B2B Electronics

There are hundreds of lapel pin companies to choose from. A simple search on the Internet yields multiple hits. It’s important to have an idea of what you want before you begin working with a lapel pin manufacturer. There are several types of pins, but the base of all lapel pins is metal. You can order very inexpensive pins made out of iron with plating, but lapel pins made out of copper are the most durable. A lapel pin manufacturer can plate a pin with gold, silver, bronze or even an antique finish. Once you decide on the basic metal of the pin, then you can move on to the fun part – the colorful design of the lapel pin!

There are different types of pins to choose from, but the most popular type is the “hard enamel” lapel pin. This type of pin allows for an almost unlimited selection of colors. Some lapel pin manufacturers call this cloisonné, but it is not true cloisonné. If your design requires bright colors, consider the hard enamel pin. The true cloisonné pin is limited to only about 100 colors, but these are often the most collectible type of lapel pins. You may also choose lapel pins that are embossed, die struck or etched – careful selection of the design will ultimately make your custom lapel pin unique.

While the company you deal with may be located in the US, most lapel pin manufacturers deal with factories overseas. Be sure to check with the manufacturer to find out how long your order will take and what kind of shipping charges are involved. Always get a quote, and make sure to let the lapel pin manufacturers know what your budget is – they almost certainly have made something similar to what you need. For complex designs, find out if a prototype lapel pin can be created.

If you don’t need a special design, and are looking for something a little simpler you can also order stock lapel pins. These are pins with recognized symbols like flags, smiley faces, states, animals and other designs. Stock lapel pins are usually immediately available and can be purchased in affordable bulk quantities. Stock lapel pins will not incur any set-up or art fees, as the custom lapel pins will. You may also be able to find stock lapel pins at low clearance prices.

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Resistance to the implementation of magnetic work holding usually begins with a concern for safety. These concerns can be allayed by assessing the technology, holding power and optimal operating conditions of magnetic work holding in terms of operational safety.

Despite the competitive benefits of magnetic workholding in reducing costs and improving productivity, there still exists a resistance to the implementation of magnetic technology as the primary work holder in machining operations. This resistance usually begins with a concern for safety. By assessing the technology, holding power and optimal operating conditions of magnetic work holding relative to operational safety, these concerns can be allayed.

Magnetic Work Holding as a Safe Technology

If a machine operator has held workpieces with mechanical clamps for decades, the idea of relying on magnetism to hold workpieces, especially in heavy milling operations, boils down to an issue of trust: Is this really safe? While understandable this opinion is rooted in subjectivity not objective fact. More than likely, those who hold this point of view may not fully understand the facts of how safe magnetic work holding is.

So, how can magnetic work holding be considered as a safe technology? By definition, it produces a uniform, consistent, and infinite holding power that does not relax, give, or decrease until an operator de-energizes it.

In general, magnetic work holders are constructed with an array of individual magnets embedded into a magnetic chuck or plate. Each magnet has a north and south pole across which flows magnetic energy called flux. When a workpiece is placed across the poles of these magnets, flux flows into it. When placed in this flux field, a magnetic field of opposite polarity is induced into the workpiece thereby creating a magnetic attraction between the chuck and the workpiece. This attraction will remain consistent, uniform, infinite, and reliable as long as the magnetic field is energized. This reliability makes magnetic workholding a truly safe technology.

Magnetic Work Holding as a Safe Holding Force

Holding power or strength is another factor considered when forming an opinion about the safety of magnetic workholding. If an operator does not know how strong magnetic workholding is, he may mistakenly believe magnetic technology is not strong enough to do the job safely. This opinion can be allayed by two facts:

(1) magnetic workholdings can have a clamping power up to 1000 daN and

(2) depending upon the application, an instantaneous clamping force of 12 tons per square foot can be generated by magnetic workholders. This level of holding force is more than comparable to mechanical clamps with one additional advantage: magnetic holding force is uniform, constant and infinite until the operator de-energizes it.

Optimal Operating Conditions

To implement magnetic work holding solutions may require some training to understand the technology’s optimal operating conditions. For example, magnetic work holding is best used with smooth-surfaced workpieces rather than rough ones because the smoothness decreases the air gap between the workpiece and the magnet; small air gaps increase magnetic attraction and the holding bond. Some materials are better conductors of magnetism than others. For example, annealed materials are ideal while hardened materials don’t absorb flux as easily and will retain some magnetism. This condition can be corrected within seconds with demagnetization. Finally, the direction of the holding force is yet another adjustment an operator may have to make to safely implement magnetic work holding. All magnets have 100 percent clamping force directly away from the face of the magnet, but only about 20 percent clamping force against side forces. So, the geometry of a cut must be considered in the machining process to reap the advantages of this type of workholding.

DocMagnet Inc. designs and supplies Magnetic Work holding equipment. Their Permanent Magnetic Chucks have all metal surfaces and are built and tested to the highest quality.

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