MATERIALS • PROCESSES
component designed to sweep product off a conveyor path. Previously, the component consisted of an integrated polyurethane paddle and a torsion spring. However, issues would often arise with the integrated paddle spring because the springs were inconsistently wound, causing the component to look aesthetically askew. The misalignment also often meant costly rework. To create a more aesthetic and streamlined part,
Withers asked the company if the performance requirements of the torsion spring could be achieved by making the entire part from polyurethane. To achieve the desired spring performance, Withers felt the two design variables he could use were the cross sectional area of the part and the durometer of the urethane. Initially, he measured the metal spring’s spring rate in an attempt to match performance requirements. He then developed a design with a specifically calculated cross-section. The company delivered four different polyurethane prototypes, with the calculated cross section and with different material durometers. Double L Global then physically tested the
prototypes by seeing how much force it took to bend each one and how far it would deflect. After a few iterations, the correct durometer and cross section was identified and the urethane part went into production. “Argonics helped to improve the reliability and consistency of the sweep’s design by integrating the spring into the urethane,” says Withers. “Now, there is no metal spring – it’s all one piece.”
A SWEEPING SUCCESS The sweep component is designed to be stiff enough to swipe potatoes off the conveyor, yet flexible enough to bend if it hits a hard object such as a rock. According to Withers, more economical tooling and
the ability to fill even complex mould cavities can be particularly helpful to engineers during iterations of design, prototyping and testing. “Instead of choosing to make parts via injection moulding, I will often choose the method of poured urethane parts because I do not want to pay the high cost of injection moulded tooling,” he says. “Urethane is usually much more cost effective for us, whether for one-off or higher volume parts.” l
DISPLACEMENT POSITION
SENSORS AND
Non-contact, capacitive sensors for machine building, industry & automation
Non-contact, wear-free measurement Unmatched accuracy and stability High bandwidth for fast measurements Temperature range -270°C to +200°C Sensors for customer-specific applications and OEM Modern and user-friendly controller technology
An Argonics roller component made out of Kryptane
For more information visit
www.argonics.com www.engineerlive.com 25
www.micro-epsilon.com/capa Tel. +49 8542 1680
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