Tech Tips

Providing a better product is the goal of every engineering department. When it comes to rail guides, the key factors that make a great unit included rigidity, accuracy, and damping capability. Each of these features has been available—in varying degrees—in products presently on the market. But, with the idea of providing a better product, we’d…

Energy costs are a significant expense for companies in industries from manufacturing to commercial, transportation to retail, and even for businesses like marinas and campgrounds. But where do you begin the process of maximizing your operation’s energy efficiency? An investment in developing a sound energy master plan, based on guidance in the ISO 50001 standard,…

Download the Nason Cylinders Ebook Nason’s space-efficient pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders are engineered smaller and stronger for a variety of uses, while their custom-build designs ensure there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. With Nason, your specific application gets the perfect solution.

Download the Nippon Bearing eBook NB’s standard TOPBALL® TW type is the forerunner of the TOPBALL Ultimate and it is available in a wide range of sizes. TOPBALL has 3 times the load capacity and 27 times more travel life than conventional bushings. Because it is self-aligning, it speeds manufacturing and assembly. It is a…

  Recirculating Slide Guides Recirculating slide guides excel in three areas: applications needing longer strokes, designs with space constraints and configurations where cost is a primary concern. Because of the unique design, travels are only limited by the maximum rail length of each profile size.

A solid state relay (SSR), is an electronic device that silently switches loads on or off when an external voltage is applied to its control terminals. Their lack of moving parts and silent, quick switching are merely a few of the distinct advantages an SSR has over an electromechanical relay (EMR). Two and three pole…

Download NB Ebook Crossed roller bearings provide moreaccuracy, rigidity, and weight-bearing capacity for linear motion than other commonly used friction-reducing devices such as ball bearings. And unlike ball bearings, they can support moment loads, radial forces or tilting loads.

Before you specify a rotary ball spline, ask the question, “Should the rotary spline nut be riding on angular contact ball bearings or crossed roller bearings?” After ascertaining your application’s requirements – stroke length; velocity; applied load; mounting space; duty cycle; required life; dimensions; installation direction; environment and accuracy – you’re ready to factor in…

Slide Guide Advanced Engineering: Industry demands more precise, smaller, lighter and longer-life linear guides and linear bearings. NB responded by adding more features and advantages to their Slide Guide systems. High capacity: Because tight raceway groove machining provides the greatest ball contact area possible. Omnidirectional load: Because 45° contact angle distributes your load evenly. Low…

UtiliTrak® linear guides are designed for commercial applications where easy installation and minimal maintenance requirements are the primary design objectives. They are constructed with DualVee Motion Technology® in the vee and vee/crown wheel, or the MadeWell® crown roller designs. These, along with a variety of material and seal options, provides high reliability, easy installation and…

Why is it still common to see wire leads manually soldered to the PCB? Explore just a few of the many potential pitfalls inherent in this human-centric process, and the different ways a surface mounted PCB terminal block–attached to the PCB in the automated reflow process–can add connection reliability while improving your end product and…

How can aerospace manufacturing companies meet the challenges of effectively increasing speed and efficiency, while also maintaining carbon-neutral growth? The answer lies in a machine and process digital transformation. Here’s what you need to know. Register below to get your copy of this ebook.

Deciding to use—or simply consider—sheet metal for an application is the first step in a process. The process begins, of course, with function, which in turn dictates design. Choosing a material and gauge are critical steps that involve balancing factors like strength, weight, and cost. This is not a simple process, but it can be…

DESIGNING PLASTIC PARTS for moldability has always been important for traditional injection molding processes, but it’s particularly beneficial during rapid injection molding to ensure speed and quality remain constant during manufacturing. This guide examines many of the important design considerations that are encountered during injection molding part design. Download the ebook from Protolabs to learn…

Download Hawe Ebook Proportional directional spool valves are a type of directional valve. They control the direction of movement and the velocity of individual or multiple hydraulic consumers actuated simultaneously. Control is independent of the load and continuous.

When it comes to linear motion, the challenge is rarely easy. Machine designers push progress despite harsh environments, tackle problems with rigorous application requirements, and require expertly designed, reliable components at every step. With high-quality actuators, resilient guide wheel technology, and the knowledge and guidance needed to deploy these tools in the most demanding situations,…

Why do connectors fail? Ideally, your connectors perform to their rated lifecycles. For industrial machinery, improper designs and other factors can cause connectors to fail prematurely, which can cause costly machine damage. Here’s a look at some common causes of failure and how to prevent them. Download the ebook from Mill-Max to learn more…

Model-Based Definition (MBD) is a prerequisite for achieving Model-Based Enterprise, but the realities of implementing MBD have traditionally been fraught with challenges. Today, many of the hurdles that were once stumbling blocks for adoption of MBD have disappeared. Advances in technology and standards are bringing us to the point where MBD will become a preferred…

CNC machining keeps improving and advancing every year, and, therefore, gets a bit more complex each year. As a result, it can be challenging to keep pace with the dos and don’ts of part design. But lowering the cost of machined parts while improving functionality can still be achieved by a few relatively simple adjustments…

Because it has greater ball contact in its ground circular arches (tripling load capacity), the TOPBALL® line by NB Corporation can actually carry a load of up to one ton (2000 lbs). Having three times the conventional load capacity, TOPBALL products minimize space requirements. The TOPBALL line is uniquely engineered to selfalign. They have load…

The demand for high precision, electromechanical motion control has been continuously growing in step with the markets they serve. These markets, including semiconductor, electronics manufacturing, photonics, and life sciences, all have applications that require high precision while demanding a continued push for higher speeds (throughput) and a smaller actuator footprint. In order to accomplish this,…

UtiliTrak® is an ideal choice for running two systems in parallel, where one slide uses DualVee® guide wheels and the other uses MadeWell® crowned rollers. Because precise parallelism is difficult to achieve, it is not uncommon for mounting surfaces to be slightly out of parallel. UtiliTrak’s design compensates for mounting errors, and does not require…

HERE ARE SOME DISTURBING FACTS. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that there were 3,450 distraction-related deaths on U.S. highways in 2016, another 803 highway deaths related to drowsiness, 10,497 drunk-driving deaths, and 10,111 fatalities related to speeding. The point all these fatalities have in common is that in each…

In this new eBook from Clippard, learn about: HYSTERESIS AND HOW IT AFFECTS PROPORTIONAL VALVES: What is hysteresis? Is it important for your application? What effects could it have? LEAK DETECTION METHODS: Manufacturers of leak decay testing equipment have especially high standards for the valves they use. In order for their testing equipment to function,…

When it comes to linear motion, the challenge is rarely easy. Machine designers push progress despite harsh environments, tackle problems with rigorous application requirements, and require expertly designed, reliable components at every step. With high-quality actuators, resilient guide wheel technology, and the knowledge and guidance needed to deploy these tools in the most demanding situations,…