Design for inspection

Design for inspection (DFI) is an engineering principle that proposes that inspection methods and measurement instruments used to certify manufacturing conformity, should be considered early in the design of products. Production processes should be designed in such a way that features of the product are easy to inspect with readily available measurement instruments, and so that measurement uncertainty is considered in the tolerance that are applied. The concept can be applied in almost all engineering disciplines. DFI describes the process of designing or engineering a product in order to facilitate the measurement in order to reduce the overall costs of manufacturing and delivering products that satisfy customers.
The role of inspection in the manufacturing process is to ensure that the manufacturing process is producing components that meet the specification requirements. Inspection does not assure the quality of the product, only a robust and repeatable manufacturing process can achieve this. Therefore, inspection is often considered as an overhead although an extremely important one. Similar to design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) (which seek to avoid designs which are difficult to make), the concept of DFI considers measurement capabilities at an early stage in the product development life cycle and uses knowledge of the fundamental principles of metrology to achieve cost reduction. If the inspection method and instruments are considered and selected at the design stage, the likelihood that a tolerance feature cannot be inspected or requires a specialised instrument is substantially reduced. High precision features require specialised manufacturing and metrology, these can have limited availability in the supply chain and therefore often have increased cost. The concept of DFI should complement and work in collaboration with DFM and DFA. There are three key areas when considering DFI, datum selection, tolerances and accessibility, plus general metrology considerations. Getting the most from inspection techniques will help improve quality. It is still difficult for systems designers to build machines that allow finished products to be inspected easily. To do so requires an understanding of the product being manufactured and how inspection tasks can improve the quality control process.
Inspection can represent a significant percentage of an existing product's manufacturing cost. DFI may naturally be called for in redesign of a product to reduce that cost component when it is high. However, DFI will not always reduce inspection costs: it can also lead to increased rate of inspection, because more convenient or higher quality measurement may justify increasing measurements, say from a sampling rate satisfactory to support a basic level of tolerance to a higher rate (e.g. to 100%). Or DFI may make it economical for 100% inspections to measure more features or to make repeated measures of the same feature at different points within the manufacturing process. This would be justified if it would reduce internal failure costs (such as costs of rework or scrap) or external failure costs (such as customer returns) within the cost of quality framework.
References.
https://www.designnews.com/document.asp?doc_id=224661 is out of date


OptiY

OptiY is a design environment software that provides modern optimization strategies and state of the art probabilistic algorithms for uncertainty, reliability, robustness, sensitivity analysis, data-mining and meta-modeling.
Features.
OptiY is an open-source, multidisciplinary design environment, which provides direct and generic interfaces to many CAD/CAE-systems and house-intern codes. Furthermore, a complex COM-interface and a user-node with predefined template are available so that user can self-integrate extern programs for ease of use. The insertion of any system to an arbitrary process chain is very easy using the graphical workflow editor. Collaborating different simulation model classes is possible as networks, finite-element-method, multi-body-system, material test bench etc.
Data mining.
Data mining is the process of extracting hidden patterns from data. Data mining identifies trends within data that go beyond simple data analysis. Through the use of sophisticated algorithms, non-statistician users have the opportunity to identify key attributes of processes and target opportunities. Data mining is becoming an increasingly important tool to transform this data into information. It is commonly used in a wide range of applications such as manufacturing, marketing, fraud detection and scientific discovery etc.
Sensitivity analysis.
Local Sensitivity as correlation coefficients and partial derivatives can only used, if the correlation between input and output is linear. If the correlation is nonlinear, the global sensitivity analysis has to be used based on the variance-relationship between input- and output-distribution as Sobol index. With sensitivity analysis, the system complexity can be reduced and the cause-and-effect chain can be explained.
Probabilistic simulation.
The variability, uncertainty, tolerance and error of the technical systems play an important part by the product design process. These cause by manufacturing inaccuracy, process uncertainty, environment influences, abrasion and human factors etc. They are characterized by a stochastic distribution. The deterministic simulation cannot predict the real system behaviors due to the input variability and uncertainty, because one model calculation shows only one point in the design space. Probabilistic simulation has to be performed. Thereby, the output distributions will be calculated from input distributions based on the deterministic simulation model by any simulation system. The realistic system behaviors can be derivate from these output distributions.
Reliability analysis.
The variability of parameters causes often a failure of the system. Reliability analysis (Failure mode and effects analysis) investigates the boundary violation of output due to input variability. The failure mechanisms of components are known in the specification for the product development. They are identified by measurement, field data collection, material data, customer-specifications etc. In the simulation, the satisfaction of all product specifications is defined as constraints of the simulation results. The system reliability is given, if all constraints scatter insight the defined boundaries. Although a nominal parameter simulation shows that all values of the constraints are located in reliable boundaries, the system reliability however cannot be warranted due to input variability. A part of the constraints variability, which violates the defined boundaries, is called the failure probability of the solution. Reliability analysis computes the failure probability of the single components and also of the total system at a given time point.
Meta-modeling.
Meta-modeling or Surrogate model is a process to win the mathematical relationship between design parameters and product characteristics. For each point in the parameter space, there is a corresponding point of the design space. Many model calculations should be performed to show the relationship between input and output systematically (Full Factorial Design). For a high computing effort of the product model, it is practically infeasible. Adaptive response surface methodology can be used to solve this problem.
Fatigue life prediction.
Predicting fatigue (material) has been one of the most important problems in design engineering for reliability and quality. They have several practical uses: rapid design optimization during development phase of a product and predicting field use limits as well as failure analysis of product returned from the field or failed in qualification test. Fatigue analysis focus on the thermal and mechanical failure mechanism. Most fatigue failure can be attributed to thermo-mechanical stresses caused by differences in the coefficient of thermal and mechanical expansion. The fatigue failures will occur when the component experiences cyclic stresses and strains that produce permanent damage.
Multi-objective optimization.
In development process of technical products, there are frequently design problems with many evaluation goals or criteria as low cost, high quality, low noise etc. Design parameters have to be found to minimize all criteria. In contrast to a single optimization, there is another order structure between parameter and criteria spaces at a multi-objective Optimization. Criteria conflict each other. Trying to minimize a criterion, other criteria may be maximized. There is not only one solution, but also a Pareto optimal solution frontier. Multi-objective optimization finds all Pareto solutions automatically with a single run. The multiple decision making support tool is also available to select one best suitable solution from them.
Robust design optimization.
Variability, uncertainty and tolerance have to be considered for design process of technical systems to assure the highly required quality and reliability. They are uncontrollable, unpredictable and cause the uncertainty satisfaction of the required product specifications. The design goal is assuring of the specified product functionalities in spite of unavoidable variability and uncertainty. The approach solving this problem is robust design of the product parameters in the early design process (Robust Parameter Design (RPD)). Thereby, optimal product parameters should be found. Within, the system behavior is robust and insensitive in spite of unavoidable variability. E.g. the consistent variability and uncertainty leads only to the smallest variability of the product characteristics. So, the required product specifications will be always satisfied.


Wafer backgrinding

Wafer backgrinding is a semiconductor device fabrication step during which wafer thickness is reduced to allow stacking and high-density packaging of integrated circuits (IC).
ICs are produced on semiconductor wafers that undergo a multitude of processing steps. The silicon wafers predominantly used today have diameters of 200 and 300 mm. They are roughly 750 μm thick to ensure a minimum of mechanical stability and to avoid warping during high-temperature processing steps.
Smartcards, USB memory sticks, smartphones, handheld music players, and other ultra-compact electronic products would not be feasible in their present form without minimizing the size of their various components along all dimensions. The backside of the wafers are thus ground prior to wafer dicing (separation of the individual microchips). Wafers thinned down to 75 to 50 μm are common today.
Prior to grinding, wafers are commonly laminated with UV-curable back-grinding tape, which ensures against wafer surface damage during back-grinding and prevents wafer surface contamination caused by infiltration of grinding fluid and/or debris. The wafers are also washed with deionized water throughout the process, which helps prevent contamination.
The process is also known as "backlap", "backfinish" or "wafer thinning".


