Witchcraft!

[Allen Smithee]

A few days ago we hosted a "technology fair" where suppliers came in to showcase some of their new ideas that they'd like us to use in products.  There was lots of interesting stuff (like metal powder laser laminography), but one stand was demonstrating linear stir-friction welding. I'd heard of this but never seen it, and the current state of the art in this is pretty awesome, but they kept the best for last. The same stir-friction welding system with a slightly different tool could create a hollow cavity inside a 1/2" alloy plate without ever breaking the surface! The process plasticised the metal (as for friction welding) but instead of applying pressure to push the plasticised material aside and create a weld it lifted the plasticised material to form an internal void. Once cooled the surface is just machined flat and there is no sign of any internal features in the plate at all. This offers a really useful way to make heat exchangers, internal hydraulic/fuel/steam passages or just lightening holes,. They claim it's engineering, but even though I've seen it done I still think it's witchcraft!

AS

[b.lindsey]

A few years ago one of the senior design teams did a proof of concept project on friction stir welding. Well the concept had been proven, but they did it using just a Bridgeport clone mill. Their main focus was on the design of the "tool" used to do it. I was amazed too at the quality of the results from a rather simple setup. It didn't take near as much pressure or speed as I thought it would. Obviously things have progressed since then as your demo proves. Yes I agree as to the witchcraft!!

Bill

[crueby]

Forget the origins of the line: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic!




Sounds like this one qualifies.

[MMan]

It was Arthur C Clarke (Author + A lot more) if I remember correctly.

I wonder how doable this would be with a small mill or CNC?

Martin.

[mklotz]

Clarke's law is actually the third of three "laws" he formulated.  The other two are just as insightful...

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

[crueby]

Clarke's law is actually the third of three "laws" he formulated.  The other two are just as insightful...

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.

2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Those are great. I think he also used the acronym TANSTAAFL a lot, which I like. There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

[mklotz]

A good example of Clarke's rule #1 is William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, one of the premier scientists of the Victorian era.



Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.

There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.

Radio has no future." "X-rays are clearly a hoax". "The aeroplane is scientifically impossible.


Of course, he did get a few things right...



Large increases in cost with questionable increases in performance can be tolerated only in race horses and fancy women.

The fact that mathematics does such a good job of describing the Universe is a mystery that we don't understand. And a debt that we will probably never be able to repay.

and, my hands down favorite...

In science there is only physics; all the rest is stamp collecting.

[Lew Hartswick]

Back the subject, "Stir Welding". I saw that demonstrated at the EAA convention a long time ago with a Bridgeport and have a sample somewhere (if it hasn't gotten lost). It was done on a pair of pieces of aluminum about 1/16" thick and went just as slick as doing a cut with the mill.  It must have been at least 20 years ago.
   ...lew...

[steamer]

Hey Allen, this process that you described, that makes a hollow void....did they reference a video?

Dave

[Allen Smithee]

Hey Allen, this process that you described, that makes a hollow void....did they reference a video?

Not yet - it's a recent development. The company in question also hands out abooklet on SFW, but the cavity-making technique won't be in it until their next edition. The company is TWI-Global.

AS

[Allen Smithee]

In science there is only physics; all the rest is stamp collecting.

Don't know about the others, but this one is usually attributed to Rutherford isn't it?

AS

[Jo]

In science there is only physics; all the rest is stamp collecting.

Don't know about the others, but this one is usually attributed to Rutherford isn't it?

AS

Ah yes that physics chap who mistakenly won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry   

Jo

[Tin Falcon]

there is apparently a new 3d printing technology out there based on injet printing. it does metal and ceramic with water soluble supports  then the parts are sintered in an oven . one can print amazingly small channels in parts.

And arduino just released this board https://store.arduino.cc/usa/mkr-vidor-4000 reprted to be a bit of a game changer in graphics projects.

also sdr radios are a bit of a thing . Yes all magic.