Aaron Moncur

Back in the days when Pipeline was pretty much a one-man show starring yours truly, I got this gig to whip up a cleaning fixture for a medical device. Picture this: it needed to snuggle right into an existing ultrasonic bath housing like it was made for it, be crafted out of 316 stainless steel to avoid rusting away to oblivion, and play nice with a bunch of different device setups. No pressure, right? Diving into this project, I ran headfirst into the usual design drama—challenges popping up left and right like whack-a-moles. But, like a design ninja, I sliced through each problem with what I thought was sheer elegance. By the end, I was pretty smitten with my creation. It had all the bells and whistles, sturdy as a tank, and it looked cool enough to make the cover of "Stylish Engineering Monthly" (if that was a thing). I kept the client in the loop with weekly updates, watching the design go from sketch to spectacle. They did murmur something about it being "too complex" at one point, but hey, no directive to change course. I figured they'd see the light once they laid hands on this masterpiece. "Just wait till you use it," I thought. "It'll be like going from a flip phone to a smartphone!" Then came the reality check. Ordering the parts had me whispering, "Ouch, that's gonna sting," as I reluctantly handed over a small fortune to my machine shop. But no worries, I reassured myself, the customer's going to be over the moon with this swanky design. Assembly time rolled around, and let's just say it was an eye-opener. "That took forever... and how much did the screws cost?!" And don't get me started on the spring plungers (highlighted in blue below) - 48 of them, at $12 a pop. Ugh. My wallet's still recovering. Shipping day arrived, and off went my baby, all packed and ready to dazzle. I was practically waiting by the phone for the shower of praise. Instead, what I got was a "Houston, we have a problem." The client called, not too pleased, saying, "It's not working out." My jaw hit the floor. "How could this be? Did you try turning it on?" Turns out, it wasn't just about flipping a switch. The fixture was too complex, and some bits were playing hide and seek (hint: screws). After some troubleshooting and a hefty dose of reality, I had to face the music. My "masterpiece" was a dud for the client. Back to the drawing board I went, eating half the cost for my overzealous design escapade. So, what did the client actually want? Drumroll... a design that was about as straightforward as it gets. No frills, no fancy parts—just some cleverly bent wire doing its thing. The bill of materials for this humble pie? Less than a quarter of my original magnum opus. And guess what? It worked like a charm. Lessons learned? Engineers like me can get a little too jazzed about making things complicated. It's like thinking everyone wants a Swiss Army knife when they just need a simple screwdriver. Operators and clients don't always share our geeky enthusiasm for complexity. And, sometimes, less really is more. Moral of the story: Keeping it simple isn't just a design principle; it's a way to keep your clients (boss, stakeholder, etc…fill in the noun appropriate for your situation) happy and your projects on budget. And hey, if you're ever in doubt, maybe ask a few more questions up front. It could save you a lot of headaches (and cash) down the road. As for younger engineers out there, don't go it alone. Find a mentor, a seasoned pro who can spot an over-engineered disaster from a mile away. There's a bunch of them hanging out on The Wave (mentors…not disasters), ready to lend an ear and some sage advice. Trust me, it's better than learning the hard way. In the end, engineering isn't about making the sleekest, most complicated thingamajig. It's about solving problems in the smartest, most efficient way. And sometimes, that means embracing the beauty of simplicity. So, here's to finding elegance in the straightforward, and remembering that in engineering, as in life, the best solution is often the simplest one.

Introduction Voice coil motors (VCMs) are a mechanical marvel, seamlessly merging actuators and sensors into a single powerhouse. These devices deliver blistering speed, pinpoint precision, and unwavering long-term performance. They've earned their stripes in tasks requiring surgical precision, such as product testing, autofocus systems, and even the delicate mechanics of hard disk drives. (Fun fact: The term "voice coil" originates from one of its initial applications, in which it was used to provide the mechanical movement in loudspeakers.) Beyond this, they've found homes in a vast array of industrial and scientific applications, from sorting and testing to precise alignment tasks. Similarly, you can find VCM’s in our test fixtures and custom equipment, and industrial automation solutions. Features Today, we’ll share how we have leveraged the precision and speed of VCM’s in SMAC’s family of cutting-edge linear actuators, specifically the LPL and LDL models. While other servos are locked into position or velocity, SMAC’s voice coil motors offer the added flexibility of constant force output, finely adjustable to ~10 grams. They're fully programmable right out of the box, enabling users to streamline their work and validate accuracy simultaneously. SMAC actuators offer complete control in three distinct modes --Force, Velocity, and Position. • Force Mode operates without feedback from the encoder. Although the actual position is monitored, it doesn't influence the output. • Velocity Mode allows the actuating rod to glide with specified velocity, acceleration, force, and direction. It can rev up to an impressive 20Hz. This can be used in SMAC’s patented 'Soft-Land' procedure which allows the actuator to both measure and manipulate very delicate and high value components with ease (more on this below). • Position Mode guides the actuating rod to a multitude of positions along the stroke. Here, you can tinker with acceleration, velocity, and force settings to execute absolute, relative, or "learned position" maneuvers with precision. When we say precision, we mean it; standard positional accuracy stands at 5 microns. You can also upgrade to a 1um, 0.5um, 0.1um or jaw-dropping 50 nanometer resolution encoder. This level of accuracy applies to both linear and rotational positioning. SMAC's patented 'Soft-Land' procedure allows the actuator to both measure and manipulate very delicate and high value components with ease. Fully programmable in Position, Acceleration, Velocity and Force Sub- micron resolution (5 µm to 100nm) Low moving mass = high acceleration Direct drive = no backlash, excellent repeatability Force control = Soft - Land capability >250 million cycles MTBF = Long operating life < 55dB = Officially ‘Silent’ in operation You can seamlessly switch between these modes during a single stroke. For instance, start in Position mode and smoothly transition to Force mode as your application demands. While we’ve primarily utilized the LPL and LDL actuators, you can find the same features in the MLA, MSA, and LAL actuators. SMAC also offers a line of rotary actuators (LAR, LCR, LBR, LDR). Controller Options and Communication SMAC offers actuators with built-in controller/drives for single-axis applications. Alternatively, you can opt for external controllers, ideal for both single and 2-axis actuators (linear/rotary, X/Y, and grippers). These controllers empower you to program position, velocity, and force modes with ease. Standard SMAC actuators come equipped with four 5-24V digital I/O, an analog input, analog output, serial communication for seamless data exchange, and options for EthernetIP and EtherCAT communications. Connectivity simplifies integration into your