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New 'breathable' rupture disk tech provides overpressure and vacuum relief

To increase equipment safety and reliability, a new rupture disk technology activates at a set burst pressure, but it can also "breathe" to relieve minor pressure fluctuations. The patent-pending, dual-function device from BS&B Safety Systems is ideal for use on low-pressure vessels that are susceptible to ambient temperature changes.
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Engineer's Toolbox: 9 considerations for specifying a slewing ring bearing

In applications that require a bearing to support a structure while it rotates (e.g., cranes, radar, tank turrets), premature bearing failure can put people and equipment at risk. While slewing ring bearings have proven themselves countless times in such applications, designers must consider many factors when specifying them. According to engineers at Kaydon, the bearing's support structure, mounting (including bolt strength, tensioning, and hole patterns), installation, and even storage are all factors in a bearing's success or failure.
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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 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.

Strange: Hitting this stretchy, electronic material makes it tougher

This flexible and conductive material has "adaptive durability," meaning it gets stronger when hit. [Credit: Yue (Jessica) Wang/American Chemical Society]

 

 

Accidents happen every day, and if you drop your smartwatch, or it gets hit really hard, the device probably won't work anymore. Now, however, researchers report on a soft, flexible material with "adaptive durability," meaning it gets stronger when hit or stretched. The material also conducts electricity, making it ideal for the next generation of wearables or personalized medical sensors.

The researchers presented their results March 20 at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Spring 2024 was a hybrid meeting held virtually and in person March 17-21; it featured nearly 12,000 presentations on a range of science topics.

Inspiration for the new material came from a mixture commonly used in cooking -- a cornstarch slurry.

"When I stir cornstarch and water slowly, the spoon moves easily," explains Yue (Jessica) Wang, a materials scientist and the project's principal investigator. "But if I lift the spoon out and then stab the mixture, the spoon doesn't go back in. It's like stabbing a hard surface." This slurry, which helps thicken stews and sauces, has adaptive durability, shifting from malleable to strong, depending on the force applied. Wang's team set out to mimic this property in a solid conductive material.

Many materials that conduct electricity, such as metals, are hard, stiff, or brittle. Researchers have developed ways to make soft and bendable versions using conjugated polymers -- long, spaghetti-like molecules that are conductive. However, most flexible polymers break apart if they undergo repeated, rapid, or large impacts. So, Wang's team at the University of California, Merced, set out to select the right combination of conjugated polymers to create a durable material that would mimic the adaptive behavior of cornstarch particles in water.

Initially, the researchers made an aqueous solution of a handful of polymers: long, spaghetti-like poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid), shorter polyaniline molecules, and a highly conductive combination known as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). After spreading a thin layer of the mixture and drying it to make a film, the team tested the stretchy material's mechanical properties.

They found that rather than breaking apart from very rapid impacts, it deformed or stretched out. The faster the impact, the more stretchy and tough the film became. Surprisingly, just a 10% addition of PEDOT:PSS improved both the material's conductivity and adaptive durability. Wang notes that this result was unexpected because, on their own, PEDOT and PSS don't get tougher with rapid or high impacts.

VIDEO: Flexible electronic polymers for smart devices. [Credit: American Chemical Society]

The four polymers, two with positive charges and two with negative charges, tangle up like a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, explains Di Wu, a postdoctoral researcher in Wang's lab who presented the work at the meeting. "Because the positively charged molecules don't like water, they aggregate into meatball-like microstructures," says Wu. The team's hypothesis is that the adaptive behavior comes from the meatballs absorbing the energy of an impact and flattening when hit, but not completely splitting apart.

However, Wu wanted to see how adding small molecules could create a composite material that was even tougher when stretched or dropped quickly. Because all the polymers had charges, the team chose molecules with positive, negative, or neutral charges to test. Then they assessed how the additives modified the polymers' interactions and impacted each material's adaptive durability.

Preliminary results indicated the positively charged nanoparticles made of 1,3-propanediamine were the best additive, imparting the most adaptive functionality. Wu says this additive weakened the interactions of the polymers that form the "meatballs," making them easier to push apart and deform when hit, and strengthened the tightly entangled "spaghetti strings." "Adding the positively charged molecules to our material made it even stronger at higher stretch rates," says Wu.

In the future, Wang says, the team will shift toward demonstrating the applicability of their lightweight conductive material. The possibilities include soft wearables, such as integrated bands and backside sensors for smartwatches, and flexible electronics for health monitoring, such as cardiovascular sensors or continuous glucose monitors. Additionally, the team formulated a previous version of the adaptive material for 3D printing and produced a replica of a team member's hand, demonstrating the potential incorporation into personalized electronic prosthetics. Wang thinks the new composite version should also be compatible with 3D printing to make whatever shape is desired.

The adaptive durability of the material means future biosensor devices could be flexible enough for regular, human motion but resist damage if they're accidentally bumped or hit hard, explains Wang. "There are a number of potential applications, and we're excited to see where this new, unconventional property will take us."

Source: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Published April 2024

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