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Stratasys, BASF partner on new polypropylene for 3D printing

A new additive manufacturing material from Stratasys and BASF is aimed at driving greater part quality, versatility, and cost efficiency. SAF™ PP is recognized for its exceptional chemical resistance and airtight capabilities, making it the ultimate choice for complex applications across various industries. It can also be welded to other polypropylene components.
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Cam followers with space-saving polymer outer ring design

The new CFL Series cam follower from IKO International boasts a unique, space-saving outer ring design and polymer layer that exceeds the capabilities of conventional resin-type cam followers. Many conventional cam followers press-fit a layer of resin onto the unit's standard outer ring to maintain radial load capacity and provide quiet, clean, and durable operation. However, this thicker assembly makes it difficult to fit into constrained spaces. The CFL Series significantly improves on this design with a polymer layer that is molded directly onto the IKO exclusive thin-walled steel outer ring. This construction solves the dilemma of being able to install a cam follower with special polymers, offering self-lubricating and shock-absorbing properties into existing applications.
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NEW! Semi-automatic pin installation technology from SPIROL -- Better, faster fastening

SPIROL's new video showcases their updated Model PR and Model CR Semi-Automatic Installation Machines for Pins, Alignment Dowels, and Bushings. The video demonstrates how to operate the machine, details standard features, and optional quality and error-proofing enhancements. More than 80% of the components in this installation equipment are standard, pretested, production-proven, off-the-shelf parts. This translates into faster delivery, greater reliability, and lowest cost for equipment of comparable quality.
View the video.

Advanced tips for CNC designs and drawings: On-demand webinar

Greg Paulsen and Steve Zimmerman from Xometry present a comprehensive understanding of CNC design principles, what features are considered common, and what can drive costs. The experts also go through guidance to make great technical drawings to communicate design intent to manufacturers. Lots of good info here. Flip through now and take it all in later when you have the time.
View the video. No registration required.

Get a 24-piece bearings sample box from igus

igus has a new and improved 24-piece iglide^® sample box that engineers can request and receive gratis. All iglide components are self-lubricating, resistant to dirt and dust, and offer low rates of wear. The sample box contains bearings, gears, piston rings, and more, and includes many of the most widely used iglide materials. Nothing like having the materials in hand to really check them out.
Learn more.

Couplings provide stable control in challenging stepper/servo motor applications

Zero-Max's ServoClass-HSN Couplings address noise and vibration issues that can be experienced in high-gain, high-speed stepper/servo motor applications such as linear actuators, high-response gantry systems, pick-and-place systems, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Featuring a Highly Saturated Nitrile Rubber (HSN/HNBR) flex element, these couplings are specifically designed for maximum damping and performance. They incorporate the field-proven ServoClass clamping hub system and have a zero-backlash design.
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New infinitely reconfigurable and reusable mold tech

UK-based company Fyous is launching the world's first infinitely reusable molding technology that can shapeshift in under 20 minutes, producing zero tooling waste and making usable parts 14 times faster than 3D printing. Sort of like a kid's pin art toy, Fyous' PolyMorphic molding can be set, used, and then reset to help create parts from carbon fiber, polyurethane, PET sheet (thermoformed), foods like chocolate, and more.
Read the full article.

New disk-type flexible couplings

Stock Drive Products/ Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) has expanded their selection of flexible couplings to include the single disk-type couplings (short-type) series S50XHSM and the double disk-type couplings (standard length-type) series S50XHWM. The disk-type flexible couplings are an economical option that provides greater torque capability and improved performance in a reduced size, with torque ratings of 0.6 up to 12 Nm -- an improvement over similar products.
Learn more.

What is a Heatric Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger?

According to Parker Hannifin, "A Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger is a robust, corrosion-resistant, high-integrity plate-type heat exchanger manufactured using diffusion bonding." Learn about the technology and why Heatric, a Parker brand, "can manufacture a unit up to 85% smaller and lighter than traditional technologies such as shell and tube heat exchangers."
Read this informative Parker blog.

Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- Why have more than 300 million been sold?

3M Friction Shims are small, thin steel shims with a big impact. They can increase maximum load and peak torque in bolted connections without additional fasteners or redesigns. What else makes them so popular -- and so useful?
Read the full article.

Big news from Smalley! New online store

Smalley's customers for the highest-quality retaining rings and wave springs now have a new procurement option: the Smalley online store. This new service channel is a first for the renowned rings and springs provider. After creating an account, approved users gain access to: convenient 24/7 online ordering that includes more than 11,000 standard parts, real-time product pricing, easy reordering with saved history and wish lists, and a quick checkout. No more waiting for an RFQ response to purchase!
Learn more.

New robotic parts feeding system claims to be a game changer

TM Robotics has launched a revolutionary new robotic feeding system called Infinifeed™ to the North American market. Powered by Shibaura Machine's advanced THE series of industrial robots, the Infinifeed is an automated feeding system that addresses the common challenges of parts feeding and sorting. Designed by DOMA Automation and integrated by Tera Automation, Infinifeed uses a unique parallel belt conveyor system with opposing motion. This innovative design, equipped with diverters and a 2D vision system, ensures seamless part feeding and sorting.
Learn more.

