月: 2023年3月

What Is a Cart Floor Lock?

A cart floor lock, also known as an anti-movement stopper, is a type of step-in stopper installed under a cart’s undercarriage. It primarily functions as a brake to secure a cart during frequent movements, loading, and unloading at various locations.

These components often include a clutch attached to a pole for stabilization. Functioning as a wheel stopper, they ensure safety during loading or when the cart is stationary. Cart floor locks are also used to lock the wheels when the cart is left unattended in the work area.

Materials like steel, stainless steel, and other steel alloys are commonly used for these stoppers, which are activated by stepping on a treadle plate.

Uses of Cart Floor Locks

Cart floor locks are used to secure carts in place and prevent unwanted movement. They are particularly useful in situations where a cart may wobble due to vibrations during work, or when there is a risk of a cart slipping off a conveyor line in factories or warehouses.

These locks are especially handy in supermarkets, where large carts are used for stocking and removing products. Securing the load during unloading and stabilizing the cart’s position when stepping away temporarily, such as to call a cashier, is crucial.

Principles of Cart Floor Locks

Cart floor locks combine cylindrical parts to fix carts and prevent skidding. When engaged, the lock supports the cart at three points, so it’s important to choose the right lock based on the cart’s weight (including load) divided by three.

To ensure the cart is securely fixed, the lock’s dimensions from the floor to the underside of the cart should be accurate. Incorrect measurements can result in the lock not engaging properly.

The installation involves affixing the cylinder base to the back side of the cart with four bolts. The locks are made from durable materials like heavy steel, standard steel, and superalloys.

These locks feature a locking pedal and an unlocking pedal. Pressing the lock pedal secures the lock in place, and stepping lightly on the unlock pedal releases it, thanks to the recoil force of the spring pin. This mechanism is an essential safety feature for loading and unloading on waxed floors or in cold environments.

What Is a Brake Cleaner?

Brake cleaner is a chemical product used for maintaining and cleaning automotive brakes.

Typically available in liquid form, it effectively removes oil and brake dust adhered to the surfaces of brake pads and brake rotors. Friction in the brake system generates heat, causing oil and dirt to stick to these surfaces, often leading to reduced brake performance and noise.

Brake cleaners effectively eliminate these contaminants, restoring brake efficiency. However, due to their high volatility and flammability, careful handling is required. They may also affect the car body and rubber components.

Uses of Brake Cleaner

Brake cleaner serves various cleaning and maintenance purposes:

1. Cleaning Brake Pads and Rotors

Over time, brake pads can wear down, exposing metal parts, brake dust, and dirt. Brake cleaner removes these substances from pads and rotors, improving brake performance.

2. Cleaning Engine Parts

Engine parts, often contaminated with oil and fuel residues, benefit from brake cleaner application. It effectively cleans the surfaces of engine blocks and cylinder heads, simplifying maintenance and enhancing cooling efficiency.

3. Cleaning Electronic Equipment

Electronic components, prone to dust and oil accumulation, can have their performance affected. Brake cleaner helps remove these contaminants, though caution is advised due to potential damage to some materials.

4. Solvent Cleaning of Metal Parts

Metal parts and tools, when coated with oil and dirt, can be restored to a clean state with brake cleaner. It dissolves the dirt, maintaining the parts’ shine and durability.

Principle of Brake Cleaner

Brake cleaner’s primary components are volatile organic solvents, including acetone, methyl ethylketone, toluene, ethanol, and isopropanol. These solvents dissolve and remove dirt, oil, and other substances from surfaces.

They have a low boiling point and evaporate at room temperature, allowing quick drying after application. The key principle is their ability to dissolve foreign substances, such as oil and brake dust, which may oxidize or harden on surfaces.

By dissolving and vaporizing these substances, brake cleaner leaves surfaces clean and residue-free.

How to Choose a Brake Cleaner

When selecting a brake cleaner, consider the following factors:

1. Ingredients

While primarily consisting of volatile organic solvents, ingredients vary among brands. Check compatibility with the materials and components used. Environmentally conscious users should opt for low-VOC products.

2. Capacity

Choose a capacity based on usage frequency and purpose. Smaller capacities suit occasional small-scale jobs, while larger ones are better for frequent, large-scale maintenance.

3. Drying Time

Different products have varying drying times, influenced by environment and temperature. For quick reuse after cleaning, opt for a fast-drying product. However, always adhere to the user manual guidelines.

