DESIGN WORLD APRIL 2021

www.designworldonline.com

April 2021

inside: MOTION CONTROL: Circuit protection gets smart

p. 120

LINEAR MOTION: Electrification of

off-highway designs with linear actuators

p. 126

FASTENER ENGINEERING:

How do brazing, soldering, and welding differ?

p. 102

How to handle with contactless tasks energy and data transfer

APRIL 2021 DW COVER_FINAL.indd 1

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The new social media is more than just noise Several members of our editorial staff have tried out Clubhouse, the newest social media site that’s been gaining traction. Clubhouse is more LinkedIn than Instagram, with more appeal to corporate types and more professional profile pictures. You have to use your real name, and people can only join invited by an existing member. Currently, the app is only available for iPhones — a way of limiting its early growth, I’m told.

But what is it? The best way I can describe Clubhouse is that it’s a cross between talk radio and a TED Talk. It’s audio only, and if you miss something, you can’t listen to it the next day. You can join in on any open room — topics might be entrepreneurship for women or luxury travel trends or hiring practices. You’ll be placed in the audience, where you can hear all those on stage: the speakers and moderator. If you “raise your hand” via a button, they can invite you on stage, where you can turn your audio on and ask a question or contribute a comment.

A er a few days on the app, I was unsure what to think. There was a lot of good information, but also a lot of noise. Was it worth sticking with?

Then our editorial staff decided to try hosting a room of our own. And it was incredible! We had a vigorous discussion on “diversity in engineering” through the Women in STEM club. It turned into an almost two-hour discussion where female engineers described microaggressions they’ve endured in the workplace or talked about how they’ve moved into recruiting to help bring more balance to engineering organizations.

We learned about the power of three for groups, where studies have shown that the dynamic in a group doesn’t truly shi until there’s a third member of a minority present. One Black female engineer explained how it’s mentally taxing to keep educating people about issues that minorities face. Is it her job to educate on diversity or is it the company’s? She didn’t want to continually have to reexplain what the issues are. “We need allies om other spaces,” she said.

One woman told our staff, “It’s not about the number, it’s about being inclusive. Diversity is the first step toward equality, and equality is the goal.”

That gives me hope for Clubhouse. None of this is noise — we learned so much about engineers’ lived experiences and what they struggle with in their professional lives. I’m grateful to have been a part of the conversation. We’ll be hosting more rooms on different engineering topics on Clubhouse in the future.

If you decide to join the platform, please follow me at @paulheney — it would be nice to connect. DW

30097 Ahern Avenue Union City, CA 94587 Paul J. Heney - VP, Editorial Director pheney@wtwhmedia.com

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

(408) 460-1345

On Twitter @wtwh_paulheney

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April 2021

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DESIGN WORLD

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Teschler on Topic Technology can advance without the benefit of government research Back in the early 1990s, before the Internet had spread much beyond hard-core forum dwellers on Compuserve, I penned a piece about electronic data interchange. The first EDI messages were sent in 1965 when the Holland-American steamship line transmitted trans-Atlantic shipping manifests via telex. By the time I wrote my article, Ford, General Motors, and large retailers which included Sears and Kmart had mandated that their suppliers send business documents such as invoices and logistics updates over EDI. Nearly 12,000 companies in the U.S. used EDI by 1991. Most of this EDI traffic traveled across ordinary phone lines, though a few forward-thinking institutions had installed high-speed data links going to their biggest suppliers.

I happened to think back to the origins of EDI recently thanks to the musings of science writer Matt Ridley.

Ridley speculates that the internet revolution might have happened ten years earlier in the absence of a government network which strictly forbade commercial use. He points out that until 1989, the Federal government actually prohibited the use of the Arpanet, predecessor to the Internet, for private or commercial purposes. An

Arpanet handbook of the 1980s even called the practice of sending electronic messages for commercial or political purposes “both antisocial and illegal.”

All in all, Ridley says, even if the Arpanet hadn’t existed, it is inconceivable that a general means of connecting computers to each other would not have emerged before the end of the 20th century. Thinking back to EDI infrastructure already in place in the early 1990s, we had a candidate technology for those connections. It wouldn’t have been much of a stretch for EDI data links to add general email messages to the data load they were already carrying about incoming shipments.

The inevitability of interconnected computers might be something to keep in mind as you ponder the latest figures for U.S. government research & development spending. Proponents of government R&D often point to the Internet as an argument that more public R&D is always better. They worry because though the U.S. has spent more than all other countries in total R&D until this year, the publication R&D World now forecasts that China will outspend the U.S. in total R&D by about 3.8% or $22.8 billion. R&D World furthermore says the U.S. now ranks 14th worldwide in public R&D. Public R&D

intensity values in France, Germany, South Korea and Austria now exceed that of the U.S., a trend which appears to be a product of a slowdown in federal R&D spending following the 2009 financial crisis.

But those who are down in the mouth about U.S. public R&D spending should cheer up. According to Terence Kealey, a clinical biochemistry professor at the University of Buckingham in the UK, the idea that science drives innovation, which then drives commerce, is mostly wrong.

In fact, Kealey argues it gets the relationship between science and innovation exactly backwards.

Examine the history of innovation, he says, and you’ll find scientific breakthroughs as an outcome, not the cause, of technological change.

To cite one example, the discovery of the point-contact transistor came from three scientists trying to replace electromechanical relays in telephone switch gear. And that happened at Bell Labs, not at a university.

On the whole, technology is more likely to come from other technology rather than from ivory towers, something to keep in mind when the topic of research funding comes up. DW

Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler

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DESIGN WORLD

4/8/21 8:11 AM

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Technology Forward Design lessons from the sports world

Additive manufacturing suits applications ranging from industrial automation to sports equipment.

Designers in the sports world have been one of the quickest groups to adopt additive manufacturing technology. They’ve developed a few insights and perspectives that might be useful for engineers in other fields. I interviewed David Woodlock, Application Development and Design Manager at HP, and we discussed some of these insights.

Woodlock has seen how his team shifts their thinking through faster iteration to bring the athletes what hasn’t been possible before. “It’s about figuring out what the users care about and how the design team can use this new tool to advance the state of the art. “Additive gives us a bigger design space,” notes Woodlock. “ Customization and personalization have long been touted as key benefits of additive technology. Sports design takes them to new levels. Designers use the technology to account for different sizes, different strengths, different profiles, and so on, of the end user. Plus, additive makes it easier to offer a larger number of options for a design. Notes Woodlock, “With full personalization, not only is there a one-off for a specific person, there’s also the option to offer 10 sizes versus three, and that’s a ton of value.”

Another aspect is thinking differently. “In the sports field, a designer cannot discount a product or design because they don’t see value in it,” notes Woodlock. People have very different experiences in sports than I do. So, I can’t discount something because I don’t necessarily represent everybody’s problems.

One of the major areas of development will be software.

For example, Woodlock thinks ordering systems will undergo major changes. “Today’s ordering systems can’t handle a single user ordering a custom part and getting it back to them in a way that fits into my ERP system. But look at the personalization ordering backbone for sporting goods. It is very similar to the one that you’d need for a personalized health care product like a prosthetic, or other custom products. This is a great opportunity for startups in the industry.”

“Engineering now is getting really fun because it’s moving into designing for the human being,” says Woodlock. “We’re past the point of technology for technology’s sake.

We’re now at the point of what is the human experience and how can you improve that.

“Whatever discipline you study, be it chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, software engineering, the focus is on the person because that’s where I think the smartest, most empathetic

people are uniquely able to solve and create value. Everybody’s looking for what improves my experience and that’s kind of why I think sporting goods is a leader in all these spaces.”

And change is coming to CAD programs. “Traditional CAD programs have had a good run since the eighties but they’re kind of the same, equation-based approaches.

But look at animation, especially in movies. “Animators have tools that can ride the compute power curve that traditional CAD does not have.

They can use more polygons, more mesh and create this huge curve in just processing power and how they’re able to design 3D objects.

“I think traditional CAD starts to go away and you start to look at what is animation doing? What is video game design doing? Because they are advancing fast. At some point, processing power will catch up or every designer will design like the animators. But it takes a ton of horsepower to render all those things. It’s very computationally heavy. But that’s the future, not equations, organic shapes, representations, but leveraging what they’ve done in animation and bringing it into the creation of physical objects.

“Some of our best designers of 3D products come from either animation or video game design and they bring those skills into creating 3D objects that we then print and I think that’s the future.” DW

Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_3Dprinting

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DESIGN WORLD

4/8/21 8:12 AM

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3/4/21 2:13 PM

Green Engineering Paul J. Heney

• VP, Editorial Director

Thermally conductive battery adhesive is useful for hybrid vehicles DELO now offers a structural adhesive for batteries used in hybrid vehicles. Designed for high-volume series production, DELO-DUOPOX TC8686 is thermally conductive and flameretardant.

Already being used by an automotive supplier in the ramp-up phase of production, this new adhesive is suitable for lowvoltage batteries found in mild hybrid and conventional hybrid vehicles, as well as in e-bikes and e-scooters. The adhesive allows battery cells to be bonded into a battery’s housing while dissipating the heat generated during operation.

Instead of mechanically connecting the battery cells and then using gap fillers for heat dissipation, DELO-DUOPOX TC8686 combines connection of the thermal management system and structural bonding into one step, simpli ing production.

Adhesive properties optimized for batteries DELO-DUOPOX TC8686 is designed for temperatures ranging om -40 °C to 85 °C and offers good strength on battery cells and typical housing materials. The tensile shear strength of the adhesive on aluminum is 18 N/mm² and meets the strength requirements of the automotive industry at typical operating temperatures ranging om 10° C to 40° C — as well as at maximum service temperatures of 80° C. Temperatures beyond this can result in irreversible damage to the battery electrolyte.

The adhesive’s elongation at tear also helps to meet these requirements. A certain flexibility compensates for the different thermal expansion behaviors of cell and housing material during operation.

The adhesive has a thermal conductivity of 1.1 W/m*K. It also meets the requirements for flame retardancy according to UL 94 V-0. Other specifications are: • Thermal conductivity of 1.1 W/m*K • Flame protection: UL 94 V-0 • Cures at room temperature, can be accelerated with heat • Tensile shear strength (Al/Al): 18 MPa Developed with a view to high-volume series production DELO-DUOPOX TC8686 has been optimized for manufacturing processes. It offers a simple mixing ratio of 2:1 and has a processing time of approximately 30 minutes a er mixing. This is long enough for prototypes and small series and fast enough for fully automated systems. A er four hours, the adhesive reaches its initial strength. What’s more, 90% of its final strength can be achieved a er 24 hours. Even with low heat input,

DESIGN WORLD

Green.Engineering.4-21.Vs3.LL.indd 11

this amount of time can be reduced significantly.

Depending on the battery electrolyte used, a curing temperature of 60° C can help to speed up assembly.

Beige in color, the product is easily detectable by cameras, ensuring accurate application control. In addition, the filler for thermal conductivity is only slightly abrasive, contributing to the dispensing systems’ long lifespan. The product is classified in transport category 1. It is easy to transport and can be stored at room temperature. DW

DELO Industrial Adhesives LLC delo.us

www.designworldonline.com

April 2021

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4/8/21 8:15 AM

Contents 4 • 2021

•

vol 16 no 4

•

designworldonline.com

144

April 2021

120 _MOTION CONTROL

138 _FLUID POWER

Circuit protection gets smart

5 ways to improve packaging machinery with smart pneumatics

While fuses and circuit breakers offer tried-and-true electrical circuit protection, new electronic circuit protectors provide far more advanced capabilities.

126 _LINEAR MOTION Electrification of off-highway designs with linear actuators

The transition of mobile machinery and off-highway equipment away om fossil fuels may be a longterm goal, but electrification is already delivering real benefits in the sector.

Design equipment faster, smarter, and under budget with TiPS from leading suppliers.

Today’s packaging machines are becoming better equipped with sophisticated automation systems that o en include some type of pneumatics technology for actuation, filling, positioning, palletizing, depalletizing, and more.

| AdobeStock.com

51-68

Aerospace COVER_FINAL_4-21.indd 51

4/7/21 9:00 AM

A Supplement to Design World - April 2021 www.therobotreport.com

Inside the development

of Sarcos’ Guardian XO exoskeleton page 78

INSIDE: • Designing sit-to-stand motions for lower-limbs exoskeletons ...............................70 • How computer vision, deep learning help exoskeletons adapt movements ...........74

ROBOT_REPORT_COVER_4-21_Vs2.indd 69

144 _MECHANICAL

69-88

4/8/21 1:40 PM

Engineering

How to handle elastomeric coupling creep

April 2021

A equent question on the Raptor coupling deals with the twisting of the element. This phenomenon is common to any elastomeric coupling and is the result of a process called creep. Here, we take a look at several examples.

A supplement of Design World

How

89-119

a new product invention

led to a global manufacturing company

COVER_FE 4-21_FINAL.indd 89

www.bearingtips.com

4/7/21 8:58 AM

A Supplement to Design World - April 2021

132 _3D CAD From CAD Model to Medical Model

Computer-aided design was piloted by engineers, who continue to rely on it. Now, medical researchers realize CAD is the perfect tool for modeling human anatomy.

Design equipment faster, smarter, and under budget with TiPS from leading suppliers. | AdobeStock.com

Bearing Tips 4-21_Cover_Vs1.indd 147

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

147-150

4/7/21 8:49 AM

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

A Z B E E S A S B P E Aw a r d s o f E x c e l l e n c e

ON THE COVER Gantry robots use contactless energy and data transfer instead of fixed wiring runs and cable carriers. | Courtesy of SEW-EURODRIVE

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

4/12/21 2:33 PM

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Cords in Troubled Waters?

4.21

• contents departments

Interpower® 1-Week Lead-Times and Same Day Shipping on in-stock North American cords and cord sets help untie today’s logistical Gordian knots.

Our U.S.A.made cords navigate past troubled waters and ports stacked with shipping containers. Our power cords are customizable—lengths, colors, labels, packaging— to your specifications. All Interpower cords are tested in both design and production phases.

Whether ordering 1 cord or 5,000, Interpower provides customized solutions. Made in Iowa, Interpower remains unaffected by logistical lockdowns and slowdowns.

04

Insights

06

Teschler on Topic

08

Technology Forward

11

Green Engineering

16

Design For Industry

24

Design Notes

34

Sensor Notes

36

Internet of Things

42

Design For Additive Manufacturing

48

MC2 Classroom

151

Product World

152

Ad Index

®

®

Toll-Free Phone: (800) 662-2290 E-mail: info@interpower.com Business Hours: 7 a.m.–6 p.m. Central Time

Order Online!

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April 2021

DESIGN WORLD

4/8/21 8:18 AM

DESIGN WORLD

Follow the whole team on twitter @DesignWorld

EDITORIAL

VP, Editorial Director Paul J. Heney pheney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_paulheney Senior Contributing Editor Leslie Langnau llangnau@wtwhmedia.com @dw_3dprinting Executive Editor Leland Teschler lteschler@wtwhmedia.com @dw_leeteschler Executive Editor Lisa Eitel leitel@wtwhmedia.com @dw_lisaeitel Senior Editor Miles Budimir mbudimir@wtwhmedia.com @dw_motion Senior Editor Mary Gannon mgannon@wtwhmedia.com @dw_marygannon Associate Editor Mike Santora msantora@wtwhmedia.com @dw_mikesantora

VIDEO SERVICES

WEB DEV / DIGITAL OPERATIONS

Web Development Manager B. David Miyares dmiyares@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_webdave

Videographer Garrett McCafferty gmccafferty@wtwhmedia.com

Senior Digital Media Manager Patrick Curran pcurran@wtwhmedia.com @wtwhseopatrick

PRODUCTION SERVICES

Front End Developer Melissa Annand mannand@wtwhmedia.com

Customer Service Manager Stephanie Hulett shulett@wtwhmedia.com

Software Engineer David Bozentka dbozentka@wtwhmedia.com

Customer Service Representative Tracy Powers tpowers@wtwhmedia.com

DIGITAL MARKETING

VP, Digital Marketing Virginia Goulding vgoulding@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_virginia Digital Account Supervisor Taylor Meade tmeade@wtwhmedia.com @Taylor Meade

CREATIVE SERVICES

Digital Marketing Specialist Sean Kwiatkowski skwiatkowski@wtwhmedia.com

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

Webinars/Virtual Events Senior Manager Lisa Rosen lrosen@wtwhmedia.com

Art Director Matthew Claney mclaney@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_designer

Webinar Coordinator Halle Kirsh hkirsh@wtwhmedia.com

Graphic Designer Allison Washko awashko@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_allison Graphic Designer Mariel Evans mevans@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_mariel Director, Audience Development Bruce Sprague bsprague@wtwhmedia.com

Video Manager Bradley Voyten bvoyten@wtwhmedia.com @bv10wtwh

Customer Service Representative JoAnn Martin jmartin@wtwhmedia.com Customer Service Representative Renee Massey-Linston renee@wtwhmedia.com Digital Production Manager Reggie Hall rhall@wtwhmedia.com Digital Production Marketing Designer Samantha King sking@wtwhmedia.com Digital Production Specialist Elise Ondak eondak@wtwhmedia.com

Webinar Coordinator Kim Dorsey kdorsey@wtwhmedia.com

FINANCE

EVENTS

Controller Brian Korsberg bkorsberg@wtwhmedia.com

Events Manager Jen Osborne jkolasky@wtwhmedia.com @wtwh_jen

Accounts Receivable Specialist Jamila Milton jmilton@wtwhmedia.com

Event Marketing Specialist Olivia Zemanek ozemanek@wtwhmedia.com

WTWH Media, LLC 1111 Superior Ave., 26th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114 Ph: 888.543.2447

2011 - 2020

2014 Winner

Medical Design & OUTSOURCING DESIGN WORLD

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Design for Industry Food & Beverage

Sensors ensure temperature control during perishable goods transportation

Highly regulated products, such as pharmaceutical or perishable goods, typically require special handling along their distribution chain to comply with several directives. The most regulated parameter is temperature, which determines not only the lifetime, but also the usability of a product. Reliable temperature monitoring in a modern logistics network in turn requires trustworthy dataloggers, which are increasingly (pushed by regulations such as EN 12830) accepted only with certification om accredited laboratories (ISO 17025).

The STS32 and STS33 ISO 17025-certified temperature and humidity sensors help users achieve cost-efficient GDP-compliant supply chain monitoring of drugs, vaccines and perishable goods.

These digital temperature sensors are optimized for cold and ozen chain applications.

Both rely on the CMOSens Technology, enabling increased computational power, reliability and improved accuracy specifications compared to their predecessors. Functions include enhanced signal processing, two distinct and user-selectable I2C addresses and communication speeds of up to 1 MHz. The DFN package has a footprint of 2.5 x 2.5 mm2 while keeping a height of 0.9 mm.

Every STS32 or STS33 is identified by a unique serial number and is supplied with an ISO 17025-accredited calibration certificate. The calibration certificate comprises three temperatures, -30°C, 5°C and 70°C.

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www.designworldonline.com

DESIGN WORLD

4/8/21 8:53 AM

POWER TRANSMISSION

RETAINING DEVICES & maintenance & assembly tools BEARLOK

SHOELOK

BEARLOK Shrink Disc

BEARHUG

CLAMPNUT

TANGENTLOK

PRECISION NUTS & WASHERS

INCH and METRIC THREADS LEFT HANDED as well as RIGHT -HANDED

ADAPTER SLEEVE ASSEMBLIES

Materials of: CARBON, ALLOY and HARDENED ALLOY STEELS Materials of: ALLUMINUM and CORROSION RESISTANT STEEL NUTS & WASHERS

HARDENED TONGUE WASHERS

SPLIT COLLAR

RETHREADING DIES

ADJUSTABLE SPANNER WRENCH

BEARING ASSEMBLY SOCKET

W

The SHT33 humidity and temperature sensor are also available.

The SHT33 is based on the SHT3x series, offering high accuracy combined with ISO 17025-certified temperature sensing on one chip.

Calibration certificates and data for each STS32, STS33 and SHT33 sensor can be downloaded from a server address given in the shipment documents, enabling efficient processing by automated systems. In turn, STS32 users not only embed sensor hardware into their product but are also able to merge the provided calibration data from the sensor with the calibration information needed for their dataloggers. This approach heavily simplifies the manufacturing process, as the time-consuming calibration of the assembled device is replaced and covered by using a digital, precalibrated temperature sensor. DW

Sensirion www.sensirion.com/pharmaceutical-transportation

DESIGN WORLD

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April 2021

HI

TT

ET

-H

IG

GI

NS US

A

WHITTET-HIGGINS manufactures quality oriented, stocks abundantly and delivers quickly the best quality and largest array of adjustable, heavy thrust bearing, and torque load carrying retaining devices for bearing, power transmission and other industrial assemblies; and specialized tools for their careful assembly.

Visit our website–whittet-higgins.com–to peruse the many possibilities to improve your assemblies. Much technical detail delineated as well as 2D and 3D CAD models for engineering assistance. Call your local

or a good distributor.

33 Higginson Avenue, Central Falls, Rhode Island 02863 Telephone: (401) 728-0700 • FAX: (401) 728-0703 E-mail: info@whittet-higgins.com Web: www.whittet-higgins.com

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Design for Industry Food & Beverage

Stainless steel washdown gearboxes The food and beverage industry is known for harsh conditions, primarily due to the need for cleanliness. This line of stainless steel washdown gearboxes meets the needs of this demanding application. The gearboxes meet the specifications needed for potential direct contact with food products and washdowns under high pressure; they are available with ATEX and IP69k protection.

They are offered in three levels of corrosion protection depending on the environment they are exposed to: Coated Aluminum (Z-Series), Stainless Steel Shielded (L-Series) and Stainless Steel (I-Series).

The gearboxes are available in reduction ratios om 5:1 to 102:1, with output torque capacities up to 480 lb- and input powers up to 5.4 hp. Stainless steel motors are also available for use with these gearboxes.

Unit design benefits include housings with smooth surfaces, stainless steel 316L output sha s, viton seals with stainless steel 316L shield, hardened & ground gearing, all stainless steel 316L hardware, closed stainless steel 316L protection cap with o-ring, and fully modular IEC and NEMA C motor flanges. DW

Atlanta Drive Systems www.atlantadrives.com

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DESIGN WORLD

4/8/21 8:55 AM

LEE MINIATURE CHECK VALVES

|

RELIEF VALVES

|

SHUTTLE VALVES

|

FLOW CONTROLS

|

PRECISION ORIFICES

|

EXPANSION PLUGS

SOME COMPANIES IMITATE.

WE INNOVATE. Imitation is easy.

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Design for Industry Medical

Designing for lasers in the manufacture of medical devices Since their inception, laser systems have been a major contributor to the successful creation of all types and sizes of medical devices. From surgical to implanted devices, lasers can ensure that parts are identifiable, non-corrosive and non-toxic. With their versatility and ability to process on a range of materials, lasers can deliver more cost-effective and innovative processes as medical technologies advance. These advances will offer benefits to design engineers as well as to healthcare professions in bringing state-of-the-art opportunities to mitigate risks, assure regulatory compliance and elevate patient safety.

From cardiac rhythm management, to neuromodulation, to orthopedic and hearing implants, laser materials processing systems play a pivotal role in the production of these life improving devices.

In several critical categories, laser technologies make a difference, such as cardiac rhythm management. Several industrial laser processes are used in the production of these devices. Laser welding with pulsed fiber lasers, for example, provides a hermetical seal on the pacemaker cartridge, wire stripping of electrodes used for the device with q-switched and short pulsed lasers, and laser marking of UDI codes onto the device with fiber laser markers. Pacemakers have heat sensitive electronics in their assembly and this was one of the reasons why laser systems were used in their manufacture, as the net heat transfer is negligible or manageable with appropriately engineered laser systems.

Lasers also lend themselves to automation applications, such as their integration into a glovebox welding system to prevent oxidation of the 20

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welded pacemakers. Before the advent of fiber laser technology in the medical device industry in the mid 2000’s, these devices were manufactured using legacy solid-state rod-based lasers om the late 80’s and early 90’s.

Recently, ultra-short-pulsed lasers impart negligible heat input to machining operations on medical devices.

Neuromodulation is a growth area where medical devices are used to control the effects of conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Benign Essential Tremor. These medical devices are implanted into the brain tissue or spinal cord to improve motor coordination. The electrodes are made om relatively inert metals that are coated with plastics. To reveal the electrodes, which are subsequently embedded in the body, the platinum and copper wires are laser wire stripped of their jackets, which are made of such materials as PTFE, PET, or Polyimide.

