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Getting A Handle On Surface Finish

November 24, 2024 | News | No Comments

Click:Green tea bag packing machine

We’ve talked before about color on a prototype, and the subtle ways that color affects our emotional response to a manufactured object. The final surface finish of a part is also important, not only for the mechanical fitness for a given application but also for the visceral appeal to the end user, although describing this phenomena is subject to more ambiguity. From the perspective of the engineer or metrologist, surface texture is spoken of in terms of roughness, waviness and lay. Roughness is the deviation of a surface from a nominal, flat ideal, and is considered high-frequency (essentially up and down perturbations) and short wavelength (relatively tightly spaced). Waviness is similar but takes place over a longer wavelength, more broadly spaced and periodic in nature. Lay is the predominant direction in which the surface irregularity is oriented. There are specific techniques for measuring these of course, but now we’re interested only in the aesthetic and tactile qualities.

Close your eyes. Pick up a familiar object in your hand, maybe a cellphone, an orange, a set of keys or a wallet. How many ways can you think of to describe the surface texture? Now, no cheating. Don’t use any words relating to an object’s visual characteristics, only talk about what you can describe using your fingertips. You might come up with the obvious, like cracked or smooth, soft or hard. Metals might feel cold because they conduct heat away from your skin, while leather and some plastics will be warm because they insulate. But within those broad categories there are a myriad of fine gradations of sensation, although – unlike with visual perception – our vocabulary is not rich enough to contain them all.

Ordinary people can tell that a surface is tacky, dense, hard, elastic and many other things besides. But with your eyes closed, do you always know if you’re touching rubber, wood, plastic, metal, stone, even another human hand? The fingers know, but it’s hard to say how they know.

Now open your eyes again. Without talking about what an object is, talk only about how the surface looks. Is it shiny, matte, glossy, translucent or reflective? Does the surface have grain, is it stippled or dimpled, pebbled or brushed, polished or painted or etched? Does it look coarse or fine, old and used up or brand new?

When you combine how a surface feels with how it captures and reflects light, regardless of its color, then you have some powerful tactile and visual information that conveys meaning about your product.   Done right, the correct choice of surface finish can inspire the user to touch an object, carry it around in their pocket, hold it up to the light. Objects can look expensive and rich, or durable and robust, or cheap and disposable – depending entirely on superficial impressions of the hand and eye. Putting all of these impressions together gives you a sense of that elusive quality we call, well, quality. The quality of something is often judged entirely on its surface appearance and attention to fine detail, regardless of mechanical form and function.

At Star we have any number of techniques for helping you achieve many types of surface finishes and textures, to give your prototype or production piece exactly the look and feel you want. We can anodize or buff, sand or vapor polish, paint or bead blast or wire brush to get just the right final finish to complement your design idea. Combine this with the full range of colors in our palette and you have a very rich library of design options to choose from in your next project. Contact us today for a free quote.

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Since the advent of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, machining processes have become much better and more manageable. Manufacturers have resorted to applying these subtractive tools in fabricating various custom outputs with less tolerance for error.

In fact, CNC machines meet the two primary quality standards in production machining – precision and accuracy. Even so, most people use these terms interchangeably while they have essential variations. Hence, this article takes a detailed look at the difference between accuracy and precision in production machining.

What is the Definition of Precision?

Precision is a metric that defines the nearness of two or more results or measurements to each other. This term is one of the most important terms used in machining. In a simplified way, precision in machining refers to the reproducibility or repeatability of multiple components with close dimensions when manufacturing.

The Importance of Precision

Precision machines are pivotal in modern industries as they directly impact machining reproducibility, accuracy, and efficiency. Nowadays, the demand for the fabrication of micro products or components with micro features continues to grow in large numbers.

In the meantime, machining these parts in large volumes requires more precise design methods and machining dynamics to meet the specified requirements. Thus, precision does matter in machining operations as it reflects the capability of a manufacturing process or machine to reproduce the almost exact measures of manufactured parts consistently.

Precision in Machining

To a large extent, CNC machines express repeatability for measured dimensions when removing excess materials, thus creating parts with tolerances in a small range. However, precision measurements for these parts must be carried out under the same conditions to avoid unwanted deviations or errors. The greater the precision of machining tools, the closer the manufactured components are.

Precision vs. Tolerances

At the same time, machinists specify or set standard tolerance limits to account for the slight variations between the parts made from the same machine. Explicitly, tolerance refers to the permissible range of deviation between the corresponding dimensions of machined parts. In design and manufacturing, standard tolerance limits are often small numbers determined by manufacturers based on a part’s function, form, and fit.

