Archives: Blog

Planetary gear systems can be intimidating to understand. There are so many types of motions and reductions possible that it can be overwhelming. The motion of planetary gear systems is expressed...

Unlike the Lego gears and shafts shown below most motors have perfectly round shafts. This makes attaching gears, pulleys and sprockets difficult. The main methods of attaching gears to...

Never guess again what hose size to use! Automatically the proper hose size for any application. Simply input a few measurable variables and click Calculate. This calculator adjusts for oil type...

Even though my engineering career is far from over, I wanted to look back and reflect. I realized that midway through my career is probably the right point to do this because if I wait too long, I'm...

Steel design seems to be moving in the direction of self-fixturing where the weldment or assembly components will align with each other. When a tab or slot is added to a part, the stress flow is...

Connecting multiple valves together is always a challenge. You want to have individual valve functionality, but not loose sight of the overall system characteristics. Open center or through...

Beam tables give information on and assume that the deflection calculation is based on a constant cross section.  So, what do we do if our beam has a cross section that changes over the length...

Two stage pumps, often called log splitter pumps, are a great way to get better performance without increasing horsepower. A two-stage hydraulic pump is two gear pumps that combine flow...

Reading a hydraulic schematic for the first time is a daunting and confusing thing.  There are so many symbols to identify and lines to keep track of.  I hope to impart to you a systematic...

This article is going to be a bit more technical than the previous article about fasteners, “The Magic of Fasteners.”  I’m going to try to keep it as simple as I can, but this topic is so...

After multiple failures with the first drop, we are re-imagining the Black Widow. But first we need to make space and reuse some of the track sections. So, out with the old; in with the new!

Routine testing caused a failure in the same spot on the Black Widow backyard roller coaster. It is here by canceled. But hold out hope! We are going to reimagine it. https://youtu.be/4wmF_A937GQ

The 1990's movie Speed is a classic! And it has some wonky engineering stuff in it too. Let's separate fact from fiction and give some good engineering tips too. https://youtu.be/mabBJtrFErQ

Pneumatic cylinders can work best in the fully extended or retracted positions. Midstroke position can't be held due to the compressibility of air If you have any experience using pneumatic...

If you have ever used a pneumatic or air cylinder, you know that they only have 2 positions: fully retracted or fully extended. There is no middle ground. In fact, due to the compressibility of...

No roller coaster is complete without a POV video. The Black Widow is no exception. https://youtu.be/o0k4BMdUSUI