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August 25, 2026Volume 22 Issue 32


Image - C-Flex Bearings for Precision Motion Control
C-Flex Bearings for Precision Motion Control
C-Flex Bearings are the preferred choice for Space, Aerospace/Defense, Optics, and Precision Motion Control applications, including Micro-Satellites, Gimbals, Telescopes, Fast beam Steering systems, optoelectronics and several other high-tech applications.

Trusted by leading Fortune 500 companies, they deliver maintenance-free, lubrication-free operation, exceptional performance in vacuum environments, resistance to high G-forces, zero backlash, self-centering accuracy, and micro-radian precision. With indefinite service life and simple installation, C-Flex Bearings provide reliable, high-precision motion control for the most demanding advanced optical systems.
Learn more from C-Flex, The Leader in Flexing Metal Technology.
View the C-Flex Pivot Bearing training page.


In this issue of Designfax

  • Military: Chain gun + steerable projectiles
  • Excavator controls get significant redesign
  • Battery-free pacemaker charged by patient's heartbeat
  • Acura's funky new design direction: NEXERA Vision
  • Stop paying the 'assembly tax'
  • Cool Tools: MetraSCAN BLACK2 for 3D inspection
  • Need inserts? We make it E-Z.
  • Tech Tip: Multi-cavity injection molding considerations
  • Hold any shape with ID and OD Form Holding Clamps
  • Match the torque of rotary solenoids to your application
  • Multi-zone tension leveler for hard-to-flatten alloys
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Southco access hardware in rail applications
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Scary! Researchers hack Boeing 737 electronics
    • Aston Martin Valen: Most powerful front-engine car
    • Superlubricity targeted for sliding components
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Acura NEXERA Vision concept

News

World first and very cool: Engineers observe quantum heat waves at room temperature

Weird science: New plastic turns into a gas when heated -- then reforms once cooled

Should automatic crash alerts be standard, and free, in all new vehicles?

Solar power that supplies heat to industry: Marketable product close to reality



Feature articles

Image - Military: Chain gun + steerable projectiles =  Raid Hunter defense system
Military: Chain gun + steerable projectiles = Raid Hunter defense system
Northrop Grumman's next-gen air defense system is aimed at strengthening layered protection against cruise missiles, drone swarms, and evolving aerial threats. Raid Hunter combines advanced battle management, proven Chain Gun technology, and precision-guided 50-mm ammunition to help defend military bases, airfields, and critical infrastructure.
Read the full article.

Image - No more joysticks: Excavator controls get significant redesign
No more joysticks: Excavator controls get significant redesign
MIT engineers are looking to shorten the learning curve for excavator operators with a new training interface that resembles a miniature excavator's arm and bucket. The controls could be used inside a machine on-site too.
Read the full article.

Image - Battery-free pacemaker charged by patient's heartbeat
Battery-free pacemaker charged by patient's heartbeat
An implantable, battery-free pacemaker that's charged by a patient's heartbeat has the potential to last an entire lifetime, reducing the risks and costs associated with replacing the devices when their batteries fail.
Read the full article.

Image - Acura's funky new design direction: NEXERA Vision includes shine-through body panels
Acura's funky new design direction: NEXERA Vision includes shine-through body panels
When Acura killed its plans for the all-electric RSX SUV, its first in-house-engineered EV, a lot of the vehicle-maker's future design direction went up in smoke. Some clarity has been restored, though, with the recent introduction of the Acura NEXERA Vision concept, a supercar-ish coupe that demonstrates new exterior and interior design language for the brand -- and not just for EVs.
Read the full article.

Image - Stop paying the 'assembly tax': Why your next design should be one part not 10
Stop paying the 'assembly tax': Why your next design should be one part not 10
"As metal additive manufacturing (AM) moves from the prototyping lab to mainline production, the most significant ROI isn't found in making parts faster, it's found in making fewer of them." So says Erica Manzella of Go Engineer. Learn about the hidden costs of traditional assembly, the DfAM toolset native to SOLIDWORKS, and the advanced 3DEXPERIENCE optimization tools and industrial metal AM hardware that are making monolithic design a physical reality.
Read the GoEngineer blog.

