Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
April 12, 2022Volume 18 Issue 14


Image - LM Guide Actuator with Right/Left Ball Screw for Symmetrical Movement
LM Guide Actuator with Right/Left Ball Screw for Symmetrical Movement
THK's innovative Type KR-RL Actuator features a driving element that uses right/left threads and enables symmetrical movements with a single motor. Two drive systems are combined into a single package, resulting in a compact overall design. This electric actuator outperforms pneumatic versions by offering precise force control, speed control, a longer life, and energy savings. Applications include gripping, measuring, and positioning for robot hands, screw-tightening machines, cutting equipment, and dispensers.
Learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Army improvements to Apache, Black Hawk copter engines
  • Yamaha testing power steering for motorcycles
  • Rubber may be key to long-lasting, safer EV batteries
  • Toyota GR Corolla: Unleash your inner rally racer
  • Top Product: Wear-free angle measurement made easy
  • DOD building 3D-printed Army barracks
  • Top Tech Tip: Choosing brush or brushless DC motors
  • New Gefran inclination sensors use MEMS technology
  • Overload safety devices for corrosive, washdown environs
  • Miniature linear guides for tight spaces
  • Neat. How to prototype a 4x machine vision system fast
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Cool Tools: Next-gen desktop 3D scanner
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • How a NASA engineer created modern airplane wing
    • Run about in retro style: All-new Morgan Super 3
    • Drone surveillance system fits in pickup bed
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: First-ever Toyota GR Corolla

News

UCF to study method for reducing energy use by 50-75% in older homes

Stratasys works with Lockheed Martin to qualify new material for 3D-printed space and aviation end-use parts

Airbus flies A380 wide-body airliner test aircraft using cooking oil

Mathematical paradox demonstrates the limits of artificial intelligence



Feature articles
Major improvements to Army Apache and Black Hawk helicopter engines in the works

A newly designed GE engine combines additive manufacturing, ceramic matrix composite parts, and traditionally produced parts to generate 50% more power and significant fuel efficiency in about the same footprint as its predecessor.
Read the full article.
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Learn about the latest compact, high-power drive systems.


Image - Yamaha testing power steering for motorcycles
Yamaha testing power steering for motorcycles
Yamaha Motor Co. is testing out a unique new steering support system on MX race bikes, and if it proves successful it could make its way to street bikes too. The prototype system aims to provide steering damper benefits at high speed and steering assist input at low speed.
Read the full article.

Image - Rubber material may hold key to long-lasting, safer EV batteries
Rubber material may hold key to long-lasting, safer EV batteries
For electric vehicles (EVs) to become mainstream, they need cost-effective, safer, longer-lasting batteries that won't explode during use or harm the environment. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology may have found a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion battery electrolytes. It's made from a common material: rubber.
Read the full article.

Image - First-ever Toyota GR Corolla: Unleash your inner rally racer
First-ever Toyota GR Corolla: Unleash your inner rally racer
With design input from the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team, the first-ever GR Corolla is a compact package of fun on wheels that features a 300-hp turbo-charged three-cylinder engine and Toyota's first sports all-wheel-drive system in over 20 years.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Wear-free angle measurement made easy
Top Product: Wear-free angle measurement made easy
Novotechnik's RFC 4800 Series of touchless sensors use a magnet attached to your application's rotating shaft. Now with IO-Link output option, analog and IO-Link versions of RFC 4800 sensors can be easily connected with three wires -- power, ground, and signal. Key specs: measures 0 to 360°, repeatability to 0.1°, 2-ch. version option, speed output option. Touchless angle sensing tech excels in many applications, including: measuring through a wall or plate, sealed-shaft or high-vibration environments, and driveshaft misalignment. Contactless sensors feature unlimited mechanical life because they have no moving sensor parts.
Learn more and view the video.

Image - DOD building 3D-printed barracks, largest AM structures in Western Hemisphere
DOD building 3D-printed barracks, largest AM structures in Western Hemisphere
The Defense Department, in partnership with the private sector, is building three Army training barracks using advanced 3D-printing technology. The project is expected to be completed within 10 months.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Tech Tip: Choosing between brush and brushless DC motors -- What are the tradeoffs?
Top Tech Tip: Choosing between brush and brushless DC motors -- What are the tradeoffs?
Designing a system that involves motion and performs as intended requires choosing the right motor. The most fundamental decision involves commutation type. In some cases, mechanically commutated brush motors provide the best solution for the budget. In other cases, only brushless DC (BLDC) motors will do. Allied Motion provides a comprehensive review of the technology, along with tips and tricks for choosing the right solution for a given application.
Read the whitepaper (no registration required).

