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| The latest information on engineering materials
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February 3, 2009
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Happy belated Groundhog's
Day!
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News came from Pennsylvania this week that Punxsutawney Phil, the
famous groundhog, saw his shadow, forecasting another six weeks of
winter. Perhaps it's not the most scientific way to predict the weather,
but doing things differently once in a while can bring a refreshing
persepctive.
Today we'll look at a few instances of engineers doing things a little
differently. Injecting bubbles into polymer melts
can make better parts, lasers can form stubborn
inconel, and polyurethane can be an art supply. Also
take a look at some new products, exciting events
coming up in the Machine Design world, and a few items of industry
news.
As always, keep in touch. How are you doing things differently these
days?
Jessica Shapiro
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Think you’ve squeezed the maximum weight and cycle time out of
your injection-molded design? Users of MuCell microcellular-foam
technology beg to differ. They’ve cut part weight 8 to 12% without
major design changes. Those who have designed with MuCell from the start
have been able to get parts up to 30% lighter than their
predecessors.
Part weight might drive the life-cycle cost of a design, but MuCell can
also shorten process time and use less raw materials. The technology
lets engineers focus on part function instead of being bogged down by
the limitations of standard injection molding.
Read the full article.
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DataCELL® FOUNDATION
fieldbus™ cables
 Northwire's
3rd-generation, easy-to-strip DataCELL FOUNDATION fieldbus cables
meet FF-844 specifications for type A. It is the most comprehensive line
of cable for plants with H1 networked process automation. Northwire
ITC/PLTC-ER rated fieldbus cables pass the same crush and impact tests
for metal clad cable (under UL 1659) without the difficult metal armor.
The line also includes marine/shipboard and arctic-grade extreme cables
that are listed to -60°C. Complimentary sample! 1-800-468-1516; +1
715-294-2121
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Probably nothing gets shop personnel cursing faster than trying to
machine Inconel 718. The hard alloy rapidly chews through cutting tools.
Casting Inconel is not much better because about 70% of the material
gets wasted in mold gates. Yet Inconel is a favored metal for aerospace
and turbine parts because it withstands temperatures from cryogenic up
to 1,400°F and has excellent tensile and impact strength.
Fortunately, there are fabricators that have mastered the art of making
Inconel parts. Morris Technologies in Cincinnati, Ohio, for example,
builds metal parts using direct metal-laser sintering (DMLS) and EOS
718, an additive-fabrication material that is equivalent to Inconel 718.
EOS 718 is made by EOS of North America Inc., Novi, Mich.
Read the full article.
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When you think of artistic sculpture, coal and polyurethane may not
be the first materials that come to mind. But that’s not how Gerhard
Baut, Artistic Director of Baut Studios, Swoyersville, Pa., sees it.
For the $208 million, 300,000-sq-ft Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Casino
in Wilkes Barre, Pa., Baut created a 20-ft-tall sculpture inspired by
the variety of coal forms and surfaces found in northeastern
Pennsylvania mines. He designed a coal base representing geologically
different coals, going from fossilized soft coal and peat to bituminous
and hard anthracite. Above the base, lumps of coal transition into
diamonds suspended from the ceiling.
Read the full article.
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The SQ171 coating protects bearings and metal parts from corrosive
environments. The coating shields metals from neutral salt spray, water,
condensation, and weakly alkaline and acidic cleaning solutions. It does
not contain hexavalent chrome and is RoHS compliant. The coating is
plated onto parts by trivalent chrome passivation that avoids regulated
chemicals. Coatings as thin as 8 μm permit interchangeability of coated
and uncoated parts. SQ171 can be applied to standard or special
bearings.
NKE Austria
GmbH
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The Vespel SCP Series high-temperature-capable, lightweight
polyimides are said to have less than 10% of the weight loss of
traditional polyimides after 100 hr at 371°C.
SCP-5050 and SCP-50094 contain fillers that cut friction and boost wear
resistance. Filled SCP-5050 loses 63% less thickness than other
polyimides in wear testing at 343°C. Its CTE matches that of stainless
steel. SCP-5000 parts are unfilled, but have 60% higher compression
strength at 5% strain than other polyimides at ambient temperature and a
30% higher strength at 260°C. They retain 50% of their original
strength up to 10 times longer than other polyimides at 370 to 430°C.
E.I. duPont de
Nemours & Co.
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UV10FL-1, a UV-curing adhesive, is formulated for high strength and
complete cure of sections up to 0.25-in. thick. Exposure to UV light
kicks off curing in the clear epoxy, but polymerization continues after
exposure.
The material has a tensile strength of 2,850 psi and a tensile modulus
of 154,000 psi with 43% elongation at break. It resists prolonged
exposure to temperatures up to 300°F and withstands contact with water,
acids, bases, salts, and most organic chemicals. The epoxy bonds with
metals, ceramics, and glass as well as many plastics and elastomers.
Master Bond
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IT'S SALARY SURVEY TIME!!
Find out how you stack up against your peers when it comes to income and
workload by taking a few minutes to fill out the 2009 Machine Design
salary survey. Your confidential response, and the replies of other
readers, will show where you fit in among other design professionals.
Results will be highlighted in our salary survey article in the April 23
issue. Respond to the survey at http://www.zoomerang.com by Friday, Feb 13 and
you're automatically entered into a prize drawing for a $100 American
Express gift card.
Energy Efficiency Web Conference &
Expo – May 14
Do you know you can get in-depth education on energy-efficiency and all
the benefits of an in-person trade show without ever leaving your desk
or spending a dime?
