Sponsor of the 15th Annual Luncheon of Wardrobe For Opportunity

As a sponsor, Bishop-Wisecarver attended the 15th Annual Luncheon of Wardrobe For Opportunity on May 17th, 2010 >>

Wardrobe for Opportunity works in partnership with the community to assist low-income individuals to "Find a Job, Keep a Job, and Build a Career." To learn more about Wardrobe for Opportunity's mission, 2010 plans and impact in the community, visit www.wardrobe.org

To the left, Bishop-Wisecarver's bilingual customer service representative, Ricardo Iraheta, at the event. Ricardo was 2009 Male Client of the Year.

UtiliTrak® Linear Guides for Packaging Equipment

From filling to material transfer, from food products to industrial parts, UtiliTrak is available in three configurations for complete versatility for the broad and diverse packaging industry.

* With speeds up to 5.5 m/s * Acceleration to 5 g's for increased throughput * Low noise, low vibration * Lubed for life to keep equipment up and running * Self-cleaning action sweeps paper dust and other debris from the track * Corrosion resistant options available for food packaging and handling applications * Long length systems for transfer between processes or conveyor lines *

UtiliTrak is ideal for running two systems in parallel, and the vee side serves as the motion guide while the roller side compensates for parallel misalignment. Bridge connections now available!

Learn more about our three configurations: PW Series, SW Series, CR Series >>

CUSTOMER APPLICATION STORY: UtiliTrak® delivers stability and smooth operation
for the medical industry -- Custom five-wheel carriage increases load capacity needed for
“easy-to-guide” vertical motion. Read the full story here!

PD&D Editorial on FIRST by Pamela Kan

Discovering and developing a passion for science, technology, engineering and math.

"I first learned about the FIRST program while traveling with one of my salesmen. We called on several companies where somewhere within the course of the meeting one of the engineers would reveal their involvement as a mentor in a group called FIRST. I realize now that these mentors during the time of the competition are extremely dedicated and devote many hours to their teams and probably think of little else..."

Read the full story on PD&D >>

Help Bishop-Wisecarver Celebrate Their 60 Year Anniversary

See our current video contest on OnlineVideoContests [COM] 

Due on June 15th, 2010 - As we gear up for our 60th anniversary, we want you to be a part of our celebration here at Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation®, and there’s no better way to kickoff the festivities than a video contest!

As the original maker of the DualVee Guide Wheel, we have a great appreciation for linear motion and innovation, so this year we want to discover and award the most creative DualVee® application.

Create a short video under one minute in length. The video needs to clearly show and explain the application -- address the challenge, explain the application and clearly show how and where DualVee is being used in your application. [ View ] the BWC contest announcement!

VIDEO SERIES, Life of an Inventor: Bud Wisecarver

Follow the series on our YouTube channel! American Toolmaker Bud Wisecarver, co-founder of Bishop-Wisecarver, is the original inventor of double angular contact bearing technology -- also known as, DualVee Guide Wheels. It all started in Bud's machine shop sixty years ago. We hope you will enjoy Bud's story via Life of an Inventor.

Click the arrows to shuffle through the video clips.

Application Profile: Plastic Bottle Molding, Inspection System

Challenge: Avid Inc. from Greeland, NH provides vision-based measurement and inspection systems for on-line and off-line industrial applications. The challenge was to meet their strong demand for a competitively priced linear slide actuator that could provide repeatable, reliable, and predictable linear transmission of newly molded plastic bottles through a high speed laser inspection station running in a clean environment.

Application Description: The plastic bottle inspection system transfers new bottles in position for thread, wall thickness, and overall “red lined” dimension inspection. Bottles are continuously inspected 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A typical bottle molding machine can mold up to 80,000 per hour.

Solution: The PDU2’s extrusion design and clean lines were easily adapted to the 80/20 extrusion framework, blending in with other aluminum components. It replaced an outdated system which was about to be eliminated because of its industrial appearance, open carriage concept, and strong influence from other competitors designs. The closed system construction offered many benefits when compared to other products that were considered. PDU2 provides a competitively priced linear slide, and features such as extrusion design, sealed mechanical wheels and track, low profile, and the ability to conveniently cut the extrusion to length on-site were important benefits to Avid. Having a local sales representative available along with excellent factory support were also significant considerations.

Products Used: HepcoMotion PDU2, belt driven

Contact Bishop-Wisecarver today.