Interchim

Interchim is a privately owned French company specialized in manufacturing and distribution of reagents, consumables and dedicated instruments for the R&D and industry laboratory in the fields of fine chemistry, chromatography and bio-analysis. It has become a provider of reference methods, products for analytics (analytical chemistry and bioassays) serving research and quality control in the biomedical field, pharmaceutical industry, but also cosmetics and environment.
History.
Interchim was founded by Boch Jean (formerly chemical engineer at Rhone-Poulenc) and Boch Colette in 1970. Their initial activity started with distribution of fine chemicals, then chromatography and Biology. Production was developed as well, in each fields. Affiliate companies were created for production and commercial activities in France, UK (2003), USA (2007) and Instrumentation business (2010). Interchim has now major activity in fine chromatography, fine chemistry and bio-analysis. Leadership in analytical sciences is based on distribution from leading groups (Agilent, Perkin Elmer, Jackson Immunoresearch, Novus, Radleys...), collaborations and proprietary innovative products.
References.
Interchim (headquarters) web site


Belairbus

Belairbus is a Belgian aerospace manufacturer. It is a consortium established to allow a number of Belgian companies to participate in the manufacturing of Airbus aircraft while fulfilling Airbus' stipulation that it only deal with one entity in each European country that wants to be a part of the Airbus manufacturing program. It is an associated partner of Airbus, manufacturing parts for the Airbus A320 family, the Airbus A340 and the Airbus A380.
History.
Belairbus was formed in 1979 as a consortium of the Belgian government; the development authority of Wallonia; and the companies SONACA (formerly Avions Fairey), Fabrique Nationale and Asco. The consortium was established to participate in manufacturing the Airbus A310, being responsible for A310 wing leading edge slats, slat tracks and Krueger flaps. Airbus called Belairbus an "associate", along with Fokker, as both companies were involved with manufacturing Airbus aircraft without being shareholders in Airbus.
The consortium partners are now Sonaca, Asco Industries and Eurair, a subsidiary of Watteeuw Group. Belairbus subcontracts manufacturing to these three consortium members. Each consortium member's share in Belairbus is in proportion to the value of its production for the consortium; Sonaca's share is approximately 58%, Asco's 35%, and Eurair's 7%, with a single share also held by Belgian aerospace company SABCA.


Marlinespike hitch

The marlinespike hitch is a temporary knot used to attach a rod to a rope in order to form a handle. This allows more tension than could be produced comfortably by gripping the rope with the hands alone. It is useful when tightening knots and for other purposes in ropework.
As the name suggests, the type of rod traditionally used with this hitch is a marlinespike. The advantages of this hitch over others which might serve the purpose are its quickness of tying and ease of releasing. Topologically it is a form of the noose, but in practice this hitch is not allowed to collapse into that shape. When it does capsize into a traditional noose, it can jam against the rod, making it much more difficult to release.
The hitch is frequently used by hammock campers to attach adjustable rope slings ("whoopie slings") to the webbing straps that are used to attach hammocks to trees.
By passing the working end through the marlinespike hitch, this knot can be used as an alternative method of tying the Bowline knot. Passing through in the opposite direction will give you the Cowboy bowline (also known as the left-hand bowline, Dutch marine bowline or winter bowline).
Tying.
Below is a basic method of tying. The knot can also be made by using the rod itself to form the loop, but the tying method does not affect the performance of the resulting hitch.
Begin with an overhand loop, that is, a loop in which the working part passes over the standing part:
Fold the loop over the working part, towards the standing part such that the standing part is visible through the center of the loop:

In stiffer material the first two steps can be accomplished in a single motion by twisting the working part with the fingers until a loop forms and flops over the standing part.
Use the rod to snag a bight of the standing part through the loop, that is, pass the rod over the near side of the loop, under the standing part and then over the far side of the loop:
Before tensioning, excess slack can be removed by pulling "simultaneously" on both the working and standing parts:

In actual use the hitch should be loaded only from the standing side.
Undesirable capsized form.
If the working end is loaded rather than the standing part, the knot will capsize into an overhand noose:

While this form may still hold when the standing part is subsequently loaded, it can jam badly against the rod. This is especially troublesome if the rod is not tapered.


Line management

Line management refers to the management of employees who are directly involved in the production or delivery of products, goods and/or services. As the interface between an organisation and its front-line workforce, line management represents the lowest level of management within an organisational hierarchy (as distinct from top/executive/senior management and middle management).
A line manager is an employee who directly manages other employees and day-to-day operations while reporting to a higher-ranking manager. In some retail businesses, they may have titles such as head cashiers or department supervisor. Related job titles are supervisor, section leader, foreperson, office manager and team leader. They are charged with directing employees and controlling that the corporate objectives in a specific functional area or line of business are met.
Despite the name, line managers are usually considered as part of the organization's workforce and not part of its management class.
Responsibilities.
Line managers are responsible for implementing and enabling, through their staff, an organisation's people policies and practices in alignment with business objectives and core values.
Their main functions with respect to employees include:
Line managers' activities typically include:
Line management is also responsible for adopting (with the support of senior management) any type of organizational culture change.
The line management function will often cross into other functions vital to the success of a business such as human resources, finance, and risk management. Indeed, at corporations, responsibility for risk management is vested with line management. Human resources obligations are also increasingly being assigned or "devolved" to line managers.


Computer-aided inspection

Computer-aided inspection (CAI) is the use of software tools to assess manufactured objects. It is closely related to computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Its primary purpose is to allow engineers to more quickly and precisely assess the physical properties of manufactured objects. These properties can include dimensions, material consistency, roughness and roundness.
Uses.
CAI has applications in industries ranging from food production to aerospace, commonly being used in the quality assurance step of the manufacturing process. It involves comparing manufactured objects with a CAD model, technical drawing or data sheet to ensure that the finished product is within specification and meets design intent.
Technologies.
CAI machines can use a variety of technologies depending on the material of the product to be inspected, the properties to be measured, and the precision required.
Digital Cameras.
Digital cameras are frequently used in situations where the shape or colour of an object needs to be analysed. Using machine vision, the CAI program can make decisions about objects by comparing them to a master photo or data array.
Laser Scanning.
Laser scanning CAI machines use point clouds to generate a 3D model which is compared to the required specification. Laser scanners are generally used to check the external geometry of parts with low reflectivity and translucence.
Structured Light Scanning.
Structured light scanners use projected light patterns and digital cameras to analyse the geometry of an object. As with laser scanning, objects with high reflectivity and translucence can cause problems but temporary coatings can be applied to prevent this.
CT Scanning.
Industrial CT scanners use X-rays to image an object from many angles, building up a 3D image to compare to a specification. CT scans can be used to analyse the internal geometry of parts because the X-rays penetrate the object being scanned. Higher resolution CT scans can also check for cavities, cracks, and other undesirable features inside parts.


Dana 44

The Dana 44 is an automotive axle manufactured by Dana Holding Corporation and is used among automobile manufacturers and in the automotive aftermarket area as well.


Lambert (automobile)

The Lambert Automobile Company was a United States automobile manufacturing company which produced the Lambert automobile from 1905 to 1916. The company was founded by automotive pioneer John William Lambert and was based in Anderson, Indiana.
In 1891, John Lambert successfully tested and drove a three-wheeled, surrey topped, gasoline powered runabout of his own design. Despite the success of the car, the vehicle was a marketing failure. Priced at $550, not a single party was interested. Undaunted, Lambert turned his attention to the manufacture of stationary gasoline engines. He selected Anderson, Indiana as the site for his Buckeye Manufacturing Company. During this time he developed the friction transmission that would be a feature on all of his cars. He made an unsuccessful attempt to buy out a model call the Buckeye in 1895. Lambert's first automobile marketing success was a model called the Union which was released in 1902. In 1906, he produced the first Lambert. With this line Lambert established himself as one of the more successful automobile manufacturers of the era. In addition to cars, Lambert produced auto fire engines, trucks, gasoline engines and Steel-hoof farm tractors. The Buckeye Manufacturing Company produced the Lambert automobile through 1917, with the maximum production from 1907-1910, when the firm produced an average of 2,000 cars a year.


Crown gear

A crown gear (also known as a face gear or a contrate gear) is a gear which has teeth that project at right angles to the face of the wheel. In particular, a crown gear is a type of bevel gear where the pitch cone angle is 90 degrees. A pitch cone of any other angle is simply called a bevel gear. Crown gears normally mesh with other bevel gears, or sometimes spur gears, a typical use being a crown gear and pinion system which allows a rotary motion to be shifted 90 degrees.