4. Operating Temperature

Performance varies with temperature. Warmer conditions generally enhance cleaning effectiveness due to faster solvent evaporation. In colder climates, choose a product effective at lower temperatures.

What Is an Oilless Washer?

An oilless washer is a type of sliding bearing designed to handle thrust loads without the need for lubricating oil. These loads, also known as axial loads, are applied parallel to the shaft’s longitudinal direction. Oilless washers facilitate the sliding movement of rotating bodies by providing surface support, crucial in environments where applying grease or lubricating oil is impractical.

By incorporating materials with inherent lubricating properties, oilless washers reduce sliding friction and wear, even in environments devoid of traditional lubrication.

Applications of Oilless Washers

Oilless washers are vital in various sectors, including automotive, food and environmental equipment, transportation, civil engineering, construction, industrial machinery, precision equipment, amusement, sports and leisure, OA and information technology, household products, and living environment systems. They are particularly useful in hygiene-sensitive and vacuum environments where grease or oil lubrication is unfeasible, as ordinary grease would evaporate under vacuum conditions.

Principle of Oilless Washers

Oilless washers contain lubricating components within their material, significantly reducing friction and wear from rotating objects under load. They are categorized into resin-based and metal-based materials, each offering unique advantages:

1. Resin-Based Oilless Washers

These washers use materials like tetrafluoroethylene resin (PTFE), often mixed with fillers, polyacetal resin (POM), and PEEK, known for their high engineering value.

2. Metal-Based Oilless Washers

Metal-based washers are available in solid lubricant varieties and sintered oil types, including copper-based and iron-based. Their lubrication efficiency stems from embedded solid lubricants or oil impregnated into sintered pores.

Features of Oilless Washers

Distinctive for their ability to operate without lubrication, oilless washers overcome the frictional heat and seizure risks associated with conventional washers. This attribute, coupled with advances in lubrication and manufacturing technology, has contributed to the widespread adoption of oilless washers, offering high precision and seamless functionality alongside oil-free bushes in various applications.

Other Information about Non-Lubricated Washers

Environmental Performance of Non-Lubricated Washers

Compliance with international environmental regulations is critical in manufacturing non-lubricated washers. The RoHS Directive restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment to promote recycling, while the ELV Directive limits substances like Cd, Pb, Hg, and Cr+6 in end-of-life vehicles.

What Is a Small Diameter Bolt?

A small diameter bolt is defined by its small diameter head, distinguishing it from a screw.

The shape of the head varies, and strictly speaking, there is no clear classification for a small diameter bolt. Small diameter is generally considered to be less than 2 mm. However, since it is limited to watch screws, the diameter is taken in a flexible manner, and a small diameter bolt is considered having only a small bolt head.

Many other types of small diameter bolts are manufactured, including hexagon socket head, Phillips head, and split head screws.

Uses of Small Diameter Bolts

Small diameter bolts are produced to meet the requirement of an inconspicuous bolt head. Ideally, they should be recessed so that they are hidden from the exterior surfaces of the equipment.

They are used in the electrical and electronics industries, as well as in aesthetically pleasing high-end jewelry and mobile devices, such as eyeglasses and smart phones.

Principles of Small Diameter Bolts

Assuming that small diameter bolts encompass small head screws and low-head screws, M6 screws typically have a 6 mm high head, low head bolts have a 4 mm head, and ultra-low head bolts have a head as low as 1.5 mm.

Small diameter bolts have various innovations to take advantage of their characteristics. For example, we can make thread grooves that cannot be removed with ordinary tools to prevent tampering, change the plating treatment, and make them flanged.

Small diameter bolts, capable of fulfilling the function of a bolt in limited space, are one form of bolt that reflects the miniaturization of devices such as smartphones.

Along with the miniaturization of devices, measures are also being taken to prevent loosening, which is an inherent problem with screws.

What Is a Shooter?

A shooter is a generic term for a mechanism or object that releases or drops items.

There are numerous products bearing the name “shooter,” with “shooter” preceding and following it, and most of them have been registered and renewed as trademarks.

For instance, the name “double shooters” is registered under “Category 5: insecticides (limited to pesticides)” and is maintained by a foreign company.

Uses of Shooters

Machines and devices known as shooters find applications in various fields.