mechanical systems. The VCM includes an encoder and other hardware, eliminating the need for arduous programming. Say goodbye to the days of configuring air lines, fittings, flow controls, analog signals for PLCs, and end-of-arm tooling. SMAC actuators seamlessly integrate with your PLC. Applications We recently configured the SMAC LDL40C in a low-profile bag dispenser fixture for our client Oranje. The standout feature was its remarkable ability to maintain a constant force with utmost precision. Whether it was handling delicate tasks or exerting force consistently, the VCM proved its reliability time and again. Additionally, the VCM exhibited an impressive speed that surpassed my expectations, making it a standout choice for applications requiring rapid and accurate movements. While we were pleased with our experience, here are a few notes to consider before buying a SMAC voice coil motor: Size and Shape: These devices aren't the tiniest on the block, and their unique shape might not suit all applications. However, SMAC has responded by introducing the LDR8, their slimmest model to date. For fresh projects, it's a breeze, but if you're planning an equipment upgrade, expect to invest a bit more effort. Interface: The G-code interface isn't the most intuitive for all integrators like us. We needed more time budgeted to learn the G-code interface. Thankfully, SMAC was responsive and provided great support. Cost: For simple linear motion applications that don't require speed, positional, or force feedback the VCM can be higher cost with starting models at $300. That being said, they do provide longevity. Cheaper pneumatic cylinders are budget-friendly up front but have a shorter lifespan of ~10 million cycles than SMAC actuators with controllers which boast a staggering lifespan of 100 to 300 million cycles. Noteworthy is SMAC's recommendation to opt for an actuator capable of two to three times the force required in your application. This would allow the maximum force needed to be a continuous value for safety. If your application requires precise force accuracy, it is critical that the coil temperature doesn't increase. That being said, our sole regret in utilizing the SMAC VCMs is that we weren't aware of their capabilities for our projects sooner. We have already begun integrating them into fixtures similar to our custom carton erector. These exceptional components have proven instrumental in reducing noise levels, significantly accelerating cycle times, and enhancing overall turnaround times for our clients. Our engineering team highly recommends the SMAC actuators for their precision, speed, and exceptional control.

Let me be clear, I'm not very good at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), but I love it. One might even say I have an addiction to it (this is not part of the leadership lesson). One of the reasons I love it so much is the life lessons I learn from the sport. Last week I was rolling (BJJ speak for "sparring") with a partner when my foot started to cramp. Eventually the pain was so sever that I had to pause and stretch it out. During this pause coach Steve (who is awesome, despite how you may feel after reading the next few paragraphs) walks over and starts barking at me: "let's go, let's go, this isn't an aerobics class - get back to rolling!". I respect coach Steve a lot, so I do so. My partner and I start rolling again only this time coach Steve is standing over us watching and asserting commands: "come on, Aaron, don't just lie there, escape, escape! Pull your arm in! Don't leave your leg out there like that!" My foot is cramping again and it's all I can do not to tap out just to relieve my deeply cramped foot. "Move, Aaron, let's go!" Steve yells. Finally I can't take it anymore, the cramp in my foot is so severe I can't even flex my foot as we tumble on the mat. I tap my partner, signaling to him I need to stop. As my partner moves away coach Steve comes barreling towards me: "what are you doing? Get back in there, you can finish this!". "Nope", I say, "I need a break", and hobble away trying desperately to stretch my foot out. At this moment I'm half convinced coach Steve is going to shoot me to the ground himself and finish me, all the while telling me how I gave up too easily and I shouldn't have wussed out. Then something surprising happens: "is it a cramp?" coach Steve asks. "Yeah, it's a pretty bad one", I respond as I try to stretch it out. "I hate those, they can get really painful, I know. Here, let me show you a trick to stretch it out." Coach Steve walks me over to some kind of foot roller with little spikes on it. "Step on this with your body weight and roll it back and forth. That should help." I do so and yes, it helps a lot. "Hey princess, you give up for the night?" another guys yells over at me playfully (I love these guys, seriously, ha). Before I can think of something smart with which to quip back coach Steve jumps in: "he's got a bad cramp. These are no joke, I've had them myself and all you can do is stop and stretch them out until they go away. They're awful." I think to myself, "holy cow, not only is coach not berating me, he's actually sticking up for me". A minute later my foot is thoroughly stretched out and I feel up to another roll. I jump back in with a partner and finish the night several rolls later with no further cramp issues. It is the job of a leader to push his team (or in this case, the job of a coach to push his student). It's this push that leads to real growth in the individual. I've experienced growth I never would have otherwise thanks to coaches pushing me to do things that I didn't think I could do. This is what good leaders do. However, there comes a point beyond which pushing is no longer useful, and can even be harmful. At this point, the role of a leader changes from pushing to protecting. And remember, leaders can't read minds, it's important for team members and individual contributors to communicate with their leaders when they really truly can't go any further. When I stood up and said I couldn't continue, I meant it. I physically couldn't go on. A less experienced leader may have rejected that and pushed me to keep going, anyway. Coach Steve knew better, and instantly changed his position from pushing me to supporting and protecting me. He empathized with me ("I hate those, they can get really painful, I know"). He helped me and facilitated my recovery ("Step on this with your full body weight and roll it back and forth"). And he protected me ("he's got a bad cramp. These are no joke..."). I tell you what, I had huge respect for coach Steve even before this happened, but afterwards he was king of the world in my eyes. What does this look like in a work setting? Perhaps the team is working on an intensely schedule-aggressive project. Team members are having to work nights and weekends to get it done on time. Certainly, it is the job of the team leader to (among other things) push his or her team to stay on schedule, even if that means working long hours or other uncomfortable circumstances. At a certain point, though, leaders need to be keenly aware of signs that a breaking point is on the horizon. Some team members may feel comfortable being assertive with their leaders and telling them outright when that point has arrived, but many others will not, making it even more critical for the leader to closely observe and interact with team members. If you lead people, push them to foster their growth. Ultimately they will thank you for it. However, the line between helping and hurting can be a thin one, and you must be vigilant in discerning the point beyond which one turns into the other. Also, BJJ is awesome. Why else would one dude pay to roll around with a bunch of other sweaty dudes?

