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July 21, 2020Volume 16 Issue 27


Image - How accurate is an actuator?
How accurate is an actuator?
Accuracy and repeatability are two important specifications of a linear motion platform. They are separate but related concepts. In fact, repeatability is often what is needed in an application instead of accuracy. The motor, drive and actuator itself all influence accuracy and repeatability. The relative importance of each specification depends on a thorough understanding of your application.
Learn about accuracy and repeatability in electric linear motion systems: Download Tolomatic's white paper.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Airbus BelugaXL cargo plane enters service
  • Au naturel: Ford GT supercar carbon fiber finish
  • 500 miles on a charge: Samsung battery for EVs
  • Metal surfaces can now be instant bacteria killers
  • Miniature motors for Mars
  • American-made supercar: 1,250-hp Czinger 21C
  • Top Tech Tip: Innovative way to take up tolerances!
  • WWI helmets vs. modern designs
  • Top Blog: The battle of stainless steel types
  • Top Machines Spotlight: Firefighting robot
  • Top Product: Allite Super Magnesium
  • Top Insight: What is electroforming?
  • Top Design Resource: Sheet metal design guide
  • Top Product: Plastic parts with no molds required
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • What are the best brake pads? Cheap vs. expensive
    • 3D-printing output tripled with Universal Robots
    • See paper 'explode' in 144-ton hydraulic press
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Great Resources: ABCs of gears and more
    • Engineer's Toolbox: Self-clinching fasteners tips
    • Cool Tools: Screwdriver for cobots/robot arms
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Ford GT 2020 Liquid Carbon special edition

News

New fast-charging, long-running, bendable supercapacitor may be energy storage breakthrough

Satellite design applied to largest aluminum sailing superyacht ever

Air Force Research Lab improving processes for fabricating aircraft engine inlet ducts

A new spin on lunar travel: Moon buggy wheel tech evolves for Mars mission



Image - Visit the Largest Cobot Expo in North America
Visit the Largest Cobot Expo in North America
Universal Robots' unique tradeshow "The Cobot Expo" offers American manufacturers flexible automation solutions for a fast-changing world. The virtual expo July 28-30, 2020, is a rich experience with an extensive range of product news and demonstrations, featuring more than 30 different booths, insightful keynotes, interactive QAs, and live chats with automation experts.
Sign up here:

Feature articles
Airbus BelugaXL cargo plane enters service with 30% extra transport capacity
Jan. 9 was a big, big day for Airbus when the first of six new BelugaXL cargo planes -- boasting the largest cargo bay cross-section of all existing cargo aircraft worldwide -- entered into service. The new mega plane will provide Airbus with 30 percent extra transport capacity in order to shuttle huge commercial aircraft parts to and from its various facilities.
Read the full article.
Image -
Learn piezo basics for precision motion, force generation, and nanopositioning applications»


Image - Au naturel: Ford GT supercar gets unpainted carbon fiber, more power updates
Au naturel: Ford GT supercar gets unpainted carbon fiber, more power updates
A brand new option for the Ford GT is called Liquid Carbon, and it lets the supercar's lightweight sculpted carbon fiber body shine through -- completely free of paint color. But if you don't like all that black weave showing, there's a racy painted throwback edition available too. The 2020 GT also gets an engine power update.
Read the full article.

Image - 500 miles on a charge: Samsung announces solid-state battery for EVs
500 miles on a charge: Samsung announces solid-state battery for EVs
Researchers from Samsung recently presented a study on high-performance, long-lasting all-solid-state batteries. Their promising prototype pouch cell is smaller and safer than traditional Li-ion batteries in use today, and would enable an electric vehicle (EV) to travel almost 500 miles on a single charge.
Read the full article.

Image - Metal surfaces can now be instant bacteria killers
Metal surfaces can now be instant bacteria killers
Bacterial pathogens can live on surfaces for days. What if frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs could instantly kill them off? Purdue University engineers have created a laser treatment method that could potentially turn any metal surface into a rapid bacteria killer.
Read the full article.

Image - Miniature motors for Mars
Miniature motors for Mars
When developing the high-resolution Panoramic Camera on the ExoMars Rover, engineers looked for motors that were extremely compact and could also deliver reliable and precise positioning for the camera-focusing mechanism. FAULHABER Stepper motors were selected for the job, as they precisely position objects with a resolution of 1280 steps per revolution without the need for a separate feedback system, and are more rugged and sturdy than conventional servo motors.
Read the full article.

Image - American-made supercar aims to upend traditional manufacturing
American-made supercar aims to upend traditional manufacturing
The 1,250-hp Czinger 21C supercar is out to prove that the future is now. Designed and produced by a California startup, it is full of 3D-printed parts and is made with minimum tooling. It's a quirky, sci-fi design mash-up with blazing speed and tandem rider positions. It's also pretty cool, and only 80 will be made.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Tech Tip: Innovative way to take up tolerances!
Top Tech Tip: Innovative way to take up tolerances!
Smalley Linear Springs are a continuous wave formed (marcelled) wire length produced from spring tempered materials. They act as a load-bearing device, having approximately the same load/deflection characteristics as a wave spring. Linear Springs are now available as a standard part in carbon and stainless steel, with over 200 sizes.
Learn more.

