EuroWire July 2023

Products

Single piece inspection machine exhibited General Inspection exhibited its latest single piece inspection machine at Fastener Fair USA in Nashville, Tennessee, in May.

The versatile VisionLab can be used for first-piece inspection, SPC sampling, final audits, or 100 per cent inspection using pick-and place automation. It measures all profile characteristics, with a three-dimensional gauging system that provides complete part measurements in less than seven seconds. The system can measure all profile features, including pertinent GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing) characteristics, as well as all thread features, using patented optics and software algorithms that use virtual system-22 thread wireframes. An inte grated thread database provides point-and-click programming. Optional slewing optics automatically tilt for an enhanced view into the radius of the threads to measure root radii and pitch di ameter. Additional options include end-view inspection, surface control and upper tooling with a bit kit. End view is used for measurement and defect detection on both ends of parts. Measurements check for features such as recesses, inner/outer diameters, through holes and counter-bores. Defect detection includes cracks, dents, scratches and plating variations. Optional surface control is used to detect surface defects, such as bad plating, thread patch presence and quality, as well as to measure knurling width, gap and height. Upper tooling and a bit kit are available for uneven parts, or for parts with a recess drive.

VisionLab-75

VisionLab provides comprehensive data reports and graphs with data collection that can be exported to third-party SPC packages. With Windows-based software, VisionLab is easy to program. Templates are saved by part number and then recalled for instant inspection. VisionLab is intended to be in the lab or on the shop floor so that it can be fully utilised, replacing manual inspection. Three models are available. VisionLab-75 and VisionLab-150 can handle parts up to 75mm length and 35mm diameter, or 150mm length and 50mm diameter, respectively. For larger sizes, the VisionLab-X can be custom designed to fit most applications. General Inspection, LLC https://geninsp.com

Wave springs for high force in a tight space If an application requires high forces but the space for deflections is relatively small, wave springs can be the best – and sometimes the only – alternative. Examples are roller bearings and sealings between a housing and a rotating shaft. The geometry and characteristics of wave springs makes them suitable to be assembled in a space that is very limited in the radial direction. The diameter ratio (outer diameter/inner diameter) is close to one.

and lifetime of the bearing increases if it is preloaded with the correct force. Preloading can be applied without a spring, but the flexibility of a spring element compensates for tolerances in axial direction and keeps the preload force within the desired range independent of tolerance outcome. The effects of thermal expansion are reduced by the use of a spring element. The assembly space for roller bearing preload applications is suitable for wave springs. Another application with similar require- ments is sealings, typically between a housing and a rotating shaft. The sealing elements need to be axially preloaded for proper function, and a flexible spring element has the same advantages here as in the roller bearing application. The assembly space is similar to that for roller bearings, and the wave spring is as space effective here. Lesjöfors AB www.lesjoforsab.com

A conventional helical compression spring will not be able to give much force in such a geometry, and a disc spring requires higher diameter ratios. Another scenario for which a wave spring should be considered is if forces are high and deflection relatively small. A wave spring can achieve such characteristics in a smaller axial space than other spring types. This is partly because wave springs often can be made without the dead coils in the ends of the spring that a helical compression spring needs. A typical application where these requirements exist is to apply a preload to a roller bearing, where the performance is improved by an axial preload. Noise is reduced, bearing stiffness is increased

Wave springs belong to the compression springs group, meaning the displacement is linear, and length decreases with increasing force. Their geometry is in some ways similar to helical compression springs, but with the major difference that a wave shape is added to the linearly increasing axial position of the material. They are made from flat rolled wire, with the largest cross section dimension (width) in the radial direction of the spring.

A Lesjöfors wave spring

EF 7/53

www.read-eurofasteners.com

July 2023