By Gary L Boehm Gary L Boehm, PE Helical Products Company, Inc. Wire springs appeared early in the Industrial Revolution and established their value immediately. The basic concept has not changed much, though there have been enhancements in materials and manufacturing. Typically, spring wire is coiled hot or cold with ends configured within the limits…
T-Handle Toggle Clamps
Low-profile T-handle toggle clamps now come in two larger sizes, in both steel and stainless steel. All three sizes are available with an optional safety lock that automatically engages when the clamp is closed. It remains locked until manually disengaged by pushing a lever before opening. This prevents the clamp from being accidentally opened by…
Self-Clinching Threaded Standoffs
PEM-Type DSOS self-clinching threaded standoffs can be installed close to edges in thin metal sheets. They come in stainless and steel types and are available in two lengths and in thread sizes #4 to 40 and M3. The standoffs can be installed flush in steel or aluminum sheets as thin as 0.037 in. / 0.94…
1U Pizza-Box Style Microchassis
A new microchassis from Triple E Corp. is suitable for electronic systems configured for military, aerospace, commercial, and industrial harsh environment applications. The microchassis meets IEEE1101.10 and IEEE1101.11 mechanical requirements. Configured with VME64X, Cpci or PICMG2.16 backplane, the unit allows for up to two 6U X 1.6 mm X 160 mm size boards in front,…
Backlash-Free Coupling
The BKL/4.5 precision coupling for stepper motors, small servo motors and encoders has a robust and backlash-free coupling flexure, which preserves torsional stiffness. The coupling has an outside diameter of 32 mm and an overall length of 40 mm. It comes in any combination of shaft boxes from 6 to 16 mm (1/4 in. –…
Silicone Seals & Parts For Medical Applications
Simple to complex silicone seals and parts, including O-rings, gaskets, face seals, housing seals, filter seals, custom shapes, and more are available. Made from several technologies, including LIM, they are for microminiature medical applications. Silicone seals come from 0.990 mm (0.09 in.) I.D. or C. S. down to 0.305 mm (0.012 in.) I.D. Apple Rubber…
Brass Fittings Available in Two Styles
Southampton, PA – Plastic tubing manufacturer NewAge Industries, Inc. now stocks brass fittings in both barbed and push-to-connect styles to work with various plastic and rubber materials. U.S. -made of durable brass, applications include general purpose and industrial use, potable water systems, pneumatic control, robotics, and instrumentation. The barbed brass fitting, called Thermobarb, is designed…
Heavy-duty Push-Pull Toggle Clamps
NEW BERLIN, WI – J.W. Winco, Inc., a leading supplier of standard industrial machine components, offers metric size Heavy Duty Push-Pull Toggle Clamps. Push-pull type toggle clamps convert a circular movement of the handle into straight-line action of the clamp along its axis. The lever arm of this heavy duty clamp is case-hardened sheet metal…
Safety Interlock Switches
FREMONT, CA – Omron Scientific Technologies, Inc., introduces two new hinge-operated safety interlock switches ideally suited for use on smaller guard doors. The HP2008 Series is compact at 25mm (0.98 in.) wide x 85.5mm (3.37 in.) long, while the HP2011 Series has a slim 25mm (0.98 in.) x 115.5mm (4.55 in.) profile. Both are quick…
Illuminate the invisible
Engineers have several choices to sense the presence of objects or information: machine vision systems and photoelectric sensors have been common selections. Recently, manufacturers have enhanced UV sensor capabilities, improving feedback, speed, range, and setup, which make them suitable for many of the same applications as machine vision systems and other sensors. In addition, UV…