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Engineer's Toolbox: How to design the optimum hinge

Although many pin styles are available, Coiled Spring Pins are particularly well suited for use in both friction- and free-fit hinges. To achieve optimum long-term hinge performance, designers should observe these helpful design guidelines from SPIROL.
Read the full article.

Innovative new robo welding gun

Comau's newest N-WG welding gun is designed for high-speed spot welding for traditional, hybrid, and electric vehicles, in addition to general industry sectors. It features a patented, single-body architecture that enables rapid reconfiguration between welding types and forces, and it delivers consistent performance across a broad range of applications, including steel and (soon) aluminum welding. It supports both X and C standard gun configurations, has fast arm exchange, and universal mounting options. It is fully compatible with major robot brands and represents a significant advancement in spot welding performance and cost efficiency.
Learn more.

What's a SLIC Pin^®? Pin and cotter all in one!

The SLIC Pin (Self-Locking Implanted Cotter Pin) from Pivot Point is a pin and cotter all in one. This one-piece locking clevis pin is cost saving, fast, and secure. It functions as a quick locking pin wherever you need a fast-lock function. It features a spring-loaded plunger that functions as an easy insertion ramp. This revolutionary fastening pin is very popular and used successfully in a wide range of applications.
Learn more.

Engineering challenge: Which 3D-printed parts will fade?

How does prolonged exposure to intense UV light impact 3D-printed plastics? Will they fade? This is what Xometry's Director of Application Engineering, Greg Paulsen, set to find out. In this video, Paulsen performs comprehensive tests on samples manufactured using various additive processes, including FDM, SLS, SLA, PolyJet, DLS, and LSPc, to determine their UV resistance. Very informative. Some results may surprise you.
View the video.

Copper filament for 3D printing

Virtual Foundry, the company that brought us 3D-printable lunar regolith simulant, says its popular Copper Filamet™ (not a typo) is "back in stock and ready for your next project." This material is compatible with any open-architecture FDM/FFF 3D printer. After sintering, final parts are 100% pure copper. Also available as pellets. The company says this is one of the easiest materials to print and sinter. New Porcelain Filamet™ available too.
Learn more and get all the specs.

Copper foam -- so many advantages

Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
Learn more.

Full-color 3D-printing Design Guide from Xometry

With Xometry's PolyJet 3D-printing service, you can order full-color 3D prints easily. Their no-cost design guide will help you learn about different aspects of 3D printing colorful parts, how to create and add color to your models, and best practices to keep in mind when printing in full color. Learn how to take full advantage of the 600,000 unique colors available in this flexible additive process.
Get the Xometry guide.

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.

Test your knowledge: High-temp adhesives

Put your knowledge to the test by trying to answer these key questions on how to choose the right high-temperature-resistant adhesive. The technical experts from Master Bond cover critical information necessary for the selection process, including questions on glass transition temperature and service temperature range. Some of the answers may surprise even the savviest of engineers.
Take the quiz.

Engineer's Toolbox: How to pin a shaft and hub assembly properly

One of the primary benefits of using a coiled spring pin to affix a hub or gear to a shaft is the coiled pin's ability to prevent hole damage. Another is the coiled pin absorbs wider hole tolerances than any other press-fit pin. This translates to lower total manufacturing costs of the assembly. However, there are a few design guidelines that must be adhered to in order to achieve the maximum strength of the pinned system and prevent damage to the assembly.
Read this very informative SPIROL article.

What's new in Creo Parametric 11.0?

Creo Parametric 11.0 is packed with productivity-enhancing updates, and sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest impact in your daily workflows. Mark Potrzebowski, Technical Training Engineer, Rand 3D, runs through the newest functionality -- from improved surface modeling tools to smarter file management and model tree navigation. Videos provide extra instruction.
Read the full article.

What's so special about wave springs?

Don't settle for ordinary springs. Opt for Rotor Clip wave springs. A wave spring is a type of flat wire compression spring characterized by its unique waveform-like structure. Unlike traditional coil springs, wave springs offer an innovative solution to complex engineering challenges, producing forces from bending, not torsion. Their standout feature lies in their ability to compress and expand efficiently while occupying up to 50% less axial space than traditional compression springs. Experience the difference Rotor Clip wave springs can make in your applications today!
View the video.

