MARCH 2021 Machinedesign.Com

AM’s Female Lubricants for A Pneumatics Pioneers Electric Cars Toolkit for Break the Mold 24 and Trucks 28 Energy Savings 32

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MARCH 2021 VOLUME 93, ISSUE 3 IN THIS ISSUE

FEATURES

18 Metal 3D Printing: Who Needs Supports? Support-free AM technology is proving its advantages with greater design freedom and less engineering time. 18 24 Breaking the Mold: Women in Additive Manufacturing Additive manufacturing visionaries swap insights on the inroads they’re making in 3D printing.

28 Lubricants for Electric Cars and Trucks 9JCVMKPFUQHNWDTKECPVUCPFƃWKFUYKNNHWVWTGGNGEVTKEXGJKENGUPGGF!

32 Pneumatics Toolkit: How to Calculate Energy Savings #VQQNMKVHQTFGUKIPKPIGHƂEKGPVRPGWOCVKEU[UVGOUUJQWNFKPENWFGGPGTI[ savings measures.

38 Untangling the Causes of Unreliability 24 *QYECPGPIKPGGTUU[UVGOCVKECNN[VCEMNGVJGRTQDNGOUQHWPTGNKCDKNKV[!

DEPARTMENTS COLUMNS 8 4 MACHINE DESIGN EDITORIAL 28 CONNECTED IDEA! Awards: A New Dimension in Innovation 10 NEWS 48 42 NEW PRODUCTS ONE MORE THING... Robotic Probe Makes 46 CLASSIFIEDS Prostate Biopsies More Accurate 47 AD INDEX 38

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2 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN

CConnectedonnected CSIA Exchange MachineDesign (@MachineDesign) Machine-Design- Magazine Magazine Find a system integrator here: https://www.csiaexchange.com

Challenges of Automated Assembly Call for Service: Hydraulic Hose Repair https://www.machinedesign.com/community/guest- https://www.machinedesign.com/mechanical-motion-systems/ commentary/article/21152720/challenges-of-automated- article/21152183/call-for-service-hydraulic-hose-repair assembly

Giant Magellan Telescope Design Buffers Aftermarket Partners Help Manufacturers Against Seismic Activity Improve https://www.machinedesign.com/mechanical-motion-systems/ https://www.machinedesign.com/community/ article/21151534/giant-magellan-telescope-design-buffers- article/21146563/aftermarket-partners-help-manufacturers- against-seismic-activity improve

ANOTHER LOOK FROM THE ARCHIVES The Basics of Lubricating Bearings Goldilocks’ Automation: Not Too Much, Knowing which bearing lubricant to use for the right Not Too Little application extends the equipment’s life and avoids unplanned Automation can introduce inflexibility that decreases value and maintenance. productivity—but too little automation can drive up labor costs. https://www.machinedesign.com/mechanical-motion-systems/ https://www.machinedesign.com/automation-iiot/ article/21152772/the-basics-of-lubricating-bearings article/21140150/goldilocks-automation-not-too-much-not- too-little

4 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN

MARCH 2021

EDITORIAL

SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR: BOB VAVRA [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR: JEREMY COHEN [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR: STEPHEN J. MRAZ [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR: REHANA BEGG [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR: MARIE McBURNETT [email protected]

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BOB VAVRA | Senior Content Director [email protected]

ne of the outcomes of fires of innovation burning. Perhaps our shared pandemic our greatest achievement in the last experience is that we year is that amid all the turmoil, we don’t see too many have adapted and continued to grow. Opeople in three dimensions these days. Technology has enabled that adaptive With our time together limited and at spirit, but so has the nimble minds that a distance, we’ve resorted to business take that technology and spin it into video calls to keep touch with those we solutions. work with—and many times with those Machine Design will celebrate that we love. innovative spirit with our new IDEA! Even in our free time, we’re not able Awards, which are being launched this to experience much beyond a screen. year. New products from around the Our halting return to sports is viewed world will be nominated to receive the solely on television—complete with IDEA! Awards, and then we will pres- cutout fan images in the otherwise ent the nominees to our engineering empty seats. We’ve binge-watched experts—you—to select the best of these streaming series and relived some clas- solutions to receive the prizes. sics, but it all remains a 2D world for The award luncheon will take place at the most part. the IDEA! Conference Nov. 10 in Cleve- It’s ironic (if there actually is any iro- land, and that will be the end of the pro- ny left in the world) because we have cess. But that process doesn’t start with worked so hard over the last decade to the nominations, which are open now, add real dimension to our work. From or with the announcement of our final- 3D visions of manufacturing plants and ists in 14 categories, or with the reader the products they produce to the addi- voting that will select the winners. tive manufacturing of printed products Innovation begins with one person’s from those visions, we have transformed idea and the imagination and talent to the way we create and build products turn that idea into something that serves and systems. From idea to reality, the 3D others. The great ideas are multi-faceted processes we’ve created have helped us and, of course, multi-dimensional. We bring better products to our customers haven’t lost the dimension of innovation in less time and with less waste. in the past year, and all of us at Machine We have used that technology effec- Design are excited to showcase it with tively during the pandemic to keep the the IDEA! Awards.

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Readers will have the chance to select winners in 14 categories.

o recognize the outstanding innovations in product design and function for the manufacturing sector, Machine Design Tand Hydraulics & Pneumatics will present the 2021 IDEA! Awards. IDEA! Award winners will be chosen by the top industry experts on innovation—the readers of Machine Design and Hydraulics & Pneumatics, who will cast their votes online from entries in 14 categories: We developed the IDEA! Awards to celebrate

• 3D Printing the tremendous progress in product • Motors & Drives development that has taken place in the last year.” • Robotics • Motion Control “ • Electrical Components great new products together, and to rec- the first time within a 12-month period • Fastening and Joining ognize those our audience believes pro- beginning Oct. 1, 2020 and ending Sept. • Fluid Power Components vide the most important solutions.” 30, 2021. The entry fee is $500, and there • Automation The IDEA! Awards will be present- is no limit to the number of new prod- • Design Software ed at a Nov. 10 luncheon as part of the ucts submitted by any company. Entry • Sensors Industrial Design, Engineering & Auto- deadline is July 9, 2021. • Machine Tools mation (IDEA!) Conference, to be held Finalists will be featured in the August • Mechanical Components Nov. 9-12 in Cleveland. The IDEA! Con- issue of Machine Design and the Mid- • Fluid Power ference will be part of the larger Man- Year rep or t of Hydraulics & Pneumat- • Cloud and Computing ufacturing & Technology Conference, ics. Finalists also will be featured online, presented by Endeavor Business Media. and voting will begin Aug. 1. Winners “We developed the IDEA! Awards Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies will will be notified in mid-September and to celebrate the tremendous progress be presented to the products that receive invited to attend the awards luncheon in in product development that has taken the highest percentage of votes in each November. place in the last year,” said Bob Vavra, category. In addition, the product that Submissions are now being accepted senior content director. “Despite the receives the most votes among all cat- at https://machinedesignproductaward. pandemic, we have seen great new ideas egories will be presented with the BIG secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/93/ continue to be presented to solve prob- IDEA! Award. home or at the link on the home pages lems faced by our readers. The IDEA! This is a contest for new products. All for Machine Design and Hydraulics & Awards are a way to bring all of those products must have been introduced for Pneumatics.

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PNEUMATIC ROBOT TYKE Visits the Dentist

The Pedia Roid simulation robot for training dentists and dental assistants treating young children is based on piezo valve technology. (Credit: Festo)

A FEAR OF THE DENTIST is usually caused Yusuke Ishii, director of Tmsuk, noted in The Pedia Roid’s smooth, by negative past experiences. But when a press note that Festo’s VEAA and VEAB lifelike movements are produced using it comes to children, that fear can be proportional pressure regulators are used Festo proportional pressure regulators compounded by the dental professional’s in the application to control most of the VEAA and VEAB. (Credit: Festo) chairside competence. robot’s 24 pneumatic cylinders moving Hard-won training for pediatric dentists the robot’s arms, legs and fingers, as well may include courses in the psychology of as the mouth, eyelids and irises. “The pro- Proportional how the child thinks and feels about den- portional pressure regulators VEAA/VEAB valves with piezo tal work, but also on anticipating how the are 3/3-way valves, each of which com- technology require child might move in the dental chair. bines a pressure sensor and electronic The Japanese company Tmsuk has controls,” said Ishii. “virtually no energy to developed a dental patient simulator that “Proportional valves with piezo technol- maintain an active state mimics a child’s behavior in ways that ogy require virtually no energy to maintain dental professionals may encounter. The an active state thanks to their capacitive thanks to their capacitive dentaroid is capable of face and voice rec- capability,” said Ishii. Each valve operates capability.” ognition. It can perform 24 actions, includ- like a capacitor: it needs energy only to ing coughing, fidgeting, squirming, flinging charge the piezo ceramics; no further en- and clenching teeth. It can also reproduce ergy is needed to maintain that state. While Pedia Roid is the first robot de- complex actions, such as jaw closing and The piezo valve operates like a ca- veloped for the field of medical simulation, a vomiting reflex. pacitor. Current is needed at the start it is not the first time Tmsuk has brought Known as Pedia Roid, the pediatric pa- to charge the piezoceramics, explained a service robot to market. The company, tient robot is 3 ft., 6 in. tall and weighs Festo, and since no further energy is which is located on the island of Kyushu, about 50 lb, approximating the size of a needed to maintain its state, the valves has built a niche in transport robots and five-year-old. Its lifelike movements are don’t heat up. Piezo valves consume up robots for caring for the elderly. produced using proportional pressure to 95% less energy than solenoid valves, regulators with piezo technology. which require an electric current. VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.e/820o0JwZoOk

12 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN

News

DE-RISKING THE SUPPLY CHAIN: Tactics That Reduce Exposure

What manufacturers can do to prepare their digitization strategies for a resilient future.