Image - WWI helmets protect against shock waves just as well as modern designs
WWI helmets protect against shock waves just as well as modern designs
Biomedical engineers from Duke University have demonstrated that, despite significant advancements in protection from ballistics and blunt impacts, modern military helmets are no better at protecting the brain from shock waves created by nearby blasts than their World War I counterparts.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Blog: The battle of stainless steel types -- 303 vs. 304 vs. 316
Top Blog: The battle of stainless steel types -- 303 vs. 304 vs. 316
Choosing the correct stainless steel material is critical to any application -- especially those designed for wash-down, corrosion resistance, heat resistance, or strength. There are a variety of materials to choose from, with many different specifications tied to them. But do you know the differences between the most widely used grades? Carlicia Layosa from MISUMI gives the rundown.
Read this informative MISUMI blog.

Image - Top Machines Spotlight: The hero of Notre-Dame -- Firefighting robot
Top Machines Spotlight: The hero of Notre-Dame -- Firefighting robot
In the spring of 2019, the famous French cathedral of Notre-Dame was heavily damaged in a devastating fire. But the Paris fire department prevented the complete destruction of the building with the help of a special robot called Colossus. Motors from maxon are used in the robot's design.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Allite Super Magnesium
Top Product: Allite Super Magnesium
Weighing 33 percent less than aluminum and stiffer and stronger pound for pound, the Allite Super Magnesium alloy has shown its mettle in classified defense and aerospace applications. Now it's available for wider use. This material is less expensive than carbon fiber and has the lowest carbon footprint of any structural material throughout the value chain. Industry applications include home improvement, sporting goods, aerospace, automotive, biking, and beyond. Three alloy variants are available to suit welding, forming/forging, or casting. These alloys feature excellent shock-absorption properties, good electromagnetic shielding performance, good heat dissipation, and recyclability. Allite is based in Dayton, OH.
Learn more.

Image - Top Insight: What is electroforming? How does it actually work?
Top Insight: What is electroforming? How does it actually work?
Electroplating may have been around for centuries, but only Servometer excels at manufacturing dynamic, convoluted bellows electroforms. Watch Servometer's five-step electroforming manufacturing process and learn how they are able to deliver electroformed components that feature extreme tolerances, complex geometries, lightweight construction, structural strength, and how they can be applied to a variety of applications.
Watch the video.

Image - Top Design Resource: Sheet metal design guide
Top Design Resource: Sheet metal design guide
If you're looking for a basic guide to sheet metal design, this one from Xometry will serve your needs well. Be sure to follow the design requirements and tolerances in this guide to ensure parts fall closer to design intent. This is the type of information you'll sock away and then refer to again and again.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Plastic parts with no molds required
Top Product: Plastic parts with no molds required
How often have you wondered what life would be like without having to worry about paying tooling charge after tooling charge for products in early development? The "No Molds Required" (NMR) manufacturing technology from Envision Plastics & Design could be your answer. This unique production process harmonizes a combination of sheet metal fabrication and woodworking practices to produce plastic parts used for enclosures, panels and shrouds, brackets and shields, medical-based products, and more.
Read the full article.

Most popular last issue

Image - Great Resources: ABCs of gears and more
Great Resources: ABCs of gears and more
KHK USA takes you on a journey through the history and applications of gears in two information-packed, no-cost volumes called "The ABCs of Gears." Part A is aimed at beginners, while part B moves on to intermediate fare, such as types of gears and tooth forms, heat treatment, surface treatment, production methods, etc. Another mid-level text called "Introduction to Gears" and an in-depth "Gear Technical Reference" are also available, chock full of materials information and calculation examples and tables. Best of all, there is no registration for any of these valuable PDF resources. Thanks, KHK USA!
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: Self-clinching fasteners tips
Engineer's Toolbox: Self-clinching fasteners tips
Dozens of types and thousands of variations of self-clinching fasteners (steel, stainless steel, or aluminum) have been engineered over the years. Leon M. Attarian of PennEngineering provides three mini case studies where manufacturers benefited greatly by switching to self-clinching fasteners in their assemblies. This article is filled with insightful tips and suggestions.
Read the full article.

Image - Cool Tools: New OnRobot Screwdriver for cobots/robot arms
Cool Tools: New OnRobot Screwdriver for cobots/robot arms
Automated precision assembly using cobots and robot arms just got easier with the introduction of an impressive new screwdriver unit from OnRobot. The OnRobot Screwdriver allows manufacturers to automate a wide range of assembly processes quickly, simply, and flexibly. It includes precise torque control, a nifty screw retraction system, and Quick Changer mounting.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
What are the best brake pads? Cheap vs. expensive tested
Are expensive brake pads better than cheaper brake pads? Are cheap brake pads dangerous? Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained compares brake pads ranging from $20 to $90, all for the front brakes on the exact same vehicle. He runs through some pretty thorough performance, corrosion, shear, and noise tests to find out. You almost always learn something new from Jason.
View the video.

Video Image
Voodoo Manufacturing triples 3D-printing output with Universal Robots
Voodoo Manufacturing was racing against time to scale up their 3D-printing business by automating the loading and unloading of printer plates. The Brooklyn startup chose a UR10 robot with a Robotiq gripper and has now tripled output, enabling them to compete with injection molding. Why did UR win? Because no other collaborative robot offered the ease of integration provided through the Universal Robots+ platform.
Watch how:
Get started with cobots -- download free ebook:
Talk to an expert today and book a demo:

Video Image
See paper 'explode' in 144-ton hydraulic press
Annihilated any good books lately? The affable experimenters over at the Hydraulic Press Channel are at it again, this time using their hydraulic press to crush a stack of printer paper, paperback books, pure paper pulp, playing cards, and more. The results are surprisingly energetic, and the big-bang payoff is greater than many other things they've crushed in a while.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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