Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
November 14, 2023Volume 19 Issue 43


Image - Over 26,000 Stock Metric Gears
Over 26,000 Stock Metric Gears
KHK USA Inc offers the largest selection of stock metric gears in North America -- with over 26,000 configurations. KHK USA offers Metric Spur Gears, Metric Helical Gears, Metric Internal Ring Gears, Metric Gear Racks, Metric Bevel Gears, Metric Worms and Wormwheels from stock! Free 3D CAD models, technical specs and 24/7 price and availability detailed online.
See what KHK USA has in stock for you today!

In this issue of Designfax

  • SPE Automotive honors Innovation Awards winners
  • NASA 3D prints aluminum rocket engine nozzle
  • Miracle molecule makes polymers more durable
  • 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger: V-6 hybrid with 690-mile range
  • How to implement redundancy in stepper motors
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Gear crowning -- a cheap noise fix
  • Why choose electric for linear actuators?
  • Best practices for making technical drawings
  • COMSOL Multiphysics Version 6.2 is here
  • New mini gearhead for robotics, semiconductor fab
  • Are fasteners over-torqued in your assemblies?
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • NEW! Semi-automatic pin installation: SPIROL
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Army to test compact inverse-Wankel generators
    • Jaguar last gasoline sports car: F-TYPE ZP Edition
    • New aluminum alloy: Unprecedented fatigue resist
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger

News

Researchers create miniature particle accelerator the size of a computer chip

Lasers used to 'heat and beat' 3D-printed steel provide new benefits

X-59 experimental supersonic aircraft selected as one of TIME's Best Inventions Of 2023

Army aviator and engineer reunites with long-lost aircraft he helped design



Image - You need motion control components?<br>HIWIN has them in stock!
You need motion control components?
HIWIN has them in stock!

Many models of ballsplines, rolled ballscrews PLUS supports, linear guideways, crossed roller bearings and stages are in stock at our Chicago factory, where HIWIN can cut and machine to our spec or yours. Fast shipment to meet applications in machine tool, medical, lab, packaging, metal fab, semicon and advanced high-precision automation equipment.
Learn more.

Feature articles
SPE Automotive honors Innovation Awards winners

From a Ford F-150 Lightning frunk to a Corvette E-Ray battery module sideplate and a whole lot more in between, see the winners of the 52nd Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Innovation Awards -- real-world examples of impressive design engineering feats. Lots of process and product details.
Read the full article.
Image -
When metals can't survive, use an alternative.
INSACO: The top choice for high-precision machining of hard materials to very precise tolerances.


Image - NASA 3D prints aluminum rocket engine nozzle -- a technology first
NASA 3D prints aluminum rocket engine nozzle -- a technology first
NASA recently built and tested a 3D-printed rocket engine nozzle made of a novel aluminum alloy, making it lighter than conventional nozzles. Due to its low tolerance to extreme heat and its tendency to crack during welding, aluminum is not typically used for 3D printing of rocket engine parts -- until now.
Read the full article.

Image - Miracle molecule makes polymers more durable and act more like metals
Miracle molecule makes polymers more durable and act more like metals
A team at Sandia National Labs has developed a molecule that helps change the way polymers react to temperature fluctuations -- a potential solution to many thermal expansion mismatch problems.
Read the full article.

Image - 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger: V-6 hybrid with up to 690-mile range
2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger: V-6 hybrid with up to 690-mile range
For light-duty truck fans who love the work utility of an EV's onboard electric power station but still want a gas engine to avoid range anxiety, Ram has you covered. The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger sports a 3.6-liter V-6, two electric motors, a huge battery pack, and a claim of up to 690 miles of range. But Ram doesn't want you calling this truck a hybrid.
Read the full article to find out why.

Image - How to implement redundancy in stepper motors
How to implement redundancy in stepper motors
Some of the recent research activities in the area of electric motor drives for safety-critical applications (such as aerospace and nuclear power plants) are focused on looking at various fault-tolerant motor and drive topologies. After discussing different solutions, this article focuses on a miniature permanent magnet (PM) stepper motor design that provides increased redundancy.
Read this informative Faulhaber article.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Gear crowning -- a cheap fix for noise
Engineer's Toolbox:
Gear crowning -- a cheap fix for noise

With smaller gearboxes transmitting more power at higher rpm and the incumbent demands for greater efficiency, gear engineers are always searching for new ways to reduce vibration and limit noise -- without increasing costs.
Read the full article.

