Computer Aided Design (CAD) and customised bearing Housings
Computer Aided Design (CAD) and customised bearing Housings
Beginning in the 1960s in the aircraft industry, the use of computer-aided design (CAD) was later followed by using the technology in architecture, graphic design and many other industries. It has become widely used due to the efficient process of testing ideas in a virtual environment, before investing in materials and physical trials.
This blog explores the use of CAD and how this is used in the creation of customised bearing housings. There’s a bit of technical jargon, but we love what we do, and we just couldn’t resist! If you want to find out more, just click to get in touch and we’ll be happy to share how we can use our CAD designers to create bearing housing for your specific company needs.
A brief History of CAD in engineering
Shivegowda et al (2022) write that computer based graphic knowledge has evolved and the process of using computer aided design (CAD) has become an established feature of the process of design and innovation in engineering and manufacturing.
Speeding up the process of trial and error, CAD is an effective approach to exploring new ideas and allowing engineers to generate design concepts, draft documents and creation of new solutions to old problems.
Once the design has been explored and tested, the concept can then be converted into hardware using computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) on the same computer. These two technologies are merged into unified CAD and CAM systems, in which a specification is created in a CAD system and the production process is managed in a single system from start to finish Shivegowda et al (2022: 3973).
The cost of these systems has become more affordable as the technology has become more widespread and the use of CAD has allowed engineers to develop their way of working across many industries.
Humans Vs Computers
Although our CAD software is efficient and highly effective, we value our human designers just as highly. Our computers are there to enhance our human ingenuity, facilitating, heightening and allowing us to work faster as ideas are generated through the knowledge and experience of people.
Bi and Wang (2020) perfected highlight the strengths of humans Vs Computers when it comes to engineering and manufacturing design.
You can see how the strength of our human team is the identification of a problem. We are the drivers for finding the problems to create the innovative solutions and, while we work with the technology, we equally know that we are a necessary component to achieve the high-quality outcomes for bespoke bearing housing solutions. We would also argue that being bored is not something we experience in the Bri Mac team- we love our work and are driven to finding solutions, every day!
(Bi and Wang 2020: 13)
What are the key considerations when designing bearing housings?
The internal load distribution in bearings has a high impact on the bearing fatigue life. There is much research in the industry to explore the best solutions to reducing the wear and tear on the parts used in manufacturing and bearing housings are a key component.
Bri-Mac is always up to date with the latest findings to give the very best solutions to our clients, adapting to the needs of each individual client and working to apply our in-depth knowledge to the specific requirements of the bearing housings’ function in industry.
We combine our years of experience with recent findings to ensure we are considering the key aspects of providing quality, British made products to our clients. Understanding the working environment, the frequency of use, fatigue life prevention of roller contact misalignment (Kabus et al 2012) and the pressure being placed on the parts are key aspects that we ensure are at the forefront of our individual response to each design.
Design and manufacture of customised bearing housings at Bri-Mac International
You can see that we are passionate about design and spend much time finding solutions to bearing housing issues. Our CAD housing solutions have been recognised by the Bearing Housing industry as the gold standard and our clients return time and time again for the working relationships we create through our collaboration; knowing we understand and commit to creating bespoke solutions that are proven to be effective every time.
Our products are built for extreme working conditions; aggressive and harsh working environments are where our purpose-built products truly stand out above our competitors as our clients have experienced the benefits of investing in high-quality manufacture to save money in the long term with products that have longevity as part of their design.
If you’re looking for custom design bearing housing, click the link below to talk to the Bri-Mac team of engineers.
References
Bi, Z. Wang, X.(2020) Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing Wiley-ASME Press Series https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bNDODwAAQBAJ (Accessed 29.6.23)
Kabus, Simon & Pedersen, Claus. (2012). Optimal Bearing Housing Designing Using Topology Optimization. Journal of Tribology. 134. 021102. 10.1115/1.4005951.
Shivegowda, M.D., Boonyasopon, P., Rangappa, S.M. et al. (2022) A Review on Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing Processes in Design and Architecture. Arch Computat Methods Eng 29, 3973–3980 file:///C:/Users/howk1/Downloads/s11831-022-09723-w.pdf (Accessed on 29.6.23)
THE TEAM AT BRI-MAC
We foster a deep understanding that customer support is everything and collaboration between our clients’ needs and our expertise is vital for success.
The Bri-Mac team take great pride in producing the highest quality work for our international customer base, whether it be standard bearing housing or a custom-built Plummer block.
Every client receives our excellent customer service and an outstanding finished product that has been designed and manufactured with every attention to detail.
Bri-Mac Engineering Ltd
Unit 17,
Thornleigh Trading Estate
Dudley, DY2 8UB.
01384 455042
sales@bri-mac.co.uk
Contact bri-mac