The laser systems used are diverse in terms of the edge quality required and the desired effect on the bare metal. The great advantage of laser systems in these processes is how well they can be integrated into turnkey automated systems for manufacturing, DESIGN WORLD

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EXTEND BEARING LIFE

The instrumentation used in ortho implants is heavily reliant on laser processing, across laser cutting of bone saws, welding of saw cartridges and marking graduated scales for surgical cutting depth. and the fact that they do not touch or impart much mechanical force onto wires that can have a diameter down to one thousandth of an inch. Those processes when done manually under a microscope required dexterity, were laborious and not automated, and therefore, no fun at all.

Orthopedic implants have for many years been laser marked and engraved, and some devices are laser welded and laser 3D printed om metal powders. The complete laser generation of ortho implants has led to mass customization using data generated om MRI scans. Laser systems are even able to polish selective areas of the metal implants made om materials such that they have a lower surface roughness than the original 5-axis CNC machined surface. Conversely, laser machining systems can structure ortho implants to provide surfaces for cells to key to. Diverse functional surface properties can be produced on the same part.

The use of laser-based manufacturing is extensive in this industry. Combined with order data handling interfaces, this technology provides traceability and quality checks for each part, and a log of everything that took place during the laser materials processing operation.

Vision systems, such as smart cameras with attendant so ware, are widely integrated into laser systems to provide the necessary checks during processing to assure a perfect product.

Many of the processes used in the Ortho business are fiber laser based, yet CO2 and older technologies still exist. Medical device manufacturers tend to seek out the forward-looking technologies to give them competitive advantage and to improve regulatory compliance on production methods.

An analogous laser structuring technology is used on smaller cochlear implants for improving deafness. Laser systems can usually be matched to the scale and production volume of the product with a fast ROI. There are many other processes not discussed here, om micro-fluidic assay diagnostic device machining, to engraving and structuring of ceramics and glasses used in medical devices.

These have all now become chosen specialized topics of large medical device manufacturers and their contractors.

Material for this article came om Jonathan Magee, Managing Director ACSYS Lasertechnik UK Ltd, Coventry, U.K. DW

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

A cutaway section of the Agri Disc Hub housing shows the double-row angular-contact ball bearings, which can support high axial and radial loads.

Bearings handle extreme operating

conditions

For bearings deployed in the agriculture sector there is no shortage of potential hazards, including moisture, soil dust, corrosive fertilizers and high shock loads, such as those generated by stone chipping. These disc hubs handle such extreme operating conditions.

Manufactured in Germany, these units are a popular choice for common farming implements such as short disc harrows, seed drills and flail mowers.

The cost-effective, self-lubricating bearing unit delivers several benefits to users of farming implements. They feature double-row angular-contact ball bearings that can support high axial and radial loads, while the configuration locates the bearings within a sturdy housing that connects directly (and simply) to the implement through an integrated flange.

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The bearing hubs are equipped with an effective sealing system for robust protection against extreme condition applications. This system is a combination of labyrinth and contact seal designs, which serves to prevent both the ingress of contaminants and the escape of grease. ‘Greased for life’ Agri Disc Hub bearings provide users with maintenance- ee operation.

The design of the bearings and sealing system increases service life, even under extreme stress. DW

Close-up showing the elaborate path of NSK’s comprehensive sealing system, making it virtually impossible for contamination to penetrate the bearing.

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Design Notes

How to handle tasks with contactless energy and data transfer Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Besides saving space, the use of single-cable technology reduces cabling outlay and the weight of the overall solution.

Although robotic systems are sometimes limited by automation constraints and drive technology, this issue can be easily minimized.

Application-specific automation om a single source enables machine builders to develop new, commercially beneficial solutions for customers. To demonstrate, consider the case of a gantry robot that uses contactless energy and data transfer instead of fixed wiring runs and cable carriers.

Gantry robots are a time-tested solution for intralogistics material flows within a machine or application. They are commonly used to detect products automatically, grip them securely and quickly, and take them to their destination. This type of robot is useful in many industries and can be used for various product sizes, weights, and distances. Frequently, the lengths of power and communication cables and cable carriers limit the flexibility and adaptability of an existing machine to a new production scenario. Adding contactless energy and data transfer opens up new production scenarios and has largely consigned cables to the past.

Contactless energy and data transfer combined with intelligent so ware and reliable mechatronics creates fully integrated solutions. With contactless energy transfer, multiple robots can move eely on the same horizontal stretch, greatly increasing the gantry robot

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application’s flexibility. This design regularly leads to overlapping sections between robots — ultimately offering more eedom for machine design and operations. Logistics processes of this kind would not be as easy to implement with cable carriers because of the additional area that carriers use along the length of the system. In addition, cable carriers generate noise, are subject to wear, increase inertia, and have an overall negative impact on dynamics and energy efficiency.

Another benefit of contactless energy and communication transfer is that there are no longer any restrictions regarding installation space, cable breakage, or limited cycle rates — issues all associated with cable carriers and moving cables. This is possible with

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Current supply from a socket — the intelligent energy supply with the DC link buffer via doublelayer capacitor packages ensures the robots can be hooked up to a 230-volt connection.

a contactless inductive energy transfer system, including a decentralized power supply module. Depending on the design, this module delivers a transmission power of between 5 and 11 Hp. Throughout the entire load cycle, the robot consumes less than 0.7 Hp via the pick-up — even though the horizontal axis alone requires more than 5 Hp of acceleration power during acceleration. The short-term energy requirements are met by the energy storage unit, a double-layer capacitor package that takes care of the primary energy supply to the robot with a DC link voltage of 100 V. The typical travel profiles of a gantry robot, which involve alternating acceleration and braking phases, led to the idea of retaining the regenerative energy generated during braking within the process instead of dissipating it via resistors. The energy storage unit absorbs this braking energy and functions as a booster when the gantry’s drives accelerate at 20 / s2. The design is so effective that the contactless energy transfer and storage solution only has to compensate for the system’s mechanical efficiency losses, which amount to around 0.7 Hp. Unlike the familiar DC link connection of multiaxis applications located in the central control cabinet, each unit can store energy independently.

The robot gantry’s contactless energy transfer system eliminates the need for restrictive cables and extends to the communication processes. In this context, an EtherCAT data light barrier transfers the interpolated position setpoints om the central motion controller to the four servo inverters in the moving housing box at 1 ms intervals.

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MAXOLUTION machine automation forms part of SEW EURODRIVE’s strategy to implement applications tailored precisely to the requirements of specific sectors.

A motion controller calculates the complex robot motion control — and can do so for up to four robots at once. Motion control involves performing calculations to prevent collisions and coordinating the robots to achieve a productive system. If a machine in a production network requires double the material flow output, the gantry system gives users the option to move a robot om another section on a flexible basis. Handling units that draw their power with cables, in contrast, are tied to their section. As a result, the associated resources become movable, and systems as a whole are more

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Design Notes In the MOVI C automation controller, data from the FSoE (Fail Safe over EtherCAT) master is routed and mapped to the relevant robot axes.

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flexible and productive. Engineers can create new machine concepts based on this approach.

The demands placed on communication are correspondingly high as well.

The automation provider opted to use the real-time Ethernet protocol EtherCAT in the gantry — again dispensing with cables by adding an optical connection to the mobile units. The drive data can be delivered to the robots via data light barriers. Having separate motion controllers in each robot is a thing of the past: one does the job of running the whole robotic system. With each cycle taking 1 ms, the optical system has practically no latency periods when transmitting the interpolated position setpoints to the inverters or feeding back the relevant actual values.

Communication for safety technology works in the same way. For this application, a central safety controller for all robots and the machine as a whole was selected. This safety controller communicates directly with the MOVI-C automation controller via EtherCAT using the EtherCAT FSoE (Fail Safe over EtherCAT) protocol. This setup enables both controllers to share data with ease, simplifies programming, and offers good conditions for diagnostics and debugging, thanks to its high information density.

The seamless integration of the FSoE safety master and the EtherCAT data light barrier are integrated into a comprehensive automation solution including motors, electronics, and visualization. Working with a skilled automation provider can streamline the development process, and the newest drive technology innovations and trends can be considered. In this context, standardized interfaces play just as important a role as prepared so ware modules or application-specific function modules. DW

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Design Notes

How to overcome micro defects for

aerospace manufacturing applications Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Better hole quality is vital for preventing component failure and is determined by the manufacturing processes used for machining or finishing the holes.

Tooling solutions and cutting-edge geometries in drills are continually evolving to meet the highest manufacturing and part quality standards.

“Measure twice and cut once” is a common expression in manufacturing, but it’s easier said than done when machining difficult materials. That’s why, when a global aerospace manufacturer sought to eliminate an entire second stage om its drilling processes while also improving hole quality, it turned to metal cutting specialists. Here, James Thorpe, global product manager at Sandvik Coromant, explains how a drill’s design is integral to producing holes with better quality.

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A drill’s design is integral to producing holes with better quality.

Most manufacturers are exploring new vendor bases and products. Thus, machine shops that once specialized in a certain production area are now opening their CNC lathes and mills to a wider variety of tough and challenging materials. At the same time, manufacturers must explore new ways to increase profits and reduce cycle times without sacrificing product quality.

In other words, it’s time for manufacturers to rethink how they go about making holes.

The white stuff Hole surface integrity is a real concern for aerospace manufacturers or general engineering companies that want to diversi into aerospace. Better hole quality is vital for preventing component failure and is determined by the manufacturing processes used for machining or finishing the holes.

Tooling solutions and cutting-edge geometries in drills are continually evolving to meet the highest manufacturing and part quality standards. Coolant is also being used more effectively for reducing heat buildup in the tool. And tests have found that each of these factors can control the so-called “white layer” effect on workpiece materials.

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An aerospace manufacturer coined the term. It refers to a thin, ultrafine grain structure observed a er component drilling, caused by the heat of the drill. Not only can the white layer change the surface properties of the material, but it was also deemed unacceptable in the customer’s quality management processes.

The manufacturer applies a strict hole-finishing process to drilled holes in aerospace components, including turbine discs, compressors, drums, and sha s.

That’s why it chose to partner with Sandvik Coromant to investigate why the white layer forms and how to control it.

Second act The secondary process happens a er a hole has been created with the carbide drill, and it can involve reaming, plunge, or end milling to finish the component.

The secondary stage occurs mainly to meet surface integrity demands and reduce issues like the white layer, rather than for dimensional accuracy, except when machining holes with tight tolerances.

From an overall cost perspective, the secondary process is even more expensive than maintaining low cutting data, which is the other way to preserve surface integrity. That is why the user www.designworldonline.com

wanted to investigate doing away with the process altogether. A supplier with a product that produces a conforming hole to size without any secondary processes can greatly reduce the cost per part.

The investigation into causes and possible ways to prevent the white layer involved four tests of drilling the highstrength, nickel-chromium material Inconel 718, a popular aerospace material. It was the first time any such investigation had been carried out by the user.

The tests assessed drilling with two solid carbide drills, the CoroDrill R840 and CoroDrill R846. Each was run at two different sets of cutting parameters, 58 mm/min and 98 mm/min, respectively, and spin speeds of 829 rev/min and 757 rev/min, respectively. Cutting force and torque data were measured throughout the tests, as was the white layer thickness.

R840 has been superseded by the CoroDrill 860 with -GM geometry, and R846 has been superseded by the CoroDrill 860 with -SM geometry. Each of these tools are designed to enhance tool life without compromising hole quality.

The results provided insights into what causes white layer thickness.

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Design Notes the preparation of its curved and radial cutting edges. Meanwhile, the straight cutting edges and chamfer imposed on the cutting edge of the R840 are believed to be linked with the increase in cutting force, torque, and white layer thickness.

Therefore, the drill’s design determines whether high hole quality with a reduced white layer can be achieved without sacrificing cutting data. The company has also been able to eliminate some secondary processes, like reaming and plunge milling.

The range includes the CoroDrill 860 with -GM (CD860-GM) geometry, designed to be a good all-rounder for drilling challenging ISO P, M, K, and H materials across all industry sectors.

The CoroDrill 860 with -SM geometry (CD860-SM) is designed for machining ISO S grades like superalloys (HRSAs), titanium, and Inconel. The latter drill has DESIGN WORLD

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proven especially popular in aerospace.

With the CD860-GM and CD860-SM, Sandvik Coromant’s engineers applied the ethos that longer tool life and better hole quality come down to the drill design. The CD860-GM has a polished flute design that improves the evacuation of chips and yields high core strength and reduced cutting forces while drilling.

The CD860-SM, meanwhile, has a new grade and optimized and refined point geometry, which further enhances tool life when working with difficult-tomachine HRSA materials. The result is greater hole quality. DW

Sandvik Coromant www.sandvik.coromant.com

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Design Notes

Custom miniature thrust ball bearings for screw driving spindles Edited by Mike Santora • Associate Editor

Auburn Bearing proposed a one-piece banded thrust ball bearing that would use a special lubricant. This custom design would serve to protect the bearing from debris and other contaminants as well as contain the grease inside the bearing.

A custom screw driving equipment manufacturer had been purchasing a standard-sized miniature thrust bearing om a large bearing manufacturer for many years.

The 3-piece bearing was being used in a moderate to high volume (20 to 30 bearings per month) in the custom screw driving equipment and was being replaced regularly.

Because of the bearing’s open style, it is subject to various contaminants and is difficult to keep properly lubricated. The bearings needed to be completely taken apart and lubricated on a weekly basis. With this weekly maintenance, the typical life of each bearing was three months, and at the end of its life, significant wear was visible on all components of the bearing.

This company chose to go to Auburn Bearing a er becoming ustrated by the loss of time and productivity they were experiencing om replacing a significant amount of prematurely failing miniature thrust ball bearings. They were looking for a new solution that would extend the bearing’s life by keeping lubrication in and keeping

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debris out as well as reduce the downtime and inconsistencies caused by these bearing failures.

Auburn Bearing proposed a one-piece banded thrust ball bearing that would use a special lubricant. This custom design would serve to protect the bearing om debris and other contaminants as well as contain the grease inside the bearing.

A er a three-month trial run using this new solution, the screw driving equipment manufacturer found that the bearing race and balls remained in excellent condition without having to perform any maintenance on them.

“Frankly, I don’t pay much attention to these bearings any longer. With the new design, it has gone om a headache to a non-issue. Therefore, I would rate this a great success. Machine consistency is the biggest improvement. Also, the inability for a maintenance person to assemble the old 3-piece bearing incorrectly,” says Brett S., Engineering Manager, Bemis Manufacturing.

The Auburn Bearing engineering team was able to design this custom bearing solution for the specific application parameters. It significantly reduced operational downtime, maintenance equency, and replacement costs.

Improved machine consistency by reducing bearing contamination and bearing failure reduced the cost of labor and downtime by eliminating the need to clean and re-lubricate bearings, previously performed on a weekly basis. DW

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Sensor Notes

What is sensor linearity?

Non-linearity plotted to output Lin. Error (%)

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Most analog output sensors have general specifications such as linearity (or non-linearity), repeatability, and resolution, as well as environmental specifications such as operating temperature or shock and vibration, and dynamic specifications like response or bandwidth. All of these specifications represent limits of error or sources of uncertainty related to the sensor’s output compared to its input. Many of these terms are fairly easy to understand by their wording alone, but linearity error or nonlinearity is not in that category.

Linearity, or more correctly, non-linearity, is a measure of the maximum deviation of the output of any sensor om a specified straight line applied to the plot of the data points of the sensor’s analog output versus the input parameter being sensed (which is called the measurand) under constant environmental conditions. The more linear the sensor’s output, the easier it is to calibrate and to minimize uncertainty in its

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output scaling. However, understanding a sensor’s non-linearity specification requires understanding the nature of the reference straight line.

There are several possible reference straight lines that could be used to express a sensor’s linearity error. The optimum choice based on statistics would be a “best fit line.” But just what is the criterion for best fit? Both experience and statistics favor a line calculated by the method of least squares, where the sum of the squares of the deviations om the desired line is mathematically DESIGN WORLD

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D

minimized. Such a best fit straight line (BFSL) is broadly used as a basis for a sensor’s linearity error or non-linearity, not merely because it is statistically appropriate but also because it has been validated in real world measurements.

Impact of other errors Because the linearity error applies to the analog output of the sensing system, recognition must be given to other errors that can affect the output besides sensor non-linearity. To fully comprehend what the linearity error specification actually means, there are several pre-conditions that must apply to the measurement process.

First, environmental factors like ambient temperature must be reasonably constant or small changes compared to the linearity error. Next, the repeatability and hysteresis errors in the sensor itself must also be small compared to its linearity error. Third, any non-linearity in the system output caused by ancillary electronics in the measuring system must also be very small compared to a sensor’s linearity error. And finally, the resolution of both the sensor and the output reading instrument must be sufficient to react to the small deviations in output caused by linearity error.

Measurement errors cannot simply be added together; they are correctly combined by a Root-Sum-Squares (RSS) calculation. So only if these other errors are small will linearity error be the dominant source of measurement uncertainty. Otherwise, the weighting effect of the other errors can lead to serious uncertainties about the measurement results. This is also one of the reasons that trying to measure linearity error is more complicated than it might seem.

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itself — which usually means highly precise equipment normally found only in metrological calibration or national standards laboratories.

How linearity error is specified The maximum linearity error using a BFSL reference for a unipolar output sensor is usually expressed as a (±) percentage of Full Scale Output or Full Span Output (FSO). For a bipolar output sensor, its maximum linearity error is expressed as a (±) percentage of Full Range Output (FRO), i.e., from (-) FSO to (+) FSO. Example To illustrate the effects of linearity error, consider a sensor with a range of 0 to 2 in., an output of 0 to 10 Vdc, and its linearity error specified as ±0.25% of FSO. The sensor has a scale factor of 5 Volts per in. and an FSO of 10 Vdc, so non-linearity could cause an error of ±25 mV in the output, which is equivalent to an error of ±0.005 in. The user must then decide whether this level of error is tolerable. This is illustrated by the figure below, which shows both the sensor’s analog output in blue and its point-bypoint error from the reference line in orange. Keep in mind that the units of the error are so much smaller than the unit of output that if shown along the blue line they would be indiscernible in terms of resolution. DW

Alliance Sensors Group alliancesensors.com

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Internet of Things

Online data shows Americans are most skeptical about 5G technology

According to proponents, 5G is one of the pinnacle new technologies set to revolutionize everyday life. Based on a super-fast low latency internet, 5G is touted as having the potential to unlock the full capabilities of other advanced technologies like augmented reality and Internet of things (IoT). Yet, many are still cynical about 5G. Interested in technology trends, Prolifics Testing used online analytics tool Ahrefs to discover which countries in the world are most skeptical about 5G based on their online searches in relation to 5G. Prolifics Testing classified and grouped consistently recurring Google searches by individuals on 5G such as ‘is 5G dangerous?’, ‘is 5G safe?’, ‘is 5G harmful?’, ‘does 5G pose health risks?’ and ‘does 5G cause/spread coronavirus (Covid-19)?’ as skeptical online searches about 5G. Prolifics Testing found that the United States is in the number one spot of skeptics as Americans are the most hesitant about the emerging technology with 374,700 skeptical online searches regarding 5G each month – the equivalent of 1,027 skeptical online searches per day.

In second position is the United Kingdom, where there are 93,400 online searches a month by Brits doubting and questioning various aspects of 5G. Australia is in third place, as there is an average of 32,970 dubious online queries about 5G per month by worried Australians.

Canada (22,680) and Poland (20,510) are among the other countries in the world where there are more than 20,000 tentative online searches about 5G every month, respectively ranking fourth and fi h.

Interestingly in A ica, there are 13,780 online searches a month by South A icans (eighth place) and 6,850 online searches a month by Nigerians (thirteenth place) concerning the possible negative implications of 5G technology.

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At the other end in 20th place is Denmark, where there is an average of 1,410 skeptical online searches by Danes relating to 5G each month.

Successful implementations and education are needed to improve such findings. DW

Prolifics Testing www.prolifics-testing.com

www.designworldonline.com

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Internet of Things

On the other hand, 5G carriers are optimistic Molex released its results of a global survey of decision makers om telecom carriers exploring the “state of 5G” and the transformational opportunities it presents, along with its impact on deployment progress, current delivery challenges and emerging business prospects. Overall, carriers are optimistic: more than half of those surveyed expect to deliver substantial end-user benefits within two to five years while 47% reported that users already are seeing value or will within one year.

“The 5G market is nearing an inflection point as carriers report steady progress despite continued challenges,” said Aldo Lopez, president, Datacom Solutions, Molex.

“Fully realizing 5G’s potential will transform multiple industries and markets. It is a long game that requires collaboration across an entire ecosystem of hardware, so ware and connectivity companies to innovate to these new mobile network standards, which in turn, will accelerate user adoption.”

Molex commissioned Dimensional Research to conduct The State of 5G Survey in February 2021, polling more than 200 qualified participants in engineering, product and R&D roles at network operators or Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).

A variety of 5G questions were asked, with emphasis on timing and use cases. More than half of those surveyed reported 5G deployment delays caused by the impact of COVID-19 while more than a third reported future roadmaps delays.

Other key findings include: • 92% expect to achieve 5G business goals within five years; larger carriers reported a focus on generating new revenue streams while supporting existing business to reduce operational costs and accommodate increasing demand (65%) • Consumer devices leveraging 5G technology will be first to generate significant new revenue (43%), followed by industrial and IIoT (35%) and fixed wireless access (33%) • 100% of respondents report issues with 5G deployment; top-three challenges are spectrum issues (41%), lack of consumer use cases (31%) and regulations (30%) When asked to identi the most important technology or industry changes that will enable network operators to achieve their business goals, respondents cited reduced costs of 5G in astructure and network equipment (41%); innovation in enabling technologies, including semiconductors and sensors (31%); availability of new types of devices that require connectivity (26%); as well as stable and consistent government regulations (22%).

Split decision on need for ‘killer apps’ to drive adoption Only three in five survey participants reported the need for a “killer app” or transformative use case to drive 5G adoption and significant new business revenues.

Augmented reality, gaming and smart home applications topped the list of primary consumer devices while robotics, logistics and factories were the leading 5G-enabled use cases for industrial and IIoT.

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Rural home access topped the list of primary uses cases for fixed wireless access at 53%, followed by city and suburban home access (45%) and remote industrial in astructure access (41%). Additionally, autonomous driving, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications and vehicle telematics ranked highest on the list of primary use cases for the automotive industry.

Remote patient monitoring, medical wearables and remote surgery were identified as “killer apps” for the medical market.

Timeline of user benefits by region Only 25% of those polled believe that 5G is delivering substantial benefits to consumers today, but 99% anticipate substantial benefits within five years.

More than half said consumers in Japan and Korea already recognize substantial benefit om 5G. China also continues to gain traction with more than half of survey respondents indicating that consumers benefit currently (24%) or are expected to benefit within one year (27%).

According to the survey, expectations for the U.S. are that it will take two-to-five years (75%) for consumers to fully realize significant advantages nationwide.

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5G technologies and topologies take hold Small cell (48%), mmWave (46%) and private networks (46%) were identified as the top three technologies/topologies to play critical roles in enabling 5G advantages. While no consensus was reached on which technology would be

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first to impact users, mmWave emerged as the long-term leader, garnering 47% of the votes, followed by sub-6 (27%) and wide-area low power (26%). DW

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Internet of Things

Industrial 5G router and starter kit

The Wireless Router 5G is optimized for industrial private networks. It supports Ericsson Industry Connect 5G networks and helps users get started with 5G in their own location. There is also a ready-made starter kit for test and evaluation of typical industrial use cases.

The Wireless Router 5G allows early adopters of 5G to try out the new technology. With 5G in a factory, users may benefit om a wireless network that fits industrial demands of communication speeds and security – along with all the flexibility that comes with wireless.

The router has been tested with the Ericsson Industry Connect 5G solution in standalone (SA) operation using band n78. It lets users create a robust cellular connection in an industrial production environment. Supporting 4G and 5G cellular technology, it offers communication with automated guided vehicles, AGVs, and other industrial machines.

The starter kit is suited for evaluation of 5G and starting up a network with Ericsson Industry Connect. The starter kit includes a Wireless Router 5G and two industrial IO-Link sensors sending data across the 5G network. This allows users to try out 5G in their own facilities without having to set up applications of their own om scratch.

Data om the sensors can be accessed using the Modbus TCP and MQTT protocols as well as in JSON format. There is also a web-based demo ready to show the sensor data across the 5G network in a regular browser. DW

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An experiment in 3D printing in zero gravity

A number of researchers are

The resin is cured by UV radiation. USB 3 cameras, from IDS, keep an eye on the process.

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exploring the use of 3D printing/additive manufacturing in space applications.

