Originally posted by: PottedMeat
Thats pretty cool, I only got a vague idea of how it worked from the video - had to read a few posts in the thread to make it clear.
A long time ago my emag prof explained how it worked but I had forgot.
The machine seems really handy for custom inductors - but it seems there should be a faster way or else you couldnt buy these:
http://dkc3.digikey.com/PDF/T063/1105.pdf
for 2-3 bucks.
Could they wind half a core then sinter two together?
It looks like some loop of wire that goes through the toroid, from which the wire unwinds. I didn't bother to read the thread there though.
I merely intended to show off my m4d 733t Googling skillz0rz!!!!11!!
Sintering is only done with powdered metal - it can't be done with solid parts.
Welding would risk damaging the insulation on the nearby wire, which would then short out through the toroid. And you'd probably need a person there welding the thing, which would be too expensive in the long run. As far as I know, robots are mainly good for spot welding.
So, companies spend many thousands of dollars on machines like that which can turn out wound toroids quite quickly, without making demands for pay or fair working conditions.
I saw a machine at an engineering convention, which had one purpose - to put rubber O-rings onto components, in this case, it was for bathroom faucets. That's all it did. I don't remember how much the guy there said they cost. It was over $20K each though, for a machine that would probably fit inside a 25" TV case. But it's not something produced in huge volume, and it needs a lot of testing to ensure that it will work reliably before it can be made and sold to manufacturers. And I'm sure such a device pays for itself quite quickly.
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