Bearings make machines possible
You’ve probably used a ballpoint pen to write, a hard drive to store data, a skateboard to zoom around, and, of course, an electric motor to power a household machine or two. But do you wonder …
Fishbone diagrams help solve manufacturing problems
There can be many opinions as to what the root cause of a problem is, especially when there is a team tasked with solving an issue. A cause and effect diagram is a good way to capture these different …
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Spur gears versus helical gears
Gear types can be classified according to the relative position of their axes of revolution. For example, there are gears for parallel shafts, gears for intersecting shafts, and gears for skewed shafts. Spur and helical gears …
6 Mistakes to avoid in Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
Every manufacturing company that uses drawings to develop a manufacturing plan and estimate the production time might calculate product costs incorrectly if there are errors in those drawings. Such errors may also extend the product cycle time by causing …
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A cupola furnace supervisor’s experience with THORS
We spoke with Enrique Ramirez from AB&I Foundry in Oakland, California to learn more about his experience using THORS. Ramirez was recently appointed Cupola Furnace Supervisor at this foundry that manufactures pipe fittings and custom castings. Read on …
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Adding a new dimension to 3D printing
Additive manufacturing—or 3D printing—is 30 years old now. Today, it has found applications not just in industry but also in households because of how affordable it has become. As anything can be printed, 3D printing opened up unlimited …
Investment Casting 101
Thousands of years ago duplicate metal structures were cast from an original sculpture by the lost-wax casting process. Investment casting is one of the oldest metal-forming techniques based on this lost-wax casting process. A beeswax pattern is …
Fastener courses to hold the industry together
Whether it’s a whole machine, a simple component, or a complete vehicle, fasteners are essential to the construction of these objects. The absence of fasteners in design and construction may lead to adverse consequences. Besides possible …
Challenges in adopting additive manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is ever-changing. One of the key drivers of this change is the emergence of new advanced technologies like additive manufacturing which is leading organizations to rethink their manufacturing processes. Shorter value chains, …
Gear manufacturing: Back to basics
Gears are thought to be one of the oldest components known to humankind. Early examples of gears trace back to the fourth century BC in China. Since then, gears have been used extensively for the transmission of power. They find …