One experiment is testing the possibility of using 3D printing to make spacecra components directly in orbit. The Additive Manufacturing In Space (AIMIS-FYT) team at Munich University of Applied Sciences is developing and researching an additive manufacturing process in which the production of structures takes place in zero gravity. The benefit here is that elements produced this way for space travel do not have to meet the high launch requirements. The process is being researched on parabolic flights in zero gravity - supported by a uEye CP industrial camera om IDS. For this additive manufacturing process the AIMIS-FYT team developed a 3D printer with an extruder that dispenses a liquid photopolymer.

“Our 3D printing process can directly print three-dimensional structures in space using a UV-curing adhesive or potting compound,” says Torben Schaefer, press officer of the AIMIS-FYT team.

Rather than create components layer by layer, the team created a 3D printer that builds parts directly using the three-dimensional movement of the print head. UV light cures the resin that is eely extruded into space in zero gravity, hardening the material in a short time.

In combination with weightlessness, this process enables manufacturing without shape restrictions that normally exist due to gravity on Earth. Typical shape limitations are, for example, long overhangs that are not possible on

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The four basic operations of 3D printing.

earth or that can only be manufactured with elaborate support structures. In zero gravity, it is even possible to create components without a fixed anchor point, such as a pressure plate.

This production process enables a variety of designs, such as printed structures for solar panels or antennas.

For example, the production of mirrors for parabolic antennas or the manufacture of truss structures for the mounting of solar generators is possible. Those who develop small and micro satellites or even entire satellite constellations, can make them in orbit, rather than on Earth, reducing unit and launch costs for transporting their systems into orbit. Building satellites in space also enables developers to take more fuel on board, extending the use life.

“For satellites, the fuel is usually the limiting factor; at present, it usually lasts for around 15 years,” explains Torben Schaefer.

One of the first tests was the printing of straight rods, connections of rods and the creation of free-form rods. In one case, a conventional printing

plate was used as the starting point for printing; in another case, the behavior of printing, free-floating rods was investigated.

The 3D printing process The main parameters of the printing process are the extrusion speed of the resin, the UV light intensity, the UV light time and the trajectory-- or the movement path of the printer.

“In our printing process, precise, pressure-stable and constant delivery of the medium is important. At the same time, the parameters should be

A finished truss structure in zero gravity - detail shot from the IDS camera.

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kept constant during the entire process,” says Torben Schaefer. The USB 3 camera sponsored by IDS keeps a close eye on the process: It watches the nozzle of the printer in close-up and always moves relative to it. This way, the camera follows the nozzle with every movement. The image is cropped in such a way that the formation of the rods is captured around 4.5 cm below the nozzle.

“The IDS camera provides important results for the discharge of the resin and its curing. The UV LEDs produce a strong overexposure, which means that difficult lighting conditions exist. These are no problem for the U3-3260CP from the IDS portfolio: with the cost-effective 2.30 MPixel Sony sensor IMX249 (1920 x 1200 px). It makes the global shutter CMOS sensor with its 5.86 µm pixels predestined for applications like these, which are supposed to deliver a perfect result even in difficult lighting conditions - in this case, strong brightness due to overexposure.

To further analyze the exit behavior from the nozzle in zero gravity, the process is carried out at a slower speed.

The contour of the rod must be precisely captured.

“For this, the high frame rate and resolution of the camera are crucial for a high-quality evaluation,” says Torben Schaefer from the AIMIS team. With a frame rate of 47.0 fps, the IDS camera ensures good image quality with minimal noise - perfect conditions for its task in space.

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In addition, the camera was easy to install.

“We were able to seamlessly integrate the camera into our C++-based monitoring system with the help of the IDS SDK,” says Torben Schäfer. According to him, this is where all the data om the sensors converge and provide a comprehensive overview of the current status of the printer and the individual print parameters.

“We can start and stop the recording of the IDS camera and all other measurements with one click. Since there are only twenty seconds of zero gravity on a parabolic flight and there is a break of around one and a half minutes between two parabolas, we only save the most important information by starting and stopping measurements and recordings in a targeted manner.”

In addition, a live image of the printing process is displayed on the monitor with the help of the IDS so ware. “This live feed makes it easier for us to set up and quickly analyze the printhead.”

Kringer, project manager of the AIMISFYT team. The powerful little IDS camera has successfully recommended itself for future missions - on Earth and in space.

Outlook The findings om the experiments will be used to further optimize the printing process of the four basic 3D printing operations (straight bar, straight bar with start / stop points, ee-form bar as well as connections between bars) and to prove the primary function of additive manufacturing in zero gravity. The aim is to test the technology in space, as it offers the chance to drastically reduce the cost of components in space technology.

“With the AIMIS-FYT project, we have the opportunity to actively shape the future of space travel,” says Michael

IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH en.ids-imaging.com

DW

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During the parabolic flight of the esa programme FYT, zero gravity prevails for 20 seconds.

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Design software automates the

creation and production of lattices Subscribers to Carbon3D’s 3D printing technology now have access to the Carbon Design Engine software, which automates the process of creating performance-oriented lattices.

The lattice generating technology has been proven in production with the design of critical lattice products like the Resolution Medical Lattice Swabs developed for COVID-19 testing, Specialized S-Works Power Saddle with Mirror technology, and CCM Super Tacks X helmets.

The cloud-based application provides the computational power to generate complex shapes quickly and efficiently without requiring local resources. Design Engine software has a fully interactive user interface and offers product teams the ability to produce five different types of conformal lattices. The software creates conformal lattices that robustly populate even the most challenging design surfaces, eliminating the tedious design revisions post-generation.

“Traditional CAD tools have not kept pace with the innovation of 3D printers and materials. This lack of progression limits the ‘idea to design’ stage of the product development lifecycle. With the release of Design Engine to all Carbon subscribers, we are helping designers iterate through their design thinking, faster,” said Phil DeSimone, Chief Product and Business Development Officer. “On average it can take 18 - 24 months to bring a consumer product to market.

But when we put the best design tools, 3D printers and materials in the hands of designers and manufacturers, we’ve seen our customers accelerate the development of innovative new products - going from idea to finished designs to production in less time.”

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3D printing enables the production of latticed parts that can deliver considerable mechanical performance advantages beyond those that can be produced via traditional production methods. However, traditional design tools are limited in their additive manufacturing support, particularly for complex geometries like lattices, which makes designing functional parts difficult. To simplify lattice design generation, Carbon developed the Carbon Design Engine to collaborate on design projects with customers, and has now made it available for all subscribers to access directly.

“Working with Carbon allowed CCM to leverage its pipeline to launch something the industry had never seen before in the Super Tacks X helmet,” said Jeff Dalzell, Vice President of Product Creation at CCM Hockey. “Within days of prototyping with the Design Engine, we gained creative insights into even more applications for performanceoriented lattices in our future product lines.”

Due to its deep integration with Carbon’s platform and materials, Design Engine can predict lattice performance prior to lattice generation, streamlining design optimization.

Similarly, Design Engine offers builtin guidance to help engineers develop successful parts. DW

Carbon www.carbon3d.com

www.designworldonline.com

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Desktop Metal announces a fully

dense, sinterable 6061 aluminum powder

Desktop Metal, Inc., and Uniformity Labs, a leading additive manufacturing company of industrial 3D printing materials and processes, announced a breakthrough powder that enables aluminum sintering for binder jetting AM technology. This new powder is the result of a multi-year collaboration between the companies to develop a low-cost, raw material yielding fully dense, sinterable 6061 aluminum with greater than ten percent (10%) elongation and improved yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) versus wrought 6061 aluminum with comparable heat treatment.

Said Ric Fulop, CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal, “The global aluminum castings market is more than $50 billion per year, and it is ripe for disruption with binder jetting AM solutions. These are the best reported properties we are aware of for a sintered 6061 aluminum powder.”

“The introduction of lightweight metals to binder jetting opens the door to a variety of thermal and structural applications across industries,” said Adam Hopkins, founder and CEO of Uniformity Labs. “This development is a step towards the adoption of mass-produced printed aluminum parts.”

Prior techniques used to sinter aluminum included coating powder particles, mixing sintering aids into the powder, using binders containing nanoparticles, or adding metals such as lead, tin, and magnesium.

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aluminum powders, for a better safety profile.

Desktop Metal and Uniformity Labs plan to continue to work together over the coming year to quali the powder and scale production for commercial release. Once fully qualified, Uniformity 6061 aluminum will be available for use with the Desktop Metal Production System platform, which offers an inert, chemically inactive processing environment and auxiliary powder processing equipment. DW

Desktop Metal www.desktopmetal.com Uniformity Labs www.uniformitylabs.com

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Stratasys multi-material J5 DentaJet 3D printer enables mixed trays of dental parts The J5 DentaJet 3D printer is a multi-material dental 3D printer that enables technicians to load mixed trays of dental parts.

The 3D printer can produce at least five times more dental parts on a single mixed tray than competitive 3D printers, yet its compact footprint consumes only 4.6 sq. ft (0.43m2) of floor space.

Dental labs must produce several parts in multiple materials for either removable partial denture (RPD) applications or dental implant cases. For example, each implant case comprises a top and bottom rigid opaque model, a soft gingiva mask, and a biocompatible surgical guide. This requires three different materials, forcing technicians to either use multiple 3D printers or do separate 3D prints using different materials. The J5 DentaJet easily handles up to five materials, including support material.

The multicolor, multi-material J5 DentaJet also produces 3D-printed case presentations with realism previously possible using time-consuming wax models.

Now, designs can be produced digitally in a few hours. The high resolution of PolyJet materials means dentists can seat crowns and bridges in minutes due to the accuracy of the models – to 18.75 microns, or less than half the width of a human hair.

According to Stratasys estimates, the total addressable segment for dental 3D printing is about $1 billion. With a growing array of 3D printing technologies, from polymerization to stereolithography, Stratasys can be a complete 3D printing provider for its customers, matching the right technology to the right application.

The J5 DentaJet is now ideal for customers needing to produce high volumes of realistic, highly accurate models.

The J5 DentaJet is launching with a full range of resins tailored to meet the needs of the dental industry. Available biocompatible resins include a clear resin, VeroGlaze opaque white for temporary in-mouth placement, and a clear and flexible resin. In addition, Separator digital material automatically coats models to make it much easier to separate the acrylic device from the model and remove wax and residue.

Other available resins include VeroDent PureWhite, and CMY resins for color.

The J5 DentaJet 3D printer is available now. DW

Stratasys www.stratasys.com

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Lisa Eitel

Miniature automation requires miniature motion components

Ever-tinier machine designs have spurred the use of miniature motion components to build what are in many cases custom designs. These builds o en rely on components pre-integrated into subsystems such as: • Miniaturized slotless and coreless motors sporting thumbnail-sized drives and encoders within housings o en no larger than a pencil • Frameless motors that don’t come with their own housing, but rely on the OEM’s component ame for protection and support • Linear stages with linear rails pre-engineered into the build by the supplier Other examples or pre-integration for compactness abound.

No matter how they’re built into systems though, nearly all motion components come in diminutive versions that were unimaginable even a decade ago.

In the latest Motion Control Classroom at www.designworldonline.com/miniaturemotion-classroom, we detail some of these components — including miniature linear slides guides, sensors, encoders, gear, and motors that lend themselves to tiny designs.

Topic categories include: MINIATURE LINEAR MOTION FEATURED TECHOLOGIES: MINIATURE GUIDES and 2-mm SLIDES APPLICATIONS using MINIATURE MOTION COMPONENTS THE SPECIAL CASE OF HEXAPODS BASICS of MINIATURE MOTION DESIGNS employing STEPPER MOTORS EXTRA CREDIT: PRIMERS ON PIEZO and VOICE-COIL TECHNOLOGIES As detailed in this Classroom, semiconductor manufacture continues to spur many of these scaled-down builds, along with demand for pocket-sized consumer home products and small appliances with motion functions. Aerospace too continues to require pint-sized designs for maximal efficiency and functionality. Perhaps the biggest driver of miniature motion designs though is the medical-device industry … a trend likely to grow as COVID demands creative new approaches to medical manufacturing, distribution, and treatment — including more emphasis on automated status-monitoring systems, distributed laboratory operations, and home healthcare.

One difference between standard and miniature profiled rail guides concerns materials. Standard profiled rail guides and carriages are made primarily from steel. In contrast, miniature versions come in standard stainless or corrosion-resistant steel — for both the guide rail and carriage and (in some cases) even the balls and recirculation pieces. This is especially beneficial in applications requiring corrosion resistance or involving chemicals or exposure to water and humidity. Elsewhere, the miniature guides must satisfy industryspecific requirements demanding stainlesssteel materials — common in the food and packaging and medical industries.

Application image Chieftek Precision USA of Chieftek Precision Co. (cpc) This educational installment sponsored by:

— Lisa Eitel • Executive editor https://www.linearmotiontips.com/how-do-miniature-profiled-rail-guidescompare-to-their-full-size-counterparts/

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Danielle Collins

Review of linear actuators for design engineers Linear actuators are pre-assembled motion devices consisting of a drive mechanism, a housing, and in some cases, a linear guide. They come in a wide variety of configurations to suit almost any application – for example, belt driven and rack and pinion versions provide long lengths and high speeds, while screw driven rod type actuators supply high thrust forces.

As more designers and engineers are looking for ways to reduce time-to-market, improve reliability, and standardize machine components, manufacturers are making it easier to size and speci linear actuators.

And they’re offering a wider range of fully “plug-and-play” actuators, with integrated motors, drives, and controls.

In this new Motion Control Classroom, you’ll learn about the many variations of electromechanical linear actuators, get tips for sizing and selection, and see examples of where different actuator types are used.

Topics include: • Belt driven linear actuators • Screw driven linear actuators • Roller screw actuators • Important factors for sizing a linear actuator • How to calculate torque • How to calculate velocity • Electric versus pneumatic actuators Access this and other MC2 installments by visiting designworldonline.com/MC2.

Linear actuators typically consist of a linear guide, a drive mechanism such as a belt, ball screw, or lead screw, and a housing to protect the internal components. Some manufacturers also offer ”plug and play” solutions with integrated motor and drive amplifier.

This educational installment sponsored by:

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Lisa Eitel

Review of gearing for design engineers

The function of gearing is to mesh with other gear elements and in this way transmit altered torque and rotational speed through an axis. In fact, gearing can change the rpm, torque, and direction of motion om a drive source.

Now in a new Motion Control Classroom on gearing, the editors of Design World detail how exactly gears function in these ways — and then explain the most common gear types for motion applications. Next the editors expound on the contained geartrains known as gearboxes (those mechanical components consisting of an integrated gear series) and other iterations to simpli integration and servotuning. Topics include: • Spur, helical, and hypoid gearing options today

• Gear sizing, specification, and maintenance

• Wave and cycloidal gearing and applications

• Common signs of gearbox misalignment

• The best gearbox types for servo applications

• Pitch-line velocity and why it’s important

• Drawbacks to using planetary gearboxes

• Using gears to change system inertia ratios

• What constitutes a washdown gear offering Access this and other MC2 installments by visiting designworldonline.com/MC2.

Many of today’s precision applications necessitate gears capable of dramatic speed reductions, power densities, and transmission accuracies. Choices in these designs include trochoidal and cycloidal gearing as well as gearsets relying on wave-inducing subcomponents having an elliptical or Reuleaux or other polygonal shape.

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A solid way to

overcome micro defects Tests with improved-design carbide drill open new possibilities in hole quality

“Measure twice and cut once” may be a common expression in manufacturing, but it’s easier said than done when machining difficult materials. That’s why, when a leading global aerospace manufacturer sought to eliminate an entire second stage from its drilling processes — while also improving the hole quality in its aerospace components — it turned to Sandvik Coromant, for its expertise in metal cutting. James Thorpe, global product manager at Sandvik Coromant, explained how a drill’s design is integral to producing holes with better quality.

Hole making is the most common of all machining processes, but it is also the one most often taken for granted. Many machine shops see little reason to change or upgrade their existing hole-making setup and have been using the same tools and cutting parameters for years. But as the unpredictable effects of COVID-19 continue, this is all set to change.

Many manufacturers are exploring new vendor bases and products. Thus, machine shops that once specialized in a certain area of production are now opening their CNC lathes and mills to a wider variety of tough and challenging materials. At the same time, manufacturers must explore new ways to increase profits and reduce cycle times without sacrificing product quality.

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The white stuff Hole surface integrity is a real concern for aerospace manufacturers or general engineering companies that want to diversify into aerospace. Better hole quality is vital for preventing component failure — and is very much determined by the manufacturing processes used for machining or finishing the holes.

Tooling solutions and cuttingedge geometries in drills are continually evolving to meet the highest standards of manufacturing and part quality. Coolant is also being used more effectively for reducing heat buildup in the tool. And tests have found that each of these factors can control the so-called “white layer” effect on workpiece materials.

The term was coined by a leading global manufacturer in aerospace.

It refers to a thin, ultra-fine grain structure that is observed after component drilling, caused by the heat of the drill. Not only can the white layer change the surface properties of the material, but it was also deemed unacceptable in the customer’s quality management processes.

The manufacturer applies a strict hole-finishing process to drilled holes in aerospace components, including turbine discs, compressors, drums and shafts. That’s why it chose to partner with Sandvik Coromant to investigate why the white layer forms and how to control it.

It’s important to note that the tests were not only motivated by quality management. At the senior management level, the customer wanted to reduce its overall operational time and increase profits by eliminating an entire secondary machining process.

Second act The secondary process happens after a hole has been created with the carbide drill, and it can involve reaming, plunge or end milling to

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finish the component. The secondary stage occurs mainly to meet surface integrity demands and reduce issues like the white layer, rather than for dimensional accuracy, except when machining holes with tight tolerances.

The tests assessed drilling with two solid carbide drills, the CoroDrill R840 and CoroDrill R846. Each was run at two different sets of cutting parameters, 58 mm/min and 98 mm/ min, respectively, and spin speeds of 829 rev/min and 757 rev/min, respectively. Cutting force and torque data were measured throughout the tests, as was the white layer thickness.

Since these tests, R840 has been

Another Sandvik Coromant customer, an Italian general engineering manufacturer, achieved a productivity increase of more than 45% using the CD860-GM when machining the strong steel alloy 34CrNiMo6, compared to using a competitor’s drill.

From an overall cost perspective, the secondary process is even more expensive than maintaining low cutting data, which is the other way to preserve surface integrity.

That is why the customer wanted to investigate doing away with the process altogether. A supplier with a product that produces a conforming hole to size, without any secondary processes, is in a strong business position to significantly reduce cost per part.

The investigation into causes and possible ways to prevent the white layer involved four tests of drilling the high-strength, nickel chromium material Inconel 718, a popular aerospace material. It was the first time any such investigation had been carried out by the customer. www.designworldonline.com

superseded by the CoroDrill 860 with -GM geometry, and R846 has been superseded by the CoroDrill 860 with -SM geometry. Each of these next-generation tools is designed to further enhance tool life without compromising hole quality.

The results provided valuable insights into what causes white layer thickness. Particularly of note was that the R846 generated less of a white layer, due to the preparation of its curved and radial cutting edges.

Meanwhile, the straight cutting edges and chamfer imposed on the cutting edge of the R840 are believed to be linked with the increase in cutting force, torque and white layer thickness. Therefore, the drill’s design determines whether high hole quality with a reduced white layer can be April 2021

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achieved without sacrificing cutting data.

Not only did the manufacturer’s tests reveal a thing or two about the white layer, but the company has also been able to eliminate some secondary processes, like reaming and plunge milling, which resulted in time and cost benefits. What’s more, the results have also validated the design of the CoroDrill 860 range of carbide drills.

Better by design The range includes the aforementioned CoroDrill 860 with -GM (CD860-GM) geometry, designed to be a good all-rounder for drilling challenging ISO P, M, K and H materials across all industry sectors.

Also, the CoroDrill 860 with -SM geometry (CD860-SM) is designed for machining ISO S grades like super alloys (HRSAs), titanium and Inconel.

The latter drill has proven especially popular in aerospace.

With the CD860-GM and CD860SM, Sandvik Coromant’s engineers applied the ethos that longer tool life and better hole quality come down to the design of the drill. The CD860-GM has an innovative polished flute design that improves the evacuation of chips and yields high core strength and reduced cutting forces while drilling.

The CD860-SM, meanwhile, has a new grade and optimized and refined point geometry, which further enhances tool life when working with difficult-to-machine HRSA materials.

The result is greater hole quality.

The CoroDrill 860 has already been proven in pre-market tests in a range of sectors. A mechanical engineering company in France put the CD860-GM to work on AISI 4140 structural steel. It was able to achieve quality hole making with both concave and convex entries of the drill, with good straightness and tolerance.

Another Sandvik Coromant customer, an Italian general engineering manufacturer, achieved a productivity increase of more than 45% using the CD860-GM when machining the strong steel alloy 34CrNiMo6, compared to using a competitor’s drill. It also achieved 100% longer tool life. Elsewhere, the CD860-SM has yielded impressive results in machining Inconel 718.

In particular, testing undertaken in Katowice, Poland, was able to achieve 180% improved tool life with the CD860-SM versus the use of the CoroDrill R840. AD Sandvik Coromant sandvik.coromant.com

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Figure 3.

Autonomous Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft.

Applying Artificial Intelligence in rugged GPGPU-based military embedded systems Military equipment must be designed to face harsh environments. Artificial intelligence can help.

Dan Mor | Director | GPGPU and Video Product Line

In addition to supporting crucial, lifesaving and securityfocused applications, system designers of military applications need to build computing platforms that are subjected to extreme shock and vibration as well as severe and expansive temperature and humidity fluctuations, ranging from sub-zero to triple digits.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has joined the ranks of the advanced computing capabilities being integrated into rugged systems throughout military and defense applications, helping to facilitate high performance embedded computing (HPEC) systems in harsh environments. It’s AI’s intuitive processing that has served to propel modern military systems into this new realm of high intensity computing using real time data. AI in military systems is fueled by GPU (graphics processing unit) accelerated computing, which uses parallel processing versus serial, to enable the handling of thousands of data points simultaneously.

Knowing how to move today’s data processing technologies, like AI, into the realm of harsh environments can be accomplished by applying the same principles of ruggedization

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employed in developing other harsh environment systems.

Using this approach, you are employing GPU accelerated computing in the way that is best for the specific defense, military or mission-critical application at hand.

Define your application challenges As designers know, thoroughly understanding system requirements is a good place to start. Today’s military systems are using more resources in a much smaller footprint, typically referred to as optimized SWaP— size, weight and power—while needing to keep costs low. In addition, these applications function in harsh environments, and carry with them the need to operate reliably all the time, every time. This dichotomy has challenged many electronic engineers developing critical military, defense and space systems for decades, but, as history has shown, these challenges can not only be mitigated, but met, as well.

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Figure 1. Deeper data insights are fueling developments in military systems.

To reap the benefits of HPEC systems using GPU accelerated computing in military and defense operations, reliability is key, because all that advanced processing won’t mean a thing if the system is unable to withstand harsh environmental factors and provide stable, long term operation. Working together with today’s design innovations, like power efficiencies, SWaP-optimization, and enhanced ruggedization, real-time data processing has expanded the number of applications that can use embedded systems in harsh environments.

Increased system abilities through AI disciplines As AI matured, it expanded into a new discipline--machine learning, where systems can learn from data inputs without being explicitly programmed. A logical component applied to actions the system deems appropriate enables an action to be executed by the system. Take this one step further and you arrive at where we are today: deep learning...classified

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as a subset of machine learning. (Figure 1) When working with military and defense systems, ruggedizing electronics is important as designers encounter a growing number of remote, mobile and unmanned military applications. AI-based systems are using this GPU accelerated computing, and just like many parts and components used in a harsh environment, the GPGPUs (general purpose graphic processing units) themselves, most of the time, aren’t rugged at manufacture. In fact, they were brought over from the gaming industry, where graphics and data processing continue to set new limits, but is not a rugged environment by any means.

Expanding ruggedization to GPGPU-based systems Real time response applications are requiring systems that can perform AI processing at the sensors for “AI at the Edge” and for autonomous operations, exponentially increasing computing requirements. Using a GPU instead

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Aerospace/Defense Figure 2. Rugged GPGPU-based systems, like the A176 and A178 from Aitech, combine powerful processing with SWaP-optimized performance.

of a CPU reduces development time and “squeezes” maximum performance per watt from the computation engine. The main reason this can happen is that GPUs use a parallel architecture, whereas CPUs are serial in nature.

GPU accelerated computing uses a GPU to accelerate the compute capabilities of a system by running compute intensive portions on the GPU, using less power and delivering higher performance over many CPUs that can provide equivalent performance results. GPUs serve as the heart of these computationintensive embedded systems. Through an increased power-to-performance ratio, GPU-based systems can meet the exorbitant calculation demands these applications now require.

