Richard Wand, Author at MJ Engineering

MJ Engineering Attends the “Coal Show for Coal People”

Richard Wand on November 12, 2019

Mining is among the many industries MJ Engineering has served since its inception. For that reason, company president Richard Wand (pictured at left) makes it a point to attend the Bluefield Coal Show in Kentucky when it is put on every other year by the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce.

Hundreds of coal-based businesses display items ranging from tools and safety vests to full-scale machines. This year’s “Coal Show for Coal People” was held in September, and attendees and exhibitors came from all over the U.S. and beyond to share and learn the latest mining innovations.

“That’s why I go to events like this,” says Wand, “to see what people in the industry are doing and what kind of new equipment is out there. It’s also about looking at other types of advancements, such as life-saving equipment or jacking equipment to support the roof.”

Especially interesting at this year’s show was Joy’s “100 Years of Mining Innovation” display, which celebrated the company’s 100th anniversary. The photograph below shows one Joy’s early designs.

Most of what MJ Engineering does for the mining industry revolves around technical aspects of underground equipment and operator safety. For example, MJ Engineering does a lot of canopy certifications on pieces of equipment that are designed to help protect the operator.

Some of the many projects MJ Engineering has worked on over the years include designing multiple continuous miners, such as the one pictured at right, for unique mining environments throughout the world. They have also worked on a hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain on a shuttle car for a Canadian mine and finite element analysis (FEA) for a shuttle car canopy.

While the mining industry has declined in the U.S. since 2012, it is still part of MJ Engineering’s core business and skill set. Today, their projects might include designing scalers for hard rock mines or designing equipment for parts of the world outside the United States.

The Joy Machine Company was founded in 1919 by Joseph Joy in Evansville, IN. Pictured is one of Joy’s unrestored loaders from the 1940s.

MJ Engineering’s President Discusses the Complexity of Machine Design in an Increasingly Connected Age

Richard Wand on November 8, 2019

(November 2019)—MJ Engineering was consulted for an article in the October issue of Digital Engineering magazine about designing equipment for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). In the article, “Designing Machines in the Age of the IIoT.” MJ Engineering President Richard Wand stresses that in an age of rapid technological advancement, it is not enough to purchase equipment; integrating the equipment with a focus on functionality can greatly increase the productive results of a machine and the people trained to use it. Designing machines that can meet customer specifications, including increased connectivity, is one of the many services offered by MJ Engineering.

Read more of the Digital Engineering article at Designing Machines in the Age of the IIoT.

James Kraml – Professional Bio

Richard Wand on September 20, 2019

James “JC” Kraml is a mechanical engineer responsible for the mechanical design and development of prototypes, performing mechanical calculations, and communicating technical information at MJ Engineering. Since joining the company in June 2019, Kraml has worked on certifying a lifting device, cable calculations, and an robotic automation project. Kraml is proficient in SolidWorks and 3D printing, and he uses his experience to rapidly solve problems and keep projects on schedule. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Kraml attended Ohio University in Athens, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Kraml says he became an engineer because he loves learning about how parts go together. “Engineering is a challenging field that requires you to constantly learn and think differently to solve problems,” says Kraml.

Fun facts: JC Kraml is 6’ 9” tall, and he has a Blue Merle border collie named “Apollo,” after the Greek god of knowledge. His favorite quote is by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”

MJ Engineering Knows 3D Printing!

Richard Wand on September 12, 2019

In addition to their fused deposition modeling (FDM) desktop 3D printer (see 3D Printer Series—Part 1), MJ Engineering also owns a stereolithography apparatus (SLA) desktop 3D printer. The SLA printer from formlabs is used to make parts for test fits and dry runs.

3D printing materials-SLA

The SLA printer uses photosensitive thermoset polymers in liquid form. An ultraviolet (UV) laser beam selectively hardens (cures) the polymer resin, layer-by-layer, through a process called photopolymerization, which creates strong unbreakable bonds. As the part is being built, the build platform rises, lifting the part upward, out of the resin bath.

Is an SLA printer worth it?

