News

World's brightest single-chip SMT LED introduced

Michigan fleet on the road 100 million miles with no oil change

Four-wheel ATV maker races to capture Chinese military and consumer market

Sensors for heart-rate monitoring knitted directly into fabrics


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In this issue:

Feature Articles

FEA crucial to award-winning ski binding design
G3 Genuine Guide Gear (G3) of North Vancouver, Canada, is a specialized manufacturer of backcountry ski and safety equipment designed for guides and avalanche professionals. G3 uses finite element analysis (FEA) software to analyze and help ensure the safety and effectiveness of its products including skis, telemark bindings and accessories, climbing skins, avalanche probes, and backcountry shovels and saws. For one product, the TARGA Ascent telemark ski binding, G3 performed ALGOR linear static stress analysis of all of its components.
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Book Excerpt: Making build-to-order manufacturing more efficient
Perhaps a company builds something really complicated such as trucks, houses, trailers, airplanes, machinery, automobiles, commercial heating and air conditioning equipment, or any of hundreds or maybe even thousands of products that have practically an infinite number of ways they can be configured. And perhaps some configurations call for features or subassemblies that can add many hours to a build, thus hopelessly throwing off the cadence of an assembly line. How can highly variable, complex products such as these be manufactured in a Lean environment?
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High-speed packaging machine uses thousands of MISUMI components
In recent years, the volatility of the custom machine building market has proven to challenge many companies. However, one custom machine builder has learned not only how to survive, but to thrive in such an environment. ABCO Automation, in Greensboro, NC, has consistently decreased costs and increased profits by looking for new ways to source custom components used in its machine builds.
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Thermoelectric materials are one key to energy savings
Breathing new life into an old idea, MIT Professor Mildred S. Dresselhaus and co-workers are developing innovative materials for controlling temperatures that could lead to substantial energy savings by allowing more efficient car engines, photovoltaic cells, and electronic devices. Thermoelectric devices are based on the fact that when certain materials are heated, they generate a significant electrical voltage. Conversely, when a voltage is applied to them, they become hotter on one side and colder on the other.
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Wheels: Futuristic all-electric hybrid gets 300 mpg
Is America really ready for street-legal, cabin-enclosed three-wheelin'? Aptera's Typ-1 is a radically different vehicle designed to marry advanced aerodynamics with lightweight composite technology to create a powerful and extremely safe car that is a joy to drive. But as they say on Letterman, "Will it float?" It looks like it could. Literally.
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5-Star Product: Desktop factory provides production systems in miniature
Need to get right on it, production-wise? It's nice to know that you can buy the whole manufacturing kit and caboodle due to one great swoop of precision German engineering. Desktop Factory (DTF) is an economical solution for the assembly of small products (such as switches or thermostats) for the automotive, electronic, and electro-technical sectors as well as medical technology and household appliances.
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Nearly century-old GE motor powers carousel again
After almost 100 years of operation, inactivity, weather, and wear, a 1909 motor from GE Motors is expected to reprise its role as the main power source for a turn-of-the-century carousel. Restoring the carousel has been a 20-year labor of love for Scott Harrison, a 58-year-old retired Amnesty International director who lives in Nederland, CO. When Harrison first tested the ancient motor, he didn't know what to expect. Then, with a little puff of smoke, it purred like a kitten.
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New Products
Electrical/Electronic
View products … 		Mechanical
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Motion Control
View products … 		Special: Materials
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Guides

Literature, guides, catalogs, and other great free stuff: Always more than 50 new resources

  • Misumi accepting offers for 2008 catalogs —
    • Misumi
  • Titanium fasteners for high-performance racing —
    • SPS Technologies
  • Complete fastening hardware and installation systems —
    • PennEngineering

View guides …

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