It's been two weeks since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti. If
you're looking to contribute to a reliable charity to help earthquake
victims, check out Charity Navigator which gives ratings and
descriptions of the work various charities are doing in Haiti and
elsewhere. (Thanks to Motion Systems Design editor Elisabeth Eitel for the
In this week's fastening & joining news, take a look at fasteners that
extend assembly life, a video
about turning a fastener into a seal, and FEA that
lets you look at grain-level stresses. And scroll down to check out new products and industry
Fasteners that maximize assembly
Fasteners are usually the smallest, least-expensive components
within a machine, but OEMs depend on them to hold entire assemblies
together — often for years or decades. And assemblies can be held
together in many ways: bolts, rivets, screws, and pins, to name a
Assembly techniques generally fall into two broad categories: Methods
that take two components or two operational steps to hold parts place;
and methods where the components are self-retaining. The challenge for
the design engineer is to choose a method that provides the highest
quality joint with integrity over time at the lowest manufacturing
Read the full article.
ASSEMBLIES (Bulletin PF)
panel fastener assemblies can satisfy a wide range of application
requirements including limited space applications, low-profile design,
limited access areas, high corrosion resistance, tool or hand actuated,
long screw projection for thicker panels, installation into printed
circuit boards, and flush mounted.
O-rings upgrade fasteners
This brief tutorial video demonstrates how embedded O-Ring
technology enables a standard stainless-steel fastener to become a
high-pressure self-sealing fastener that will seal up to 20,000 psi
(internal/external) against gas or liquid seepage.
See the video.
Modeling grain-level stresses in
Finite element analysis has become a standard tool for ensuring the
structural integrity of components such as turbine blades and diesel
engines. So why do auto companies pay huge royalties and the largest
U.S. companies spend about $30 billion a year on warranties? Because,
until now, FEA didn't have a way to factor in how the material itself
reacts to stress forces and how reactions evolve and change over
addresses this shortcoming with Virtual Life Management. The service
links to FE structural analysis packages and translates global stresses
down to a metal’s grain level.
Read the full article.
Series GD100 Ground Hollow Dowels are manufactured from strip steel,
then OD ground to replace Ground Solid Dowels in alignment applications.
The dowels weigh 50% less and cost 30% less than their solid
The parts permit alignment to within 20 µm, have 8-µm surface finish,
and come in Ø8, Ø10, Ø12 and Ø16mm standard diameters. Special
sizes, case hardening, and the use heat-treated, high-carbon steel are
available on request.
FitQuik connectors are quick disconnect couplings with hose barbs
and thread forms for a secure fit. The connectors come in black and
white nylon and animal-free, natural polypropylene. Fitting styles
include luers, tube-to-tube, thread-to-tube, blood pressure fittings,
and with NPT or 10-32 threads.
Colder Products Co.
Type HFG8 (unified) and Type HF109 (metric) heat-treated
carbon-alloy steel clinch studs install permanently in carbon-steel or
HSLA-steel sheets as thin as 0.040 in. They studs have tensile strengths
of at least 150 ksi. Large-diameter heads transmit less compressive
stress to panels.
The studs come in in thread sizes up to 5/16-18 and in lengths up to 1
in. Longer lengths can be specially ordered. Appropriate sizes meet SAE
J429 and ISO 898-1/SAE J1199 specifications, and all the studs are RoHS
World's largest linear friction welding
Moog and Thompson Friction Welding announced the development of the
E100, a linear-friction-welding machine capable of welding 15 in2. The
surface area is a nearly twice as much as previously achieved, and the
machine breaks the record of weld forge load at 100 tonnes.
Linear friction welding, sometimes known as solid-base additive
manufacture, allows the manufacture of complex shapes without wasting
excess material by machining from solid block, casting, or forging.
Manufactured parts are close to the final shape so that very little
final machining is required to produce a fully functional component.
Thompson manufactured the E100 in the United Kingdom and partnered with
Moog for hydraulic, servo, control, and manufacturing system design.