In the mid 1600s, a German mayor of a small town performed a trick using 2 metal half-spheres and a team of sixteen horses to entertain some houseguests. It was the first time he put his invention—a piston and air gun cylinder with two-way flaps designed to pull air out of whatever vessel it was connected to—to use in front of other people. The mayor, named Otto von Guericke, joined the two copper hemispheres together and pumped the air out using his contraption. He then harnessed eight horses to each half. The result? An astonished audience, completely inseparable copper hemispheres and the very first demonstration of a vacuum pump. It didn’t take long for this trick to gain popularity, and Guericke began performing in the German court with more and more horses. The power of a vacuum quickly caught the eye of scientists, who began using vacuum pumps to study properties of gasses and electricity. Today, you’d be hard pressed to find a single industrial factory or experimentation facility that doesn’t use a vacuum pump. [Continue Reading Article]

To all extreme feminists out there, I apologize, but I readily admit that there are some things I would rather just have a man do for me. I’m all about being an independent woman making a living and supporting myself; however, when it comes to things mechanical or electrical…that’s just what they are to me – thingies. Say I encounter a pressure gauge in real life: I wouldn’t give much thought to the thingy. I’m good just as long as my tires have the right pressure and my doctor says I have healthy blood pressure. I did, however, discover some tips for selecting pressure gauges. [Continue Reading Article]

Valves are simple machines that are used to regulate the flow of liquid by obstructing the pipe or passageway. They’re found anywhere liquids flow, including indoor plumbing systems—more specifically, your faucet. When you turn the sink handle, out comes water. Turn it back, and it stops flowing. This is the basic job of a valve—often taken for granted, since they are so simple and common, but what would we do without them? Probably pay hefty water bills each month. They’ve been in use for thousands of years, and are one of the most useful mechanical inventions of all time. Valves are divided into two families—the stop valves, which provide an on, off and partially on setting, and check valves, which only restrict the flow of liquid in one direction. [Continue Reading Article]

In the most general terms, the function of any kind of seal is to block the passage of liquids or gases. Rubber seals can be either static or dynamic. A static seal does not move and simply contains pressure or maintains a vacuum. The purpose of dynamic seals, however, is to reciprocate a give-and-take with mechanical motion, like for pistons and cylinders or rotating shafts. Mechanical seals are essential components of hydraulic and pneumatic systems, in which constantly moving mechanisms can be under extreme stress. Along with preventing leakage and protecting against contaminants, the mechanical seal helps maintain pressure levels in high temperature, pressure and speed applications. [Continue Reading Article]

Delivering saline solution to a clinic for medical needs … sounds simple enough, right? Not when that clinic is on the International Space Station, the moon or even Mars. Transporting medical fluids that are manufactured on Earth into space is expensive and logistically challenging. NASA Johnson Space Center knew there had to be a way to manufacture medical fluids in space to alleviate the transportation problems and to make spacecraft more self sufficient, so they called on the microgravity science expertise and spaceflight hardware development know-how of Cleveland, OH based NASA Glenn Research Center and ZIN Technologies, Inc. ZIN Technologies engaged Brooks Instrument to help solve this unique flow challenge. V-F Controls, Brooks Instrument’s sales representative in Mentor, OH, recommended the Quantim Coriolis mass flow controller. This device would be ideal to measure the water flow through a purification system to a standard IV bag that was prefilled with salt crystals and a magnetic lab stirrer. [Continue Reading Article]

Equipping a pneumatic or hydraulic valve with a solenoid coil adds a higher level of control to air or fluid flow regulation. Unlike regular valves that rely on changes in gas or fluid pressure to open or close, solenoid valves are operated electromechanically with a magnetized solenoid coil that responds to targeted electrical charges for precise flow control. Because of the ability to be controlled remotely and cued by sensors or hysteresis (device memory), the solenoid valve is an intelligent gadget. [Continue Reading Article]

Strides have been made in outdoor smog control since the Environmental Protection Agency was formed and the first Clean Air Act was passed under President Nixon, and then the Clean Air Act Amendments under the first President Bush. There is definitely room for improvement in reducing emissions, as many U.S. communities are still trying to catch up to air purity regulations. Air pollution control equipment exists to reduce emissions into the atmosphere, and air filters and filtration systems exist for indoor air quality. However, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s website, there are no national health standards for air filter performance because the Federal government has concluded that there is not yet enough data on the link between air filtration and actual health improvement. [Continue Reading Article]

Compressed air equals power, so shouldn’t we be able to use it as the answer for some of our alternative energy and fuel? President Obama has made renewable energy development a top priority on his agenda. He believes it’s imperative that the United States stops relying on foreign sources and works to become the leading exporter of renewable energy. So what kind of possibilities does the power of compressed air hold? Well, foreign auto makers have already made leaps and bounds in getting compressed-air powered vehicles ready for the market, and I think American automakers need to invest their efforts in these alternative fuel, zero-emission “clean cars”... [Continue Reading Article]

Fuel cell engineers use test stands to simulate the performance of fuel cells. The challenge is to mimic reality and determine the optimum fuel mixture and temperature, while also examining failure mechanisms. Another objective is to test the performance of anode/cathode materials, catalysts, and membranes. Fuel cell test stands consist of systems for mixing, delivering, and humidifying gases, all of which depend on reliable flow measurement and control. A typical test stand uses several thermal mass flow controllers (MFCs) of various flow rates to deliver the precise amount of blended gases to the fuel cell. Since the test stand must imitate normal operating conditions, these flow controllers must react to process signals quickly – much like a car accelerator – to provide a true test of the desired performance. In addition, the MFCs must have a broad turndown to mimic low and high fuel consumption rates. Many fuel cell test stands use MFCs that do not have the performance capabilities to adequately test fuel cells. [Continue Reading Article]

Metering pumps have long been known for their accuracy and reliability to provide precise dosing of liquids to a process stream. This understanding was generally limited to homogeneous fluids or liquids under 500 cps. The use of a high performance diaphragm can boost the cps capable of being pumps exceeding 7,000 cps (depending on pump size) and handle large solids content. This has significant application where heavy materials, earth materials or conveyance of other solids bearing fluids is required. This discussion consolidates the selection and application of high performance diaphragms in these specialized applications... [Continue Reading Article]

In this era of rising energy costs and global competitiveness, compressed air waste in facilities can be a major financial drain to the bottom line. Air may be free, but compressed air certainly isn’t. According to Cary Carlisle, an expert compressed air auditor and seasoned technician from Air Compressor Supply, Inc. (ACS), over a 10-year period, electricity costs make up 76 percent of a factory’s operating costs... [Continue Reading Article]