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New nylon constant torque hinge

Southco has expanded its line of E6 Constant Torque Hinges with a compact, nylon version designed for small applications. The newest addition to the company's E6 50 Constant Torque Position Control Hinge series measures 45 mm with a torque range of 4 to 16 in./lb and is 65% lighter compared to the standard E6 50 Hinge. It provides constant resistance throughout the entire range of motion, enabling users to easily position doors, display screens, and other mounted components and hold them securely at any desired angle.
Learn more.

What injection molding material do I use?

How do you decide what type of plastic to use for your next injection molding project? Xometry can help you narrow your choices. Discover the different strengths and applications for materials that could be ideal for your application by learning about the most common plastic injection molding materials in detail.
Read this detailed Xometry article.

What are carbon composite bellows springs?

The Carbon Composite Bellows Spring (CCBS) from MW Components is a system of carbon fiber elements that combine to work as a high-performance, lightweight, and design-flexible compression spring meant to replace coil springs or metallic Belleville disc springs. A functional spring is made from several individual elements paired and joined to make a stack. The stack spring rate is determined by the number of elements, the base rate of each element, and their series or parallel orientation in the stack. Applications include motorsports, aerospace, and high-performance activities.
Learn more.

Conductive Brush Ring overcomes current leakage in EV powertrains

SKF's new Conductive Brush Ring paves the way to greater reliability and longer life in high-performance electric vehicle powertrain systems. Using pure carbon fiber bristles, it provides a reliable electrical connection between an EV eAxle rotor shaft and its housing. When used in combination with SKF Hybrid ceramic ball bearings, it helps to alleviate parasitic current effects that can lead to premature failure in bearings and other components. Available in different configurations for wet (oil-lubricated) motor designs -- and soon for dry (sealed) applications.
Learn more.

hyperMILL 2024 CAD/CAM software suite

OPEN MIND Technologies has introduced its latest hyperMILL 2024 CAD/CAM software suite, which includes a range of powerful enhancements to its core toolpath capabilities, as well as new functionality for increased NC programming efficiency in applications ranging from 2.5D machining to 5-axis milling. New and enhanced capabilities include: Optimized Deep Hole Drilling, a new algorithm for 3- and 5-axis Rest Machining, an enhanced path layout for the 3D Plane Machining cycle, better error detection, and much more.
Learn more.

One-part epoxy changes from red to clear under UV

Master Bond UV15RCL is a low-viscosity, cationic-type UV-curing system with a special color-changing feature. The red material changes to clear once exposed to UV light, indicating that there is UV light access across the adhesive material. Although this change in color from red to clear does not indicate a full cure, it does confirm that the UV light has reached the polymer. This epoxy is an excellent electrical insulator. UV15RCL adheres well to metals, glass, ceramics, and many plastics, including acrylics and polycarbonates.
Learn more.

SPIROL Press-N-Lok™ Pin for plastic housings

The Press-N-Lok™ Pin was designed to permanently retain two plastic components to each other. As the pin is inserted, the plastic backfills into the area around the two opposing barbs, resulting in maximum retention. Assembly time is quicker, and it requires lower assembly equipment costs compared to screws and adhesives -- just Press-N-Lok™!
Learn more about the new Press-N-Lok™ Pin.

Why hybrid bearings are becoming the new industry standard

A combination of steel outer and inner rings with ceramic balls or rollers is giving hybrid bearings unique properties, making them suitable for use in a wide range of modern applications. SKF hybrid bearings make use of silicon nitride (twice as hard as bearing steel) rolling elements and are available as ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and in custom designs. From electric erosion prevention to friction reduction and extended maintenance intervals, learn all about next-gen hybrid bearings.
Read the SKF technical article.

3M and Ansys train engineers on simulating adhesives

Ansys and 3M have created an advanced simulation training program enabling engineers to enhance the design and sustainability of their products when using tapes and adhesives as part of the design. Simulation enables engineers to validate engineering decisions when analyzing advanced polymeric materials -- especially when bonding components made of different materials. Understand the behavior of adhesives under real-world conditions for accurate modeling and design.
Read this informative Ansys blog.

New FATH T-slotted rail components in black from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added a wide assortment of black-colored FATH T-slotted hardware components to match their SureFrame black anodized T-slotted rails, including: cube connectors (2D and 3D) and angle connectors, joining plates of many types, brackets, and pivot joints. Also included are foot consoles, linear bearings in silver and black, cam lever brakes, and L-handle brakes. FATH T-slotted hardware components are easy to install, allow for numerous T-slotted structure configurations, and have a 1-year warranty against defects.
Learn more.

Weird stuff: Moon dust simulant for 3D printing

Crafted from a lunar regolith simulant, Basalt Moon Dust Filamet™ (not a typo) available from The Virtual Foundry closely mirrors the makeup of lunar regolith found in mare regions of the Moon. It enables users with standard fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers to print with unparalleled realism. Try out your ideas before you go for that big space contract, or help your kid get an A on that special science project.
Learn more.

Break the mold with custom injection molding by Rogan

With 90 years of industry experience, Rogan Corporation possesses the expertise to deliver custom injection molding solutions that set businesses apart. As a low-cost, high-volume solution, injection molding is the most widely used plastics manufacturing process. Rogan processes include single-shot, two-shot, overmolding, and assembly. Elevate your parts with secondary operations: drilling and tapping, hot stamping, special finishes, punch press, gluing, painting, and more.
Learn more.