Image - Why choose electric for linear actuators? <br>When precision, multiple positions, repeatability, or position feedback is important
Why choose electric for linear actuators?
When precision, multiple positions, repeatability, or position feedback is important

Tolomatic has been delivering a new type of linear motion technology that is giving hydraulics a run for its money. Learn the benefits of electric linear motion systems, the iceberg principle showing total cost of ownership, critical parameters of sizing, and conversion tips.
Read this informative e-book. (No registration required)

Image - Best practices for making technical drawings
Best practices for making technical drawings
Ambiguities in technical drawings can cost extra money when a part must be redone or reworked, leading to unexpected project delays. It is essential to create clear technical drawings the first time around. Did you remember to include an isometric view if possible? Did you limit the number of hidden lines? Xometry lays out 14 tips that to help engineers create clear and professional manufacturing drawings. A solid review.
Read the full Xometry article.

Image - COMSOL Multiphysics Version 6.2 is here
COMSOL Multiphysics Version 6.2 is here
COMSOL Multiphysics Version 6.2 introduces faster solvers for turbulent fluid flow, electric motors, and room acoustics. It also brings data-driven surrogate model functionality for creating multiphysics-based digital twins and building fast and accurate standalone simulation apps. Get the full details of what's new in the latest version.
Learn more.

Image - New mini gearhead for robotics, semiconductor fab
New mini gearhead for robotics, semiconductor fab
Harmonic Drive is proud to announce the release of its CSF-2XH mini gearhead designed for servo and stepper motors. Available with an output shaft or flange, these gearheads are offered in four sizes with gear ratios of 30:1 to 100:1 and peak torque of .5 to 28 Nm. These mini strain wave gears are ideal for applications such as semiconductor manufacturing and robotics. Available through Electromate.
Learn more.

Image - Are fasteners over-torqued in your assemblies?
Are fasteners over-torqued in your assemblies?
According to Mountz, if you currently use a click wrench for your bolting application, you should proceed cautiously because click wrenches are easily misused, which leads to over-torque events. Replacing a click-wrench with a Mountz FGC cam-over wrench helps prevent operator anomalies and over-torque occurrences, because a cam-over mechanism physically prevents the operator from over-torquing fasteners.
Learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - U.S. Army to field test basketball-size 25-hp inverse-Wankel engines for power generation
U.S. Army to field test basketball-size 25-hp inverse-Wankel engines for power generation
In a bid to revolutionize and downsize battlefield power generation, the U.S. Army is investing over $8 million to try out LiquidPiston's basketball-size experimental inverse-Wankel rotary engine integrated into a compact 10-kW generator set that is 75% percent lighter and smaller than currently fielded Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources.
Read the full article.

Image - Jaguar's last gasoline sports car: F-TYPE ZP Edition
Jaguar's last gasoline sports car: F-TYPE ZP Edition
They say all good things must come to an end, but do they really need to? Jaguar is commemorating the end of its internal combustion engine sports car lineage in 2024 with exclusive limited-edition F-TYPE ZP Edition coupes and convertibles inspired by iconic 1960s Jaguar racing E-types.
Read the full article.

Image - New 3D-printed aluminum alloy exhibits unprecedented fatigue resistance
New 3D-printed aluminum alloy exhibits unprecedented fatigue resistance
Researchers in Hong Kong have used additive manufacturing to create an aluminum alloy with unprecedented fatigue resistance -- double that of other 3D-printed aluminum alloys and surpassing high-strength wrought AI alloys.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
NEW! Semi-automatic pin installation technology from SPIROL -- Better, faster fastening
SPIROL's new video showcases their updated Model PR and Model CR Semi-Automatic Installation Machines for Pins, Alignment Dowels, and Bushings. The video demonstrates how to operate the machine, details standard features, and optional quality and error-proofing enhancements. More than 80% of the components in this installation equipment are standard, pretested, production-proven, off-the-shelf parts. This translates into faster delivery, greater reliability, and lowest cost for equipment of comparable quality.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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