Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
February 06, 2024Volume 20 Issue 05


Image - Space-saving springs that will elevate your design
Space-saving springs that will elevate your design
Wave Springs fit where traditional coil springs cannot. With up to 50% axial space savings, Smalley's Wave Springs are essential for optimizing your design. Want to try the Smalley Advantage for yourself? Ask about our complimentary samples!
Learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • GE Aero demonstrates hypersonic dual-mode ramjet
  • Making pudding inspires NASA antenna design
  • Lightweight ink could reduce plane paint weight 90%
  • 2025 Chevrolet Equinox: Refreshed with rugged looks
  • Kaboom! Watch space habitat burst test
  • New compression limiters protect plastic assemblies
  • Stepper vs. servo: The big debate
  • Can electrical discharge ruin actuator bearings?
  • Benchtop ionizer for hands-free static elimination
  • Tiny and smart: Step motor with closed-loop control
  • Screw jack configuration and selection tool
  • Good reads: Are EVs a 'fading fad' now?
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • When is a frameless BLDC motor the right choice?
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Can golf ball dimple tech help rockets fly better?
    • 3 years, 72 fights: NASA Mars copter mission ends
    • Aftermarket brake pads: The sketchy truth
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox ACTIV

News

BMW Group partners with Dassault Systemes to bring the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to its future engineering platform

Researchers convert CO2 from the atmosphere into valuable carbon nanofibers

Hot stuff in forging: Toyota collaborates with READY Robotics to introduce sim-to-real robotic programming in industrial manufacturing

Sensors powered by sound could save millions of batteries



Feature articles

Image - GE Aerospace demonstrates hypersonic dual-mode ramjet with rotating detonation combustion
GE Aerospace demonstrates hypersonic dual-mode ramjet with rotating detonation combustion
GE Aerospace lifted the curtain recently on its comprehensive hypersonics program, demonstrating a new architecture that could power super-efficient hypersonic vehicles for longer ranges exceeding MACH 5, or greater than 4,000 mph.
Read the full article.

Image - Making pudding inspires NASA game-changing antenna design
Making pudding inspires NASA game-changing antenna design
Some 30 years ago, a young engineer named Christopher Walker was home making chocolate pudding when he got inspired. That idea has now become the Large Balloon Reflector, a giant inflatable device that creates wide collection apertures that weigh a fraction of today's deployable antennas.
Read the full article.

Image - Lightweight structural ink could reduce plane paint weight 90%
Lightweight structural ink could reduce plane paint weight 90%
A new way of creating color created by researchers in Japan uses the scattering of light of specific wavelengths around tiny, almost perfectly round silicon crystals. This development enables non-fading structural colors that can be applied extremely thinly, promising significant weight improvements over conventional paints.
Read the full article.

Image - 2025 Chevrolet Equinox: Refreshed with rugged looks and more
2025 Chevrolet Equinox: Refreshed with rugged looks and more
Chevrolet's Equinox is really growing up. The 2025 next-gen versions of the compact SUV offer modern connectivity and new safety tech, wrapped in more aggressive and utilitarian design. The new Equinox will offer more contemporary and differentiated choices, including larger screens, new safety features, and Equinox's first-ever outdoor-inspired trim, ACTIV.
Read the full article.

Image - Kaboom! Watch space habitat Ultimate Burst Pressure test
Kaboom! Watch space habitat Ultimate Burst Pressure test
Blowing stuff up is just another part the job for some lucky engineers at Sierra Space, where their 20-ft-tall expandable LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat space station structure made of woven fabrics was recently tested to its limits at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The full-scale unit reached 77 psi in the Ultimate Burst Pressure test before it burst, which well exceeds (+27%) NASA's recommended level of 60.8 psi (maximum operating pressure of 15.2 psi multiplied by a safety factor of four). When folded, LIFE fits into a standard 5-m rocket fairing and inflates to the size of a three-story apartment building on orbit.
Watch the test.

Image - New precision machined compression limiters protect plastic assemblies
New precision machined compression limiters protect plastic assemblies
SPIROL has just introduced its new Series CL6000 lightweight, lead-free, Aluminum Precision Machined Compression Limiters designed to reinforce high stress joints in plastic assemblies where bolts are used to connect two components to each other. They protect the plastic from excessive compression throughout the product's lifespan.
Learn all about Compression Limiters in this article.