Epoxy granite

Epoxy granite, also known as synthetic granite, is a polymer matrix composite and is a mixture of epoxy and granite commonly used as an alternative material for machine tool bases. Epoxy granite is used instead of cast iron and steel for improved vibration damping, longer tool life, and lower assembly cost, and thus better properties for stabilizing and housing machines.
Machine tool base.
Machine tools and other high-precision machines rely upon high stiffness, long-term stability, and excellent damping characteristics of the base material for their static and dynamic performance. The most widely used materials for these structures are cast iron, welded steel fabrications, and natural granite. Due to the lack of long-term stability and very poor damping properties, steel fabricated structures are seldom used where high precision is required. Good-quality cast iron that is stress-relieved and annealed will give the structure dimensional stability, and can be cast into complex shapes, but needs an expensive machining process to form precision surfaces after casting. Natural granite has a higher damping capacity than cast iron, but similarly to cast iron can be labor-intensive and expensive to machine and finish. The traditional market for epoxy granite is to replace iron and steel in these applications.
Process.
Precision granite castings are produced by mixing granite aggregates (which are crushed, washed, and dried) with an epoxy resin system at ambient temperature (i.e., cold curing process). Quartz aggregate filler can also be used in the composition. Vibratory compaction during the molding process tightly packs the aggregate together. Mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties can be improved further if fiber is used as well as the granite. Other resins in addition to the epoxy may also be used instead of fibers to improve properties such as water absorption. If porosity is controlled, damping effects can be improved further. Threaded inserts, steel plates, and coolant pipes can be cast-in during the casting process. To achieve an even higher degree of versatility, linear rails, ground slide-ways, and motor mounts can be replicated or grouted-in, therefore eliminating the need for any post-cast machining.
Other definitions.
Epoxy resins and granite, specifically waste granite dust, may be used in other applications such as floor coatings. Waste granite filings are produced in the mining industry and the low density means this can be easily dispersed by winds and thus distributed in the environment. Research is being done on innovative solutions such as using waste granite powders in epoxy resins and designing binders for coatings based on this.
Advantages over iron and its alloys.
The vibration damping of epoxy granite is often claimed to be superior to that of steel or cast iron It is also well known that iron and steel and alloys corrode or rust, whereas epoxy is often used to prevent corrosion. So, the corrosion and general chemical resistance of epoxy granite to most common solvents, acids, alkalis, and cutting fluids is superior to steel and alloys and does not require constant painting. Epoxy granite material has an internal damping factor up to ten times better than cast iron, up to three times better than natural granite, and up to thirty times better than steel fabricated structure. The method of casting compared to steel allows easier inclusion of inserts etc. and thus reduced machining of the finished casting and reduced assembly time by incorporating multiple components into one casting. Polymer cast resins use very little energy to produce, and the casting process is done at room temperature.


Work in process

Work in process or work-in-process, (WIP), work in progress (WIP), goods in process, or in-process inventory refers to a company's partially finished goods waiting for completion and eventual sale, or the value of these items. The term is used in supply chain management, and WIP is a key input for calculating inventory on a company's balance sheet. In lean thinking, inappropriate processing or excessive processing of goods or work in process, "doing more than is necessary", is seen as one of the seven wastes (Japanese term: "muda") which do not add value to a product.
WIP inventory in supply chain management.
WIP inventory calculations can help a company assess their supply chain health and guide in supply chain planning. In most cases, it is ideal to have low WIP inventory levels, and companies that manage their inventory level efficiently tend to have lower costs. Managing WIP inventory requires coordination between several functions within a company, as well as with suppliers and customers. Higher WIP inventory levels are advantageous in that they can support a surge in demand, as well as improve cycle time since there is more material in production. However, this can also increase storage costs and obsolescence risk, as well as lead to waste if demand is lower than expected.
WIP inventory in accounting.
WIP inventory refers to goods that are in production and not yet a finished good. On the balance sheet, WIP inventory is aggregated into the inventory line under current assets along with raw materials and finished goods.
To calculate WIP inventory at the end of an accounting period, the following 3 figures are required: beginning WIP inventory, production costs, and finished goods. Beginning WIP inventory is the WIP inventory figure from the previous accounting period. Production costs includes all costs associated with manufacturing a product, such as raw materials, labor, and overhead costs. Finished goods is the total value of goods ready for sale in the current accounting period. The formula for calculating WIP inventory is as follows: beginning WIP inventory + production costs – finished goods.
Tax treatment.
In the United Kingdom, HMRC has no specific definition of work-in-process, but three different types of uncompleted items are identified for tax purposes:


Gantry crane

A gantry crane is a crane built atop a gantry, which is a structure used to straddle an object or workspace. They can range from enormous "full" gantry cranes, capable of lifting some of the heaviest loads in the world, to small shop cranes, used for tasks such as lifting automobile engines out of vehicles. They are also called portal cranes, the "portal" being the empty space straddled by the gantry.
The terms gantry crane and overhead crane (or bridge crane) are often used interchangeably, as both types of crane straddle their workload. The distinction most often drawn between the two is that with gantry cranes, the entire structure (including gantry) is usually wheeled (often on rails). By contrast, the supporting structure of an overhead crane is fixed in location, often in the form of the walls or ceiling of a building, to which is attached a movable hoist running overhead along a rail or beam (which may itself move). Further confusing the issue is that gantry cranes may also incorporate a movable beam-mounted hoist in addition to the entire structure being wheeled, and some overhead cranes are suspended from a freestanding gantry.
Variants.
Ship-to-shore gantry crane.
Ship-to-shore gantry cranes are imposing, multi-story structures prominent at most container terminals, used to load intermodal containers on and off container ships. They operate along two rails (waterside and landside designations) spaced based on the size of crane to be used.
Lateral movement system:
Vertical frame and braces:
Crane boom:
Hook:
Operating cabin:
Storage equipment:
Ship-to-shore gantry cranes are often used in pairs or teams of cranes in order to minimize the time required to load and unload vessels. As container ship sizes and widths have increased throughout the 20th Century, ship-to-shore gantry cranes and the implementation of those gantry cranes have become more individualized in order to effectively load and unload vessels while maximizing profitability and minimizing time in port. One example are systems where specialized berths are built that accommodate one vessel at a time with ship-to-shore gantry cranes on both sides of the vessel. This allows for more cranes and double the workspace under the cranes to be used for transporting cargo off dock.
The first quayside container gantry crane was developed in 1959 by Paceco Corporation.
Full gantry crane.
Full gantry cranes (where the load remains beneath the gantry structure, supported from a beam) are well suited to lifting massive objects such as ships' engines, as the entire structure can resist the torque created by the load, and counterweights are generally not required. These are often found in shipyards where they are used to move large ship components together for construction. They use a complex system of cables and attachments to support the massive loads undertaken by the full gantry cranes.
Some full gantry cranes of note are Samson and Goliath and Taisun. Samson and Goliath are two full gantry cranes located in the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. They have spans of and can lift loads of up to to a height of . In 2008, the world's strongest gantry crane, Taisun, which can lift , was installed in Yantai, China at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard. In 2012, a capacity crane, the "Honghai Crane" was planned for construction in Qidong City, China and was finished in 2014.
Rubber-tyred gantry crane.
Smaller gantry cranes are also available running on rubber tyres so that tracks are not needed. Rubber tyred gantry cranes are essential for moving containers from berths throughout the rest of the yard. For this task they come in large sizes, as pictured to the left, that are used for moving to straddle multiple lanes of rail, road, or container storage. They also are capable of lifting fully loaded containers to great heights. Smaller rubber tyred gantry cranes come in the form of straddle carriers which are used when moving individual containers or vertical stacks of containers.
Portable gantry crane systems, such as rubber tyred gantry cranes, are in high demand in terminals and ports restricted in size and reliant on maximizing vertical space and not needing to haul containers long distances. This is due to the relatively slow speed yet high reach of rubber tyred gantry cranes when compared to other forms of container terminal equipment.
Portable gantry crane.
Portable gantry cranes are used to lift and transport smaller items, usually less than . They are widely used in the HVAC, machinery moving and fine art installation industries. Some portable gantry cranes are equipped with an enclosed track, while others use an I-beam, or other extruded shapes, for the running surface. Most workstation gantry cranes are intended to be stationary when loaded, and mobile when unloaded. Workstation Gantry Cranes can be outfitted with either a wire rope hoist or a lower capacity chain hoist.


Upset welding

Upset welding (UW)/resistance butt welding is a welding technique that produces coalescence simultaneously over the entire area of abutting surfaces or progressively along a joint, by the heat obtained from resistance to electric current through the area where those surfaces are in contact.
Pressure is applied before heating is started and is maintained throughout the heating period. The equipment used for upset welding is very similar to that used for flash welding. It can be used only if the parts to be welded are equal in cross-sectional area. The abutting surfaces must be very carefully prepared to provide for proper heating.
The difference from flash welding is that the parts are clamped in the welding machine and force is applied bringing them tightly together. High-amperage current is then passed through the joint, which heats the abutting surfaces. When they have been heated to a suitable forging temperature an upsetting force is applied and the current is stopped. The high temperature of the work at the abutting surfaces plus the high pressure causes coalescence to take place. After cooling, the force is released and the weld is completed.


