Technology for OEM Design Engineers February 27, 2007 — Volume 3, Issue 8
NO MORE NUTS! Eliminate screws, nuts, and lock washers when mounting P.C. boards on a metal chassis or stacking multiple tiers. Economical, timesaving, locking clips from Micro Plastics provide a mechanically secure, reusable connection in 2.5-mm pre-drilled or punched holes. Molded in Nylon 6/6 with lengths from 2 mm to 22 mm for 1.57-mm thick panels, these new Metric Supports are just part of a full line of insulators, transistor mounts, and covers. Request Catalog #37 or free samples at Micro Plastics.
Pounding the pavement with affordable 3D design
With the ability of lower-priced solid modelers to speak in 3D PDF, even large engineering staffs are beginning to recognize that small-priced tools are ideal for collaborative work. Take for example U.K.-based airport infrastructure support provider AMEC, a company that used Alibre Design to model a giant impact-resistance test machine that fires a piston into objects to simulate air-traffic collisions with ground barriers. 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.
Smart drives simplify cable-winding automation
Using two smart AC motor drives in tandem has allowed Centrilift Cable to eliminate a PLC and improve the productivity of winding finished cable onto drums at its Claremore, OK, facility. A ratio function allows the two drives to synchronize automatically, based simply on input of the cable size using the drive's integral keypad and display.
"We usually think of adding more intelligence by using touch-screens and PLCs," says Bill Hunt, a drives specialist with Baldor's regional office in Tulsa.
"But in this case, that just added difficulty." Read the full article
Electromagnetic simulation solves tough antenna design challenge
ProLogic Inc. of Fairmont, WV, solved a tough antenna design challenge by simulating the design with MicroStripes electromagnetic simulation software from Flomerics. The initial antenna design had back sidelobes that put significant energy into the face of a radar array that was co-located. Electromagnetic simulation enabled ProLogic engineers to evaluate the performance of more than 20 possible alternative designs in a fraction of the time and at a much lower cost than would have been required to build and test prototypes. Read the full article
Water-driven hydraulic safety catchers key for neutron beam generator
At Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, a unique solution was needed to maintain position integrity on a series of 18 30-ton and 50-ton shutters that are raised and lowered vertically by stainless steel hydraulic cylinders to control the flow of neutrons within the Spallation Neutron Source. To prevent gravity fall of the shutters in the event of hydraulic pressure loss, cylinder failure, control valve failure, or other system malfunctions, each shutter drive cylinder is equipped with two Sitema Safety Catchers. Read the full article
Shelby muscles in on performance motorcycle design
Shelby Automobiles, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International and Rucker Performance, unveiled a limited-production, high-performance Shelby motorcycle at the Cincinnati V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, OH, on February 2, 2007. "It's no secret that stuffing a powerful American motor into a lightweight chassis has been my formula for success," says legendary designer Carroll Shelby, CEO of Shelby Automobiles. "My team at Shelby Automobiles has worked closely with Rucker Performance to create a motorcycle that offers the same thrill as driving my Cobra." Read the full article
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