Image - Stepper vs. servo: The big debate
Stepper vs. servo: The big debate
In the world of precision motion control, many machine designers face a choice between step motor or servo motor technologies to solve their performance requirements. When to use which type has created a big debate. Learn from Kollmorgen about two common scenarios and the good and bad experiences that resulted.
Read the Kollmorgen tech tip.

Image - Can electrical discharge ruin actuator bearings?
Can electrical discharge ruin actuator bearings?
According to the motion systems experts at Macron Dynamics, stray electrical voltages traveling from motor shafts through couplings, pulleys, bearings, and housings could lead to system failure. This damage can reduce the life of bearings that should last six to 10 years to as little as two to six months! Learn the signs of this phenomenon and how to prevent it.
Read the Macron Dynamics tech tip.

Image - Benchtop ionizer for hands-free static elimination
Benchtop ionizer for hands-free static elimination
EXAIR's Varistat Benchtop Ionizer is the latest solution for neutralizing static on charged surfaces in industrial settings. Using ionizing technology, the Varistat provides a hands-free solution that requires no compressed air. Easily mounted on benchtops or machines, it is manually adjustable and perfect for processes needing comprehensive coverage such as part assembly, web cleaning, printing, and more.
Learn more.

Image - Tiny and smart: Step motor with closed-loop control
Tiny and smart: Step motor with closed-loop control
Nanotec's new PD1-C step motor features an integrated controller and absolute encoder with closed-loop control. With a flange size of merely 28 mm (NEMA 11), this compact motor reaches a max holding torque of 18 Ncm and a peak current of 3 A. Three motor versions are available: IP20 protection, IP65 protection, and a motor with open housing that can be modified with custom connectors. Ideal for applications with space constraints, effectively reducing both wiring complexity and installation costs.
Learn more.

Image - Screw jack configuration and selection tool
Screw jack configuration and selection tool
Thomson has added a screw jack config and select tool to its online engineering toolset to help design engineers optimize and specify screw jacks for applications involving loads up to 100 tons. Screw jacks are increasingly replacing hydraulic cylinders in many ultra-heavy, low duty-cycle applications. Enter load, speed, travel, duty cycle, and other motion parameters.
Learn more.

Image - Good reads: Are EVs a 'fading fad' now?
Good reads: Are EVs a 'fading fad' now?
MarketWatch has published an opinion piece by Todd Buchholz that poses the question, "Are plug-in electric vehicles the bread makers of our day?" -- a reference to the early 1990s when electric home bread makers were all the rage but soon died out in popularity. Automakers like Ford, who are offering complimentary Fast Charging Adapters for Tesla chargers, are betting the current slump is just a blip. [Image credit: Ford Motor Co.]
Read the MarketWatch article.

Most popular last issue

Image - Can golf ball dimple tech help rockets fly better?
Can golf ball dimple tech help rockets fly better?
Cutting-edge research at Sandia National Lab is forging a rocket revolution and propelling the future of aerospace by infusing rocket science with a touch of golf ball magic. It could benefit everything from race cars to wind turbines too.
Read the full article.

Image - After 3 years and 72 fights, NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter mission ends
After 3 years and 72 fights, NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter mission ends
Built with many off-the-shelf components, NASA's experimental Mars Ingenuity Helicopter was designed as a technology demonstration that would fly no more than five times on the Red Planet. The 4-lb rotorcraft far exceeded expectations until an incident in January.
Read the full article.

Image - Aftermarket brake pads: The sketchy truth
Aftermarket brake pads: The sketchy truth
Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske takes a deep dive into aftermarket brake pad design, materials, and construction in a bid to educate consumers about good and not-so-good buying options out there -- and why there are major differences. You can always learn something from a Fenske video -- and you might be a little surprised along the way.
View the video.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
When is a frameless brushless DC motor the right choice?
Frameless BLDC motors fit easily into small, compact machines that require high precision, high torque, and high efficiency, such as robotic applications where a mix of low weight and inertia is critical. Learn from the experts at SDP/SI how these motors can replace heavier, less efficient hydraulic components by decreasing operating and maintenance costs. These motors are also more environmentally friendly than others.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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