News and Updates: The April Wrap-up!

The April e-newsletter from Bishop-Wisecarver is live! View >

Not a subscriber yet? Just click "subscribe" on the newsletter.

V Bearing Guide Wheels n' Track: Robotics Application Story

In this video -- Designed for the printing industry, this robotic crane system automates the depalletizing of logs and loading of stream feeders.

Utilizing DualVee's smooth motion, the machinery slides back and forth on v bearing guide wheels covering 24 feet of track. With a minimum of two seams, DualVee track also acts as rebar, assisting in the strengthening of the aluminum beam structure. The wheels and track are constantly exposed to dust, but DualVee's constant sweeping action allows for ZERO maintenance -- speeds up to 5.5 m/s and acceleration up to 5 g's -- high accuracy and repeatability -- low noise.

Learn more about our products online at www.bwc.com

Did you know how DualVee Motion Technology® was invented?

Bishop-Wisecarver is the original inventor of DualVee® guide wheel technology, and no one knows it like we do.

The image on the right compares one of the original machined vee guide wheels created by Bud Wisecarver next to a polished guide wheel of today.

Now pretend to picture some fuzzy, wavy lines. Let’s go back into the past more than 40 years ago.

Bud Wisecarver was running the largest “general jobbing” machine shop in the East County of the San Francisco Bay Area during the 60s when a local packaging company came to him with an application challenge. The company needed Bud to create a machine that would fill bags with fertilizer.

Bud got to work on the new machine but after installing it, discovered that the machinery would clog up with fertilizer spilling off from the plant’s conveyors operating overhead. The problem? Flat rollers running in a trough would clog with the fallen debris. Bud took his design back to the shop for reevaluation.

The machine was redesigned to run on a double vee guide wheel system instead, and voila, success. The machine was able to roll thru the fertilizer bits, sweeping the debris off the track. No matter how much grit fell from above, the guide wheel motion was not interrupted. The dirty challenge was solved, but, machining these guide wheels was no easy task.

After finishing up at the fertilizer plant, Bud got to work on designing a better way to machine these wheels. While watching an Oakland Raiders football game on television one afternoon in 1968, the idea of how to easily machine these double sided guide wheels came clear to Bud. The rest is history!
 

 

DualVee Motion Technology® was later patented in 1972 (patent is no longer active), and to this day, whether it is grease, metal chips, sawdust or weld spatter, DualVee conquers extreme temperatures and rough conditions.

One other part of this story is also worth noting. When Bud created a machine to solve his customers’ packaging challenge, he was there every step of the way. Bishop-Wisecarver continues this same work ethic today, as our engineering team is here for you from concept to completion.

We are a hard thinking, resourceful bunch of individuals who value quality, reliability and imagination. Contact us today!

7 Reasons this Printing Equipment Manufacturer Teamed with Bishop-Wisecarver

1. Excellent products allow us to quickly move from concept to system sale.

2. Reliable, long life; performs well in customers’ harsh printing environment.

3. High speed capability results in very fast production print equipment.

4. Precision motion meets accuracy and tight tolerance requirements.

5. Fantastic, knowledgeable engineering support keeps us coming back.

6. Competitive solutions for every one of our custom designed products.

7. Superior technical documentation.

- Robert Whitman, Engineer, Digital Print Inc.

Robert uses our LoPro® Linear Actuators for his high speed variable print systems. Learn more about our actuators and other linear motion products on our website.

Are You a Welder? 7 Reasons to Team with Bishop-Wisecarver

1. We invented guide wheel technology. Nobody knows it like we do.
• Since the creation of our DualVee® guide wheel technology more than 40 years ago, Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation has pioneered v groove guide wheel based linear actuators and linear motion systems. Whether it is for linear, rotary, or curved track applications, our tough yet cost effective linear actuators and other guided linear motion systems provide performance advantages unmatched by other antifriction guide technologies.

2. Self-cleaning action of vee design is ideal for dirty and high temperature environments.
• Whether it is grease, metal chips or weld spatter, the self cleaning action rolls through and sweeps debris from the track. Designed to excel in dirty and high temperature environments, the wheel’s inner vee diameter travels at a slower rate than the outer vee diameter, resulting in a velocity gradient that rolls through and sweeps aside any debris that has settled on the track.

