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SOLIDWORKS 2025: Sheet metal design top features from an expert

Find out what's new in SOLIDWORKS 2025 when it comes to sheet metal and weldments, and learn some valuable tips and tricks along the way from TriMech. Topics covered include copying cut list properties, bend notches, tab and slot enhancements, groove beads (a new type of weld bead), performance enhancements, and more. When you're done, check out TriMech's full YouTube channel filled with educational material.
View the video.

Introducing ECOMO: Revolutionizing energy efficiency for transformers with the power of nature

ECOMO is ushering in a new era of energy efficiency for existing transformers. This innovative unit from Japan reduces power consumption by 5 to 15% for transformers and other electrical equipment by harnessing the natural properties of tourmaline and ferrite. Many users have achieved a return on investment in under two years, and an ROI calculator is available to estimate potential savings. Easy installation. Requires no external power source. Sound intriguing?
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Tech Tip: How to create high-quality STL files for 3D prints

Have you ever 3D printed a part that had flat spots or faceted surfaces where smooth curves were supposed to be? You are not alone, and it's not your 3D printer's fault. According to Markforged, the culprit is likely a lack of resolution in the STL file used to create the part.
Read this detailed and informative Markforged blog.

LEDs: High-precision and focused light source

Würth Elektronik's WL-SMCW SMT Mono-color Chip LED Waterclear now includes a compact model with a footprint of just 1.6 mm x 0.8 mm, in which a dome lens focuses the light with an emission angle of just 30 degrees. With this LED, light can be precisely directed onto a small area while minimizing light scattering and energy loss. This space-saving LED is suitable for consumer electronics, medical devices, handheld products, and symbol or text displays. Available LED colors are blue, green, light green, yellow, amber, and red. A model with diffuse light (WL-SMTD) is also available.
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Chip fuse with 'slow-blow' characteristic

SCHURTER's compact and powerful SMT chip fuse UST 1206 has enjoyed great popularity since its intro in 2008. In response to customer requests, SCHURTER has expanded this line with even more powerful versions with rated currents up to 35 A. The SCHURTER UST 1206 is a chip fuse for surface mounting with a "slow-blow" characteristic. This means it has a high melting integral, so the fuse does not trip immediately at inrush current peaks higher than the rated current. This is of great importance in many industrial applications (e.g. motors, power converters).
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Long-life electric actuators: Improved controllability, performance

Thomson Electrak LL Linear Actuators now offer your machine designs a higher speed option, more electronic control options (including CANopen), and a 48-V option to meet the power requirements in battery-powered applications. Thomson says the new Electrak LL choices are for those who want to gain more control over the position, load, and speed of their applications, such as smart railway pantographs and couplers, AGVs, automated farming robots, movable steps, and access lifts for trains and buses.
Learn more and get the specs.

Real-world applications: FUTEK 100 sensor examples

Get inspired. FUTEK has more than 100 real-world application examples for their load cells, force transducers, torque sensors, pressure sensors, and multi-axis sensors. From a cryogenic load cell on the Mars Curiosity rover to fly-by-wire multi-axis force and torque sensors for aircraft, learn about sensor systems, their specs, and design. Automotive, manufacturing, medical, robotics, and automation are covered too. Fascinating and highly practical.
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Ultra-compact hollow-shaft angle sensor tracks angle even if power is cut

Novotechnik's WAL 200 Series of hollow shaft angle sensors provides absolute rotary position -- even if power is removed. After power is restored, this sensor provides the correct angle. With a 7-mm profile and 22-mm diameter, it is designed to fit in applications with very limited space. The WAL 200 Series has a measurement range of 0 to 340 degrees. Mechanical range is a continuous 0 to 360 degrees. Applications include volumetric dosing systems, joysticks, and more.
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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.
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EMI suppression capacitors with enhanced humidity resistance

TDK Corporation has launched the EPCOS B3292xM3/N3 series of X2 EMI suppression capacitors. These new components are 20% smaller than previous models and meet Grade III Test B standards for temperature, humidity, and bias (THB). Their compact size and enhanced durability suit space-constrained, high-humidity environments, especially for "across-the-line" applications in automotive and industrial settings. Applications include automotive on-board chargers, uninterruptible power supplies, and hybrid inverters for energy storage systems.
Learn more.

Uses of thermal cameras in manufacturing expand: This time around to papermaking

What can you so with FLIR thermal cameras to improve your industrial processes? Recent developments in thermal signature analytics have expanded the applications of thermal cameras beyond routine troubleshooting. In papermaking, they now contribute to paper machine control, energy usage benchmarking, wet streak detection, and the identification and prediction of certain classes of sheet breaks. Maybe you'll get some ideas for your applications.
Read the full article.

