| March 17, 2015 | Volume 11 Issue 11 |
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 | Torus
Torus is filled with complexities: bayonets, text on ribs, gears, bump-offs, clip cams and more. We created the free design aid to illustrate that just because we manufacture parts really fast, it doesn't mean you're limited to certain features in the geometry of your part. Torus has a trio of interconnected sections, each highlighting features that serve various purposes in part design.
Get your Torus design aid. |
| | Feature articles |
 | New table-top robot lends helping hand -- and arm -- to manufacturers big and small
Universal Robots, the Danish pioneer of collaborative robots, has created a new, smaller robot for light assembly tasks and automated workbench scenarios. The compact UR3 table-top robot weighs only 24.3 lb, but it has a payload of 6.6 lb, 360-degree rotation on all wrist joints, and infinite rotation on the end joint. These unique features make the UR3 the most flexible, lightweight table-top robot to work side-by-side with employees in the market today.
Read the full article. |
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 | Drone Tech: Servomotors stabilize and position UAV cameras
Today, recon is dominated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones, due largely to concerns for pilots' safety and costs. However, photos and videos obtained from UAVs are only useful if they are crisp and clear, which requires both focusing and stabilization. This is made possible with UAV turrets which were developed by Hood Tech Corporation and are powered with servo motors provided by MICROMO.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes:
Wavo - The New Spring in Town
Wavo Springs are produced from round-section wire to provide higher loads while maintaining the accurate loading found in wave springs. As an alternative to Belleville Springs, the Wavo provides similar loads but with an accurate, predictable spring rate. Available from stock in 1/2" to 6" diameters.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: Ultra low-power precision operational amplifiers
ON Semiconductor has introduced a family of affordable, precision CMOS operational amplifiers (op amps) that deliver zero-drift operation and industry-leading quiescent current for front-end amplifier circuits and power management designs. Targeted at industrial, white goods, telecom, wearables, Internet-of-Things (IoT), test equipment, and instrumentation applications, the NCS325 and NCS333 op amp devices enhance the accuracy of motor control feedback and power supply control loops, contributing to higher overall system efficiency. These devices are complemented by the new NCV333 automotive-qualified (AEC-Q100 grade 1) op amp offering similar functional performance for powertrain, braking, electronic power steering, valve controls, fuel pump, and fuel-injection system applications.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: New 3M automotive acrylic foam tape
A new high-performance tape from 3M attaches to an increased variety of surfaces without pre-treatment. The 3M Acrylic Tape Series PX5000 is used to attach automotive exterior trim parts such as body side moldings and claddings to a variety of materials and substrates. This tape series offers several key benefits, including excellent high-temp adhesion power to Low Surface Energy (LSE) and Medium Surface Energy (MSE) plastics -- including thermoplastic olefin (TPO), polypropylene plastic (PP), and PP/ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber -- as well as to medium-to-difficult automotive clear-coat systems, without the need for an adhesion promoter or other surface pre-treatment methods.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: Build a mini synchronous drive system
Stock Drive Products (SDP) has introduced the new Miniature Synchronous Drive System so you can put your own 1-, 2-, or 3-mm design together in a snap. The tiny timing belts and pulleys are engineered and manufactured to give high accuracy and smooth, dependable operation in 3D printers, moving security cameras, med devices, robotic surgical equipment, self-service machines, and more. Advantages include no-slip synchronization, accurate positioning, high torque transmission with low backlash, quiet operation, and long belt life.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Little oil-free linear compressor aims to take refrigerator tech to next level
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Whirlpool Corp. are collaborating to design a refrigerator that could cut energy use by up to 40 percent compared with current models. The team will redesign a refrigerator to incorporate Embraco's WISEMOTION linear compressor, which reduces energy losses by continuously matching the compressor pumping rate to the refrigerator's cooling requirements.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Modeling mechanical applications in COMSOL Multiphysics
COMSOL Multiphysics is an ideal software solution for modeling mechanical applications and analyzing the multiple interacting physics affecting them. Structural mechanics, nonlinear material models, and geomechanics are just some of the many mechanical applications you can model with the software. Predefined interfaces, packaged within the COMSOL software, enable you to investigate multiphysics phenomena, such as electromechanics, acoustic-structure and fluid-structure interactions, and thermal and electrical contact analysis. Learn how COMSOL Multiphysics can help you streamline the design process and optimize your mechanical designs.
View the video. |
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Best cars at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show
The U.K.'s Auto Express highlights the star cars and crazy concepts at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. Nothing wrong with blazing through this video, but don't miss the EDAG Light Cocoon with its Lycra-based light-up exterior, the screaming-green Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept coupe with its 3D-printed grille (shown), and Ferrari's latest supercar, the 488 GTB.
View the video. |
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