Designfax — November 27, 2007 — Volume 3, Issue 44

Largest manufacturer of Threaded Nylon Fasteners in the world
Micro Plastics, Inc. offers over 20,000 items and stocks an inventory of 250 million parts. Machine Screws, Nuts, Washers, Spacers, Panel Fasteners, Hole Plugs, P.C.B. Hardware, Wire Handling Hardware and more.
For more information, visit Micro Plastics online.

News

Innovative vehicle AC system is first to use an ejector

Fuel cell powers new world record in UAV flight

Thin is in for new TRW brake caliper design

New robotic QA cell automates coating measurement

DSM Somos design contest offers free HDTV, trips

In this issue:

Design Me Shelter: Shifting Educational Priorities
Fire On Ice: New Skate Seeks To Revolutionize Hockey
CFD Software Saves Four Months Of Design Time
MIT Gel Changes Color On Demand
Wheels: Dual-Clutch Technology Featured In New Supercar
5-Star Product: Battery-Life Fuel Gauge For Handhelds
Products: Electrical/Electronic, Mechanical, Motion
Special: Materials

Feature Articles

Design me shelter: Shifting educational priorities
According to the recent report "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future," for the first time in generations the nation's children could face poorer prospects than their parents and grandparents did. The report, outlining the causes and possible solutions to the drought of science and engineering students in American universities, was an impetus for the formation of The CAD Academy, a software-based secondary and post-secondary pre-engineering and pre-architectural program designed to inspire a new generation of engineers and architects.
Read the full article

170 Watts of Power in a Small Package
Micro-Drives announces the expansion of its DC Micromotor product line with the addition of its Series M4870U. The DC micromotor has an external motor-diameter of 48 mm and a length of 70 mm. The DC micromotor can achieve a stall torque of 42.7 mNm and speeds of up to 11,000 rpm. Visit MicroMo online.

Fire on ice: New skate seeks to revolutionize hockey
Canadian skate blade maker Therma Blade Inc. and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky have unveiled a revolutionary new heated skate blade that a small group of NHL players will test during game conditions. Thermablade is designed to maintain a consistent temperature of approximately 5°C using a small battery and a microprocessor stored within each skate blade holder.
Read the full article

CFD software saves four months of design time
VENTREX Automotive GmbH, Graz, Austria, saved four months in the design of an automotive valve by taking advantage of EFD.V5 CATIA V5-embedded computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation software from Flomerics. Flomerics' business model is drastically different from traditional analysis because its software is designed to be embedded deeply into the design process and used by mainstream design engineers, not just by analysis specialists.
Read the full article

MIT gel changes color on demand
MIT researchers have created a new structured gel that can rapidly change color in response to a variety of stimuli, including temperature, pressure, salt concentration, and humidity. Among other applications, the structured gel could be used as a fast and inexpensive chemical sensor, says Edwin Thomas, MIT's Morris Cohen Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. One place where such an environmental sensor could be useful is a food processing plant, where the sensor could indicate whether food that must remain dry has been overly exposed to humidity.
Read the full article

Wheels: Dual-clutch technology featured in new supercar
BorgWarner's leading dual-clutch transmission technology was showcased recently at the Tokyo Auto Show last month on the 2008 Nissan GT-R sports car, dubbed the most eagerly anticipated car in a generation by some in the automotive press. The GT-R is touted as a new multi-dimensional performance machine that lives up to the concept of "an ultimate supercar enjoyable to anyone, anywhere, at anytime."
Read the full article

5-Star Product: Battery-life fuel gauge for handhelds
How much battery life do I have left? Texas Instruments answers the question by introducing its system-side fuel gauge integrated circuit (IC) with Impedance Track technology for smart phones and other handhelds. The 2.5-mm x 4-mm gauge predicts battery life with 99% accuracy to extend run-time, protect data, and provide a better user experience for mobile handheld users.
Read the full article

New Products

Electrical/Electronic View products …	Mechanical View products …
Motion Control View products …	Special: Materials View products …

Guides

Literature, guides, catalogs, and other great free stuff: Always more than 50 new resources

Threadless hydraulic couplings —

Gates

Superalloys in aerospace fasteners —

SPS Technologies

Medical-grade PVC compounds —

Teknor Apex

View guides …

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