The standard CNC machining tolerances are typically set at +/- 0.127mm. More so, expert machinists set the tightest machining tolerances in the range of +/- 0.0254mm, roughly equivalent to the size of human hair. Maintaining and adhering to these tight tolerance limits ensures that minor differences do not impact the part’s precision or functionality.

What is the Definition of Accuracy?

This is another common term that applies to machining. Accuracy is a metric that defines the closeness of a measured value to the reference or standard value. To explain this concept in the machining context, accuracy refers to the degree of nearness to which a fabricated workpiece matches the overall requirements specified in the design.

In machining, accuracy depends on the tools, the kinematic structure, and the type of material or workpiece. An accurate machine will perform a particular machining process or a combination of instructions like cutting, boring, grinding, and drilling as the manufacturer or operator intended.

The Importance of Accuracy

For instance, if an expert machinist inputs code to a machine to cut a workpiece to a 50mm length, an accurate device will perform the exact 50mm cut without errors. However, it is extremely challenging to attain or create the same parts without slight differences in specific dimensions such as diameter, width, and length of machined parts.

For this reason, experts use measurement data based on accuracy to reflect the errors of a machine or manufacturing process. Thus, the lesser the difference between the measured result of the manufactured part and the required standard, the more accurate the machine tools or manufacturing process.

Accuracy in Machining

Modern CNC machines are highly accurate for most projects as some tools like the CNC mills and lathes can produce parts with an accuracy of +/– 0.0025mm. This is equivalent to fabricating parts as small as the quarter size of human hair. Astonishing right?

In addition, machinists or designers specify the acceptable range of variation in the dimension of the machined part from the standard. They are especially vital to maintain the functionality of machined parts that interfere with other components.

Accuracy vs. Tolerances

Even so, not all parts require maximum accuracy and tight tolerance due to the extra costs, setup, inspections, and time associated with the machining process. For instance, fabricating the parts of an automobile engine would require a higher tolerance than a door handle. In other words, the latter has fewer features combined with other automobile components, thus the need for broader tolerance.

Aside from length, width, hole size, and other dimensions, surface roughness remains a pivotal tolerance factor. Experts set and adhere to the tolerance limit of 0.001635 mm for flat and perpendicular surfaces and 0.003175 mm for curved surfaces. So, accuracy and tolerance are all important, it’s best when machining processes deliver precise and accurate products.

Differences Between Accuracy and Precision in Machining

The precision and accuracy of a manufacturing tool or process help determine the success of production machining. But then, these two terms often get contrasted or mistaken for each other when used as measures of observational errors.

Thus, the failure to identify the variations between precision and accuracy can have a profound negative impact on how collected measurement data gets processed or on how one concludes the outcome of various manufacturing processes. Take a look at the differences between accuracy and precision in machining below:

1. Different Description

Precision represents the close agreement of variation that lies in the dimensions of machined parts with one another. However, machining accuracy refers to the closeness of manufactured components’ measurements to the standard specifications.

More simply, good machining precision ensures you can fabricate almost exact dimensions of machined parts repeatedly without introducing random errors. In contrast, good machining accuracy ensures the conformity of your manufactured parts to the theoretical benchmark.

2. Type of Error Indicated

Accuracy reflects the error of a manufacturing system or tool, while precision measurements help indicate the error among manufactured components randomly.

3. Number of Measurements

Accessing machining precision requires multiple measurements under the same condition. This is to ascertain the conformity of your results. On the flip side, machining accuracy needs a single measurement. This is because, in accuracy measurements, you only have to compare the dimension of manufactured components to the standard value.

Accuracy vs. Precision Examples

Accuracy and precision largely remain independent parameters that engineers employ to determine the success of a manufacturing operation. Most CNC machines use computer software to hold programmed dimensions when designing and manufacturing a part. Regardless, the outcome of a manufacturing process can come in different ways, which are:

  • Precise and accurate
  • Not Precise but accurate
  • Precise but not accurate
  • Not Precise and not accurate

Therefore, it is vital to distinguish between these parameters and collect the measurements separately for an overall quality machining service. Below are some practicable analogies or examples to help better understand the concept of precision and accuracy in part machining:

1. Precise and Accurate

Generally, all manufacturing industries desire to produce precise and accurate parts for their clients. For example, let’s say a manufacturer inputs instruction to drill a hole in a rod 70mm from an edge, with a tolerance set at +/- 1mm. If the CNC machine drills the hole within variable lengths measuring between 69mm and 71mm for all the rod batches, then this manufacturing process is precise and accurate.