(Figure 2)

By applying the ruggedization expertise of board and system manufacturers to products based on GPU accelerated computing, advanced processing systems can reliably operate in remote, mobile and harsh environments, from industrial environments such as down-hole well monitoring and autonomous robotics systems to unmanned aircraft and ground vehicles as well as persistent video surveillance throughout military and defense operations.

Rugged GPGPU in action Below are some documented use cases of rugged, SWaP-optimized systems that need to capture and process data and graphics from several inputs simultaneously and manage it all from I/O interfaces.

Proper system ruggedization

made it possible to use AI-based technology in mission-critical, harsh environments, both manned and unmanned.

Air: Autonomous Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Aircraft Prototypes of pilotless eVTOLS are being rapidly developed, with many using platforms that already exist, such as drones or unmanned helicopters, then integrating leading edge technologies to achieve the needed function of these air transport vehicles. Rugged GPU accelerated computing is at this forefront. In fact, the technology is advancing so quickly that systems are moving to next gen architectures as development is taking place.

In this instance, accommodating the increased sensor processing

Figure 4. Ground mobile platform.

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Aerospace/Defense integrated into the unit is cause for the upgrade to replace typical CPU-based embedded computing architectures.

Land: Ground Mobile Platform Relied upon to send mission-critical data from the battlefield to a forward battle command, or directly to the soldiers on the ground themselves, tanks and other ground vehicles incorporate several onboard cameras and data collection points to aid in the decision-making process. In one instance, a rugged GPGPU system is capturing images from six cameras— four composite and two HD-SDI— then performing simultaneous image processing applied to object recognition and classification as well as situation awareness. The system is using CUDA for image and video processing and saves this sensitive data on internal fast NVME SSD

that can be transmitted back to the command center instantly and when needed. The multiple video inputs are processed simultaneously in a low-power, small form factor (SFF), rugged system, which provides a performance-per-watt (PPW) factor that is critical in determining a go/no go for program deployment.

Enhanced military intelligence How to design reliable systems for harsh environments is critical and includes even more specific technical considerations, such as which techniques will best mitigate the effects of things like environmental hazards as well as ensure that systems meet designated application requirements. At Aitech, for example, GPGPU-based boards and small form factor (SFF) systems are qualified for, and survive in, several avionics, naval, ground and mobile

applications, thanks to the decades of ruggedization expertise that is applied to system development.

For defense and military applications, AI has a unique opportunity to provide significant benefits across a range of activities.

While industrial environments may garner financial and productivity benefits from implementing an AI-based strategy, mission-critical applications that protect human life and require extreme precision and accuracy are a different category altogether. Up-to-date, reliable operational intelligence is paramount to the success and safety of modern defense initiatives, and enabling ruggedization across these systems is the key to mission success. AD Aitech | aitechsystems.com

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The Perseverance, with Adaptive Caching Assembly.

Space-rate force/torque

sensor for Mars 2020 Rover Edited by Mike Santora ATI Industrial Automation worked with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) to develop a custom force/torque sensor for Perseverance, the latest Mars 2020 Rover project. JPL is the leading US research entity for robotic exploration of our solar system and manages NASA’s Deep Space Network, the hardest-working telecommunications system on the planet. The Mars 2020 mission is a collaborative effort undertaken by NASA, JPL, and many other organizations commissioned to develop new technology to explore the surface of Mars.

JPL needed an automated system for collecting and handling space material, and moving it through the indexing process. To accomplish this, engineers developed the Adaptive Caching Assembly, an application that resembles a pick and place operation commonly found on a factory floor. Developing the systems and components that would perform in the Rover mission was a huge challenge to overcome.

The Sample Caching Subsystem consists of the Adaptive Caching Assembly, a large robotic arm with a drill, and an assortment of drill bits used to collect samples from designated areas on the surface of Mars. Once collected, a small robotic arm,

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ATI’s Space Rated Force Torque Sensor. known as the Sample Handling Assembly or SHA, inspects and seals the samples in the Rover’s onboard laboratory.

An ATI Force/Torque (F/T) sensor integrated within the SHA end effector assembly provides enhanced responsiveness. With force-sensing from ATI, the SHA is equipped to maneuver easily through the tight workspace, performing demanding tasks with acute accuracy.

To deliver a robust force-sensing solution for the Perseverance project, ATI adapted their Force/Torque Sensor technology to offset the wide range of environmental conditions. The SpaceRated Force/Torque Sensor from ATI boasts a new design that provides signal redundancy and compensates for temperature variation, ensuring accurate resolution of forces and torques throughout the mission.

This sensor is thermally calibrated and proven to operate optimally in a spectrum of extreme temperatures. To develop and test these breakthrough features, the ATI engineering team designed specialized calibration equipment and conducted 24-hour surveillance of product trials.

planet from firsthand experience. This project has a full agenda that includes searching for signs of ancient microbial life, categorizing climate

Components made of thermally and geology to identify potentially stable, low-outgassing materials were inhabitable conditions, recovering added to fortify the sensor against the samples from the planet’s surface, and drastic environmental fluctuations.

— arguably the most exciting objective These materials also prevent crossof this mission — preparing for human contamination of samples during the exploration of Mars. mission, which is one of the most

The Perseverance Rover is an important considerations of the Mars unmanned robotic vehicle about the 2020 Rover project. size of a car; during its exploration, it

After years of development, the will collect and index small samples highly anticipated Mars 2020 Rover is of rock and soil from prime locations. fully assembled and ready to begin its Once on-board, sample tubes are mission. Perseverance is set to launch on July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral, cached inside the Rover for eventual return to earth.

Florida, and will arrive at Mars in

This subsystem emulates February of 2021. automated processes found in the agriculture and manufacturing More on Mars 2020 industries, where robots are used The purpose of this particular mission, to make repetitive operations more part of NASA’s Mars Exploration precise. Certain application settings Program, is to learn about the red such as foundries and refineries require unusual environmental considerations for which ATI has developed specialized sensors. However, nothing quite compares to the conditions expected from the Mars 2020 mission, where subzero surface temperatures and rugged terrain are typical. Before landing on Mars, the rover and its subsystems have to survive the initial Atlas 5 rocket launch.

NASA scientists inspect the Adaptive Caching Assembly.

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Aerospace/Defense Beyond outer space applications, ATI’s Space-Rated Force/Torque sensor provides active force control for applications where repair opportunities are limited or in situations with high vacuum or extreme temperature variability.

Through this project, ATI developed new technology that will be a part of NASA history and provide robust and reliable force sensing to applications here on earth.

The temperature compensation, thermally stable components, and additional signal redundancy benefit users in industries such as radioactive decommissioning, oil and gas, metal casting and foundries, and other applications where conditions dictate continuous use in extreme environments. ATI looks forward to following Perseverance, the Mars

2020 Rover, during its mission and to the new applications that will feature this space-rated force/torque sensor.

These force/torque sensors are often used with robots in similar applications for greater process control and provide process verification, such as indicating that a pin is inserted properly into a fixture.

Beyond outer space applications, the space-rated force/torque sensor provides active force control for applications where repair opportunities are limited or in situations with high vacuum or extreme temperature variability. AD ATI Industrial Automation ati-ia.com

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Cadence, Inc. New Game Changing Technology: All-In-One Manufacturing Combining conventional Swiss machining with laser processing is a cost-effective alternative to multi-operational manufacturing. This single machine platform allows Cadence to perform several processes in just one step which reduces part handling and improves its precision.

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CS Hyde Company Adhesive Tapes Ideal for Aerospace Manufacturing CS Hyde is your source for high temperature adhesive tapes slit to custom widths with little to no minimums. Types of tapes ideal for aerospace applications include: Fiberglass cloth tapes for glassing seams, corners, edges, or common repair jobs. D-Wrap Polyester tapes for masking anodized metal components. Anti-Chafe tapes like skived PTFE, UHMW, or PTFE Coated Fiberglass tapes for use on engine cowlings to reduce abrasion on cowl hoods or flap components.

Adhesive backed Strip N’ Stick® Silicone/Foam tapes for vibration dampening, sealing, or quick gasket applications. For specialized applications we also produce specialty adhesive backed film tapes, derived from performance polymers like PEEK, Ultem®, Mylar®, Nylon and more. Visit our website to learn more.

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J.W. Winco, Inc. Spring Loaded Devices from JW Winco When you need to align, hold, or latch different parts of equipment together, you need a spring loaded device.These locking systems are designed to facilitate repetitive positioning operations on machines and equipment or parts undergoing machining. Spring loaded devices create a secure connection with limited play. JW Winco has many different versions and types for your application requirement.

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Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument Custom Gear Solutions for Aerospace SDP/SI is a leading manufacturer in the aerospace gearbox industry. We create the means to position wings, open doors, fuel, instrumentation, loading and steering mechanisms. A wide variety of SDP/SI precision gears, mechanical components, and custom gear assemblies can be found on commercial and military aircraft, missiles and satellites around the world.

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The Lee Company High Pressure Dual Metering Flow Control The Lee Company’s High Pressure Dual Metering Flow Control valve is a two way restrictor that allows a designer to specify a different metered flow rate in each direction. This valve is ideal for high pressure hydraulic applications with system pressures up to 5000 psi. It features all stainless steel construction for durability and long life and it is available in .187 and .281 diameter models. Each Lee Dual Metering Flow Control is 100% tested in both flow directions to ensure reliable, consistent performance.

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Fastener Engineering This area has long been one of the most read and sought after by our engineering audience! From screws to bolts and adhesives to springs, these critical but often overlooked components are the key to every successful design.

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Engineering September 2019

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A Supplement to Design World - April 2021 www.therobotreport.com

Inside the development

of Sarcos’ Guardian XO exoskeleton page 78

INSIDE: • Designing sit-to-stand motions for lower-limbs exoskeletons ...............................70 • How computer vision, deep learning help exoskeletons adapt movements ...........74

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The Robot Report

Designing sit-to-stand motions for lower-limb exoskeletons

Lower-limb exoskeletons are assisting patients with mobility impairments. Up to this point, most can’t support sit-to-stand motions without outside assistance.

Steve Crowe | Editorial Director, The Robot Report

Lower-limb exoskeletons are assisting patients with mobility impairments, such as the elderly or people with paraplegia. There are an estimated 185 million people worldwide who use a wheelchair. For many of them, exoskeletons may be a useful addition.

Mobility restoration is achieved by the exoskeleton acting in parallel with the user’s limbs and augmenting their joint torques. This external assistance is allowing patients to carry out day-to-day activities that would be otherwise difficult to autonomously achieve in a wheelchair.

Most exoskeletons, however, are not able to support sit-to-stand motions without outside assistance. But researchers at the University of Michigan are hoping to change that with a new approach to virtually create and test sit-to-stand and sit-to-crouch-to-stand exoskeleton motions.

“We now have a way to systematically design control objectives for highly constrained systems such that the objectives are not in conflict with the contact constraints,” said Eva Mungai, a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering.

The researcher’s wrote a paper titled “Feedback Control Design for Robust Comfortable Sit-to-Stand Motions of 3D Lower-Limb Exoskeletons.” Similar research on the sit-to-stand activity is o en done with a simplified model due to the complexity that three dimensions 70

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Here are the Kinematics of the Wandercraft Atlante exoskeleton. | University of Michigan

introduces. That work focuses on the sagittal plane, the X-axis of the sit-to-stand problem, while Mungai’s work incorporates sagittal, ontal, and transverse planes, or X, Y, and Z-axes.

“While it’s easier to figure out stability for linear systems, it’s quite difficult to analyze for non-linear systems in three dimensions,” said Mungai, who is advised by Jessy Grizzle, professor of electrical and computer engineering and Director of U-M Robotics Institute.

Adding to the complexity of the problem is the need to guarantee both an exoskeleton user’s safety and comfort. To address the complexity, Mungai and Grizzle split the problem into three challenges: • Modeling the exoskeleton in 3D • Creating the sit-to-stand motions • Executing and testing the motions to make sure the system operates in real-time to meet the goal while keeping the user comfortable and safe.

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According to the U-M researchers, there are only two hands- ee exoskeletons on the market: REX om REX Bionics and Wandercra ’s Atalante. This project focused on Atalante because a detailed model was shared with the researchers. Moreover, because Atalante has been explicitly designed for dynamic walking, it is interesting to seek dynamic standing trajectories that can be achieved with minimal user assistance, and no other assistance, or even no user assistance at all. Wandercra provided the universal robot description file for Mungai to use for modeling and generation of chair-to-stand and chair-to-crouch-to-stand motions, which could then undergo testing.

Each leg of the Atalante exoskeleton has six actuated joints: ontal hip joint, transverse hip joint, sagittal hip joint, sagittal knee joint, sagittal ankle joint and henke ankle joint. Encoders are located on each actuated joint and an inertial measurement unit is located at the torso.

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The Robot Report Motor torque limits used for optimization Name

Maximum Torque (N)

Nominal Torque (N)

Henke Ankle Joint

90

82

Sagittal Ankle Joint

192

184

Sagittal Knee Joint

219

124

Sagittal Hip Joint

219

124

Transverse Hip Joint

180

124

Frontal Hip Joint

350

198

it to be worn by a variety of users. There are four force sensors on the corner of each foot that allow for the detection of ground reaction forces (GRF). The exoskeleton is attached to the user via multiple straps on each leg and foot, and a belt/jacket set on the torso. Atalante has been certified for use in the European Union and is operational in various rehabilitation centers in France.

A static sit-to-stand motion requires intermediate poses to be stable throughout the motion, while dynamic motion refers to a continuous trajectory, which, like a dynamic walking gait, does not guarantee stability at intermediate points of time. Even though the “inherent stability” of a static motion appears to be more desirable than a dynamic motion, the severe constraints required by the trajectory are often incompatible with hardware limitations (e.g., joint torque limits). External force from the user, either by pushing downward on the arms of a chair, crutches, or functional electrical stimulation (FES), have been used to achieve

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assisted sit-to-stand motions. Allowing for the user to apply an external force can enhance stability of the motion as well as user confidence in the motion.

Constrained optimization, performed using the Fast Robot Optimization and Simulation Toolkit (FROST), was used to ensure the open-loop behavior of the two motions were feasible. The researchers derived the dynamic equations using the full dynamic model of the exoskeleton, and incorporated the user force in the equations of motion. The equations of motion for both the sit-to-stand and sit-to-crouch-to-stand motions were highly constrained, due to the various contact points, and therefore underdetermined with respect to the motor torques. To address this, the team developed, for a computed-torque controller, a novel way of systematically designing virtual constraints so they ‘‘do not fight’’ the contact constraints for highly constrained systems.

To analyze and compare the closed-loop behavior of the two motions, we designed two QP-based computed-torque controllers and conducted physically motivated robustness tests. The choice of a QP-based controller allowed to select the vector of motor torques of smallest norm that satisfied the control objectives, as expressed by a set of virtual constraints.

The results indicated both motions can equally handle variations to user characteristics and user force disparities. In fact, the analysis showed it is possible to successfully stand up with no user force under both motions. The sit-to-crouch-to-stand motion, however, was more well equipped to handle asymmetric perturbations, while the chair-to-stand excelled at handling variations to the chair height.

To improve the operational range of either motion, for perturbations that result in incorrect contact forces, a chair with a high iction coefficient could be specified or the motion could be redesigned for the new environmental conditions. To check the effectiveness of our method, the researchers compared their control objectives and sit-to-stand controller to those found in the literature. They said their control objectives were better at respecting contact constraints and resulted in motions that required less torso pitch acceleration.

Even though the methods presented are for the Atalante exoskeleton, the researchers claimed their methodology can be adopted for other motions with multiple contact points and other exoskeletons or humanoids. The next steps for this work would be implementation on hardware.

Also an important step in this work is the focus on comfort. “It’s really hard to quanti user comfort, but it’s so important, and this is just a beginning,” said Mungai. RR

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The Robot Report

How

computer vision, deep learning help exoskeletons adapt movements

Similar to autonomous cars that drive themselves, autonomous exoskeletons walk themselves and adapt to their surroundings.

Steve Crowe | Editorial Director, The Robot Report

Researchers are developing exoskeletons capable of making control decisions on their own using computer vision and deep learning.

This enables an exoskeleton to mimic how able-bodied people walk by seeing their surroundings and adjusting their movements.

“We’re giving robotic exoskeletons vision so they can control themselves,” said Brokoslaw Laschowski, a PhD candidate in systems design engineering who leads a University of Waterloo research project called ExoNet. Exoskeleton legs operated by motors already exist, but users must manually control them via smartphone applications or joysticks.

“That can be inconvenient and cognitively demanding,” said Laschowski. “Every time you want to perform a new locomotor activity, you have to stop, take out your smartphone and select the desired mode.”

To address that limitation, the researchers fitted exoskeleton users with wearable cameras and are optimizing computer so ware to process the video feed to accurately recognize stairs, doors and other features of the surrounding environment.

Supplementing neuromuscular-mechanical data with information about the upcoming walking environment could improve the highlevel control performance, according to the researchers. Similar to the

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The researchers are also working to improve the energy efficiency of motors for exoskeletons and prostheses by using human motion to selfcharge the batteries. | University of Waterloo

human visual system, environment sensing would precede modulation of the patient’s muscle activations and/or walking biomechanics, enabling more accurate and realtime locomotion mode transitions. Environment sensing could also be used to adapt low-level reference trajectories (changing toe clearance corresponding to an obstacle height) and optimal path planning (identifying opportunities for energy regeneration). Preliminary research has shown that supplementing an automated locomotion mode recognition system with environment information can improve the classification accuracies and decision times compared to excluding terrain information.

Building the ExoNet dataset The researchers used an NVIDIA TITAN GPU for neural network training and real-time image classification of walking environments. They collected over 5.6 million images of human locomotion environments to create a database dubbed ExoNet — which was used to train the initial model,

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developed using the TensorFlow deep learning framework. The researchers claim ExoNet is the first open-source, large-scale hierarchical database of high-resolution wearable camera images of human locomotion environments.

The researchers said the lack of an open-source, large-scale dataset of human locomotion environment images has impeded the development of environment-aware control systems for lower-limb exoskeletons. To fix this, the researchers outfitted one subject with a lightweight wearable smartphone camera system.

The smartphone contained two 12-megapixel RGB rear-facing cameras and one 7-megapixel front-facing camera. And with 512-GB of memory storage, and a 64-bit ARM-based integrated circuit with six-core CPU and four-core GPU, the system supported onboard machine learning for real-time environment classification.

The subject walked around unknown outdoor and indoor environments while collecting images with occlusions, signal noise, and intraclass variations. Data was collected at various times throughout the day to incorporate different lighting www.therobotreport.com

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The Robot Report Reference Da Silva et al. (2020)

Sensor

Position

Dataset Images

Resolution

Classes

RGB camera

Lower-limb

3,992

512 x 512

6

Diaz et al. (2018)

RGB camera

Lower-limb

3,992

1,080 x 1,920

6

Khademi and Simon (2019)

RGB camera

Waist

7,284

224 x 224

3

Krausz and Hargrove (2015)

RGB camera

Head

5

928 x 620

2

Krausz et al. (2015)

Depth camera

Chest

170

80 x 60

2

Krausz et al. (2019)

Depth camera

Waist

4,000

171 x 224

5

RGB camera

Chest

34,254

224 x 224

3

Laschowski et al. (2019) Massalin et al. (2018)

Depth camera

Lower-limb

402,403

320 x 240

5

Novo-Torres et al.

(2019)

RGB camera

Head

40,743

128 x 128

2

Varol and Massalin (2016)

Depth camera

Lower-limb

22,932

320 x 240

5

Zhang et al. (2019)

Depth camera

Lower-limb

7,500

224 x 171

5

Zhang et al. (2019)

Depth camera

Waist

4,016

2,048 Point Cloud

3

Zhang et al. (2020)

Depth camera

Lower-limb

7,500

100 x 100

5

Zhang et al. (2020)

RGB camera

327,000

1,240 x 1,080

6

ExoNet

RGB camera

922,790

1,280 x 720

12

Head and lower-limb

conditions. The same environment was never sampled twice to maximize diversity of the dataset. Data were collected throughout the summer, fall, and winter seasons to incorporate different weathered surfaces like snow, grass, and multicolored leaves.

Approximately 923,000 images in ExoNet were manually labeled and organized into 12 classes. Images were labeled according to exoskeleton and control functionality, rather than a purely computer vision perspective.

For instance, images of level-ground environments showing either pavement or grass were not differentiated since both surfaces would use the same levelground walking state controller. In contrast, computer vision researchers might label these different surface textures as separate classes.

A potential limitation of the ExoNet database is the 2D nature of the environment information. Whereas RGB cameras measure light intensity information, depth cameras also provide distance measurements. Depth cameras work by emitting infrared light and calculate distances by measuring the light time-of-flight between the camera and physical environment. Depth measurement

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Chest

accuracies typically degrade in outdoor lighting conditions (e.g., sunlight) and with increasing measurement distance.

Consequently, most environment recognition systems using depth cameras have been tested in indoor environments and have had limited capture volumes. Assuming mobile computing, the application of depth cameras for environment sensing would also require lower-limb exoskeletons to have embedded microcontrollers with significant computing power and minimal power consumption, the specifications of which are not supported by existing untethered systems. These practical limitations motivated the decision to use RGB images.

The camera images could be fused with the smartphone IMU measurements to improve high-level control performance. For example, if an exoskeleton or prosthesis user unexpectedly stops while walking toward an incline staircase, the acceleration measurements would indicate static standing rather than stair ascent, despite the staircase being accurately detected in the field-of-view. www.therobotreport.com

Comparison of the ExoNet database with previous environment recognition systems for lower-limb exoskeletons. | University of Waterloo

Sending instructions to motors The next phase of the ExoNet research project will involve sending instructions to motors so that robotic exoskeletons can climb stairs, avoid obstacles or take other appropriate actions based on analysis of the user’s current movement and the upcoming terrain.

“Our control approach wouldn’t necessarily require human thought,” said Laschowski, who is supervised by engineering professor John McPhee, the Canada Research Chair in Biomechatronic System Dynamics. “Similar to autonomous cars that drive themselves, we’re designing autonomous exoskeletons and prosthetic legs that walk for themselves.”

The researchers are also working to improve the energy efficiency of motors for robotic exoskeletons and prostheses by using human motion to self-charge the batteries.

The research team also includes engineering professor Alexander Wong, the Canada Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Medical Imaging, and William McNally, also a PhD candidate in systems design engineering and a student member of Waterloo.ai. RR THE ROBOT REPORT

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The Robot Report

Inside

the development of Sarcos’

Guardian XO exoskeleton Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO of Sarcos Robotics, discusses the evolution and challenges of developing its full-body exoskeleton.

Steve Crowe | Editorial Director, The Robot Report

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Based in Salt Lake City, Sarcos Robotics began in the 1980s as a spinout from the University of Utah, with a legacy of innovation found in applications that range from advanced humanoid robots and dinosaurs at theme parks, to NASA spacesuit-testing equipment, prosthetic limbs, and MEMS sensors.

It has also been developing exoskeletons for more than 20 years. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) originally funded the development of the Guardian XO fully-body, powered exoskeleton in 2000 as it was looking to enable soldiers to carry more weight on their backs.

Flash forward to 2021, and many iterations and improvements later, the Guardian XO is starting to make its way into more commercial industries, including aviation and aerospace, construction and logistics. Sarcos began testing with select customers and partners in the first few months of 2020, including the company’s Exoskeleton Technical Advisory Group (X-TAG) and the U.S. military, before COVID-19 shut down the majority of job sites.

Testing of the Guardian XO will resume in 2021 once it is safe for Sarcos’ customers and partners. The company expects the commercial product to begin shipping to customers in 2022.

Sarcos raised $40 million in Series C funding in September 2020 that will be used for commercial production of the Guardian XO. It also announced in early April that it will become publicly listed through a merger with Rotor Acquisition Corp., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The combined company, which has a valuation of $1.3 billion, is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol STRC. We recently sat down with Sarcos’ chairman and CEO Ben Wolff, who discussed the evolution of Guardian XO, the main challenge of designing the system, why Robotics-

The Guardian XO exoskeleton enables operators to safely lift and manipulate up to 200 lb without fatigue or strain. | Sarcos Robotics

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The Robot Report We’re not only about vertical lifting, we’re about being able to dexterously manipulate heavy and challenging objects and improving the productivity of many people because of what you can let them manipulate.

as-a-Service (RaaS) is the proper selling method for Sarcos and more.

This interview was adapted from Wolff’s recent appearance on The Robot Report Podcast. To listen to the full conversation, check out The Robot Report Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts.

The Guardian XO exoskeleton offers 24 degrees of freedom to help operators move freely. | Credit: Sarcos Robotics

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Why is Sarcos building the Guardian XO full body, powered exoskeleton?