The intelligent use of energy is making headlines. Product designers and
manufacturers are striving to deliver products that consume less power,
extend battery life, generate less heat, or work from alternative energy
sources. Our Energy Efficiency Web Conference and Expo will
educate design engineers, product developers, and managers on how to
make the best use of energy-efficient product innovations and devices,
and on how to arrange them in systems to lower power consumption and
stay "green." This special one-day event will include sessions
on such areas as:
- Power-efficient drive techniques for lighting
- ROI for high-efficiency capital equipment
- Energy monitoring and energy standards
- Designing for SEMI S23 and the Energy Act of 2007
- Working with alternative power and battery technology
Make plans now to attend the Energy Efficiency Web Conference and Expo. The
event offers a full day of live webinars and interactive booths, along
with a Resource Center where visitors can download or link to additional
materials.
Machine Design Video Spotlight
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B&R Automation Remote
Machine Monitor |
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Mark Ostertag from B&R Automation
talks about B&R’s new remote machine monitor and control
software. |
Check Out the New Machinedesign.com
Our newly redesigned web site still features the best content and
information for engineers provided by engineers but with these new great
features.
Multiple Path Navigation
Find content your way. Improved site navigation creates multiple ways to
find the content you are looking for.
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most effective results for engineers.
Highlighted Resources
Looking for CAD drawings? Find them in our CAD Library.
Download whitepapers in the Whitepaper
Library. Valuable educational content is featured in the eBook
section. Check out the latest in editorial and sponsored video
in the Video
section.
UPCOMING WEBCASTS
Burton Snowboards Brings th eBest Designs to Market with the Help of
3D Printing
Sponsored by Objet
DATE: February 5th, 2009
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
Design and manufacturing companies are faced with ever increasing
competition. More innovative product designs and technology are
essential to successfully compete in today’s market.
Burton Snowboards has been the world’s leading snowboard company since
1977 and continues to set itself apart by quickly adapting to
snowboarding’s continuous progression. Burton’s latest bindings
innovation, Extra Sensory Technology is an example of this adaptation.
Fully developed, tested and delivered in 18 months, EST shattered
previous timelines by 6 months with the aid of in-house Rapid
Prototyping.
Join us as Burton Snowboard Senior Prototyping Specialist Ryan Larson
and Objet Senior Applications Engineer Neil Ranney team up for a webinar
that explores how Burton Snowboards uses rapid prototyping and 3D
printing to cut time and costs off new designs.
Click here to learn more and register!
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click
Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.
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Craftech's semiconductor skills
benefit solar industry
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Craftech Industries makes high performance plastic fasteners and
components, including standard and custom parts. The company says it is
now supplying parts to design engineers working on wafer processing,
solar-cell manufacture, and photovoltaic system development.
The company has served the semiconductor industry for over 25 years.
Craftech engineers realized the solar and photovoltaic markets needed
design solutions similar to those that worked in the semiconductor
industry. The company's plastic parts resist corrosion, are not
attacked by acid or chemicals, are lightweight, operate in high and low
temperature ranges, and possess as high strength.
Craftech's customers specify PEEK, glass-filled PEEK, PVDF, PTFE, PFA,
Ultem 1000/2300, PET-P, PPS, phenolics G7/G10, and other materials for
metric and standard screws, spacers and custom-machined and fabricated
components.
For more information, contact Craftech Industries, Inc..
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Lubrizol acquires Dow TPUs, celebrates
milestone
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Lubrizol Corp. has acquired the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
business of Dow Chemical Co. The former Dow property, which includes
Pellethane thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers and Isoplast
engineering thermoplastic polyurethane resins, will become part of
Lubrizol's Estane Engineered Polymers business.
The acquisition occured just after Lubrizol celebrated the 50-year
anniversary of the patent filing for the thermoplastic polyurethane sold
under the Estane trade name on January 27, 2009. TPUs' flexibility,
abrasion and wear resistance, and durability have led to their use in
many applications, including fabric coatings, footwear, and medical
tubing. Estane TPUs are currently processed through film, sheet and
fabric coating, extrusion, injection molding, calendaring, overmolding,
and blowmolding.
For more information, visit The Lubrizol Corporation.
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Still time to register for Powder
Injection Molding conference
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It's not too later to register for the Metal Powder Industry
Federation's International Conference on Powder Injection Molding. PIM
2009 will be held March 2-5 at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Lake Buena
Vista, Fla., near Orlando.
In conjunction with PIM 2009, the organizers are offering a workshop on
the medical applications of micro powder injection molding. Attendees
who are new to powder injection molding or who want a refresher course
can also take advantage of a day-long tutorial the Monday before the
conference.
For more information, visit MPIF's Conferences & Exhibits page.
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First Cut
CNC machined parts in 1-3 business days. Get parts with better material
properties, surface finishes and dimensional properties than additive
rapid prototypes. Visit www.firstcut.com
Protomold
Turn your 3D CAD model into real plastic parts in one business day!
Visit protomold.com for information and a free automated
ProtoQuote®. www.protomold.com
Boker's Free 2009 Washer Catalog
Boker's 2009 Washer Catalog has over 23,000 non-standard sizes with
outside diameters of 0.080" to 5.140", numerous IDs and thicknesses and
2,000 material variations. ISO 9001:2000 Registered
www.bokers.com/mde
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Contact Information
Editorial questions: Jessica Shapiro
216-931-9850
Advertising/sponsorship opportunities: Virginia Goulding
216-931-9893
Machine Design
1300 E. 9th St.
Cleveland, OH 44114
©2009 Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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