Industrial Technology

The fastest welding for the fastest trains

The installation and commissioning of a 30x4m gantry 'Powerstir' Friction Stir Welder (FSW) by UK-based PTG Heavy Industries - in a joint project with the China Friction Stir Welding Centre - didn't just represent a first for China and for PTG. The Powerstir machine also played its part in a world first, being used in the manufacture of railway car bodies similar to those used in China's record-breaking 'Harmony' high-speed train. In producing the railway car bodies, another record was also broken, with the PTG Powerstir machine producing the longest-ever single FSW railway panel weld in China, at over 15m in length.

25th March 2013

Protect axles from corrosion

Axle corrosion on rolling stock is a costly business. It is the main reason why up to 3,000 axles have to be replaced every year at a cost of £1,500 per unit. To address this problem Henkel has introduced its Loctite Axle Corrosion Protection System. The company has many decades of experience in protecting metals against corrosion and also in the specific requirements of the rail sector.

25th March 2013

Threaded inserts

PSM International will have a full range of fastener products on display, including inserts for plastics, self-clinching fasteners, flangeform fasteners and special fasteners. Of particular interest is the TRI-STEP, a unique three stepped threaded insert and mating hole combination, designed for heat or ultrasonic installation into thermoplastic materials. The design incorporates two diameters of opposing helical knurls and a series of annular vanes.

25th March 2013

Tanged inserts

Alongside tangless inserts, ASM Fasteners has added the full range of Tanged inserts and tooling into its portfolio. Lightweight materials are essential for aerospace and other high performance applications. A tapped thread in these materials can be stripped or damaged on a single use turning a potentially expensive component to scrap. Drilling and tapping a screw thread insert thread allows a KATO CoilThread insert to be installed, which will create a permanent, wear-resistant thread that exceeds the strength of most parent materials.

25th March 2013

Health and safety

Adhesives and sealants specialist Henkel is focusing on its Health and Safety adhesive range that covers many applications. The products are designed to make the COSHH assessment and acceptance process for engineering adhesives as easy as possible without any increase in cost price.

25th March 2013

Adhesive tapes

As part of its tesacohesion philosophy which focuses on people, products, processes and performance, Tesa is inviting visitors to bring their applications to the stand to discuss how they can help.

25th March 2013

Retaining rings

New from TFC, the leading European supplier of Smalley Spirolox retaining rings, snap rings and wave springs is the metric Hoopster retaining ring series. The new metric range complements our existing imperial series but has been designed to suit specific standard metric bore and shaft sizes. Hoopster retaining rings offer an innovative way to retain mechanical components when radial space is a particular problem. The Hoopster's minimal radial projection and shallow groove depth allows it to fit where standard circlips and retaining rings cannot.

25th March 2013

A revolution cold bonding on conveyors

Increased reliability and safety despite simplified application is promised by the new adhesive Conti Secur Premium, which is used for a variety of different cold bondings on conveyor belts. As it only has a single component instead of the usual two, it is ready for immediate use and guarantees a long service life. "In heavy industry applications, we normally use two-component adhesives," explains Wolfgang Kerwel, application engineer at the ContiTech Conveyor Belt Group. "Conti Secur Premium is an innovative new product that requires just one component."

25th March 2013

Material choice for springs

Selecting the proper material for an application requires a general knowledge of what is available for use and depends on the environment in which the spring/retaining ring is to be used. The experts in spring technology at TFC offer some advice.

5th March 2013

Clinching the case in fastening

The process of considering (or reconsidering) methods to attach thin metal assemblies and/or components can often suggest different and perhaps more practical approaches, says Dr David Quinn of PEM Europe.

5th March 2013