Industrial Technology

Ansys releases Simplorer 8.0

Ansys has announced the latest release of Simplorer software. Simplorer is used for the design of mechatronic and other multi-domain systems, which are commonly found in the automotive, aerospace/defense and industrial automation industries. The new release introduces a powerful, next-generation user interface, advanced modeling capabilities including dynamic links to other Ansoft software, enhanced integration with third-party simulation software, and computational performance enhancements.

11th May 2009

Tolerance rings provide reliable mountings

In the May 2009 issue of Industrial Technology, we learn how engineers at Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol have developed new mounting solutions for challenging automotive applications, built around tolerance rings for secure fastening.

11th May 2009

Exhausting problem for diesel makers

TFC Europe recently came to aid of a leading diesel engine manufacturer to provide a solution to the problems now faced by the industry to supply engines with reduced emissions. Traditionally, because of failures due to cracking, exhaust manifolds on large diesel engines need to be cast as two parts and connected via a sliding joint. The dimensional tolerances of the engine assembly and thermal expansion caused by temperature made the use of rigid bolted joints with a gasket, highly complex and far more expensive.

11th May 2009

Control and documentation of spot welds

Having introduced the UIR adaptive control system to the spot welding process, Rexroth says it can guarantee total control and documentation of spot welds. For demanding material and metal combinations, Rexroth offers adaptive current/voltage control including monitoring functions for fully documented quality control. The innovative current/voltage control displays all the process-critical parameters online in a diagram, enabling accurate inspection of the weld spots.

11th May 2009

Tooling lifetime guarantee

How many companies give a lifetime guarantee on their rivet nut installation tools? Make Ends Meet (MEMFast) does because it has total confidence in its tools' robust design and construction. Since the launch over a year ago, annual sales have exceeded 2,000 units and the company says this figure grows daily. The MEMFast spin action rivet nut tool installs M3 to M10 rivet nuts in all materials, and M4 to M8 rivet studs.

11th May 2009

Self-locking nylon nuts from BÃ¼lte

The self-locking nuts are suitable for applications that require extra security, as they eliminate backlash without sacrificing efficiency. This type of nut is more effective than standard hex nuts because it includes a no threaded part which closes around the thread creating a lock between the two threads.

11th May 2009

Secure fastening with no installation hassle

Poppit was designed by BigHead to solve a tricky problem; how to discreetly fix a panel with a fastener that ensures perfect alignment and allows the panel to be easily demounted without damage to the panel or the fastener. The system must be quick and simple to use. Plastic fasteners can often break when panels are demounted. They often need to be pre-aligned and drilled into position, which is time consuming and difficult. Conversely, hook-and-loop fasteners are easy to use but cannot guarantee perfect alignment.

11th May 2009

Springs keep the tills ringing

Cash tills are in constant use in stores around the world and checkout operators demand that they operate reliably and smoothly. Most cash tills use a spring to perform the opening and closing operation of the cash drawer and one till manufacturer was experiencing problems with the closing operation, with failures occurring after 200,000 to 300,000 operations.

11th May 2009

Thousands of performance spring products

New high performance beryllium copper battery springs, REDUX wave springs, constant force springs and more sizes of stainless steel Lite Pressure compression springs have been added to Lee Spring's latest catalogue. The new product listings amount to hundreds of additional items that swell the catalogue to 172 pages containing over 16,500 different types of spring including compression, extension, torsion and Belleville spring washers plus engineers spring selection kits.

11th May 2009

NI hosts green engineering virtual event series

National Instruments has announced the Green Engineering Virtual Event Series, an offering of five live webcasts that provide engineers and scientists information on how to use the most current measurement and control tools and techniques to design, develop and improve technologies that result in environmental and economic benefits. The free Green Engineering Virtual Event Series will be hosted live on ni.com during Earth Week, April 20-24, from noon to 1:00 p.m. CDT, and will cover a different green engineering topic every day. An NI technical expert will present each webcast, focusing on real-world application examples and hardware and software demonstrations.

24th April 2009