Heritage High FIRST Tech Challenge: Brentwood Press Video Coverage

Video by Austin Cook from the Brentwood Press: "Heritage High School hosted the Northern California For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Tech Challenge last weekend where students from the Heritage Robotics Club battled other schools to qualify for the state championships." Video includes a clip of Bud Wisecarver as one of the judges for the competition. Read more about this event at: thepress.net - "Your hometown source for East Contra Costa"

Get Your WestPack Promo Code!

BISHOP-WISECARVER WILL BE AT WESTPACK, BOOTH 4711

Please join us at WestPack, the Packaging Industry's Project Acceleration Resource, February 8-10, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Simply click the electronic invitation below to visit the website, where you will find detailed information and easy online registration for complimentary admission by using PROMO CODE: XG

REGISTER NOW

You may register online, or print this out and bring it with you to register on-site at the Convention Center. We look forward to seeing you in Anaheim at WestPack!

We've Gone Green! Bishop-Wisecarver is Bay Area Green Business Certified

 We are very excited to announce that we earned Bay Area Green Business certification this fall.

“Any business today should be thinking about becoming green certified,” said Kelly Walden, Manufacturing Manager for Bishop-Wisecarver. “I hope we set the standard for other businesses to follow.”

Read more about what the BWC team said about going green in this press release [ VIEW ]

PTDA Announces Leadership for 2011

Pamela Kan, president, Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation (Pittsburg, Calif.) assumes the duties of the PTDA Manufacturer Council chair in 2011, succeeding Randy Breaux, vice president marketing, Baldor Electric Company (Fort Smith, Ark.).

Kan has served on the council since 2007 and currently serves as the vice chair. Previously, she served on the Marketing Committee and Industry Summit Planning Committee.

"I am very excited for the year ahead for PTDA and honored to be part of the leadership of PTDA as we revise our strategic plan," said Kan. "I am happy to be a voice for manufacturers both large and small. I am hopeful that being in the role will inspire more women to join our industry."

Read the full article on ThomasNet [ here ]

Animation: PRT2 Ring and Track Systems

The new PRT2 Ring and Track System by HepcoMotion® exclusively from Bishop-Wisecarver now includes more options than ever: a wider range of sizes with lower and higher load capacities. This friction-free, debris-tolerant system also includes several new options which comprise of increased bearing and lubricator sizes, floating bearings, fixed center carriages with clamping brake, continuous bleed lubrication to reduce downtime, and the availability of pinions.

[ VIEW ] our latest blog entry on PRT2 with many more details!

UtiliTrak® Linear Guide Gantry Design

In this video, a size one UtiliTrak linear guide gantry design is being used to reduce operator efforts by providing ergonomic movement of a tapping tool. The tapping gun must be counter balanced for ease of use, and must stay perpendicular to operating surface. The size one gantry is handling a 20lb load over a 3 ft x 4 ft area, and the dual track mounted vertically provides added rigidity, eliminating supports and roll moments -- very smooth, easy to move and cost effective.

Engineering & Design Academy Visits Bishop-Wisecarver

The group of students are led by instructor John Korzick from the Engineering and Design Academy at California High School in San Ramon, CA. Many of the students also participate in the FIRST robotics competition every year which we participate in as a sponsor.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Pamela Kan's editorial on FIRST featured in PD&D (read here) inspired Associated Editor Meaghan Ziemba to ask her daughter, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Find out what Meaghan's daughter said [ VIEW ARTICLE ]

"...Her amazement and appreciation reminded me of another organization, Nerd Girls, which is dedicated to boosting women’s confidence and self-esteem, and pursuing careers in science and math..."

Duplex Track System with Chain Drive

New video post: This durable and highly stable duplex track system from Bishop-Wisecarver by HepcoMotion is capable of withstanding high loads, and is available complete with special chain and scroll drive system. Watch the video to learn more about all of the features.

