Hot off the Press

Posted by stephens on Oct 30, 2009 in Engineering Decisions, Events | 2 comments

I would like to introduce you to EngCom, an engineering news aggregation website. Engcom.net not only has all the latest engineering news from around the world, they offer engineering trivia questions and other cool stuff for engineers. Click here to check them...

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Confidence

Posted by stephens on Oct 29, 2009 in Engineering Decisions, Tips & Techniques | 1 comment

I have developed technical training courses for the past 20 years. Too many to count. What I have learned is training development with technical content for technical people is an art. Most get it wrong. Technical people, especially those with too many education credentials, tend to be too technical. The result is needlessly complicated and comprehensive...

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For Sale

Posted by stephens on Oct 27, 2009 in Events | 0 comments

A friend of mine has machine tool equipment for sale as the result of the unfortunate liquidation of a build-to-order business. Here is what is up for grabs: Monarch 16″ x 54 Gear-Headed Engine Lathe – 1942 -3 Jaw Chuck, 13-550 RPM Spindle Speed Range: 1.5″ Dia. Spindle Bore Bridgeport Model Series 1 – 2HP Variable Speed Verticle Milling...

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Family

Posted by stephens on Oct 25, 2009 in About | 0 comments

My son Ryan is in Mrs. C’s first grade class at AC Elementary. He had to write an essay for class titled “Family”. Here is what he wrote: I love my Dad. He is funny and he helps me with my homework sometimes and he is a good cook too! He has gray hair and he has blue eyes. He is the best dad ever! What a great...

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Cutting Die Unbalanced Thrust

Posted by stephens on Oct 16, 2009 in Engineering Decisions, Equations | 0 comments

Forces in a cutting die are equal and opposite. So what happens when cutting occurs on one side of a cutting component? Unbalanced thrust. The issue with unbalanced thrust is should the cutting component be heeled or keyed to counteract the lateral force. The first step to this decision is to quantify the magnitude of unbalanced thrust. The equation for...

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Skin It

Posted by stephens on Oct 13, 2009 in Rants, Tips & Techniques | 0 comments

Forming simulation software needs a zero thickness sheet for meshing purposes. Oftentimes, the designer will have an IGES or STEP file of the product data at full material thickness. We have to perform a step known as “skinning” to get just the inside of metal surface in order to setup and run a simulation. For you AutoForm users, [Disclaimer: I am...

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Costing is not Quoting

Posted by stephens on Oct 4, 2009 in Automated Transactions, Engineering Decisions | 3 comments

There has been much discussion on the web lately about quoting and costing software for stamping dies. Costing is not quoting. The calculated or estimated cost has no practical relation to the quoted price for two reasons. First, the price that will win the work relies exclusively on what the customer is willing to pay. End of story. The customer does not care...

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For Love of the Game

Posted by stephens on Oct 2, 2009 in Engineering Decisions, Events | 0 comments

I received a phone call around midnight on a cold Monday night in January 1993. It was my good friend Walt Senska from Macomb College in Warren Michigan. Walt can be high strung sometimes. But on this particular evening, he was frantic. “Timmy, I am in serious trouble,” he begins the conversation. I immediately think “bail bonds”. Turns...

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