Technology for OEM Design Engineers January 30, 2007 — Volume 3, Issue 4
A Twist of the Arm. The new EZ twist lock circuit board supports from Micro Plastics feature a unique locking base that snaps into the chassis by hand. Cables and wires are loaded and unloaded with an easy twist of your fingers. An additional arm inside the twist lock holds smaller wires or bundles. Each natural nylon 6/6 part fits a .187" diameter hole and a panel thickness of .030" to .078".
For details visit
Microplastics or see the new line of fasteners in Catalog #37. Free samples upon request!
World's fastest motorcycle designed with ALGOR FEA software
"After 17 years, we finally did it," says Joe Harralson of Sierra Design Engineering, reflecting on his work with BUB Enterprises to design and build the world's fastest motorcycle. On September 5, 2006, during the 2006 International Motorcycle Speed Trials at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats, Harralson watched as the BUB team's streamliner, named
"Seven," (which looks more like a rocket on two wheels than a traditional street bike) was driven to a new world record speed of 350.884 mph. It was the culmination of a decades-long odyssey that included budgetary battles, daunting technological challenges, and intense competition in the relentless pursuit of a 15-year-old speed record. Read the full article
Die Castings Standards Explained NADCA offers its latest Product Specification Standards for Die Castings to die casters and OEMs in print, CD, and online formats. This comprehensive resource provides specification, design and production guidance, plus valuable new information such as an alloy selection, an improved checklist for purchasing die cast parts and an expanded casting examples section. Visit NADCA.
Safety concept vehicles featured in Michelin Challenge Design exhibit at 2007 NAIAS
"Concept vehicles press the limits of what’s possible, stretching to the edges of exotic materials and new technologies and architectures," says Stewart Reed, chairman of transportation design studies at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, and chairman of the Michelin Challenge Design jury. Concept vehicles are the highlight of the major international auto shows, including the recently concluded 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit Jan. 7-21. This is the fourth and last article in the MCD
"Sharing the Road" design series. The article includes an interesting look back to automobile safety designs of the past. Read the full article
Variable-speed drives critical for "rainforest" zoo application
Despite wide swings in temperature and humidity on the Great Lakes, where "Alberta Clipper" storms can swiftly deliver below-freezing temperatures in winter, The RainForest at Cleveland Metroparks
Zoo contains two acres of plants and wildlife
similar to those found in rainforests around the world. Each year, over one million visitors come to this two-story, domed, simulated biosphere to experience what it is like walking through tropical regions of Central America, Africa, or Asia. Without state-of-the-art HVAC technology, it is doubtful this unique tropical habitat could exist; and it continues to benefit from equipment improvements, such as advanced motor and drive design. Read the full article
Chrome Goes Green Saporito Finishing Company now offers high-corrosion trivalent chrome conversion coating for aluminum, magnesium and zinc die castings that eliminates environmental concerns associated with hexavalent chrome, while offering equal or better performance. With more than 60 years of experience in plating, anodizing, finishing, and metal treatment, as well as tumbling and deburring, Saporito Finishing includes more than 135,000 sq. ft. of processing area plus full-service chemical laboratories to meet the needs of the electronic, aerospace, aircraft, and commercial industries. Please visit Saporito Finishing Company.
MEMS-driven
"funhouse mirror" key to new super-fast scanning optical microscope
An innovative microscope technology invented by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been licensed by Thorlabs, a manufacturer of photonics products. The device, which is called the Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope (ASOM), provides the ability to view large areas of a sample without sacrificing image resolution. It is especially
well suited for automating difficult tasks in biological laboratories, from diagnosing cancer to discovering new drugs. Read the full article
As walls shrink, Goodyear tire designers get more creative
Imagine Michelangelo being forced to paint on a surface many times smaller than the actual square footage of the Sistine Chapel. What if DaVinci's Mona Lisa was brushed onto a tiny 1-ft2 canvas? Or in today's terms, what would it be like to view the Super Bowl on a small, 9-in. black-and-white television? In essence, this is the dilemma faced by those who practice the art of sidewall design on automobile tires. Their
"canvas" is small and dull, and the first requirement of the sidewall is to be functional, rather than artistic. Well, that's what the designers want you to think. Read the full article
To forward the Designfax Online magazine to a friend, follow this link. You have asked to receive this magazine from Designfax Online. If you choose not to receive anymore issues please follow this link.