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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.

Army researchers developing batteries that don't corrode

By C. Todd Lopez, ARNEWS

Army scientists are squeezing more power from batteries by developing new methods and materials with incredible results. [Photo Credit: Conrad Johnson, RDECOM Public Affairs]

 

 

New, lighter batteries are under development for U.S. Soldiers now, in-house, at the Army Research Laboratory here in Adelphi, MD.

Chemists at this lab do materials research on lithium-ion batteries and other advanced battery chemistry in an effort to support the warfighter.

"We help to develop new battery materials that are lighter and last longer for the Soldier, so he doesn't have to carry so many batteries," said Cynthia Lundgren, a chemist and Chief of the Electrochemistry Branch of the Power and Energy Division in the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate.

To create a better battery, Lundgren and her team experiment with small "button cells," such as what one might find in a watch. A "cell" consists of two electrodes: an "anode," which is the side marked with a "minus" sign; and a metal oxide or phosphate cathode, which bears the "plus" sign. Between these two electrodes is a liquid electrolyte-soaked separator that facilitates the transfer of lithium ions to transfer charge. One or more of these "cells" is used to construct a battery pack.

The team tinkers with the different materials that make up both the cathode and the anode. They also tinker with the chemistry of the electrolyte of the battery. Lundgren said that one way to make a battery lighter is to use electrodes that increase its cell voltage.

"If we could raise the voltage of a single cell -- energy density is a direct function of the voltage -- we could make the battery lighter," she said. "The problem is, as you go up in voltage, the electrode becomes much more energetic, and so it reacts with the electrolyte."

The reaction of electrodes with the electrolyte is one of the key problems Lundgren and her team have proven successful at tackling.

"The electrodes are very corrosive, and they react with the electrolytes," said Von Cresce, a chemist at the lab. "So what ends up happening as you cycle the battery back and forth is that the electrolytes are degraded by the cathode because of the voltage of the cathode."

For the types of rechargeable batteries that Lundgren and her team are developing, that degradation means fewer charge/discharge cycles. Additionally, as the cells are charged and discharged, they retain less of their ability to hold a charge.

To prevent such degradation in a cell, the team created a solution called HFiPP -- short for "tris (hexafluoroisopropyl) phosphate," which they use to enhance the electrolyte to make it more stable in high-voltage situations.

"It's a corrosion inhibitor," Lundgren said. "You just add it to the electrolyte that any manufacturer would put in. It's a little bit of pixie dust."

In the lab at Adelphi, the team is experimenting with a higher-voltage iron-doped lithium cobalt phosphate cathode developed in the lab by fellow Army chemist Jan Allen.

Cresce said the LiCoPO4 cathode is particularly high voltage, at 4.9 V.

"It seems to be more reactive towards the liquid electrolyte," he said. "This is a common problem among many varieties of experimental high-voltage cathodes. It really seems to behave badly against unprotected liquid electrolyte."

But with the HFiPP solution added to the electrolyte for corrosion protection, the team was able to develop a battery that has both a higher voltage cathode, but at the same time is more stable. It can be charged and recharged many times, while maintaining its capacity and not corroding.

In early 2015, the lab expects to get back from a commercial manufacturer samples of larger cells, called "pouch cells," that were built using the same chemistry they developed in their lab. They and other Army researchers will evaluate those cells for their performance and safety characteristics.

"We'll go through a number of evaluations," Lundgren said. "Do they perform as a pouch cell the same way they perform as a coin cell? One of the things you can't see in a coin cell is gassing. So if there is some reaction between the electrolyte and the electrode, and if you can get gassing you can make the pouch cell blow up."

Lundgren said she believes what they have developed at the Army Research Lab will make batteries lighter and last longer -- something the Army wants in order to better equip Soldiers.

Published January 2015

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