MD_Materials Monthly_: Conformable coating supercharges compressor efficiency

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The latest information on engineering materials

June 2, 2009

One word: Plastics

No matter what type of engineering you're involved with, the month of June wants to say one word to you. Just one word: Plastics.

NPE, the international plastics showcase, will be held at McCormick Place, Chicago, June 22-26. The show, which only happens once every three years, is co-located this year with technical programs from SPE and other related technical and trade organizations.

Check out Machine Design's show preview, along with other plastics-related coverage, in our June 18 print and web issues. If you can't make it to the show, or can't see everything, stay tuned for further coverage and videos from Machine Design staff who will be there.

In the meantime, take a look at some other materials-related content, including coatings for compressors, sustainability report cards for materials, and hard-coating removal. Don't forget to scroll down for new products and industry news.

As always, let us know what you think by email, on our discussion forums or by commenting on articles at the Machine Design website.

Jessica Shapiro

Articles

Conformable coating supercharges compressor efficiency

Automakers are not the only ones trying to make internal-combustion engines that are more efficient and less polluting. Marine applications have also been moving from high-emission two-cycle engines to greener four-cycle models.

Whipple Industries, Fresno, Calif., a manufacturer of turbochargers and superchargers for both land and sea vehicles, turned to Orion Industries, Chicago, for a way to boost their products’ efficiency.
Read the full article.

Stainless Steel Retaining Rings From Stock

Smalley has over 5,000 Spirolox® Retaining Rings in 302 and 316 stainless steel from stock in 1/4" to 16" diameters. Specials can manufactured from .200" to 90". Smalley's manufacturing process allows for the economical production of stainless steel retaining rings. Spiral type retaining rings are interchangeable with standard snap ring grooves and have No Ears To Interfere™ with the assembly. Free samples are available of stock parts to test in your application.

www.smalley.com

Certification vouches for ingredients' sustainability

Consumers are scrutinizing the products they use, and the ingredients that go into them, more closely than ever. Designers addressing this concern for human and environmental health have a new certification they can use to communicate their ingredient choices to end users.

Consulting firm McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry LLC (MBDC), Charlottesville, Va., added a Cradle to Cradle Approved Ingredient certification to its Cradle to Cradle design framework. The overall goal of Cradle to Cradle is to promote products that do not create waste either as part of their production or their life cycle.
Read the full article.

Hard coating removal that's easy on the environment

Abrasive water-jet (AWJ) coating removal processes are emerging as a greener alternative to acid baths and grit blasting. Proponents of AWJ say it can cut down on rework and extend part life without damaging the underlying metal or changing part dimensions the way acid stripping and grit blasting can. The AWJ process works especially well on tough coatings that see extreme environments, like ceramic thermal-barrier coatings (TBCs) that protect superalloys in gas turbines.
Read the full article.

New Products

All-polymeric wear additives

A line of all-polymeric wear-additive (APWA) compounds is olefin based for better retention of base resin strength, impact resistance, and specific gravity. They provide improved plastic-on-plastic wear resistance and reduced friction versus PTFE-filled and unfilled plastics.

The additives also provide better flow during molding for thinner part walls. The additives are free of particulate and fluid components and are nonhalogenated and RoHS-compliant. They do not form residue in mold cavities.
RTP Co.

DataCELL® FOUNDATION™ fieldbus M-EZ Cables

Northwire’s DataCELL FOUNDATION fieldbus M-EZ Cables are engineered with up-to 24 individual pairs with an extruded PVC binder over each pair, all within a single cable. This allows for fast, simple installation into marshaling cabinets without shrink tubing. Easier to strip and install, cables offer superior ground system integrity and eliminate the potential for cross continuity between shields. Cables are FF-844 certified and ITC/PLTC-rated for exposed run applications, allowing users to do without the conduit. Complimentary sample! +1 715-294-2121; http://www.northwire.com/ez

Ceramic-metallic putty

Pyro-Putty is a high-temperature ceramic-metallic putty that seals joints and repairs defects in cast aluminum, cast iron, steel, and stainless steel. The putty, formulated from advanced organic and inorganic ceramic resins, resists temperatures to 2,000°F. Typical applications include afterburners, boilers, castings, exhaust stacks, flanges, furnaces, incinerators, ovens, heat exchangers, pumps, blowers, piping, ducting, turbines, and manifolds.
Aremco Products Inc.

Stamping brochure

The 90th Anniversary Stamping brochure details an extensive range of metal stampings in a wide variety of sizes and short, medium, or long runs. Stampings are available in a large variety of sizes, including flat blankings and piercings up to 12 × 12 in., metalforming in thicknesses from 0.005 to 0.134 in., and draws up to 3-in. deep and 8 in. in diameter.

The 8-page brochure provides common trade terminology, a glossary of more than 100 industry terms, a Base Elements chart and gauge Decimal Equivalents chart, and covers the company’s “Dock-to-Stock” and “Just-in-Time” programs.
Boker’s Inc.

News from MD

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Machine Design Video Spotlight

	Linear motor vs. belt-drive actuators
	Woody Yen from THK America Inc. talks about the advantages of linear-motor-driven actuators and belt-drive actuators with Lee Teschler of MACHINE DESIGN

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UPCOMING WEBCASTS

Unleash the Power of Virtual Prototyping
Sponsored by PTC
DATE: June 25th, 2009
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT

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ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING

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Industry Update

Quickparts to offer Ultem for rapid prototyping

Quickparts, a provider of custom-designed parts from rapid prototyping to production parts, announced it will make Ultem, a high-performance engineering thermoplastic, available for rapid prototyping with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM).

Ultem is a strong, high temperature, chemically resistant thermoplastic with a high strength-to-weight ratio. It has a V-Ø rating for flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST) and is durable enough to handle some flexing. Ultem 9085 is certified for use on commercial aircraft. It also appears in electrical and electronic components, microwave applications, pump and valve parts, and marine and automotive applications.
For more information, contact Quickparts.

Victrex T-series polymer on high-rotation pneumatic tools

Ensinger, a global supplier of semi-finished products, finished parts, and precision profiles, selected Victrex's T-series polymer, a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polybenzimidazole (PBI) blend, for the compression vanes on a line of high-rotation pneumatic tools for a client in Brazil. Requirements included resistance to flexural loads and high wear and temperature resistance in dry-running operations, including high PV conditions at 18,000 rpm. The polymer also resists oils, grease, and water particles.

The vanes compress air in the tools and keep the rotor spinning and transmitting torque to the drive shaft. The client's goal was to eliminate lubricant inside the compression chamber to eliminate emissions residue and improve air quality.
For more information, contact Victrex.