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.
| September 02, 2025 | Volume 21 Issue 33 |
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 | Springs for High Forces in Tight Spaces
Are you looking for heavy-duty springs but need help finding something with a shorter axial height? Try Nested Wave Springs! They're constructed from flat wire with multiple turns and coiled parallel to produce higher forces. This innovative build saves space in your assembly and can even replace stacks of single-turn wave springs.
Read this informative Smalley tech article. |
| | Feature articles |
 | Metal laser welding markedly improved with beam forming
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany have worked out a way to eliminate filler wire in metal laser welding while improving quality, energy efficiency, and production. It improves joining parts of difficult-to-weld alloys or heavy sections, and also materials made by different means, including die-cast and extrusion. Read three successful real-world-application tests.
Read the full article. |
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 | Advanced metrology accelerates performance for American race team
In motorsports, where aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical accuracy can mean the difference between a podium finish and a mid-pack result, precision isn't a luxury -- it's a necessity. As Brian Winters, Product Manager at Hexagon - Manufacturing Intelligence division, writes, Minnesota-based JDC-Miller MotorSports understands this better than most.
Read the full article. |
 | 2026 Jeep Cherokee: New design includes hybrid powertrain
The all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee features an impressive blend of iconic design, capability, and efficiency to provide customers with a solid, go-anywhere midsize SUV. With a new 1.6-liter turbo-four hybrid engine, an estimated 37 mpg combined, and more than 500 miles to a tank of fuel, the 2026 Cherokee is ready to take adventures farther than ever.
Read the full article. |
 | How drive technology brings robotic hands to life
Whether in automation or medical robotics, industrial applications or modern prosthetics, robotic hands are expected to do what the human hand has perfected over thousands of years. Each robo finger is driven by one or more actuators and can help perform actions from delicate movements to powerful gripping. Drives must be extremely compact. The DC motors from the FAULHABER SXR family are particularly suitable for this demanding application.
Read the full article. |
 | Feel the difference: 2-shot injection molded knobs sample pack
In 1979, Rogan was the first knob company to mold a knob utilizing the 2-shot injection molding process, which uses a single plastic molding machine specially made to inject two materials sequentially or one on top of the other. If you have ever used a plastic toothbrush with a colorful rubber grip, it was likely 2-shot injection molded. Create a competitive advantage for your products. You can add markings, custom colors or graphics, and even glow-in-the-dark materials. Get a sample of control knobs or clamping knobs -- or both.
Request a sample pack from Rogan, and feel the difference. |
 | Simplify machine control: Parker preprogrammed controllers for the Hybrid Actuator System
Parker's Hybrid Actuator System (HAS) was designed to deliver reduced set-up time and minimized programming complexity. The design combines the controllability of electromechanical actuators with the durability of a traditional hydraulic system. It is matched with a feature-rich controller that offers plug-and-play functionality with powerful preprogrammed macros to make valve-like operation effortless. Health-monitoring macros are built in too.
Read the Parker blog. |
 | Mobile autonomous all-rounder sets new standards for cleanroom operation
Consisting of a mobile platform and the six-axis LBR iisy CR robot, the KMR iisy CR robot from KUKA is an optimal traveling manipulator for work in cleanrooms thanks to its low-particle and low-emission properties and ESD certification. After a quick-and-easy installation, it carries out pick-and-place operations, material transport, or palletizing tasks efficiently and cost effectively in semiconductor production or other areas of the electronics industry.
Learn more. |
 | New CNC turning capabilities for sourced custom parts
meviy (Schaumburg, IL), the on-demand custom parts manufacturing service developed by MISUMI Group, is now supporting Square and V-groove recognition for faster, more precise quoting and production. This enhancement gives engineers the ability to design with an expanded range of fits for components such as seals, o-rings, retention rings, and custom assemblies. V-grooves, often used for power transmission and positioning, are critical in factory automation equipment. The update enables groove shapes with sharp corners for exceptional centering, angular alignment, and positioning accuracy, as well as narrow flat-bottom grooves for parts such as pulleys.
Learn about this and other new meviy capabilities. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Why landers leave weird patterns on the Moon
Multiple Moon landings, conducted over several decades, have produced a remarkably similar pattern of dust on the lunar surface. The recurrence of this pattern created by rockets firing during touchdown, which wouldn't be the same on Earth or Mars, is a long-running mystery that now has an answer.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | What can you do with touchless magnetic angle sensors?
Novotechnik has put together an informative video highlighting real-world applications for their RFC, RFE, and RSA Series touchless magnetic angle sensors. You may be surprised at the variety of off-highway, marine, material handling, and industrial uses. You'll learn how they work (using a Hall effect microprocessor to detect position) and their key advantages, including eliminated wear and tear on these non-mechanical components. We love when manufacturers provide such useful examples.
View the video. |
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