Solutions Current Issues > Jan.Feb.Mar_2009 > BENNY & BRUCE
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Great Web Resources for Busy Designers
BENNY: Bruce, I’ve been noticing that you spend a lot of time surfing the Web. Are you sure you’re working
BRUCE: Actually, Benny, I’m not only working, I’m improving my mind.
BENNY: How so?
BRUCE: Well, I’m learning where to find information I need. Remember that saying about knowledge? “You don’t have to know everything, as long as you—know what you know, know what you don’t know, and know where to find it.”
BENNY: And knowing where to find it is the most important part. Before the Internet, getting good design information was difficult, and sometimes impossible.
BRUCE: That’s right. Something as simple as up-to-date information on fasteners for plastics, or on low-insertion-force couplings—sometimes you’d end up designing something that was already available, or specifying a material that wasn’t exactly what you needed, but it was all you had specifications on.
BENNY: Bruce, one of the things I’ve been spending a lot of time on lately is a kind of catalog of Websites that I regularly reference when customers call me, or when I’m working on a new product. Many of the sites have design guides for download, and I refer to them often. And you know, one of the best sites I’ve found for design information about rubber is rlhudson.com.
BRUCE: Guess you could say it’s our home page, right, Benny? I have some favorites that I use when I just need some general engineering resources and design tips:
BENNY: Back to basics…hey, that reminds me of Benny’s First Rule. Want to know what it is, Bruce?
BRUCE: OK, I’ll bite. What is it?
BENNY: It’s “Don’t Design a New Part if an Existing Part Will Do.” I always go back to standard part sources first. Some sources will even tell you how to tolerance the mating parts to work with their product. Here are some of my favorites:
- spirol.com (fasteners)
- rotorclip.com/ (retaining rings)
- seastrom-mfg.com/ (rings, plugs, clips, washers)
- smalley.com/ (retaining rings, wave springs)
- bokers.com/resources/resources.asp (washers)
- pennfast.com/fastening_products/
- dimcogray.com/index.asp (knobs and handles)
- caplugs.com/ (plugs, caps)
- microplastics.com/
- ark-plas.com (plastic fasteners; we use a lot of their parts)
- taptite.net/taptite/plastite.asp (fasteners for plastics)
BRUCE: That’s quite a list, Benny. And you forgot to say that these sites usually include much more information than just a list of products—like materials specifications, engineering tools, interchange information, definitions of terms, even design software. Even if you don’t know much about—oh, let’s say, wave spring finishes—you can usually find it on the site or contact the supplier’s engineering group.
BENNY: You took the words right out of my mouth, Bruce. Now here’s a tip for you: you can register on a lot of sites, which gives you access to the advanced search options. For example, when you want to compare many plastic materials from different companies, just go to: matweb.com or ides.com
BRUCE: And Matweb.com is much more than just plastics. In fact, I was searching for information on aluminum oxide ceramics when you came by a minute ago. Carbon materials, fluids, wood, thermoplastic elastomers, metals—it’s a pretty cool site.
BENNY: I see what you mean about improving your mind, Bruce. But let’s get back to plastics. Most plastics suppliers offer detailed, material-specific design guides. Some of them even have very well-written articles on specific topics such as metal to plastic conversion, general plastic design, joining plastics, that kind of thing. Here are some that I use a lot:
- cpchem.com/enu/products.asp
- plastics.dow.com/index.htm
- dupontelastomers.com/Tech_Info/chemical.asp
- dupont.com/Plastics/en_US/index.html
- quadrantepp.com/
- sabic-ip.com/gep/Plastics/en/Home/Home/home.html
- zeonchemicals.com/
Also branson-plasticsjoin.com/ and dukcorp.com/us/SE_Appl.htm for guidelines on the design of welded plastic joints.
BRUCE: Ever look around on PTOnline.com for plastics, Benny? Processes, materials, equipment, tooling, new developments; it’s all there.
BENNY: And here’s one for you, Bruce: globalspec.com. It’s an engineering search engine. How cool is that?
BRUCE: Guess you could say the possibilities are endless, unlike our time. You ready for a break, Benny?
BENNY: Sure, but let me bring my laptop, OK? I have some sites I want to check out.
Click here to download a complete listing of all these sites in pdf format.
