Blogs - Just Parts Unlimited

Before the Industrial Revolution, most manufacturing of items was done by a single craftsman. From start to finish, one person would work to create an item before moving onto the next, often leading to long wait times for production and the need for a great amount of skills for a craftsman. With the creation of the assembly line, and later machined assembly, the process of production could be broken up into various steps and work stations that allowed for multiple employees and machines to service parts of an item at a time. This allowed for the reduction of production time, as well as the division of manufacturing labor. In this article, we will give a short overview of assembly machinery and their part in modern manufacturing. Read more >>

The inception of the diesel engine came in the late 1800s when German inventor Rudolf Diesel set out to create a more efficient alternative to gasoline and steam engines. The engine was conceived while Diesel was enrolled in engineering school and patented soon after in 1892. Read more >>

Aircraft rigging is the process of adjusting movable flight controls on major aircraft surfaces like wings and stabilizers. Ailerons, elevators, and rudders are all examples of aircraft rigging gear. Besides the flight controls, rigging is also done to other areas of the aircraft to incorporate engine controls, flight deck controls, and components of retractable landing gear. Attachment of hardware using cotter pins, locknuts, or safety wire is also included in the rigging process. Read more >>

Some aircraft cockpits feature a large blue lever located next to the throttle. This the propeller controller, and is used to set the propeller and engine speed for an aircraft with a constant speed propeller. Constant speed propellers work by varying the pitch of the propeller blades, which alters the in-flight properties of the propeller. As the propeller blade angle is increased, it produces more thrust, but also requires more torque to spin the propeller, which slows down the engine. Inversely, when the blade angle is decreased, the torque required is decreased, and the engine speeds up. Read more >>

The greatest design strength of helicopters, the horizontal main rotor blade that lets the aircraft take off and land vertically, is also its greatest design issue: as the main rotor spins, it generates enormous amounts of torque, which, if left unopposed, will cause the rest of the helicopter to spin as well, rendering it completely uncontrollable. To balance out this torque, the vertical tail rotor spins in opposition of the main rotor to cancel out the rotary effect. Read more >>