This (see Figure 1 below) is a quarter turn fastener distributed by a company called Fixtureworks. There are several varieties, but they all consist of a male end and female end that are each attached to two separate workpieces a user wishes to fasten together. And unlike typical fasteners (screws) that have threads and require many turns to fasten, the quarter-turn fasteners rely on a pin that fits into a corresponding groove and requires only a quarter of a turn to fully engage its counterpart. This is one of the great advantages of Fixtureworks fasteners: they make fastening FAST. Figure 1. A QCTH series quarter-turn fastener from Fixtureworks One reason the quarter-turn fasteners are so fast is they only require a quarter of a turn to engage, hence the name. However, another reason, and potentially an even more significant reason, is they don’t require any tools to do so. If you have a thumb and an index finger, you can fully engage these fasteners in about a second. No more hunting for a screwdriver or allen wrench, or cursing because they aren’t where they’re supposed to be. A simple quarter turn of your hand is all that’s required. And the knob on the top of the fastener is very comfortable to engage, making the fastening process a pure delight. Another thing to consider regarding the speed offered by these fasteners is maintenance down the road. Have you ever had to fix a stripped thread? It’s the pits, and takes a significant amount of time. With Fixtureworks fasteners you never have to worry about stripped threads because there are no threads, which means there is also no lost time due to stripped threads. Have you ever taken an assembly apart (with screws), then when you begin putting everything back together realize you’re missing a screw (or have an extra screw…)? Maybe it rolled off the table. Maybe Jeff from R&D took it to spite you. Or maybe it went wherever socks go when you put them in the wash. Regardless, now you have to spend more time finding another screw. Ugh. Not so with the Fixtureworks fasteners. They are rigidly affixed to your workpieces, so when you take your assembly apart, they stay attached to their parent parts – yet another way in which they save you time. Even if you’re very good about tracking your fasteners and they never get lost, it’s still mental overhead…overhead you don’t have to expend with Fixtureworks fasteners. Something else you’ll notice the first time you pick up one of these fasteners is how well they’re made. These are not your typical dime a dozen (or if you’re using McMaster a few dollars a dozen…) screw fasteners. They are exceptionally well-made pieces of hardware. They feel sturdy in your hands and inspire confidence in their use. Figure 2. Fixtureworks fasteners come in a variety of styles to compliment nearly any application This all sounds great in theory, but do they really work that well? Yes, they do! Our mission statement here at Pipeline is to build equipment that R&D and manufacturing teams LOVE to use. One of the ways we do that is by using hardware that operators enjoy interacting with, like these quarter turn fasteners. We’ve used them for years and continue to do so not just because we like them, but because our customers love using them. A few examples of where our team has used them are shown below in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Figure 3. Quarter-turn fasteners used to attach device holder in cycle test machine Figure 4. Quarter-turn fastener used to hold manufacturing fixture in multiple discrete locations. Fixtureworks provides dozens of categories of slick hardware like these quarter-turn fasteners. A few others that caught our eye as we were writing this review include their shaft locking clamps, sliding locks, and torque limiting handles. Full disclosure, we have not used those items yet (mostly because we didn’t realize they existed), except for the time we spent with them writing this review. So what are the drawbacks? Well, there are a few. For one, these quarter-turn fasteners are far more expensive than your typical screw. The QCTH shown in Figure 1 will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 for a set (that is, one each of the male and female halves). They’re also larger than your typical screw, so if you’re working in very tight spaces these might not be the right solution. Finally, they require more preparation than a simple threaded hole: you’ll need to use their design guide to incorporate the right features in your part to accept the fasteners, and then there is some (simple) assembly work to install them. So, you’ll want to be judicious in where you use them. Nevertheless, if you have workpieces that are being separated frequently, the speed and delightful user experience associated with these pieces of hardware is so much better than traditional fasteners that it’s likely worth the drawbacks. In conclusion, Fixtureworks’ quarter-turn fasteners might be a great solution for your next project if the following conditions are true: You have parts that need to be regularly joined and separated. Your workspace isn’t extremely tight; rather, there is space to accommodate these fasteners. You don’t want to spend time turning screws, fixing stripped threads, or searching for lost screws…like a peasant. This review is about making your life easier; if you need more than a solution for just fasteners, and want to make life REALLY easy, consider giving Pipeline a call. Our expertise is in R&D and developing new manufacturing/testing/inspection processes, then building specialized equipment, fixtures, & automation around those processes to increase production for OEMs. Contact us today to learn how you can leverage our team! Finally, the table below includes links to all the Fixtureworks fasteners we reviewed in this article. As mentioned above, they offer far more than just the quarter-turn fasteners, so we encourage you to check out their site and learn about all the hardware solutions they offer. Product Description Link QCBU Fastener Ball lock, recessed handle, steel Recessed Button Ball-Locking Clamps (QCBU) Quick-Release – Fixtureworks CTK48 Torque Limiting Knobs Plastic knob, orange Torque Limiting Knobs – Stud – Metric – Fixtureworks QCTHA Quarter-Turn Fasteners Retractable, Plastic Knob One Touch Fasteners – Quarter-Turn – Retractable (QCTHA) – Fixtureworks QCSQ Sliding Lock Stainless Handle One Touch Fasteners – Sliding Locks – Square Bar – Knob (QCSQ) – Fixtureworks QCTHS Quarter Turn Fastener Plastic Knob, Steel Shank Heavy Duty Quarter-Turn Fasteners – Plastic Knob (QCTHS) – Fixtureworks QCTH Quarter Turn Fastener Plastic Knob Quarter-Turn Fasteners – Plastic Knob (QCTH) – Fixtureworks QCSPL Shaft Locking Clamp Plastic body Quick Shaft-Locking Clamps (QCSPL) – Fixtureworks – Fixtureworks