2. Not Precise but Accurate

Some parts get machined accurately, but not all manufactured components come as precise products. For example, an engineer intends to fabricate a piston compression measuring 1.2 inches in height with a tolerance of +/- 0.005 inches.

Say some pistons get manufactured within the height range of 1.195 and 1.205 inches, whereas other pistons in this production batch have heights that fall below or above the tolerance limit. Therefore, you can deduce that this manufacturing process is accurate but not precise with quality inspections.

3. Precise but Not Accurate

In this case, the machine parts have similar dimensions but are not close to the required measurement. From the previous analogy, if the fabricated piston parts have heights of 1.21, 1.22, 1.21, and 1.215 inches. Then, quality inspections will indicate that this manufacturing process is precise but not accurate since the permissible tolerance limit is +/- 0.005 inches.

4. Not Precise and Not Accurate

Some manufacturing operations can go wrong, with the final parts deemed as not precise and inaccurate. For instance, if a machinist intends to fabricate a plastic piece of 20mm length, with a tolerance of +/- 0.5mm. Peradventure, the plastic parts manufactured have varying lengths of 18mm, 22mm, 19mm, 17mm, and 21mm.

This measurement result shows that the sizes of the manufactured plastic parts in this batch are not closely agreeable, while they also wholly deviate from the required dimension. Thus, you can infer that this manufactured batch is equally imprecise and inaccurate.

Benefits of Accuracy and Precision in Part Production

The success of any manufacturing industry depends on its ability to produce precise and accurate parts consistently. As a result, CNC machines get applied across various manufacturing industries today due to their relatively high precision and accuracy features. They include automotive, medical, construction, electrical, aerospace, oil and gas, marine, etc. Here are some benefits of accuracy and precision in part manufacturing:

1. Safety Consideration

Undoubtedly, safety remains one of the essential factors to consider when part manufacturing. This is especially true for aerospace and medical devices that require high precision and accurate components. If these components get manufactured as defective or below industry-standard products, then this can put users at risk. So, manufacturing precise and accurate parts appeals to customers while ensuring their safety.

2. Hitch-free Testing and Prototyping

High machining accuracy and precision allow for easier prototyping of various designs and parts, including complex titanium machining operations. Further, automatic machining helps cut down costs from intensive labor while ensuring high-quality parts. Aside from this, machining precision and accuracy helps ensure a seamless performance testing of the machined part.

3. Easier Calibration of Equipment

CNC machines comprise highly precise and accurate computerized devices that allow manufacturers to easily adjust or calibrate various tools. Besides, the machines store the manufacturing instructions until machinists input new codes to produce a different part or make specific changes.

Get High Accuracy and Precision Products at WayKen

Today, quality machining services are essential to achieving precision and accuracy for various parts. At WayKen, we have experienced professionals that can handle all your high-precision machining services. We offer a range of top-flight CNC milling and turning procedures with standard tolerances to meet your specific design requirements. Moreover, we assure quality, precise, affordable, and long-lasting parts at any volume.

Contact us today for one-on-one support service to get your project started. Stay assured that you will get a response within 12 hours.

Conclusion

High precision doesn’t necessarily mean high accuracy, hence the need to distinguish between these two parameters. Thus, we are positive you have a better knowledge of the differences between the terms – accuracy and precision in CNC machining. Understanding these terms will help you identify essential specifications and compare them with your requirements to get the best results.

FAQs

Why are accuracy and precision important for machined parts?

Accuracy and precision are vital aspects of machining operations, especially for prototypes and end-use parts. Accuracy comes into play to ensure that machined parts meet the required dimensions and designs with no errors affecting mechanical function. In the same vein, precision machining ensures that the manufactured parts have consistent production values.

Which manufacturing process has higher machining accuracy?

Concisely, CNC micro milling procedures have higher machining accuracy than other regular CNC machine operations. This micro-milling process involves computer software programs to control and direct rotary multi-point cutting tools to remove excess materials. As such, these automated operations yield accurate custom products or parts, but they are expensive and time-consuming.

What is precision tolerance?

Precision tolerance is the permissible degree of variability that limits or controls measurement error. In production machining, manufacturers set the precision tolerances for each batch of fabricated components to ensure that variations do not impact vital specifications.

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Wynnchurch Capital Acquires Anderson Metals

November 22, 2024 | News | No Comments

Feb
01

Wynnchurch Capital, LLC (“Wynnchurch”), announced today that it has completed an investment in Anderson Metals Corporation, Inc. (“Anderson” or the “Company”). Anderson is a manufacturer of brass fittings, valves, pipe nipples and related products to the plumbing, hardware and general industrial end-markets. The Company is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri and was founded in 1947.