OVER THE PAST DECADE, supply chains Dealing with Risk have undergone exponential accelera- AT A GLANCE: Supply chain risk has emerged as one tion, overcoming shocks and disruptions • Notes from the SMX of the biggest challenges of the pan- along the way. The pandemic, however, virtual event, “How Smart demic, said Marilyn Gaska. At Lockheed brought specific risk forces into sharp fo- Manufacturing is Disrupting Martin, Bethesda, Md., where Gaska is cus, ostensibly forcing manufacturers to the Supply Chain—Are You a fellow and the corporate logistics and Prepared?” re-evaluate the whole supply chain. sustainment chief engineer, cybersecurity For one, manufacturers were surprised • Practical solutions for is now a key area when working across SMEs rethinking their global at the impact of China shutting down the supply chain. Firms that are on a digi- manufacturing strategies. during the COVID-19 outbreak, noted tization quest need to ensure their digital Berardino Baratta VP of Projects & Engi- • Cybersecurity in digitization is a data are secure—both locally as well as critical factor. neering at MxD, a Chicago-based R&D when working across the distributed sup- institute that also serves as a hub for data • A combination of nearshoring ply chain, said Gaska. on sector competitiveness. and offshoring will persist in the In the current manufacturing environ- years to come. It was not by accident that the prem- ment, where the digitization process con- ise for a keynote panel Baratta moder- nects everything—“from design through ated at the SMX (Smart Manufacturing When industry players analyze their to commercialization, commerce and Experience) virtual event on Oct. 29, 2020 ecosystems, they are doing so to seek quality”—cybersecurity is critical, said rested squarely on the idea that “collab- out the next best move. And while in- Vicki Holt, president and CEO of Proto- oration between OEMs and suppliers is novations have sprouted across supply labs, Maple Plain, Minn. “We’re dealing necessary to ensure an effective, efficient chains, many contend that collaboration with geopolitical terror, we’re dealing with and informed working relationship that between OEMs and suppliers is emerg- climate change, dealing with the pan- goes beyond the digitization of the supply ing as the necessary condition to ensure demic,” she said. These forces require chain.” future success. manufacturers to analyze their supply

14 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN chains for areas of risk that would impact their ability serve customers. Manufactur- ers need to think about how to fortify their supply chains, advised Holt. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Protolabs was expedient at putting in place a COVID-19 customer response team to help innovators and manufacturers with supply chain limitations in getting their products to market quickly. “As a digital supplier, we were able to do that very rapidly in injection molding, CNC machining and in 3D printing,” explained Holt. “And today we’ve produced over 9 million parts for COVID-19-related applications to over 250 different customers. The way manufacturers were able to come together and make the supply A panel discussion during the SMX (Smart Manufacturing Experience) virtual event. chain work for the medical community (Credit: SME.org) was awesome.” brought to the fore the prospects for re- small- and medium-sized enterprises. As Reshore Versus Offshore shoring, noted Baratta. Holt sees it, a combination of nearshor- Triggers, such as the fact of China However, the panelists agreed there ing and offshoring will persist in the years shutting down manufacturing operations, is no blanket solution to what’s fitting for to come. Companies are looking at their

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GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 15 News

supply chains and determining how to create redundancy in order to manage supply chains that present a lot of risk, she said. On the upside, Holt added, the use of digital tools on e-commerce is growing in B2B commerce. “Companies can find digital suppliers they can build into their supply chain as risk mitigators,” said Holt. “Supply chain leaders are learning that e-commerce can build digital connections for their supply chain—for commerce, and all the way through quality— and can help them manage and become more of a model-based enterprise that can help them handle quality and handle Vicki Holt, president and CEO, Protolabs. (Credit: SME.org) revisions.” data and the production statements. Firms of all sizes can develop holistic, Today we’ve “Test things, work with operations and integrated strategies that account for try that 80% solution and continuously the different ages of equipment on the produced over 9 improve,” she advised. shop floor, noted Gaska. Looking ho- million parts for COVID- The uptake of digitization in the sup- listically at both sides by leveraging the 19-related applications ply chain comes with an increase in the available resources—both the IT and the “ movement of assets through the cloud- OT (operational technology)—will guide to over 250 different based system, noted Baratta. “What can companies to what the cybersecurity customers. The way small manufacturers and large manufac- risks are. turers do to secure that data to avoid cy- manufacturers were ber risk?” he asked. Practical Solutions able to come together The work-from-home transition ex- Theoretical discussions about Industry posed vulnerabilities that small- and 4.0, digitizing and digital threads can be and make the supply medium-sized enterprises didn’t know redundant in any reboot from the pan- chain work for the they had, said Joel Neidig, CEO of SIMBA demic if it is not immediately applicable to medical community was Chain, a cloud-based, blockchain-as-a- small- and medium-sized manufacturers, service (BaaS) platform based in Plym- noted Baratta. awesome.” outh, Ind. “Some people were working Holt, who works extensively with SMEs, from home [for the first time] and asking: advised that firms start with needs as- Still, Holt cautioned, localizing the sup- “What’s the VPN?” sessment: “What are some of the big- ply chain takes time because it requires Crisis scenarios are less cut-and- gest issues/opportunities?” she said. “Is reinvestment in a capital infrastructure. dried for entities that couldn’t make it engaging broadly with a larger customer quick adjustments by working remotely. base, or on a direct basis? Then you might Agile in Cloud-Based Systems On the OT side, for instance, those who look at e-commerce solutions. Is it some- Product life cycles are getting shorter remained on premise needed to make thing on your manufacturing plant floor and companies are iterating as they go, sure their programmable logic controllers to drive productivity? You might want to said Holt. The supply chain will need to or CNC controls were safe. “Trying to collect data for IoT or what’s happening in embrace agility so they can move with retool could be hundreds of thousands your manufacturing capability. Is it in your companies as they adapt, she said. of dollars for a CNC machine tool that’s supply chain?” For Gaska, who is responsible for not worth that anymore,” said Neidig, Fundamentally, said Holt, focus on sustainment vision and technology road- whose company builds blockchain apps one question: “What problem are you maps at Lockheed Martin, “agile” has for supply chains and helps companies trying to solve? Then, think about how less to do with going fast and is more develop secure enclave environments digital tools can help you get there more about partnering across the supply where legacy equipment and software efficiently, as opposed to first looking at a chain—with users and the suppliers of cannot be upgraded. digital tool.”

16 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN IIoT ADOPTION EXPECTED TO BOOST Automotive Robotics Industry

ACCORDING TO A MARKET REPORT pub- The growth of AI-integrated robotics and botic arm, which is expected to grow at lished by Allied Market Research, the au- other data-driven processes will lend a a CAGR of 23.5% during the forecast tomotive robotics industry reached $6.63 hand to robotics adoption, providing a period. The highest-growth application billion in 2019 and is expected to reach broader use case for purchase. in the market is expected to be automo- $13.6 billion by 2027. Many factors will A non-financial issue in robotics tive painting, which will reflect a CAGR both hinder and aid the growth of the in- adoption revolves around safety con- of 20.8%. dustry in the next decade. cerns for the worker in a robotic environ- The COVID-19 pandemic hindered Many global manufacturing leaders ment. Robots have been used in au- the progress and production of robots, agree that the adoption of IIoT—robot- tomotive production for more than 70 which negatively affected the market in ics included—is a long road that involves years; several legal safety precedents early 2020. COVID also halted automo- implementing automation incrementally. have been established in that time. In tive production and disrupted the supply The prominence of automation in the au- October 2020, the American Bar Asso- chain. The market regained some traction tomotive sector has been fueled by the ciation Section of Science & Technology when robotics were being used in plants increased need for accuracy, which robot- Law hosted a series of presentations on to “fill the gap” between socially distanced ics can provide. The global demand for legal implications of advanced robot- workers. increased productivity and speed has also ics in automotive manufacturing. Robot Industrial robots are large and very ex- led the charge for robotics in the automo- safety standards are continually evolving pensive, which lessened grip of robotics in tive industry. for more complex and specialized envi- the automotive space in the past, but the In 2020, a rising theme in global manu- ronments. use of them is expected to become more facturing was the concept of the factory The largest segment of the automo- prevalent in post-pandemic automotive of the future, or a fully connected factory. tive robotics market belongs to the ro- production.

he largest segment of the automotive robotics market belongs to the robotic arm, which is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.5% during the forecast period. The highest-growth application in the market is expected to be Tautomotive painting, which will reflect a CAGR of 20.8%.