V-Conform O-ring Belts -- the Ultra-Drive Belts

V-Conform™ Reinforced O-ring Belts from Dura-Belt are bi-modulus (rubber reinforced with elastic stretchy nylon), so they provide greater tension than solid polyurethane belts. These belts have soft, tiny ribs that conform to standard 3/16-in. roller grooves, so they can replace round elastic belts while maintaining grip and tension. Lots of benefits, including: energy savings, motorized drive roller (MDR) protection, bearing and shaft hole wear prevention, and more.
Learn more.

EXAIR's new AR Mobile App enhances user experience

The new EXAIR AR Mobile App provides users with a handy compressed air reference tool for over 570 different EXAIR products. The app expedites the solution-finding process by allowing users to select their specific sizes and performance requirements, place a 3D version of the product in their actual workspace using Augmented Reality, and navigate to a page to purchase -- all from their mobile device. The app includes a library of conversion calculators. Available in both the Apple and Google Play Stores.
Learn more.

ClampDisk micro fastener is new alternative for automotive and consumer electronics

Designed as a unique alternative in assemblies for the automotive and consumer electronics markets, the ClampDisk Press-on Fastener is a new offering from PennEngineering that delivers a fast, simple way to achieve sheet-to-sheet clamped fastening while replacing the use of standard screws, nuts, and adhesives. The most common challenges that can be eliminated or reduced by using ClampDisk include over installation, cross threading, stripped screw heads, broken screws, and damaged product. This fastener can be removed easily with a sharp-edged tool.
Learn more and see how ClampDisk works.

New super-tough-to-mimic chemical fingerprint aims to combat counterfeit goods, can be verified on smartphone

Researchers in Denmark tested a new anti-conterfeiting system by producing tags consisting of QR-codes printed on paper and sprayed with transparent ink containing various microparticles. [Credit: Thomas Just Sørensen]

 

 

 

 

Many of us have come home with a new designer bag, watch, or other merchandise only to suspect or discover that it was a fake. More ominously, people die from counterfeit drugs on a daily basis. Globally, consumer counterfeit imports are worth just short of a half-a-trillion dollars annually. The trade is growing, has spread to most industries, and counterfeiters always seem to be at least one step ahead of manufacturers. As such, it is tough for consumers to feel entirely secure about their purchases.

In response, two researchers from the University of Copenhagen's Nano-Science Center have developed what they are deeming a 100 percent pirate-safe labelling system, where individual items receive a label, a so-called "tag," that corresponds with a unique fingerprint. After nearly 10,000 tests, the researchers have proved that their method works.

"You can put it on a wine bottle, a gold watch, a painting -- whatever. The label needn't be larger than a comma. And, it is impossible to copy because the probability that two items share the same fingerprint is nil," says UCPH researcher and associate professor Thomas Just Sørensen, who along with fellow researcher Riikka Arppe-Tabbara has developed the anti-counterfeiting system that they are able to confidently refer to as "the world's safest."

Transparent ink as a fingerprint
The fingerprint, or "tag," consists of a bit of transparent ink containing various microparticles, sprayed upon a bar code on paper, for example. Just as a handful of sand thrown over a surface would, the particles form a random, completely unique pattern of tiny white dots when applied. As there is no chance of creating identical patterns using this method, it is impossible to copy.

Because the ink can be sprayed over any type of bar code and onto many types of materials, the tags are inexpensive to mass-produce. The system works in such a way that each product leaving a factory receives its own fingerprint, which is then registered in a database.

Consumers can check using their phones
Counterfeit safety isn't the only smart thing about this system. Purchasers can validate their product using an ordinary smartphone that, by way of an app, scans an item's fingerprint and checks for a matching database image.

"When purchasing pharmaceuticals online, you have no way of knowing whether what you bought might have been produced in a Ghanaian sweatshop. Today, consumers are not able to check for themselves whether an item is genuine or not. They must trust every step of the production and supply chain. Our system provides every step in this process with equal access to the system," says Sørensen.

During their nearly 10,000 tests, which included various types of mobile phones handled by a variety of users, the researchers encountered zero false positives. The researchers also tested the system together with companies that produce packaging and labels for everything from pain relievers and bottles of wine, to sneakers and tins of biscuits.

The researchers tested the system, based on PUF technology (physical unclonable function), by producing 9,720 tags consisting of QR codes printed on plain paper and sprayed with transparent ink. Each tag was photographed with a mobile phone to create an image database. The images were then scanned with other mobile phones to see if they matched. The results:

• There was a false match in 0 percent of cases.
• There was a positive match in 76 percent of cases.
• In the remaining cases, the photo was either out of focus or the tag was dirty, thus requiring a new image before a match could be made. The researchers say this error will be remediated by software.

The University of Copenhagen has taken out a patent on the system, which is now only missing the software component. The researchers expect the app to be completed over the course of the year. The result has been published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Source: University of Copenhagen

Published February 2019

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