Technology for OEM Design Engineers March 4, 2008 — Volume 4, Issue 9
Try a Retaining Ring or Wave Spring Smalley offers samples of standard parts to test in your application at no charge. Over 9,000 Spiral Retaining Rings and Wave Springs are available in stock, from 1/4" to 16", in carbon and stainless steel. Spiral rings have No Ears To Interfere with mating components. Wave Springs can reduce springs heights by up to 50%. Samples are now also available of our NEW metric Crest-to-Crest® Wave Spring series, with over 2,000 new springs from which to select. Visit Smalley.
MTS sensors ensure precision in Airbus wing assembly
MTS Systems Corp., Sensors Division is providing the R-Series SSI encoder position sensor to Electroimpact, Inc., for its material handling solution designed to provide a stable control system in the wing assembly of the Airbus A380. Electroimpact was charged with designing a solution that would establish panel form in the oversized wing panels as they were lifted off the ground and provide a stable control system for the skin assembly as the stringers were engaged into the ribs. Read the full article
e-Manufacturing ready for mass market? EOS survey reports resounding "ja!"
Mass production in the Western world is on the brink of a silent revolution, and e-Manufacturing is an important part of that change. These are some of the conclusions of a survey conducted by EOS, a world-leading manufacturer of laser-sintering systems, at recent trade shows in Germany. Respondents' answers confirm that industrial production is facing a major shift: e-Manufacturing with laser-sintering is a key technology that will strongly compete with conventional technologies, such as casting, in the future. Read the full article
Cost-Effective Power Unleashed Micro-Drives announces the M32P DC Gearmotor. Consisting of a DC motor with an iron-core rotor and graphite commutation joined to a metal planetary gearhead, the 32 mm diameter gearmotor's construction ensures long life even when subjected to demanding conditions. Most combinations ship from stock within 48 hours. Visit Micro-Drives.
Controller board for world's most advanced optical switch is feat unto itself
Endicott Interconnect Technologies has upped the ante on its capabilities for fabricating large, high-complexity PC boards with an award-winning controller board that functions as the intelligence of the world's most powerful and advanced optical packet switch. The board fabricated by EI is a controller board for a 64 x 64 port, high-performance optical switch designed by IBM Zurich Research Lab, the European branch of IBM Research. Read the full article
New surface-profiling approach may be boon for automakers
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel technique for measuring the roughness of surfaces that is casting doubt on the accuracy of current procedures. Their results announced in a forthcoming paper could cut development costs for automakers as they design manufacturing tools for new, fuel-efficient, lightweight alloys. NIST's approach uses data from a scanning laser confocal microscope (SLCM), an instrument that builds a point-by-point image of a surface in three dimensions. Read the full article
Has Your Bottom Line Sprung a Leak? An air leak just 1/8-inch in diameter can cost you $2,000 a year. Replace your motion applications with the Exlar Tritex Seriesan actuator, servo amplifier and position controllerall in one. Eliminate compressors, hoses, pipes and valves, with electronically-controlled speed and forceplus easy set-up. Save time and money in 2008 with Tritex. Visit Exlar to learn more.
Wheels: Formula One tightens its technology belt
The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Formula One's governing body, recently published a series of measures designed to reduce costs within the sport. The plans, agreed to by the World Motor Sport Council in Monaco in December 2007, include a variety of aerodynamic testing restrictions for 2008. Whether or not the limitations are solely aimed to rein in budgets — or are intended to try to level the playing field amongst competitors by putting the brakes on super-advanced technologies, including the increasing power of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) — is up for debate. Read the full article
5-Star Product: The smartest gearbox in the room
alpha & WITTENSTEIN have developed a method to integrate torque and force sensors directly into the housing of servo gear reducers, allowing for the most accurate measurement of torque, axial loading, and radial loading. This advanced sensor technology is a valuable add-on to any current motion control system. Read the full article