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 17 Cover Story KRISTIN MULHERIN | Senior Director of Product Marketing, Velo3D

Support-free AM technology is proving its advantages with greater design freedom and less engineering time.

n metal 3D printing (or additive What Are Supports? manufacturing) there is one domi- AT A GLANCE: The word “support” can be mis- nant technology for printing indus- • In the metal AM process, leading, especially to those who come trial, production-quality parts: supports in anchor parts prevent from the polymer 3D printing space. Ipowder bed fusion (PBF). PBF technol- distortion. Supports in metal 3D printing work ogy is widely used to produce medical • Support structures are made counter-intuitively like “anchors” that implants, gas turbines, aerospace parts of the same materials as the hold down, rather than hold up, features and multiple other applications across part and prevent distortion, but within the part. This is to prevent a part the dental, energy and automotive sec- add considerable design and from distorting from the residual stress- manufacturing constraints. tors. It is the most mature and widely es caused by the high processing tem- used technology because it can produce • In two applications focusing peratures, which will not only destroy production-quality parts that cannot be on microturbines and the part but also typically cause the re- shrouded impellers, VELO3D produced by any other method. Howev- demonstrates how its support- coater to crash. er, PBF has its challenges, one of which less technology eliminates the is the need for “supports” when printing need for support structures. When are Supports Typically parts using typical PBF systems. Needed? Not all features require supports, but many do. The features that almost always require supports in typical laser- PBF systems are overhangs, holes and channels. Considering additive manufacturing is touted to produce more complex parts with more intricate features, it can be misleading—and frankly, disappointing—to then learn that this can only be accomplished with the addition of multiple supports and counter- intuitive build configurations. Granted, in polymer 3D printing supports this might not be as big an

Credit: VELO3D issue, since they can be dissolvable

18 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN or easily removed. But with metal 3D There are three solutions to this ily compromised in terms of dimension- printing, supports can be difficult to problem: reorient the part in the al stability alone. Additionally, in the remove (even if they are accessible), build chamber, redesign the part or case of L-PBF 3D printing, the mechani- leave defects on the surface from which add extensive supports. Many resort cal properties in the Z-direction can be they are removed, and add significant to reorienting the part in the build different than in the X/Y plane due to the time and material costs to the overall chamber, but this comes with its own layer-by-layer process. So, by printing at workflow. problems. Take a circular part, such as a slant you will end up with mechanical the impeller shown in the image below properties that change as you go around Overhangs (bottom). the circle. This is especially problematic The first feature that requires support Many people approach shrouded in applications where the part is exposed is overhangs, which is typically needed if impellers like this by tipping them up to high stress. they drop below 45 deg. from horizon- at a 45-deg. angle. The problem with Inconsistent surface finish is another tal. How many features can you imagine printing at an angle is that breaking the concern. The surface finish will be dif- in a typical component that meet this axisymmetry of the part leads to many ferent at varying degrees of slant. This is criterion? Often many. A demonstration issues. First, the circularity of any com- not a concern if printed flat, because the of what happens as the angle dips below ponent that rotates is critical. When variances would at least be symmetrical. 45 deg. is shown below. printing at an angle, this can be very eas- Some might say that post-processing will address this, which is true—unless you have those very complex internal features so heavily touted as a selling point for metal AM. Alternatively, abra- sive slurry polishing is a popular solution, but it will not address these surface finish variations without removing a lot (and often inconsistent amounts) of material. Instead, VELO3D has developed a capability, called SupportFree technology, that angles down to a fraction of a degree and can be printed entirely without supports. So, in the case of the impeller above, it can be printed flat and Credit: Protolabs without internal supports, maintaining part axisymmetry and greatly minimiz- ing post-processing.

Holes and Channels The second type of features that often require supports are holes and channels. It is widely accepted that L-PBF systems can only produce horizontal holes and channels around 8-10 mm in diameter before requiring supports. There are design choices that can be made to try to avoid this, but none of them are ideal. Changing channels into teardrop, ellip- tical or diamond shapes (see page 20) are the most common. There are a few reasons why this would not be desirable. First and fore-

Credit: VELO3D most, holes and channels are incor-

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 19 Metal 3D Printing

porated into designs for one primary reason: to facilitate the flow of a fluid (liquid or gas). In most cases, a circle is the most efficient shape for the flow of fluid, whereas the shapes shown here (on left) will certainly have a detrimen- tal effect on fluid dynamics. Also, the Credit: VELO3D top of the teardrop and corners of the diamond are serious stress concentra- tors—a big concern when it comes to pressurized fluids. Some might recom- mend filleting these corners, but this does not entirely remove the stress con- centrators; it merely lessens them. And it certainly does not help the situation with flow dynamics. Alternatively, using the support-free process, holes and channels with inner diameters can be produced up to 100 mm (~4 in.) in diameter. This 10-fold increase in allowable inner diameter greatly opens the design window for increasingly complex interior channels and truly allows the design to be optimized for function rather than manufacturability.

he support-free process gives you design freedom. TThe ability to print those complex geometries and intricate internal features gives the designers and engineers an easier point of entry to adopting additive manufacturing.

Why Does it Matter? The support-free process gives you design freedom. The ability to print those complex geometries and intricate internal features gives the designers and engineers an easier point of entry to adopting additive manufacturing. Without it, extensive Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)

20 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN Credit: VELO3D

knowledge is required, which teaches Real Applications lers, heat exchangers and manifolds the designer the ins and outs of the So, what kind of applications benefit with large inner diameters. The first required compromises rather than the the most from support-free processes? application, microturbines, cannot be unlimited design freedom. In short, In short, optimized designs that control represented any better than by Sierra this technology gives the power to the flow of fluids or transfer of heat. Turbine’s gas microturbines for hybrid design for optimal functionality rather Great examples of this include UAV propulsion. And the second case than manufacturability. microturbines, air foils and impel- study introduced on page 22, Hanwha

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 21 Metal 3D Printing

Power Systems, is a perfect representation of what can be done with shrouded impellers.

Sierra Turbines – Hybrid UAV Propulsion Sierra Turbines used the VELO3D AM system to produce a gas micro- turbine that could not have been produced any other way. This microtur- bine enables hybrid propulsion for high payload UAVs with 40 times less maintenance, 10 times more power Credit: VELO3D density and a 50% reduction in weight. By printing this part with 3D technology, the firm was able to take an assembly of 61 components and produce them as a single part. From the start, Sierra Turbines realized additive manufacturing was the solution to creating a truly unique and differentiated product. The company reached out to existing vendors and was told that it could produce anything so long as it had angles of 45 deg. or higher. However, when it came to the Hanwha Power Systems – Hybrid even begin the final inspection. If this airflow through the gas turbine engine, UAV Propulsion part were printed on a conventional that constraint would disrupt the flow Hanwha Power Systems utilized L-PBF system, the necessary support and does not really lend itself to an effi- VELO3D’s AM system to produce what removal would be an insurmountable cient engine. was considered an “impossible part,” a obstacle. As can be seen in the image How was this accomplished? The mission-critical shrouded impeller for below, the number of supports would answer comes through utilizing Flow supercritical CO2 systems. The oper- be prohibitively timely and costly to software to control the process and ating environment for these systems remove, if at all possible. And, as dis- having the hardware that allows us to is extreme in both temperature and cussed above, the need for perfect sym- do it. From a library of pre-developed pressure, which led to Inconel 718 as a metry on a mission-critical rotating part recipes, the simulation software can material choice. Inconel 718 is a high- such as this prohibits a tilted print from assign each feature a set of ideal pro- strength, corrosion-resistant nickel the start. cessing conditions. Whether it is low- chromium material that is notoriously For a more detailed discussion on angle walls, vertical walls, or lattice difficult to machine and so AM is a logi- this use case, check out the complete and bulk structures throughout the cal choice. case study here: https://events.velo3d. part, specific processing conditions A shrouded impeller such as this com/3d-printing-turbomachinery. were automatically applied to mitigate would typically be produced with tradi- feature-specific failure mechanisms tional manufacturing techniques, which KRISTIN MULHERIN is senior director and eliminate the need for exten- require multiple steps: machining of of Product Marketing at Velo3D. She is sive DfAM and specialized operator both the inner and outer hubs and air- on the Board of Directors for Women in knowledge. foils themselves, welding processes to 3D Printing and on the Advisory Board For a more detailed discussion on this join the components, inspection of the for All3DP Pro. She has an MBA from use case, check out the complete case welds, heat treatment and final machin- the University of Southern California study here: https://events.velo3d.com/ ing. It is a very complicated process to (USC) and a M.S. in Materials Science & sierra-turbines-case-study. produce the part itself before you can Engineering from UCLA.

