投稿者: nagakura

What Is a Storage Device?

A storage device is a component of a computer that stores general information and instructions.

Examples include hard disks, floppy disks, CDs, and memory drives. Storage devices are broadly classified into two main categories: main storage devices and auxiliary storage devices. Main storage devices are those that directly exchange data with the CPU, such as memory. Auxiliary storage devices are devices that exchange data indirectly with the CPU, such as hard disk drives (HDDs).

Types of Storage Devices

There are two types of main storage devices: non-volatile memory and volatile memory.

ROM, which is read-only, falls into the former category, while RAM, which is read-write, falls into the latter.

ROM is typically classified into two types: NAND flash memory and NOR flash memory. There are three main types of ROM media: USB memory, SD memory cards, and SSDs.

Other ROMs include mask ROM whose written contents cannot be changed, PROM that can be written only once, EPROM whose memory contents can be erased and rewritten by UV irradiation, and EEPROM whose memory contents can be erased and rewritten by applying high voltage. EEPROMs can be erased and rewritten by applying high voltage.

Storage Device Technology and Mechanism

There are two types of storage device access methods: random access and sequential access. The former is digital and can access any location, while the latter is a sequential access method like magnetic tape.

Classifications of storage device media include semiconductor, magnetic, optical, and paper. For example, HDD, floppy disks and magnetic tapes are typical for magnetic type, while for optical type, there are read-only ROM type for CD, DVD and BD, R type that can be written only once and RW type that can be rewritten as many times as necessary.

What Is Purification Equipment?

Purification equipment is a generic term for equipment that removes contaminants from objects to make them clean and sanitary.

There are many variations depending on the object to be purified, but the most common types of water and air purification equipment are shown here.

Types of Water Purification Equipment

There are two types of water purification equipment: those used to treat water for human use and those used to treat wastewater after it has been used.

Water treatment technologies are classified into four categories: physical methods, such as filtration; physicochemical methods, which use the principles of ion exchange and osmosis; chemical methods, which use the principles of neutralization and oxidation-reduction; and biological methods, which use microorganisms and plants.

While some equipment uses a single treatment technology, such as circulating filtration systems, seawater filtration systems, neutralization systems, and reverse osmosis membrane water purifiers (RO systems), water treatment plants and wastewater treatment systems usually use a combination of several technologies. Since the technology applied varies depending on the nature of the water to be purified, the most efficient treatment process is generally adopted, taking into account the cost of each technology.

Types of Air Purification Equipment

Air purification technologies include physical methods using filters such as ULPA and HEPA, electrostatic precipitators, fume collectors, and wet dust collectors, chemical methods using catalysts such as SELFEEL, and biological methods using ultraviolet light and ozone.

Exhaust gas treatment equipment often consists of a combination of several technologies, and the appropriate method must be selected according to the nature and purpose of the air to be purified.

Clean rooms are used to maintain extremely high air cleanliness in semiconductor and food manufacturing sites and medical facilities. There are industrial clean rooms and biological clean rooms, each of which controls the dust and bacteria count in the air, temperature, humidity, and room pressure in accordance with international standards.

In most cases, air showers and air curtains are installed at the entrances to remove foreign matter from the clothing of those entering the room.

What Are Optical Components?

An optical component is a generic term for components of optical devices that utilize the properties of light. They are also called optical elements.

Types of Optical Components

Basic optical components include lenses, mirrors, filters, and prisms.

1. Lenses

Lenses are optical components that focus or diverge light. They come in various shapes with different functions and are classified into spherical lenses, aspherical lenses, distributed refractive index lenses, and specially shaped lenses such as rod lenses. Fresnel lenses in the form of thin sheets, lenticular lenses with lenses arranged on a flat surface, and fly-eye lenses are also used in a wide range of fields.

2. Mirrors

Mirrors are optical components that reflect light and can be classified into flat mirrors, spherical mirrors, and free-form mirrors. In addition to shape, performance such as reflectance varies greatly depending on the coating type, such as metal film or derivative film.

