Latest Mechanical Content

EnergySaver 5/2 single and double solenoid pilot valves help combat high energy costs.

Solar makers see automation as a strategy for becoming more competitive with fossil fuels. German solar maker Q-Cells AG has an interesting product.

New Products: Slide Tables

HTS and torsion-resistant SLW Models offer a choice of shaft, carriage and spindle materials. Other versions include HTS -/SLW-XY-tables, HTS -PL that are preloaded for better precision, and the lightweight HTS P featuring plastic carriage and end blocks.

Scanning for Ideas: Spring Keeps Seal Working Despite Wear and Tear

The key to the line of canted-coil Bal- Springs from Bal Seal Engineering Co. Inc. is the spring (or energizer) that surrounds the lip of the seal.

Hexapod Fits in Your Palm

What is billed as the world’s smallest high-force hexapod six-axis micropositioner was recently developed by Physik Instrumente L.P., Auburn, Mass.

Pneumatic Products: Energy-Efficient Vacuum Pump

P5010 vacuum pump reportedly gives the highest possible vacuum performance relative to energy consumption and features Coax cartridge technology.

Bearings Make for a Killer Bot

Who would have thought something as ordinary as a bearing could spark a person’s imagination? DualVee bearings from Bishop-Wisecarver Corp., Pittsburg, Calif., did exactly that for Jamie Hyneman when he was building a fighting robot.

Lords of the Ring

Ladish Forging, a firm with over century of experience forging big parts for demanding applications, had to do some serious planning when it took on task of ring rolling and forging 21.5-ft diameter kiln tire out of a 12-ft-wide, 225,000-lb carbon-steel donut.

A Better Way to Damp Machine Vibrations

Most commercial vibration isolators have much lower horizontal stiffness than vertical stiffness. Constant-natural frequency isolators cost less than active damping systems and outperform conventional mounts.

New Products: Miniature Ball Valve

The subminiature ball valve comes in two standard configurations.

New Products: Long-Wear Roller Chain

PerforMax improves the reliability and performance of the company’s roller chains.

Shaking up vibration models

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The idea is simple: Protect sensitive objects from vibration. An object, modeled as a solid block, sits on a low-stiffness vibration isolator that, in turn, mounts on the vibrating support surface.

New Products: Adjustable Shaft Collars Won’t Slip

EasyLock holding force can be manually adjusted. Shaft collars install quickly without special tools.