Our focus from the start has been about how to enhance what humans can do with their upper body. Folks might not know, but we started back in the 1980s, working on the first electrically-actuated prosthetic arm. That gave our team a deep foundation in biomechanics and the intimate pairing between humans and machines.

We evolved from there into focusing on humanoid robots. We developed the exoskeleton as really being a full-body, powered humanoid robot, with the added complexity of trying to create room inside of the robot for a human to intuitively control the robot. We took the challenge of a humanoid robot form factor and raised it by a factor of 10. And that’s where we are.

The thesis is we’re giving people superhuman strength, safely. We’re going to allow people in challenging work environments to lift up to 200 lb and feel like they’re only lifting five or 10, putting no stress or strain on the human body.

And it’s not just about lifting. There are a lot of machines out there that can lift - whether it’s a forklift or lift truck.

www.therobotreport.com

What’s the most interesting object that has been lifted with the Guardian XO? I’ll give you an example from the defense logistics side. You can find images all over the internet of Navy personnel lifting 150-lb missiles to mount them on the underside of a plane. It’s a great example because you see six big, strong people standing shoulder to shoulder trying to lift this material and you see the strain on their face. We have demonstrated the ability to lift that specific form factor at that weight with one person.

We demonstrated at [CES 2020] being able to do things like use 60-lb torque wrenches, effortlessly, for mounting a tire and securing the nuts on the tire for airplane landing gear. We can go into cargo environments and lift large, bulky items of cargo with one person. That’s becoming particularly relevant in this COVID-19 environment. It’s pretty hard to do a two-person lift and maintain six feet of social distancing.

How much training is required for users to wear and operate the Guardian XO? To be able to simply get in the suit and start using it to manipulate objects and to walk, it takes under one hour to make the machine start to move in a very intuitive way so that you don’t have to think about managing the machine and you can focus 100% on the task at hand.

Now we do have more extensive training than that because it’s not just about knowing how to operate the machine, turn it on and off and get in and out. It’s also about how to be aware of the environment in which you’re operating.

Equate it to forklift training, for example.

It’s one thing to learn how to drive the forklift and to lift heavy objects. It’s another thing to understand that you’re driving a machine that can create damage in your environment if you’re not careful.

Learning about situational awareness and how to drive at appropriate speeds, and how to manage the power of the forklift is a different set of training issues.

THE ROBOT REPORT

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The Robot Report That’s where we put more time into training. Ultimately, we expect operators to become certified to use the exoskeleton with about a day and a half or two days of complete training.

The Guardian XO is designed to be worn for close to a full 8-hour shi .

How difficult was it to get to that point because there’s a lot of biomechanics that goes into making it comfortable and usable for that amount of time?

The ability to use it for a full shi has ergonomic issues associated with comfort and usability, but there’s also just the issue of power. We had to tackle both of those issues. Making humanoid robots walk and carry load consumes an awful lot of power. The first version of the exoskeleton we produced years ago consumed about 6800 watts of power on average per hour. To give you context, something like a DJI drone is using somewhere around 3000-4000 watts of power, which is why it can stay alo for 20 or 30 minutes.

Today, we are able to operate the robot walking three miles an hour, carrying 160-lb load at less than 500 watts. That

means we can start using today’s lithium ion, off-the-shelf batteries to have extended work life and perform in all the ways the operator wants it to.

In terms of ergonomics, because of the nature of our control system, the machine is very comfortable. Although you’ve got a large machine around you, most of the operators I’ve interacted with said it feels like you’re wearing a backpack that might weigh five or 10 lb.

But when you li 200 lb, you only feel like you’re li ing five or 10. So we’ve taken all of the stress and strain off of the human body.

Are there plans to shrink down the size of the Guardian XO? The size is really dependent on the laws of physics and what you’re trying to li .

If you think about the forkli analogy I used earlier, you can’t take a forkli designed to li 30,000 lb and materially shrink the size of it and still li 30,000 lb.

We think the biggest market opportunity for us is initially to be able to li up to 200 lb. That’s going to require a structure similar to what we’ve got. The laws of physics kind of mandate that.

Changing the laws of physics seems complicated.

Having said that, when you decide there might be a large market opportunity to li 80 lb with a single person instead of 200, absolutely, the machine can be smaller in nature. We’re looking at all of that. And we’ve already gone the other direction with the Guardian GT. It’s a machine that can li 1,000 lb, 500 in each arm, that is tele-operated and based on the same basic design as the exoskeleton. But we haven’t gone the other direction yet to make it smaller.

Why is Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) the correct business model for Sarcos?

We build a machine that is the next generation of a unit of labor. We position ourselves as a next-generation labor contractor providing units of labor that can augment an existing workforce. The value proposition is that for roughly the fully burdened cost of a single human worker, we will deliver the output of anywhere between four and 10 workers, while also eliminating occupational back injuries, which has a tremendous cost.

Guardian XO for airline operations Airline employees engaged in the regular loading and unloading of heavy, bulky, or awkwardly sized luggage and other materials are faced with ongoing physical stressors. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, baggage handlers li about five to 10 bags a minute, each of which weighs between 32 and 70 lb (14 and 31 kg), over the course of a standard eight-hour shi . The potential for musculoskeletal injuries is exacerbated by the twisting, pushing, pulling, and kneeling required to stack and shi heavy baggage.

In cases of airline disruptions – such as unloading delays, aircra diversions, and flight cancellations – employees must sort baggage manually to prioritize short-connection baggage, set up areas for mishandled bags or return bags to passengers, which o en leads to disruption and confusion for employees and passengers alike. With the International Air Transport Association (IATA) expecting air passengers to double to 8.2 billion in 2037, airlines must enact solutions that support overburdened employees and address passenger pain points in order to navigate continued growth successfully.

Delta Airlines in 2020 became the first company whose ont-line employees worked directly with Sarcos to determine potential operational uses for the Guardian XO. Potential uses at Delta could include handling eight at Delta Cargo warehouses, moving maintenance components at Delta TechOps, or li ing heavy machinery and parts for ground support equipment.

Delta first started working with Sarcos in 2018 as part of its “X-TAG,” or exoskeleton technical advisory group, representing the aviation sector.

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Delta demo at CES 2020. | Credit: Sarcos Robotics

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The Robot Report If we can provide a machine that is part of payroll costs and provides greater productivity in an environment where it’s hard to find enough skilled workers and eliminates the cost of back injuries for workers, that’s a win for everybody.

It also means our customer does not have to write a big check up ont. They get to pay as they go. If the robot isn’t providing the value or utility they expect, they haven’t made a big technology bet, which is important when you’re talking about bringing a brand new class of machine to market the way we are. It’s a win for our customers.

Now there are some customers that would rather it be a capital item as opposed to an operating expense, and we can still maintain that basic value proposition of a RaaS model and deliver that kind of accounting treatment for our customer. So it’s not so much about capital expenses (CapEx) or operational expenses (OpEX), it’s more about decreasing technology risk, ensuring that a unique platform will be serviced and maintained and to ensure it continues to show up everyday and do its job.

What has been the most difficult technical challenge building the Guardian XO? That’s a much longer conversation. We’ve been at it for 20 years and hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested to get to where we are. But the challenges around power consumption have been huge. If you couldn’t get the power consumption down and be able to deliver extended operating life without having to be tethered, you just didn’t have a viable product that was so intuitive you didn’t have to think about it.

That was the original vision of Robert Heinlein when he described exoskeletons in Starship Troopers back in 1959. The first concept for exoskeletons was that you could use them so intuitively, you didn’t have to think about it. That really has to be the goal.

When you’re talking about a machine that has 125 sensors on it, compute power that is equivalent to three Intel servers today and a series of subsystems, it’s got to be intuitive to use, it’s got to be robust, and it’s got to be low power.

Those were the big issues that drove us over the last 20 years.

On a high level, how were you able to get the control experience right?

So much of it has to do with the right integration of the right sensors, coupled with the so ware scheme we’ve developed over the years. There are folks who take different approaches to sense what the human body intends to do om a movement perspective. Elon Musk recently talked about putting chips in brains, you see others using sensors affixed to the skin to try and understand and interpret neurological stimuli and make informed conclusions.

And then there’s our approach, which is different than either of those. And I think we’ve got a very novel patented approach to it. It’s really this combination of compute power, the right kind of sensors in the right place in the right number, and the algorithms and so ware that we have that work together as a seamless package to deliver that kind of intuitive control and response. RR

Ben Wolff Ben Wolff serves as the chairman, CEO, president and is the largest shareholder of Sarcos Robotics. In his various roles, he oversees the strategic direction of the company and engages with partners, customers and investors.

For more information, visit https://www.sarcos.com.

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Robotics Robotics

Connectors 4 Robots LEMO connectors are used on collaborative robots for industrial applications but also for control, articulated manipulator, and automation systems. As robots become more complex, LEMO connectors enable connecting sensors, motors and actuators in an efficient way, even when the cabling layout is very dense. Thanks to the Push-Pull system, the connector can be easily mated and un-mated allowing reduced maintenance and installation time.

LEMO connectors are used extensively on quadrupedal and other legged robots, as well as on wheeled robots. LEMO’s high-speed circular connector (CAT6A signals) can be built into 2K/ 2T/ 2B series, offer IP68 watertightness and full EMC. Learn More at https://www.lemo.com/en/application/robotic-connector LEMO USA, Inc. 635 Park Court Rohnert Park, CA 94928 www.lemo.com info-us@lemo.com Tel: 707.206.3700

New England Wire Technologies Advancing innovation for over 100 years Why accept a standard product for your custom application?

NEWT is committed to being the premier manufacturer of choice for customers requiring specialty wire, cable and extruded tubing to meet existing and emerging worldwide markets. Our custom products and solutions are not only engineered to the exacting specifications of our customers, but designed to perform under the harsh conditions of today’s advanced manufacturing processes.

Cables we specialize in are LITZ, multi-conductor cables, hybrid configurations, coaxial, twin axial, miniature and micro-miniature coaxial cables, ultra flexible, high flex life, low/high temperature cables, braids, and a variety of proprietary cable designs. Contact us today and let us help you dream beyond today’s technology and achieve the impossible.

THE ROBOT REPORT

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NEW ENGLAND WIRE T E C H N O LO G I E S

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Contact info: New England Wire Technologies www.newenglandwire.com 603.838.6624

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Robotics

Flexible gripper tooling puts you in control of your processes Deployment of robots with flexible gripper tooling has never been faster. Build your own custom gripping EOAT components and start loading your CNC machines in minutes!

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It’s not a web page, it’s an industry information site So much happens between issues of R&D World that even another issue would not be enough to keep up. That’s why it makes sense to visit rdworldonline.com and stay on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.

It’s updated regularly with relevant technical information and other significant news to the design engineering community.

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Engineering April 2021

A supplement of Design World

How a new product invention

led to a global manufacturing company

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The wisdom of pre-planning

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It’s unlikely those in the market for a new vehicle are going to ask about the type of fasteners used while on a test-drive (aluminum or steel?), or question the quality of the adhesive used before upgrading to their tablet or smartphone (bonding film or tape?). However, perhaps this should become standard practice.

Those in the fastener industry are well aware of how critical these components are to the reliability of an assembly. Although it’s easy to understand the oversight of a consumer — most people only notice the fasteners when they fail. We might also forgive the design engineer, given the significance of the other parts that go into a car or a computer, or other applications. But without the fasteners, there is no assembly.

What’s more is that fastening and joining components, if specified incorrectly, can add extra weight and costs to a project, and lead to unnecessary installation time and challenges.

Case-in-point: Global fastener manufacturer, Penn Engineering, shares a story on page 110 about a basic keyboard teardown, where their team found hundreds of micro-screws that refused to loosen.

“It got us thinking,” said Brian Bentrim, who’s VP with the company’s PEM New Product Development and Product Engineering sector. “Why use screws if you only ever intend to assemble the product and never disassemble it?”

As a result, the team developed a new fastener that was intended for permanent use — with a smaller footprint that was less costly, and faster and easier to install.

In other applications, choosing the ideal fastening solution early in a product’s development can ensure safety standards. For example, in the article on page 100, adhesive expert Gluespec discusses a new challenge for the electronics sector: the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) for 5G devices.

Although electrically conductive tapes are commonly used to meet electromagnetic interference or EMI shielding regulations, greater precaution is required for 5G applications. This is because 5G’s wireless spectrum is higher than anything that’s come before it.

“Tapes that previously worked to pass low or mid-band EMC regulatory tests may fail at this new high-band,” states the article. “Though this is not to say shielding for 5G is insurmountable.” But it is to say that early-stage adhesive considerations are a must, which is something that would be ideal for all fastener applications.

With a little pre-planning, smarter designs could also lead to better user experiences as per the article by Southco, a manufacturer of engineered access solutions. Just turn the page to learn more.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts or article ideas with us at fasteners@wtwhmedia.com. FE

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How smarter designs lead to better user experiences John Synder • General Manager Transportation • Southco, Inc.

There’s much talk about how digital our world is becoming. It’s easy to point to the smart wireless devices and 5G networks that give us 24/7 access to digital content and tools that have become essential to daily life.

Nevertheless, we interact countless times a day with physical items.

Systems, equipment, and devices including automobiles, ATMs, lighting fixtures, and everyday appliances are manipulated (opened, closed, adjusted, locked, unlocked, etc.) with little thought by many users as to how these mechanisms provide access.

This “touchpoint” experience is often taken for granted. However, the ease and accessibility such mechanisms offer can affect how users perceive the overall quality of their application.

Whether it’s a hand-operated latch used to access a vehicle’s glovebox or a counterbalance hinge that holds open a heavy engine hood, a seamless and intuitive user experience is important to ensure quality — and safety. The better the experience for the driver, in this case, the more likely they’ll appreciate their overall vehicle. Small access hardware mechanisms might seem basic but they contribute to the performance, ergonomics, and security of larger applications and can significantly impact the end-user experience.

For equipment manufacturers, sometimes this is easier said than done.

It involves designing mechanisms to meet the functional needs of the applications while keeping simplicity and ergonomics in mind. Smarter designs can, ultimately, offer a safer, higher quality, and better overall touchpoint for users.

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Small mechanisms, such as a hinge installed on a checkout screen at a grocery store, allows for better screen positioning. This leads to a better user experience that’s more ergonomic and easier to read.

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J o i n i n g (such as gas struts) or routine maintenance (such as tightening screws every week or two to maintain hinge resistance), thereby lowering costs.

• Eliminate vibration, providing a smooth and steady feel to the opening or closing action.

Redesigning the handle-latch mechanism on a vehicle’s glovebox door can greatly improve its accessibility — and safety, particularly if used while the car is in motion.

Engineering the user experience Smaller mechanisms can play a critical role in optimizing a user’s experience of a device. For example, a hinge can change the angle on a self-service kiosk at a convenience store or a touchscreen checkout at the corner market to make it easier and more ergonomic to use.

To do so, however, designers must choose the ideal type of hinge to make it easy to change the angle of the touchscreen while holding it in place. The device must also remain sturdy enough so the screen can move, yet stable enough so a customer can easily tap on

the screen to complete their order.

A positioning hinge is one example of a simple, yet wellengineered mechanism designers can use to provide ergonomics and ensure the user experiences a quality application.

Ideally, its features include the ability to: • Hold doors open or closed, and move panels steadily into position without secondary supports or additional components.

• Create an intuitive, zero-drift motion so that when a door or cover is opened, it securely holds a user-defined or predefined position, with one motion.

• Eliminate additional components

Hinges designed with integrated constant torque can be added to small panels and doors, providing a smoother, more secure feel when opening or closing. Southco’s ST-7A Constant Torque Embedded Hinge, shown here, features a compact packaging size.

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Mechanisms like positioning hinges that change — or elevate — a user’s perception can be applied in several ways.

Consider an airplane tray table, for instance. Seating designers must use extremely lightweight plastic components in these applications to help airlines reduce fleet weight and conserve fuel. But a tray table that simply flops down when opened may lead passengers to question the quality of the aircraft or airline.

By using a constant torque hinge with a factory-set level of resistance, a passenger can lower the tray with just the right level of force.

With this simple design choice, passengers are essentially given a better product and are more likely to have confidence in the quality of the airline and their inflight experience.

Sometimes it is the little things that make the difference.

What’s more: constant torque hinges designed and manufactured with high-quality materials retain the desired resistance after thousands of flights, without requiring maintenance or parts replacement.

Intelligent designs The ideal small mechanism is one that provides the desired function without increasing the efforts required of an end-user. It also means the device is intuitive and easy-to-use without adding unnecessary sizing, weight, or complicated features.

Consider the two common storage compartments in the front of a car: the glovebox and the center console. How a driver accesses and DESIGN WORLD

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uses those two compartments is often different.

On the glovebox, the latch is typically located in the center of the door. It may have a lock or be unsecured. To open a locked latch, a user would have to turn the car off and remove the key from the ignition. In either case, the driver has to lean over and reach for the latch — something they often can’t safely do while the car is in motion or stopped at a traffic light.

A simple design fix: move the latch to the left of the box and closer to the driver to reduce strain and create a more ergonomic user experience. A customized rotary latch with multi-point contact supplies two points of contact to secure the door. Plus, the lift paddle is closer to the driver for easier access.

One step above this solution: install a button directly in front of the driver, which opens the glovebox. This more advanced design could use either a mechanical rotary or an electronic latch that’s hidden from view and connected to this button via a cable or direct actuation.

To prevent the glovebox door from dropping open, potentially spilling its contents, consider a friction hinge that allows the door to open slowly. It also adds a quality of sophistication to the design that’s likely to improve a user’s overall impression of the vehicle’s make.

Additional layers of safety and security can also be included. For example, certain electronic latches can be programmed to avoid opening if the key fob is not present or if the vehicle is moving at a designated rate of speed.

The challenge for equipment manufacturers is to define the user experience in terms of function, safety, ease-of-use, quality, and overall impression.

Another factor to consider

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for this design process is that gloveboxes may not be routinely accessed as frequently as the center console units. Many drivers open and close the center console to retrieve or put away material multiple times during their commute. Incorporating an access device that’s simple-to-use without the need to glance down at it while driving is key to creating a safe and seamless experience for the operator.

The cover should also pop open and stay open until the user is done, and not close due to bumps or vibration caused by the vehicle while in motion. Latches and hinges that are designed to deliver such ergonomic operations can be integrated during the manufacturing process to ensure a driver never has to think twice about how easy it is to access the center console.

Repeatability Regardless of what type of equipment or devices manufacturers are providing — aircraft seating, automobile interiors, self-service kiosks, gaming machines, equipment

enclosures for telecommunications, or electrical equipment — offering effective access and positioning control mechanisms are critical.

One key is in asking the right questions: How should the mechanism ergonomically open, position, and close a device?

What user feedback is needed to accomplish this motion effectively and repeatedly?

Repeatability is important in terms of reliability and quality.

Whether delivering large volumes of automobile interiors or equipment enclosures, it’s critical that the manufacturer engineers smart designs that deliver reliable performance throughout the lifecycle of the product.

These small mechanisms can have a big impact. Ideally, mechanism suppliers and equipment manufacturers must work together to ensure that the right mechanism is delivered to maximize the quality and efficiency of each user experience. FE

Constant torque hinges with factory-set levels of resistance can ensure an aircraft’s tray table releases slowly (without jarring), improving the passenger’s confidence in the overall quality of the airline.

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Five questions

to ask before choosing concrete fasteners Robert Carlisle • President • Concrete Fastening Systems

Fastening to heavy, solid materials, such as concrete or brick, might seem like a challenging task but it’s possible to do so safely and reliably with the right preparation. First, it’s essential to establish the correct information about an application to choose the most effective concrete anchors.

This will require an assessment of the material, the weight of the product to be fastened, and the environment where the final application will be placed (including the temperature, humidity, etc).

Here are a few important questions to ask before getting started.

1. What is the base material of the product to be fastened?

Let’s consider attaching a sign to a solid object as an example. In this case, there are three types of base material to choose from — concrete, brick, or block — and each one has different guidelines to follow for a secure attachment.

• If concrete is used, it’s important to avoid setting the fasteners too close together. Typically, these components must be installed about 10 times their diameter apart from one another. Also, avoid placing the anchors within about five times their diameter and from any unsupported edges.

• If attaching a sign to brick or block, the fastener can be placed in the mortar joint or directly in either material. The holding values are determined by the quantity and the quality of the mortar if attached within the joint. However, if the concrete fasteners are placed in the brick or block, the holding values are determined by 96 April 2021 www.fastenerengineering.com

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the quality of the base material and whether the anchor is in the hollow or solid section.

2. How heavy is the product?

There is a correlation between the improved holding values of an anchor with the size of its diameter.

Generally, the larger the diameter of the anchor and the deeper the depth of the embedment, then the higher the holding value.

3. What is the diameter of the hole?

Using the example of the sign, it’s essential to first determine the diameter of the hole in the sign for the correct placement of the fastener. It’s also necessary to ensure DESIGN WORLD

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PEEK, or polyetheretherketone, is a high-performance plastic, making the material ideal for fasteners in many critical or demanding applications.

Choosing the ideal concrete fasteners for securing outdoor controls is critical for the safety, reliability, and longevity of the installation.

that the diameter of the anchor chosen for this application will fit through the hole in the sign.

Concrete anchors require a slightly larger hole in the sign than the designated diameter of the anchor. For example, a 1/4-inch concrete anchor requires a 5/16-inch hole in the fixture.

4. What environment will the product be placed in?

Safety and reliability are critical for most applications. This means using fasteners that are durable and non-corrosive. Fasteners that are subject to harsh conditions, such as wet or moist environments, can eventually rust or corrode so it’s important to choose wisely.

5. What types of concrete fasteners are available?

This question is best asked after answering the previous ones as they will help narrow down the ideal choice. Here are a few options to consider...

The wedge anchor: should only be used in solid concrete and never in brick or block. These anchors are offered in several diameters, including from 1/4 to 1-1/4 inches and lengths ranging from 1-3/4 to 12 inches.

Wedge anchors are available in zinc-plated, hot-dipped galvanized, and stainless steel. These components typically come complete with a nut and washer, and provide excellent holding values in concrete.

Here are some comparisons to consider before making a choice.

TYPES:

APPROVED IN:

USED IN:

304 Stainless Steel

Hot-dipped Galvanized

Submersion, wet environments

Caustic, wet, and/or moist atmospheres

Moist environments

Solid concrete only

Solid concrete only

Solid concrete only

316 Stainless Steel

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The wedge anchor installation process requires a few simple steps: • Drill a hole in the base material, a minimum of 1/2- inch deeper than the wedge anchor’s embedment. Use a carbide bit and hammer drill.

• Clean out the hole using compressed air and/or a wire brush.

• Place the nut on the end of the anchor before hammering into the hole to protect the threads during installation.

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Two concrete fasteners: a wedge anchor (left) and sleeve anchor (right).

Ultimate load values in 2,000 psi concrete SIZE

MIN. EMBEDMENT

DRILL BIT

PULL-OUT (LBS)

SHEAR (LBS)

1/4”

1-1/8”

1/4”

877

1082

5/16”

1-1/8”

5/16”

892

1156

3/8”

1-1/2”

3/8”

1525

3238

1/2”

2-1/4”

1/2”

2999

5564

5/8”

2-3/4”

5/8”

3749

6198

3/4”

3-1/4”

3/4”

4978

9378

7/8”

3-7/8”

7/8”

6294

13687

1”

4-1/2”

1”

7329

17712

1-1/4”

5-1/2”

1-1/4”

13162

24206

Psi values refer to a compressive strength of concrete using standard cylinders of six inches in diameter and 12 inches in height. The pull-out and shear values for a Confast Wedge Anchor (which are average ultimate values and provide a guide — not a guarantee). A safety factor of 4:1 or 25% is generally accepted as a safe working load. Reference should be made to applicable codes for the specific working ratio.

A Tapcon 410 stainless-steel screw, which can be used in concrete, brick, or block.

• Hammer the anchor through the hole in the sign, as well as into the hole drilled in the base material. Make sure this is deep enough so a portion of the thread is below the surface of the sign.

• Tighten the nut three or four revolutions to set the wedge anchor. The correct torque values are typically found in the manufacturer’s manual.

Sleeve anchors: versatile fasteners that can be used in concrete, brick, or block. These anchors are available

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in diameters of 1/4 to 3/4 inches and lengths of 5/8 to 6-1/4 inches.

Several diameters are available in zinc-plated and stainless steel.

There are also several head styles for the sleeve anchors including flat countersunk, round head, and hex nut. The hex nut has the most options in length and diameter. The flat countersunk and round head are only available in 1/4 and 3/8-inchdiameters only.