Photonic curing

Photonic curing is the high-temperature thermal processing of a thin film using pulsed light from a flashlamp. When this transient processing is done on a low-temperature substrate such as plastic or paper, it is possible to attain a significantly higher temperature than the substrate can ordinarily withstand under an equilibrium heating source such as an oven. Since the rate of most thermal curing processes (drying, sintering, reacting, annealing, etc.) generally increase exponentially with temperature (i.e. they obey the Arrhenius equation), this process allows materials to be cured much more rapidly than with an oven.
It has become a transformative process used in the manufacture of printed electronics as it allows inexpensive and flexible substrates to be substituted for traditional glass or ceramic substrates. Additionally, the higher temperature processing afforded by photonic curing reduces the processing time exponentially, often from minutes down to milliseconds, which increases throughput all while maintaining a small machine footprint.
Heat Transfer Dynamics.
Photonic curing primarily relies on radiative heat transfer from the lamp to the object of interest during the time that the flashlamp is on, usually between 100 μs and 100 ms. After radiative heat impinges on this object, thermal conduction through the object and convective loss to the atmosphere in contact with the material will occur until the object nears thermal equilibrium. Because of the intensity and short duration of the flashlamp pulse, extreme thermal gradients can occur in the object of interest. Those extreme gradients can be useful in exposing only certain parts of an object to high temperatures.
For most applications of photonic curing, designers consider a layered stack of materials. The goal of a curing profile design is to reach sufficient temperature to cause sintering and metalization of a top layer or print, while avoiding exceeding the glass transition temperature, melting temperature, or flash point of the layers beneath. The transient thermal process of dissipating the heat delivered by the flashlamp depends, again, on the convective thermal losses from the top and bottom layers of the material of interest, and on the thickness of each layer. For thick layers or layers with low thermal conductivity, heat can be dissipated before the temperature of lower layers in the stack can exceed a glass transition or melting temperature. This is the key feature of photonic curing that allows for the curing of metals and conductive inks and paste on low temperature materials.
Uses.
Photonic curing is used as a thermal processing technique in the manufacturing of printed electronics as it allows the substitution of glass or ceramic substrate materials with inexpensive and flexible substrate materials such as polymers or paper. The effect can be demonstrated with an ordinary camera flash. Industrial photonic curing systems are typically water cooled and have controls and features similar to industrial lasers. The pulse rate can be fast enough to allow curing on the fly at speeds beyond 100 m/min making it suitable as a curing process for roll-to-roll processing. Material processing rates can exceed 1 m2/s.
The maturing complexity of modern printed electronics for customer applications demands high throughput manufacturing and improved device function. The functionality of the printed electronics is critically important as customers demand more out of each device. Multiple layers are designed into each device, requiring ever more versatile processing techniques. Photonic curing is uniquely suited to complement the processing needs in the manufacture of modern printed electronics by providing a fast, reliable and transformative processing step. Photonic curing enables a lower thermal processing budget with current materials, and it can provide a path to incorporate more advanced materials and functionality into future printed electronics.
Development.
Photonic curing is similar to Pulse Thermal Processing, developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in which a plasma arc lamp is used. In the case of photonic curing, the radiant power is higher and the pulse length is shorter. The total radiant exposure per pulse is less with photonic curing, but the pulse rate is much faster.


Rapper (electrostatic precipitation)

Rappers are used to transmit strong shearing forces to collecting plates in order to release deposited dust particles. Rapping is the process by which electrodes and particles are broken apart by vibrations from the rappers. Often used in electrostatic precipitators, rappers relapse the caked on dust layer which then descends into a hopper. Number, size, and frequency of the rappers vary from system to system based upon the specific characteristics of the dust being collected.
Rappers & precipitators.
Typically such vibrators are employed in conjunction with electrostatic precipitators. Precipitators contain sheet metal collector electrode plates. Vertically suspended discharge electrode wires are located between the plates. As a gas stream, often discharged from an industrial process, flows through the precipitator, air particulates are ionized by the electrode wire. The ionized particles then are attracted to the positively grounded plate, creating a layer of caked on dust particles. Rappers are responsible for Transmitting vibrations to the electrodes causing deposited dust particles to break loose and fall into a hopper located below the precipitator.
Types.
Generally the three types of rappers are:
Electric vibrators use rods that extend through the precipitator shell to transmit vibrations to the discharge wires and/or collecting plates and are not typically used in scenarios involving fly ash. The electromagnetic vibrator consists of a coil that is energized by alternating current. The energy creates a vibration transmitted through a rod to the wires or plates.
Mechanical rappers consist of a large weight that is lifted to gain potential energy and then released, allowing it to fall and collide with an anvil creating a shock to dislodge caked-on dust.
Pneumatic rappers can be either type, vibratory or impact.
Tumbling hammers, typically used in conjunction with rigid frame discharge electrodes, are highly efficient but require a lot of maintenance when employed in a moving gas stream. Hammers are connected to a rotating shaft. As they revolve, the hammers collide with a beam, causing a vibratory shock to dislodge caked-on dust. The hammer’s weight and mounting arm length control the intensity of the rapping. Adjusting the speed of the rotating shaft alters the frequency of rapping.
Design considerations.
Rapping systems are designed primarily based on two factors, the internal suspension system and the number of surfaces affected by the rapping vibrations. Pneumatic rappers apply the greatest shock. The materials and design of a rapper system must be able to withstand high energy forces. Moreover, dust must be dislodged successfully without causing a lot of re-entrainment.
Each installation has a unique intensity and period of vibration at which the system will produce the greatest collecting efficiency. For example, low intensity causes significant buildup of dust on discharge wires ultimately limiting the power input to the precipitator due to a reduction in sparkover distance between electrodes. Furthermore, low intensity represses the formation of negative corona. Buildup can also affect the standard distribution of electrostatic forces, thereby causing oscillation of the discharge wires and high-tension frame.
The intensity of the vibrations is regulated via adjustments in air pressure to provide diversity in force needed to clean various types of discharge electrode systems. This feature allows for rapping of event the most delicate systems.
Rapping plays a key role in total emissions due to re-entrainment. Therefore, the rapping system must be designed and adjusted to minimize re-entrainment of particles into the gas stream.
Common weaknesses.
Essentially, the high energy repeated motion created by the rappers is the source of their wear. The consistent high intensity vibrations cause fatigue and wear on the rappers. Bolted joints are especially affected by this repetitive motion and must be replaced. Frequent failure of air in inlet fittings is another issue that arises from the motion. Repeated vibrations cause fittings to dull down and pipe threads break off, therefore, loosening the fittings.


Avo Photonics

Avo Photonics, Inc. is a service corporation that designs, develops, and manufactures private-label opto-electronic products for the medical, industrial, defense, aerospace, and communication markets.
The company headquarters is located in Horsham, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia, and consists of a manufacturing facility that features of clean room space.
Additional design verification is performed at Avo's satellite campus in Toronto, Ontario, and the company has European distributorship in Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Norway.
History.
Avo Photonics was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers and laser physicists led by Dr. Joseph L. Dallas, co-creator of NASA's Space Lidar Technology Center. Avo was acquired by Halma, p.l.c., in 2011 as part of their global photonics division.
Design and development capability.
Avo Photonics' design and development capabilities include optical, mechanical, thermal, and electrical modeling and design integration, as well as prototyping and testing.
Manufacturing capability.
Avo Photonics is ISO 9001:2008-certified and -certified. Its manufacturing capabilities include die bonding, laser welding, hermetic sealing, wire and ribbon bonding, fiber attach, vacuum packaging, and test and burn-in. In the past, Avo has manufactured such optical components and systems as diode-pumped solid-state lasers, fiber amplifiers, laser projector sources, high power isolators, tunable lasers, IR imagers, Lidar systems, Reagent photometers and space/airborne rangers.


Brake (sheet metal bending)

A brake is a metalworking machine that allows the bending of sheet metal. A cornice brake only allows for simple bends and creases, while a box-and-pan brake also allows one to form box and pan shapes. It is also known as a bending machine or bending brake or in Britain as a sheet metal folder or just a folder.
Description.
The brake consists of a flat surface onto which the material is placed, and a clamping bar which will come down and hold the material firmly during the bend. This clamping action may be manual, automatic or operated using a foot pedal. The front, gate-like, plate of the machine is hinged and may be lifted, forcing the material extended over a straight edge to bend to follow the plate.
The bends can be to any angle up to a practical limit of about 120 degrees, somewhat more in the case of a bar folder. If the area to be bent is narrow enough, a sharper bend (e.g., for a hem) can be made by inserting the bend under the clamping bar and lowering it.
Box-and-pan brake.
In a box-and-pan brake (also known as a finger brake), the clamping bar includes several removable blocks, which may be removed and rearranged to permit bending of restricted areas of a piece of sheet metal or of already partially formed pieces.
After bending, the box or pan form is then completed by screw, solder, weld, rivet, or other metal fixing process.
Bar folder.
A bar folder is a simplified brake, usually much smaller than a cornice or box-and-pan brake. Typically, a single handle both clamps the workpiece and makes the bend, in a single motion. There is a gauge that can be set up to a depth up to one inch for consistent bends.
Examples of items a bar folder is used to fabricate would be end caps, "s" cleats, and drive cleats.
Press brake.
This is a more complex tool that forms predetermined bends by clamping the workpiece between a matching punch and die.
Sizes.
Brakes come in sizes suitable for light aluminum or brass for small boxes and operated by hand, up to industrial sized and counterweighted hand-operated or hydraulic machines suitable for large sheets of steel.