Chris O’Brien, Managing Partner at Wynnchurch said, “Anderson has built an outstanding reputation and strong leadership position in its industry during the past 70 years. We feel very fortunate to partner with Keith and Kent Anderson going forward. In addition, we believe this is an ideal opportunity for Paul Ciolino, a Wynnchurch Operating Partner and former CEO of US Pipe, to work with management and leverage his leadership, industry expertise and relationships to take Anderson to the next level.” Greg Gleason, Managing Director at Wynnchurch added, “We are excited to invest in Anderson and to build on the Company’s history of success. We believe that Anderson’s focus on providing customers with industry leading quality, availability and service, combined with Wynnchurch’s experience, positions Anderson to be a strong platform for growth.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Wynnchurch at this important point in Anderson’s history. With new capital, resources, support and tools, we are confident the future for Anderson has never been brighter,” said Kent Anderson. Keith Anderson added, “We knew right away that Wynnchurch was the right partner. We are excited to work closely with Paul and the team to significantly grow the business both organically and through acquisitions.”

Wynnchurch Capital is actively investing from its $1.3 billion Fund IV. In November 2017, Wynnchurch acquired America II, a global leader in electronic component distribution and supply chain services serving a broad array of products for use in higher value-add applications across diversified end-markets. Other recent Wynnchurch investments include Stampede Meat, a processor and distributor of portioned, marinated and cooked beef, chicken, and other protein products for restaurants, retail, home delivery and other channels; and Rosboro Company, LLC, a leading integrated forest products operation producing a wide variety of products including laminated beams, studs, and veneer.

About Anderson Metals:

Anderson Metals, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is a manufacturer of brass fittings, valves, pipe nipples and related products, which are sold into the plumbing, hardware and general industrial endmarkets. The Company supplies over 12,000 SKU’s across a variety of categories including lead-free and leaded brass fittings, valves, pipe nipples, non-metallic fittings and assorted parts and accessories. For more information, please visit: http://www.andersonmetals.com. About Wynnchurch Capital: Wynnchurch Capital, LLC, headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, with offices in California and Canada, was founded in 1999, and is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm. Wynnchurch’s strategy is to partner with middle market companies in the United States and Canada that possess the potential for substantial growth and profit improvement. Wynnchurch Capital manages a number of private equity funds with $2.2 billion of committed capital under management and specializes in recapitalizations, growth capital, management buyouts, corporate carve-outs and restructurings. For more information, please visit: www.wynnchurch.com.

For more information please contact:

Chris O’Brien, Managing Partner, [email protected]

Paul Ciolino, Operating Partner, [email protected]

Greg Gleason, Managing Director, [email protected]

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在北京时间9月11日的公告中,NBA官方宣布了一项新规定,从2024-25赛季开始,将增加界外球回放的范围,这意味着在回放过程中如果发现有未被吹罚的犯规行为,将会进行补充吹罚。

NBA官方在说明新规时特地拿欧文与麦克丹尼尔斯的某一回合作为例子,当时裁判在界外球的回放中发现漏吹了欧文对麦克丹尼尔斯的犯规,但已无法改变,而自新赛季开始,这种犯规将不会被漏掉。

这一球回放显示欧文犯规了,但按照上赛季的规则,裁判无力改变。

Keyword: NBA live zhibo

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在北京时间8月27日的报道中,美国著名体育媒体ESPN近日举办了一次专业预测活动,邀请了18位NBA教练、球探和高层管理人员对即将到来的2024-25赛季及NBA的未来趋势做出判断和预测。

其中在谁将获得新赛季总冠军这一项中,凯尔特人获得8票力压雷霆,详情如下:

1、凯尔特人:8票

2、雷霆:7票

3、独行侠、雄鹿、森林狼:1票

Keyword: NBA zhibo

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在北京时间9月1日的新闻中,根据媒体人“球圈赵探长”的消息来源,崔永熙预计将在下周最快与NBA的布鲁克林篮网队签订一份双向合同。

随后,该媒体人对此事进行跟进报道,原文如下:

摆事实,讲道理。有部分球迷说“崔永熙签约篮网是蔡老板运作的”,探长只回应一句,当年林书豪大伤复出直接被球队管理层交易到老鹰,蔡崇信同作为华人和书豪的好朋友,也完全无能无力。

当时那可是巅峰书豪啊!NBA的世界更多是残酷无情的,小崔能签约完全是靠自己,想要长久留下并登场同样要靠自己。以上!