22 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN

REHANA BEGG | Senior Editor

the

Women in Additive Manufacturing Additive manufacturing visionaries swap insights on the inroads they’re making in 3D printing.

istening to talking heads on a vey prepared by Alexander Daniels Panelists—Michelle Bockman, CEO, computer screen for six hours Global. With industry efforts like the 3DPrinterOS; Vicki Holt, president and from your home office isn’t the TIPE 3D Printing event, efforts are CEO, Protolabs; Marie Langer, CEO, EOS; norm when it comes to attend- being made to buck the trend, noted and Sonita Lontoh, CMO of 3D Printing Ling trade conferences. Neither is an all- the report. and Digital Manufacturing, HP—were female speaker lineup focusing on addi- Consider the success of the confer- prompted to share their observations as tive manufacturing. ence proof-positive that a collective drivers of change and to discuss ideas The recent TIPE 3D Printing 2021 effort can inspire both visionaries and on diversity, allyship and sustainability. conference (Jan. 27-28) organized by hopefuls. Over the course of two days, They also fielded audience questions on the non-profit Women in 3D Printing the conference attracted 147 speakers bottlenecks to AM adoption, on whether featured an all-female speaker lineup and more than 1,600 attendees. the future of the industry is centralized with topics ranging from advancements Participants were corralled from or decentralized, and how non-executive in additive manufacturing, biomateri- Women in 3D Printing’s network of men can empower women. als and metal additive printing to mass more than 75 chapters across 28 coun- What follows below are highlights customization, pushing the limits of 3D tries. The group grew from a blog post culled from the “Power Women” key- printing in healthcare and human-cen- into one of the largest AM communities note. Panelists’ comments have been tered innovation. worldwide, noted Founder and Princi- edited for brevity and clarity. The impetus for bringing togeth- pal Nora Toure. er the who’s-who roster of speakers In one of two keynotes, a panel of TIPE 3D PRINTING KEYNOTE stemmed from the recognition that women reflected on their own leader- (Jan. 28, 2021) the industry is largely male-dominat- ship styles. “This was a forum where no- ed. Today, roughly 12% of the additive one was a token, and no-one shied away Panelists: manufacturing industry is comprised from hard conversations,” commented Marie Langer, CEO, EOS; Michelle of women, noted the 2021 Worldwide moderator Sarah Goehrke, founder of Bockman, CEO, 3DPrinterOS; Sonita Additive Manufacturing Salary Sur- Additive Integrity LLC. Lontoh, CMO of 3D Printing and

24 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN Digital Manufacturing, HP; and Vicki Holt, president and CEO, Protolabs.

Moderator: Sarah Goehrke, Founder, Additive Integrity LLC.

Production speeds, materials development, post-processing and software challenges are typical hurdles in AM. Bottlenecks stem more pointedly from a need for effective design, the lack of education and cost.

Vicki Holt: Remember manufacturers are making products that have to meet form, fit, function and cost in their cus- TIPE 3D Printing keynote panel, featuring Marie Langer, CEO, EOS; Michelle Bockman, CEO, tomers’ world. They are always going to 3DPrinterOS; Sarah Goehrke, founder, Additive Integrity LLC.; Sonita Lontoh, CMO of 3D be weighing all of the different elements Printing and Digital Manufacturing, HP; and Vicki Holt, president and CEO, Protolabs. versus different manufacturing tech- (Credit: TIPE 3D Printing) nologies. So, the thing that’s holding it back is designing for additive manufac- people who really know how to work used when it makes sense, both from turing in a way that you take advantage with this technology. And then, of a business case perspective and from a of the technology in order to create the course, it’s also cost, as in many cases it’s technical perspective. And it is appli- value proposition in your final product still not cost-efficient—or at least, not cation-specific; the use of additive for that is going to economically make sense. if you only look at specific parts of the certain applications is different for oth- We’ve got to design for it. And then, the manufacturing chain. ers. Education, or the ability and the technology also needs to develop both in knowledge to take full advantage of terms of cost and materials. Sonita Lontoh: I think we have additive, which usually means design- to be realistic. I don’t think additive ing for additive, rather than trying to Michelle Bockman: From our manufacturing is the be-all, end-all. fit AM into traditional manufacturing experience, it’s always having educated It is a tool in the toolbox that will be design, is very important.

Vicki Holt, president and CEO, Protolabs. (Credit: Protolabs) Michelle Bockman, CEO, 3DPrinterOS. (Credit: 3D Control Systems)

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 25 Women in Additive Manufacturing

Mergers and acquisitions are Marie Langer: Build around the value characteristic of the maturing AM proposition that you really want to offer. landscape, and the industry is on Be aware that you need to be able to influ- a course to disrupt the $12 billion ence it fully and to connect it to your cul- manufacturing market. ture and to your way of working. I’m a big fan of collaboration, and I definitely Vicki Holt: Acquisitions really have think that, in most cases, it’s a great way to serve a strategic purpose for our com- forward. Make sure it’s really core and pany…Sometimes it could be a rollup then an M&A can be a good opportunity. approach, whereby it has to meet a strategic purpose of what we need to do to Gender disparities can be well- service our customers better. Sometimes served through allyship; gender- a collaboration can do that well, some- parity efforts are effective when times you really want to bring it in in a men believe they can participate. way that can deliver unique value to the customer. So, I think it really varies, but Michelle Bockman: Male allies. If it truly has to [fulfill] a strategic need. you as a female have an idea, run the (Editor’s note: On January 19, 2021, idea by a male colleague you have a rela- Sonita Lontoh, global head of marketing Protolabs entered a $ 280 million deal to tionship with—especially if he has some (CMO), 3D Printing & Digital Manufacturing, acquire online manufacturing platform influence. Get his feedback, get support HP. (Credit: HP) 3D Hubs, Inc.) and get your ally into the meeting. Make sure he supports you, or he massages the Sonita Lontoh: This is a generaliza- Build around the idea a little bit better if you can’t, so the tion, but I do think female leaders are person that you’re pitching it to under- more empathetic and collaborative… value proposition stands it. I think that’s pretty powerful. For all of us working in male-dominated that you really want to technology and manufacturing sectors, female leaders are customer-centric. offer. Be aware that you Opportunities abound in driving “ sustainability initiatives. Focus Women take the time to understand need to be able to influ- on product and process redesign, customers’ pain points and can articu- ence it fully and to con- explore niches and grow the eco- late how their solutions—even in collab- system. oration with other solutions from other nect it to your culture and companies—can actually help solve cus- to your way of working.” Marie Langer: When it comes to sus- tomer problems. tainability, when it comes to the effects, Leaders develop other leaders, instead we call it responsible manufacturing. We of other followers. And in my experi- really believe that we can have a huge ence, female leaders seem to pay more effect here. Also, looking at the digital attention to that. Maybe they are more space, there is such a perfect fit. Every- intentional and more willing to develop thing [the industry] experienced during others as leaders. And we’re more col- the pandemic convinced me that we have laborative and inclusive…What you something revolutionary, very disruptive get when you mix people from diverse here that can contribute to a beneficial backgrounds and diverse experiences is world where we’re more conscious, more what I call the value network. conscientious with the resources. We offer different concepts to the world, and MACHINE DESIGN’S Women in Science that is what convinced me. and Engineering (WISE) hub compiles our coverage of gender representation Women remain signiﬁ cantly issues affecting the engineering field, outnumbered in entry-level in addition to contributions from female management. The proportion of authors and subject matter experts women in senior leadership differs within various subdisciplines. Find it at Marie Langer, CEO, EOS. (Credit: EOS) by role and management style. www.machinedesign.com/magazine.