Typically, these anchors come complete with a nut and washer, and their length is measured from underneath the nut and washer.

The sleeve anchor installation process is relatively simple: • Drill a hole in the base material, a minimum of 1/2-inch deeper than where the sleeve anchor will be embedded. Remember: the anchor size is the hole size. Use the correct carbide bit and hammer drill.

• Clean out the hole of all debris.

• Hammer the sleeve anchor through the sign’s hole and into the hole drilled in the base material until the washer is snug with the sign.

• First, use your fingers to tighten the nut and then a wrench. But avoid over-tightening or the anchor may spin in the hole.

Tapcons or concrete screws: versatile fasteners that can be used in concrete, brick, or block. They’re available in blue Climaseal and 410 stainless steel.

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The standard blue Tapcons come in two diameters: 3/16 and 1/4 inches. The larger-diameter Tapcon is available in 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, and 3/4 inches. These large-diameter screws are only offered in a hex washer head.

The length of the screw is determined by the thickness of the sign. The standard blue screws require a minimum embedment of one inch and a maximum embedment of 1-1/4 inches.

• Use a carbide bit and hammer drill.

Remember: the hole size should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the screw being used.

• Clean out the hole with compressed air and/or a wire brush.

• Drive the screw through the hole in the sign using a drill or wrench until snug. If using a drill, avoid spinning the screw too quickly because it might over-torque or strip the threads.

Installing Tapcons is easy: • Choose the proper diameter carbide drill bit and drill a hole in the base material, a minimum of 1/2-inch deeper than the screw that will be embedment.

As with any anchoring project, it’s important to keep safety in mind and follow instructions carefully.

Wear safety goggles, handle tools with care, and always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions or consult a contracting expert before beginning an anchoring project. FE

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WHAT DO YOU THINK? Connect and discuss this and other engineering design issues with thousands of professionals online

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How adhesive tapes

will advance to meet

5G technologies

Gluespec As of last year, 5G technologies are being built and sold, even though a full 5G global network is a few years away yet. This 5th generation mobile network promises increase speed and reduced latency of wireless services.

As with any new technology on the horizon, however, there are potential challenges that the industry is still working on how to address. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) for 5G devices is one of those concerns. Electrically conductive tapes for assembly and enclosure-level shielding have been used for years to achieve EMC, but special care must be taken when selecting these materials.

The challenge The high-band wireless spectrum that’s been newly allocated for 5G is higher than anything that’s come before it. In fact, it ranges from 20 to beyond 300 GHz. By wavelength, that’s 0.5 to 10mm, hence the name “millimeter-wave” (mmWave).

Anything above 18 GHz presents a risk because the wireless signals and noise can interact with the materials in unpredictable ways. For example, adhesive tapes that previously worked to pass low or mid-band EMC regulatory tests may fail at this new highband scale.

Except for certain circumstances, when testing materials to work with mmWave or microwave frequencies, circuits operating above 6 GHz are typically not taken into account. This means specification sheets are often unhelpful for applications above 6 GHz. Tapes for electromagnetic interference (EMI) rarely extend ASTM D4935, the common standard for shielding effectiveness, above 10 GHz. This is not to say shielding for 5G is insurmountable. Rather, it underscores the importance of first 100 April 2021 www.fastenerengineering.com

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learning about the new materials and working with qualified specialists to advance adhesives, tapes, gaskets, and epoxy or resins that are suitable for 5G’s millimeter band.

Effective 5G EMI shielding is also a challenge because millimeter waves can “leak” into enclosures through seams, joints, hinges, thruholes, or other apertures of submillimeter geometries. Tapes can be used to shore up these ingress points to attenuate external EMI penetrating enclosures. However, other solutions must be used when working with internal interference on the board and with componentlevel EMC/EMI in the millimeter band.

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PEEK, or polyetheretherketone, is a high-performance plastic, making the material ideal for fasteners in many critical or demanding applications.

Special considerations must be taken when selecting the ideal electrically conductive tapes for EMI shielding of extremely high-frequency applications, such as in 5G radio electronics in the millimeter bands or mmWave.

Understanding EMI tapes Here are a few considerations when considering the importance of effective EMI tapes…

For gasketing. One important part use of EMI tapes is gasketing whereby vents, thru-holes, or conduits are sealed with gaskets made of materials that offer highshielding effectiveness.

Sometimes the tape is die-cut to form the gasket itself. Thick tapes often include carriers, such as foam or rubber, a single-sided metallic coating, and an electrically conductive or insulating adhesive that affixes to internal faces of enclosures around the gasketed punchouts.

Additionally, double-backed elastomeric tape is frequently used to adhere and bond specialized

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gaskets for EMI attenuation to metal enclosures. The tape’s adhesive ensures mechanical bonding while the elastomer is impregnated with conductive particles to electrically bond with and conduct EMI from the gasket to shield or ground.

For prototypes and shielding repair. Other tapes, made from copper or aluminum films, or flat-woven and braided tapes, are used to increase the shielding effectiveness of an enclosure by applying them across gaps and seams of interior or exterior enclosure surfaces.

Although this is more common in prototyping, troubleshooting, and repairs of larger enclosures or high-power wireless devices (as found in RADAR, maritime, avionics, and electrical construction), metallic www.fastenerengineering.com

woven and film tapes occasionally find use in electronic-device production as well.

Market potential The age of the millimeter-wave is here, with hundreds of millions of smartphones, tablets, and laptops shipped that have baseband ICs and antennas using 28 GHz and 39 GHz. Moreover, throughout 2021, expect to see miniaturized RADAR at 75-79 GHz enter automotive production lines.

The Internet of Things or IoT, which interconnects with 5G, is also expected to pump one-trillion new electronic things into the world in the next decade. And this trillion will all emit electromagnetic interference — and require reliable EMI tapes. FE

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How do

brazing, soldering, and welding differ?

Miles Budimir • Senior Editor

Broadly speaking, there are three common techniques for joining metals together, thermally: brazing, soldering, and welding. The three are metal-joining techniques that use heat as the main mechanism to bond two types of metals together. These processes also use some kind of flux to inhibit the oxidation of the metals.

However, this is where the similarities end.

The differences between welding and brazing relate to two key points: the temperatures used and how the temperatures impact the state of the metals.

The main characteristic of welding is that it uses high temperatures of about 1,000˚C (1,832˚F) or higher. One requirement of welding is that the base metals must be similar. So, for instance, steel is unable to weld to copper. It also differs from brazing and soldering in that it’s the only method of the three that melts the base metals and then fuses them with the aid of a filler metal. After cooling, the metals solidify to form a strong bond.

This filler metal, sometimes called a “welding rod,” functions in a similar way to solder in brazing. But brazing temperatures are typically much lower than those used in welding.

This explains another difference. During brazing, the base metals are not melted — only the filler metal (or solder) melts and spreads out over the base metals, joining them together. The filler metal’s melting point must also be below that of the metals to be joined reliably.

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Welding is an assembly process whereby two or more parts are joined together, typically by means of heat although other Small mechanisms, (such as gas, such as a methods hinge laser, and ultrasonic) installed on a also at available.

One checkoutare screen a of theallows main differences grocery store, for betterbetween screen welding and soldering positioning. This or brazing is temperature used. leads to athe better user experience that’s more ergonomic and easier to read.

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Soldering is often used in the electronics industry, typically on printed circuit boards.

The solder’s core has a material known as flux, which connects and strengthens electrical bonds.

In contrast to welding, however, brazing can be used to join dissimilar metals together such as copper, aluminum, and nickel. In fact, in both soldering and brazing, a metal alloy (or solder) is melted and flows over the two metals to be joined, connecting them together. The main difference between soldering and brazing is the temperature.

The American Welding Society defines brazing as the process where the filler metal (i.e. solder) has a liquidus above 425˚C (800˚F). This means it becomes liquid or melts at temperatures above this point and begins to solidify below that temperature.

Soldering, on the other hand, involves filler metals with a liquidus below 450˚C (842˚F).

In brazing, the most common heat source is a gas flame torch.

Additional methods include furnace brazing, dip brazing, electron beam, laser brazing, and others.

For soldering, the most common technique is to use a soldering iron.

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Other techniques, such as reflow or wave soldering, are used in highvolume manufacturing environments.

Brazing and soldering use flux as a part of the process. It’s used to clean the metals to be joined, removing any oxidation and preventing any from forming.

Using the best flux for the job means ensuring that it’s chemically compatible with the metals and the solder. For instance, flux used in electrical soldering typically contains a rosin core, whereas flux for brazing applications might use borax or other compounds.

Generally, soldering is used in electronic applications, primarily to make an electrical connection. So, it’s not as mechanically strong as a brazing joint, which ensures a much stronger bond between metals.

Brazing also requires the parts to have a tighter fit than soldering to form a strong connection.

The most common brazing method is torch brazing, which uses a gas flame. Other common

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techniques include furnace brazing, which is conducive to industriallevel mass production applications.

As for the strength of a bond, a properly welded joint will typically be stronger than a brazed joint.

However, a proper brazed joint will still be stronger than the individual pieces joined together. FE

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“Family

is our Fastener” Industrial Rivet celebrates more than 100 years of success Michelle Froese • Editor When Taryn Goodman’s great grandfather (Willie Goodman) founded Industrial Rivet & Washer Co. in 1912, he likely never expected the company to last more than 100 years or to maintain one of the industry’s largest inventories. He was simply offered an opportunity to sell rivets in New York City and grew to become an expert in riveting.

Today, his company offers more than 1.4 billion pieces of highquality rivets, in addition to automated riveting tools, delivery systems, and other related services.

Willie also likely never expected his great-grandchildren to join the business — now known as Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co. “We’re currently a fourth-generation, family-owned business,” shares Taryn Goodman, VP of finance, though she also handles the marketing and administrative responsibilities. “That includes me and my cousin, Steven Sherman, who’s the company VP and head of R&D and Engineering.”

Taryn Goodman, VP of finance at Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co. She’s also a volunteer director with Women in the Fastener Industry or WIFI, which provides opportunities for women in the industry to connect, network, and learn from one another.

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Goodman’s dad, Bill, is the president.

Bill co-owned the company with his sister (Sherman’s mom) until she sadly passed away in 2016. The two had taken over the business from their father (who still works in accounts receivable at age 90, sharing an office with Goodman), which is now headquartered in New Jersey.

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team who all work well together,” she says. “Working here was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Industrial Rivet was not on Goodman’s radar in her youth. She occasionally chipped in, filing and doing data entry work, but never expected to make it a career. She went to Williams College, earning undergraduate degrees in biology www.fastenerengineering.com

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The team at Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co. From left to right: Joanne Sherman, Bill Goodman, Allen Goodman, and Steven Sherman.

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The RivetKing FreeSet’s blind rivet and rivet nut tools.

“Education is important because fasteners are often the last components considered for an application. Companies will often just head to their supply room to check what parts they have left over from another project...”

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and economics, and later an MBA at Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania. She planned to become a doctor until fainting while watching a surgery during her undergrad — hence, the MBA. “On a whim, I applied for a job in finance during my junior summer of college and got an internship at Lehman Brothers in New York City, which I loved.

They even offered me a full-time job after I graduated,” she says.

The gig began in the fall of 2008.

Two months into her new career, however, the finance company was near collapse thanks to the recession and was bought by the investment firm, Barclays Capital.

“In many ways, I was fortunate.

Barclays kept me on and I learned a lot in a couple of years.

I experienced two different company cultures and practices, and then watched them merge into one,” she says. “I enjoyed it but knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do www.fastenerengineering.com

forever. We’d advise all of these companies because that’s what you do in investment banking, but I never got to see it through or learn the final results. I felt something was missing.”

Eventually, Goodman approached her family for advice.

In 2012, she officially joined Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co. “I love coming to work every day. It’s truly the best,” she says. “Although, I admit I didn’t have all that much fastener knowledge coming into the job, which was somewhat surprising given I had grown up with the company.”

But Goodman was a quick study and was impressed with how the business was run. Still, she wanted to take things to the “next level.”

“In our parents’ generation, the company was well-known as the ‘supermarket of rivets,’” she shares. “Most rivet companies offered only one type of rivet but DESIGN WORLD

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we manufactured and sold several different types, so we became true experts in permanent mechanical fastening.”

Much like other fasteners, rivets have to fit the application correctly.

But, as Goodman points out, they also have to function correctly.

“It’s not like with a nut and a bolt, where you can re-install the components by unfastening and re-fastening. When you set a rivet, you’re changing the shape of it and it’s meant to set permanently.

If you have to take it out for some reason, the rivet is damaged — and, potentially, so is the application that it was holding together.”

To provide the correct rivet and installation instructions for multiple applications, the team at Industrial Rivet must be extremely knowledgeable. It’s not always an easy match. Goodman says one of their goals was to go from being a one-stop supermarket of rivets to one that also provided engineered solutions.

“We, of course, still offer many types of rivets but we also put a strong focus on our engineering capabilities to help customers solve their problems — and their customers’ problems,” she says.

“We’re continually assessing what’s the ideal rivet for a certain application and what’s the most efficient way that we can manufacture it.”

Industrial Rivet’s extensive manufacturing network means the company can design, manufacture, and engineer custom and readymade products for a global customer and distribution base. They also conduct salt-spray analysis, shear and tensile testing, and dimensional verification to ensure fastener reliability. In fact, the company has an ISO-certified lab, where they also offer hardness (B, C, and V) testing for maximum durability.

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“Education is so important because fasteners are often the last components considered for an application. Companies will often just head to their supply room to check what parts they have left over from another project, and manage with those,” she says. “It’s natural to want to save costs and use up resources, but those components might not be the best fit, which can lead to problems.”

Fortunately, Industrial Rivet offers options and support, including advanced riveting tools to help with installations.

“One of the most exciting things for me in this business is rolling out new technology. It’s something I didn’t get to experience in my previous career…to be involved from the inception of an idea to its production,” says Goodman. “I now get to see the final results.”

The RivetKing KingSet is one example, an innovative handheld riveting system that Industrial Rivet developed for more efficient installations. The KingSet has autofeed capabilities that let operators align workpiece holes in one hand, while riveting with the other hand, for faster and easier assemblies.

It’s also fully portable and can be suspended horizontally or vertically, so it adapts to different manufacturing environments.

The company also offers a RivetKing FreeSet series of cordless riveters that operate on par with or sometimes even faster than pneumatic tools. They also use 99% less energy than air compressors and can significantly reduce a company’s CO2 footprint.

“We’re continually focused on becoming a more efficient and advanced company over time,” she says. “I mean sometimes it’s challenging when you’re more than 100 years old and used to doing things in a certain manner. But, in www.fastenerengineering.com

many ways, we’ve always been cutting-edge for this industry, which is often slow to adopt.”

Goodman says the company runs digitally and has been paperless for close to 20 years, plus much of their equipment and facility is automated.

Industrial Rivet was deemed an essential manufacturer and has remained operational since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“Thankfully everyone has remained healthy and employed here, with some basic changes in shifts and practices to meet the safety guidelines,” she says.

“It would’ve been heartbreaking otherwise. We are a family-owned business and the people who work with us are all like family. It’s got that kind of feeling and atmosphere.”

The feeling is so strong that Industrial Rivet even trademarked the term: Family is our fastener.

“Family is what holds this company together, whether that’s our actual family members or our extended family of employees, sales reps, partners, and customers,” says Goodman. “I even have it tattooed on my foot, which my cousin likes for me to show off at business meetings, to show our true values!”

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How a new product invention led to a global manufacturing company

Michelle Froese • Editor With a workshop of sorts set up in his garage, K.A. Swanstrom developed a revolutionary product in the early 1940s — one that would reduce time, labor, weight, and inventory on many assembly jobs. This new self-clinching fastener was easy-to-install and provided load-carrying threads in the metal sheets that are too thin to be tapped.

In 1942, Swanstrom officially founded PennEngineering & Manufacturing Corp., which today is a global company that manufactures a variety of mechanically attached fastening solutions.

“The way I understand it is that our company founder began making weld nuts in his garage and slowly integrated this process into clinch nuts, which offer a different way to connect the nut to a piece of sheet metal. He then turned that idea into the worldwide business that we have today,” shares Brian Bentrim, VP, PEM New Product Development and Product Engineering, with Penn Engineering.

Based in Pennsylvania, Swanstrom worked as the president of Elastic Stop Nut Corporation, when he left to form PennEngineering.

Brian Bentrim, VP, PEM New Product Development and Product Engineering, with Penn Engineering.

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“When he was looking to move from his garage to a bigger space for the company, Swanstrom was in the Doylestown area. Apparently, he started driving out of town, following these three-phase wires that were attached to telephone poles and secure electricity on the side of the road,” says Bentrim.

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wire that sits on the top of that ‘T.’ “The ones with the three wires allow more power to carry across the electrical connection, which is often needed for heavy equipment,” he explains. “Essentially, Swanstrom followed these connections until he found a plot of land for sale beside the three-phase wires. Our corporate headquarters, with now larger www.fastenerengineering.com

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PEM brand fasteners use self-clinching, broaching, flaring, surface-mount, or weld technology to provide strong, reusable, and permanent threads and mounting points in sheet metal, P.C. board materials, and other ductile or non-ductile thin material.

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PennEngineering’s Danboro, PA headquarters.

“In my experience, nothing motivates engineers to push a project more than if it’s one of their ideas and something they want to run with, develop, and prove.”

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production facilities, are still in the same location.”

Swanstrom’s self-clinching fastener proved extremely successful at the time and its technology is still commonly used today. As the need to hold ultra-thin and ultra-light metals together grew, particularly in the electronics industry, so did the product line. Over the years, the original design has been modified to meet hundreds of new applications.

“At first, an electrical current was used to melt the nut and form a weld in the fastener. But then, Swanstrom realized that it was possible to design a geometric shape within the fastener and push it against the sheet metal, which would cause the sheet metal to flow and permanently deform against the nut,” says Bentrim.

By using this application, it was possible to lock the nut onto the sheet metal.

“Technically, the clinch nut was our first innovative product but second product line. The weld nut would have been the first product line,” he says. PEM, the company’s www.fastenerengineering.com

leading brand, has been recognized as the premier product in the thinsheet fastening industry for more than 75 years. “And since then, we’ve developed hundreds of innovative product lines. We continually look for different ways to solve problems in fastening and joining.”

One example of that innovation, according to Bentrim, is the R’ANGLE clinch fastener, which offers strong, right-angle attachment points in sheet metal or PC Boards. It uses the same technology as the clinch nut but instead of placing the nut directly against the sheet metal, it places it 90 degrees to the sheet metal.

“The R’ANGLE has a very PennEngineering, iconic shape to it and is used to mount a second sheet perpendicular to the first sheet,” he says. The benefits include tighter design control, material savings, fewer assembly steps, and a reduction of loose hardware.

PennEngineering is a major supplier to the electronics and consumer electronics industries.

However, it also serves the automotive, transportation, DESIGN WORLD

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agriculture, construction equipment, special industry machinery, marine, alternative energy sectors, HVAC, and others — and almost anywhere in the world. The company is also continually working to improve these industries with advanced fastening solutions.

“We often ask ourselves: what are the problems that are being faced today in fastening and how can we better address those?” he says.

“It’s ideal when a customer comes to us with a problem to solve but, to be honest, we’re always doing our own teardowns of equipment in an attempt to stay current on the different technologies and applications used…and to figure out if we can offer something better.”

Better could mean fewer parts, less costly parts, or an easier assembly method. Case-in-point: several years ago, one of the PennEngineering teams took apart a keyboard.

“Immediately, we noticed all of these tiny micro-screws that were maybe 1.6-millimeter-diameter threads. Each one had a locking patch with near-microscopic drivers on. So, when we went to take these hundreds of screws out, most of them refused to budge,” Bentrim explains. “They were permanently locked in.”

The team immediately began brainstorming. “It got us thinking: why use screws if you only ever intend to assemble the product and never disassemble it?” As a result, they developed a new fastener that was intended for permanent use.

“Instead of drilling a hole that was tapped and then requiring a screw that had a patch on it with a big head and a driver, we just pushed it in a simple little tack pin, which eventually became the microPEM TackPin. It had a shorter head and worked in a shallower hole, which led to a stronger hold and a smaller footprint.”

According to Bentrim, it was also less costly, faster, and easier to install.

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His team took the disassembled keyboard to the OEM to show them the new fastening option.

“They didn’t say too much at first but about 18 months later, they called us back and asked to take another look. Since then, we’ve sold billions if not hundreds of billions of these fasteners,” he says.

PennEngineering was able to increase the strength and reduce the thickness of these keyboards.

And keyboards are not the only product with a similar setup. Yet, the most common way of putting something together is a screw.

“We continuously see people putting together products that are never intended to be disassembled… meaning that if it breaks, you’re likely going to replace and not repair it. This includes the subcomponents of a computer or a car stereo. Very few people will try to repair the actual sub-component because it’s cheaper or easier just to replace them,” he says.

However, as Bentrim points out, there’s a lot that goes into the fastening of a screw. It requires a nut or a threaded hole, which then needs to engage and turn together.

Torque is also often important to control.

“If you don’t need to take it apart, there’s a simpler way to achieve that joint. You don’t need a screw,” he points out. “But generally, this is the last thing on a person’s mind when they’re designing an application.

However, it’s what we do and do well.”

Bentrim says one of the best parts about working at PennEngineering is the freedom and flexibility to try new ideas and create new solutions.

“In my experience, nothing motivates engineers to push a project more than if it’s one of their ideas and something they want to try to run with, develop, and prove. I www.fastenerengineering.com

allow my team as much flexibility as possible to think creatively and test out their ideas.”

This is particularly true from an R&D perspective, adds Bentrim.

“People typically don’t think of fasteners as all that interesting or exciting. But fasteners enable all of those exciting, smart, and sexy gadgets by holding them together,” he says. “By pushing the boundaries of what you can do with a fastener… well, that makes this job a lot of fun.”

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The growth of a global

go-to adhesives company

Michelle Froese • Editor Brandon Willis had a year of challenges in 2020 — but good ones.

Despite the pandemic, he relocated to a new state with his family, bought a new home, and started a new job with an impressive role.

“I started with Epoxy Technology on September 1st of last year,” he says. “I’ll admit it was a little stressful because the timing was extremely compressed but it’s worked out incredibly well.”

Willis is the new president of the Electronics Division of Meridian Adhesives Group, of which Epoxy Technology, Inc., a manufacturer of specialty adhesives for advanced tech, is one company. However, his role also covers Epoxy Technology Europe and Epoxies, Etc., a manufacturer of customized epoxy, polyurethane, and silicones for a variety of industries.

These companies, including several others, fall under the portfolio of Meridian Adhesives Group, a U.S.-based manufacturer of high-performance adhesives and sealant technologies.

Brandon Willis, president of the Electronics Division with Meridian Adhesives — which includes Epoxy Technology in its portfolio.

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An encapsulate or potting compound used for an electronic circuit board.

With extensive adhesive experience and a B.Sc. degree in chemistry, it’s obvious why Willis was chosen for the job. “I’m a chemist by trade. I started out formulating polyurethane coatings for the automotive industry…and worked my way up through the technical ladder until I was managing R&D.” His career began at Indianabased Red Spot Paint & Varnish Company, which develops highly engineered performance coatings.

“Eventually, I was asked to take over the marketing and product management, and then I took over business development. When I left there, my title was somewhat all-encompassing as a commercial manager.”

Willis spent about 17 years at Red Spot before moving to Uniseal, Inc., a provider of epoxy, PVC, and rubber-based adhesives to the global transportation sector. After only three years at Uniseal, he was chosen as the company’s third president in over a half-century of operations.

“We developed high-strength, structural adhesives for automotive bonding. Most people don’t realize that their cars are, for the most part, glued together,” he laughs.

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After a decade at Uniseal, he led that company through a major acquisition. “We were purchased by LG Chem in 2018 and I helped lead that process and integration of the company.” LG Chem is currently the 10th largest chemical company, worldwide.

Then, Willis heard about the position with Meridian, managing multiple companies. “The opportunity just felt right and, to be honest, I’m excited about the challenge. I enjoy working at a fast pace and supporting and experiencing the growth process of a company, which includes acquiring new businesses — and that’s what we’re building on here,” he shares.

“We aim to be the go-to adhesives company in the electronics space.”

Currently, Meridian owns 11 companies and counting. Epoxy Technology is one that was originally founded in the ’60s

by Frank W. Kulesza, a chemical engineer who had experience working at electronics company, IBM. As a pioneer in the conductive adhesive industry, Kulesza sought to replace eutectic bonding in hybrid microelectronic assemblies.

“This was in 1966 and Epoxy Technology was one of the

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first companies to successfully manufacture specialty, epoxy products that were electrically conductive,” says Willis.

