Machinery Fasteners That Make Your Summer Sport Better

 

The role of machine fasteners in sport 2019 and Industry 4.0

What have machinery fasteners got to do with sport? Have you been watching the Cricket World Cup this summer? Or tennis matches from Wimbledon? Or the Women’s World Cup? Most of the excitement is thanks to talented, hard-working athletes at the top of their game, but the grounds staff who maintain the turf also play a role.

 

Creating the perfect grass pitch or court is highly technical. It relies on very accurate mowers with very keen blades. These blades have to be sharpened using the world’s best sharpening machine (every 10-12 hours use according to Cornell University). This machine only uses the most accurate components and these components include Accuride Drawer Slides, Strain Relief Bushings and Fir Tree Buttons from JET PRESS.

 

Work as well as play

After all the sporting thrills and spills most of us will go back to work. For many people, the workplace is changing radically because of Industry 4.0. This is a series of innovations in the way products are manufactured that leads to Smart Factories.

Industry 4.0 is all about the trend to add wireless connectivity and sensors to a system. The system sees the production line as a whole and autonomously makes decisions about how processes work, what components are required and even when the machines require servicing. But when it comes down to the nuts and bolts as it were, do you need a new generation of machinery fasteners? Or can you use the same fasteners and hardware in the fourth industrial revolution as in the last three?

It depends.

 

Functionality, maintenance and manufacture

 

 

How well the machine functions is the most crucial consideration. Machines in a Smart Factory have to move smoothly and accurately. We are increasingly supplying machine builders with Linear Motion and Telescopic Slides from Accuride to achieve this.

Steel slides are the most popular but aluminium slides can help save weight and stainless steel is useful in harsh environments where corrosive chemicals are used.

 

Dealing with vibration

Vibration is still an issue in Smart Factories. For now, the tried and tested solutions are the best. From Vibration Dampened Machine Mounts to Palnuts and Lock Washers that keep nut and bolt assemblies secured in place, we offer machine designers numerous ways to deal with vibration and movement.

 

Managing Cables and Hoses

Most machines need power cables and may have other cables and hoses carrying coolant, hydraulic fluid or component liquids. They all need managing and if you speak to our experts we will look carefully at each application before we recommend the ideal solution.

We might suggest that all you need is a low cost cable tie. We also offer a range of more sophisticated Cable Ties and Cable Management Fasteners along with Glands, Lock Nuts and O-rings. Sometimes we can find a low cost off the shelf solution. Some applications might require fastener solutions which we pre-assemble and deliver if required.

 

Maintenance made easier

Maybe in Industry 5.0 machines will be maintained by robots, but for now it’s still usually done by humans. This means removing things like panels and guards. For heavy guards, our customers often use Accuride Drawer Slides or Gas Struts for ease of access.

For smaller panels, bolts or screws may be the right solution, but not always. We often recommend Bi-Fix Quarter Turn Fasteners for access panels. They are very easy to install and maintenance staff can open them with a simple quarter turn action. There’s no practical limit to the number of times they can be reused. At the design stage this might not seem important, but because these fasteners stay attached to the panel there’s no risk of fasteners being lost, or worse still, dropped into the machine.

 

 

Better machine building

When you are thinking about designing a new machine, especially a machine designed for a Smart Factory, the cost of fasteners is unlikely to be a critical factor. But the wrong choice can lead to complications when the machine is assembled - which may add real costs.

You can select fasteners that may cost a little more but save time and money during assembly. For instance we supply a customer with a bespoke Cable and Hose Management component that allows cables to be inserted at different stages of assembly, making the process easier and more cost effective.

 

The choice of fasteners available from JET PRESS for general assembly is huge, including Drive Rivets, Scrivets, Fir Tree Buttons, W buttons and Self-Tapping Screws like the Pan Head Self-Tapping Nylon Screw , to name a few.

It’s very rare that a machine exists entirely in isolation. So another area where selecting the right fastener can have an impact on performance is anchor points for attachments. The choice we offer is very broad; including Lug Nuts, U Nuts, Weld Nuts and Captive Nuts.

We also provide all the handles, knobs, hinges, latches and catches that a machine designer is likely to need, so it’s game set and match to JET PRESS. Our team is proud to offer a personal service that will bowl you over, so can contact us for help or advice on +44 1623 551 800 or [email protected].