Grind

A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and the centre contour of the blade's back (meaning the shape of the blade when viewed from the side, i.e. clip point, spear point, etc.). The "grind" of a blade should not be confused with the bevel forming the sharpened edge; it more usually describes the overall cross-section of the blade, not inclusive of the beveled cutting edge which is typically of a different, less acute angle as the bevel ground onto the blade to give it a cross-sectional shape. For example, the famous Buck 110 hunting knife has a "hollow ground" blade, with concave blade faces (which aid in slicing through materials), but the cutting edge itself is a simple, flat-ground bevel of lesser angle. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to put a "hollow grind" onto the actual cutting edge of the blade itself, which is a very narrow and small bevel.
Grinding.
Grinding is the process of creating grinds. It involves removing significant portions of material from a blade, which distinguishes it from honing and polishing. Blades are ground during their initial sharpening or after having been sufficiently damaged, such as by breaking a tip, chipping, or extensive corrosion. Well-maintained blades need grinding less frequently than neglected or maltreated ones do.
Edge angle and included angle typically characterize a blade's grind. An edge angle is measured between a line lying in the plane of one of the edge's faces and a second line intersecting the back's centre contour, both lines lying in the same plane normal to the edge. The included angle is the sum of the edge angles. Ceteris paribus, the smaller the included angle, the sharper the blade and the more easily damaged its edge.
An appropriate grind depends upon a blade's intended use and the material composing it. Knife manufacturers may offer the same blade with different grinds and blade owners may choose to regrind their blades to obtain different properties. A trade-off exists between a blade's ability to take an edge and its ability to keep one. Some grinds are easier to maintain than others, better retaining their integrity as repeated sharpening wears away the blade. Harder steels take sharper edges, but are more brittle and hence chip more easily, whereas softer steels are tougher. The latter are used for knives such as cleavers, which must be tough but do not require a sharp edge. In the range of blade materials' hardnesses, the relationship between hardness and toughness is fairly complex and great hardness and great toughness are often possible simultaneously.
As a rough guide, Western kitchen knives are generally double-bevelled (about 15° on the first bevel and 20°–22° on the second), whereas East Asian kitchen knives, made of harder steel and being either wedge- (double-ground) to 15°–18° or chisel-shaped (single-ground) to 20°–30°.
Care should be taken to avoid confusing the grind of the blade as describing its cross-section and the angle that is ground onto the edge to form a cutting edge. It is very rare to have a knife with a single ground angle forming both the profile and the cutting edge (the exception being perhaps straight razors). For example, the famous Buck 110 folding hunting knife is described as having a "hollow grind" - meaning the faces of the blade are ground into a concave – but the blade also contains a second, less acute, conventional bevel that makes up the cutting edge. A classic Opinel folding knife has a "flat grind" blade, meaning that the faces of the blade are flat, without convexity or concavity, tapering towards the cutting edge: but the actual cutting edge is again formed of another, less acute bevel ground on the narrow edge. A classic Morakniv has a saber or "Scandi" grind, with flat, perpendicular sides on the body, with a secondary bevel formed below to create a tapered edge, but again, the actual cutting edge comprises a third, less-acute bevel. Thus the "grind" of the blade most often refers to the overall cross-section of the blade and should not be confused with the actual style of cutting edge put in the blade, even though this cutting edge is created by grinding as well. If the cutting edge was included in the description of the "grind", the vast majority of blades would have to be described as "compound angle grind". And of course one can purchase an unsharped blade in any style grind you desire, and there is rarely need to grind the entire surface of the blade to create a cutting edge.
Process.
A sharp object works by concentrating forces which creates a high pressure due to the very small area of the edge, but high pressures can nick a thin blade or even cause it to roll over into a rounded tube when it is used against hard materials. An irregular material or angled cut is also likely to apply much more torque to hollow-ground blades due to the "lip" formed on either side of the edge. More blade material can be included directly behind the cutting edge to reinforce it, but during sharpening some proportion of this material must be removed to reshape the edge, making the process more time-consuming. Also, any object being cut must be moved aside to make way for this wider blade section, and any force distributed to the grind surface reduces the pressure applied at the edge.
One way around this dilemma is to use the blade at an angle, which can make a blade's grind seem less steep, much as a switchback makes a trail easier to climb. Using the edge in this way is made easier by introducing a curve in the blade, as seen in sabers, tulwars, shamshirs, and katanas, among many others. Some old European swords (most memorably Hrunting) and the Indonesian style of kris have a wavelike shape, with much the same effect in drawing or thrusting cuts.
If it is required to measure the angles of cutting edges, it is achieved by using a goniometer, or blade edge protractor.
Typical grinds.
Typical grinds include:
It is possible to combine grinds or produce other variations. For example, some blades may be flat-ground for much of the blade but be convex ground towards the edge.


Number matching

Number matching or matching numbers is a term often used in the collector car industry to describe cars with original major components, or major components that match one another.
Many times these major components contain dates, casting numbers, model numbers, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), stamped numbers, or codes that can match the original components that were on the car when it was new.
Definition.
The term "number matching" (or "matching numbers") is a term used in the collector car industry to describe the authenticity of collectible or investment quality cars. Number matching generally means that a particular car still contains its original major components or has major components that match exactly the major components the car had when it was new. These "major components" are not always agreed on. The appearance of a number matching car likely could not be distinguished from an original car.
Major components.
These are parts such as the engine, transmission, rear-axle assembly, and frame of the car, with intake manifolds, exhaust manifolds, body panels, and carburetors sometimes also considered. Many times these components contain dates, casting numbers, model numbers, VIN, stamped numbers, or codes that can match the original components that were on the car when it was new.
The definition can often vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, as well as from country to country. Often parts such as transmissions and rear-axles will be common across a range of models and as such do not carry any stamped link to the car it was originally installed in.
It is widely accepted however that the minimum requirement for a vehicle to be Number matching (or matching numbers, depending on local terminology) is for the original Chassis number and/or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to match to the engine block, if that is how the original manufacturer identified it, and the data tags. If the manufacturer did not serialize the engine block, all engineering numbers, casting numbers, date codes and any other numbers used by the original manufacturer must match what would have been original to the vehicle.
Minor components.
These are parts that are commonly replaced due to regular wear and tear. Parts such as the interior fabric, paint, chrome trim, brakes, instruments, electrical components and wiring are considered minor components and generally do not affect the value of the car.
Verification.
The numbers or casting dates on the major components of a car would be present and fall in a particular order.
For example, an engine's assembly date would be before the build date of the car, and the casting dates would be before the assembly date of the engine because an engine assembly date (the date the engine was assembled, usually at a different location) could not be after the assembly date of the whole car. Engines are assembled prior to being installed in the car at the factory. Therefore, the assembly date of the car would have to be after the assembly date of the engine. Casting dates (the dates formed in the metal of a component at the foundry) could not be after the assembly date of the engine. And casting dates would be well in advance of the assembly date of the engine. Numbers and dates track an accurate history of how a car was built and when and where the car and the parts used to create the car were made.
If a car has number matching major components it helps define how collectible a car is. Number matching cars typically will have a much greater value than non-number matching cars, because they are much rarer than non-number matching cars, and are seen as a more accurate description of how the car was built.


DISAMATIC

DISAMATIC is an automatic production line used for fast manufacturing of sand molds for sand casting. This process is commonly used to mass manufacture of metal castings for the automotive and machine industries.
History.
In 1957, Vagn Aage Jeppesen, professor at the Technical University of Denmark, claimed a patent for a device producing flaskless molds of sand mixtures with vertical parting lines for casting metal parts. In 1960, the Danish company Dansk Industri Syndikat A/S (DISA) acquired the patent and started working on its implementation.
In 1962, a half scale prototype of a sand molding machine with flaskless and vertically parted molds under the name of DISAMATIC was ready to be disclosed. During the International Foundry Trade Fair (GIFA) in 1962 in Düsseldorf, the scale model was demonstrated on DISA's stand. This resulted in sales of two first DISAMATICs to European foundries. The first automatic DISAMATIC molding lines could produce up to 240 complete sand molds per hour.
Process.
DISAMATIC consists of a molding machine and mold transporting conveyor. A molding sand mixture, usually green sand or bentonite, is blown into a rectangular steel chamber using compressed air. The molding sand is then squeezed between two patterns, which are on the two ends of the chamber. After squeezing, one of the chamber plates swings open and the opposite plate pushes the finished mold onto a conveyor. Finally, any cores are automatically set into the mold cavity while the next mold is being prepared. The cycle repeats until a chain of finished molds butt up to each other on the conveyor.
The molds are then filled with molten metal and placed on a cooling conveyor, which moves at the same pace as the fabrication conveyor. At the end of the conveyor the solidified castings are separated from the molds and processed further, while the sand is directed to the sand preparation plant for reconditioning and reuse in the next cycles of the DISAMATIC molding process.


