Case Studies

A stainless steel tool chuck was cracking during product assembly, affecting about 30% of all chuck. A failure analysis of the cracked chucks and analysis of the chuck design and manufacturing process was performed to determine the root cause of the cracking. This article discusses the findings and how the problem could have been prevented.

During product development of a power tool, the material to use for a drive shaft was being considered. Based on the requirements for the drive shaft an aluminum alloy was identified as a potential candidate. Evaluations were performed to to determine whether the alloy was suitable. Also supplier evaluations were conducted to identify a capable supplier of drive shafts once the product went into production. This case study discusses the evaluations and their results.