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December 22, 2015Volume 11 Issue 48


Image - A new way to tie one on
A new way to tie one on
The 4ZERO Cuff is the most advanced flexible polymer handcuff on the market and is used by select police and law enforcement agencies that demand the strongest and most durable product available. Now, the same material used to manufacture the 4ZERO Cuff is available from Micro Plastics, Inc. in the line of extremely durable 4ZERO Cable Ties designed to perform and hold their strength in extremely dry environments and in temperature extremes from -30 deg F to 400 deg F -- conditions that can leave normal nylon cable ties brittle and broken. Available sizes include: 8 in. (50 lb), 14 1/2 in. (50 lb), 11 in. (120 lb), and 22 in. (200 lb).

Click here to learn more.


In this issue of Designfax

  • Titanium powder gaining international customer base
  • Motors for model trains
  • Could metal particles be a clean fuel?
  • Wings: If you want to be a drone engineer ...
  • Mike Likes: 2016 Cool Parts Calendar
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Iron's thermodynamics
  • Cabling: 25 years of Chainflex cables
  • White Paper: Comparing open- and closed-loop steppers
  • Catalog: The best in flexing metal technology
  • Software: Optimize your designs with tools from NASA
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Streamline electromechanical design
    • Disney researchers track everything you touch
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Wheels: Discovery of ‘stainless magnesium'
    • Fire-starting drone takes flight
    • Mike Likes: No-cost NASA ebooks
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Avenger unmanned combat UAS. [Courtesy: General Atomics]

News

Demand for quantum dots projected to increase 20-fold over next decade

3D Systems helps Jay Leno replace the irreplaceable on his one-of-a-kind concept car

First compressed natural gas and propane-capable 2016 Ford F-150 rolls off the line

'Solid' light could compute previously unsolvable problems



Image - Happy Holidays and Happy New Year <br>from Designfax!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year
from Designfax!

Thanks to all of our readers, sponsors, writers, and article contributors for making 2015 a great year. We wish all of you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2016!

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Coming next two issues: Best of 2015.


Feature articles

Image - Titanium powder processing gaining international customer base
Titanium powder processing gaining international customer base
Titanium powder created with Ames Laboratory-developed gas-atomization technology has hit the market. Praxair Surface Technologies now offers fine, spherical titanium powder for additive manufacturing and metal injection molding of aerospace, medical, and industrial parts. This marks the first time large-scale amounts of titanium powder are available to industry with a potential for low-cost, high-volume manufacturing.
Read the full article.

Image - Motors for model train meet demanding requirements
Motors for model train meet demanding requirements
Building an N-gauge (1:160) model train system involves working with very small units. The 1930s-inspired BR 70 locomotive from Fleischmann is only 2.25 in. long when measured buffer to buffer. As on large locomotives, traction (and on the model, power transmission) between the wheel and the track is a crucial factor. To give the unit appropriately scaled big-train power with low vibration and noise, the folks at Fleischmann turned to customized DC motors from the FAULHABER Group.
Read the full article.

Image - Could metal particles be the clean fuel of the future?
Could metal particles be the clean fuel of the future?
Can you imagine a future where your car is fueled by iron powder instead of gasoline? Metal powders, produced using clean primary energy sources, could provide a more viable long-term replacement for fossil fuels than other widely discussed alternatives, such as hydrogen, biofuels, or batteries, according to a study in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Applied Energy.
Read the full article.

Image - Wings: <br>If you want to be a drone engineer, you better have experience -- and security clearance
Wings:
If you want to be a drone engineer, you better have experience -- and security clearance

Ron Schneiderman from IEEE gives an incredibly in-depth rundown of what today's top companies in the unmanned aircraft technology sector are looking for in terms of engineering talent.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: 2016 Cool Parts Calendar
Mike Likes: 2016 Cool Parts Calendar
Keep track of your schedule in 2016 with the Proto Labs Cool Parts Calendar that showcases a year's worth of cool medical devices, aerospace components, automotive parts, lighting elements, and more. Each month highlights what's possible with 3D printing/additive manufacturing, CNC machining, and injection molding at Proto Labs.
Click here to get your 2016 calendar.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>New insights into iron's thermodynamic properties
Engineer's Toolbox:
New insights into iron's thermodynamic properties

As you heat up a piece of iron, the arrangement of the iron atoms changes several times before the material starts melting. This unusual behavior is one reason why steel, in which iron plays a starring role, is so sturdy and ubiquitous in everything from teapots to skyscrapers. But the details of just how and why iron takes on so many different forms have remained a mystery.
Read the full article.

