerson’s O-Z Gedney Type S cable supports are used to support cables in vertical raceways or risers. They relieve the strain that would be placed on terminations, the interior of panels, or other devices to which the cables are connected.

What situation would call for a retrofit cable support? Let’s look at the example of an inspector or Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) conducting a final inspection of a high-rise who finds a code violation involving the vertical raceways, specifically the lack of cable supports. Or where the lead electrician finds sub-par work done by an apprentice who installed wire mesh grips instead of supports. These types of problems happen on jobsites, as every experienced electrician knows.

Because the split body of a retrofit-style support rests on an existing bushing atop the conduit raceway it is possible to use it where cables are already installed. The two halves of the body are placed around the cables, seated on the existing bushing, and securely held together by the steel band set in a groove around the body. The plug is then wedged between the cables and the job is done. Problem solved.

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Conclusion Unfortunately, there is no shortage of confusion when it comes to cable support requirements. With so much at stake it is the responsibility of the electrician to fully understand NEC Article 300.19 compliance and best industry practices, as well as the difference in cable support types. DW

Emerson emerson.com

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Sager EE Power Electronics 2018 CORP.qxp_Layout 1 1/30/18 10:00 AM Page 1

It All Started in 1887 as a Small Boston Storefront Selling Speaking Tubes.

Over 130 years later, Sager Electronics has grown into a leading North American distributor of interconnect, power and electromechanical electronic components. Acquired in 2012 by TTI, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. company, Sager continues to operate with the same dedication to its core values – integrity, service and adaptability.

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Product World Programming software with real-time control, integrated HMI Opto 22 opto22.com PAC Project Software Suite R10 supports Opto 22’s groov EPIC system, adds eight new control commands, and provides the ability to designate individual I/O and variable tags as Public Access for read-only or readwrite use in IIoT data communications via MQTT/Sparkplug. As in previous versions, HMI programming is included, and it uses the same tag name database as the real-time control engine, creating automatic integration between the two functions.

Opto 22’s industrial controllers — SNAP PAC programmable

automation controllers and now groov EPIC edge programmable industrial controllers — are typically programmed using the PAC Project Software Suite. PAC Project Basic, free for download, includes flowchart-based control programming with optional scripting, a configuration utility and HMI development. PAC Project Professional adds an OPC server, database connectivity, PC-based control configuration and support for legacy Opto 22 I/O units.

New generation of advanced servo drive technologies Nidec acim.nidec.com The Digitax HD servo series provides motor control performance and flexibility in compact package. Targeting high axis count automation systems, Digitax HD provides all of the benefits of a modular system with a common DC bus, with standalone drive flexibility. The drives’ wide power range provides 6.2 – 451.4 lb-in.

(0.7 – 51 Nm) with 3x peak torque (1.5 A – 16 A and 48 A peak).

The new series is focused on high overload, pulse duty applications but also provides continuous servo control, plus

induction motor control, and is initially available with two functionality levels.

Digitax M753 is designed as an optimized amplifier for high performance centralized control with EtherCAT integrated

on-board and simple rotary switches for fast network address assignment. Alternatively, the flexible Digitax M751 base option allows design engineers to add up to two option modules from the existing Unidrive M range, such as PROFINET, Ethernet/IP, or an IEC61131 high performance motion controller for decentralized machine control.

For both single and multi-axis configurations, the Digitax HD series offers industry-leading compactness – the M753

EtherCAT variant is just 1.6-in. (40 mm) wide – that is 5 axes across the width of a piece of paper or 7 axes across if you turn it to landscape. The drive is also designed to fit within 8-in. deep (200 mm) enclosures.

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For further information about products on these pages visit the Design World website @ www.designworldonline.com

Light section sensors Pepperl + Fuchs pepperl-fuchs.com Complex vision systems are often used for high-precision identification and analysis of object shape and position. These kinds of automation tasks can include quality control for finished components, positioning parts correctly on an assembly line, and aligning pieces before they are gripped by a robot. The vision systems used are notoriously difficult to set up and operate, and they require highly skilled users.

