When you’re giving someone directions, odds are you’re doing so in relation to a separate location both you and the other person know. For instance, you might say something like “Go to the coffee shop on 5th Street and turn left.” This is because having an accepted position or reference point is extremely helpful in providing clear directions. This same concept is applied to astronomy, surveying, navigation, or any other related action.

Cams are a small component that many might not be aware of, but they may be found in dishwashers, automobiles, sprinklers, and many other applications and serve important functions. In general, their purpose is to transform rotary motion into linear motion, and there are many types that may be implemented. Despite their capabilities, cams themselves would be fairly useless if not for cam follower bearings.

DIN connectors are a type of electrical connector that feature various designs, standards, and capabilities to serve different applications. Electrical connectors are components that conjoin contacts, establishing an electrical circuit for a system and providing for applications that are power, data, and audiovisual related. DIN connectors were introduced in the early 1970’s by Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN), a German national standards organization, and have greatly expanded since. In this article, we will discuss the various types of DIN connectors available, their methods of mounting, and the applications that they serve across various industries.

Needle roller bearings are specialized roller bearings that employ long, thin, needle-like cylindrical rollers. While standard roller bearing rollers are just minimally longer than their diameter, needle bearings have rollers that can be four times longer than their diameter or even more. Similar to a standard bearing, the purpose of needle roller bearings is to reduce the friction of a rotating surface. A significant advantage of needle roller bearings is their large surface area in contact with the tracks/races, allowing them to support a heavier load. Despite their large surface area, they are also thinner, meaning they require less clearance between the axle and surrounding component. This blog will provide some insight into needle roller bearings and their function in the aerospace and aviation industries.

Camshaft bearings are among the most underappreciated parts of an engine. Their purpose is to support the camshaft in the engine and allow for its rotation, preventing detrimental friction from causing serious damage to the heart of your aircraft. An engine features between one and seven bearings on each camshaft, this number varying depending on engine type. Generally speaking, there are three configurations of camshafts: overhead valve design, overhead camshaft with rocker arms, and overhead with direct camshaft operation. The configuration affects where the bearing is applied and the load it bears.

A fastener is a component that is often used in several different appliances including furniture, automobiles, and of course, airplanes. Manufacturers and others working in the supply chain industry find fasteners very useful because of the way they can attach and hold two or more objects together. Captive fasteners, however, operate a little differently. The captive fastener is embedded in one part of the object and then the other part of the object is then anchored inside the fastener.

The aircraft battery is an essential component of aircraft as it acts as a primary source of power for most of the aircraft’s electrical needs, including cabin lighting, heating, air conditioning, etc. More significantly however, the aircraft needs a stable functioning battery because it will act as one of the last lines of defense in the case of an emergency.

Unless they work directly in the aviation industry, most people aren’t aware of bulkhead seating on an airplane. That’s no surprise because on most flight booking sites that allow the option of choosing seats, there is no mention of bulkhead seats (though you can certainly see the option on the seat map). The bulkhead in an aircraft refers to the dividing walls between cabins (on smaller aircraft, this will usually be a curtain). The seats in front of this wall are the bulkhead seats.

A loose bolt on heavy duty equipment may not seem like a big issue at first thought, but the reality is that the tiniest bolt can cause the biggest issues, if not properly installed. A loose bolt on a helicopter, for instance, can potentially cause a whole series of issues down the road. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on the bolts in your aircraft and be proactive in implementing measures to prevent them from becoming loose. Below you’ll see a few different reasons why a bolt may become loose and some things that you can do to prevent that.

When you’re cruising at 35,000 feet, it’s important to know that you can rely on the many seals throughout the aircraft you’re on. Whether they’re on the exterior flaps or the cockpit fastener windshield, a failed seal can have a huge impact on an aircraft’s performance. Aircraft Seals have to be up to snuff to deal with harsh conditions like extreme weather, high air pressure and dramatic swings in temperature. Some seals are even exposed directly to fuel and chemicals during manufacturing or operation.

Fasteners are a necessity that transcends industry. Whether you’re building IKEA furniture or a supersonic jet, fasteners must hold key components together and be reliable under stress. As you’d imagine, aerospace fasteners have evolved along with the industry itself. When newer and faster products are invented, fastener performance requirements increase. Aerospace manufacturers use a variety of familiar fasteners like screws, nuts, and bolts, as well as more specialized pieces such as rivets, pins, and collars.

Circular connectors, or circular interconnects, are cylindrical, multi-pin electrical connectors containing contacts that transmit both data and power. Canon (now ITT Tech Solutions) first created circular connectors in the 1930s for military aircraft, but they can now be found in industrial applications, medical devices, and other environments where reliability is crucial, such as industrial applications and medical devices.

Gear bearings are, as their name implies, a combination of both gear and bearing functions in one component. Like gears, they feature teeth that intermesh with one another, and like bearings they do so to transfer radial and axial loads to bear weight and friction. Gear bearings improve drives in electrical, internal combustion, and turbine motors. The gear bearing design incorporates rifle-true anti-backlash, improved thrust bearing performance, and phase-tuning techniques for superior low-speed reduction. Because they combine both gear and bearing functions, gear bearings can reduce weight, number of parts, size and cost, and increase load capacity.

A needle roller bearing is a type of bearing that utilizes small cylindrical rollers that reduce the friction of a rotating surface. In comparison to ball bearings, needle roller bearings have a large surface area that is in contact with the functioning part. These are useful in manufacturing because of their ability to handle relatively high loads in a compact design. They are the smallest and lightest of the roller bearing family which gives them the advantage in limited space situations.

Fiber optic cables get all the praise when it comes to new data transmission technology, but their efficiency greatly relies on a few small power connector components— cable connectors. The size and versatility of a fiber connector allows fiber optic cabling to transmit data across distributed avionics and eliminate the need for additional signal support equipment.

DC Power Connectors are electrical connectors used for supplying direct current (DC) power. They have standard types that aren’t interchangeable. The correct dimensions and arrangement should be chosen to prevent interconnection of incompatible sources and loads. They are used in a variety of applications, including small portable electronics and automotive accessories. There are three common types of barrel connectors: jacks, plugs, and receptacles.

Aircraft inspection plates, doors, and other removable panels are secured with turnlock fasteners because they allow quick and easy removal of panels for inspection and servicing. These fasteners require positive sustained torque to unfasten and tend to correct themselves after minor disturbances. The most common manufactured turnlock fasteners are Dzus, Camloc, and Airloc. Some of the common names used to refer to turnlock fasteners are quick opening, quick action, and stressed panel fasteners.

Rivets are simple to install and a versatile alternative to nuts and bolts. For those of you who have never encountered a rivet, it is a cylindrical piece of hardware with a “head” and “tail” on either end.

In the aerospace industry, fasteners are essential— they are the glue that holds every unique airframe piece together. Fasteners are defined as hardware that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. This hardware can be applied to many applications across several industries. LISI Aerospace, a global manufacturer specializing in fasteners and structural components, makes a specialized fastener called an HI-LOK Pin Fasteners.

When you need a new metal roof or wall panel installed, you need a lot of fasteners tools and parts. You need to make sure that you get the right ones as they can make the difference between whether your new installation can last years or not. And one of the most important tools to choose correctly is the fastener.