Keyword: NBA live

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Product information

Take the short-cuffed, DIRT Series, Massif gloves out with you on your next off-road adventure and enjoy the comfort and freedom of this pair snug-fitting hand protection. Ideal for warmer weather, the rider’s hands remain cool thanks to a constant flow of cool air streaming through the PWR|Stretch mesh material on the upper side of the gloves.

These CE-certified and well-ventilated gloves are also equipped with a neoprene cuff; making sure that no sand or water will enter during a ride on the trails. In the armor department, the Massif gloves have flexible TPR knuckle protector shields the knuckles and fingers.

Giving riders the grip they’re after comes from the included Clarino fabric, which ensures a strong hold on the handlebars.

Comfort features

Adjustability

Stretch fabric on back of hand

Stretch at fingers

Stretch at thumb

Closure

Hook-and-loop closure

Wrist strap

Features

Grip patch at palm
A grip patch is made with a texturized pattern to deliver a superb grip performance.

Pull tab
Fasten the pull tab at the cuff and cold wind is prevented from entering the sleeve, keeping your arms in the comfort zone

Short cuff

Climate regulation

Ventilation

Fully ventilated mesh

Protection in this product

Protection

EVA foam palm slider

No knuckle

PWR|Shield at palm
PWR|Shield is created with a unique knit technique which results in a fabric with unsurpassed cut, tear and abrasion resistance levels. This product is equipped with PWR|Shield at the palm.

Temperfoam® thumb knuckle

Outer shell material

4-way stretch

Clarino®

Neoprene
Neoprene is a synthetic rubber useful for protective gear. It is abrasion-resistant, chemical-resistant, waterproof, somewhat stretchable, and buoyant.

PWR|Stretch mesh

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Another T10 automatic block production line was shipped to Egypt by QGM Group in November, 2016, to satisfy the big demand of New Capital housing projects in Egypt.

In March of 2015, the Egyptian government announced that they plan to build a new capital of Egypt, to relieve the traffic congestion and population expansion in Cairo. The new capacity will adapt the most advanced and highest building standard. High strength, high density and high quality concrete blocks are very much demanded in the New Capital projects.

 The client with his team came to China in the middle of 2016, visited several famous block machine manufacturers in China. During their visit to QGM, they checked all details of T10 automatic block production line and found that all spare parts of T10 machine are the highest quality standard: The bolts and nuts are imported from Europe, the vibration table use Sweden HARDOX Steel, complete German Siemens control system etc… All these are for the stability of the machine performance. Also, they were very impressed by the very unique ‘Cloud Service’ online control system, which can help them manage the factory online with our after sales team. The ‘Cloud Service’ includes: remote control service, online-upgrade service, online-trouble shooting function, machine working condition self-checking function, production reports application etc.

Finally, the client bought the T10 production line from QGM without hesitation. 


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Anti-inflammatory effect of a retrovirus-derived immunosuppressive peptide in mouse models.
Tolstrup M, Johansen C, Toft L, Pedersen FS, Funding A, Bahrami S, Iversen L, Ostergaard L, Duch M., BMC Immunol., 2013, 14, 51. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2172-14-51

BACKGROUND:
Short dimeric or mulitmeric peptides derived from a highly conserved stretch of amino acids from gammaretroviral envelope proteins has been found to have immunosuppressive properties in vitro. Here we test the hypothesis that such immunosuppressive peptides may serve as immunomodulatory reagents for treatment of inflammatory disorders.
RESULTS:
The anti-inflammatory effect of a synthetic retrovirus-derived immunosuppressive peptide of 17 amino acids was tested in two murine skin inflammation models, a TPA-induced acute toxic contact eczema model and an oxazolone-induced allergic contact dermatitis. Overall, mice (n = 24) treated with a topically applied cream containing the dimeric immunosuppressive peptide exhibited a reduction of 28.8% in ear thickness (range 20.1-42.5), whereas the application of a scrambled peptide dimer or a monomer of the immunosuppressive peptide remained without effect (p = 0.028). Furthermore, ear biopsies from mice treated with the dimeric immunosuppressive peptide showed a significant reduction in mRNA of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-17C, and IL-6 as well as the chemokine CXCL2 compared to mice treated with control peptides.
CONCLUSION:
Using two murine skin inflammation models, we show that an immunosuppressive retroviral peptide is capable of reducing inflammatory disorders. The results indicate that virus-derived immunosuppressive peptides capable of down-regulating several proinflammatory cytokines may represent a novel class of drugs for the treatment of excess inflammation.

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