Design and simulation of mechanical press for testing of coining tools with nanostructured coatings

The present study proposes the design, simulation, and finite element analysis (FEA) of a mechanical press to test coining tools that contain nanostructured coatings. The designed mechanical testing press has a nominal force capacity of 800 kN with a ram stroke of 100 mm. CAD modeling of components, assemblies, and press structure is developed. The validation of the safety factor of the stress of the press is implemented by FEA analysis. Axisymmetric 2D FEA simulation is applied to determine the nanostructured coating behavior when subjected to high loads, the results are promising for future simulation studies on coatings. A displacement mechanism was designed for the test sheet, offering versatility and a variety of options for testing the coining tools as often as necessary under different load conditions. The final results of the machine operation simulation are satisfactory.

Modelling and Manufacturing of Progressive die for Mechanical Press Operations

A progressive die is a type of die in which multiple operations performed in a single stroke, which was mostly used in sheet metal operations. The working process of sheet metal is widely used in all manufacturing industries such as mechanical, defense and automotive etc. The key advantage of metal working process involves enhancement of production rate and cost reduction. This paper is aimed to develop a multi-functional die which can perform simultaneously both punching and blanking operations in one stroke. The present work is mainly focused on modeling and manufacturing of the die components, where PRO-E was used for modelling and FANUC controlled CNC machine was used to execute and prepared part program.

Characteristics of radio-frequency/vacuum combined with mechanical press drying of heavy softwood timbers with longitudinal kerf

The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of radio-frequency/vacuum combined with mechanical press (RF/VP) drying on three softwood timbers (Douglas fir, Hemlock, and Radiata pine) with longitudinal kerfs. The results were as follows: Due to the dielectric permittivity of wood, RF/VP drying at a fixed frequency of 13.56 MHz significantly influenced the moisture content (MC) distribution, the number of surface checks, shrinkage, and warp. These observations were attributed to the formation of a temperature gradient along the charge plate during the drying. The presence or absence of pith, more affected an occurrence of surface checks than that of the stresses within the wood during drying. The longitudinal kerf reduced the number of surface checks, but did not affect the MC distribution or the twist after drying.

Valorisation of cold-pressed almond oil’s cake as raw material for the preparation of naturally gluten-free flour for specific food applications

Almond cake is a by-product of mechanical press extraction of almond oil intended mainly for the cosmetics industry. According to the circular economy for zero waste, the purpose is to reuse this byproduct to prepare natural gluten-free flour to replace part or all of the whole soft wheat flour (SWF) in specific foods. The almond by-product after grinding was sifted on a sieving shaker equipped with 4 mesh sieves 1mm, 500µm, 250µm, and 100µm. The obtained fractions were compared with SWF, based on analysis’s results for ash and colour (L*, a*, b*), contents of proteins, fibres, total sugars, reducing sugars and bulk density. Significant difference was detected between the gluten free fractions of almond meal and SWF, particularly for protein content and colour. The flour obtained from the almond cake is naturally gluten-free; therefore, it cannot have the properties of a baker’s flour of soft Wheat. This naturally gluten free flour would be suitable for gluten free specific baked goods, like cookies, biscuits and crackers, particularly intended to celiac people who cannot consume bakery products made from flour of certain cereals (wheat, barley, rye, oats), or their derivatives.