Technology for OEM Design Engineers June 5, 2007 — Volume 3, Issue 21
New Snap Rings from Smalley Smalley's newly expanded manufacturing capabilities now include Eaton® / Tinnerman® Style Snap Rings. Now available from stock, Smalley offers six different snap ring series. Snap rings are readily available in carbon and stainless steel. Smalley can also produce these heavy-duty rings with numerous different end configurations to meet your application requirements. Utilize Smalley's No-Tooling-Cost™ manufacturing process for special designs, available from .200" to 90" diameters. For more information, please visit Smalley online.
Understanding nonlinear stabilization features
In large-deformation analysis, two major problems can cause convergence difficulties and reduce simulation accuracy (especially in static analysis with implicit solvers): mesh distortion and structural instability. A special nonlinear technique called rezoning was released in ANSYS 10.0 for the first of these problems, allowing users to repair the distorted mesh (limited to 2D for now) and continue the simulation. In addition, a nonlinear stabilization technique developed as an enhancement in ANSYS 11.0 allows for state-of-the-art simulations of unstable nonlinear problems such as post-buckling, snap-through, structural wrinkling, and other analysis in which materials become unstable. This article includes excellent problem-solving examples. Read the full article
Two Pennies Make a Debut MicroMo introduces two Penny Motors to its line of ultra-compact DC brushless motors. The 1307 BH and 1309 BH have 5 mNm of continuous and 10 mNm of intermittent torque, and are extremely well suited for applications such as micro-scanners, locking systems, chopper drives, and medical dosing pumps. Visit MicroMo for more information.
Totally tubular motors: Tomorrow's automation technology … today
Of all three motor types, tubular motors are best equipped for mainstream industrial usage. This article explains why. It discusses tubular motor designs, installation ease, flexibility, and performance. It also discusses direct-drive linear actuators, in which the Thrust Rod, rather than the Forcer, is the moving component. Read the full article
Hydraulics facilitates repairs on 12,000-ton movable roof
The day after the Milwaukee Brewers finished their final game of the season at Miller Park in September 2006, a different team went into action. This time the coaches were engineers, and the first-string players were millwrights, ironworkers, operating engineers, and laborers. The task for which they had been preparing was a major-league repair job on the stadium's movable roof: replacement of the 10 bogies (powered carriages)
that carry the five movable sections of the roof. Read the full article
Electric Replacement for Hydraulics! Exlar's electric linear actuators deliver the force of hydraulics and the speed of pneumatics. The patented roller screw technology offers peak forces in excess of 40,000 lbf., speeds to 60 in/sec, and stroke lengths to 96 inches, all with the ease and reliability of servo control. Visit Exlar online for more information.
Nanogenerator provides continuous electrical power
Researchers have demonstrated a prototype nanometer-scale generator that produces continuous direct-current electricity by harvesting mechanical energy from such environmental sources as ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibration, or blood flow. Based on arrays of vertically aligned zinc oxide nanowires
that move inside a novel "zigzag" plate electrode, the nanogenerators could provide a new way to power nanoscale devices without batteries or other external power sources. Read the full article
Wheels: SAW sensors monitor tire pressure/steering torque
As automotive tire pressure monitoring system mandates come into effect and torque-sensing applications like electronic power steering become standard on even low- to mid-range cars, Transense Technologies is using TMS320F28x digital signal controllers from Texas Instruments as a key component in the automotive industry's first targeted piezo-electric surface acoustic wave sensor-based systems. Read the full article
Injection Molded Plastic Prototypes FAST! Protomold can turn your 3D CAD model into real plastic parts as soon as the next business day. 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®.
Register online to receive your Protomold resin puzzle.
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