Troubleshooting a multi-part system can be challenging since it’s often unclear which part is contributing to the error, or if there are multiple parts contributing. All you know is the end result isn’t what it should be. I experienced this situation recently, and had the opportunity to use my engineering skills to identify where the error was coming from. I think it serves as a good summary of how to break down a system to identify root causes, so I’m writing this article to share the process I went through in hopes that it will help other engineers out there in their troubleshooting efforts. The system I troubleshot was purchased from a company called Edelkrone who manufactures cinematic motion products (we’re trying to up our marketing game here at Pipeline). It included the following products (which were effectively subsystems…see Figure 1 below): JibOne – a swing arm PanPRO – rotates the JibOne HeadPLUS – pitch and yaw motions for the camera Focus Module – focuses the camera lens Figure 1. System level broken down by subsystems (individual products) These products don’t necessarily come as a package, rather they can be mixed as desired. So, it’s not like they all came assembled ready to go from the factory. In addition, to these items, I also already had the camera body and a couple lenses (one Canon, and one Tamron…but the names don’t really matter). Once I had unboxed and installed them all on my tripod, I started experimenting with the system excited to see the programmable motion come to life in a few test videos. The products work with an app that is simple enough to use. Move the camera to a position, record that position in the app, then move the camera to another position and record that position in the app. Now you can move back and forth between those two positions. Or so it was supposed to be… Unfortunately, what I found was that positions in the actual trajectory of the system didn’t match those positions in the corresponding program I created (see Figure 2 below). For example, if position A was at x,y,z coordinates 4,4,4, and position B was at x,y,z coordinates 7,7,7, the actual path of the system might end up at A = 4,5,3 and B = 7,6,8…noticeably different than where they should be. I spent hours trying to understand what was going on at a system level…and that was my big mistake. Even after being an engineer for 20 years, it didn’t occur to me to break the system down into its constituent parts for an embarrassingly long time. But I got there eventually. Figure 2. Video showing discrepancy between positions that were supposed to be the same Once I realized I was fighting a losing battle troubleshooting at the system level, I started testing each product by itself. Very quickly it became clear where the problems were and were not. The PanPRO by itself showed inconsistent positions while the HeadPLUS was spot on every time. The Focus Module was all over the place when using the Tamron lens (but accurate when using the Canon lens) whereas the JibONE was supremely consistent. I tracked everything meticulously. I kept a spreadsheet in which I recorded all my results (Figure 3). An organized folder structure for each test (Figure 4). Clearly named subfolders for each trial within each test folder (Figure 5). And clearly labeled individual photos within each trial folder (Figure 6…two poses for each trial, each taken three times so I wasn’t relying on just a single data point). Not only did staying organized help me clearly see where the problems were, but when I’d go back to it a few days later it was easy to pick back up and continue the testing process since results were recorded very clearly. Figure 3. Master spreadsheet to track results across all tests Figure 4. Folders to keep each test organized Figure 5. Subfolders inside the test folders to organize the different trials Figure 6. Clearly labeled photos to record each trial Armed with this knowledge I was able to present Edelkrone with actionable information. After a couple of exchanges with support, they determined two things: The PanPRO unit was bad. I was using an unsupported lens (the Tamron…the Canon was supported and did work) They quickly sent me a new PanPRO unit, and I stopped using the unsupported Tamron lens. Once the new PanPRO unit arrived I installed it (along with only the Canon lens) and voila – everything worked at the system level! Since then we have gone on to use this setup to film multiple projects with wonderful results. We often have customers and industry contacts comment on how well done our photography/videography is (see examples in case studies on our website). To summarize, here is the process one should consider following when troubleshooting a system that isn’t cooperating: Identify the constituent sub-systems Test each subsystem by itself Record your results in a supremely organized manner Analyze the results to learn if the individual subsystems yield correct results It’s important to note that this process will work for more than just engineering systems. For example, maybe you’ve just started a diet (which is a system itself) and you’re not getting the results you expected. Break it down into its constituent parts, or subsystems: How many total calories am I consuming? What is the caloric quality of the foods I’m eating (e.g. pizza vs carrot sticks) Am I exercising regularly? Am I getting high quality sleep? Etc… Chances are one or more of the subsystems aren’t where they should be. Now that you’ve identified them individually it becomes much easier to troubleshoot each by itself. You get the idea. Good luck troubleshooting your systems, in engineering and in life!