For example, inclined racks referred to as shooters are used in factory production lines and warehouses. Other applications include plumbing systems in construction, both outdoors and indoors, as well as products like fishing tackle, automobiles, and beer, which have also been trademarked.

Features of Shooters

Shooters can be categorized based on commercial registration as follows:

The fields where the trademark “shooters” is registered encompass “09,” “12,” “28,” “32,” “33,” and “42.” Trademarks featuring the word “shooters” before or after it span various classes, including “services” (service trademarks indicating labor).

Specifically, category 09 includes glasses, swimming goggles, sunglasses, life preservers, cylinders for automatic inflatable life vests. Category 12 comprises motor vehicles and parts and accessories, power machinery and apparatus for land vehicles, shafts, bearings, shaft couplings, bearings, power transmission equipment, buffers, springs, braking devices, alternating or direct-current motors for vehicles, and theft alarms for vehicles.

What Is a Connector Cable?

Connector cables are used to connect various devices or equipment, facilitating the transfer of data, video, and audio signals. They come equipped with connectors at one or both ends for easy connection to various input/output devices. Designed for plug-and-play use, they are user-friendly and easily replaceable. However, compatibility between devices is essential, and sometimes adapters or conversion cables are necessary for mismatched connectors.

Uses of Connector Cables

Connector cables have diverse applications:

• Data Transfer: USB cables are commonly used for transferring data between devices like smartphones and computers.
• Charging: Used for charging electronic devices, with different connector types like Lightning for Apple products and USB-C for Android devices.
• Video/Audio Transmission: HDMI cables connect TVs and monitors to DVD players and other devices for high-definition audiovisual experiences.
• Networking: Ethernet cables are essential for building computer networks in homes and offices.

Principle of Connector Cables

Connector cables are designed to transmit information and power. They consist of conductors, insulators, shields, and connectors:

• Conductors: Made of copper or aluminum, conductors carry electric current.
• Insulators: Insulate the conductors from each other to prevent short circuits and interference.
• Shielding: Protects the internal signal from external electromagnetic and radio frequency interference.
• Connectors: Facilitate physical connections to devices, containing pins or plugs to establish electrical connections.

Types of Connector Cables

Diverse types of connector cables are available for various applications:

• USB Cables: For data transfer and charging, with various types like USB-C, Micro USB, and Mini USB.
• HDMI Cable: Transmits high-resolution video and audio; longer lengths may require specific connection directions.
• Ethernet Cable: Used for computer networking, typically featuring RJ-45 connectors.
• VGA Cable: Transmits analog video signals, commonly using 15-pin D-sub connectors.

What Is a Taptite Screw?

A Taptite screw is a high-performance screw that does not require a female thread. A similar screw is called a tapping screw, but its shape and characteristics are different. A normal screw consists of a bolt, called a male thread, and a nut, called a female thread. Both of these threads are combined to fasten the screw. However, a Taptite screw does not require a female thread. Because of its shape, it can be fastened directly to the mating side by applying a female thread when tightening.

Uses of Taptite Screws

Taptite screws are used in various places because of their high performance. For example, they are used in situations where high workability is required. Since a female screw is not required, the Taptite screw can be used alone for fastening, thereby increasing work efficiency. Also, since the torque is relatively small, the burden of fastening is low. They are used for plastics and thin plates. On the other hand, they are not suitable for cases where removal is required. This is because it is highly effective in preventing loosening, and once fastened, it is difficult to remove the fastener.

Principle of Taptite Screws

Taptite screws have excellent features due to their unique shape. 

Like the tapping screw, the Taptite screw has a simple structure, but the shaft part is characterized by a triangle in the shape of a ball. The apex of the triangle pushes the mating side apart to form a female thread. This structure of has several excellent features.

• High Work Efficiency
  Features of this screw are its high work efficiency compared to other screws. Since only the apex of the triangle touches the side of the hole, less torque is required. This allows for tightening with little force, thus increasing work efficiency. However, if the bottom hole is too small, the torque will also be too large, so care must be taken. It is necessary to drill an appropriate pre-hole to the extent that the Taptite screws do not loosen.
• Difficult to Loosen
  Another feature of a Taptite screw is that it is difficult to loosen. When a female thread is processed by pushing and expanding the mating side, the material expands and contracts, generating a resistance force. This force reduces the loosening of the Taptite screws and provides a high loosening resistance effect. It can also be used for products subject to vibration or impact.

