Designfax – Technology for OEM Design Engineers was launched as an exclusive eMagazine in October 2005 following 25 successful years in print. Subscribers to the weekly publication (48 issues a year) are high-level OEM product design engineers and engineering managers who operate in a broad range of manufacturing industries, including automotive, aerospace, appliances, medical equipment, transportation, computer process controls, industrial equipment, and more. Primary content focuses on the latest exciting applications and products for Electrical/Electronic, Mechanical, Motion Control, Fluid Power, and Materials engineering, including articles on powerful software programs that serve as a primary engineering tool. Take a look at what Designfax offers and then subscribe.
| January 27, 2015 | Volume 11 Issue 04 |
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 | Molded Nylon Special Standard Round Spacers
Micro Plastics announces a new product line of Special Standard Round Spacers. The new line of molded nylon round spacers includes over 250 sizes, with diameters of 1/8" through 1 1/2" and lengths from 1/8" to 2 3/4". These tough, resilient spacers can be used in a variety of assemblies. Useful in electronic and electrical applications, they may also be used as bushings, bearings, rollers, gliders, and bumpers. They are resistant to vibration, abrasion, and corrosion; are electrically insulating; and have a high strength-to-weight ratio.
Click here to learn more. |
 | 3D-printer filament is 50 times more abrasion resistant than ABS and PLA
igus' new Tribo-filament uses the same proven technology as igus' iglide bearings. Tested countless times in our in-house lab, this is the first 3D-printer filament specifically developed for dynamic applications. Create custom, wear-resistant bearings, prototypes, or other components with excellent strength and wear-resistance. Two materials available to sample and well as full spools.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Feature articles |
 | Inflatable antennas increase U.S. military agility
Inflatable ground satellite antennas are aiding the expeditionary nature of U.S. and coalition forces, enabling them to achieve high-bandwidth network connectivity anywhere in the world from small deployable packages. Fitting in just two transit cases, the GATR antenna provides the same robust data links as conventional, rigid satellite dishes but weighs up to 80 percent less.
Read the full article. |
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 | Make injection molds 95% faster, 70% cheaper
Stratasys is collaborating with design and product development company Worrell to accelerate medical device development through the use of 3D-printed injection molding (which Worrell refers to as "3D IM"). Since 3D printing injection mold tools for medical devices, the company is producing injection-molded prototypes using final production materials in 95% less time and at 70% less cost compared with traditional aluminum molds.
Read the full article. |
 | Wheels:
Optimized curve braking provides increased motorcycle stability
International automotive supplier Continental has been developing and manufacturing anti-lock systems for motorcycles for more than 10 years. The German company has now enhanced its Motorcycle Integral Brake (MIB) system by adding a new function: optimized braking for curves. Up until now, Anti-lock Brake Systems (ABS) for motorcycles have been designed to maintain stability during straight-line braking only.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes:
Design harder-working hydraulics solutions
Improve the performance of your hydraulics-driven industrial systems with expert hydraulics technology advice and useful engineering tips in the Hydraulics Performance Kit from Bosch Rexroth. Packaged in a convenient 1-GB USB drive, the kit includes a specially selected array of technical papers, helpful videos, and special links to Rexroth hydraulics product information. Whether you are an OEM, systems integrator, or end-user manufacturer, the Hydraulics Performance Kit is tailor made to support your efforts to improve the performance of your hydraulics-driven industrial systems.
Get your Hydraulics Performance Kit. |
 | Product: Ultra low-power precision operational amplifiers
ON Semiconductor has introduced a family of affordable, precision CMOS operational amplifiers (op amps) that deliver zero drift operation and industry-leading quiescent current for front-end amplifier circuits and power management designs. Targeted at industrial, white goods, telecom, wearables, Internet-of-Things (IoT), test equipment, and instrumentation applications, the NCS325 and NCS333 op amp devices enhance the accuracy of motor control feedback and power supply control loops, contributing to higher overall system efficiency. These devices are complemented by the new NCV333 automotive-qualified (AEC-Q100 grade 1) op amp offering similar functional performance for powertrain, braking, electronic power steering, valve controls, fuel pump, and fuel-injection system applications.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: New 3M automotive acrylic foam tape
A new high-performance tape from 3M attaches to an increased variety of surfaces without pre-treatment. The 3M Acrylic Tape Series PX5000 is used to attach automotive exterior trim parts such as body side moldings and claddings to a variety of materials and substrates. This tape series offers several key benefits, including excellent high-temp adhesion power to Low Surface Energy (LSE) and Medium Surface Energy (MSE) plastics -- including thermoplastic olefin (TPO), polypropylene plastic (PP), and PP/ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber -- as well as to medium-to-difficult automotive clear-coat systems, without the need for an adhesion promoter or other surface pre-treatment methods.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: Build a mini synchronous drive system
Stock Drive Products (SDP) has introduced the new Miniature Synchronous Drive System so you can put your own 1-, 2-, or 3-mm design together in a snap. The tiny timing belts and pulleys are engineered and manufactured to give high accuracy and smooth, dependable operation in 3D printers, moving security cameras, med devices, robotic surgical equipment, self-service machines, and more. Advantages include no-slip synchronization, accurate positioning, high torque transmission with low backlash, quiet operation, and long belt life.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Wheels:
CIDEAS uses 3D scanning and printing to retrofit 1998 Lotus 340R
Mike Littrell is a rare combination of visionary and realist. While others tilt at windmills by promising an entire car made of 3D-printed parts, Littrell's company, CIDEAS, is pursuing a more practical, but still bold, agenda: Using 3D scanning and printing technologies to create and manufacture replacement parts for rare vehicles like the Lotus 340R, a legendary concept car of which only 340 were made in 1998.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Built-in cost analysis is powerful SolidWorks tool
SOLIDWORKS 2015 helps speed up your production, integrate design processes with downstream manufacturing, lower costs, and accelerate time-to-market. Learn how users can take advantage of enhanced cost analysis for better upfront estimates, integrated inspection to simplify documentation and quality control, communicating product and manufacturing information (PMI) directly in 3D, and using special electrical tools to enhance embedded electrical design. If you aim to trim waste from your designs, SolidWorks 2015 has you covered from every angle.
View the video. |
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Voxel8: World's first 3D electronics printer
Voxel8 has created the world's first 3D electronics printer, allowing users to combine electronics with novel 3D mechanical forms using the same machine. Integrating embedded conductors, wires, and batteries into plastic parts doesn't happen in one super-simple step, but this machine demonstrates a key capability for the future of additive manufacturing: producing instantly usable 3D-printed parts with embedded functionality. New Autodesk software crafted for the Voxel8 printer, called Project Wire, provides a ton of options on the printed-circuit side. The printer uses highly conductive silver-based inks to make the circuits.
View the video. |
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