Although the FDM printer can make parts that are stronger and more durable, the SLA printer is ideal when high accuracy or a smooth surface finish is desired. The SLA printer excels at tight tolerances, to the tune of plus or minus one thousandth of an inch—10 times more precise than the FDM printer.

3D printing materials-FDM

MJ Engineering’s Markforged FDM desktop 3D printer builds parts using a black thermoplastic filament called “Onyx,” which is primarily used when parts are needed to check form, fit, and function. The Onyx plastic can be reinforced with different continuous fibers, depending on the intention for the part being printed. Some examples of fill materials used with Onyx are:

Fiberglass—basic, cost-effective reinforcement material
High strength, high temperature (HSHT) fiberglass—to maintain strength in high-temperature settings
Carbon fiber—to withstand fatigue and improves stiffness and strength
Kevlar—to endure high impact and high deflection applications

To add the reinforcement material, the 3D printer uses two different nozzles. One nozzle dispenses plastic (Onyx), while a second nozzle dispenses the reinforcement material in the locations specified by the software. Typically, the reinforcement material is internal to the part and is enclosed in plastic.

Putting parts together

If a part fits within the parameters of the printer’s build plate and height restrictions, it can be printed as one piece. Otherwise, it can be bolted or glued. For example, as a test for a machine MJ Engineering is working on, a part like the one pictured here can be printed out of Onyx on the FDM printer in two pieces and then superglued. Once the finalized design is determined, the printed part can be bolted to the actual machine. “We can make sure it works the way we want it to and there are no flukes,” says mechanical engineer JC Kraml, “before we send it to our machine shop and spend 100 times more.”

To discover more methods by which MJ Engineering is using 3D printing to improve its projects, parts, and processes, check out Part 3 of our 3D Printer Series.

MJ Engineering’s New 3D Printer Adds Value Every Day

Richard Wand on September 4, 2019

When you design custom machines like MJ Engineering does, things don’t always go as planned. That’s OK. Their engineers are experts at solving problems and improvising when necessary. Nonetheless, making customer design changes partway into a project can cost weeks on the schedule and thousands of dollars in parts. To reduce such risks and be more responsive, MJ Engineering recently purchased a Markforged desktop 3D printer.

How it works

The fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer heats a thermoplastic filament to its melting point and extrudes it through a nozzle, layer by layer, to create a three–dimensional object. Precisely following a design in a computer program, it can print production-ready parts that are strong, rigid, and durable.

Is having a 3D printer worth it?

“There are great benefits to using these,” says mechanical engineer JC Kraml, one of MJ Engineering’s resident experts at 3D printing. He praises their new printer for helping avoid project bottlenecks, saying, “It’s fantastic at quick fixes and helping move projects along; it’s great to have for that purpose alone.”

A few of the 3D printer’s many applications include:

Rapid prototyping
Concept modeling
Making replacement parts

Kraml recently used the printer to build a prototype part for a speaker installation jig. “It enables us to ‘fail faster,’” he explains, “meaning we can quickly solve problems that may arise during the design or assembly process. And we save time and money because we manufacture parts in–house.”

Before purchasing the FDM printer, MJ Engineering relied heavily on their machine shops to make parts. After getting the part, which would typically take weeks, there was still a chance it wouldn’t work, meaning more expense and more waiting.

“Our new 3D printer allows us to respond rapidly,” says MJ Engineering President Richard Wand. “If a part doesn’t work, or it doesn’t fit the first time, we can tweak the design, reprint it, and have a new part in a matter of hours.”

Despite its advantages, the 3D printer is not going to replace MJ Engineering’s machine shops any time soon. Larger parts and parts that need to be made of metal will still be fabricated elsewhere, at least for now. In the long term, Wand says the new printer will be good for his company.

It will be good for MJ Engineering’s customers, too. In addition to printing prototype and production parts for their own projects, they can print parts for others who may not have enough need or know-how to make a permanent investment in a 3D printer.

Suffice it to say, MJ Engineering’s new FDM 3D printer adds value with every part it prints!