26 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN

Automotive JEANNA VAN RENSSELAR | Technical Writer

for and

What kinds of lubricants and fluids will future electric vehicles need?

s the number of elec- the trends paving the way for electric “Investments in information cam- tric and hybrid-elec- vehicles. paigns and general education of the tric vehicles increases consumers are also driving adoption,” and their use spreads, EV Use Burke says. “The more people learn itA becomes more important for lubri- There are five factors making EVs about electric cars, the more comfort- cation/tribology firms to explore and more popular among consumers, able they become with them. Plus, vari- develop the lubricants and fluids these according to John Burke, CMFS, global ety is increasing. vehicles will need. director of engineering services, Quaker “There are more options, brands and “On an absolute basis, electric vehi- Houghton: suppliers participating and providing cles need less lubricants and additives,” 1. Advances in batteries that increase more choices,” he continued. “You can says Jeff Hemphill, CTO of Schaeffler the travel distance between now get an electric SUV, and soon pick- Group, an automotive supplier. “But recharging, making them viable up trucks will be available. Not long where does the energy get used in elec- options for daily commuters. The ago, options were limited to just small tric vehicles compared to conventional cost of original and replacement cars.” ones? Does this make lubrication more batteries has also come down. important or less important? Where 2. Energy cost per mile is now lower EV Lubricant Issues are the points of friction, and could for electric cars than conventional What do lubricant specialists say will unconventional approaches work bet- ones. be the major differences in lubricant use ter than simply adopting lubricants 3. The perception of less mainte- between EVs and internal-combustion- and fluids that internal-combustion nance. powered cars and trucks? vehicles rely on?” 4. Near-zero onboard emissions. “The lubricants and fluids in EVs will Before answering those ques- 5. The cost for electric vehicles has have some new jobs to do,” Hemphill tions, here’s a quick look at some of come down. says. “For example, automatic trans-

28 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN mission fluid in today’s conventional vehicles must handle controlled friction in wet clutch packs, remove heat from the clutches and do both for more than 100,000 miles. “In electric axle gearboxes, heat might need to be removed from the electric motor and there will likely be no clutch packs,” he added. “This might make the transmission fluid’s viscosity and specific heat more important than its ability to reduce or change friction.” Ali Erdemir, professor of mechanical engineering and materials at Texas A&M University, agrees. “There are fewer moving components in EVs, so there are fewer types of lubricants needed,” Erdemir said. “These might differ from those used in internal-combustion engines, mainly because of the differences in contact load, speed and heat, which may call for better anti-wear, anti- Electric vehicles are growing in popularity and numbers. (Courtesy Schaeffler Group USA Inc.) scuff capabilities.”

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 29 Lubricants for Electric Cars and Trucks

Technological changes in future electric vehicles could mean even more development in the lubricants they require.

“Electric vehicles have no combustion processes to deal with, so there is no engine oil in the conventional sense,” adds Edward P. Becker, P.E., president and founder of Friction & Wear Solu- tions, LLC. “This is the biggest change. However, EVs still use many of the same lubricants. “For example, greases for wheel bearings, suspension components and body closures are essentially the same,” he Transmissions for EVs will explains. “To date, all EVs use conven- have to handle low speeds tional transmission fluids to lubricate and high acceleration, the motor and gears. A new lubricant which could mean changes designed for high loads at low speeds in automatic transmission will be required for future EVs.” fluids.

Another lubricant challenge is the sharing grows and personal ownership A new lubricant presence of high voltages in the gearbox. of vehicles declines, Hemphill points designed for high Due to power switching for controlling out. “Ride-sharing vehicles will be electric motors, static charges build and more like taxis and be used 50 to 60% of loads at low speeds will be are sometimes discharged through the the day. Most cars today are only used “required for future EVs.” bearings or gears. “In this case, the lubri- 4 to 5% of the say. This will make pow- cant becomes the dielectric in a capaci- ertrain durability more important.” tor,” Hemphill says. “A variety of fixes Burke concurs: “Electric cars can are being explored, including insulation, Other EV Fluids accelerate faster than conventional cars; modifying the lubricant modification There are some fluids that will not therefore, they may put more stress on and shunts.” be needed, or at least not as much, in lubricants in powertrain components.” Another difference in EVs’ lubricant, EVs: antifreeze for the radiator, motor There are also other new issues driv- according to Hemphill, is that their fric- oil, automatic transmission fluid and en by high speeds in EVs’ axle gear- tion losses are a bigger percentage of rear differential gear oil. These fluids boxes, according to Hemphill. These the vehicle’s on-board energy than in will not be used except for a possible include bearing creep, in which a bear- conventional cars, and this makes drag small amount of heat-transfer fluid for ing’s outer race rotates in the housing. reduction even more important. the battery pack and electric motor. This calls for surface coatings or tribo- The type of lubricants needed in Also, with EVs’ regenerative braking, logical solutions. some EVs could also change if ride- the strain on brake fluid will be less,

30 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN though, admittedly, this is a small vol- have the same tribological challenges as THIS ARTICLE was written by technical ume for each vehicle. Overall, the vol- electric axles.” writer Jeanna Van Rensselar (jeanna@ ume of lubricants in EVs will be lower “Tribology and lubricants will remain smartprcomunications.com) and it first ap- than for today’s cars and trucks. relevant and important regardless of peared in Tribology & Lubrication Technol- Fluids used to manufacture EVs will the increase in EVs on the road,” notes ogy, the monthly magazine of the Society differ from those used to make conven- Erdemir. “After all, they all rely on mov- of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, tional cars and trucks. For example, EVs ing parts such as bearings and gears to an international not-for-profit professional simply do not need radiators, exhaust operate reliably and efficiently.” society headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill. pipes, catalytic converters, engine blocks, pistons, camshafts, connecting rods, crankshafts, drive shafts, transmissions, clutches or associated gears and components. And if the EV has a motor on each wheel, it will not need a rear differential Think BIG, or small. (assuming an electric motor is used at each drive wheel). That means the need for metalworking fluids will decrease, says Burke. “Therefore, there will be a reduction in stamping/forming fluids, straight cutting oils, water-dilutable cutting fluids, heat treat quenchants, UPDATED in-process and interim corrosion-pre- up to 50-axis vention fluids and cleaning,” he says. “The burden to dispose of such fluids also will decline.” NEW up to 18-axis

Technological Changes Lubricants will also be needed that can handle the innovations that change RMC200 Lite One axis or ﬁfty; position, velocity, force, how EVs (as well as autonomous EVs) or position-pressure/force, look to Delta are designed. For example, designers at the Schaeffler Group are working on a RMC Motion Controllers and graphical robo-taxi with four 90-deg. steerable RMCTools software to make complex wheels, each with a planetary gearbox. The vehicle will use gearboxes, creating motion easier, smoother, and more precise. a significant demand for lubrication. Schaeffler is also working with Para- Fast, precise, elegant, servo-hydraulic control van to develop and deploy drive-by- wire systems which were originally built Big or small, get your next project running to let people with handicaps drive. “This more quickly than you thought possible. technology was quickly adopted by several automotive and industrial OEMs as they created autonomous vehicles because it offers ‘fail functional’ reli- 1-360-254-8688 • deltamotion.com ability in both electro-mechanical and electrical components,” says Schaeffler’s Hemphill. “We are now developing a high-volume version of this that we call SpaceDrive III. It will include actuators COMPUTER SYSTEMS and our custom electric motor, which RMC75 RMC200 RMC150 Motion Control are built into the gearbox. They will 1 or 2-axis up to 32 50-axis up to 8-axis

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 31 Compressed Air ELVIRA RAKOVA | Founder and CEO, Direktin

A toolkit for designing efficient pneumatic systems should include energy savings measures.

This article shows that efficient design implementation of energy-saving mea- AT A GLANCE: of pneumatic systems not only promote sures often requires higher investment • Efficient design of pneumatic sustainable production, but also help and implementation costs; however, in systems promotes sustainable make the systems cheaper, reduce oper- many cases, there is no detailed informa- production, reduces overall ational costs, increase dynamic char- tion about the savings potential when costs and increases dynamic acteristics of the machine and reduce using a specific energy-saving solution characteristics of the machine. potential failures. Moreover, the article on a specific pneumatic drive. • The correct choice—and gives a simple overview of energy-sav- This information is fundamental for design—of the system is the first ing measures and offers handy tools for a comprehensive decision-making pro- step for achieving an energy- efficient solution. engineering and economical calcula- cess—that is, if a specific energy-saving tions for choosing the most cost-effec- drive solution is economical in relation • Free online tools provide tive system. to additional investment costs. The sav- economical calculations for choosing the most cost-effective Figure 1 represents an overview of all ings potential can only be determined system. possible energy savings measures. Actu- by comparing the energy demand of the ators include cylinders, motors, nozzles original and the energy-saving drive and vacuum applications. Blue dots structure. In this case, the cost-effective- n a world ever-more-pressed by are related to the savings of actual flow ness and long-term financial benefits of natural and societal challenges, directly, green dots express mechanical- these measures are usually not immedi- increased energy efficient solutions ly-related saving measures. ately apparent to machine builders when in industry offer a unique oppor- Itunity to reconcile economic competitiveness with sustainable development. Energy efficiency improvements offer an immense opportunity for better alloca- tion of natural resources and well-being development; yet, several industrial sectors still make use of inefficient systems. This is the case with pneumatic systems, widely used in the industrial 1. Overview of energy saving measures. (Credit: Direktin) sector due to their robust and flexible design, yet often poorly designed and, Cylinders and Control Technologies designing a machine. As a result, poten- therefore, highly energy-inefficient. Energy saving solutions are gener- tial energy efficiency measures are often Indeed, energy consumption is usually ally aimed at the reduction of the drive’s not implemented, so the end-user ends not taken into account when designing demand on absorbed mass flow. This can up paying more. pneumatic systems (instead, focusing be done by reducing the pressure level Several energy efficiency solutions the design on functionality and pricing), and the filling volumes as well as by lim- are available on the market, ranging leaving pneumatics as a non-efficient iting the opening times of the directional from pressure reducers to intelligent technology that is often used for sim- valves. Some saving solutions recycle the systems that ensure savings up to 50% of pler tasks with lower requirements on compressed air from the drive with the the total energy consumption. The cor- dynamic characteristics. aid of a recovery circuit. Conversely, the rect choice (and design) of the system