3. Low friction equals smoother oscillation.
• The guide wheels feature a constant radius ball bearing path, which minimizes vibration and results in smoother oscillation while dragging and pushing the weld puddle. The high surface finish and induction heat treating of the stainless and carbon steel components ensure a long lasting system.

4. Fast delivery – components from stock, complete actuated linear guide systems < 2 weeks.
• It’s just that simple. We are committed to serving your motion needs in a timely manner.

5. Our design support, 3D CAD, and FEA tools save you time and money.
• Our world-class engineering team is made up of resourceful, knowledgeable individuals with cutting edge tools that will best assist them in creating innovative, long-lasting solutions for even your most difficult linear motion challenges.

6. We’re an extension of your team from concept to completion.
• For more than 60 years, we have been problem solving our customers' most demanding application challenges. Starting as a custom machine fabricator and growing into the leading manufacturer that Bishop-Wisecarver is today, we possess the engineering and manufacturing experience to help tackle even the most difficult challenges from start to finish -- we walk every step of the way with you to design a product that meets the exact needs of a specific application.

7. Freedom to realize your engineering potential and design outside-the-box.
• Guided linear and rotary motion systems and linear actuators from Bishop-Wisecarver are limited only by your imagination. With the assistance of our creative, experienced application engineers, the possibilities are endless.

DualVee® & HepcoMotion® GV3 Watch a short welding customer story!

ECRM Moves Toward Smoother Motion with DualVee® Package

Challenge: ECRM Imaging Systems felt they needed to enhance their linear drive package and improve on performance, reliability, and at the same time offer a new solution to an existing design. The application runs in a clean environment. The slide may be exposed to dust, but for the most part it is protected by the machine’s cover.

Application Description: The “News Matic” demands a 35” or 890mm travel length. The carriage is side mounted on 2 parallel Size 3 tracks supported by Size 3 wheels. Speeds are relatively low with 120 cycles per day transporting a 15 lb. load. The main function of this linear assembly is to transport a plate and register it against registration pins accurately in order to transfer a print image directly on the plate. Then it will reposition this plate and address the next.

Solution: To help reduce component cost without jeopardizing the carriage integrity and accuracy DualVee Size 3 wheels are used in this application, 2 concentric on the top rail and 1 eccentric on the bottom rail. The diversity of Bishop-Wisecarver’s component offering allowed for a belt driven arrangement along with ECRM’s own special carriage plate design. A competitor’s shafts and bearings were used in the past, but ECRM chose DualVee for its smoothness, quietness, low friction, number of component reduction, and ease of installation benefits.

Products Used:

- DualVee Track

o T3 x 900 mm

- DualVee Wheels

o W1 wheel assembly

o W1X wheel assembly

Snag a PDF copy of this application, and learn more about Bishop-Wisecarver online at www.bwc.com -- Discover our world-class engineering team. The possibilities are only limited by your own imagination!

Click to Vote!

The 2010 "Leadership in Engineering" from Design World is taking votes! Click the banner to vote for Bishop-Wisecarver, or visit the Leadership page on Design World. Winners will be announced in the December issue this year.

"Leadership in Engineering: 60 Years of Innovation > Bud Wisecarver and the Bishop-Wisecarver engineering team support companies around the world by leveraging state of the art technologies to improve performance and design optimization by incorporating their engineering expertise and patented technologies." Read full article here >

We also have our full video library on Design Word.

Proud to be a Finalist

Bishop-Wisecarver is proud to be named a finalist in Design News' annual Golden Mousetrap Awards for 2010!

Congratulations to all! Click here to view the finalist page on Design News.

Design News' annual Golden Mousetrap Awards recognize engineering innovation and creativity in product design. This year awards were given in five major categories: electronics, materials, motion control/automation, rapid prototyping and design tools, as well as several subcategories.

Fostering the imagination that leads to mechanical solutions since 1950, Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation is a woman owned manufacturing company specializing in linear, rotary, and curved track guided motion technologies. As the original creator of the DualVee® guide wheel, we offer tough yet cost effective solution.

Here a Robot, There a Robot !

04/09/2010: Bishop-Wisecarver attended the 2010 FIRST regionals in Davis, CA on April 1st to cheer on the Bay Area teams we are sponsoring -- Team #1516, Fightin' Grizzlies from San Ramon and Team #2628, Treasure Island Pirates from San Francisco, CA -- Both teams really gave it all they had! Good luck and congratulations to all the FRC teams.

For more about Bishop-Wisecarver, visit www.bwc.com