What Is a Urea SCR?

SCR is an abbreviation that can refer to both “selective catalytic reduction” and “silicon -controlled rectifier.”

When we talk about urea SCR, we are primarily referring to selective catalytic reduction (SCR). As of 2022, this method predominantly employs an aqueous urea solution, hence the term “urea SCR.”

Silicon controlled rectifiers are devices with switching characteristics and a three-terminal, four-layer structure used in power control circuits.

In the following sections, selective catalytic reduction and denitration (SCR) will be abbreviated as the SCR method.

Uses of Urea SCRs

As of 2022, urea SCR is utilized in exhaust gas treatment for automobiles, ships, and thermal power plants. However, back in 1989, it was still in the research stage for diesel vehicles, with attempts made to apply this method to diesel vehicles.

It was not until 2004 that practical application in automobiles was achieved. In the same year, Nissan Diesel (now UD Trucks) became the world’s first company to incorporate urea SCRs, named FLENDS, into automobiles and put them into practical use.

Future demand for urea-SCR systems is expected to grow, partly due to diesel emission regulations that came into effect on October 1, 2003 (with standards based on the new regulations implemented on April 1, 2006).

Principles of Urea SCRs

In urea SCRs, exhaust gas initially passes through an oxidation catalyst, where NO is converted to NO2. During this process, CO and HC are also reduced. Next, an aqueous urea solution is injected into the exhaust gas, before the SCR catalyst, where the NH3 produced by urea hydrolysis serves as a reducing agent. NH3 reacts with NOx on the SCR catalyst, converting NOx into harmless N2. Finally, NH3 is further reduced by passing through an oxidation catalyst. This oxidation catalyst is used for ammonia slip control, which prevents the emission of ammonia into the atmosphere.

High-quality aqueous urea solutions are crucial for urea SCRs, as impurities can lead to deposits and disrupt the reduction process. An example of a high-quality aqueous urea solution is AdBlue, a registered trademark of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). The logistics industry was significantly impacted because diesel vehicles, in general, cannot restart without a continuous supply of aqueous urea solution.

Additionally, the production of urea water relies on urea as a raw material, synthesized from gaseous ammonia and carbon dioxide under high temperature and pressure conditions. In 2020, the Tokyo Institute of Technology announced a successful synthesis of urea from ammonia (carbonates) found in wastewater. The University of Tokyo also reported successful urea synthesis from ammonia (carbonates) in wastewater. Furthermore, urea has gained attention as a stable hydrogen carrier. This research was published on February 18, 2020, in the Nature Research scientific journal Scientific Reports under the title “Organic bases catalyze the synthesis of urea from ammonium salts derived from recovered environmental ammonia.”

Considering the above, the stable supply of urea water is a future concern for urea SCRs. However, ongoing research and development efforts are expected to establish the necessary infrastructure in due course.

What Is an Electric Switch?

An electric switch is a component designed to control AC power.

AC stands for alternating current, which is an electric current that alternates in direction, cycling between positive and negative. Most commercial power sources utilize AC power.

A switch is a component that can interrupt, allow, or change the flow of electric current.

An electric switch is a component that fulfills both of these functions, specifically designed to control the flow of alternating current.

Uses of AC Electric Switches

Electric switches are common components found in households and everyday life.

A common example is the light switch. In most cases, electric switches are used to control lighting. The voltage used for household lighting is typically 100 VAC. While switches for lighting may handle currents of about 2-5A, household lighting typically requires only around 0.4A.

In addition to household use, switches are employed in various applications, including fan controls.

Even in industrial settings, electric switches are utilized to control small loads.

Principles of Electric Switches

The principle of electric switches is among the simplest in the realm of industrial components.

An electric switch consists of two points that can be opened or short-circuited to control the potential difference between them. The contact surface that manages this switching action is called the contact point. Contacts are typically made of highly conductive and chemically stable materials such as gold, silver, platinum, or brass.

Surrounding the contact area, an insulating material like resin or rubber is used to provide electrical insulation between the contact points and any surfaces that may come into contact with people. Some electric switches include built-in indicator lamps within the contacts to display the switching status. These are often found in household lighting switches.

In addition, electric switches have one or more points where wires with different potentials can be connected. For lighting wiring, VVF wiring is commonly used, which does not require terminal treatment. As a result, electric switches designed for lighting applications often feature screw-in terminals for easy wiring connections.