World's first current-carrying fastening technology

PEM^® eConnect™ current-carrying pins from Penn-Engineering provide superior electrical connections in applications that demand high performance from internal components, such as automotive electronics. This first-to-market tech provides repeatable, consistent electrical joints and superior installation unmatched by traditional fastening methods. Features include quick and secure automated installation, no hot spots or poor conductivity, and captivation options that include self-clinching and broaching styles.
Learn more about eConnect pins.

New interactive digital catalog from EXAIR

EXAIR's latest catalog offers readers an incredible source of innovative solutions for common industrial problems like conveying, cooling, cleaning, blowoff, drying, coating, and static buildup. This fully digital and interactive version of Catalog 35 is designed for easy browsing and added accessibility. Customers can view, download, print, and save either the full catalog or specific pages and sections. EXAIR products are designed to conserve compressed air and increase personnel safety in the process. Loaded with useful information.
Check out EXAIR's online catalog.

5 cost-saving design tips for CNC machining

Make sure your parts meet expectations the first time around. Xometry's director of application engineering, Greg Paulsen, presents five expert tips for cutting costs when designing custom CNC machined parts. This video covers corners and radii, designing for deep pockets, thread depths, thin walls, and more. Always excellent info from Paulsen at Xometry.
View the video.

Secret behind one of the world's toughest materials uncovered

A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and Rice University in the United States has uncovered the key to the outstanding toughness of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). h-BN can withstand 10 times the amount of force that graphene can, which is known as one of the toughest materials on Earth.

A two-dimensional (2D) material, h-BN has a thickness of just one atom. First used in cosmetics in the 1940s, it was soon abandoned due to its high price, making a resurgence in the late 1990s after technology made its production cheaper.

Today, it is used by nearly all leading producers of cosmetic products because of its ability to absorb excess facial sebum and disperse pigment evenly, and as a protective layer in 2D electronics, as it insulates against electricity and withstands temperatures of up to 1,000 C.

The NTU and Rice scientists said their new understanding of the compound's unique properties could pave the way to designing new flexible materials for electronics.

In both graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) materials, atoms are arranged in a flat lattice of interconnecting hexagons. In graphene, all the atoms are carbon. In h-BN, each hexagon contains three nitrogen and three boron atoms. [Credit: NTU Singapore]

 

 

 

 

When scientists examined h-BN that had been exposed to stress, they saw that any breakages in the material branched like forks in a road, instead of travelling straight through the material. This means that fractures in h-BN are less likely to grow when further stress is applied.

Elaborating on the significance of their findings, Professor Gao Huajian, a Distinguished University Profesor in NTU's School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering who led the study, said: "Our experiments show that h-BN is the toughest nanomaterial measured to date. What makes this work so exciting is that it unveils an intrinsic toughening mechanism in this material, which should be brittle as it is only one atom thick. This is unexpected, as there is often a tradeoff between the strength and brittleness of nanomaterials."

This latest research is another of Prof Gao's achievements in the field of applied mechanics. He was recently awarded the prestigious 2021 Timoshenko Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in recognition of his pioneering contributions to nanomechanics of engineering and biological systems, a new research field at the interface of solid mechanics, materials science, and biophysics.

Professor Lou Jun, from Rice University's Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, who also led the study, said: "In the real world, no material is free from defects, which is why understanding fracture toughness -- or resistance to crack growth -- is so important in engineering. It describes how much punishment a real-world material can withstand before failing."

The research was published in the scientific journal Nature in June.

Unveiling the secret behind h-BN's toughness
After 1,000 hours of lab experiments and the use of computer simulations, the scientists traced the vastly different fracture toughness of graphene and h-BN to their chemical compositions.

Like a honeycomb, both h-BN and graphene are arranged in interconnecting hexagons. However, the hexagons in graphene consist solely of carbon atoms, while each hexagon structure in h-BN consists of three nitrogen and three boron atoms.

A computational simulation at NTU showing how h-BN fractures. The material's intrinsic toughness arises from slight asymmetries in its atomic structure (left), which produce a permanent tendency for moving cracks to follow branched paths (right). [Credit: NTU Singapore]

 

 

 

 

This difference in composition is what causes a moving crack in h-BN to branch off its path, and this tendency to branch or turn means it takes more energy for a crack to be driven further into it. By contrast, graphene breaks more easily, as fractures travel straight through the material like a zipper.

The researchers say that h-BN's surprising toughness could make it the ideal option for making tear-resistant flexible electronics, such as wearable medical devices and foldable smartphones. It could also be added to strengthen electronics made from two-dimensional (2D) materials, which tend to be brittle.

Besides its flexibility, h-BN's heat resistance and chemical stability would allow it to serve as both a supporting base and an insulating layer between electronic components, setting it apart from other traditional materials used in electronics.

Elaborating on the future applications of their study, Prof Gao said: "Our findings also point to a new route to produce tough materials by adding structural asymmetry into designs. This would reduce the likelihood of materials fracturing under extreme stress, which may cause the devices to fail and lead to catastrophic effects."

Prof Lou added: "The niche area for 2D material-based electronics like h-BN is in flexible electronic devices. In addition to applications like electronic textiles, 2D electronic devices are thin enough for more exotic applications like electronic tattoos and implants that could be attached directly to the brain."

The scientists are now using their findings to explore new methods to produce tougher materials for mechanical and electronic manufacturing.

Source: NTU Singapore

Published June 2021

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