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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.

What can you secure with a retaining ring? 20 examples

From the watch dial on your wrist to a wind turbine, no application is too small or too big for a Smalley retaining ring to secure. Light to heavy-duty loads? Carbon steel to exotic materials? No problem. See how retaining rings are used in slip clutches, bike locks, hip replacements, and even the Louvre Pyramid.
See the Smalley design applications.

Load fasteners with integrated RFID

A crane, rope, or chain may be required when something needs lifting -- plus anchoring points on the load. JW Winco offers a wide range of solutions to fasten the load securely, including: lifting eye bolts and rings (with or without rotation), eye rings with ball bearings, threaded lifting pins, shackles, lifting points for welding, and more. Some, such as the GN 581 Safety Swivel Lifting Eye Bolts, even have integrated RFID tags to clearly identify specific lifting points during wear and safety inspections and manage them digitally and without system interruption.
Learn more.

Couplings solve misalignments more precisely with targeted center designs

ALS Couplings from Miki Pulley feature a simplistic, three-piece construction and are available in three different types for more precisely handling parallel, angular, or axial misalignment applications. The key feature of this coupling design is its center element. Each of the three models has a center member that has a unique and durable material and shape. Also called a "spider," the center is designed to address and resolve the type of misalignment targeted. Ideal for unidirectional continuous movement or rapid bidirectional motion.
Learn more.

What is 3D-MID? Molded parts with integrated electronics from HARTING

3D-MID (three-dimensional mechatronic integrated devices) technology combines electronic and mechanical functionalities into a single, 3D component. It replaces the traditional printed circuit board and opens up many new opportunities. It takes injection-molded parts and uses laser-direct structuring to etch areas of conductor structures, which are filled with a copper plating process to create very precise electronic circuits. HARTING, the technology's developer, says it's "Like a PCB, but 3D." Tons of possibilities.
View the video.

Carnegie Mellon lunar rover wows XPRIZE judges, wins milestone prize

By Byron Spice, Carnegie Mellon University

The Google Lunar XPRIZE announced Dec. 16, 2014, that Andy, a four-wheeled lunar rover designed and built by Carnegie Mellon University, is the winner of a Milestone Prize for mobility after judges concluded it is thus far the only robot among the competing teams to meet development benchmarks for flight readiness.

Other teams continue to contend for Milestone Prizes, which will be awarded Jan. 26, 2015, in San Francisco, but the CMU team is the first and only team to meet the Milestone mobility objectives thus far, XPRIZE said. Likewise, CMU's partner, Pittsburgh's Astrobotic Technology, is the first winner of a Milestone Prize in the imaging subsystem category.

"Andy has proven to be a tough, smart, sure-footed machine," said William "Red" Whittaker, professor of robotics, who led a team of about 50 students, faculty, and staff members from across the CMU campus to create the rover. "We've shaken it to simulate launch forces, driven it through moon dirt, and exposed it to the extremes of lunar temperatures among many, many tests. Our team and our machine faced a rigorous evaluation by world-class judges and came out on top."

The Mobility Milestone Prize includes a $500,000 cash award.

"We don't do anything just for a prize," Whittaker added, "but when a check like this comes our way, we cash it." The prize money will be used to continue Andy's development.

The robot can scramble around giant moon pits, explore lunar caves, or seek polar ice.

Carnegie Mellon is building the rover as it works in partnership with Astrobotic Technology to win the $20 million-plus Google Lunar XPRIZE by landing and operating a robot on the moon. Astrobotic, a CMU spinoff, is developing commercial hardware and services to support space exploration. In addition to the imaging technology for which it won a Milestone Prize, Astrobotic also is developing the Griffin landing craft that will deliver Andy to the moon.

The Milestone Prizes created by Google and the XPRIZE Foundation included three categories: landing system, mobility subsystems, and imaging subsystems. Astrobotic is continuing to pursue the Milestone Prize for landing systems. Other teams still in the running for Milestone Prizes include Hakuto (Japan), Team Indus (India), Moon Express (U.S.), and Part-Time Scientists (Germany).

XPRIZE officials also announced that they have extended the deadline for the competition until Dec. 31, 2016. At least one team must provide documentation of a scheduled launch by Dec. 31, 2015, for all of the teams to move forward in the competition, the officials said.

"We feel confident that we can land on the moon in 2016 and show that a private company can set the course for future lunar exploration," said John Thornton, Astrobotic's CEO.

Planetary Robotics Team Introductions from Carnegie Mellon Lunar Team on Vimeo.

To receive the mobility prize, the CMU team had to demonstrate that Andy could survive the vacuum, high radiation, and extreme cold of the moon. The team also had to show that the robot could complete -- and could prove that it completed -- a 500-m traverse on the lunar surface, one of the conditions for winning the Google Lunar XPRIZE.

Andy's prize-winning features include:

• A wide stance, low center of gravity, and high belly clearance combine for unprecedented stability, slope climbing, and straddling of rocks.
• A soft footprint -- weighing less than 10 lb on the moon -- and wide wheels give Andy superior mobility, while a novel suspension provides strong pulling power.
• A new method for combining landing imagery with 3D path reconstruction data to plan and document Andy's exploration route.
• Innovative software that, combined with redundant electronic components, achieves high reliability of electronic systems despite the moon's high radiation levels.

Andy, which derives its moniker from university namesakes Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, was developed with technical expertise and resources contributed from across the university, including the School of Computer Science, the College of Engineering, the College of Fine Arts, and the Mellon College of Science.

Whittaker said many team members contributed long hours to the creation of Andy. Notable among them were Jon Anderson and Curtis Boirum, both master's degree students in robotics; Joe Bartels, Nate Otten, and Heather Jones, Ph.D. students in robotics; Luke Metro, a sophomore electrical and computer engineering major; John Mann, a junior computer science major; and Jay Jasper, a master's degree student in mechanical engineering.

More information about Andy and Carnegie Mellon's Lunar Exploration Initiative is available online at lunar.cs.cmu.edu

Published January 2015.

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