3. Filters

Filters are optical components that reflect or absorb light and transmit only specific light. There are ND filters that adjust the amount of light, colored glass filters that absorb specific wavelengths, and polarization filters that transmit only specific polarization.

4. Prisms

Prisms are optical components that reflect or disperse light according to wavelength, such as 45° right angle prisms, wedge prisms, corner cubes, and retro-reflectors. Since prisms also function as lenses and mirrors, they are sometimes used as substitutes for them.

Other typical optical components include beamsplitters, polarizers, optical modulators, and diffraction gratings.

Applications of Optical Components

Optical components are used in optical devices in a variety of fields. Examples include displays, projectors, cameras and other imaging equipment, telescopes, microscopes and other observation equipment, millimeter wave radars, spectrometers and other measurement equipment, CDs, DVDs and other storage devices, light bulbs, LEDs and other lighting equipment, optical fibers, etc.

Many optical components have application-specific names, such as LED lenses and CCTV lenses. There are also a number of optical components for which application-specific names are used, such as LED lenses and CCTV lenses.

What Are Polymeric Materials?

A polymeric material is a material composed of a compound with a molecular weight exceeding 10,000, defined as a polymeric compound. There is no clear standard for the molecular weight of a polymer.

Polymeric materials are made from low-molecular-weight monomers through a reaction (polymerization) to form polymers, and are also called polymers in the sense that they are compounds of many monomers.

Types of Polymeric Materials

There are three types of polymeric materials: natural polymers, existing man-made materials, and synthetic polymers. Polymeric materials are commonly referred to as synthetic polymers.

Synthetic polymers include polyethylene, polypropylene, styrenics, polyvinyl chloride, PET fiber, nylon fiber, engineering plastics, polyurethane, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, fluoropolymers, and specialty synthetic rubbers.

Characteristics of Polymeric Materials

Polymeric materials (synthetic polymers) are characterized by processability, light weight, and strength.

1. Processability

Compared to metals and glass, polymers can be melted at relatively low temperatures (100-200℃), dissolved in solvents, and fluid in the raw or semi-fluid state, making them easy to process during molding.

2. Lightweight

In general, specific gravity is around 1 to 1.5. The specific gravity of polyethylene and polypropylene is 0.90 to 0.97, and some materials are less than 1. The specific gravities of steel and aluminum are 7.8 and 2.7, respectively, indicating that polymeric materials are lightweight. The specific gravity of polymeric materials can exceed 2 when fillers are added to give them strength, but when they are made into foam products, the specific gravity is 0.1, etc. The weight can be varied by changing the formulation and manufacturing process according to the application.

3. Strength

There are several indicators of strength, but we will use tensile strength as an example here. Polymeric materials themselves, such as plastics and rubbers, are not as strong as metals and glass.

However, by adding fillers such as glass and carbon fibers, it is possible to increase the strength of plastics several times. Plastic materials with low specific gravity can gain strength comparable to metal materials such as steel, and in particular, carbon fiber reinforced plastic, known as FRP, has strength surpassing that of magnesium alloys and duralumin.

What Are Input & Display Devices?

An input device is a device used to input data or information into or give instructions to a device such as a computer. A display device is a type of output device that visually displays information held by a device.

Types of Input Devices

The most widely used input devices include keyboards, touch panels, and mice. Other input devices include image scanners, optical character readers (OCR), optical mark readers (OMR), barcode, magnetic card, and IC card readers, and their accompanying PIN pads. Voice input devices such as smartphones and biometric authentication devices, which have become commonly used in recent years, are also examples.

Types of Display Devices

A typical example of a display device is a monitor display. Today, thin flat panel displays are the mainstream, replacing character displays (CRT displays), which are large in volume and weight.

