Due to the advancements in electronic controls, mechanical engineers may have the tendency to bypass the use of gearing, as the robust gears used in machinery of high speed and high power are quite complex in design. However, electronics has a hard time beating gears for such dedicated, high accuracy requirements as in automobile transmissions. For a variety of internal machinery workings, gears are optimum for changing the rate of rotation, the direction of the axis of rotation, and rotary motion to linear motion. The multitude of gear types can be combined in many ways to create larger gear units, such as gear heads, gear boxes, gear reducers and gearmotors – which all fall under the category speed reducers. [Continue Reading Article]

What do miners, lumber jacks and bull dozer operators all have in common? Besides choosing dangerous heavy duty jobs as occupations, they all work with some pretty powerful and extreme machinery everyday. Their equipment, along with trenchers, marine winches, cranes and car crushers, use intense amounts of power to do their job. But where does energy powerful enough to flatten cars or move massive amounts of earth come from? The answer is hydraulic motors—components of hydrostatic power transmission systems that convert hydraulic energy into mechanical energy. These motors are able to harness the immense power generated from fluid pressure and supply energy to the most massive and extreme machines. [Continue Reading Article]

Ohio Gratings, Inc. (OGi) introduces their new powder coat finishing line which produces the most attractive, durable and high quality finish of any known technology in todays market. Their power coating uses less energy, no solvents, has minimal waste, is cost effective compared to wet painting lines and any unused powder or overspray is recovered and reused. Hence, OGi’s powder coating is considered a “Green” product and is environmentally friendly. [Continue Reading Article]

Rogers Corporation is pleased to announce a recent improvement to the PORON® Soft Seal Series in the form of enhanced surface toughness. PORON Soft Seal Urethanes are the lowest density PORON offering and are designed to provide superior compressibility, conformability and dust sealing over the life of the product. [Continue Reading Article]

From plastic gears for the smallest wind-up toy to two ton cast iron gears, the capabilities of gear manufacturers amaze me. I mean, being able to machine and cut gears from only a half inch through up to twenty feet in diameter is a pretty incredible range. Plus, being able to provide this kind of gear production all under one roof, turning out completely in-house customized and even emergency jobs – some gear manufacturers can do it all! [Continue Reading Article]

Based solely on the way ‘membrane switch’ sounds, I would think it was some sort of futuristic half-biological half-electronic device used in laboratories; definitely not something I’ve come across in my everyday life. In reality, they are very simple and common aspects of technology, and they are used by anyone that cooks—actually, anyone that heats up food…or uses a phone. Basically, if you don’t live in a third world country, you push membrane switches every single day that you get out of bed. Those flat, thin electronic buttons on your microwave, stove, dishwasher, security system, TV remote, cell phone and landline phone are what I’m talking about. They activate functions performed by electronic equipment through a rather straightforward process. Although they are considered recent technology, membrane switches use a very simple electronic concept in a highly complex and advanced manner. [Continue Reading Article]

Many people remember 1986 by the neon colored leggings, popping Glass Tiger cassettes into new Walkmans and going to see Top Gun numerous times. But what sticks out in everyone’s mind about this year was the random disasters. 4 months in, the Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine exploded, creating the worst nuclear disaster of all time, and the US Challenger exploded a minute after take off. I was too young to remember any of this, being -8 months at the time, but the lasting effects of these accidents are still felt, even by those who weren’t around. While the Soviet Union was dealing with a catastrophic explosion and deadly radiation penetrating their cities, the United States was mourning the passing of seven fallen astronauts. [Continue Reading Article]

When I hear the word mezzanine, I immediately think of that field trip to an opera version of Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade. All I remember from that experience is sitting in the theater mezzanine wishing that those two star-crossed lovers would stop singing and just die already. But we did have great seats. A mezzanine in a theater is the lowest balcony, a nice elevated position to see all the action. Mezzanines in commercial and industrial settings serve a similar function of creating another level within a building. [Continue Reading Article]