Multi-chip module

A multi-chip module (MCM) is generically an electronic assembly (such as a package with a number of conductor terminals or "pins") where multiple integrated circuits (ICs or "chips"), semiconductor dies and/or other discrete components are integrated, usually onto a unifying substrate, so that in use it can be treated as if it were a larger IC. Other terms for MCM packaging include "heterogeneous integration" or "hybrid integrated circuit". The advantage of using MCM packaging is it allows a manufacturer to use multiple components for modularity and/or to improve yields over a conventional monolithic IC approach.
Overview.
Multi-chip modules come in a variety of forms depending on the complexity and development philosophies of their designers. These can range from using pre-packaged ICs on a small printed circuit board (PCB) meant to mimic the package footprint of an existing chip package to fully custom chip packages integrating many chip dies on a high density interconnection (HDI) substrate. The final assembled MCM substrate may be done in one of the following ways:
The ICs that make up the MCM package may be:
The PCB that interconnects the ICs is known as an interposer. This is often either organic (a laminated circuit board, which contains carbon, hence "organic") or is made of silicon (as in High Bandwidth Memory) Both have their advantages and limitations. Using interposers to connect several ICs instead of connecting several monolithic ICs in separate packages reduces the power needed to transmit signals between ICs, increases the amount of transmission channels, and reduces delays caused by resistance/capacitance (RC delays). However, communication between chiplets consumes more power and has higher latency than components within monolithic ICs.
Chip stack MCMs.
A relatively new development in MCM technology is the so-called "chip-stack" package. Certain ICs, memories in particular, have very similar or identical pinouts when used multiple times within systems. A carefully designed substrate can allow these dies to be stacked in a vertical configuration making the resultant MCM's footprint much smaller (albeit at the cost of a thicker or taller chip). Since area is more often at a premium in miniature electronics designs, the chip-stack is an attractive option in many applications such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). With the use of a 3D integrated circuit and a thinning process, as many as ten dies can be stacked to create a high capacity SD memory card. This technique can also be used for High Bandwidth Memory.
The possible way to increasing the performance of data transfer in the Chip stack is use Wireless Networks on Chip (WiNoC).


Semi-automation

Semi-automation is a process or procedure that is performed by the combined activities of man and machine with both human and machine steps typically orchestrated by a centralized computer controller.
Within manufacturing, production processes may be fully manual, semi-automated, or fully automated. In this case, semi-automation may vary in its degree of manual and automated steps.
Semi-automated manufacturing processes are typically orchestrated by a computer controller which sends messages to the worker at the time in which he/she should perform a step. The controller typically waits for feedback that the human performed step has been completed via either a human-machine interface or via electronic sensors distributed within the process. Controllers within semi-automated processes may either directly control machinery or send signals to machinery distributed within the process. Centralized computer controllers within semi-automated processes orchestrate processes by instructing the worker, providing electronic communication and control to process equipment, tools, or machines, as well as perform data management to record and ensure that the process meets established process criteria.
Many manufacturers choose not to fully automate a process, and instead implement semi-automation due to the complexity of the task, or the number of products produced is too low to justify the investment in full automation. Other processes may not be fully automated because it may reduce the flexibility to easily adapt the processes to reflect production needs.


UPECA Aerotech

UPECA Aerotech Sdn. Bhd. informally known as UPECA, is a part of Senior plc. It is the one of Malaysia's largest aerostructure suppliers to Spirit Aerosystems Europe and UTC Aerospace System. UPECA Aerotech's headquarters and manufacturing plant is in Shah Alam, Selangor. UEPECA Aerotech supply aircraft components on Airbus 320, Airbus 330, Airbus 350 and Boeing 787 platforms. A manufacturing plant will be opened near Subang Airport in order to serve UPECA’s manufacturing, storage and distribution of aerospace parts.
History.
UPECA Technologies, the parent company, was incorporated in 1990. UPECA Aerotech was established in 2005 in order to support the Malaysian government's aspirations to develop the nation's aerospace manufacturing industry. Senior plc, a United Kingdom maker of parts for the aircraft and the vehicle industries, bought UPECA Technologies in order to expand its business in the growing Asian market.


Liquid additive manufacturing

Liquid additive manufacturing (LAM) is an additive manufacturing technique which deposits a liquid or high viscosity material (e.g Liquid Silicone Rubber) onto a build surface to create an object which then vulcanised using heat to harden the object. The process was originally created by Adrian Bowyer and was then built upon by the company German RepRap.


Minco Products

Minco is a privately owned company with over 650 employees worldwide. Based in Fridley, Minnesota, the company designs and manufactures flexible printed circuit boards and interconnects, RTD based temperature sensors and assemblies, and thermal solutions for medical, defense, aerospace, industrial, and food service applications.
Company history.
Minco Products, Inc was founded by Karl Schurr on October 2, 1956, as an engineering firm, designing and building precision electromechanical devices on a subcontract basis. In 1958, the company decided to concentrate on the development of proprietary products. One of the first efforts was flexible wire-wound temperature sensors for aerospace guidance systems, which led to the development of flexible heaters, introduced by Minco in 1960.
Also during the 1960s & 1970s, the temperature sensor line was expanded to include industrial RTD probes, bearing sensors, and RTD stator sensors to which the company supplied to large rotating apparatus (generators) manufacturers (GE, Westinghouse, Reliance Electric, Brown Boveri) and energy management system contractors. The company’s heater product line also expanded into commercial, aerospace and medical applications. Minco's combination etched foil heater-platinum wire sensors were used on many NASA projects including the 1976 Viking Lander (heated soil samples) and Skylab (Inertial Guidance System). Of note, NASA investigated Minco due to the erratic gyros on Skylab causing spacewalks to replace the IGS. The heater-sensor was found not to be the problem. Minco also manufactured one of the first etched foil heaters for early "wet" copy machines made by 3M. They opened their second manufacturing facility for this production.
In 1974, the company adapted its precision etching and laminating expertise to the manufacture of flexible printed circuits. These first circuits served as interconnects in cardiac pacemakers. Temperature instruments (transmitters, meters, controllers, and alarms) were also added in the 1970s.
Recent products include optically-clear heaters, HDI and rigid-flex circuits, isolated temperature transmitters, and high temperature RTD elements.
Karl Schurr remained as company president until his death in 1999 at which time his son, Dana Schurr, assumed the role of president.
Corporate business units.
Minco's Thermofoil Heater Business Unit is the world's largest manufacturer of polyimide (Kapton) insulated etched foil heaters. They are generally used in applications where low weight, low profile and high energy efficiency, as well as precision conductive heat input are more critical than cost. One example of this would be Medical diagnostic equipment. They also sell transparent heaters, silicone rubber insulated heaters, high temperature mica insulated heaters and a unique thick film on aluminum heaters.
Minco's Flex Circuits Business Unit designs and manufactures custom flexible circuits for high-end applications for use in critical medical and defense products.
The Temperature Sensors & Instruments Business Unit manufactures custom temperature elements and assemblies for the rotating equipment industry (large generators, turbines and motors). It also sells customized temperature and relative humidity sensors, temperature transmitters and signal processing, transmitting, temperature monitoring, control and alarm solutions.


Dymo Corporation

Dymo Corporation is an American manufacturing company of handheld label printers and thermal-transfer printing tape as accessory, embossing tape label makers, and other printers such as CD and DVD labelers and durable medical equipment.
The company is a subsidiary of Newell Brands.
History.
Dymo Industries, Inc. was founded in 1958 to produce handheld tools that use embossing tape. The embossing tape and handheld plastic embossing labeler was invented by David Souza from Oakland, California.
The company was acquired by Esselte in 1978 and battery-powered printers became a major product after 1990. The corporation was sold to Newell Rubbermaid in 2005.
Label sizes.
Following is a list of the label sizes popular for their LabelWriter (400, 450) printer series:
Criticism.
The LabelWriter 550 and 5XL has a RFID reader that reads RFID tags embedded in Dymo genuine label rolls to automatically detect the label type inside. However, this is also to prevent the use of third-party compatible label rolls, a form of digital rights management similar to inkjet printer cartridges and laser printer cartridges containing a chip to prevent the designing and manufacturing of third-party cartridges. Dymo has received criticism for using a razor and blades model by forcing customers to purchase genuine Dymo label rolls.


