Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
March 13, 2012Volume 08 Issue 10


Image - New Full Line Catalog -- Full of New Fasteners
New Full Line Catalog -- Full of New Fasteners
Micro Plastics introduces its new catalog #39. With 290 pages of nylon fastener items, 12 new product lines, and over 500 new items added. Contents include: standard and metric machine screws, cap screws, nuts, washers, spacers, insulators, grommets, bushings, rivets, hole plugs, clamps, printed circuit board accessories, suspended ceiling hooks, and wire routing kits. FREE samples are available upon request.
Click here for more information.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Servo motion control replaces pneumatic actuator
  • Latest Cool Idea! is nifty Braille printer
  • Sound lab pushes boundaries of audio realism
  • Wheels: Drive-by-tongue system gets major overhaul
  • Mike Likes: Simotion D motion controllers
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Configurable torque gun
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Measuring mobile-device battery capacity
    • NASA aims to harpoon comet to collect samples
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Wheels: Cummins ramps up turbocharger design
    • U.S. Army designs, issues 'Kevlar boxers'
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion, Special: Software
    Cover Image: Tongue-Drive System for people with spinal injuries [Georgia Tech]

News

Navy begins two-month-long testing of electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher

Can composites trump steel and aluminum for building lightweight trains?

Mitsubishi entering tiny i-MiEV electric prototype in 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Hydrovolts uses Autodesk Software to create plug-and-play water turbines



Image - Wherever Pressure is Measured, Setra Has the Solution ...
Wherever Pressure is Measured, Setra Has the Solution ...
Whether you're an end-user or OEM, Setra has a solution that will fit your application as well as your budget. Setra's industrial pressure transducers accurately measure pressure (hydraulic and pneumatic); liquids, gases, coolants, fuels, lubricants, refrigerants; and most other media. Pressure ranges extend from high to very low pressure for gauge, absolute, differential, and barometric pressures and vacuum.
Click here for more information.

Feature articles
Servo motion control accelerates throughput of plastic joining machines
An English company called Phasa has enhanced the performance of its specialist plastic component joining machines with high-performance new versions employing a key servo-based motion control system in place of a pneumatic actuator. The servo enables several seconds to be shaved off the assembly time of complex car door panels, increasing productivity significantly.
Read the full article.
Latest Cool Idea! aims to improve quality of life for 37 million people without sight
The latest deserving idea to receive the Proto Labs Cool Idea! Award is a Braille labeler by Silicon Valley-based innovation laboratory 6dot. Proto Labs' program gives product designers the opportunity to bring innovative products to life by awarding free prototyping and short-run production services.
Read the full article.
Sound lab pushes boundaries of audio realism
In his laboratory tucked into the basement of Princeton University's Von Neumann Hall, Edgar Choueiri creates illusions with sound. In a three-year effort with support from Sony, his team will seek to push the boundaries of sound reproduction and create a sound space so realistic that it can be used as a basis for virtual reality.
Read the full article.
Wheels:
Drive-by-tongue system improved with retainer-like remodel

Tongue Drive is a wireless device that enables people with high-level spinal cord injuries to operate a computer and maneuver an electrically powered wheelchair simply by moving their tongues. In a major revamp, the newest prototype allows users to wear a dental retainer embedded with sensors to control the system.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: <br>Simotion D motion controllers get even better
Mike Likes:
Simotion D motion controllers get even better

The new generation of Simotion D445-2 multi-axis controllers from Siemens Industry features onboard Profinet interfaces and high-speed I/O. With three times the performance of its predecessor, a single controller can support up to 128 axes of motion. Simotion D motion control systems are the ideal solution for production machines covering all levels of performance – from simple single-axis positioning tasks to complex synchronous applications – with extremely short cycle times on a large numbers of axes.
Find out more about Siemens Simotion D controllers.
Engineer's Toolbox:
Torque gun optimized with configurable components

An innovative "rolling-resistance" measurement device and smart PC-based software provide users with accurate and consistent torque optimization of geared assemblies such as transmissions, gear boxes, and pumps.
Read the full article.

Most popular last issue
Wheels:
Cummins ramps up turbocharger design

Cummins uses high-performance computing to deliver better turbochargers to market – faster – by simulating the entire stage using ANSYS computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and a new high-performance computing (HPC) system.
Read the full article.
U.S. Army designs and issues 'Kevlar boxers' to protect pelvic region
For dismounted Soldiers patrolling Afghanistan roads, improvised explosive devices can be even more devastating than for those in armored vehicles, but a new line of protection may help.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Measuring mobile-device battery capacity accurately
Battery manufacturers specify battery capacity using a standard current drain level. This is likely to be different than the capacity you will achieve with the average current drain of your mobile device. Testing the battery using repeatable discharge currents similar to your device is essential to predicting actual achievable battery capacity and run time. Agilent Technologies provides a one-box solution for device developers that provides precise, repeatable current loads and an integrated voltage and current measurement system.
View the video.

Video Image
NASA aims to harpoon comet to collect samples
Ever wonder how we might grab some comet core rocks and bring them back to Earth? Well the Comet Nucleus Sample Return mission will do just that by firing an explosive-powered, sample-collecting harpoon into a comet's heart and then bringing the debris back to the Big Blue Marble. How exactly will that play out? Watch and see. NASA engineers are testing the proof-of-concept, cross-bow launch system right now.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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Software
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