Engineering Slide Chart
Sometimes we come across some cool tools that can be extremely handy on the shop floor.
Sometimes we come across some cool tools that can be extremely handy on the shop floor. The Engineering Slide Chart (also referred to as the Screw Chart), from Great Innovations (Wasco, Ill.) includes technical information from many of the quick references that are commonly found in the work areas of designers, engineers and machinists. All of this information is compiled for both English (imperial) and metric.
The front of the chart contains information for screws, nuts, bolts and washers. At the top of the chart, metric fasteners ranging in size from 1.6 mm to 24 mm are highlighted in green. Imperial fasteners ranging in size from 0 to 1 inch are highlighted in blue at the bottom. Tables containing drill, tap and stress areas for both fine and coarse threads are located in the upper right corner of each section. Standards for the fasteners are at the bottom of the chart or next to the fastener itself.
Illustrations of head markings for different bolt grades, helpful unit conversions, and prefixes for numbers are displayed vertically in the left-side column.
The back of the slide chart displays more than a dozen different tables of measurements and crucial information. Beginning in the upper left, there’s a conversion table for fractions, inches and millimeters. To the right of that are two tables for sheet metal—the larger for density and thickness of various metals and gages; the smaller lists rules of thumb for the bend radius of different materials and thicknesses.
A table with the numbering system for carbon and alloy steels is also included. Tables in the upper right list pipe threads for American and British standards and an amperage conversion chart includes common electrical formulas and a reference for thermoplastic properties of common plastics and characteristics of each.
In the lower right are tables showing constant acceleration formulas and basic statistic formulas. Below those is a conversion table for different surface finishes or surface texture, callouts, and the machine operation required to attain each finish. Formulas for kinetic energy, momentum, force, stress, and density, as well as sine, cosine and tangent, are just to the left of those in the middle of the chart.
The beam deflections table includes beam loading diagrams and formulas for maximum deflection and moment of inertia. To the right is a table of relative comparisons of hardness values across the durometer scales. Below that, a hardness conversion table allows quick cross-reference of Brinell hardness to the Rockwell A, B and C scales to tensile strength. Rulers for inches and millimeters complete the back of the slide chart on the top and bottom, respectively.
Pulling the sliding card out to the right and reveals two more tables for callouts for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and below that, callouts for standard weld symbols. Finally, pulling the card out to the left shows density properties of common materials.
More information can be found at EngineeringSlideChart.com. The Engineering Slide Chart tool is also be found in iTunes as an app for the iPhone.