32 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN is the first step for achieving an energy- efficient solution. Component suppliers and manufacturers provide various tools for engineering calculations. For instance, filtration systems manufacturer SMC offers an efficiency tool to calculate energy consumption for different technologies, whereas pneumatic components manufacturer Aventics has an engineering tool that enables calculation of the compressed air consumption of cylinder drive. The calculation of the compressed air consumption is based on a summation of the filling volumes and the pressure level under the assumption of isothermal system behavior. To calculate the energy consumption for a double stroke of a standard cylinder drive, equations for the air con- 2. Decision-making diagram for sumption of cylinder, and dead and tube cylinder choice. (Credit: Direktin) volumes are required:

Application of energy saving mea- neering tool, which chooses the cylin- sured to a cylinder drive can be sum- der drive from a user-defined cylinder marized in following decision-making rod piston diameter range and type and matrix: pre-defined cushioning system; and the brand-neutral tool from Direktin, which Cylinder Diameter Recalculation provides calculations for diameter, vol- Where Vcyl is consumption of com- The first step is to check if it is pos- ume flow rate, tube diameter, pressure pressed air of cylinder in Nm3, D-piston sible to change the cylinder and, if so, to drop and suggestions on cushioning sys- diameter, d = rod diameter, x = stroke, p check if the diameter of the cylinder is tem and input parameters that require = pressure level, p0 = ambient pressure, chosen correctly. Commonly, cylinders only mechanical data. Vcyl = tube consumption, dt = internal are oversized, leading to unnecessary In practice, the correct choice of the tube diameter and l = tube length. energy consumption and bigger dead cylinder diameter does not impact its The optimization of the design volumes (for example, cylinder and functionality, but it does have an impact parameters is an effective method to tubes), impacting further on losses in on the energy consumption. The Direk- adapt the energy requirements of both dynamics, higher mass of the system tin tool demonstrates that the poor siz- existing oversized and newly designed and increased acquisition costs. ing of a cylinder’s diameter can lead to drive axes with respect to the driving The definition of the ideal diameter of an increase of energy consumption up task. The switching and control tech- a cylinder is indeed crucial for achiev- to 40%. nology measures include energy-saving ing optimal energy consumption with ISO-cylinders are row represented by circuits. These circuit concepts limit the respect to the expected task. In that standard numbers; the higher the num- supplied mass flow or use the exhaust air sense, it is important to consider param- ber is, the bigger the gap is between the for the return stroke of the drive via the eters such as required forces, pressure current and next size (e.g., 40, 50, 63, 80, principle of an air spring. level in the cylinder inlet, required 100). SMC offers in its efficiency pro- velocity, time, type of mounting and gram cylinders with intermediate non- Optimization of Design friction forces. standard diameters—for example, 45 Parameters: An Example Few companies offer tools for evalu- mm—that can save up to 25% of energy Chosen application: A pneumatic ating cylinder sizing. Examples of these consumption. Direktin’s calculation press with supply pressure 5 bar, with tools are Easy Sizer by Metal Works, tool proposes the next possible diam- the press capacity of 500 N down and which calculates cylinder diameter and eter from SMC’s efficient program and back with the mass of 2 kg. required flow rate; the Aventics engi- shows the calculated diameter.

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 33 Pneumatics Toolkit

Reduce Supply Pressure When a cylinder is already installed, users can always check if the system is 3. Energy oversized by using the above-mentioned consumption tools. In this case, users can save energy calculation on their systems by reducing the pres- for standard sure levels. cylinder, This solution, however, is not opti- reduced mal, as it requires additional pressure pressure reduction, and the energy savings are option and lower in comparison to a correctly sized “oversized” cylinder. Moreover, dead volumes influ- drive. (Credit: ence the velocity performance for the Direktin) studied application (Fig. 5); the velocity of the bigger drive with reduced pressure is lower. The primary reason is dead volumes, which are about 10 % of the piston volume. The value of dead volume gains with each cylinder size increasing filling time and, therefore, motion cycle. The tube diameter also plays a role. Usually, it is chosen according to supply pressure and the total cylinder volume. In these cases, the tube with the diameter of 8 mm was chosen for the cylinder size up to 40 mm; for bigger cylinders, the pipe of 10 mm diameter was used. Length of the pipe in all cases is 1.5 m. Presented results show the importance of the correct sizing of the actuator at the concept phase, where the smaller cylinder with higher pressure level consumes less energy than the bigger cylinder with the lower supply pressure level. 4. Simulation results of circuits with cylinder 40 mm under 5 bar and reduced pressure by However, this approach works for 4 bar, but bigger cylinder diameter of 50 mm. (Credit: Direktin) multi-axis systems within one machine or even on the level of the production plant. Adaption of pressure level can also be used for the group of actuators, creating a multi-pressure level network. Another opportunity for pressure adjustment is the reduction only in one motion direction. Many applications require force in one direction only.

Reduced Pressure Return In many applications, cylinder do not require any effort for the return stroke. Usually, lower pressure is sufficient to ensure the displacement. In the case of the demonstrated application, the effort 5. Energy consumption of reduced pressure return. (Credit: Direktin)

34 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN is required only to lift the mass, while for to operate a pneumatic cylinder, where- Smart control systems enable reduc- descending the lower pressure needed. as Cy4.O from Cy.Pag is an intelligent tion of energy consumption but increase Reducing pressure level for descending actuator designed to monitor and opti- the investment within components. The guarantee saving in energy consump- mize the filling of pneumatic cylinder decisive factor is the economical assess- tion up to 28 %. chambers, effectively transforming the ment and pay-back period. It depends traditional pneumatic actuator into a on the operational data of the machine, Energy-Saving Control pneumatic actuator that respects Indus- such as hours per year, cycles, energy Along with the optimization param- try 4.0 principles. cost and acquisition cost of components. eters, such as diameter and pressure level, there are ways to reuse exhaust energy and use expansion energy for the motion. This article looks at the bridge circuit and air reservoir. The use of the bridge circuit and the premature disconnection of the compressed air supply from the pneumatic actuator make the energy savings potential particularly evident in comparison to the standard circuit. The bridge circuit consumes less than 50% of the amount of compressed air per double stroke in contrast to the standard circuit. The curves of the chamber pressures show that the short-term venti- lation time of the cylinder chambers limits the pressure level in the present case to about 4 bar. After the movement has started, the chamber pressure drops during extension. This phenomenon occurs because the movement of the piston increases the volume of the chamber, but the compressed air supply is interrupted. The pressure in the end positions is signiﬁcantly lower than in the standard circuit, whereby a secure holding of the position is uncertain. An exhaust air recovery presents a simple air spring set at the certain level, which offers up to 40% of energy savings. For this application, the size of air reservoir has to be identified and recal- culated for each application and requires additional space for the installation. Advantages of a bridge circuit were implemented in commercial solutions by industrial manufacturers Festo and Cy.Pag, which offer different solutions with significant energy savings, embed- ded monitoring and other options. FMT from Festo represents a control block of valves with various functions

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 35 Pneumatics Toolkit

Moreover, each solution offers additional features, such as energy monitoring or better cushioning properties. Direktin’s free tool offers economical calculation of life cycle of the machine. It proposes the brand-neutral suitable energy saving measures described above and enables calculation of pay-back period of suggested solutions with the provided data about additional investment. In this particular case, an alternative control strategy by means of bridge 6. Test results of standard circuit (left hand side), alternative control and energy consumption circuit (CROV) performs higher sav- calculation. (Credit: Direktin) ings. However, lowest pay-back shows the use of reduced pressure return. An alternative diameter of 45 mm can be 7. Intelligent used for this case and promises 25% energy-saving of energy savings, with less than one solutions year return on investment. Tube length available on reduction is always a good option for the market. more detailed tube sizing. (Pressure (Credit: Direktin) loss calculations are outside the scope of this article.)

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36 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN 8. Energy-saving measures calculated on the Direktin platform. (Credit: Direktin)

All in all, the cost-effective choice for a cylinder drive solution is supported by a number of free tools available online. New solutions promise savings up to 50% and, together with additional functions, make machines faster, cheaper and better.

