Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
July 22, 2025Volume 21 Issue 28


Image - Need Inserts? We make it E-Z.
Need Inserts? We make it E-Z.
E-Z LOK threaded inserts allow users to repair or reinforce threads without the need for special taps or installation tools. Our line of threaded inserts is used in metal, plastic, wood, composite and additive industries. Extensive inventories of standard products are available throughout the U.S., and we are also able to produce special threaded inserts to print or per application requirements. Our products are available through a variety of different channels depending on the volume needed.
FREE SAMPLES FOR STANDARD PRODUCTS.
Learn more
or contact Kyle Lindsly-Roach at 310.323.5613 x221.

In this issue of Designfax

  • 2026 Corvette ZR1X: Next-gen American hypercar
  • AirCar set for real-world sales takeoff in 2026
  • Nano drone a big hit for militaries worldwide
  • Hennessey creates 850-hp SUPER VENOM Mustang
  • Brembo says it can cut brake disc wear by 80%
  • U.S. Marines look deeper into using electric seagliders
  • Lamborghini says hello Temerario, goodbye Huracán
  • Top Product: Digital microscope with 2,040x mag under $160
  • Top Application: Big rig custom shop accelerates automation
  • Top Application: Cube-solving robot shatters world record
  • Top Product: Clever! Indexing plungers with chamfered pins
  • Top Product: 4-axis delta robot for high-speed pick and place
  • Top Product: What's a SLIC Pin®?
  • Top Product: Copper foam -- so many advantages
  • Top Tech Tip: All about slip rings -- function, uses
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Do thin oils destroy car engines? GM recalls
    • Trick to measuring angles in SOLIDWORKS
    • Summer fun tech: Hydroflyer Sport Board
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Hennessey SUPER VENOM Mustang

News

Weird science: Can electricity flow without electrons?

'Industrially viable tech' makes hydrogen from seawater

Working electric motor made with non-metal coils!

SwRI investigates crack in U.S. Air Force T-38 Talon fighter jet



Feature articles

Image - 2026 Corvette ZR1X: Next-gen American hypercar
2026 Corvette ZR1X: Next-gen American hypercar
The 2026 Corvette ZR1X is an everyday comfortable tourer, a straight-line rocket, and a racetrack weapon, all in one. With a total of 1,250 hp available, a 5.5L V8, electrified all-wheel drive, and a 0- to 60-mph time of under 2 sec, ZR1X is a true, next-gen American hypercar and the most advanced Corvette ever.
Read the full article.

Image - AirCar set for real-world sales takeoff in 2026
AirCar set for real-world sales takeoff in 2026
Are we ready for real flying cars? Well Slovakia-based Klein Vision is, and its two-minute transformable AirCar -- which already holds a Certificate of Airworthiness in Europe and has successfully completed over 170 flight hours and more than 500 takeoffs and landings -- will officially go on sale next year.
Read the full article.

Image - Nano drone a big hit for militaries worldwide
Nano drone a big hit for militaries worldwide
FLIR Defense has delivered more than 33,000 tiny Black Hornet drones to military and security forces in over 45 countries, including the U.S. Army. What makes Black Hornet's fourth-gen system so valuable an asset when it looks like a toy RC copter?
Read the full article.

Image - Hennessey creates 850-hp SUPER VENOM Mustang to celebrate the company's 1991 founding
Hennessey creates 850-hp SUPER VENOM Mustang to celebrate the company's 1991 founding
If an off-the-rack muscle car is just not enough for you, Texas-based high-performance vehicle creator Hennessey has taken it up a big notch. The new SUPER VENOM Mustang features a wide range of performance, aerodynamic, and styling enhancements -- including power boosted 70% from the factory 5.0L V8 engine and 55% higher torque -- that create the ultimate Hennessey Mustang.
Read the full article.

Image - Brembo says it can cut brake disc wear by 80% -- and drastically limit brake dust too
Brembo says it can cut brake disc wear by 80% -- and drastically limit brake dust too
The brake experts at Brembo have cooked up a new vehicle brake technology they say can slash disc wear dramatically and cut brake dust emissions by up to 90%. What's their secret?
Read the full article.

Image - U.S. Marines look deeper into using all-electric seagliders
U.S. Marines look deeper into using all-electric seagliders
The U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Lab has committed $10 million to pursue the development of all-electric seagliders for defense operations. The high-speed, ground-effect craft with retractable hydrofoils can take off and land on water, flying within one wingspan of the surface. It looks so cool and useful, but is it really an aircraft?
Read the full article.

Image - Lamborghini says hello Temerario, goodbye Huracán
Lamborghini says hello Temerario, goodbye Huracán
Lamborghini is replacing its best-selling model ever, the Huracán, with a new powerhouse: the 907-hp twin-turbo V8 hybrid Temerario. It has big shoes to fill, but with a 0- to 62-mph time of 2.7 sec and being the first production super sports car to achieve 10,000 rpm, things are looking bright.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Digital microscope with 2,040x mag under $160
Top Product: Digital microscope with 2,040x mag under $160
Inspect work products or help your little engineer at home win that science fair with the AD246S-M HDMI Digital Microscope from Andonstar Technology Co. This tri-lens unit boasts a wide magnification range (60 to 240x, 18 to 720x, 1,560 to 2,040x), very good image performance, built-in rotatable monitor, and a slew of multifunctional accessories including a remote, dimmer cable to adjust illumination, and more. A solid choice for a small investment.
Learn more.

