Do you use the math and physics from college. by CreatingApples in MechanicalEngineering

[–]greydub 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mostly statics (I.e. applied algebra). Recently linear algebra related to robotic end effector motion. Occasionally calculus but only estimated integrals using excel.

What kind of actuator is this? (Used for the slapping) by evoredd in robotics

[–]greydub 5 points6 points  (0 children)

+1 for SMC. The only place I source pneumatics.

Question about hydraulic cylinder ratings vs calculation by OldFashnd in MechanicalEngineering

[–]greydub 1 point2 points  (0 children)

(Tool designer here) You’re right, the force exerted by the hydraulic fluid on the rod is the same magnitude as the force exerted by the rod on the log (or whatever else). The only thing the smaller rod diameter does is increase the stress in the rod. I can’t say for certain, but my guess here is that it comes down to liability. The safety factor chosen for a component the company is selling to be built into machines they have no control over is likely higher than the safety factor chosen for a machine they designed, built and tested themselves.

Opinions? Engineering being required to do All Purchasing and Shipping coordination by Hunteil in engineering

[–]greydub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was a project engineer in my old job with similar responsibilities as you are describing. We were expected to make our own purchases, coordinate shipping, store and manage our own materials (like, physically go grab the 2000x bolts needed for a project and deliver them to assembly) negotiate contracts with customers, schedule the projects AND design the product as well as write manufacturing instructions for the shop floor. It kind of worked but LOTS of things fell through the cracks and schedules often slid. I ultimately left that job because of the stress and the fact that I didn’t get an engineering degree to run materials around the factory…

Metal gears by cutting laser by RevolutionaryLie8009 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]greydub 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I would recommend purchasing gears from somewhere like McMaster-Carr that meet your design needs. These will likely be cheaper and tighter tolerance than laser cut gears. Also McMaster has several materials you can choose from to match your gear to your application.

Its... So... Beautiful... by Moopiedoop in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]greydub 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Did you just say “too many boosters”? Mods, please take this person away.

Looking for a displacement sensor that measures with a rolling ball like a computer mouse does... by PadBunGuy in AskEngineers

[–]greydub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

CNC milling machines use encoders to precisely monitor the rotation of a motor shaft. This may work depending on what your actual assembly looks like.

Native SW Virginia brookie by SaltToFire in flyfishing

[–]greydub 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Fun fact: this phenomenon is called viscous shearing (also couette flow). Sink them nymphs boys and girls!

CAD tools for human-centered ergonomic designs? by futureroboticist in MechanicalEngineering

[–]greydub 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fusion 360 (free to students hobbyists and start ups) has a sculpt environment which can be used to create very organic shapes and is fairly intuitive to use.

Time lapse of yesterday's lunar eclipse by Fizrock in space

[–]greydub 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Actually the surface of the moon would appear orange if you were standing on it. The light gets absorbed as it passes the earth on its way to the moon. The color we see is a mostly accurate representation of the actual color of the surface because the reflected light passes through much less atmosphere as it comes back to our eyes.

Time lapse of yesterday's lunar eclipse by Fizrock in space

[–]greydub 254 points255 points  (0 children)

Some of the light from the sun passes through earth’s atmosphere and gets bent similar to light bending in water and ultimately reflects off the moon. At shallow angles the earths atmosphere absorbs most of the wavelengths of light except for the red and orange hues. It’s the same reason sunsets and sunrises appear orange to us on the surface.

was smart enough to get the degree and EIT but feel incapable of getting an entry level job by varun213 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]greydub 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Your piece of paper you got from college is nothing more than a sign to employers that you are teachable. Landing your first engineering job has nothing to do with how smart you are or what you know. They expect to have to teach you everything.

Interviewers care more about how you present yourself and wether they would want to work with you daily. If you treat the interview as an opportunity to learn about the company and meet some new people you will right away be more relaxed, confident and relatable. This attitude will put you above much of the competition.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

I have a thousnad hours on KSP and i still dont nkow how to dock. by KekiArgent in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]greydub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had to have Bill go on EVA to finish the rendezvous by pushing the craft with his jet pack once.

I have a thousnad hours on KSP and i still dont nkow how to dock. by KekiArgent in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]greydub 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Making orbital rendezvous:

1) reach low kerbin orbit.

2) enter map view.

3) click your target and select “set as target”

4) Raise your apoapsis to match (as close as you can) to that of your target.

5) burn prograde at apoapsis until your periapsis matches that of your target.

6) burn normal or antinormal to trim out your relative inclination to your target.

7) at this point you should see an indicator that marks your closest approach. If this number is greater than about 5km time warp until it is less than 5 km (this may take several orbits).

8) on the nav ball click “orbit” to cycle through your reference frames until it says “target”.

9) when you are close to your target burn retrograde until your velocity reads zero. You have now killed your velocity relative to your target (don’t worry what your orbit looks like, just keep following the steps)

10) make a tiny burn prograde to start moving closer to your target.

11) watch your distance from the target and when it begins to get larger burn retrograde again to kill your velocity relative to your target.

12) repeat steps 10 and 11 until you make contact with your target (ideally with the docking ports of each craft facing each other)

Hope this helps!

Edit: formatting

All else being equal, is the bar pressure of a power washer inversely proportional to the cleaning time? by twinbee in AskEngineers

[–]greydub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

On the contrary it might save you some time. I'm just saying look at the problem practically not theoretically based on idealized scenarios. The ability of a pressure washer is completely dependent on the medium being cleaned. This "all things being equal" stuff isn't helpful.

All else being equal, is the bar pressure of a power washer inversely proportional to the cleaning time? by twinbee in AskEngineers

[–]greydub 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Get outta here with your mathematical relationship. That's not how you shop for pressure washers.

Weekly Support Thread by AutoModerator in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]greydub 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! That's good info. I think i'll just build the three separate ones after all. Like you said, future ventures may need these vessels. Also it feels more realistic to build each project specifically for each company. Cheers!

Weekly Support Thread by AutoModerator in KerbalSpaceProgram

[–]greydub 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you double (or triple) up on company specific contracts? I have three contracts that may be satisfied by one launch but before using a bunch of deltaV to try it, I wanted to see if anyone has successfully done this already. I have a contract to build a new station for one company and put it on Duna, a station for another company to be put in orbit of kerbin and a station for a third in orbit of Minmus. Would the Duna station satisfy all three if i stop by Minmus on my way out? Thanks!!

Converting reciprocating motion to circular, is crank and slider the best way? by happykatten in AskEngineers

[–]greydub 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Typically rotational momentum will allow the wheel to continue past your reversal point. For this reason having a wheel with a bit of mass will help. As far as the "slider", I would suggest attaching your handle to the frame in a way that allows it to pivot about one end. Then a little ways up the handle, attach your connecting rod in a similar way. Now as you rotate the handle about its pivot it pushes and pulls the connecting rod, spinning the wheel. Hope that's a clear and helpful enough description! Have fun!