ELVIRA RAKOVA holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering with a focus on the energy efficiency of compressed air systems. She is the founder and CEO of Direktin, an online platform for reducing the energy consumption of compressed air systems. Harness the Power of Pulsed Light Do you have an idea for a product that uses Pulsed Light? XENON can help you make it a reality. We are the experts in Pulsed Light technology, with over 50 years of experience. We’ve helped countless OEMs develop unique, successful solutions for food safety and enhancement, sterilization, PE sintering, UV curing, and more. We can help make your product a reality, too. We offer: • Benchtop research systems • Modular components for easy integration • Engineers & scientists ready to work with you ##!(∀ #∀#!∋#∀ • Service & support available globally ∀!% ! ∀# ∀#! ∃# #! ∃!#∀ #∀ " $!&% ! # #! #∀!∀#∀#!%∋∃! Partner with the experts to bring your %∋!∀##!∃∃!∀∋∋∀& Pulsed Light product to market. Contact us at 978 661-9033 or visit www.PulsedLight.com. "%#∃∀ ∀##∃ ∀%∀# ##∀!!∋ %!&#∀ #∀# # ∃∀# #%$%! !∀!% & !!!%∋!∀∋∀#∀'!!%! ∀#!∋##∀##∀$! #∀# ∋∀!'(#%&"" )!∋' ∋∃!& &

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 37 Design Feature BRYAN CHRISTIANSEN | Founder and CEO, Limble CMMS Untangling the Causes of UNRELIABILITY

How can engineers systematically tackle the problems of unreliability?

Once the concept has been agreed to, it becomes more costly and inefficient to add reliability measures. But it is often less expensive to design for reliability than it is to test for reliability. There are at least two proven and systematic methods for recognizing possible reliability issues during the design process: Reliability Block Diagrams (RBD) and Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA). An RBD lays out a model of the machine, listing reliability at each component. Engineers must be sure to follow the proper reliability path, which eliability is rarely thought differentiate one company from the rest may differ from the control path. For about when things are going of the field. But a reputation for design- example, an RBD for a car’s drivetrain well and machines are run- ing and building reliable machines is might look like the block diagram on ning smoothly. But that can another way to set a company apart page 39. Rall change in an instant. In effect, once a from its competitors. Many companies At each block, the reliability of the machine is delivered and installed, reli- have strived to become synonymous individual component is determined. ability is perhaps the machine’s most with reliability. And they feed into an overall reliability important characteristic as far as the Becoming known as a company that number. customers are concerned. supplies reliable equipment cannot be An RBD is simple to understand and Poor reliability affects companies by done by using clever marketing. For can quickly uncover potential reliability adding downtime, maintenance costs maximum effect, the drive for reliability issues, as it easily exposes “weak links and other downstream effects. This is must permeate the company. in the chain.” But it can also be too sim- easily understood by anyone who’s expe- Of course, one critical area is design. plistic for some machines, as it does not rienced a faulty piece of equipment. It’s consider relationships between com- not just fixing the machine, which is Designing for Reliability ponents. Does reliability of any of the enough of a burden; there are always Design is the most important fac- blocks depend on how they are config- additional and costly consequences to tor in a machine’s reliability. Engineers ured in a certain path? deal with. often ignore reliability until too late in FMEA systematically identifies each An unreliable machine destroys the the design cycle. For example, many failure mode of a machine or process. credibility of the company that made it engineers only consider reliability late in Examining failure modes in detail can and can easily led to lost customers and the validity portions of the design cycle also uncover other shortcomings in sales. In competitive marketplaces, price rather than during the concept and early the design. This includes the underly- and performance are important and can design phases. ing failure mechanism as well as ways

38 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN to eliminate it or reduce its chances. mon methods for improving reliability proactive maintenance methods such as (Risk Priority Number, for example, is include applying Reliability Centered Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) determined by multiplying the sever- Maintenance (RCM) and focusing on and Predictive Maintenance. ity, occurrence and detection factors, as seen on page 40. The resulting RPN gives designers an idea of how much of a problem the failure mode will be.) Addressing severity, occurrence and detection in the design phase is critical for designing reliable devices. If the RPN is high, engineers have two options: eliminate the failure mode or change one or more of the factors to get a lower RPN. The best course of action is not always clear. Sometimes all that are needed are a few small design tweaks, sometimes engineers can add an additional control mechanism and sometimes the design team must go back to the drawing board. FMEA is generally a thorough exploration of all a machine’s failure sources. Once it has been conducted, results can be used for replication on similar machines. Better understanding of the failure modes can greatly help in current and future design. FMEA results help maintenance technicians understand when a machine is breaking down. This lets them respond faster and more accurately, and ultimately improve reliability. Unfortunately, FMEA examines every possible failure mode, so it can be tedious, time-consuming and expensive. FMEA effectiveness is also highly dependent on the expertise of the people performing the analysis. Therefore, it takes people with a high level of experience to execute it.

Improving Reliability Once the design team use RBD, FMEA or some other form of analysis to get a firm grasp on a design’s reliability weaknesses, it can more effectively address the reliability concerns. Com-

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 39 Causes of Unreliability

RCM is like FMEA, but it goes fur- Like FMEA, RCM is a systemat- strategy before it embarks on it. And ther. It takes the failure modes from ic approach to treating failure modes like FMEA, it requires some expertise to FMEA and develops maintenance through prevention. For example, if the develop RCM. strategies to address failures. RCM designers, know a clogged filter will NASA once used RCM at its Marshall leads the team through each failure reduce air flow and damage an engine, Flight Center and maintenance costs mode, where it determines the best the RCM response might be to schedule were decreased, existing equipment life maintenance strategy to prevent the a filter replacement every three months. was improved and energy costs were failure. Most commonly, RCM is done Learnings from one RCM program can lowered, resulting in a savings of over after equipment is operating. Perform- also be used elsewhere. $300,000. If these savings can be made ing at the design stage, however, could But successful RCM require resourc- after implementation, then using RCM lead to solid insights into reliability es, training and dedication. A company in the design phase can surely yield ben- improvements. should be sure it can fully support the efits. If the design team works through

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40 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN FMEA for a new machine, the next logi- team need to act? This is not easily cal step is RCM. understood. CBM uses real-time machine condi- CBM, when properly executed, tions to determine when maintenance reduces breakdowns and regular main- is needed. This is done by putting tenance. One source puts CBM savings temperature, vibration or some other at 12% in the first year, with a reduction type of sensor on relevant areas of the in failures exceeding 25%, and a 94% machine and tying them into control improvement in machine availability. loops or external databases. Naturally, A simple example of CBM is adding this approach can be taken in the design vibration sensors to motors. By track- phase. Even though it adds a relatively ing the vibration frequency and setting small amount of cost to the product, it up an alert at an appropriate level for would give end-users much better pre- action, you can react quickly to adverse dictors of performance and reliability. conditions and prolong the life of the CBM tracks data not always discern- motor. able by human senses. It can remotely As many have stated, maintenance, monitor equipment while it is running, repair and operations deserve a higher saving time and reducing disruptions. priority than they usually receive, espe- But CBM is more costly for customers cially during the design phase. If reliabil- and requires more upfront setup and ity is considered early in the design pro- configuration. And here will be a learn- cess, equipment will surely be better off ing curve in which the company estab- in the long run. Reliability can become lishes sensor thresholds. Training is also strength of the design and a method to required. When does the maintenance differentiate a company’s products.

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GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM New Products

ADJUSTING SCREW

The GN 827 stainless steel adjusting screw is intended for use with bearing blocks GN828 and simplifies the attachment of parts to various processing and assembly mechanisms in machines, installations and jigs. This means that processes that require the repositioning and adjustment of devices can be carried out much more quickly. The mechanisms are moved into or out of position using an adjusting screw with rotating knob and hexagon socket fitted with a scale with 0.1 mm graduations. They are optionally available with a female thread matching the adjusting screw or a receiving groove that provides axial support for the adjusting screw. WINCO, www.jwwinco.com

TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTER

The iTEMP TMT142B smart temperature transmitter with Bluetooth delivers highly accurate and reliable measurements, wireless communication via Bluetooth and user-friendly operation—all packaged in a robust single-chamber field housing. The technology offers significant improvements in process efficiency and plant availability while reducing costs. The transmitter features a secure integrated Bluetooth interface that enables users to wirelessly visualize measured values, obtain NAMUR NE 017 diagnostic information and perform configuration tasks. The device is extremely easy and fast to operate and no special tools are required. ENDRESS+HAUSER, www.us.endress.com

42 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN HELIX CONVEYORS

The FlexMove Helix Conveyors are manufactured to meet customer needs with build-to-order inclines and declines, which provide tight spirals in a small footprint for greater flexibility in layout for applications such as accumulation, buffering, cooling product and more. The Helix Conveyor’s incline/decline angle can be shallow for accumulation applications or steep when space is limited; build-to-order inclines and declines give users great flexibility in designing a Helix Conveyor to their exact specifications. Conveyors are manufactured to exact angle for each application, with incline options from 4 to 10 deg. Infeed and outfeed may be positioned at any height or angle. DORNER VONVEYORS, www.dornerconveyors.com

LIMIT SWITCHES

High-temperature precision limit switches provide a 10-micron accuracy and are rated for temperatures of up to 200°C. New high-vacuum resistance limit switches are high precision with an accuracy of 10 microns and are designed to be used in a high-vacuum environment. High-vacuum resistance precision limit switches come in stroke lengths from 0.8 to 5 mm and are available in M5 x 0.5, M14 x 1 and 16 x 1 mm threaded barrel diameters. AUTOMATION DIRECT, www.automationdirect.com/precision-limit-switch