Image - Top Application: Big rig custom shop accelerates automation into the passing lane
Top Application: Big rig custom shop accelerates automation into the passing lane
The demand for novel truck illumination and automation is surging, and Dustin Dickerson, owner of Dickerson Custom Trucks, is finding new and better ways to create increasingly sophisticated designs based on proven commercial off-the-shelf industrial devices, such as modern PLCs and HMIs, from AutomationDirect.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Application: Cube-solving robot shatters world record using Kollmorgen motors
Top Application: Cube-solving robot shatters world record using Kollmorgen motors
Meet Purdubik's Cube, a high-speed robotic system built by a team of students from Purdue University that now holds the Guinness World Record for "Fastest robot to solve a puzzle cube." It clocked a jaw-dropping time faster than the blink of an eye.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Clever! Indexing plungers with chamfered pins
Top Product: Clever! Indexing plungers with chamfered pins
JW Winco has developed a new type of indexing plunger (GN 824) that can independently latch into edges and grooves. When the chamfered plunger pin encounters a raised latching geometry, it retracts and then springs back out again once it reaches the latching point. Can be ordered with axial thread for fastening and black plastic knob. In a clever design, the plunger pin can be adjusted by 360 degrees to ensure it encounters the mating surface perpendicularly. Well suited for transport frames, mechanisms, or covers that need to be locked in place quickly and securely.
Learn more.

Image - Top Product: Advanced 4-axis delta robot for high-speed pick and place
Top Product: Advanced 4-axis delta robot for high-speed pick and place
igus has launched its latest high-performance 4-axis delta robot, the DR1000. Designed specifically for fast and precise pick-and-place tasks, this new unit sets a benchmark for cost-effective and efficient automation solutions. The DR1000 boasts an impressive working diameter of 1,000 mm and an additional rotary axis that provides four degrees of freedom, enabling users to grip and orient components seamlessly. An ideal choice for end-of-line applications. Fast at 96 picks/min.
Learn more.

Image - Top Product: What's a SLIC Pin<sup>®</sup>? Pin and cotter all in one!
Top Product: What's a SLIC Pin®? Pin and cotter all in one!
The SLIC Pin (Self-Locking Implanted Cotter Pin) from Pivot Point is a pin and cotter all in one. This one-piece locking clevis pin is cost saving, fast, and secure. It functions as a quick locking pin wherever you need a fast-lock function. It features a spring-loaded plunger that functions as an easy insertion ramp. This revolutionary fastening pin is very popular and used successfully in a wide range of applications.
Learn more.

Image - Top Product: Copper foam -- so many advantages
Top Product: Copper foam -- so many advantages
Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
Learn more.

Image - Top Tech Tip: All about slip rings: How they work and their uses
Top Tech Tip: All about slip rings: How they work and their uses
Rotary Systems has put together a really nice basic primer on slip rings -- electrical swivels that carry a current from a stationary wire into a rotating device. Common uses are for power, proximity switches, strain gauges, video, and Ethernet signal transmission. This intro also covers how to specify, assembly types, and interface requirements. Rotary Systems manufactures rotary unions for fluid applications too.
Read the Rotary Systems article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Do thin oils destroy car engines? Lessons from GM's massive recall
Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske takes a deep dive into why GM is recommending thicker oil as a potential solution to more than 28,000 reported engine failures. Why would this change help, and is oil viscosity the real culprit? A pretty hard-hitting look at the issues, backed by a lot of data review. You can always learn something from a Fenske video.
[Image credit: Screenshot courtesy of Engineering Explained]
View the video.
Trick to measuring angles in SOLIDWORKS
Learn from the pros at TriMech how to take angle measurements easily in SOLIDWORKS. TriMech has an entire YouTube channel dedicated to SOLIDWORKS tips, and the company is excellent at training too. [Image credit: Screenshot courtesy of TriMech]
View the video.
Summer fun tech: Hydroflyer Sport Board with handlebars
What's the latest in high-end summertime fun on the water? It's the Hydroflyer Sport, a 5-ft 5-in. hydrofoil surfboard with handlebars that can propel riders almost 29 mph above the waves. WIRED called it "the Mountain Bike of the Sea." With a full carbon fiber frame and overbuilt upper mast and handlebars, this $16K board is nimble, powerful, and a blast, with up to 3 hours of battery-pack runtime. Jet skis are so 1990s. [Image credit: Screenshot courtesy of Hydroflyer]
View the video.

New products

Electrical/Electronics
View Products…
Mechanical
View Products…
Motion
View Products…


Subscribe to DesignFax

For advertising opportunities contact:

John Holmes

jholmes@nelsonpub.com

Dan Beck

danbeck58@gmail.com
(518) 852-9624

Questions or comments about the eMagazine or articles? Contact us at: Designfax

www.designfax.net
PO Box 424, Alto, MI 49302

webteam@designfax.net
Privacy Statement