Technology for OEM Design Engineers February 20, 2007 — Volume 3, Issue 7
Clamp & Ball Knobs? Electronic Hardware Corporation You know EHC for military & electronic instrument knobs, but take a look at their Clamp & Ball knobs. EHC has the widest variety of any knob manufacturer, at the best prices in the market. Delivery takes just a few days for standard parts & reorders. Their recent acquisition of Rencol — Britain's largest Knob manufacturer — broadens the EHC line even further! For quality knobs at a great price, visit Electronic Hardware Corporation.
Editor's GREAT STORY pick Redesigns get radical improvements using DFMA
Engineers at plasma-arc cutting equipment manufacturer Hypertherm, Inc. recently tackled a project of mammoth proportions when they remodeled the company's highly successful HD3070 cutting system — and sliced 500 parts from the design. The HD3070 redesign project was Hypertherm's first large-scale venture into Design for Manufacture and Analysis (DFMA). As a guide to the correct analysis methodology, mechanical applications engineers at the company used a well-thumbed copy of the
"Boothroyd Dewhurst Design for Assembly" handbook — and a lot of brain and brawn power — to make a radical improvement in product performance coupled with a radical reduction in product cost. Read the full article
Injection Molded Plastic Prototypes FAST! Protomold can turn your 3D CAD model into real plastic parts in as few as three days. These plastic parts are ideal for functional testing, bridge tooling, or even short-run production. Visit Protomoldonline for more information and a free automated ProtoQuote®.
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Circuit breaker housings gain from shift to DuPont Zytel nylon
Square D Company is achieving benefits of easier field installation and lower manufacturing costs with the adoption of DuPont Zytel nylon as housings for high-performance circuit breakers. With a base and cover molded from a tough, strong, high-voltage-resistant grade of Zytel, the housings mark a trend-setting step away from traditional thermosets for such parts. Read the full article
New sensor detects direction of sound under water
A new sensor that measures the motion created by sound waves under water could allow the U.S. Navy to develop compact arrays to detect the presence of enemy submarines. Using optical fibers, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found a way to create a sensor that detects the direction from which a sound is coming under water. This directional component is an important improvement over the current technology. 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.
Improving product quality, appearance, and weatherability in automotive door seals
Hong Yang Sealings of Guiyang, China, is using new materials and a proprietary process to significantly improve both the quality and weatherability of co-extruded automotive door seals with a colored decorative top-coat. For example, when colored thermoset EPDM was used as the top-coat in the past, the color could change even before the weatherseals were assembled onto the vehicle. With NexPrene TPV as the top-coat, the top-coat won't show noticeable color change even after many years of use. Read the full article
ProtoComposites foster faster fighter jet prototyping
Using heavily filled composite stereolithography resins from DSM Somos, Italian rapid prototyping service bureau Provel is opening up new frontiers in wind-tunnel test applications with the development of a scaled prototype of the new M-346 fighter trainer aircraft for Alenia Aermacchi. The M-346 is the only new-generation advanced fighter trainer in the world. Read the full article
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