We are looking for an experienced mechanical design engineer with deep experience in new product development. About Pipeline Our mission is to build equipment that R&D and MFG teams LOVE to use. We are engineers and designers who develop mechanically sophisticated equipment, test fixtures, & turnkey automation for organizations who need custom R&D and MFG solutions. We supplement this with general product design services (e.g. medical devices, consumer products, etc). Who We’re Looking For Mechanical designers/engineers who have a minimum of 3 years of Solidworks (or combined Solidworks and other CAD) experience, and a minimum of 3 years working professionally (i.e. not as a student) in new product design/new product development. An engineering or bachelor's degree is not required. We are more concerned with your skills and capability than we are the college you attended (or didn’t). Why Work with US: Get paid to work on super fun engineering projects Flexibility to work in the office or occasionally at home A team of professionals with whom to learn and grow Company contribution towards health insurance Dental and vision plans offered through the company Eligibility to participate in our profit-based bonus program 2 weeks+ PTO 8 days paid holidays + 3 paid sick days Standard 8am-5pm, M-F schedule Responsibilities are as follows: Design mechanical parts and systems using Solidworks CAD Have working knowledge of and ability to implement OTS hardware (e.g. toggle clamps, spring plungers, shoulder screws, threaded inserts, dowel pins, gears, etc) into new product designs Utilize working knowledge and experience to design for the following manufacturing processes: machining, 3D printing, sheetmetal and/or weldments, & plastic injection molding Basic engineering analyses of parts, assemblies, and systems Bench top testing & assembly of prototype parts and assemblies Project-specific R&D Create documentation (manufacturing drawings, reports, etc) Design reviews & meetings with customers, vendors, & other Pipeline team members The following are our core values at Pipeline. Individuals with whom these values resonate will find the most value and fulfillment working at Pipeline: Treat our customers well, treat our team members better Governed by productivity, not bureaucracy Suffocate chaos, promote order Prevent surprises The new team member will work from our Tempe office, remotely (e.g. home office), or both depending on the assigned projects (candidates not residing within the Phoenix valley will not be considered). Representative examples of the types of projects on which you will be working can be reviewed here: https://teampipeline.us/case-studies/ Next Steps: If you feel you are a good fit for the position, please fill out the questionnaire linked to below and complete the engineering exercises, then submit per the included instructions. An interview will then be scheduled for approved candidates. Questionnaire and engineering exercises: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/29u4ifibnqwwfkx6w264w/Pipeline-Candidate-Questionnaire-B.zip?dl=0&rlkey=10wwlz9q2lpnj630n36ndzn98

In order to help those you lead grow, you have to push them…not to hard, not too soft, but just enough. If you push them too hard, they will be overwhelmed, get frustrated, and not learn. If you don’t push them hard enough it will be too easy and there will be nothing for them to learn. But if you can find the right balance in between those extremes that stretches them just the right amount, they will blossom. I call the challenges in that zone “Goldilocks Challenges”. Growing is painful – there’s no way around that. Consider the analogy of muscle growth: when our muscles grow, they do so only after being broken down. Anyone who has been to the gym can attest to the fact that it hurts when your muscles get broken down. It takes effort, and requires placing significant stress on the muscle. What follows, however, is predictable: the muscle grows - it gets stronger and can handle greater loads. Growth as an engineer (and as people in general) is the same way. However, if you place too much stress on a muscle (or on people) the muscle will get broken down so completely that you can’t use it for a long time, and this is not an effective way to build muscle (or people). I’ve been doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for several years. It’s one of the best sports in which I’ve ever participated, and one of the hardest. Currently I’m a blue belt. The next belt in the progression of skill is purple, then brown, then finally black. Occasionally I’ll roll with a black belt during class. Usually they’re amazingly patient and helpful as they crush me with little to no effort. Occasionally one will forget how exponentially inferior I am in terms of skill and just thrash me. This is no problem, it’s all part of the game. But in these situations, I don’t learn anything, because the gap between their capability and mine is simply too great. The challenge they represent against my current abilities is beyond the Goldilocks zone. Several years ago I taught a small group of students a framework for using CAD we call Resilient CAD Modeling (RCM). Even for experienced CAD designers the principles of RCM are new and can be tough to master right away, but these were students who had little experience with CAD to begin with. And while my experience using RCM was extensive, my experience teaching it was limited at best. I remember all of us, the class and myself, feeling frustrated as I struggled to teach and they struggled to learn. My mistake, I learned, was I was asking them to take too big a step all at once in the lessons I had prepared. Once I realized this and started challenging them with smaller, simpler lessons, they began catching on and the experience became rewarding for all of us. As we lead other engineers, it can be difficult to know where that Goldilocks zone is. How do we know if we are asking too little or too much of our team? The answer lies in a combination of observation and frequent communication with the individuals we’re leading. Depending on the individual and the situation, I have found it helpful to meet with engineers on my team every few days or at a minimum once each week to check in. I ask them how their stress level is, what they’re learning, where they’re struggling, and similar questions. In parallel, I observe them (not in a creepy stalker way) by being in the office when they are and simply noticing their actions (it’s really helpful to be there in person with your engineers for this). Are they getting stuck somewhere? Are they communicating effectively with others? Are they anxious, or projecting confidence? Sometimes engineers are so committed to their own growth that they don’t like to admit they’re struggling. This is human nature and completely normal and understandable, particularly for those who are especially driven. For this reason it is important for us as engineering leaders to make sure our team feels (psychologically) safe sharing when they need help. A good way to do this is to set that expectation up front – you could say something like this: “hey, I’m going to ask you to do something that might be really tough at first. I want you to struggle through it as best you can, but if you get to a point where you’re just spinning your wheels or feeling overwhelmed please tell me so I can help you. This will be a new and challenging effort for you so it’s completely fine if you end up needing help, and if that’s the case I’ll be more than happy to give it and it won’t mean anything bad for you.” Doing hard things is how we grow. As leaders of engineers we need to give our teams the gift of Goldilocks challenges. Engage your team in frequent dialogue about how they’re feeling. Observe them as they work (casually…almost passively; don’t be overbearing). Let’s not step in right away just because they are struggling…struggle is good: not too much, not too little, but just the right amount. There will be good days and bad, and as leaders we’ll probably screw up ourselves here and there, but at the end of the day we’ll end up with more capable engineering teams and a more joyful work experience together.

