Designer's Corner 370
August 7, 2000
Self-aligning bearing, plus
Readymount geometry allows the insert to swivel, accommodating misalignment. A self-clinching design ensures a permanent mounting impervious to shock and vibration. |
This bearing mounts in panel material as thin as 1 mm; it allows misalignments of plus or minus 5 degrees ; and it satisfies full rotational, oscillatory, and/or axial sliding motion-even at high/low temperature extremes and wet or dirty environments.
Spyraflo's Readymount(TM)bearing uses an outer steel retainer to hold a steel spherical insert. Rolled over on assembly, the retainer's top lip traps a nylon washer. The washer, in turn, retains the bearing insert.
A Garlock DU(TM) bearing, pressed into the steel insert, offers the added benefit of high speed, high load carrying capability. Made of sintered bronze impregnated with a solid PTFE/lead lubricant, the DU bearing brings added capability to the Readymount range.
Peter Allen, Spyraflo, Box 2309, Peachtree City, GA 30269; Tel: (770) 631-9990; Fax: (770) 487-9299; E-mail: [email protected].
Remote rail actuator
Hydraulic-pneumatic system provides a simple and inexpensive means of simultaneously and remotely adjusting numerous guide rail positions from a single location. |
Running different sized products on packaging line conveyors means frequent guide rail adjustments to keep products centered on the conveyor for smooth operation. A changeover from one product size to the next typically requires loosening several knobs along a guide-rail section, moving the rail to the desired position, then re-tightening the knobs to lock down the rail. Such a procedure is time consuming, and even more challenging when conveyors are located in hard to reach areas or pass through wall openings, as is frequently the case.
A patent-pending adjustable guide-rail system composed of multiple hydraulic cylinders coupled with a set of guide-rail actuators retains its position without additional locking devices, and may be adjusted to intermediate positions between a minimum and maximum setting.
The hydraulic control device has a crank handle that, when turned, moves the plungers on a series of pistons to simultaneously displace fluid, which is communicated to induce movement within a series of actuators coupled to the guide rail sections. The mechanism is reliable, easy to maintain, and can be adapted for use in multi-lane conveyors.
Michael Leonard, Flow Engineering, Box 751514, Petaluma, CA 94975-1514; Tel: (707) 584-3860; Fax: (707) 584-3058; E-mail: info@ flowengineering.com.
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