Typical flat panel displays include plasma displays and liquid crystal displays (PDP, LCD), which are used in a variety of devices including televisions and personal computers. While plasma displays offer slightly inferior picture quality, they have a wide viewing angle and high strength. LCDs, on the other hand, project bright, detailed images but tend to blur images when viewed from an angle, so they are used for different purposes.

In addition, displays utilizing new technologies, such as organic EL displays, micro LED displays, mini LED displays, and hologram displays, are being created one after another. Some displays, such as touch panel displays, have the functions of both a touch panel as an input device and an LCD as a display device.

Pilot lamps and indicators that display equipment operating status and other information in analog form are also examples of display devices.

What Is a Safety Device?

Safety devices are devices installed in equipment and vehicles to prevent equipment damage, accidents, and disasters caused by malfunctions and overloads. Safety devices are also used to prevent equipment damage or emergency stop to prevent accidents or disasters from occurring even if the person using or operating the equipment makes a mistake.

Classification of Safety Devices

Safety devices are broadly classified into two categories based on differences in design concepts.

1. Fail-Safe

Fail-safe is a safety device designed to prevent accidents or disasters from developing into accidents or disasters in the event of equipment failure or natural disasters such as earthquakes.

For example, the circuit breakers at railroad crossings are designed to come down when the power goes out. When the breaker is down, no matter when a train arrives, cars cannot pass through the crossing, thus preventing train accidents.

In addition, oil stoves are designed to detect shaking when an earthquake occurs and automatically shut off so that fires will not occur even if the stove is knocked over by the earthquake. Other safety devices prevent damage to equipment by releasing pressure to the atmosphere when pressure rises beyond what is necessary in equipment that uses high-pressure air.

2. Foolproof

Foolproof is a safety device designed to prevent accidents or disasters from occurring even if human error occurs in the person operating the machine.

For example, a washing machine is designed to lock the lid so that it will not open while the washing tank is spinning, even if the stop button is pressed, to prevent hands from getting caught in the tank while it is spinning.

In manufacturing plants, for example, sensors react when a part of the body enters the equipment during operation to immediately trigger an emergency stop in order to prevent accidents involving entrapment or pinching.

Uses of Safety Devices

There are various uses for safety devices, depending on the site and machine where they are installed.

1. Breakers in Distribution Boards

Breakers are installed in a wide range of applications, from households to businesses, to prevent fires caused by short circuits or overheating by shutting off the electrical circuit when a current over a certain level flows through the equipment.

2. Moment Limiter for Cranes

A moment limiter prevents serious accidents from occurring by controlling the movement of cranes in unstable directions when they are overloaded beyond the specified load limit.

3. Safety Valve

Safety valves are installed on hydraulic cranes and other machines operated by hydraulic equipment to reduce excessive pressure on the hydraulic system and prevent damage to the system by bypassing the pressure above a certain level.

4. Safety Devices for Press Machines

Presses used for metal processing are subject to extremely high pressures, so it is essential to have safety devices to prevent any part of the human body from entering the press, and to stop the machine in an emergency if such a situation should occur.

5. Elevator Detection Devices

If something gets caught in or touches the door of an elevator or lift that automatically closes, the door will automatically open to prevent an accident.

6. Interlock Device

Jack interlock devices are installed on jacks used for lifting heavy loads, etc. These devices include jack interlock devices that prevent forgetting to set the jack at the start of work and boom interlock devices that prevent accidental operation during work.

Types of Safety Devices

The following are typical examples of the types of safety devices, divided into fail-safe and foolproof.

1. Fail-Safe

• Fail-Safe Valve
  A valve that releases pressure when air or hydraulic pressure exceeds a set value to prevent equipment damage.
• Breaker
  This is a device that shuts off the electric current when an abnormality occurs in electrical equipment. There are ampere breakers that shut off electricity when electricity is used excessively and leakage breakers that shut off electricity when electrical equipment leaks.
• Shear Pin
  A shaft that is thin in part and easily broken. It is used in conveyor shafts, etc. It is designed so that when a machine is subjected to an abnormal overload, the shear pin breaks off and interrupts the connection with the power source, thereby preventing damage to the machine side.