It’s 7:30am and I’m driving to work. I reach the entrance ramp to the freeway. The ramp is two lanes that eventually merge into one, and there is a car just ahead of me in the neighboring lane. The lane is ending soon; we can’t both reach the freeway at the same time, so I stomp on the gas and determinately accelerate past the car in front of me. After all, I don’t want to reach the freeway and be stuck behind this guy. Better that I get there first so I can continue my journey uninhibited by a lesser pilot. Whew, I made it. Way to go, me. This is going to be a good day. Is this situation familiar? Is this the thought process we go through as we do what needs to be done to ensure we are first? I admit that I occasionally find myself behind the wheel that is aggressively cruising past the neighboring vehicle. Why do I do this? What’s the benefit? I arrive at my destination 2 seconds earlier than I would have otherwise? And at what cost? Truth be told, in most cases I find myself behind the wheel of the neighboring car that is being unceremoniously overtaken. It bugs me. Even when I’m, by no intentional effort of my own, ahead in the adjacent lane, why is it that the apparently tardy motorist feels compelled to tear past me at 90mph? I try to let it roll off my shoulders, but it often gets to me as I throw eye daggers towards the dust left by the car now in front of me. While the example above, though frustrating, is fairly benign, I wonder if similar situations occur in the workplace (and other areas in life) where the results are more harmful. Specifically, within our teams at work (or even in our families). A good friend of mine who is a talented graphic designer shared a story with me several years ago. A colleague of his was tasked with creating a design for a project and was apparently struggling. This friend of mine developed a few designs and shared them with his colleague to help. The colleague then presented those designs, to the great approval of his boss, as his own. Obviously, my friend was upset. How do you think the relationship is now between my friend and his colleague? Are they tight buds now, looking out for one other, each helping the other succeed? Is their team better off now than before this incident? I think we can all guess the answers. It’s human nature to want to be ahead. Survival of the fittest and all. I don’t think we can blame each other for having these instincts. Yet, we all have the choice of whether to act on them. What would happen if, instead of trying to be the one to “get there first”, we focused more on how to help someone else succeed? In the former, one person is marginally pleased and the other decidedly not. In the latter, I can tell you from personal experience that both individuals are uplifted and benefit, in many cases the helper even more than the one who is helped. There are days when I don’t feel motivated. Maybe I even feel discouraged. It happens, and it’s normal. I find that these days follow periods of time when my focus is on myself and not others: I need this. I need that. How does abc affect me me me? One of the best ways I’ve found to pull myself out of these funks is to focus on helping someone else. It feels good to help others succeed. Like, really good. It’s almost magic. And the positive effects that come from such actions help everyone around the situation. It’s almost like 1 + 1 = 3. If you’re looking for ways to boost productivity within your team, you’ve probably explored things like new software, improved processes, better tools, etc. But have you explored ways of encouraging your team to put their team members’ needs at or above their own? Core value #1 at our company, Pipeline Design & Engineering, is to treat our team members unusually well. We’re in a tough business (test fixture design) where there is little room for error. I credit the success we have had to our team’s ability to work together, to look out for each other, and have each other’s backs. How do we do this? There are a few tactical tools I can share that have worked well for us: Gratitude mentions: when a team member does something that is helpful, kind, impressive, appreciated, or otherwise deserving of praise (including, maybe even especially, little things) be eager to give them a “gratitude mention” (it’s literally saying “gratitude mention to so-and-so for doing such-and-such); this can be done in public or in private (in public is encouraged so the entire team is uplifted) and is often done during our morning huddles; anyone on the team can (and should) give gratitude mentions, it is NOT something that just “management” does Use your kindergarten skills: say please and thank you often, be quick to apologize, smile, say hello to each other, share, etc Giving “points”: a fun and playful way of recognizing someone’s accomplishments. We often do this unrehearsed during team meetings. What is the difference between giving points and gratitude mentions? Maybe nothing…it’s just another way to support and have fun with each other; sometimes we even take points away (but only in a fun and light-hearted way…never as a real punishment) Actively look for opportunities to help each other: for example, if someone is struggling with a design, take 30 minutes and offer to brainstorm a few solutions together; or, if you get the sense that a team member is in a cloudy headspace be brave enough to ask if they’re feeling all right and if there is anything you can do to help them If you want to succeed, find ways to help others succeed. In the end, the relationships we have with people are what really define our success. Life is not a freeway entrance with two lanes that merge to only one. We don’t need to compete in a zero-sum game. So, the next time you’re getting on the freeway, instead of speeding up consider slowing down, just a little, and letting your neighboring motorist get there first.

Has there ever been a project in which you needed to eliminate friction when moving a mass across a surface (in other words, move a heavy payload, but with the application of only very little force)? Porous media air bearings seem like magic in their ability to do just this. As we learned, though, there are some critical design rules ensuring the success of your system. We’ll teach you how to set up your system quickly & correctly, avoid the mistakes we made, and save dozens of hours in the process. Figure 1. Click image to watch our video version of this article. In this article we’ll share the following with you: What is an air bearing? What are the common types of air bearings? Our initial design implementation The rookie mistakes we made that cost us a lot of time How we changed the implementation to work perfectly What is an air bearing? Conceptually, an air bearing is very similar to an air hockey table turned upside down. They come in various shapes and sizes, and use pressurized air to create a very thin air film between it and the surface on which it rides. This air film has essentially zero friction which allows it to glide effortlessly even when burdened with the payload. The bearing surface is typically designed to be very smooth, and the air film mentioned above acts as a lubricant, reducing the contact between the bearing and the surface to almost zero. As a result, the coefficient of friction between the bearing and the air film, as well as the surface on which it rides, is extremely low (New Way’s air bearing coefficient of friction is .00001). Type of air bearings There are two common types of air bearings: porous media, and orifice. Porous Media Bearings: Porous media air bearings force air through millions of sub-micron pores evenly distributed across a porous carbon face (see Figure 1 below) Low airflow requirements (for the bearings we used, flow requirements were 1.3 - 1.6 SCFH) Does