Articles
Random and Fun
2000+ Uses for WD-40
In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in San Diego, California.
It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40®—which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try—is still in use today. Check it out
10 Dumb Things Smart People Do When Testing Electricity
By Duane Smith, Fluke Corporation
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How to Choose -- and Use -- Ergonomic Hand Tools
Drop into any hardware store or home improvement center, and you're likely to find aisles full of tools labeled "ergonomic." But what exactly does that mean for consumers? Simply put, ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools, furniture, and other work-related implements that improve a worker's efficiency while reducing discomfort, fatigue, and risk of injury. Read More
Technical
Slip Ring Technologies: Flat Pancake Style vs Stacked Drum Style
Two basic styles of brush-on-ring slip rings are currently available from manufacturers internationally, with combinations of the two styles also available. The two styles include the flat or pancake style and the stacked drum style of assemblies. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Read More
Intro to Linear Actuators
When students are trained in classic mechanical engineering, they are taught to construct a system using conventional mechanical components to convert rotary into linear motion. Converting rotary to linear motion can be accomplished by several mechanical means using a rotary motor, rack and pinion, belt and pulley, and other mechanical linkages, which require many components to couple and align. Although these methods can be effective, they each carry certain limitations. Conversely, stepper motor-based linear actuators address all these factors and have fewer issues associated with their use. The reason? Rotary-to-linear motion is accomplished in the motor itself, which translates to fewer components, high force output, and increased accuracy. Read More
Comparison of Linear Actuators with Pneumatics and Hydraulics
When deciding whether to use hydraulic or electromechanical actuators in a particular application, the sole deciding factor is: which best meets the technical and economic demands of the application. Read More
What is a Gearbox?
A gearbox is a mechanical method of transferring energy from one device to another and is used to increase torque while reducing speed. Torque is the power generated through the bending or twisting of a solid material. This term is used interchangeably with transmission. Read More
What is a Rotary Union?
A rotary union, or rotating union, is a device used to conduct fluids and gases from one point to another, often under high pressure. Additionally, a rotating union is designed to lock onto an input valve while rotating or swiveling to meet an outlet. Many rotary unions incorporate multiple ports, some of which are designed to handle different types of material simultaneously. Read More
Why use a Torque Limiter (Torq/Gard and Centric)?
Centric Overload Clutches and Torq/Gard Clutches provide machine protection and reduced repair time during jamming load conditions. Mechanical or Pneumatic torque limiters provide consistent torque levels after many overloads. Unlike friction style or shear pin type torque limiters, Centric Clutches and Torq/Gard Clutches can provide an accurate method of resetting the torque with no operator intervention. A single position clutch will reengage in the exact rotational position each time. This is often necessary for system timing in bottling, packaging, and paper converting type applications. Read More
What is a Stepper Motor?
A Stepper Motor is an electrical device which divides the full rotation of the motor into individual parts called steps. Generally, these motors are brushless in order to facilitate a synchronous rotation and operate without the input of an external source on the gear itself. They operate via the use of electromagnets arranged in different locations around the shaft, each engraved with teeth. These teeth match the teeth that are placed on the gear itself. As the gear rotates, one section matches with the teeth of the first electromagnet, offsetting the teeth from the other electromagnets and repeating this action as it rotates. Read More
What is a Brushless Motor?
A brushless motor is an electric motor powered by direct current (DC). Though more expensive than the standard electric or brushed motor, it has considerable advantages over its predecessor. Most notably, a brushless motor boasts better performance and suffers less wear than brushed motors of similar size. Read More
What is a DC Motor?
A direct current (DC) motor is a fairly simple electric motor that uses electricity and a magnetic field to produce torque, which turns the motor. At its most simple, a DC motor requires two magnets of opposite polarity and an electric coil, which acts as an electromagnet. The repellent and attractive electromagnetic forces of the magnets provide the torque that causes the DC motor to turn. Read More
What is a Linear Actuator?