When I rolled out of bed this morning, one of the first things I did was turn on the overhead light. With the flip of a switch, my room transformed from a dark, quiet, peaceful sleeping chamber to a harsh, fully-lit, squint-inducing wake-up call in a tenth of a second. If you think about it, that technology, an on-off toggle switch, is pretty convenient, but no big deal since people have been using them for around 100 years. These handy devices aren’t just designed to turn lights on and off. Electric switches actually have some pretty important applications—life and death, in fact, and are found in heavy machinery, space crafts, trains, high-speed vehicles and military aircrafts. [Continue Reading Article]

Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, Inc., a premier manufacturer of linear motion products, introduces the MotoDrive™ PDE Captive Linear Actuator, available in size 17 single or double stack. The MotoDrive comes with an integrated chopper drive forming a compact system that is ideal for precision motion control applications. The MotoDrive captive linear actuator system is capable of an output force of 220N (50 lbs) for the single stack version and 350N (78lbs) for the double stack version. The captive configuration allows a self-contained linear actuator unit with an anti-rotation device guiding a splined output shaft. The captive configuration of the MotoDrive is ideal for applications requiring shorter stroke lengths (up to 2.5”) such as precision fluid dispensing, throttle control, and valve movement. The load connects to the threaded shaft end. [Continue Reading Article]

Tape is a simple, inexpensive, everyday product that every single person uses for a wide range of applications. Featured on the desk, tool belt and handy drawer of just about everyone, masking tape, Scotch Tape, duct tape and electrical tape were all invented by American companies in the first half of the last century. Inventors experimented with new materials and built their ideas off of their predecessors to start a chain reaction of adhesive innovation. [Continue Reading Article]

Look around you for a moment: chances are, many items on your desk have a design, logo or text made by marking machinery. Thousands of common, everyday products are marked for identification or decorative purposes. Bar codes, packaging or expiration dates, graphics and labels are found on just about every product or packaging these days. Embossing machines, a unique kind of marking system that produces 3-D raised text and designs on any malleable material, has many different uses. The embossing process is simple—material is fed through rollers with a patterned surface, pressure and heat are applied, and the material conforms to the pattern; no ink is needed, but it is often used on paper and plastic. Patterns in leather products and designs on greeting cards are embossed, adding detail and decoration. Embossing is a common post-forming process in steel service centers, where products like garage doors, refrigerator housings and metal coils are marked with a logo, text or texture. However, there are more important uses for this product—did you know that embossing machines also help prevent identity theft and aid in communication of the disabled? [Continue Reading Article]

Industrial Quick Search has been selected for the 2009 Best of Grand Rapids Award in the Marketing Consulting Services category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA). The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community. [Continue Reading Article]

This week, Sierra Instruments introduced their Smart-Trak® 2, a significant re-design of their flagship Series 100 Digital Mass Flow Meters and Controllers. The result of over five years of user feedback, new features of the Smart-Trak® 2 have added even more control, independence and flexibility. Sierra is also proud to introduce the Compod™, a Smart-Trak® 2 add-on that expands networking, streamlines and simplifies functionality and reduces costs. [Continue Reading Article]

Ohio Gratings, Inc. provided their aluminum louver (VisiScreen) product for the Artech Condominium project in Florida. The primary application for the material was a functional and decorative grille system on an 800 foot long 5-story parking garage designed to resemble a cruise ship. The VisiScreen material allowed for a 60% visual block and deflection of car headlights from adjacent condo buildings while allowing the parking garage to be ventilated naturally with 65% open air flow provided by the louvers. With the versatility of this product, the VisiScreen was also utilized in the skywalk, the parking garage to the condo building as well as an ornamental canopy for the car drop and the main entrance. At the penthouse level, the material was used as an ornamental handrail and cornice feature. [Continue Reading Article]

The concept is this: rubber in all its various elastomeric forms and alternatives offers different levels of friction – or, simply put, grip or give – when bonded to a cylindrical core, creating rollers that can take on then apply substances (like ink or hot stamp foils, heat transfers or labels), collect unwanted particles, move objects along a conveyor, or offer necessary movement within various machinery and automated systems. From soft, spongy paint rollers to hard roller skate wheels, the consistency of rubber rollers varies depending on application: Does it need to be smooth or grooved, slick or sticky? [Continue Reading Article]