2. Foolproof

• Area Sensor
  A photoelectric sensor that detects a certain area and is linked to the emergency stop circuit so that when a person puts part of their body in the danger area and intercepts the sensor, an emergency stop is immediately applied.
• Dead Man Switch
  This is a button mounted on the pendant used to operate the robot. To prevent the robot from moving if the axis movement button is pressed unexpectedly, axis movement is possible only when the dead man switch is half-pressed.
• Lockout
  This is a safety device that prevents a third party from activating the equipment when entering the facility or putting any part of the body inside. By turning the power or emergency stop button to “OFF” and applying a lock, the system is secured in the “OFF” state and cannot be turned “ON” by a third party.

What Is Development & Design?

Development & Design in the manufacturing industry is a set of processes usually performed for business purposes and simply controls the development and design of products for the market.

Development is a broad term that includes research and development (R&D), product element development, advanced development, and product development. Depending on the size of the manufacturer, development may be divided into separate departments in large companies, and may be specified to only R&D in medium-sized companies, or one or several people in small and medium-sized companies.

In general, design is the process of conducting research to develop a product concept that satisfies market needs, designing the product, repeating trial and error, clearing points that need to be improved, and commercializing the product that meets the required product requirements and delivering it to the market.

Overview of Development & Design

The development & design team is responsible for the design of the product, depending on the technology required for the product design. Usually, each of these designers is assigned to the product development team as appropriate. In some cases, the manufacturer may outsource part or all of the design.

One thing that must be done in the development and design process is to research competitors’ products. For a consumer product, it is important to clearly define what the concept is and where it competes with the competition.

Development and Design Tools

While designers follow design guidelines to meet product requirements, digital design tools have become indispensable for efficiency. Mechanical designers work in tandem with the rest of the team, using 3D CAD and other tools to develop & design the product to meet design, function, size, and weight targets.

Once the product is sufficiently complete, it may be necessary to test the product several times before mass production. To create a prototype using the 3D data of the product, the data is sent to a processing machine or 3D printer, and the process of creating an object based on the data is called CAM.

What Is Network-Related Equipment?

Network-related Equipment refers to devices used for network communications.

The networks we use every day perform complex mechanical processes. For example, when we send an e-mail, digital data is converted into electrical signals, the destination is determined by MAC address, the sending route is managed and selected, security authentication is performed, communication is established, the digital data is passed to the other party, and the other party’s terminal processes and displays the data. The system is structured in such a way that digital data is passed to the other party, processed and displayed at the other terminal.

Different types of Network-related Equipment are used at each level.

Types of Network-related Equipment
The main types of Network-related Equipment are as follows

1. Media Converter

This equipment switches the digital signal medium from UTP cable to optical fiber.

2. VDSL Modem

A VDSL modem converts analog signals, such as Internet signals coming through a telephone line (copper), into digital signals.

3. VPN Router

A VPN router is a router with VPN capabilities. This router mediates a private network that cannot be intercepted by others even within a public network. As a result, you can access your home or company network from outside.

4. M2M Router

M2M routers are routers that allow machines and machines to communicate with each other via IP networks. They are often used in places where strict environmental resistance is required, such as for fixed-point observation and energy data collection.

5. SHDSL Modem

A transmission device that uses telephone lines for long-distance, high-speed, and stable digital data communication.

6. Server Rack

Computer hardware is needed to mediate communications and process (display and store) the digital data sent to it. This is called a server, and the rack that stores the server is called a server rack.

7. KVM Extender

These cables are used to extend the connection distance of the keyboard, monitor, and mouse to the computer. Normally, when the connection distance between these facilities and a PC exceeds 5m to 10m, the accuracy of information transmission is reduced and the response becomes poor. This cable is used to counteract this problem.

8. Server Blade

A blade server is a type of server in which common PC components such as CPU, memory, and HDD are housed in a small chassis or enclosure.