Image - New Gefran inclination sensors use MEMS technology
New Gefran inclination sensors use MEMS technology
AutomationDirect has added Gefran inclination sensors to their growing lineup of position transducers. Gefran sensors use cutting-edge MEMS technology (micro-electromechanical devices integrated onto a single silicon chip) to provide reliable and precise tilt angle measurement with respect to gravity. These sensors are rugged and suitable for the harshest environments. M12 quick-disconnect models are fully redundant, having two sensors in one housing.
Learn more.

Image - Overload safety devices for corrosive and washdown applications
Overload safety devices for corrosive and washdown applications
Providing both torque-limiting and coupling functions in a compact design, Zero-Max Overload Safety Devices can operate as a coupling and an overload safety device connecting two inline shafts in a power transmission system. Power Take-Off models are also available for use with chain or belt drives. These Overload Safety Devices protect motor and drive systems from excessive overloading and potentially expensive system jam ups. They also offer easy re-engagement, allowing the system to be running again as quickly as possible.
Learn more.

Image - Miniature linear guides simplify mounting in tight spaces
Miniature linear guides simplify mounting in tight spaces
IKO's new LWLF2 linear motion rolling guide addresses the demand for device miniaturization with a compact, lightweight design that makes mounting easy in tight spaces. With an ultra-small 2.5-mm height dimension, it is designed with tapped rails for bottom mounting and stability. The LWLF2 guide is structured with two rows of balls that make contact with the raceway at four points to provide high stability and accuracy -- even in applications with varying load direction or complexity. Applications include robotics and grippers, semiconductor fabrication, life science, and aerospace.
Learn more.

Image - Neat. How to prototype 4x machine vision applications on one small embedded system quickly
Neat. How to prototype 4x machine vision applications on one small embedded system quickly
Teledyne FLIR has put together a neat article that shows how to prototype a machine vision system quickly that runs four simultaneous applications, three of which use deep learning. The system uses the Quartet Embedded Solution for TX2, a customized carrier board that enables easy integration of up to four USB3 cameras at full bandwidth. The example traffic systems application includes license plate recognition, vehicle type categorization, vehicle color classification, and seeing through a windshield -- all simultaneously. Very cool.
Read the Teledyne FLIR application article.

Most popular last issue

Image - How a NASA engineer created the modern airplane wing
How a NASA engineer created the modern airplane wing
Once dubbed "the man who could see air," NASA engineer Richard T. Whitcomb used a combination of visualization and intuition to revolutionize modern aviation -- by turning the shape of the airplane wing on its head. Today, nearly every commercial airplane bears the marks of Whitcomb's several innovations, which include the development of winglets on wing tips.
Read the full article.

Image - Run about in retro style: All-new Morgan Super 3
Run about in retro style: All-new Morgan Super 3
If classic cars with a modern twist get your motor running, then specialty British automaker Morgan Motor Co. has a little something for you. It's a two-seat three-wheeler called the Super 3 that features a clean-sheet jet-age design, a 116-hp three-cylinder Ford gasoline engine, and loads of opportunities for fun driving while you feel the road. Left-hand drive available.
Read the full article.

Image - Drone surveillance system fits in pickup bed -- monitors 500 targets simultaneously
Drone surveillance system fits in pickup bed -- monitors 500 targets simultaneously
Engineers at Teledyne FLIR Defense have created a powerful drone surveillance system that fits in the back of a standard pickup truck -- and it can even execute a kill chain using non-kinetic technology at up to 1.5 km.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Cool Tools: Next-gen desktop 3D scanner
Exact Metrology now offers the newest version of its Artec Micro ultra-high-precision, industrial desktop 3D scanner. This unit, with its twin color cameras and blue LED lights, is designed to deliver industrial-quality scans in just one click. With a 2-year warranty, it features up to 10-microns accuracy and is perfect for quality testing and reverse engineering. It produces metrology-grade scans suitable for quality control, while removing the need for targets on the scanned object.
View the overview/unboxing video.
Learn more in-depth details about Artec Micro.

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New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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