SmartRunner technology makes the functionality of vision systems available in

affordable, easy-to-use digital-output sensors. Based on a combination of light section technology and 2-D vision, SmartRunner is a family of high-precision sensors tailored to the needs of specific applications. These innovative sensors transform complex profile data into easy-to-process digital signals, making integration into the overall process incredibly simple.

Incremental encoders with angled cable entry POSITAL posital.com IXARC incremental encoders are now available with a special housing that features a cable entry angled at 45° to the device’s axis. This compact design combines features of both axial and radial cable entries in a single unit, providing the installer with more flexibility when laying out the connection cable.

IXARC incremental encoders are programmable: resolution can be set anywhere

from one to 16,384 pulses-per-turn in software without requiring any changes to the mechanical properties of the devices. Similarly, pulse direction and the output driver – either Push-Pull (HTL) or RS422 (TTL) – can be defined through software parameters. Changes can be made quickly in the field or in the shop using the UBIFAST programming tool.

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Product World Stainless steel magnetic quick release pins JW Winco jwwinco.com GN 124.1 Stainless Steel Magnetic Quick Release Pins are used for quickly connecting various parts and workpieces that are made of materials like iron and steel. A neodymium magnet is recessed into the underside of the bolt and axially retains the bolt in its inserted position. High-quality surfaces with perpendicular locating holes promote magnetic flux to produce excellent axial retention.

The materials of the locking pin are selected in such a way that the magnetic flow is not hampered, and the

holding strength can be completely used. Instead of a tactile latching action, the magnetic pin orientates its correct position as soon as the magnet contacts the hole edge. These Stainless Steel Magnetic Quick Release Pins also have holes around the knob edge. Available with customized specifications for diameter and lengths, these pins also allow for attaching retaining cables or ball chains that protect the pins from getting lost.

Lube nozzles for aviation gearboxes 3” and 4” ROUND TFTs WITH CAP Touch Panels

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tend to be immersed in lubricant without the need for targeted lubrication.

The delivery of precise, highly accurate, and in some cases

screened lubricants, is usually provided by Lube Nozzles. The Lee Company offers special nozzle designs to meet most requirements. In addition to offering single and multi-orifice nozzle designs in a variety of configurations, safety screens

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In-series charging stations UL 1203-certified epoxy

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Master Bond masterbond.com

BODY-CASE is an enclosure designed

EP41S-6 is a two-component epoxy system that meets UL 1203, which is defined by Underwriters Laboratories as the “Standard for Explosion-Proof and Dust-Ignition-Proof Electrical Equipment for Use in Hazardous (Classified) Locations”. To meet the UL 1203 requirements, samples of EP41S-6 were exposed to saturated vapors in air for the following chemicals: acetic acid (glacial), acetone, ammonium hydroxide (20% by weight), ASTM reference fuel C, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, ethylene dichloride, furfural, n-hexane, methyl ethyl ketone, methanol, 2-nitropropane, and toluene.

After 168 hours of exposure to these vapors,

sample castings in groups of 6 were observed for discoloration, swelling, shrinking, crazing, cracking, leaching, and dissolving. The samples were also subjected to a crush test before and after exposure to these chemicals. The crushing force for EP41S-6 was not less than 85% of the original value.

EP41S-6 has successfully met or exceeded the requirements of these tests.

specifically to fit a standard size watchstrap. Applications include data recording and transmission; tracking and monitoring; emergency call and notification; bio-feedback sensors for healthcare, wellness and sports fitness. It can also be used for industrial electronics.

The new mountable stations can be grouped on any flat surface to enable

induction charging in series. They are similar to BODY-CASE’s existing stations but feature an open base. An IP 54 seal is available to help protect against dust or water ingress.

Thread masking plugs for self-clinching nuts and standoffs PennEngineering pemnet.com PEM PreTect thread masking plugs will protect internal threads of self-clinching nuts and standoffs during paint and powder coating processes. The pre-installed silicone masking plugs – supplied already in place – have been designed for self-clinching blind standoffs, thru-hole standoffs, and nuts in thread sizes #4-40 to ¼-20 and M3 to M6. Plugs can be augmented for thru-hole fastener types with a specially engineered stretched polyester film offering thread protection on the side opposite the plug. Plugs and film can be removed easily using a fine tip tool when processes are completed.