MFG.com

MFG.com is a global online manufacturing marketplace that connects buyers of custom manufactured parts with manufacturers and job shops that provide contract manufacturing services. Buyers are typically engineers and purchasers from major corporations, industrial designers, and other sourcing professionals who post requests for quotes (RFQs) to the marketplace. RFQs then receive quotes from qualified contract manufacturers located around the world. MFG.com is headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, USA, and maintains an office in Paris, France.
History.
MFG.com was founded by Mitch Free in 1999. The first site transaction between a custom parts buyer and custom parts manufacturer took place on February 14, 2000. Coined the 'Valentine Parts Order,' Free bootstrapped & grew the company to a profitable business over 4 years. In 2005, MFG.com accepted an investment from Jeff Bezos of Bezos Expeditions. In June 2006, MFG.com acquired Geneva based SourcingParts.com, a SaaS company focused on building advanced supplier relationship solutions for the made-to-order parts community.
In October 2006, the MFG.com Global Manufacturing Marketplace opened its second largest office in Shanghai, which closed in 2015 for business realignment. In 2007, Samwer Brothers invested in the company, followed by Fidelity Ventures' $26M investment in 2008. Members of Bezos Expeditions and Fidelity Ventures currently sit on the MFG.com board of directors. In September 2012, General Wesley Clark joined the board as an advisory board member. In 2013 founder Mitch Free left MFG.com to pursue other entrepreneurial interests.
MFG.com was named by Business 2.0 in 2006 as one of the 15 companies that will change the world. In 2017, MFG.com was named to SupplyChainBrain's Top 100 Great Supply Chain Partner List
In 2022, MFG.com was acquired by Shapeways.
Business Model.
Buyers of Custom Manufactured Parts
Engineers and sourcing professionals use MFG.com to source custom manufactured parts, as well as find and connect with contract manufacturers and manufacturing job shops around the world. Buyers upload their requests for quotation (RFQs) online and connect with suppliers that meet their specific manufacturing specifications. Buyers have the ability to connect with job shops and contract manufacturers based on geographic location, certifications, and manufacturing capabilities. Buyers can also request job shops and contract manufacturers sign electronic non-disclosure agreement (NDA) forms so that they can control how, when, where, and by whom their drawings and documents are viewed.
Engineers and sourcing professionals can source custom parts in categories such as:
Providers of Contract Manufacturing Services
Contract manufacturers, job shops, and suppliers of custom manufactured parts have full access to the RFQs being sourced by members of the MFG.com buyer community. Those providers of manufacturing services can search for RFQs based on factors like geography, category, material quantity, part size, or a combination of the four. A profile is created for the manufacturing services provider where they can be found by sourcing professionals on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. There is an annual subscription for job shops, suppliers, and contract manufacturers to use MFG.com.


Via (electronics)

A via (Latin, 'path' or 'way') is an electrical connection between two or more metal layers, and are commonly used in printed circuit boards. Essentially a via is a small drilled hole that goes through two or more adjacent layers; the hole is plated with metal (often copper) that forms an electrical connection through the insulating layers.
Vias are important for PCB manufacturing. This is because the vias are drilled with certain tolerances and may be fabricated off their designated locations, so some allowance for errors in drill position must be made prior to manufacturing or else the manufacturing yield can decrease due to non-conforming boards (according to some reference standard) or even due to failing boards. In addition, regular through hole vias are considered fragile structures as they are long and narrow; the manufacturer must ensure that the vias are plated properly throughout the barrel and this in turn causes several processing steps.
In printed circuit boards.
In printed circuit board (PCB) design, a via consists of two pads in corresponding positions on different copper layers of the board, that are electrically connected by a hole through the board. The hole is made conductive by electroplating, or is lined with a tube or a rivet. High-density multilayer PCBs may have microvias: blind vias are exposed only on one side of the board, while buried vias connect internal layers without being exposed on either surface. Thermal vias carry heat away from power devices and are typically used in arrays of about a dozen.
A via consists of:
A via, sometimes called PTV or plated-through-via, should not be confused with a plated through hole (PTH). Via is used as an interconnection between copper layers on a PCB while the PTH is generally made larger than vias and is used as a plated hole for acceptance of component leads - such as non-SMT resistors, capacitors, and DIP package IC. PTH can also be used as holes for mechanical connection while vias may not. Another usage of PTH is known as a castellated hole where the PTH is aligned at the edge of the board so that it is cut in half when the board is milled out of the panel - the main usage is for allowing one PCB to be soldered to another in a stack - thus acting both as a fastener and also as a connector.
Three major kinds of vias are shown in right figure. The basic steps of making a PCB are: making the substrate material and stacking it in layers; through-drilling of plating the vias; and copper trace patterning using photolithography and etching. With this standard procedure, possible via configurations are limited to through-holes. Depth-controlled drilling techniques such as using lasers can allow for more varied via types. (Laser drills can also be used for smaller and more precisely positioned holes than mechanical drills produce.) PCB manufacturing typically starts with a so-called core, a basic double-sided PCB. Layers beyond the first two are stacked from this basic building block. If two more layers are consecutively stacked from bottom of core, you can have a 1-2 via, a 1-3 via and a through hole. Each type of via is made by drilling at each stacking stage. If one layer is stacked on top of the core and other is stacked from the bottom, the possible via configurations are 1-3, 2-3 and through hole. The user must gather information about the PCB manufacturer's allowed methods of stacking and possible vias. For cheaper boards, only through holes are made and antipad (or clearance) is placed on layers which are supposed not to be contacted to vias.
IPC 4761.
IPC 4761 defines the following via types:
Failure behavior.
If well made, PCB vias will primarily fail due to differential expansion and contraction between the copper plating and the PCB in the out of plane direction (Z). This differential expansion and contraction will induce cyclic fatigue in the copper plating, eventually resulting in crack propagation and an electrical open circuit. Various design, material, and environmental parameters will influence the rate of this degradation. To ensure via robustness, IPC sponsored a round-robin exercise that developed a time to failure calculator.
Vias in integrated circuits.
In integrated circuit (IC) design, a via is a small opening in an insulating oxide layer that allows a conductive connection between different layers. A via on an integrated circuit that passes completely through a silicon wafer or die is called a through-chip via or through-silicon via (TSV). Through-glass vias (TGV) have been studied by Corning Glass for semiconductor packaging, due to the reduced electrical loss of glass versus silicon packaging. A via connecting the lowest layer of metal to diffusion or poly is typically called a "contact".


Brush (electric)

A brush or carbon brush is an electrical contact which conducts current between stationary wires and moving parts, most commonly in a rotating shaft. Typical applications include electric motors, alternators and electric generators. The lifespan of a carbon brush depends on how much the motor is used, and how much power is put through the motor.
Etymology.
For certain types of electric motors or generators to function, the coils of the rotor must be connected to complete an electrical circuit. Originally this was accomplished by affixing a copper or brass commutator or 'slip ring' to the shaft, with springs pressing braided copper wire 'brushes' onto the slip rings or commutator which conduct the current. Such brushes arced and even welded as the commutator rotated, because the brush short–circuited adjacent segments.
The cure was the introduction of 'high resistance brushes' made from graphite (sometimes with added copper). Although the resistance was of the order of tens of milliohms, they were high resistance enough to provide a gradual shift of current from one commutator segment to the next.
Carbon brushes are available in four main grade categories: carbon graphite, electrographitic, graphite, and metal graphite. The term "brush" remains in use. Since the brushes wear out, they can be replaced in products intended to allow maintenance.
During World War II, high–altitude aircraft generators had very rapid brush wear, requiring reformulated brush compounds for acceptable life.
Metal fiber brushes are currently being developed. They may have advantages over current brush technology, but have not yet seen wide implementation.
Manufacturing process.
Mixing components.
Exact composition of the brush depends on the application. Graphite/carbon powder is commonly used. Copper is used for better conductance (rare for AC applications). In order to maximize electrical conductivity and green strength, highly dendritic (electrolytic) copper powder is used. Binders, mostly phenol or other resins or pitch, are mixed in so the powder holds its shape when compacted. Other additives include metal powders, and solid lubricants like MoS2, WS2. Much know-how and research is needed in order to define a brush grade mixture for each application or motor.
Compacting the mixture.
The brush compound is compacted in a tool consisting of upper and lower punch and die, on mechanical or hydraulic presses. In this step, depending on later processing, the copper wire (called shunt wire) can be inserted automatically through a hole in the upper punch and fixed into the pressed brush block by the powder pressed around. This operation, called "tamping", is usually performed using electrolytic copper powder, possibly with silver coating for some high performance applications. After this process, the brush is still very fragile and in professional jargon called a 'green brush'.
Firing of green brushes.
Next follows heat treatment of the "green brushes" under artificial atmosphere (usually hydrogen and nitrogen). Temperatures range up to 1200 °C. This process is called sintering or baking. During sintering, the binders either burn off or carbonize and form a crystalline structure between the carbon, copper and other additives. Baking is followed by graphitization (heat treatment). The heat treatment is transformed by a temperature curve exactly defined for each material mixture. Besides the mixture composition, the used temperature curve is the second big “secret” of each brush manufacturer. After the heat treatment, the brush structure is modified in a way which makes copying of the brush nearly impossible for competing companies.
Secondary operations.
Sintering causes the brushes to shrink and to bend. They must be ground to net shape. Some companies use additional treatments in order to make the brush more durable by methods such as impregnation of the running surface by special oils, resins and grease.
Manufacturing of carbon brushes requires an in-depth knowledge of materials and experience in mixture compositions. Very small changes in brush contents by just a few percent of components by weight can significantly change the properties of brushes on their applications. There are just a handful of brush developing companies in the world, which are mostly specialized on certain types of brushes.
Carbon brushes are one of the least costly parts in an electric motor. On the other hand, they usually are the key part which delivers the durability (“life-time”) and performance to the motor they are used in. Their production requires very high attention to quality control and production process control throughout all steps of the production process.
Liquid metal brushes.
From time to time the use of liquid metals to make contacts is researched. Drawbacks to this approach include the need to contain the liquid metal (as it is usually toxic or corrosive) and power losses from induction and turbulence.