not make contact with the surface on which it rides during use, so no particulate is generated; thus, it is suitable for semiconductor, biomedical, or other cleanroom applications Figure 2. Porous media air bearing, with carbon face Orifice Bearings: Orifice bearings function by forcing air through orifices or grooves in a plate to generate their air cushion (see Figure 2 below) High airflow requirements Generates particulate over time, especially as mechanical components wear, that can contaminate environment Figure 3. Orifice air bearing with nozzle and channels Pipeline recently evaluated New Way Air Bearing’s porous media style of air bearings, specifically the flat round and VPL (vacuum preloaded) styles. We found that they are an exceptionally good choice for precision applications in which zero (or nearly zero) friction is needed and the surface on which the bearings glide can be controlled to tight flatness specifications. If the surface being used is not extremely flat, then porous media air bearings are likely not a good solution for the application. Also, air bearings can be more expensive compared to traditional bearing options, so for applications with lower precision requirements or tight budget constraints, alternative bearing technologies may provide a more cost-effective solution. VPL air bearings are designed to provide extremely high precision and stiffness by using a vacuum to preload the bearing surfaces. This preloading eliminates any compliance or play within the bearing system, resulting in exceptional accuracy and repeatability. VPL air bearings are often used in applications that require ultra-precise motion control, such as metrology instruments, semiconductor manufacturing, and optical systems. Figure 4. VPL (vacuum preloaded) porous media bearing – note that the scratches visible on the face were due to errors Pipeline made in setting up the system, but once the errors were corrected the bearing still performed to spec despite the scratches Figure 5. Flat round porous media bearing On the other hand, flat air bearings, also known as self-acting air bearings, provide a larger air gap and rely on the flow of compressed air to generate the necessary lift and support. These bearings can handle higher payloads due to their larger contact area. Flat air bearings are commonly used in applications such as large-scale machining, industrial equipment, and transportation systems. While precision and payload carrying capacity are important considerations, there are other factors to consider when choosing between VPL and flat air bearings. These factors include cost, ease of installation, system complexity, operational requirements, and environmental considerations. Each type of bearing has its advantages and limitations, and the selection depends on the specific application's requirements and priorities. The flat air bearings can also be paired with magnet preload to gain higher stiffness and precision without utilizing vacuum. It's worth noting that advancements in air bearing technology have led to the development of hybrid solutions that combine aspects of both VPL and flat air bearings, aiming to achieve a balance between precision and payload capacity. These hybrid designs incorporate features such as stiffness-enhancing structures or flexible membranes to achieve improved performance across multiple parameters. Ultimately, the choice between VPL and flat air bearings involves evaluating the specific application requirements and finding the optimal balance between precision, payload capacity, cost, and other relevant factors. Being that the bearing surface is carbon (a relatively soft material), we wondered how well it would hold up over time. As it turns out, the design of the porous carbon material used in these bearings is robust and resistant to wear, allowing for extended use without significant degradation. They are commonly used in cleanroom applications such as biomedical, semiconductor, and metrology. DESIGN & INTEGRATION Our initial integration used the VPL bearings and mounted them directly onto a flat aluminum plate (see Figure 5 below) via a series of hole patterns. A venturi unit was used to convert pressurized air into vacuum pressure (red tubing in Figure 5 below), and air pressure was fed directly into each of the air bearings from our compressor. The bearings were placed in a “tripod” configuration as shown in New Way Air Bearing’s design guide, so we were confident the setup would work perfectly. It did not. As we’ll get to (and as New Way’s design guide clearly pointed out upon closer inspection), we missed a critical element. Figure 6. Initial integration of VPL bearings into flat Aluminum plate Our first test was performed on a precision ground granite block. Instead of smooth motion, however, we could feel the bearings dragging against the granite block, creating friction, and making the payload (a 25-pound weight) difficult to move. The payload capacity of the combined three bearings should have been at least 30 pounds, so we were stumped as to why our 25-pound weight was causing the setup to fail. New Way’s support engineer suggested that the Aluminum plate we were using was either not rigid enough or not flat enough to ensure the porous carbon surfaces of all three bearings were aligned on the same plane. To test this theory, we loosened the screws that held the bearings to the plate, allowing them to rocker just a little in their respective locations. This helped, but we still were not getting the performance we expected. Nevertheless, the change suggested we were on the right path. Note: the air tubing we used was rigid, and New Air’s support engineer suggested that this may also have contributed to the imperfect planar alignment we experienced. We did not try replacing the rigid tubing with more flexible tubing, but as you will see below this ended up not being the primary source of failure. Upon closer review of New Way’s design guide, we realized our critical error. The bearings are extremely sensitive to not being aligned on the same plane. Even misalignment of a few thousandths of an inch can cause failure. Luckily, New Way had also sent us flexible mounts that could be used to attach the bearings to the plate while allowing each bearing to swivel just slightly. For whatever reason, we expected the swiveling action of the flex mounts to be made possible by a ball joint mechanism (New Way did not suggest this was the case, but our previous experience with swiveling joints had taught us to expect a ball joint). So, we were confused when we removed the flex mount from its packaging and it did not seem to swivel. Like a clumsy neanderthal, we applied more force. And…immediately broke the joint (see Figure 6 below). Doh. Figure 7. Applying moderate force causes the fragile swivel joint to fail. As it turns out, the swiveling action is not facilitated by a ball joint mechanism, but rather by a clever static feature. Actually, by a dual static feature…two sets of thin walls offset by 90 deg that allow the joint to “swivel” based on the elastic deformation inherent in the properties of the material itself (see Figure 7). Once the flex mount is attached to the bearing (see Figure 8), the bearing can swivel a small amount. Because the swivel amount is small, the planar alignment of your bearings needs to already be close for these mounts to work. Gross misalignment in planarity will not be resolved due to the limited swivel offered by these mounts. Figure 8. Flex mounts swivel based on elastic deformation inherent in material property of the thin-walled feature Figure 9. Flex mount attached to VPL air bearing Now that all three bearings had been fitted with flex mounts, we were ready to test the functionality of our updated system (see Figure 9). This time, it