New Standard Parts Handbook from JW Winco

JW Winco's printed Standard Parts Handbook is a comprehensive 2,184-page reference that supports designers and engineers with the largest selection of standard parts categorized into three main groups: operating, clamping, and machine parts. More than 75,000 standard parts can be found in this valuable resource, including toggle clamps, shaft collars, concealed multiple-joint hinges, and hygienically designed components.
Get your Standard Parts Handbook today.

Looking to save space in your designs?

Watch Smalley's quick explainer video to see how engineer Frank improved his product designs by switching from traditional coil springs to compact, efficient wave springs. Tasked with making his products smaller while keeping costs down, Frank found wave springs were the perfect solution.
View the video.

Top die casting design tips

You can improve the design and cost of your die cast parts with these top tips from Xometry's Joel Schadegg. Topics include: Fillets and Radii, Wall Thicknesses, Ribs and Metal Savers, Holes and Windows, Parting Lines, and more. Follow these recommendations so you have the highest chance of success with your project.
Read the full Xometry article.

Researchers create antimicrobial 'superfoam'

A new three-dimensional foam conducts electricity and even cleans polluted water.

A versatile new foam material developed by researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) could significantly reduce health care-related infections caused by implanted medical devices -- or drastically improve clean-up efforts following environmental disasters like oil spills.

Like a spongy Swiss Army knife, the porous, three-dimensional foam is water repellent, meaning it resists blood, microbes, and proteins, while also exhibiting antimicrobial and oil-water separation properties. Its versatility, functionality, and relatively inexpensive production costs could make it a valuable resource for future clinicians and environmental remediation professionals alike.

"Making a multifunctional and versatile surface is an extremely challenging task," said Hitesh Handa, an associate professor in UGA's School of Chemical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering. "You can find a surface that is only antimicrobial, or you can find one that can only prevent blood clotting. To be able to fabricate materials that are anticlotting, antimicrobial, and antifouling is a significant improvement on current standards."

The material is a coarse foam with a pair of added fillers: hydrophobic (water-repellent) electrically conductive graphene nanoplatelets and hydrophobic bactericidal copper microparticles. In addition to repelling water, their inclusion created a coarse surface that facilitated high oil adsorption capacity, and the copper, a known toxin to bacterial cells, added antimicrobial properties to the surface itself.

Studies of its effectiveness yielded positive results.

Using E. coli as a test bacterium, researchers found that the material resulted in a 99.9% bacterial reduction over a simple polymer. While that doesn't mean that all bacteria had been removed from the solution, it is a significant improvement that Handa thinks could create better health outcomes for many of the more than 500,000 patients who endure health care-related infections from medical implants each year.

"Current medical devices are prone to contamination," Handa said. "When you put any medical device into the body, proteins are the first thing to stick to a surface, and they act like a glue that allows blood or bacteria to adhere. So, if we can stop the protein adsorption, half the battle is won."

Likewise, a series of tests demonstrated the material's high capacity for separating water and other oil-based pollutants. By placing a 3D sponge made from this surface into a variety of water mixtures -- chloroform, hydrochloric acid, and other organic particles -- researchers were able to show its ability to absorb and remove the organic pollutants from the water, while also killing bacteria in the water itself.

At scale, the material could prove impactful in environmental clean-up efforts from oil spills or other similar scenarios.

The idea follows a phenomenon called the lotus effect, which refers to self-cleaning properties that are a result of ultrahydrophobicity exhibited by the lotus flower. This has long been a model for the fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces that have proven effective at cleaning, antifogging, and antifouling. Past design strategies, however, have fallen short due to a lack of functionality and scalability.

"The versatility is the key here," said Mark Garren, a co-author on the paper and doctoral student in Handa's lab. "The multifunctional properties are what inspired this, then developing that and showcasing all of its abilities."

Going forward, the primary goal for researchers is to apply the surface to medical devices and demonstrate its effectiveness before moving on to non-human animal trials and, eventually, testing in humans. Facing less rigorous safety standards, the surface may be more readily deployable in the environmental cleanup use cases.

This research, titled "Superhydrophobic and Conductive Foams with Antifouling and Oil-Water Separation Properties" was published in the American Chemical Society's Applied Materials & Interfaces January issue.

Source: University of Georgia

Published May 2023

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