A while ago in these pages, Roy Becker, lead engineer at the Bible Broadcasting Network, shared some creations he’d made with a 3D printer.
It’s amazing technology. Now Roy has found another use: making transmitter site identification plaques.
Through experimentation, Roy found that ASA filament resists warping or discoloration due to sun exposure, making it ideal for outdoor ID signage. ASA filament is a thermoplastic polymer, with advantages in terms of resistance to environmental factors including temperature extremes and UV deterioration.
As you can see in the first photo, a benefit of these 3D signs is that the letters are raised so they won’t rub off. While the sign is thin, the ASA filament is very durable.
Roy knows that I’m a fan of labeling, so he also sent a picture of BBN’s labeling kit. Everything he needs is in one place.
And contained within is an amazing find: a cartridge of printable heat shrink!
The accompanying photo shows two of the “yellow” cartridges of different diameters of heat shrink. The heat shrink tubing is wrapped flat, spooled in the plastic cartridge.
Adhesive labels eventually may fall off. Hand-written labels become blurred. Try printable heat shrink.
What have you made with a 3D printer? Tell us about it.
Grease is the word
If you like to restore old equipment, you’ve probably come across the problem of dried-out grease. But ask 10 engineers how to deal with it and you’re likely to get 12 answers.
San Francisco projects engineer Bill Ruck worked at a hi-fi repair establishment early in his career. He recalls that the standard fix for a sluggish Gerard record changer was to remove it from its base, prop it up on some rags and give it a “WD-40 overhaul,” spraying the entire mechanism liberally with the popular brand of lubricant. The product dissolved most of the dried old grease. Afterward, he applied a small dab of fresh grease.
Today Bill is a fan of Marvel Mystery Oil, which he says is a good lubricant and penetrating oil. Kroil is another good brand, thinner in consistency but also useful for getting things working again.
Bill also learned from a General Electric service person to use red synthetic grease. One compound is made by Chevron and available in a 5-gallon tub; Bill was given a little that he keeps in a small, sealed container. A dab is all you need. The advantage of red synthetic grease is its resistance to high temperatures. The color also makes it easy to inspect.
Like Marvel Mystery Oil, you can buy it via online retailers. You will find various brands of red greases sold in tubes and tubs, such as Sta-Lube Sta-Plex Extreme Pressure Premium Red Grease SL3190 in a 14-ounce tube.
Bill adds not to use 3-in-1 oil, which can get thick with age. The same goes for sewing machine oil.
Explaining engineering emergencies
A recent discussion among several engineers developed into a list of suggestions for you to use the next time you need to explain a problem or failure to non-technical staff:
- “The failure was corrected using percussive maintenance.” (Translation: I hit it and it started working.)
- “I needed to correct the High-Z Air Gap on the connector.” (I plugged the connector back into the AC outlet.)
- “I reset the Main Controller to restore operation.” (I turned it back on.)
- “It was an organic grounding issue that caused the delay in the repair.” (I grabbed the wrong wire and got shocked.)
- “A connection became thermally reconfigured.” (My bad solder joint didn’t hold.)
- “The outage was caused by thermal shock.” (Lightning hit it.)
- “The outage was caused by kinetic disassembly.” (It blew up.)
Share your own ideas for this list. Email me at [email protected].
Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email [email protected].
