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April 06, 2021Volume 17 Issue 13


Image - Reduce Spring Height by 50%
Reduce Spring Height by 50%
Smalley Wave Springs can replace conventional coil springs while occupying only half the space and providing the same force and deflection. Over 4,000 springs available from stock in carbon and stainless steel or utilize Smalley's No-Tooling-Costâ„¢ manufacturing process on custom designs, available from .118" to 120".
Samples available for testing. Learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • 95 years ago: Goddard's first liquid-fueled rocket
  • Autoloader for Army's Extended Range Cannon tested
  • Superlubricant may reduce wear and tear on rovers
  • Max luxury and performance: Bentley Continental GT Speed
  • Universal Robots Expo on Metal Fab Applications
  • Antibacterial handles stop germs in their tracks
  • Great Applications: 50 ways to use a hexapod
  • New metal 3D-printing materials
  • Eaton launches next-gen hollow-head valves
  • Counterbalance support hinge for heavy panels and lids
  • Precision flexible antivibration couplings
  • Cross roller ring can swing the loads
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • 3D inspection made as easy as 2D vision
    • Peoria Lock and Dam gets upgraded giant cylinders
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Airless bike tire uses NASA shape memory tech
    • 1967 Mustang gets carbon fiber body
    • Inexpensive tin in future supercapacitors
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Bentley Continental GT Speed

News

5G network could power IoT devices wirelessly, replace batteries with over-the-air charging

Researchers evaluate 3D printing copper alloy for NASA rocket engines

Drones team up to deliver heavy packages using new control system

Study shows promise of quantum computing using factory-made silicon chips



Image - Flat Brushless Motor + Speed Control
Flat Brushless Motor + Speed Control
Optimized design and impressive performance make the FAULHABER BXT Flat Brushless DC Motor Series ideal for applications in medical devices, lab diagnostics, optics systems, and robotics. The external rotor motors are designed for continuous output power up to 100W, and deliver up to 134mNm of torque. The FAULHABER BXT SC motor series delivers reliable performance, incredible torque, plus precise speed control in even the most confined applications and spaces.
Learn more.

Feature articles

Image - 95 years ago: Goddard's first liquid-fueled rocket
95 years ago: Goddard's first liquid-fueled rocket
Robert H. Goddard is recognized as the father of American rocketry. Although his work was revolutionary, he received little recognition from fellow scientists and some ridicule from the press for his seemingly outlandish ideas about space exploration.
Read the full article.

Image - Autoloader for Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery tested
Autoloader for Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery tested
Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal are testing an autoloader for the U.S. Army's Extended Range Cannon Artillery that is two to three times faster than a cannon crew. Autoloading could also enhance lethality and may set the stage for future "optionally manned" artillery battery configurations. It's a real engineering challenge, though, getting all the parts to work together.
Read the full article.

Image - Superlubricant may reduce wear and tear on space rovers -- and have Earth applications too
Superlubricant may reduce wear and tear on space rovers -- and have Earth applications too
Researchers from Missouri S&T and Argonne National Lab have developed a new nanoscale metal carbide that could act as a "superlubricant" to reduce wear and tear on future space rovers, performing better than conventional oil-based lubricants in extreme environments.
Read the full article.

Image - Max luxury, max performance: Bentley Continental GT Speed
Max luxury, max performance: Bentley Continental GT Speed
If you want a super-performance racecar inside an ultra-luxury wrapper, you'd be hard pressed to top Bentley Motors' new two-door Continental GT Speed. With a 659-hp 12-cylinder engine, all-wheel steering, a highly advanced chassis, and a dream interior, it's a little piece of dynamic Heaven right here on Earth.
Read the full article.

Image - Universal Robots to host Expo on Metal Fabrication Applications
Universal Robots to host Expo on Metal Fabrication Applications
Whether you're designing applications for welding, cutting, grinding, polishing, or machine tending, you already know the bad news: rampant skilled labor shortages exist across the nation. Collaborative automation is quickly emerging as a solution -- but where to start? Universal Robots' two-day Expo focused on Metal Fabrication, April 13-14, 10AM-5PM EST, is a vibrant virtual experience with live demos, interactive keynotes and booths featuring a wide range of cobot-powered applications.
Sign up for free today:

Image - Antibacterial handles stop germs in their tracks
Antibacterial handles stop germs in their tracks
Contact infections with viruses, fungi, and bacteria were already a problem even before the pandemic, and now JW Winco is expanding its Sanline range of antibacterial products. For their plastic products, special additives with silver ions are mixed in, while metal parts are given powder coatings based on zinc molybdate.
Read the full article.

Image - Great Applications: 50 ways to use a hexapod
Great Applications: 50 ways to use a hexapod
Hexapods, six-legged parallel-kinematic machines, can solve many complex positioning and alignment tasks in fields including Optics, Photonics, Precision Automation, Automotive, and Medical Engineering. Features include a programmable pivot point, sub-micron precision, and load capacities from 2 to 2,000 kg.
Learn more from PI.