9. ESIM

A SIM is an IC card with an ID number recorded to identify the subscriber, used in terminals communicating by GSM, W-CDMA, and other methods. Among them, ESIM (short for Embedded SIM) refers to an embedded type SIM.

10. Power Over Ethernet

A technology that supplies electricity through a communication cable following a standard called Ethernet.

11. NFC

NFC stands for Near Field Communication, a short-range wireless communication technology that is used in Suica, PASMO, and other systems that function by holding a device over a reader’s head.

What Are Fastening Components?

Fastening components are mechanical elements, such as bolts and nuts, that hold two or more objects together so that they do not shift position when they are combined. Fastening parts are not only tightened like screws, but also inserted like pins and keys.

Types of Fastening Components

There are various types of fastening components, but here are some typical examples.

1. Bolt

A bolt is a type of screw consisting of a threaded shaft and a head. There are hexagonal bolts with a hexagonal head and socket bolts with a hexagonal hole in a cylinder.

2. Nuts

Fastening components, mainly hexagonal columns with female threads, used in combination with bolts. Fine U nuts with an anti-looseness mechanism and washer nuts with washers are available.

3. Rivet

A rivet consists of a head and an unthreaded body. After the body is threaded into the hole, the body is crushed with a hammer to make it larger than the hole diameter, thereby semi-permanently fastening components.

4. Pin

Fastening components that are inserted into the hole. There are cylindrical parallel pins and conical tapered pins. Parallel pins are used as high-precision positioning pins.

5. Key

Fastening components that are inserted into a groove. Parallel keys, half-moon keys, sloping keys, etc. are available. They are mainly used in couplings and rotary shafts to prevent rotation.

6. Retaining Ring

Fastening components in the shape of a ring, mainly used to prevent loosening. There are retaining rings called E rings and C rings based on the appearance of their shapes. There is also a type of retaining ring called a snap ring that uses spring force.

Principle of Screw Fastening

When a bolt is used to fasten a material to be fastened, the bolt extends slightly and the material to be fastened contracts slightly. At this time, the bolt is subjected to a force in the direction of contraction to return to its original position, and the fastened member is subjected to a force in the direction of extension to return to its original position. These mutually repelling forces collide to hold the bolt and fastening components in place. The force generated at this point is called axial force.

What Is Temperature Control?

Temperature control is the manipulation of the temperature of an object to achieve a desired temperature.

How Temperature Control Works

A temperature control device consists of an actuator that heats/cools, and a temperature controller that sends an operating signal to the actuator to control the heating/cooling. The temperature controller, which is the key component of control, is called a thermostat, and is available in mechanical thermostats (bimetal thermostats) and electronic thermostats (digital thermostats).

Heaters and coolers are used in the heating and cooling actuators. Heaters with heating functions include tape heaters, space heaters, and control panel heaters. Control panel coolers, Peltier coolers, heat sinks, and board heat sinks are used for cooling. In addition, AC axial fans, DC axial fans, CPU fans, etc., use fans to exhaust heat generated in the equipment to the outside, creating a cooling effect.

Many heaters and coolers incorporate a heat exchange mechanism that transfers heat between fluids such as air and water, and heat pumps are one example. Widely used heat exchanger types include multi-tube heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, and spiral heat exchangers. In addition, thermo-modules (Peltier modules) operate as heat pumps by applying DC current and can heat/cool and control temperature with high precision.

Types of Temperature Control Devices and Materials

Examples of equipment using the above temperature control mechanisms include incubators, thermostatic chambers, hot water circulators, and cooling water circulators that maintain the temperature of gases or liquids in a chamber or tank at a constant level.

Materials that contribute to temperature control by dissipating or shielding heat are also used in various fields. Examples include heat-dissipating rubber, heat-dissipating grease, heat-conductive sheets, graphite sheets, heat-exchange paints with heat-blocking functions, and heat-insulating plates that dissipate heat from contact areas to the outside.