In fact, Kulesza’s goal was to completely replace eutectic bonding (or soldering) in hybrid microelectronic assembly. He eventually formulated and shared what has become some of the most relied upon epoxy adhesives, which are still in use today.

“He basically developed custom-formulated products that helped PCB manufacturers build electronics,” says Willis. “At that time, such components were soldered together. So, the idea of using a conductive paste or adhesive to replace solder was quite novel.”

As one example, this included developing a silver-conductive adhesive for use instead of solder for radio transmitters and receivers, radar, and Satcom devices. Since then, the company has expanded and the product lines have grown extensively to meet several different requirements.

“There’s been a tremendous amount of advancement in terms of the durability of the materials and the performance requirements.

Where at first, it was mostly about manufacturing an adhesive product that could be used in electronics to replace soldering, it has become more about formulating products that can resist shock or vibration and endure extremely harsh conditions,” explains Willis.

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The careful dispensing of an adhesive onto an optical filter and into the perimeter ring housing relies on advances in micro syringes. with it on a rainy day.

“At the same time, these formulas must remain thermally and electrically conductive and meet the ongoing trend of miniaturization,” he adds. “As the components get smaller and smaller, performance must increase from a process standpoint, which leads to a lot more heat generation. So, we’ve had to formulate products that are very good at removing heat from the critical components that are inside electronic devices.”

What’s more, is changes in the application methods have had to follow suit. Where once a simple, large drop of adhesive from an applicator could work on a component, miniaturization fails to allow for such simplicity.

“Now, we’re primarily using micro syringes and micropipettes to get the droplet size as tiny as possible so they don’t take up precious real-estate on printed circuit boards,” he says. “This requires specific formulations and precision. But it’s worth it because of the advances…I mean who would have thought we could carry around a computer in one of our pockets that’s capable of so much?”

Epoxy Technology covers more

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than smartphones and computers.

Its products are also largely found in medical devices, automotive electronics, fiber optics and optoelectronics, photovoltaics, as well as some in the military and aerospace sectors. One major advancement was the company’s EPOTEK 353ND, which is now typically recognized as the go-to adhesive for fiber optics.

“One of its original applications was for endoscopes used in hospitals, which require flexible fiber optics to work,” explains Willis.

“EPOTEK 353ND is used in bonding the fiber into ferrules, allowing the transmission of light in the 800 to 1550nm range.”

This adhesive’s exceptional optical properties have since enabled the use of advanced endoscopes, which have led to cutting-edge surgery practices in the medical field.

“Our primary business is solving problems,” he shares. “Most of the requests we receive are for specific applications that require some form of customization. For example, this could be meeting a set curing window for an epoxy formulation because timing is an issue. Most

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of what we offer is individualized for a set user and we have a small, but talented R&D team that does exceptionally well.”

Within these parameters, Epoxy Technology is also dedicated to meeting the high standards of ISO 9,001 certification for quality management, MIL-STD 883/5011 military certification, and is RoHS Compliant in relation to hazardous substances.

“We’re environmentally conscious and have tried to stay ahead of the curve, which means we don’t use heavy metals, hazardous materials, and nearly zero solvent,” he says.

“This brings added challenges when formulating products but it’s well worth it. We’re also a part of the Sony Green Partnership.”

This program supports the production of environmentally safe and sensitive products. Of course, it helps to be part of a global adhesive umbrella under Meridian, which provides access to a wider portfolio of products, expertise, and support.

“We’re of the mindset that it takes a village,” says Willis. “So, building out a supportive network that can supply the products and standards customers request within their required timeframe is extremely important to us. And we want to be as flawless as possible in that approach to ensure success for everyone.” FE

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Selecting the Optimal Washer Flat: Generally used for load disbursement Tab/Lock: Designed to effectively lock an assembly into place Finishing: Often found on consumer products Wave: For obtaining loads when the load is static or the working range is small Belleville: Delivers the highest load capacity of all the spring washers Fender: Distributes a load evenly across a large surface area Shim Stacks: Ideal for simple AND complex applications

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Structural Adhesives for Specialty Trucks and Trailers Many truck and trailer manufacturers are making the switch to adhesives instead of traditional welding and fastening. Lowering fuel cost, wind drag, and weight has become an important component in manufacturing specialty vehicles. Several trial applications have been performed, and results have shown that the bond of structural adhesives are stronger and more reliable. Ellsworth Adhesives offers a variety of acrylic, epoxy, and urethane structural adhesives.

Structural adhesives can be used to configure work truck equipment, trailer assembly, and aftermarket upfitting. Applications can range from panel bonding for trailers, installation of tool boxes in construction trucks, shelf hanging for delivery vehicles, plumbing equipment for firetrucks, to electrical components in utility vehicles.

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Keystone Electronics Corp.

A World Class Manufacturer of precision electronic components & hardware for over 70 years. Keystone’s design and engineering experts are fully integrated with their in-house precision tool & die division supported by advanced manufacturing systems to produce close tolerance Stamping, Machining, Assembly, CNC and Injection Molded parts.

Keystone utilizes state-of-the-art software to support the thousands of standard products found in their Product Design Guide M70 and Keystone’s Dynamic Catalog on-line.

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Pivot Point, Inc. The SLIC Pin™ from Pivot Point is a pin and cotter all-in-one. An excellent alternative to installing e-clips and secondary cotters, the patented SLIC Pin features a spring-loaded plunger which acts as an automatic cotter pin. SLIC installs faster and more consistently than two-piece combinations – increasing productivity, cutting labor costs, and reducing risk of mis-installation and accidental disengagement.

Simply depress the plunger with your finger or a tool in order to remove the pin. Use our “removable” style plunger if removing through small gaps. SLIC Pins can be made in virtually any material and finish. Millions of SLIC Pins are installed every year across all industries. Contact Pivot Point for free samples and information.

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The photo shows a typical control panel with an AutomationDirect RHINO 24-Vdc power supply, STRIDE industrial Ethernet switch, and other associated components. Electronic Circuit Breakers offer many advantages for providing supplementary protection for control panel electrical circuits.

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Circuit protection

gets smart

While fuses and circuit breakers offer tried-and-true electrical circuit protection, new electronic circuit protectors provide far more advanced capabilities.

Kevin Kakascik • AutomationDirect

Although it may often not be top of mind, electrical circuit protection is critical to machine design. For automated machinery, the controllers and drives are typically powered by low voltage and low current, which must be carefully protected to preserve reliable operation.

Any disruption or failure leads to undesired behavior, so designers must carefully follow electrical codes and design practices for best results.

Electrical conductors require protection from damaging overcurrent and short circuit conditions. This is most commonly done by incorporating overcurrent protection devices (OCPDs) such as traditional fuses and circuit breakers, according to the National Electrical Code (NEC). A newer and more advanced option is the electronic circuit breaker (ECB), which can be a good alternative to improve safety and uptime.

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A single channel DIN-rail-mounted ECB (far right) is packaged more space-efficiently than traditional fuses or supplementary protectors, and offers more functionality.

Fuses are available in many form factors and amperage ratings, but for control circuits in North America today it is quite common to see small 5 x 20-mm glass fuses installed into a fuse holder terminal block.

Control power basics Industrial devices and input/output signals are regularly operated at 24 Vdc with relatively small currents. Most connections have a low inrush current unless they are associated with a solenoid or motor.

Because control equipment in North America is generally supplied by 120 Vac, control panels are typically designed with power supplies to convert this into 24 Vdc. These power supplies are downstream of feeder and branch circuit protection, so only supplementary protection is required.

Supplementary protection is designed to protect devices such as sensitive lowcurrent PLC outputs, sensitive electronics, and power supplies. Protecting wires from overcurrent is usually not the goal of supplementary protection since wires are usually rated at a much higher current than the circuit will ever carry under non-fault conditions. The most common forms of control circuit protection are fuses and circuit breakers.

Fused protection Fuses are available in many form factors and amperage ratings, but for control circuits in North America today it is quite common to see small 5 x 20-mm glass fuses installed into a fuse holder terminal

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block. Fuses are known for their fast response, effectiveness, and low cost.

It’s straightforward to specify small glass fuses for control circuits, and they’re available in many different amperage ratings and trip classes.

So what happens when an overcurrent or short circuit occurs on a control circuit protected by a fuse?

Well, the fuse blows, which means the conductive element inside of it vaporizes so the circuit is opened, and the downstream circuit is de-energized.

How do you know which fuse?

What if you have dozens or hundreds of fuses in your control cabinet? An authorized technician can investigate the drawings and use a test meter.

A more convenient option, although it adds cost, is to design panels with indicator fuse holders using LEDs to identify blown fuses. Another option is to wire the load side of each fuse to a PLC input for monitoring, but this is expensive in terms of design, wiring, PLC resources, and enclosure space.

Once a maintenance technician finds and removes a blown fuse, best practice is to inspect the removed fuse ratings, compare them with the design documents, and find a replacement.

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These are small components and it’s easy to lose them or put them in the wrong place, and in some cases a fuse is damaged to an extent that makes identification difficult. What happens when there is not an exact replacement in spares storage, or the technician installs a differently rated fuse?

Fuses can also be susceptible to premature failure in the form of nuisance tripping caused by vibration, and their use should therefore be avoided for these types of applications.

Because fuses have been around so long, finding exact or functionally equal replacement fuses, holders, and other related accessories is almost always possible.

Circuit breaker protection The other tried and true method of control circuit protection is with circuit breakers following clearly defined requirements in the NEC. There is a special category of “supplementary OCPDs” for providing a limited level of protection, usually within equipment.

Normally these are not technically

circuit breakers, but they look and behave like them, although they are only rated for specific applications downstream of properly protected feeder and branch circuits.

Supplementary OCPDs, or supplementary protectors, normally have a UL 1077 rating and are used on supplementary circuits only, such as control circuits. It’s acceptable to use a miniature circuit breaker on supplementary circuits, but circuit breakers are more expensive than supplementary protectors. Both circuit breakers and supplementary protectors are available in many different current ratings and trip curves—as well as in single, double and triple pole configurations.

The obvious advantage of circuit breakers and supplementary protectors is that if they trip (open the downstream circuit) they can be conveniently reset into service, without requiring replacement. Circuit breakers and supplementary protectors also fare better in high vibration environments than fuses, so they are better choices for

Multi-channel ECBs with up to eight channels, like these WAGO models offered

by AutomationDirect, are a compact and capable way to create multiple circuits with supplementary protection, or multiple NEC Class 2 circuits, from 24-Vdc power supplies.

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M o t i o n

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machinery and equipment, where a lot of vibration is present.

However, these devices can fail on occasion and require replacement.

Once again, the technician will need to review ratings, and then check inhouse or distributor stock. Some circuit breakers and supplementary protectors use specifically sized accessories, such as bus bars, which can make future expansion a headache if compatible parts are not manufactured anymore.

Circuit breakers and supplementary breakers are most commonly installed in control panels on DIN rails directly or clipped into a special terminal block base, but one disadvantage is that they typically take up more space than simple fuse holders.

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ECBs: The modern OCPD option After decades of using standard fuses and supplementary protectors, designers today have another option. Consider a device with the reusability of a circuit breaker or supplementary breaker. Add the ability for it to be remotely monitored, reset, turned on or off, and configured with an adjustable trip current.

Package it for a more efficient use of space than a circuit breaker or supplementary protector.

The resulting device is an electronic circuit breaker (ECB).

ECBs are a fast-acting supplementary circuit protection method, able to precisely, quickly, and repeatedly switch off in response to overcurrent and short circuit events, even with long cable runs and small conductor cross-sections. They are the logical choice for supplementary circuit protection and work especially well in conjunction with the switchmode power supplies commonly used with control circuitry. Their flexibility can also reduce the need for spares inventory.

ECBs protect supplementary circuits by electronically monitoring load current. They can recognize overloads and short circuits rapidly, permitting brief current peaks but switching off during longer duration overloads. After a thermal waiting period, the output can be switched on locally like a circuit breaker, or remotely by a control signal.

ECBs come in many different configurations.

Single-channel models are roughly the size of a standard IEC terminal block and come with either fixed or adjustable current ratings. For example, there may be a model with a current rating available in 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 A — as well as adjustable range models that can be set anywhere from 1 to 8 A. Multiple channel models are available, typically offering two to eight channels, and these provide even more flexibility and space savings. These types of ECBs take one power source and distribute it among the 2 to 8 channels. These channels can have adjustable current settings ranging from 0.5 to 10 A depending on the model, and each channel is protected individually. If one channel is tripped the other channels will maintain proper operation, and internal ECB circuitry is designed to prevent reverse feed into the other channels.

The NEC includes special provisions for low power ‘Class 2’ circuits, allowing designers

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to use non-UL-listed devices and more economical wiring methods. Of special note is the fact that ECBs are available in NEC Class 2 compliant models, with a fixed current setting of 3.8 A per channel and active current limiting. This allows an engineer or designer to use a standard (and larger) power supply not rated as an NEC Class 2, and to create Class 2 circuits.

ECBs normally have LED status lights indicating power on, power off, and tripped status for each channel. The ECB also can provide status signals to a PLC, using a communication protocol or pulse counting method, to provide feedback on if a channel is tripped. An ECB can also accept a pulse sequence from a PLC to remotely reset, turn on, and turn off each channel. DW AutomationDirect www.automationdirect.com

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Electrification of off-highway designs with linear actuators Tarek Bugaighis • Ewellix

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The transition of mobile machinery and off-highway equipment away from fossil fuels may be a long-term goal, but electrification is already delivering real benefits in the sector.

Is the era of the internal combustion engine coming to end? Under pressure to reduce harmful emissions, the automotive industry is already gearing up for a large-scale transition to electric power. Now attention is turning to other mobile machinery applications — especially the types of heavy-duty equipment widely used in agriculture, forestry, construction and municipal roles.

In one survey of the mobile machinery sector, more than 70% of respondents said they thought electric power would eventually become more prominent than fossil-fuel power. More than 86% said that electrification is already becoming a more important topic for their organizations.

But despite the growing interest in the topic, real progress in the electrification of mobile machinery has been slow. More than 40% of respondents to the same industry survey said that electrification hadn’t yet impacted their companies.

Agriculture equipment benefits from better function adjustments using electromechanical actuators to replace hydraulics.

Designed to operate in temperatures from -40 to 85°C at up to 20% duty cycle, Ewellix CAHB 20E, 21E and 22E actuators feature robust metal gears, high holding force, speeds to 55 mm/sec, mechanical overload protection, and a manual override option. | AdobeStock.com

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Electromechanical actuators such as the CAHB can be connected to the battery of vehicles to easily integrate higher comfort functions, such as tipping in a UTV.

For internalcombustion engine vehicles, fuel costs of fully electromechanical mobile machines can be half those of their diesel-powered counterparts.

Barriers to wholesale electrification include the high cost and limited availability of batteries with sufficient capacity to support demanding realworld operating cycles. In some sectors, access to suitable charging infrastructure can be another important issue.

Baby steps to incorporate electric actuation However, machine builders and end users are increasingly recognizing that even partial electrification of equipment offers significant cost, reliability, and operational benefits. In off-highway designs, that’s driving renewed interest in hybrid architectures involving a combustion engine to generate electric power for the machine — sometimes in combination with onboard battery storage. Here, the power takeoff from the engine or the hydraulic output

Ewellix CAHB22E linear actuators are suitable maintenance-free replacements for pneumatic or light hydraulic cylinders with 32 mm or 40 mm bores in mediumduty-cycle applications. Rated to IP66M/69K (and sealed by a vent) the self-locking actuators deliver push forces to 10,000 N and pull forces to 20,000 N. 128

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can be replaced by an electrical output. That in turn allows use of electromechanical actuators as a real alternative to the hydraulic systems that have dominated the mobile machinery sector for decades — especially in applications necessitating high loads.

Let’s look at those potential benefits in detail. First, there’s efficiency and stability.

Electromechanical systems only consume the requested energy per cylinder or actuator when they’re actually moving an axis, and they can be up to 80% efficient in turning input power into useful work. That’s in stark contrast to the 44% end-to-end efficiency of a typical hydraulic power system. Greater energy efficiency means lower CO2 emissions … and represents significant cost savings for operators.

For internal combustion engine vehicles, the fuel costs of fully electromechanical mobile machines can be half those of their diesel-powered counterparts.

For electric vehicles, the size of batteries onboard can be halved and they can accept quicker charging. In addition, the recovery of electricity increases efficiency even further … enabling a reduction in battery costs.

Off-highway equipment use of electric systems can offer other environmental advantages too.

Machines with onboard energy storage can be designed to operate under electric power alone for parts of their operating cycle. That makes them much quieter … a real benefit for equipment operating overnight in urban areas, for example. Plus because electromechanical systems don’t use high-pressure oil, the risk of accidents or pollution from fluid DESIGN WORLD

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leaks is eliminated. That’s a boon for vehicles working in the cities or in clean indoor spaces, but also for agricultural machines and for any equipment that operates in sensitive natural environments.

Several performance premiums with electric actuation Another consideration is the cost of keeping equipment running. Modern electromechanical actuators offer very high levels of reliability and long operating lifecycles with very little requirement for routine maintenance.

Even if an actuator does fail in service, replacement is usually a simple case of swapping the component and connecting a few cables. In contrast, hydraulic systems unfortunately require specialist maintenance expertise and can incur extensive downtime.

Off-highway equipment use of

electric systems also boosts productivity.

The speed, position, and acceleration of electromechanical actuators can be precisely controlled over their full range of motion, without the need for elaborate additional control equipment. That capability boosts machine performance and is key to new generations of smart machines that must satisfy wider ranges of tasks and operating conditions than in the past — or must dynamically adapt output as commanded by machine controls. The communications cabling between these electronic controls and electromechanical actuators employed on off-highway equipment are usually via simple I/O or some bus communications such as CAN bus.

This connectivity imparts industrial internet of things (IIoT) capabilities in electromechanical actuators — so OEM machine builders and operators get: • Straightforward access to high-quality

Ewellix electromechanical actuators can be used in applications requiring oil-free operation or demanding higher energy efficiency, with added benefits of integrated sensors and telematics connectivity.

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Ewellix’s CASM-100 modular electric cylinder platform is a line of modular (customizable) actuators developed to address a wide range of heavy machinery applications. Several options are available, making CASM-100 actuators suitable replacements for hydraulics on high-load axes — even those needing up to eight tons of force over medium to high duty cycles. Another benefit is how CASM-100 electromechanical actuators allow regeneration of electric power on vertical axes during the lowering of the load, challenging to accomplish with hydraulic systems.

data relevant to fleet monitoring and predictive and condition-based maintenance approaches • Access to real-time data for onboard diagnostics — a key requirement of autonomous vehicles or robots needing self-reliant systems This IIoT connectivity is possible without the addition of complicated sensor systems needed to collect performance data from hydraulic or pneumatic systems.

Migrating mobile machinery to electromechanical linear actuators Many of today’s electric-actuator offerings for mobile equipment trace their roots to designs that have been used for decades on road pavers, road sweepers, combine harvesters, lawn mowers, and other work vehicles needing auxiliary adjustment or lifting systems. What’s new is that designing and specifying electromechanical systems in mobile machinery has in recent years become increasingly straightforward.

Most all of these actuators have at their core a dc motor for easy integration into battery-powered and onboard power-generation systems.

Most all of these actuators also have ruggedized and sealed bodies to withstand wild operating temperatures and corrosive outdoor settings.

Beyond that, electric-actuator features are fairly flexible … with some suppliers of electromechanical systems offering highly modular designs to let OEMs tailor performance features to their build in a cost-effective and well-integrated package. Some such actuator manufacturers even provide OEMs additional assistance in this design process … by leveraging years of development, testing, and

customer-support experience to help engineer actuator systems specifically designed to satisfy the rigors of mobile applications.

On a related note is a relatively new development in industry — namely, the availability of modular actuators for which heavy-machinery builders can even specify base component features and internal components. These actuators essentially serve as customlike stock solutions with optimized performance-to-cost ratios. DW Ewellix | www.ewellix.com

Electric drivetrains have become the standard in forklift trucks used indoors or in warehouses.

To improve runtime, the efficiency of its work or steering functions can be improved by employing electromechanical actuators, such as the Ewellix CASM-100.

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From

CAD Model toMedical Model Computer-aided design was piloted by engineers, who continue to rely on it. Now, medical researchers realize CAD is the perfect tool for modeling human anatomy.

Jean Thilmany • Senior Editor

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Engineers can design an automobile with computer-aided design,

then test how the computerized car will respond to everything from tire wear to crashes. Shouldn’t the same go for the human heart?

Steve Levine thought so. As senior director of life sciences at Dassault Systèmes, in 2013 he began to explore the idea of building a virtual model of the human heart. A computerized model like this, if accurate, could be used to diagnose medical conditions, treat illness, and test new drugs.

Fast forward seven years and Levine’s team along with many collaborators continue to perfect the Living Heart model they’ve developed.

Recently, the FDA renewed a collaboration agreement with the software company. They’ll work together to make the regulatory review process for medical devices more efficient through the use of computer simulations that can cut the review time, Levine says.

The company is not alone in developing 3-D computer models that mirror how a part of the human body functions. The models are being used to investigate how to deliver personalized care, to test how medical devices would function, and even to print living tissue for study.

Increasingly, the type of CAD modeling traditionally done by engineers is crossing over into healthcare applications.

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l

There’s a lot of work being done in modeling people’s tissue based on computed tomography or magnetic resonance imagining the results and using that as a diagnostic tool, says Lehanna Sanders, business development manager at Advanced Solutions Life Sciences.

Her company has created a six-axis, robotic three-dimensional printing workstation that can print tissues, biological gels and coatings, and, perhaps, eventually, an entire human organ such as the heart.

While Advanced Solutions began as a life sciences company, Dassault Systèmes is known as maker of engineering software. In recent years, the company has added to that technology, with its simulation and analysis software for virtual prototyping and testing.

By bringing all this software together—the technologies now sit on the 3DExperience platform—Levine knew the company could expand the type of automobile simulation it’s

known for to simulate the functioning of the human body.

The company held its sixth annual Living Heart Symposium, to address updates to the project and future uses, in December 2020.

As befitted the subject-matter, the symposium was held virtually during the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Now, 99% of crash tests are done on computer before they build the final prototype, Levine says. “In 2013, BMW came to one of our conferences and said they no longer have to build physical prototypes. They go right to production from the virtual model. A couple of years later, Airbus said the same about a plane.

“I wondered, in the medical field, why there’s such a difference?” he says. “Why is there a strong gap between the quality of the virtual representation in automotive and in the medical field?”

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The Bioassembly Bot is a six-axis robotic 3-D printing workstation that can print human tissue and, perhaps one day, an entire human organ.

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The Living Heart Project from Dassault Systèmes aims to digitally simulate the human heart. The simulations could one day be used by the FDA to gain approval for medical devices. The human heart is simulated using computation modeling software as well as other engineering software that is part of Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience Platform.

Dassault Systèmes decided to start with a model of the heart because it could be of the most use. Heart disease is the number one cause of death worldwide.

It costs the United States more than $400 billion annually, according to the American Heart Association.

So, in January 2014, Levine brought together researchers, engineers, regulators, physicians, and others who have a look into the human heart.

“We could bring together all these fragments of knowledge everyone has in their individual niche,” he says. “Turns out, together we knew enough to build a working model of the human heart.”

Over the years Dassault Systèmes and the FDA have worked with 130 member organizations and over 250 cardiovascular specialists to develop the Living Heart model.

In essence, the team was able to reverseengineer a working simulation of the human heart. Engineers used MRI and CT-scan images from a range of people to begin the modeling process within the 3DExperience CAD system, Levine says.

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heart beat and pumps blood.

“You have to get them exactly right or they won’t get the response critical to the behavior of the heart,” Levine says.

After much work by researchers and engineers, the final result: a working model of a complete heart, with four chambers, valves, papillary muscles, blood vessels and blood flow dynamics.

Researchers can run simulations on the model to depict how the digital heart is affected by drugs and by medical devices. In future years, this type of information could be a boon to regulators.

The simulations could one day help physicians and surgeons to virtually analyze their patients’ health and plan therapies and surgeries, Levine says.

Will it break?

One of the first uses of the model was to help create a standard for a pacemaker lead. The lead is the wire that extends from the pacemaker; it delivers a shock that stimulates the heart to beat. Those leads are made from metal and they can break and harm patients.

For that reason, a standardssetting body wanted to determine a specification lead for safe operation. But first, it needed solid information about how the wires affect the heart, Levine says.

“So, we modeled the wire inside the model of the virtual heart to see what

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happens,” Levine says. “Engineers know how to calculate if the metal will bend or break.”

For its current collaborative work with the FDA, Levine’s team is expanding on that work, using the model to study drug interactions.