HEXAPOD SYSTEM

A hexapod offers motion in 6 deg. of freedom (XYZ, Pitch, Roll, Yaw). With the addition of more standard, vacuum- compatible hexapods, the load range of 5 to 80 kg is covered; custom models for loads up to 1 ton have been designed as well. The hexapods provide high resolution and repeatability to 0.1μm and 2 μrad, respectively. They are easy to program, allow the user to change the center of rotation with one command and come with high level alignment functions built in. PI, www.pi-usa.us/en

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM New Products

MAGNETIC SHUTTLES

ACOPOS 6D is based on the principle of magnetic levitation: Shuttles with integrated permanent magnets float over the surface of electromagnetic motor segments. The modular motor segments are 240 x 240 mm in size and can be arranged freely in any shape. A variety of shuttle sizes carry payloads of 0.6 to 14 kg and reach speeds of up to 2 m per second. They can move freely in two-dimensional space, rotate and tilt along three axes, and offer precise control over the height of levitation. That gives them six deg. of motion control freedom. B&R AUTOMATION, www.br-automation.com

ANGLE ENCODERS

A smarter and faster versions of the RCN absolute angle encoders series are used in machine tools requiring high speed, accuracy and contamination resistance. The new models RCN 2001, 5001 and 8001 are especially useful with fast rotating axes and direct-drive motors because the permissible speeds are up to three times higher than older established RCN encoders. When paired with an EIB 5211 sensor box, these new RCN encoders will transfer the temperature of the encoder and a direct-drive motor to the control in use. This gives the user the ability to push the system to its thermal load limits, which in turn increases production and cost efficiency. HEIDENHAIN, www.heidenhain.us/about-us

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44 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN FLOW CONTROL VALVES

A solenoid-operated, 3-way proportional flow control valve is part of the expanding line of FLeX Series valves. The new patent-pending, compact FREP combines an electro-proportional adjustable orifice and pressure compensator in one valve and can provide a constant priority flow rate independent of load pressures. It’s well-suited for situations where constant actuator speed needs to be maintained regardless of the load on the actuator, and it provides excellent variable flow control when using a fixed-displacement pump. The FREP valve brings precise control to orbital motors on conveyors, spinners or fans for equipment like salt spreaders, agricultural spreaders and seeders. Equipment designers and operators can control material output directly, avoiding excess application of material, saving money, optimizing yield and protecting the environment. SUN HYDRAULICS, www.sunhydraulics.com

DIGITAL SERVO DRIVE

The DS2020 digital servo drive provides high torque capabilities for large axes of motion and other demanding applications. The DS2020 drive with Combitronic expands the standard drive’s capabilities by allowing it to act as a follower device on the Combitronic network, which means the drive can be controlled by any SmartMotor on that network. This allows users to simplify their machine, making it more compact. In addition, this enhancement helps retain the SmartMotor’s traditional ease-of-use while also addressing the power needs of large axes of motion and other demanding applications. MOOG ANIMATICS, www.animatics.com

GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 45 DATA FILE / CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

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GO TO MACHINEDESIGN.COM 47 One More Thing... STEPHEN MRAZ | Senior Editor

Pneumatics lets the robot work in an MRI scanner during a biopsy to let the surgeon monitor the probe’s position inside the patient.

rostate cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer- related death in men in the U.S. PThe American Cancer Society estimates there were 192,000 new cases last year and about 33,000 of them will die from it. The group also predicts that about 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer sometime in their life. The key to surviv- ing the diagnosis is to get it early in the disease’s progression. Early treatment is usually the most effective, with the fewest side-effects and the lowest cost. Currently, surgeons rely on ultrasound to image the prostate when taking biopsies, but it lacks the resolution to reveal The RCM robot system from Soteria Medical is used inside MRI machines to take biopsies tumor sites. Only MRI can detect and of tumor tissue in a patient’s prostate gland. To make the robot free of any metal that would target the most aggressive part of the disturb the MRI machine, it uses pneumatic actuators and controls from Festo. lesions on the prostate. So, urologists make randomized systematic biopsies using ultrasound using plastic pneumatic stepper motors controlled by a Festo which consists of 12 to 16 samples taken from different por- valve terminal type MPA. The entire RCM is made of MRI- tions of the prostate. This means the new robotic procedure compatible, high-quality plastics. The robotic probe is con- is quicker and less problematic for patients. Less time also nected by more than 20 feet of pneumatic tubing to a control means lower costs and more efficient and effective use of the unit. This lets the controller be placed in the MRI control room. MRI machine. For this application, the high-speed MPA valves use a CPX To make diagnosing prostate cancer more accurate and control interface, and the entire unit comes pre-assembled and easier on the patient, a team of engineers at Soteria Medical pre-tested in a ready-to-install control box. It can hold enough BV, a Dutch company, went to work designing a Remote- valves to control the five different motors in the robot. The Controlled Manipulator (RCM) that contains five motors. The CPX interface on the valve uses serial communication for all team wanted a surgeon-controlled robot that would precisely the solenoid coils and electrical input and output functions. position the biopsy probe to sample suspicious areas of the This single network handles end-to-end internal diagnostics prostate. The procedure takes place inside an MRI machine, and reduces internal connections, ensuring a reliable product. so the surgeon can see real-time imaging of the prostate and The compact CPX/MPA combination saves valuable space, probe, which helps when guiding the probe to its target. while the ready-to-install package saves time and reduces But this meant the robot could not contain metal, as that inventory. The valves give the robot a high cycle life, repeat- would interfere with the MRI. The robot would also have to able speeds and well-documented reliability. be compact enough to fit inside the MRI machine along with Partial automation by the RCM makes the biopsy less stress- the patient. ful for the patient. Plus, the robot’s precision and the MRI To keep the RCM metal-free, the design team partnered with imaging lets the machine take one or two samples from any Festo on pneumatic power to move and position the probe suspicious area.

48 MARCH 2021 MACHINE DESIGN FREE ARCHIVED WEBINAR

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The United States Environmental The HVAC system in buildings is the By testing HVAC design concepts using Protection Agency has reported that predominant pathway and driving force simulation, engineers can optimize the indoor air quality (IAQ) can be five for air movement. Unfortunately, HVAC design prior to installation and save times worse than outdoor air. Poor IAQ systems are oft en improperly designed rework costs. leads to people experiencing symptoms and installed due to the focus on that include body aches, fatigue, and saving costs during the initial building In this presentation, Kyle diff iculty concentrating as well as the construction. To improve air quality, Koppenhoefer and Luke Gritter from ability to more easily spread viruses. a well-designed HVAC system must AltaSim Technologies will discuss the Containments that should be considered dilute contaminants with fresh air by development of HVAC solutions from when assessing IAQ include: improving airflow pathways throughout simulations for high temperature and the building. pollutant conditions. The webinar will 1. Particulate matter (wet or dry) also include a live demo in the COMSOL that may be airborne Multiphysics simulations provide a pow- Multiphysics® soft ware and a Q&A 2. Gases like carbon monoxide and erful tool to help engineers design HVAC session. nitrogen oxide systems for applications that include manufacturing facilities, warehouses, *Please see www.comsol.com/privacy for COMSOL’s In addition, air temperature should also data centers, and off ice buildings. These Privacy Policy. Contact COMSOL at www.comsol.com/ contact for more information. Note that COMSOL will be considered for buildings that contain simulations can track temperature and follow up with all registrants about this event and substantial heat sources (e.g., data containment concentration from heat and any related questions. *COMSOL, Inc. 100 District Ave, centers). containment sources within a building. Burlington, MA 01803

SPEAKER: Kyle Koppenhoefer, PhD, Principal, AltaSim Technologies | altasimtechnologies.com Kyle Koppenhoefer is the president of AltaSim Technologies. He and his business partner founded AltaSim 18 years ago. He works with customers to identify how computational analysis can be used to provide solutions to their products and manufacturing processes. Prior to cofounding AltaSim, Kyle worked for the Department of Defense and the Edison Welding Institute. He holds a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Illinois.

SPEAKER: Luke Gritter, Principal Engineer, AltaSim Technologies | altasimtechnologies.com Luke Gritter has more than 12 years of experience in multiphysics analysis and specializes in the analysis of problems relating to fluid flow, thermal, electromagnetic, and plasma phenomena. At AltaSim, he is a principal engineer with responsibilities for developing and applying multiphysics analysis that enable our customers to develop actionable plans. His industrial experience includes medical products, consumer products, semiconductor devices, and energy markets. Luke’s areas of technical expertise include plasma physics, computational fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, electromagnetics, and mechanical systems. Luke received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.

SPEAKER: Akhilesh Sasankan, Technical Sales Engineer, COMSOL | comsol.com Akhilesh Sasankan is a technical sales engineer at COMSOL. Before starting at COMSOL, he received master’s in mechanical engineering from Arizona State University. Akhilesh’s areas of interests include CFD and high- performance computing.

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