Image - Cabling: Celebrating 25 years of igus Chainflex motion cables
Cabling: Celebrating 25 years of igus Chainflex motion cables
igus revolutionized the design of cable for moving applications 25 years ago with the introduction of Chainflex, and has since been offering ever-increasing numbers of power, control, servo, robot, and data cables. Now, with more than 1,040 cable types available from stock, all extensively tested in the massive 29,600-sq-ft igus test lab, igus is able to provide reliable cable performance for up to 10 million cycles or a guaranteed 36 months.
Click here to learn more.

Image - White Paper: Comparing open-loop and StepSERVO closed-loop stepper systems
White Paper: Comparing open-loop and StepSERVO closed-loop stepper systems
Wondering what the next evolution in step motor technology is all about? In this white paper, you'll learn how StepSERVO closed-loop stepper systems from Applied Motion Products increase acceleration and efficiency and decrease position error, motor heating, and noise. This white paper provides detailed analysis of the two systems and shows why StepSERVO closed-loop stepper systems are the best choice for your next automation project.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Catalog: The best in flexing metal technology
Catalog: The best in flexing metal technology
C-Flex Couplings combine the best qualities of disc, beam, and bellows couplings in a unique and economical new design. Made to couple two rotating shafts together, these couplings can accommodate large misalignments while transmitting high torque loads with zero backlash. Benefits include lower energy usage and less-frequent bearing failure. Flexible Pivot Bearings and Super Plastic Torsional Damping Couplings also available.
View C-Flex coupling types, technical data, properties, and more.

Image - Software: Optimize your designs with tools from NASA
Software: Optimize your designs with tools from NASA
HyperSizer, from Collier Research, was the first software package used by NASA made available on the commercial market. Employed for both aircraft and space-launch vehicles fabricated with composite or metallic materials, the software automatically performs design, stress analysis, and sizing optimization, typically reducing the weight of structures by 20% to 40%. HyperSizer is also applicable in the wind-energy, high-speed rail, automotive, and shipbuilding industries. Bell Helicopter/Spirit AeroSystems recently used this software to prove out the structural integrity of the Bell V-280 tiltrotor fuselage.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Wheels: <br>Discovery of ‘stainless magnesium' could spur design revolution for transportation
Wheels:
Discovery of ‘stainless magnesium' could spur design revolution for transportation

Researchers in Australia have taken the first steps toward mass-producing "stainless magnesium," a new high-strength, lightweight metal that aims to pave the way for cars, trucks, and airplanes that can travel further distances on less fuel.
Read the full article.

Image - Fire-starting drone could aid in conservation, fire prevention
Fire-starting drone could aid in conservation, fire prevention
A new fire-starting drone under development at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln could change the way wildfires are fought -- and encourage the use of prescribed burns for conservation purposes.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: No-cost NASA ebooks
Mike Likes: No-cost NASA ebooks
Why not give yourself a little treat this holiday season? You deserve it, especially if it's gratis. "Unlimited Horizons: Design and Development of the U-2" is one of NASA's latest ebooks. This one chronicles the six decades-long development of the U-2, which was born of a Cold War necessity to maintain the balance of power between East and West. It now serves equally well as a high-altitude tool for tracking extremists in the Afghan mountains and the migration of destructive spruce bark beetles in Alaskan forests. Check out NASA's other no-cost offerings, including a comprehensive history of the F-16XL experimental prototype, a look at 25 years of stunning Hubble Space Telescope images, and more.
Click here to learn more.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Streamline your electromechanical design with SolidWorks Electrical 3D
With SolidWorks Electrical 3D, you can quickly integrate your electrical system design with your 3D product model. Real-time bidirectional updates between 3D and 2D synchronize changes to keep everything coordinated in your model and schematic. See how you can: access and adjust electrical data from 3D or 2D; automatically route electrical cable, harness, and wiring; accurately calculate wire and cable lengths during design; and standardize designs and unify BOMs to prevent costly mistakes and delays.
View the video.

Video Image
Disney researchers track almost everything you touch
Most everyday electrical and electromechanical objects emit small amounts of electromagnetic (EM) noise during regular operation. When a user makes physical contact with such an object, this EM signal propagates through the user, owing to the conductivity of the human body. By modifying a small, low-cost, software-defined radio, Disney researchers have created a way to detect and classify these signals in real time, enabling trackable object detection and user informatics and interactions. EM-Sense technology can discriminate between dozens of objects. Cool or creepy? You decide.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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