Stamping (metalworking)

Stamping (also known as pressing) is the process of placing flat sheet metal in either blank or coil form into a stamping press where a tool and die surface forms the metal into a net shape. Stamping includes a variety of sheet-metal forming manufacturing processes, such as punching using a machine press or stamping press, blanking, embossing, bending, flanging, and coining. This could be a single stage operation where every stroke of the press produces the desired form on the sheet metal part, or could occur through a series of stages. The process is usually carried out on sheet metal, but can also be used on other materials, such as polystyrene. Progressive dies are commonly fed from a coil of steel, coil reel for unwinding of coil to a straightener to level the coil and then into a feeder which advances the material into the press and die at a predetermined feed length. Depending on part complexity, the number of stations in the die can be determined.
Stamping is usually done on cold metal sheet. See Forging for hot metal forming operations.
History.
It is believed that the first coins were struck by the Lydians in what is modern-day Turkey in the seventh century B.C. Until 1550, the hammering method of coins remained the primary method of coin-making. Marx Schwab in Germany developed a new process for stamping that involved as many as 12 men turning a large wheel to press metal into coins. In the 1880s, the stamping process was further innovated.
Stamped parts were used for mass-produced bicycles in the 1880s. Stamping replaced die forging and machining, resulting in greatly reduced cost. Although not as strong as die forged parts, they were of good enough quality.
Stamped bicycle parts were being imported from Germany to the United States in 1890. U.S. companies then started to have stamping machines custom built by U.S. machine tool makers. Through research and development, Western Wheel was able to stamp most bicycle parts.
Several automobile manufacturers adopted stamping of parts. Henry Ford resisted the recommendations of his engineers to use stamped parts, but when his company could not satisfy demand with die forged parts, Ford was forced to use stamping.
Over the history of metal stamping, forging and deep drawing, presses of all types are the backbone of metals manufacturing. The processes continue to improve in moving more metal in one press stroke. Press and interconnected automation devices increase production rates, reduce labor costs and provide more safety for workers.
Operation.
Piercing and cutting can also be performed in stamping presses. Progressive stamping is a combination of the above methods done with a set of dies in a row through which a strip of the material passes one step at a time.
Lubricant.
The Tribology process generates friction which requires the use of a lubricant to protect the tool and die surface from scratching or galling. The lubricant also protects the sheet metal and finished part from the same surface abrasion as well as facilitate elastic material flow preventing rips, tears and wrinkles. There are a variety of lubricants available for this task. They include plant and mineral oil-based, animal fat or lard-based, graphite-based, soap and acrylic-based dry films. The newest technology in the industry is polymer-based synthetic lubricants also known as oil-free lubricants or non-oil lubricants. The term "Water-Based" lubricant refers to the larger category that also includes more traditional oil and fat-based compounds.
Simulation.
Sheet metal forming simulation is a technology that calculates the process of sheet metal stamping, predicting common defects such as splits, wrinkles, springback and material thinning. Also known as forming simulation, the technology is a specific application of non-linear finite element analysis. The technology has many benefits in the manufacturing industry, especially the automotive industry, where lead time to market, cost and lean manufacturing are critical to the success of a company.
Recent research by the Aberdeen research company (October 2006) found that the most effective manufacturers spend more time simulating upfront and reap the rewards towards the end of their projects.
Stamping simulation is used when a sheet metal part designer or toolmaker desires to assess the likelihood of successfully manufacturing a sheet metal part, without the expense of making a physical tool. Stamping simulation allows any sheet metal part forming process to be simulated in the virtual environment of a PC for a fraction of the expense of a physical tryout.
Results from a stamping simulation allow sheet metal part designers to assess alternative designs very quickly to optimize their parts for low cost manufacture.
Microstamping.
While the concept of stamping sheet metal components has traditionally focused on the macro level (e.g. vehicle, aircraft, and packaging applications), the continuing trend of miniaturization has driven research into micro- forms of stamping. From the early development of micropunching machines in the early to mid-2000s to the creation and testing of a microbending machine at Northwestern University in the 2010s, microstamping tools continue to be researched as alternatives to machining and chemical etching. Examples of applications of sheet metal microstamping include electrical connectors, micromeshes, microswitches, microcups for electron guns, wristwatch components, handheld device components, and medical devices. However, key issues such as quality control, high-volume application, and the need for material research into mechanical properties must be addressed before full-scale implementation of the technology is realized.
Industry-specific applications.
Metal stamping can be applied to a variety of materials based on their unique metalworking qualities for a number of applications across a wide range of industries. Metal stamping may require the forming and processing of base common metals to rare alloys for their application-specific advantages. Some industries require the electrical or thermal conductivity of beryllium copper in areas such as aerospace, electrical, and the defense industry, or the high strength application of steel and its many alloys for the automotive industry.
Industries metal stamping is used for:


Tape-automated bonding

Tape-automated bonding (TAB) is a process that places bare semiconductor chips (dies) like integrated circuits onto a flexible circuit board (FPC) by attaching them to fine conductors in a polyamide or polyimide (like trade names Kapton or UPILEX) film carrier. This FPC with the die(s) (TAB inner lead bonding, ILB) can be mounted on the system or module board or assembled inside a package (TAB outer lead bonding, OLB). Typically the FPC includes from one to three conductive layers and all inputs and outputs of the semiconductor die are connected simultaneously during the TAB bonding. Tape automated bonding is one of the methods needed for achieving chip-on-flex (COF) assembly and it is one of the first roll-to-roll processing (also called R2R, reel-to-reel) type methods in the electronics manufacturing.
Process.
The TAB mounting is done such that the bonding sites of the die, usually in the form of bumps or balls made of gold, solder or anisotropic conductive material, are connected to fine conductors on the tape, which provide the means of connecting the die to the package or directly to external circuits. The bumps or balls can locate either on the die or on the TAB tape. TAB compliant metallizations systems are:
Sometimes the tape on which the die is bonded already contains the actual application circuit of the die. The film is moved to the target location, and the leads are cut and joining the chip takes place as necessary. There are several joining methods used with TAB: thermocompression bonding (with help of a pressure, sometimes called as a gang bonding), thermosonic bonding etc. The bare chip may then be encapsulated ("glob topped") with epoxy or similar.
The merits of the tape-automated bonding are:
The challenges of the tape-automated bonding are:
Standards.
Standard sizes for polyimide tapes include widths of 35 mm, 45 mm, and 70 mm and thicknesses between 50 and 100 micrometers. Since the tape is in the form of a roll, the length of the circuit is measured in terms of sprocket pitches, with each sprocket pitch measuring about 4.75 mm. Thus, a circuit size of 16 pitches is about 76 mm long.
History and background.
Technically the process was invented by Frances Hugle -patent issued 1969 - although it was not named as TAB. The TAB was first outlined by Gerard Dehaine 1971 at Honeywell Bull. Historically, TAB was created as an alternative to wire bonding and finds common use by electronics manufacturers. However speed up of wire bonding methods and development of flip chip - enabling simultaneous bonding of all IOs of the die and easier repaire compared to TAB - have pushed TAB bonding to be used in specific areas like for interconnection of display drivers to the display like liquid crystal display (LCD).