In world full of gizmos and gadgets, it is hard to keep up with the latest and greatest technological advancement or mechanical construct. It seems almost daily that a new car that does this or a new washing machine that does that comes on the market. One mainstay of industrial, commercial and domestic applications alike, however, is the shaft coupling. From automotive driveshafts to power generation and even washing machines, shaft couplings allow engineers to facilitate the transmission of torque and power in a predictable and reliable way, even when market place trends may be anything but. Though modern materials and manufacturing methods commonly revamp this antiquated device, it remains true to its original design. Despite relatively few changes, shaft couplings are implicated in an astounding number of modern machines, responsible for putting it all together, literally. [Continue Reading Article]

“Kitchen automation” has little to do with robots, conveyor belts or self-assembling food, contrary to the images that pop up in my head immediately upon hearing the phrase. We live in an electronic-filled world with new gadgets being developed all the time. It only makes sense that technology would eventually make it to the kitchen. Linear actuators are the devices mainly responsible for the introduction of popup spice racks or fold-down televisions. Though appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators and dishwashers have drastically improved through new technologies, kitchen automation is the newest development. Disappearing cabinets, sliding tabletops and rising counters may sound like pure imagination but they are becoming a reality through these useful devices. [Continue Reading Article]

While the first crude models were developed in the mid 1800’s, it was not until the mid 1990’s that the electric car was introduced into mainstream modern America. Running completely off of electric motors, these cars provided pollution free, low impact transportation and a smooth quiet ride to boot. By 2003, however, these cars had all but disappeared from the roadways, seemingly consumed by the gasoline engine yet again. While many focus on this unfortunate loss of technology, there is reason to celebrate once more. This year at auto-shows across the country and around the world, several of the nations leading automakers introduced new lines of the electric car which are already backlogged for delivery. While this revisited application for the electric motor is met with great fanfare, the devices are actually exceedingly diverse instruments common to the everyday life of the average American. [Continue Reading Article]

In nearly every old-timey Hollywood hit there is bound to be a dramatic scene depicting the picturesque steam engine train racing across the pristine landscape. Popular locomotive history is likewise riddled with praise for the steam engine, yet there are few mentions of its fireless companion: the air cylinder powered train. Maybe the name just is not quite as catchy. Names aside, pneumatic cylinders were popular in the locomotive world of the past. Far from a relic, however, air cylinders are in wide use today. Found in virtually every modern form of transportation, they generate linear force and motion from compressed air. These economic and environmentally friendly devices are responsible for the stop and start of planes, trains, automobiles and more. [Continue Reading Article]

When I think of a screw, the first thing that comes to mind, of course, is a threaded fastener that holds two objects together. Those simple little things sure do come in handy. In fact, I used a couple yesterday to re-attach my closet organizer to the wall after it had collapsed under the weight of all my clothes. Standard screws are composed of a threaded shaft (the main component, with the spiral grooves running horizontally) and a nut, the small piece with internal threading that runs up and down the shaft. Pretty straightforward, right? Well, not in all cases. They aren’t well known, but there are power screws out there that do much more than hold objects securely together. One of those types is a ball screw. While they are essentially composed of the same parts, these screws are more complicated and vital components in many technically advanced applications. [Continue Reading Article]

Let’s imagination for a moment a world without friction, which is, simply put, the force resistant to movement when any two objects rub against each other. Wait a second… that’s just too chaotic! If you think the world is a disaster now, just take away friction and… boom! Everything crashes into everything because there’s no force to stop it. So, here’s what I’ll do: I’ll just take away the friction between your posterior and what it’s sitting on… I need a good laugh today. You can’t stay put can you? Keep slipping and sliding, huh? [Continue Reading Article]

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]

From micro springs used in such devices as pacemakers to gigantic ones functioning within a NASA shuttle, we are surrounded by springs our entire lives. Our very own HyTech Spring and Machine Corporation, a master designer and manufacturer of miniature springs, precision springs and custom springs, emphasizes: “There are few products built today that don't rely on a spring.” So let’s take a look at the four main types of springs. [Continue Reading Article]

What do a micron-precision silicon wafer cutter, a surgical microscope focusing mechanism, and a target sighting system for an MIA2 Abrams tank all have in common? Each contains an electrodeposited nickel bellows coupling. Such couplings excel in instrumentation and fractional-horsepower applications but are occasionally overlooked because they tend to cost more than other types. Couplings are typically rated by their torque capacity, rotational inertia, resistance to the elements, service life, windup and backlash levels, and flexibility. By all these measures, electrodeposited bellows couplings compare favorably to competitive designs. [Continue Reading Article]

MDI isn't the only company working on giving new meaning to the phrase “running on air”. Scoring high in both environmental sustainability and economy, the pneumatic engine idea has been in development for 30 years at Di Pietro Motors, another Australian motor development company headed by former Mercedes-Benz designer Angelo Di Pietro. His air motor boasts incredible energy economy and superb environmental design. Gast Manufacturing right here in Michigan has a line of air motors and gearmotors available for use material handling applications such as mixer motors, pump drives and hoist motors. How exactly does a car run on air? Different companies working on pneumatically powered engines have developed different formats (Di Pietro’s engine is rotary, whereas MDI’s is powered by pistons), but the concept is basically the same... [Continue Reading Article]

Leonardo da Vinci is credited with introducing the modern ball bearing circa 1497, adding friction reduction to his long list of useful, functional and not-so-functional inventions. Da vinci was not the first to come up with ideas for friction reduction or motion improvement, however; ball bearings have been found on “luxury yachts” of the Roman Empire dating back to 40 A.D., and the basic technology of linear roller bearings has been used in the building of many monuments of ancient civilizations, such as Egypt’s Giza pyramids and possibly Great Britain’s Stonehenge. Just as multi-ton blocks of stone were transported long distances by being rolled across bearings of logs and platforms, modern motors, axles and even building columns are given movement and stability by the modernized ball bearing (Fig. 1)... [Continue Reading Article]

The major emphasis of this review paper is on the trends of automotive components in the U.S. markets – OEM and aftermarket. However, since much of the business is now global, world-wide automotive component market trends are also discussed... [Continue Reading Article]

Many motor manufacturers are going offshore to purchase or manufacture motor components... [Continue Reading Article]