Some thirty odd years ago I jotted down a formula to calculate the diameters of three dissimilar gage pins that when bundled together with rubber band could be used to gauge a hole of larger diameter. Recently, the need arose again and after the disappointment of searching my memory, I undertook the exercise anew. In my experience, the most common gage pin sets a machine shop will have run from .061” – .250” and .251” – .500”. These occur in a variety of tolerance classes. The following has been formulated for “minus” gage pin sets. Manipulation of applicable hole tolerances...
Continue reading...Design, Engineering & Manufacturing
Paraboloid Conformance Criteria | Steve Wait – May 5, 2020
(See in conjunction the enhanced visualization via Geogebra animation https://www.geogebra.org/m/exufcmbz ) Noted at this time, the effort described below is limited to the unique geometric qualities of the Paraboloid regardless of reflected wave form. The word “focus” is used in the context of both a focal point and ring (radially displaced). As well, dimensional applicability is interchangeable unless otherwise noted (i.e., the 2D parabola and 3D paraboloid are reciprocal). ~~~ At its most fundamental, the lack of sufficient energy density necessitates the reflector (i.e., a reflector acts to reduce a signal’s entropy). In the mode of reception, a reflector collects...
Continue reading...Let’s Change Gears | Steve Wait – Sometime in 2004
This post in regard to the wheel Involution, not any particular motorcycle it was used on as those are creations of others. Many years ago I conceived, designed and manufactured several unique wheels for motorcycles. Collectively, those using a planetary gear arrangement I dubbed the Involution series. Since I have never ridden a motorcycle, my motivation was never the “bike” but rather the mechanical design and artistry needed to produce focal intrigue. “Functional Kinetic Art”, as titled in a Robb Report piece, was a very much appreciated, and appropriate, description of the result. The wheels were fully functional, in some...
Continue reading...Programmable Surface Tooling | Steve Wait – September 16, 1993
Early in the 90’s I developed two variations of re-configurable dies or molds. While the idea of re-configurable tooling was certainly not new, these concepts provided a unique approach. Advances in this technology are ongoing even today. A relevant example being the DYNAPIXEL product developed by CIKONI GmbH. I have spoken at length with Dr. Farbod Nezami, Co-Founder and Managing Director at CIKONI, and am impressed with their application. An excellent resource for those interested is the 2007 paper entitled “Reconfigurable Pin-Type Tooling: A Survey of Prior Art and Reduction to Practice” by Associate Professor Daniel Walczyk and Research Assistant...
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