worked beautifully! We loaded it up with the full 30 pounds and the entire system floated like magic. It was a feeling of awe and wonder as we barely nudged the system and watched it glide across the granite block almost like it was rolling downhill. Figure 10. System updated with flex mounts between bearings and Aluminum mounting plate Next, we tried the flat round bearings, which worked equally well. In fact, even though the flat round bearings were smaller in diameter (25mm vs the 50mm VPL bearings), they held an even greater payload (we put over 50 pounds of weight on it, and it took about a pound of force to slide it across the granite block – see Figure 10 below) because their entire bottom was covered with the porous carbon surface as opposed to the VPL bearings in which the middle is removed for vacuum. Figure 11. Flat round bearings loaded with over 50 pounds of weights A note about the flex mounts for the 25mm round flat bearings we used: they do not rigidly attach to the bearings like the VPL flex mounts do, which can make them a little clumsy to manage; rather, they simply (passively) sit on ball studded ends of their flex mounts (this style is a true ball mount as opposes to the VPL thin wall “elastic wall” mounts). See Figure 11 below. However, this limitation was only because the 25mm units are their smallest size and do not leave room for mounting features. Larger sized flat round bearings do have mounting features, allowing them to be rigidly attached to the flex mounts like our VPL samples. In any case, just be aware that different sizes and configurations of bearings have different styles of accompanying flex mounts available to them. Figure 12. Ball mount swivels with the 25mm flat round air bearings One other lesson we learned during this experience was that the air tubing fittings are somewhat fragile and can break if too much force is applied when installing the tubing over them. Be careful when tubing is installed. New Way was kind enough to send us a few replacements. Figure 13. Broken flex mount due to inappropriate loading CONCLUSION Once we configured our system correctly the air bearings worked like magic. It really was an awe-inspiring feeling moving 50 pounds of weight across a surface with almost no effort. A group of our engineering team members crowded around just to see it in action, and many “ohhhs” and “ahhhs” were heard. Also, to reiterate, New Way’s design guide is very clear, and our early failures were entirely our own fault for not reading the documentation carefully. But we’re engineers…we don’t need documentation, right? Well, in this case, wrong. Read the documentation. Or just start with this article. Support from New Way was also excellent. I’m sure their support engineer thought we were a hot mess with all of the parts we broke and our apparent inability to read instructions. Nevertheless, he stuck with us and we eventually got there. It’s also worth noting that while we only tested flat air bearings, New Way has many other styles, as well (radial, rotational, thrust, and linear slides to name a few) Here are the major takeaways from our exploration of these air bearings: The bearings are very sensitive to planarity – either use a precision ground surface to mount the bearings, or better yet use the flex mounts Guide surface needs to be exceptionally flat (16RMS – see page 24 of design guide); in practice, this means a granite block, glass, ceramic, precision ground metal, or similar While our application was a simple exploration, air bearings are terrific solutions for applications in which extreme precision is needed (e.g. CMM inspection, etc) Even after reading through the documentation, for more complex systems it’s a really good idea to get feedback from an application engineer before you start building your design Big thanks to New Way Air Bearing for making this project possible. Our experience working with them was very positive and having been in business for over 30 years they really have a strong grasp on the technology of vacuum preloaded air bearings, flat round air bearings, and other varieties of porous media air bearings. Does your team need help integrating air bearings? Would you benefit from test fixture design, custom equipment, or industrial automation in your R&D or manufacturing environments? Pipeline can help you. See examples of our work and reach out to us today at www.teampipeline.us. Finally, for reference, here are BOMs of the two setups we used in this project. 50mm (VPL) Setup: Item No. Description Manufacturer Part No. QTY. URL 1 Plate Pipeline Machined 1 N/A 2 Coupler Support Pipeline 3D Printed 1 N/A 3 50mm VPL Air Bearing New Way Air Bearings S205001 3 https://www.newwayairbearings.com/catalog/product/25mm-flat-round-air-bearings/ 4 Bearing Mount New Way Air Bearings S8010F02 3 https://www.newwayairbearings.com/catalog/product/13mm-diameter-ball-mounting-screws-round-end/ 5 Low Profile Square Manifold McMaster 3491N11 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/271/3491N11 6 Weld Splatter Resistant Push To Connect Tube Fitting McMaster 5486K381 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/241/5486K381 7 Push to connect Tube Fitting for Air (90 Angle) McMaster 5779K143 10 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/227/5779K143 8 Push to connect Tube Fitting for Air McMaster 5779K102 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/227/5779K102 9 Push to connect Tube Fitting for Air (1/4 inch tubing) McMaster 5779K653 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/227/5779K653 10 Socket Head Screw McMaster 90128A150 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/3498/90128A150 11 Low Profile Socket Head Screw McMaster 92220A146 4 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/3502/92220A146 12 Tube (Blue) 1/16 ID, 1/8 OD McMaster 5648K22 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/166/5648K22 13 Tube (Red) 1/16 ID, 1/8 OD McMaster 5648K22 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/166/5648K22 14 Tube (Black) 1/8 ID, 1/4 OD McMaster 5648K31 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/166/5648K31 25mm (round flat) Setup: Item No. Description Manufacturer Part No. QTY. URL 1 Plate Pipeline Machined 1 N/A 2 Coupler Support Pipeline 3D Printed 1 N/A 3 25mm Flat Round Bearing New Way Air Bearings S102501 3 https://www.newwayairbearings.com/catalog/product/25mm-flat-round-air-bearings/ 4 Air Fitting Straight New Way Air Bearings S90F037 3 https://www.newwayairbearings.com/catalog/product/m30-078-air-fittings-straight/ 5 Bearing Mount New Way Air Bearings S8013B06 3 https://www.newwayairbearings.com/catalog/product/13mm-diameter-ball-mounting-screws-round-end/ 6 Low Profile Square Manifold McMaster 3491N11 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/271/3491N11 7 Weld Splatter Resistant Push To Connect Tube Fitting McMaster 5486K381 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/241/5486K381 8 Push to connect Tube Fitting for Air (90 Angle) McMaster 5779K143 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/227/5779K143 9 Push to connect Tube Fitting for Air McMaster 5779K102 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/227/5779K102 10 Push to connect Tube Fitting for Air (1/4 inch tubing) McMaster 5779K653 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/227/5779K653 11 Socket Head Screw McMaster 90128A150 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/3498/90128A150 12 Low Profile Socket Head Screw McMaster 92220A146 2 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/3502/92220A146 13 Tube (Blue) 1/16 ID, 1/8 OD McMaster 5648K22 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/166/5648K22 14 Tube (Black) 1/8 ID, 1/4 OD McMaster 5648K31 1 https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/166/5648K31