Put simply, an actuator is something that converts energy into motion. It can also be used to apply a force. An actuator typically is a mechanical device that takes energy, usually created by air, electricity, or liquid, and converts that into some kind of motion. That motion can be anything from blocking to clamping to ejecting. Actuators are typically used in manufacturing or industrial applications and may be used in things like motors, pumps, switches, and valves. Read More
What is a slip ring?
A slip ring (in electrical engineering terms) is a method of making an electrical connection through a rotating assembly. Slip rings, also called rotary electrical interfaces, rotating electrical connectors, collectors, swivels, or electrical rotary joints, are commonly found in electrical generators for AC systems and alternators and in packaging machinery, cable reels, and wind turbines. One of the two rings is connected to one end of the armature winding and other one to the other end of the armature winding. Read More
What is a coupling?
A coupling is a device that connects two generally coaxial (inline) shafts at their ends in order to transmit power between them. A coupling can be incorporated with a clutch to serve as a clutch-coupling or a torque limiter. Read More
What is a Brake?
A brake is a device that resists and reduces motion of a mechanism. When the brake is engaged, it “slips” until the driving mechanism stops. When the brake is disengaged, the mechanism can rotate freely. Brakes are similar in principle to clutches. A clutch couples two mechanisms in order to transmit motion and power, while a brake “couples” a mechanism to a fixed frame in order to reduce motion and power. Read More
What is a Clutch?
A clutch is a device that transmits power between two mechanisms (usually rotating) selectively. When the clutch is engaged, it “slips” until the two mechanisms rotate at the same speed and power is transmitted. When the clutch is disengaged, the two mechanisms are decoupled and allowed to rotate at different speeds. Power is not transmitted. Clutches are similar in principle to brakes. In a brake, the driven mechanism would be connected to a fixed frame. Read More
What is a Cycloidal?
A cycloidal gear reducer consists of four major components: an input shaft, a cycloidal disc, a housing with internal ring pins, and an output shaft. The input shaft has an eccentric circular lobe which fits into a bearing in the cycloidal disc. The eccentric lobe causes the center of the cycloidal disc to rotate around the center of the housing. The cycloidal disc is geared to the housing but is slightly smaller and has fewer teeth than the housing has pins. This causes the cycloidal disc to rotate about its center but in the opposite direction of its orbit within the housing. The net effect is that the cycloidal disc rolls within the housing (thus a point fixed on the circumference of the cycloidal disc would trace a hypocycloid). Read More
What is a Load Cell?
A load cell is a sensor that detects a force (the load) and outputs an electrical signal. A strain gauge or multiple strain gauges are attached to the object for which load will be detected. As the object is subjected to stress by a load, it deforms, causing the strain gauge to deform with it. The deformation (strain) changes the electrical resistance of the strain gauge. The load cell has the gauge in a Wheatstone bridge configuration (four resistors arranged into two parallel branches each having two resistors in series). A load cell may use a strain gauge as each of the four resistors in the bridge or as only two (half bridge) or one (quarter bridge) of the resistors. The bridge is balanced (no output voltage) when the ratio of the resistances in one branch equal the ratio of the resistances in the other branch. Read More
What is a Safety Chuck?
A safety chuck is a specialized quick coupling used for web handling operations. In order to maintain the desired tension in a web, a shaft from which a roll is being unwound must be subject to a constant level of torque from a tension brake. Similarly, a shaft onto which a roll is being wound must be subject to a constant level of torque from a motor via a slip / tension clutch. A safety chuck provides a means to transmit torque to a roll shaft as well as the ability to switch roll shafts quickly and conveniently. Unlike most couplings, a safety chuck does not require loosening and tightening of screws or moving any component other than the shaft and the chuck itself. Tension brakes, clutches, and motors need not be moved or dismounted. Read More
What is a Tension Controller?
A tension controller is a controller device which monitors and adjusts web tension to maintain desired operating conditions. Monitoring is done via load cells, and adjustment is achieved through brakes, motors, and clutches. The load cells, brakes, motors, and clutches are attached to the shafts which guide, wind, or unwind the web. Read More