Cal High Students Tour Bishop-Wisecarver Facility

Manufacturing Engineer Brian Burke was one of four tour guides today touring 36 students around the Bishop-Wisecarver facility. The class is led by instructor John Korzick from the Engineering and Design Academy at California High School in San Ramon, CA. The students also participate in the FIRST robotics competition every year which we participate in as a sponsor. Check out video of the robotics club from earlier this year. When the students finished the tour, we loaded the kids up with handfuls of Bishop-Wisecarver gear like t-shirts and other cool items. Will be posting a video of their visit tomorrow, so don't forget to check back soon! If you have a classroom of students that would like to tour Bishop-Wisecarver, please email info@bwc.com or call us at 925.439.8272

Imaginations in Motion with PRT2

The wide range of options and sizes now available from the PRT2 product line can get your imagination spinning! What's the buzz all about? We recently released a press release that can be viewed here, but I'd like to share a breakdown of the key features:

• A choice of 13 double edged rings & segments up to 1.5m in diameter, allow more design options as standard

• Brand new range of standard single edged ring slides & segments - internal and external V options available

• All ring sizes are offered in stainless steel as standard and are precision ground all over

• New True Shape Rings offer improvement to the amount of roundness and dishing

• Precision ground, stainless steel ring discs for turntable applications; large mounting surface is easily customized

• Five bearing sizes to choose from - twin bearings for smooth running and tolerance of misalignment, double row bearings for higher load capacities (load increase in some cases up to 400%) and tolerance of debris

• Floating bearings with caged needle rollers provide axial movement of the V position - particularly useful when 2 rings or track systems are mounted in parallel

• New range of single edge track systems and more sizes of double edge track systems offer an almost limitless variety of open or closed circuits

• Improved fixed center carriage - solid plate, no keyway, thicker section, greater rigidity

• Carriage clamping brake system for manual positioning applications (for fixed center carriages only)

• Moment load carriage systems provide extra support and rigidity for high downward or offset loads - static or dynamic versions available

• Bleed lubrication for track systems continuously pipes lubrication through holes, direct into the V contact faces

The PRT2 system by HepcoMotion, exclusively offered by Bishop-Wisecarver, adds several clever options that allow innovative and highly reliable technical solutions to be engineered -- the possibilities are only limited to your imagination! This rotary motion solution can  be utilized in virtually any industry such as medical, aerospace and defense, packaging, solar, printing and so much more. Check out a video customer application example on our [ YouTube ] channel!

[ View ] the digital catalog, or download a PDF copy >

Application Story: Welding Inside Boilers with DualVee®

Long Life, Durability & Ease of Maintenance Helped DualVee Edge Out the Competition
 

The Challenge?
    
• Welding heads’ need to be easily removed for servicing    
• Load requirements: approximately 150 pounds    
• Speed requirements: approximately .250" per second    

An extremely harsh environment with contamination from alloy steel weld splatter. Oxidized scale and no lubrication allowed in chamber. Customer needed to replace obsoleted CAM follower design.    

The Application Description: Design and build special machines for use in refurbishing boilers in power generation, chemical, pulp and paper mills. Machines are placed inside large boilers which lay down rows of weld bead onto the boiler wall, building up the wall thickness. They are various applications for rack and gear driven weld torches with wire feeders.    

The Solution?    

DualVee wheels allowed for quick removal and will last much longer than CAM follower design. Bishop-Wisecarver’s stainless steel version was used for enhanced corrosion resistance.    

Products Used: With mating track - W2, W2SSX (stainless steel) and W3SSX (stainless steel). Produced in six sizes, DualVee guide wheels are stocked in both 52100 bearing steel and 440C stainless steel, providing the versatility that special equipment builders often need.

Contact us to discuss your specific linear motion needs: 888.580.8272

Or visit us online at www.bwc.com

Corrosion Protection of Carbon and Stainless Steel Track

By Nigel S. Watson, P.E., Engineering Manager

Several types of surface treatment processes that enhance the corrosion resistance of carbon steel and stainless steel track are available from Bishop-Wisecarver. A brief outline of the processes and their characteristics and attributes are discussed in this technical article. The finishing processes discussed in this article are all cost effective if applied correctly in order to achieve the desired level of corrosion resistance or surface coating properties. To further enhance the corrosion resistance beyond that of stainless steel, it is not uncommon to apply electroless nickel or Armoloy plating to stainless steel track.

To read this three page article from BWC, please [ click here ] to view.

Linear Guide Systems for Low Contamination and Highly Corrosive Environments

By Leslie Lui, Mechanical Design Engineer

Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation

Linear guide systems have long been used to enable payloads to be moved smoothly and precisely in a diverse array of applications. The five most common types of linear guide systems are based on profile rail, drawer slides, linear bearings, guide wheels, and plain bearings. All five types have the same general layout and operation, with one or more mobile elements that can move over a stationary section with little friction. However, each type of linear guide system has different attributes that make each type well suited for some applications but ill suited for others.

Continued... Download the entire FIVE PAGE technical paper [ VIEW PDF ]