Home > European Design Engineer Magazine > Fasteners / Sealing
An inside view of international standards
Within the context of a diminishing role for national standards, Jon Severn discusses the influence of international standardisation with Ronnie Amit, the general secretary and chief executive officer of the International Electrotechnical Commission.
PC shipments rise to 69.9m units
Intel adds momentum; AMD makes long-term gains in Q1 microprocessor market, according to iSuppli Corp
Surging demand for valves and actuators
Rising demand from diverse process industries supports steady growth in global valves and actuators market
Electric motors and gearboxes may never look the same again
Jon Severn meets Justin Levine, the managing director of Parvalux Electric Motors,  the man for whom design is a mainstay of his strategy to rejuvenate the company
Bi-stable displays gain momentum
Despite LCD dominance, opportunities remain for emerging display technologies
Airlines assess carbon costs
Only around 40 per cent of the 20 carriers surveyed currently monitor and report emissions data, Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Modern vandalism presents a tangible problem for law enforcement agencies and companies. Georg Huebner reports

 
Do not let limited thinking limit your productivity. This is a guideline every machinist designing the set-ups should adapt because it is often the machinists imagination that will be setting the limits in this designing process.
 
The renewable energy technologies available today are increasingly replacing conventional systems. Above all, they are experiencing a boom. For suppliers of alternative technologies, such as photovoltaic, solar, thermal and wind energy plants, the future is looking good.
 
An engineer’s choice of fastener for a particular application is normally driven by factors such as function, purchase cost and installation cost. In some cases there are also standards that must be adhered to, and aesthetics may need to be considered.
 
Harting is adding a new power transmission module to its Han-Modular industrial connector system. Known as the Han CD module, it is suitable for use with three-phase motors and servomotors.
 
Rino Industries Ltd, as Gerwah GmbH’s UK distributor, is launching of a new product line called Smart Lock Set.
 
Through its design, Spiralock thread form is resistant to thread loosening and stripping, caused by transverse vibration. By elimination of secondary locking devices (eg, anerobics, washers, etc), ease of assembly, reusability and dependability result, with reduced overall joint costs.
 
Spiral Retaining Rings can operate in an internal and an external groove at the same time.
 
During the past decade it has become extremely important to optimise all aspects of product design. Competition is tougher than ever and steel costs have skyrocketed. For economic reasons each component must be utilised to its maximum capacity. Robin Isacsson reports.
 
Christina Barg-Becker looks at how a new range of adhesive tapes can be used to provide energy-saving solutions for use in buildings.
 
If a product has to be disassembled for maintenance, repair or end-of-life disposal there are clearly advantages in having fasteners that can disassemble themselves automatically.
 
Legislation, regulations and corporate social responsibility mean that designers have to reconsider how they design assemblies and what fastener specifications they choose to use. Alistair Rae looks at some of the options.
 
The cable carriers market today is dominated by plastic cable carriers. However, plastic chains reach their limits when the mechanical or thermal loads get too large.
 
Consistent seals are essential to electromechanical component performance. Unfortunately, seal consistency can be difficult to design because much of sealant dispensing includes variables beyond a designer’s control.
 
Christina Barg-Becker reports on a one-sided, non-woven adhesive tape which can be used not only to mount, or fix, flat and round cables, it can also protect them.
 
next