Image - New metal 3D-printing materials include Inconel, titanium, and maraging steel at Xometry
New metal 3D-printing materials include Inconel, titanium, and maraging steel at Xometry
Xometry has added four new 3D-printed metals to its on-demand manufacturing services: maraging steel, Inconel 625, Inconel 718, and titanium. These premium alloys complement the already available stainless steel and aluminum metal 3D printing. Metal parts in these alloys are produced using direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), which fuses powdered metal with a high-powered laser to build parts layer by layer.
Learn all about these materials in this Xometry blog.

Image - Eaton launches next-gen hollow-head valves for improved engine efficiency
Eaton launches next-gen hollow-head valves for improved engine efficiency
Eaton's Vehicle Group has introduced its next-generation sodium-filled hollow-head valves. Unlike traditional hollow valves, the head portion of the new valves is composed of two separate sections that are welded together during the production process. The new valves have the capability to cool down the combustion face and, therefore, the chamber temperature, which increases the spark advance and air-to-fuel ratio because the engine is less inclined to knock. As a result, the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) can be increased and emissions reduced. The valves are being evaluated by several global automakers, with start of production scheduled for 2023.
Learn more.

Image - Counterbalance support hinge for heavy panels and lids
Counterbalance support hinge for heavy panels and lids
SOUTHCO has expanded its series of Counterbalance Hinges with a new product that reduces the total solution cost of lifting and positioning heavy panels and lids. The CB Counterbalance Support Hinge enables ergonomic lifting and position control when combined with a CB Counterbalance Hinge by using stored energy to balance the weight distribution of a lid or panel. The all-aluminum hinges are fully adjustable, allowing the experience of opening and closing the panel to be tailored to the unique requirements of the application.
Learn more.

Image - Precision flexible antivibration couplings
Precision flexible antivibration couplings
New Antivibration Flexible Couplings from Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument (SDP/SI) are designed for use with high-gain servomotors. When a servomotor drives a mechanism, as in applications such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment, blood analyzers, or high-speed printers, a change in direction causes a phenomenon called hunting. Hunting is vibration in the system that reduces transit time, making the equipment less efficient. The Antivibration Flexible Coupling features a unique construction of vibration-reducing rubber (FKM) molded with aluminum hubs. The resulting rubber-lined, finger-like structure allows for optimal torsional rigidity and damping.
Learn more.

Image - Cross roller ring can swing the loads
Cross roller ring can swing the loads
Because it has orthogonally arranged cylindrical rollers, the cross roller ring from THK is a roller bearing with high rotation accuracy capable of bearing loads in every direction. Cylindrical rollers are arranged with each roller perpendicular to the adjacent roller, in a 90-deg V groove, separated from each other by a spacer retainer. This design allows just one bearing to receive loads in all directions. This component is optimal for applications such as joints and swiveling units of industrial robots, swiveling tables of machining centers, precision rotary tables, and medical equipment. Rotation configurations include inner/outer ring, inner ring only, and outer ring only.
Learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Airless bike tire uses NASA shape memory alloy technology
Airless bike tire uses NASA shape memory alloy technology
Born from Moon-buggy technology and possibly headed for rovers on Mars, tires made of shape-memory alloys (SMAs) have now been created for bicycles here on Earth. The SMART Tire Company, in partnership with NASA, is developing the first-ever consumer application of the airless tire tech.
Read the full article.

Image - 1967 Mustang gets carbon fiber body, updated power plant, and more in supercar recreation
1967 Mustang gets carbon fiber body, updated power plant, and more in supercar recreation
If your taste in automobiles runs toward American classic with a twist and you've got some deep pockets, Classic Recreations can build a special-edition carbon fiber-bodied 1967 Shelby GT500CR Mustang just for you. Featuring a 810-hp supercharged Ford 5.0L contemporary engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission or 10-speed automatic, it's back to the future in serious muscle car style.
Read the full article.

Image - Inexpensive tin packs a big punch for the future of supercapacitors
Inexpensive tin packs a big punch for the future of supercapacitors
A sustainable, powerful micro-supercapacitor may be on the horizon, thanks to an international collaboration of researchers from Penn State and the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
3D inspection made as easy as 2D vision
A first-of-its-kind smart camera from Cognex allows engineers to quickly, accurately, and cost-effectively solve a range of inspections on automated production lines. The In-Sight 3D-L4000 embedded vision system is an all-in-one solution that uses speckle-free blue laser optics to quickly capture and process 3D images with spectacular quality during inline inspection, guidance, and gauging applications. Because inspections are in 3D, users can immediately experience how the vision tools operate on the actual part. It comes in three factory-calibrated fields of view and is ideal for applications across a range of industries including food and beverage, consumer products, packaging, automotive, medical devices, and electronics. Neat.
View the video.

Video Image
Peoria Lock and Dam gets upgraded giant 30-ft hydraulic cylinders from Bosch Rexroth
Bosch Rexroth recently serviced and upgraded giant hydraulic cylinders for the Peoria Lock and Dam in Illinois. Built in 1938, the Peoria Lock and Dam helps make the Illinois River navigable and establishes a route for barges between Chicago and the Mississippi River. The locks are controlled by four of Bosch Rexroth's 30-ft-long hydraulic cylinders, with a fifth unit held in reserve as a backup. With the locks temporarily closed, a team managed to repair and make extensive updates to all five cylinders in a 60-day period.
View the video for all the details.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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