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Ad Index ABB Motors & Mechanical ............... 51 Aignep USA .......................................... 57 Allied Electronics & Automation ........ ................................................. Cover,17,99 AllMotion ................................................ 22 Altech Corp ...............................................1 Altra Industrial Motion Corp. ............... ................................................. 29,30,31,32 AMETEK DFS ........................................59 Aurora Bearing Company ...............55 Automation24, Inc. ............................. 73 AutomationDirect ..............................IFC AVENTICS Corporation .....................79 AZCO Corp. ........................................... 57 Bird Precision .......................................55 Bishop-Wisecarver .............................83 Bison Gear .......................................... IBC Century Spring ....................................93 CGI Motion ............................................67 Cicoil ........................................................25 CIT Relay & Switch .............................20 Da/Pro Rubber Inc. .............................43 DATA IMAGE Corporation .............. 150 Del-Tron ................................................. 80 DeviceTalks Ad .................................. 103 DieQua ............................................. 41,101 Digi-Key ..................................................19

SALES

Eagle Stainless Tube ................. 38,39 Encoder Products Company ..........50 igus ......................................................... 69 Keller America ......................................47 Keystone Electronics Corp. ...... 27,95 LINAK U.S. Inc. .................................... 60 MICROMO ...............................................81 MW Industries - BellowsTech ........ 89 Nason ....................................................46 OKW USA ...............................................45 Opto 22 ...................................................61 Oriental Motor .................................... 68 PHD Inc. .................................................65 Pyramid Incorporated .......................49 Robotics Summit & Expo..................112 Rotor Clip ...............................................53 Smalley Steel Ring .............................23 Smart Products USA ........................ BC Spartan Scientific ...............................94 Tech-Etch, Inc. .....................................63 The Lee Company ............................. 75 Traco Power .........................................34 Trim Lok .................................................. 37 US Tsubaki ............................................87 Whittet-Higgins ...................................35 Zero-Max, Inc. ........................................ 2

Make Parts Fast Supplement 3D Systems ............................ 115 CS Hyde Company ............... 116 PBC Linear .............................. 120,121 Tormach ................................... 126 Xcentric Mold & Engineering ...................... 125

Interconnect Supplement Bay Associates Wire Technologies Corp. ........................ 132 Binder USA ............................................. 143 Fischer Connectors ............................. 139 HELUKABEL USA ................................. 142 I-PEX Connectors ................................. 145 Lapp Group USA .................................. 133 LEMO USA, INC. ................................... 136 Master Bond .......................................... 144 Memory Protection Devices ................................................ 131

Jami Brownlee

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Mike Caruso

mcaruso@wtwhmedia.com 469.855.7344

Garrett Cona

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Michael Ference

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Mike Francesconi

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Jim Powers

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LEADERSHIP TEAM

Publisher Mike Emich

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A supplement of Design World December 2018

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DESIGN WORLD

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®

A Complete Washdown Rated Gearmotor in A Compact Package • Complete gearmotor encased in 304 stainless steel.

Speed Range 7 - 345 RPM

• Special two-part stainless steel output shaft seal system.

Torque Range 7 - 500 In-lbs.

• Laser marked permanent nameplate meets extreme washdown rating.

Input Horsepower 1/20 - 1/8

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• Food-grade H1 grease lubricated for maintenance-free lifetime lubrication.

Frame Sizes 34 & 49

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• 2 power cord connector options, straight and right-angle, available in lengths of 2m, 5m, and 10m*.

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• Made in the USA *power cord sold separately

IP69 Rated 15 in-stock standard ratios available. Contact us to discuss customization options.

1-800-282-4766

3850 Ohio Ave. • St. Charles, IL 60174 • 1-800- AT BISON • info@bisongear.com • www.bisongear.com

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COMBINE CHECK VALVE + END FITTINGS

MIX & MATCH BARB & LUER OPTIONS

CUSTOMIZE COMPONENTS

WHAT ARE MINIATURE MODULAR

CHECK VALVES? view details / watch 30 second video at: SMARTPRODUCTS.COM/CHECK_VALVES_SERIES_500_MINIATURE.PHP 1.800.338.0404

Smart Products 12-18.indd 1

12/3/18 4:01 PM