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Our recent article, "Cure for offshoring: The design side of product development" (see below) garnered some great reader comments. For example, David Vranson writes, "With the cost of labor representing only about 5% of the total cost of a finished assembly, the only thing that makes sense with off-shoring is when you build it next door to who uses what you sell. Without my facts and data in front of me at the moment, I'll bet my next paycheck that the cost of logistics far exceeds the cost of LCR labor. So what's YOUR justification? Better make it a good one, otherwise you are contributing to the elimination of the tools we use to keep our economy alive with sustainable manufacturing. Rather than eliminating that, why not work on eliminating the waste that is designed INTO the product that causes you to look at off-shoring in the first place? You'll enjoy life a whole lot more. I promise."
What are your ideas for plugging the dike before it's too late?
Leslie Gordon, Senior Editor
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The phrase “electromagnetic levitation conveyor” might conjure up images of a futuristic factory with floating production lines. But reality isn’t far from science fiction in this case.
Unlike conventional conveyors, which are driven by belts or chains, the Alpha-Lite system uses electromagnetic force for propulsion, indexing, queuing, and position sensing.
The conveyor is a non-contact system. It uses rollers as guide, but there is no physical motor. Products are placed on pallets. A magnetic coil generates a magnetic force which interacts with permanent magnets on each pallet. As a result, pallet speed is easily controlled and the pallet can move bi-directionally with programmable acceleration or deceleration. The system is software-controlled. Each pallet has a unique ID address, so the control software can sense and avoid collisions.
Full Article
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Quiet Operation Solenoid Valve for Patient Comfort
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 The Quiet Operation High Density Interface (HDI) is a 3-way solenoid valve designed to achieve patient comfort by reducing actuation noise by 50%. A typical solenoid valve has an inherent clicking sound when energized, which is caused by the metal-to-metal contact of the moving armature and stationary core. This new quiet operation design uses “whisper” technology to provide a sound level measurement of less than 37 dBA when measured at a distance of 24 inches and a valve cycle frequency of 10 Hz.
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You have probably seen it yourself: images of Chinese workers toiling in mud-floored factories, each feeding a separate punch press, as if part and parcel of a living, progressive die. The lure of this cheap labor has sent many U.S. manufacturers scrambling overseas to cut production costs.
Although design-for-manufacturing tools that would have made this exodus unnecessary have been around for more than 20 years, companies continue to overlook them, says Mike Shipulski, chief engineer of plasma-cutter manufacturer Hypertherm, hypertherm.com, Hanover, N.H. “Companies are sticking their heads in the sand. Many U.S. firms have become too entrenched in doing things the same way. For example, a typical product-cost breakdown shows material to be the largest cost at about 72%. Overhead is around 24% and labor is only about 4%. The question becomes, why continue to move manufacturing to so-called ‘low-cost countries’ to chase 50% labor reductions for a whopping 2% cost reduction? And it’s sillier than that because companies don’t account for cost increases in shipping and quality control.”
Just as mechanics need tools to fix cars, designers need tools to implement DFMA, says Shipulski. Software from Boothroyd Dewhurst, dfma.com, Wakefield, R.I., provide tools in the form of two complementary programs, Design for Manufacture (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA), each named after the method.
Full Article
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Unlike conventional metal stampings from a power press, fourslide production uses a series of relatively inexpensive tools operating in sequence to produce parts ranging from flat stampings to complex fasteners, terminals, contacts, and connectors. The technique is suitable for smaller metal parts where lower volumes, complexity of form, tooling costs, and fluidity of design are driving factors. Examples are precision metal stampings, flat springs, and wire forms less than 2-in. wide and 0.075-in. thick.
Fourslide manufacturing begins with the raw material in flat strip form being fed off a coil and stamped or blanked in the machine. The strip is then fed into the forming section, where four tool-carrying slides approach the part from the four directions, forming the material around a center form or mandrel. All machine motions are cam driven. The cam set-up determines the sequence, timing, and number of tool strikes.
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Watch a video of Roger Hess from Maxon Motor as he looks at the needs of high-speed electric motors that replace pneumatic systems in many medical and surgical areas. 4:15
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UV Curable Compound USP Class VI Approved
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 Fast curing Master Bond UV18Med is a single component adhesive/sealant that meets USP Class VI specifications for medical applications. UV 18Med offers durable, flexible bonds and low superior resistance to water and chemicals. It has a Shore D hardness of 55-60 and an elongation >35%. It adheres well to a wide range of substrates including metals, glass and most plastics. Shrinkage upon cure is substantially less than conventional UV cure systems.
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A full range of smooth-bore shaft collars in 316-grade stainless steel from Ruland Manufacturing Co. Inc. meet the demanding needs of food processing, medical, and pharmaceutical applications. 316-grade stainless steel includes more molybdenum than other grades and offers higher resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride environments.
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A new brochure from Physik Instrumente covers medical applications using piezoceramic actuators and components.
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Rapid injection molding tips
Protomold's monthly Design Tips are a popular and useful resource for designers and design engineers. We’ve compiled over 70 tips for designing injection molded parts in six handy, downloadable volumes. You’ll find useful tips and guidelines on everything from selecting materials to designing parts cost-effectively. Download today!
Boker's 2010 Washer Catalog
Boker's free 2010 Washer Catalog features over 24,000 non-standard flat washer sizes with ODs of 0.080" to 5.140"; numerous IDs and thicknesses; 2,000 materials; and no tooling charges. ISO 9001:2008 Registered.
www.bokers.com/mee
Get Savvy on Rapid Injection Molding
This quick-reference user guide, for engineers and designers, talks about the guidelines and limitations for rapid injection molding. Learn how to get the best possible results for your real plastic molded parts. Download Designing for Moldability, 2nd edition.
Phillips Plastics Corporation®
Medical OEM projects often require more that a custom part or a vendor with limited services. Learn more about the engineering services, materials support, clean rooms, quality control, packaging, sterilization, manufacturing technologies available from Phillips Plastics.
Product & Material Testing
Medical OEMs are product and technology experts, but understanding test requirements and carrying them out is challenging, taking you away from what you do best. Learn more about medical product test methods and requirements from the experts at DDL. www.testedandproven.com
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