To that end, the team is working to create virtual patients that mirror issues seen in real-life patient populations.

With a virtual patient, the designers don’t have to rely on people who have that issue and are willing and able to participate, traditionally a tall order.

The key here is researchers’ ability to simulate how a drug affects the virtual patient’s heart.

The number one reason a drug fails to pass clinical trials is that it slows the heart, possibly causing fatal arrhythmia—a heart attack, Levine says.

“If a drug does this it’s almost immediately kicked out of development,” he adds. “The drug can be 10 or 15 years into a trial, only to find out it has this one phenomena.

“We could give the virtual patients the treatment instead to determine if arrhythmia occurs,” he adds. “That saves a lot of development time. We can also study drug dosage on the virtual patient to find safe dosage.”

By cutting development time and by showing that virtual-patient behavior mirrors real-life patient behavior, the Living Heart Project could speed the regulatory process, Levine says.

He pointed out that though BMW and Airbus model equipment behavior rather than the pumping of the heart, those manufacturers have done away with much of their physical testing in favor of simulated tests, including full crash tests.

“With virtual human models it can be like the automotive testing today, where we only need 1% of the population to be real,” Levine says.

Recreating exact anatomy The heart project is not alone in using engineering software to model human anatomy. Some of those existing DESIGN WORLD

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models—all with various complexity— are commercially available, offered by engineering software companies who have already created the models within their software. They can be integrated with an engineering companies’ existing work.

Other models can be custom made to exactly mirror a patient’s anatomy.

For instance, the Boston company Biomedical Modeling Inc. (BMI) provides its BioCAD service, which translates CT and MRI data into 3-D SolidWorks CAD models.

Researchers use these models for many of the same purposes Levine outlined.

They simulate heart, blood vessels, bones, and internal organs and can be used to model how medical devices would affect their functioning, says Crispin Weinberg, BMI president.

Weinberg holds a Harvard Ph.D. in neurology and was a research fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in cell biology and tissue engineering.

Another important use of services like BMI’s is to 3-D print physical representations of a patient’s specific anatomical organ. The printed models are driven by the CAD models based on patient’s scans.

A printed part that physicians hold in their hand and manipulate can help them plan patient-specific surgeries, Weinburg says.

Over the years Dassault Systèmes and the FDA have worked with 130 member organizations and over 250 cardiovascular specialists to develop the Living Heart model.

Printing living tissue Increasingly, biomedical engineers are using models to help with the printing of biomedical materials, such as living tissue, says Sanders of Advanced Solutions Life Sciences, of Louisville, KY. Researchers use the company’s sixaxis robotic 3-D printing workstation— the Bioassembly Bot—to print tissue, cells, biological gels and coatings. In the future, the bot might help diagnose patients and may be used to print living tissue inside a patient during surgery, she says. Currently, researchers use her company’s Bioassembly Bot to print www.designworldonline.com

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biological tissue for their biomedical experiments.

It’s the robotic nature of the tool, along with its six axes, that turn the 3D printer into a 3D biofabrication device. Up to ten independent types of materials can be loaded in the printing workstation during one print run. That means experimenters can use different cell types or materials within a single test, Sanders says.

Advanced Solutions developed Tissue Structure Information Modeling (TSIM) software along with its Bioassembly Bot hardware.

The software is integrated with the robotic assembly device, so physicians and researchers can import patientspecific data sets from CT or MRI images and generate 3D structures based on that data, Sanders says.

Alternatively, researchers can build their own model and assign various material properties to parts of the model, specify print parameters, and eventually hold in their hands a 3D version of the printed model, she adds.

The robotic device can also print from the stereolithography files other CAD systems generate for 3D printing, she says.

Personalized valve placement Human-anatomical modeling is also making headway into surgeries, including heart surgery, customized to patient anatomy.

A 2018 study by the University of Minnesota examined the effectiveness of 3D computer modeling to predict whether patients undergoing a type of aortic valve replacement will experience valve leak, says Sergey Gurevich, lead author on the study. He’s an interventional cardiologist at the University of Minnesota.

Patients with severe narrowing of their aortic valves are candidates for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) surgery in which surgeons implant a prosthetic valve to replace

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their damaged valve. TAVR a less invasive procedure used to replace the heart’s aortic valve than other surgeries.

But patients who undergo TAVR can experience paravalvular leak (PLV) around the new valve. Those with leaks have a higher mortality rate, Gurevich says.

In the study, six patients undergoing TAVR and for risk for PVL had CT images taken before their surgeries.

The images were then segmented to create 3D models of the aortic root, Gurevich says.

Researchers used these models to simulate how an implanted valve would perform. They then compared these simulations to actual patients’ implanted TAVR echocardiograms, he adds.

Every leak seen on the 3-D models was confirmed on the patients’ CT digital scans. This proved the models’ accuracy, Gurevich says.

This means the researchers can use prototypes to personalize valve placement, size, and location to stop leaks and lower calcium build up, he adds.

Gurevich’s team is now working on computational fluid dynamics to optimize calculations.

“These patients are at a high risk of developing a leak after TAVR, and anything we can do to identify and prevent these leaks from happening is certainly helpful, Gurevich says.

Levine was on to something when he discovered that the types of models engineers use routinely hadn’t yet made their way into the medical world. The FDA agrees and is looking into making models a part of the regulatory process.

Tissue engineering; personalized medicine, it’s all part of medical advancement and CAD is playing a big role. In fact, it looks like medical researchers would be lost without it. DW

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5

ways

to improve packaging machinery with smart pneumatics Chris Noble | Business Development F&B/IIoT Consultant | Emerson Automation Solutions

Today’s packaging machines are becoming better equipped with sophisticated automation systems that often include some type of pneumatics technology for actuation, filling, positioning, palletizing, depalletizing, etc. However, the digitalization and IoT benefits that can be realized from modern pneumatic systems are often overlooked.

The packaging industry has counted on pneumatics as a simple but reliable machine technology to package items from shampoo bottles and cereal boxes to egg cartons and cheese containers. In fact, most products on store shelves have interacted with pneumatics at some point, often in material handling. Even labeling applications can involve pneumatics.

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very forgiving machine element and a low-cost way to add motion to equipment. Pneumatic components are relatively simple to diagnose and fix — quite different than many other complex components found on a modern packaging line.

Another advantage is that pneumatics can easily adapt to certain changes in the operating environment, such as a slight variation in temperature or humidity or the introduction of a new packaging material. Pneumatic actuators are more tolerant when it comes to grabbing new products or package sizes, even when components and materials aren’t perfectly aligned on the machine.

Contrast that with a complex servo system that can’t adapt

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Intelligent pneumatic devices, like the Emerson Aventics AF2 airflow sensor, can provide realtime insights on air flow, while also capturing pressure and temperature data in the feed line. | Courtesy of Emerson

as easily, causing issues that trigger downtime and expensive troubleshooting.

Improving machinery with smart pneumatics Pneumatics have long been considered a steadfast and cost-effective technology, especially when compared to all-electric solutions. Now, however, pneumatic systems are getting a fresh look from the OEM community as technology suppliers add intelligence to what were previously considered dumb devices.

In the past, it didn’t make sense financially to monitor data from a low-cost pneumatic actuator; you simply replaced it when it broke and dealt with the downtime. However, in

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reality, a $100 actuator could be a pinch point to the entire machine. Today, as sensing technology has advanced, it is now easier to monitor these actuators and get actionable data without being cost prohibitive.

The challenge for technology suppliers, OEMs and end-users is to work together to create systems that deliver useful intelligence. For example, agreeing on key performance indicators (KPIs) upfront can help ensure consistent machine performance that aligns with expectations. But end-users might not communicate the critical KPIs they need to manage. One solution is for OEMs to stay involved with the end-

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The Emerson RXi2-LP industrial PC brings all sensor data together for accessibility, historian, visualization and analysis for primary product packaging machines or complete packaging lines.

Real-time monitoring and diagnostics capabilities enable better OEE for the packaging line. | Courtesy of Emerson

acceleration and deceleration rates.

The machine operator can use velocity to see if the action measures the same across time or if there are aberrations that require attention. Likewise, smart pneumatic technology can help monitor internal cushion wear to determine how aggressively the actuator is running into the cushion. Looking into data from these areas can review potential problems, such as worn cushions or misaligned pneumatic cylinder rods. The end result is scheduling maintenance accordingly to minimize downtime on the machine and keep OEE levels as high as possible.

For many OEMs, vibration monitoring serves as a starting point for IoT-enabled technology. The next level of smart pneumatics incorporates vibration technology built into the actuators. This technology has been used for some time in other areas, such as racing or

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robotics, and is being leveraged to identify the characteristics of specific machine components.

5 Operator adaption parameter changes Many users think increasing data generates new layers of complexity.

However, when implemented properly, IoT-enabled components can simplify data into maximums and minimums to help operators adjust machine or sequence performance. For example, if a machine drops beyond 10% of its optimal range, the operator will see more than a basic notification that something is wrong. The alert can also provide the issue’s location — like an indicator showing specifically which door of a car is ajar — saving time when troubleshooting to identify the specific problem instead of working down a time-consuming checklist.

April 2021 www.designworldonline.com

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Smart pneumatics can also make it easier to implement and track parameter changes to ensure consistency across production shifts.

For example, a beverage manufacturer running three shifts might regularly run into situations where different operator adjustments are made from shift to shift. Now, at the start of each shift, an operator can easily reset the machine components to automatically align with established settings, saving time during shift changes.

A good fit for packaging machines Smart pneumatics technology is being used to help companies with digital transformation. It offers more efficient preventive maintenance as well as energy savings. In addition, smart pneumatics are scalable, whether it’s a new machine or legacy equipment that needs a retrofit. Ultimately, success hinges on partnering with an experienced pneumatics technology provider that understands the specific algorithms and applications where pneumatics is used. They can provide smart pneumatic monitoring systems with those algorithms embedded upfront, providing ready-to-leverage data— so machine makers and endusers can improve OEE. DW

Emerson Automation Solutions www.emerson.com DESIGN WORLD

4/13/21 10:56 AM

a half million or million cycles, and when that point is reached the valve is replaced, whether it’s faulty or not. But a counter cannot account for changes, such as constant stopping and starting, that can significantly affect a component’s life cycle. As a result, the component may fail unexpectedly and cause expensive, unplanned downtime.

Pneumatic sensors allow for better “real-use” data than a calculation based on numbers from a spec sheet. Now users can access data based on actual stroke and movement as well as speed.

Sensors measuring speed are a recent innovation that can detect if actuators are pushed past a specific percentage — much like knowing the state of a car’s brakes based on gently using the brake pedal or slamming on it.

Pneumatics used throughout a packaging machine, such as a bulk depalletizer, can tie in with an overall automation system to provide comprehensive, actionable performance data to improve overall equipment effectiveness. | Machine image courtesy of Busse/SJI Corp.

4 Actuator velocities, mechanical cushioning wear and vibration monitoring Measuring actuator velocity can also help ensure better OEE. With smart pneumatics, end-users can now measure the consistency of an actuator’s

Local dashboard for pneumatics applications: The system shows in advance when critical limits will be reached and provides users with key information for early intervention. Local data is recorded independently of the control and information is supplied via standard interfaces, whether in a local IT network or in the user’s cloud solution. | Courtesy of Emerson

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The Emerson RXi2-LP industrial PC brings all sensor data together for accessibility, historian, visualization and analysis for primary product packaging machines or complete packaging lines.

Real-time monitoring and diagnostics capabilities enable better OEE for the packaging line. | Courtesy of Emerson

acceleration and deceleration rates.

The machine operator can use velocity to see if the action measures the same across time or if there are aberrations that require attention. Likewise, smart pneumatic technology can help monitor internal cushion wear to determine how aggressively the actuator is running into the cushion. Looking into data from these areas can review potential problems, such as worn cushions or misaligned pneumatic cylinder rods. The end result is scheduling maintenance accordingly to minimize downtime on the machine and keep OEE levels as high as possible.

For many OEMs, vibration monitoring serves as a starting point for IoT-enabled technology. The next level of smart pneumatics incorporates vibration technology built into the actuators. This technology has been used for some time in other areas, such as racing or

142

robotics, and is being leveraged to identify the characteristics of specific machine components.

5 Operator adaption parameter changes Many users think increasing data generates new layers of complexity.

However, when implemented properly, IoT-enabled components can simplify data into maximums and minimums to help operators adjust machine or sequence performance. For example, if a machine drops beyond 10% of its optimal range, the operator will see more than a basic notification that something is wrong. The alert can also provide the issue’s location — like an indicator showing specifically which door of a car is ajar — saving time when troubleshooting to identify the specific problem instead of working down a time-consuming checklist.

April 2021 www.designworldonline.com

Fluid.Power.4-21_Vs3.LL.indd 142

Smart pneumatics can also make it easier to implement and track parameter changes to ensure consistency across production shifts.

For example, a beverage manufacturer running three shifts might regularly run into situations where different operator adjustments are made from shift to shift. Now, at the start of each shift, an operator can easily reset the machine components to automatically align with established settings, saving time during shift changes.

A good fit for packaging machines Smart pneumatics technology is being used to help companies with digital transformation. It offers more efficient preventive maintenance as well as energy savings. In addition, smart pneumatics are scalable, whether it’s a new machine or legacy equipment that needs a retrofit. Ultimately, success hinges on partnering with an experienced pneumatics technology provider that understands the specific algorithms and applications where pneumatics is used. They can provide smart pneumatic monitoring systems with those algorithms embedded upfront, providing ready-to-leverage data— so machine makers and endusers can improve OEE. DW

Emerson Automation Solutions www.emerson.com DESIGN WORLD

4/13/21 10:56 AM

5G TECHNOLOGY WORLD Delivers the Latest 5G Technology Trends

5G Technology World is EEWorldOnline’s newest site covering 5G technology, systems, infrastructure, and wireless design and development.

Get caught up on critical 5G information, check out the following articles on 5GTechnologyWorld.com: Massive MIMO performance testing: Emulate the channel Performing MIMO testing using real-world conditions is critical for successful 5G deployments. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/massive-mimoperformance-testing-emulate-the-channel

5G is hot, keep your components and systems cool 5G’s antennas and the devices that drive them generate more heat than their LTE predecessors. That creates new cooling problems for wireless devices and systems. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/5g-is-hot-keep-yourcomponents-and-systems-cool

5G moves into production, causes test issues 5G Technology World talks with Teradyne’s Jeorge Hurtarte, who explains components and over-the-air production test of 5G components. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/5g-moves-intoproduction-causes-test-issues

IEEE 1588 adds timing performance while reducing cost and risk GPS and GNSS have been the standards for network timing, but they have security issues. A Master clock and IEEE 1588 reduces the risk and lowers installation costs. www.5gtechnologyworld.com/ieee-1588-adds-timingperformance-while-reducing-cost-and-risk

For additional content, go to: www.5gtechnologyworld.com

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M e c h a n i c a l

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In engineering, one of the more common questions ABB gets on the Raptor coupling deals with the twisting of the element. Many users incorrectly assume this is a sign of failure. This phenomenon is common to any elastomeric coupling and is the result of a process called creep. Here, we take a look at several examples of creep.

How to handle

elastomeric coupling creep Edited by Mike Santora

Creep is the tendency of a material, subject to mechanical stress, to plastically deform over time. Creep can occur at any stress level, even below the yield strength of the material. Creep can occur due to compressive, tensile, and shear stresses. The level of creep is based primarily on the material, level of stress, temperature, and time.

This article will discuss the mechanism and stages of creep, the effects of creep on elastomeric couplings, and the primary failure mode due to creep.

There are four stages of mechanical creep. Figure 2a illustrates the four stages for a given material and applied level of stress as a function of strain (twist) versus time. Stage 1 is called primary creep and involves a high rate of strain. During this stage, the material begins to work-harden, and the strain rate begins to reduce. In stage 2, the rate of strain begins to level out. Stage 3 occurs when the material begins to neck, and the stain rate rapidly increases. The creep rupture envelope, illustrated by the dashed line in the figure, represents the beginning of stage 3, at which point failure becomes inevitable.

Stage 4 is actual failure. Figure 2b illustrates creep at a lower level of strain. Notice that most strain occurs over a short period, and the strain curve does not cross the creep rupture envelope.

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Figure 1.

Creep examples

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Figure 2a. High strain

Figure 3. Excessive torque and misalignment

Figure 2b. Low strain With elastomeric couplings, creep means progressive wind up, or torsional strain, when the element is exposed to constant torque or shock loading for extended periods.

If the coupling is designed and sized appropriately, the stress level in the material will be low, and the amount of creep will be minimal. Figure 2b, above, represents the creep associated with an appropriately sized coupling. This coupling would likely never fail due to creep. Under higher stress levels, the element would continue to creep until creep rupture. The image below shows a Raptor coupling subject to excessive

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torque and misalignment for an extended period. The amount of creep before rupture can be seen in the misalignment of the split in the element.

This Raptor coupling uses a natural rubber element. This results in many benefits over couplings that use urethane, such as lower operating temperatures, lower reaction forces on connected equipment, better dampening, easier installation, etc. However, natural rubber is softer than the urethane used in some other couplings. The result is more creep under identical loading. www.designworldonline.com

Creep is heavily influenced by temperature. Nearly any material will exhibit some degree of creep under constant stress, particularly as the material approaches its melting point.

Any situation that leads to increased temperature will increase the rate of creep. In elastomeric couplings, that means not only ambient temperature but things like vibration, misalignment, and shock loads, all of which lead to increased element temperature.

Here, the choice of coupling material can have a significant impact. Natural rubber has a relatively high thermal conductivity, allowing it to dissipate any heat generated better than other coupling materials, like urethane.

Creep occurs when a material is subjected to constant stress over a long period. With properly selected elastomeric couplings, most of the creep will occur early in the lifecycle of the coupling. This should not be considered a sign of failure or a sign that the coupling will eventually fail due to creep. DW

ABB | new.abb.com DESIGN WORLD

4/8/21 3:16 PM

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A Supplement to Design World - April 2021

Design equipment faster, smarter, and under budget with TiPS from leading suppliers. | AdobeStock.com

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B e a r i n g s

Should remanufactured

bearings

become the norm?

According to SKF, it takes approximately 100 process steps to produce a new bearing, compared to roughly ten for a remanufactured bearing. Therefore, it’s no surprise, that there has been an increasing demand for remanufactured bearings in heavy-duty industrial applications. Here Chris Johnson, managing director at SMB Bearings, explores this alternative to bearing replacement.

Edited by Mike Santora | Associate Editor

If a bearing becomes worn due to misalignment, false brinelling, or corrosion, the most common approach is to replace the entire component. However, there is another option using a remanufacturing process to restore the component to working life. As the name suggests, remanufacturing involves rebuilding a bearing to either meet or exceed the original manufactured product’s specifications.

This can use a combination of reused, repaired, and new parts.

Bearings with more than 30% of their remaining service life can be remanufactured. This process can offer a practical and environmentally sustainable alternative for industrial sectors such as pulp and paper, food and beverage, mining, and marine. The key is knowing when to opt for remanufacturing and which approach will yield more cost-savings in the long run.

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How does it work?

First, the used bearing must undergo inspection, which will compare it with the initial specification drawing. At this stage, the bearing will also be disassembled, cleaned, and degreased. Following a visual inspection, microscopic inspection, dimensional inspection, and testing will occur.

This will culminate in a detailed analysis report that will detail recommendations for appropriate refurbishment and remanufacturing processes. In addition, the data gathered during this initial analysis phase of the

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remanufacturing process can be used to improve future maintenance programs. Data relating to recurring failures or accelerated wear can be used as part of an ongoing preventative maintenance schedule.

Next follows reclassification services — encompassing minor repair, demagnetization, dynamic testing, relubrication, reassembly, and packaging for the bearing’s return to its application. If further intervention is needed, engineers will call for refurbishment. This refurbishment will include the previous actions

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in addition to one or more of the following: replacing rolling elements, remanufacturing the bearing’s cage, replacing components like seals and snap rings, grinding or polishing, and plating mounting surfaces and polishing raceways.

The remanufacturing process comprises the final set of steps, including grinding, installing a new ring, and modifying the component. At this stage, engineers can opt to improve the performance or properties of the original bearing to increase operational efficiency and decrease future maintenance interventions.

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Bearings with more than 30% of their remaining service life can be remanufactured.

This can offer a practical and environmentally sustainable alternative for industrial sectors such as pulp and paper, food and beverage, mining, and marine.

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B e a r i n g s

Are the cost-saving benefits worth it?

Large bearings such as spherical roller bearings, deep groove ball bearings, tapered roller bearings, caster bearings, and slewing bearings are good remanufacturing candidates. For example, if a large industrial bearing in a pumping system failed unexpectedly before the end of its service life, remanufacturing could increase the life cycle of the bearing by more than 50% and provide up to 60% savings compared to the cost of a new bearing. In this scenario, the advantages of remanufacturing are undeniable.

In contrast, for smaller bearings, such as the EZO miniature bearings, it is not considered cost-effective.

But, depending on the condition, complexity, price, and application of larger bearings, remanufacturing may offer a favorable cost-benefit.

That said, smaller bearings can benefit from services such as relubrication, which can extend a bearing’s service life.

A question of environmental sustainability Improved performance characteristics are not the only advantage though. Remanufacturing bearings has a positive impact on the environment also, as it reduces the unwanted use of natural resources and the disposal of components when they become damaged or fail. Instead of the make-use-dispose industrial model, remanufacturing feeds into the circular economy model by recovering and regenerating

products and materials.

The energy requirement for remanufacturing is as low as 90% compared to the production of a new bearing. It also minimizes the need for new raw material and can also offer quicker manufacturing turn arounds. For specialized industrial bearings, it could take weeks for a replacement to arrive.

On the contrary, remanufacturing can reduce lead times significantly, increasing machine uptime and profit. Remanufacturing also allows facilities to maintain better machine availability and reduce stock.

While not all bearings are suitable for remanufacture, in many instances, this is an economically viable route that extends a bearing’s service life, reduces maintenance costs, and supports sustainability. Relubrication, on the other hand, is arguably a good middle ground for most bearing types, and should be considered if old bearings are healthy but are no longer required for their original application. DW SMB Bearings www.smbbearings.com

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Connect and discuss this and other engineering design issues with thousands of professionals online

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Product World Stainless steel adjusting screws JW Winco jwwinco.com The stainless-steel adjusting screw, GN 827, is intended for use with bearing blocks GN 828 and simplifies parts’ attachment to various processing and assembly mechanisms in machines, installations, and jigs. This means that processes that require the repositioning and adjustment of devices can be carried out more quickly. The mechanisms are moved into or out of position using an adjusting screw with a rotating knob and hexagon socket fitted with a scale with 0.1 mm graduations.

Depending on the application, the stainless-steel adjusting screws are available in various thread diameters and lengths and

High precision limit switches AutomationDirect automationdirect.com High-temperature precision limit switches have been added that provide a 10-micron accuracy and are rated for temperatures of up to 200ºC. These high-vacuum resistance limit switches are high precision with an accuracy of 10 microns and are designed to be used in a 10^(-5)PA high-vacuum environment.

High-vacuum resistance precision limit switches come in stroke lengths from 0.8 to 5 mm and are available in M5x0.5, M14x1, and 16x1 mm threaded barrel diameters. These high-temperature and high vacuum resistance precision limit switches have a 1-year warranty.

can be optimally fastened to the production machine in combination with bearing blocks GN 828 from Winco. Once the optimal setting has been found, the adjusting screw can be locked in place with a stainless-steel knurled nut GN 827.1 explicitly designed for this purpose. The bearing blocks are made of matte, smoothly polished aluminum which can

Silver filled epoxy meets ISO 10993-5 cytotoxicity standards Master Bond masterbond.com

be mounted from above or from the front.

Master Bond EP77M-Fred is a two-part epoxy adhesive and sealant designed for the assembly of medical devices. It meets the ISO 10993-5 requirements and is not considered to have a cytotoxic effect.

As a silver-filled system, EP77M-FMed provides excellent electrical conductivity, with a low volume resistivity of 10-3 ohm-cm. It provides a thermal conductivity of 1.44-1.73 W/(m•K), resists thermal cycling, and has a Shore D hardness of 40-50 at room temperature. It can withstand exposure to water, liquid sterilants, anti-microbial disinfectants, and EtO sterilization. It offers a tensile strength of 2,000-3,000 psi and a tensile modulus of 250,000-300,000 psi at 75°F. This system is serviceable over the temperature range of -100 to +250°F. DESIGN WORLD

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Ad Index

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Bishop Wisecarver ............................. 27

ROLEC Enclosures Inc. ...................... 15

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Smalley Steel Ring .............................. 21

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