Image - Cool Tools: MetraSCAN BLACK2 -- Next-gen shop-floor 3D inspection
Cool Tools: MetraSCAN BLACK2 -- Next-gen shop-floor 3D inspection
You'll gain some superhero powers when you brandish FARO CREAFORM's new MetraSCAN BLACK2, a next-gen portable metrology-grade optical 3D scanner engineered to deliver total inspection flexibility on the shop floor. This unit boasts a 3-in-1 architecture that combines C-Track scanning, stand-alone scanning, and probing in a single metrology-grade system.
Read the full article.

Image - Need inserts? We make it E-Z.
Need inserts? We make it E-Z.
Founded in 1956, E-Z LOK allows users to repair damaged or worn-out threads without the need for special taps or installation tools. Our line of threaded locking inserts is used in metal, plastic, wood, composite, and additive industries. Extensive inventories are maintained in four warehouses across the U.S., and all products are sold through industrial distributors. One source for all your needs!
Learn more
or contact Kyle Lindsly-Roach for free samples at 310.323.5613 x221.

Image - Tech Tip: Multi-cavity injection molding considerations
Tech Tip: Multi-cavity injection molding considerations
Injection-molded parts are usually made using the single-mold method, where one part is made at a time, but multi-cavity molding enables multiple versions of the same part in a single shot. There are lots of issues to consider when going the multi-part option. Luckily, Michael Adams, an Applications Engineer at Protolabs, has got your back. He runs through how to make your project successful, including important information about part complexity and geometry, design, quantity, and pricing.
Read this informative Protolabs article.

Image - Hold any shape with ID and OD Form Holding Clamps
Hold any shape with ID and OD Form Holding Clamps
These simple OD and ID clamping solutions from Fixtureworks clamp onto your part in one easy operation, eliminating the need for custom fixtures. They allow users to clamp onto the inner or outer diameter of small-size, irregularly shaped work parts fast. Lots of options.
Learn more.

Image - Match the torque of rotary solenoids to your application
Match the torque of rotary solenoids to your application
Magnetic Sensor Systems has launched the Made in USA R-10-200-CWM Series of clockwise rotary solenoids. Measuring 2.00 in. in diameter and 1.04 in. long with 18 different AWG options and a serrated front shaft end, these compact units optimize torque, current, and duty cycle. When power is removed, an integral return spring automatically returns the shaft to its home position. The shaft is supported by two high-precision radial ball bearings, providing smooth operation with no axial play. Applications include medical, security, and office equipment.
Learn more.

Image - Multi-zone tension leveler for hard-to-flatten alloys
Multi-zone tension leveler for hard-to-flatten alloys
Redex USA's Levelflex® is a modular, multi-zone tension leveler engineered for continuous processing lines, including coating and heat treatment of aluminum alloys and where flatness is critical to coating adhesion and downstream formability. By stretching material within 95% of its yield strength, it corrects stubborn flatness defects in fewer passes. It comes in open-loop pure stretch or closed-loop tension measurement modes to optimize surface integrity and eliminate crossbow.
Learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Scary! Physical device used to take over Boeing 737 electronics
Scary! Physical device used to take over Boeing 737 electronics
UC San Diego researchers have developed and tested a device that, if plugged into a maintenance port in the belly of a 737 plane, can take over communications between two flight computers -- covertly transmitting new instructions while suppressing indications that changes have been made.
Read the full article.

Image - Aston Martin Valen: Most powerful front-engine car
Aston Martin Valen: Most powerful front-engine car
Aston Martin's new Valen super coupe is one for the record books. The limited-edition, twin-turbo V12 is the world's most powerful front-engine production car and the most powerful front-engine Aston Martin in the company's 113-year history. It is sophisticated, beefy, pricey, and a real looker too.
Read the full article.

Image - Researchers target superlubricity for sliding components
Researchers target superlubricity for sliding components
With its new BioSlide research project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Germany is investigating how sliding systems can be designed to be more sustainable and energy efficient. A key focus is on carbon-based coatings that achieve superlubricity.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Southco access hardware in rail applications
Discover how Southco's rail access hardware solutions help improve safety, reliability, and operational efficiency across modern rail networks. The video showcases a range of rail applications where Southco's access hardware plays a critical role, including driver cabins, lighting systems, tray tables, headrests, armrests, and other passenger and operator touchpoints. Designed to support dependable performance in demanding moving environments, Southco's solutions help operators streamline maintenance processes, minimize downtime, and enable more proactive asset management.
View the video.

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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