3-axis motion made simple using CLICK PLUS PLC

Automation-Direct CLICK PLUS PLCs, when combined with stepper motors, make advanced motion control and edge integration simple for smaller systems. Learn motion control basics, motor options, motion with micro-PLCs and steppers, and more in this informative whitepaper from AutomationDirect. No registration required.
Get the AutomationDirect whitepaper.

Benchtop ionizer removes static at a distance

The award-winning EXAIR Varistat^® Benchtop Ionizer is a powerful fan-driven static eliminator engineered to neutralize static charges on surfaces in demanding industrial environments. This Ionizer delivers a consistent stream of ionized airflow, effectively eliminating static and particulates without the need for compressed air. The Varistat is now available in 230 V to meet the needs of industrial locations. Easily mounted and manually adjustable.
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All about slip rings: How they work and their uses

Rotary Systems has put together a really nice basic primer on slip rings -- electrical swivels that carry a current from a stationary wire into a rotating device. Common uses are for power, proximity switches, strain gauges, video, and Ethernet signal transmission. This introduction also covers how to specify, assembly types, and interface requirements. Rotary Systems also manufactures rotary unions for fluid applications.
Read the Rotary Systems article.

Digital microscope with 2,040x mag: Under $200

Inspect work products or help your little engineer at home win that science fair with the AD246S-M HDMI Digital Microscope from Andonstar Technology Co. This tri-lens unit boasts a wide magnification range (60 to 240x, 18 to 720x, 1,560 to 2,040x), very good image performance, built-in rotatable monitor, and a slew of multifunctional accessories including a remote, dimmer cable to adjust illumination, and more. A solid choice for a small investment.
Learn more.

Scientists capture first images of atoms 'swimming' in liquid

Scientists who specialize in studying graphene at The University of Manchester in the U.K. have created a novel "nano-petri dish" using two-dimensional (2D) materials to create a new method of observing how atoms move in liquid.

The team, led by researchers based at the National Graphene Institute (NGI), used stacks of 2D materials including graphene to trap liquid in order to further understand how the presence of liquid changes the behavior of the solid. They were able to capture images of single atoms "swimming" in liquid for the first time. The findings, published in Nature, could have widespread impact on the future development of green technologies such as hydrogen production.

Using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scientists have been able to observe atoms "swimming" while trapped in graphene stacks. [Credit: TEM screenshot from The University of Manchester]

 

 

When a solid surface is in contact with a liquid, both substances change their configuration in response to the proximity of the other. Such atomic-scale interactions at solid-liquid interfaces govern the behavior of batteries and fuel cells for clean electricity generation, as well as determining the efficiency of clean water generation and underpinning many biological processes.

"Given the widespread industrial and scientific importance of such behavior, it is truly surprising how much we still have to learn about the fundamentals of how atoms behave on surfaces in contact with liquids," said Professor Sarah Haigh, one of the lead researchers. "One of the reasons information is missing is the absence of techniques able to yield experimental data for solid-liquid interfaces."

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is one of only a few techniques that allows individual atoms to be seen and analyzed. However, the TEM instrument requires a high vacuum environment, and the structure of materials changes in a vacuum. "In our work, we show that misleading information is provided if the atomic behavior is studied in vacuum instead of using our liquid cells," said Dr. Nick Clark, first author.

Illustration of swimming atoms trapped in graphene stacks. [Credit: Illustration by The University of Manchester]

 

 

The NGI's Professor Roman Gorbachev pioneered the stacking of 2D materials for electronics. In this work, his group used those same techniques to develop a "double graphene liquid cell." A 2D layer of molybdenum disulfide was fully suspended in liquid and encapsulated by graphene windows. This novel design allowed the team to provide precisely controlled liquid layers, enabling unprecedented videos to be captured showing the single atoms "swimming" around surrounded by liquid.

By analyzing how the atoms moved in the videos and comparing to theoretical insights provided by colleagues at Cambridge University, the researchers were able to understand the effect of the liquid on atomic behavior. The liquid was found to speed up the motion of the atoms and also change their preferred resting sites with respect to the underlying solid.

The team studied a material that is promising for green hydrogen production, but the experimental technology they have developed can be used for many different applications.

"This is a milestone achievement, and it is only the beginning," Clark said. "We are already looking to use this technique to support development of materials for sustainable chemical processing needed to achieve the world's net-zero ambitions."

Source: The University of Manchester

Published September 2022

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