| May 22, 2012 | Volume 08 Issue 20 |
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 | New ‘pin and keeper' quick-assembly
sign fastening system
The Micro Plastics sign fastener is designed for rapid assembly and disassembly of a sign or other panel to its support structure. The reusable fastener was designed to fit a hole diameter of 5/16 in. to 3/8 in. (8 mm to 9.5 mm) and can be used to fasten two pieces together with total panel thickness from 1 in. to 1.64 in. (25.4 mm to 41.6 mm). Simply squeeze the keeper together and slide onto the pin, then release the keeper. Molded from impact-resistant and UV-stabilized nylon 6/6, the sign fastener is designed to withstand the elements in outdoor applications.
Click here for more information. |
 | Mike Likes:
Design tips for better plastic parts
Protomold has compiled over 90 tips for designing injection molded parts into eight handy, downloadable volumes. You can find super-useful lessons and guidelines on everything from selecting materials to designing parts cost effectively. Pickouts for interior undercuts, textures, mold finish vs. part finish, when to draft and not to draft, and matching mating parts. It's all there – and much, much more. This is a really handy resource. I'd be surprised if you didn't learn a thing or two.
Download the design-tip compilations today. |
Engineer's Toolbox:
Way beyond sheet metal
BlankWorks v4.3 from Forming Technologies provides SolidWorks users with a fully integrated tool for developing optimal flat patterns from complex 3D designs that go way beyond sheet metal, including inflatable toys, aircraft and helicopter parts, insulation, and thermoform packaging.
Read the full article. |
 | Quick Look:
Industrial pressure sensors for rugged applications
The new Honeywell Model IP pressure sensor series is CE certified and offered in common psi (5 to 10,000) and bar (0.5 to 700) ranges. Unlike other pressure sensors on the market, Honeywell's line of IP sensors includes temperature in its total error band (TEB) configuration, offering increased measurement confidence and eliminating the need for supplementary calculations by the user. Typical users for this product include customers in transportation, industrial, medical, and oil and gas industries.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Quick Look:
More torque, less noise
Experience the faces of a new generation of gearboxes with the revolutionary LP+ Generation 3 from WITTENSTEIN. This precision gearhead sets new standards for drive systems looking for economic flexibility. The LP+ Generation 3 has the same space envelope requirements as the LP+, which makes it ideal as a drop-in replacement; yet it boasts increased power, smoother running, and more ratios. The new design possesses up to 75% higher torques as compared to the industry standard inline product, and optimized manufacturing and assembly processes have resulted in a 50% reduction in operation noise.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Quick Look:
Precision positioning for heavier loads
Suited to any medium-duty rotary positioning application, the Bell-Everman SBR 200 stage is a natural fit for production and assembly machines needing to move loads up to 100 kg. It features a huge through-hole relative to its overall size, which makes it easy to bring utility connections, sensors, and other functional components to the top of the stage. Its larger package size has enabled the integration of a full-fledged ServoBelt drive mechanism. This high-stiffness symmetrical drive mechanism enhances stiffness and eliminates backlash, which contributes the SBR 200's tight positioning accuracy.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Flying wind turbine aces test flight
Altaeros Energies, a wind energy company formed out of MIT, took to the Maine skies in late March to test its helium-filled, 35-ft Altaeros Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT). The prototype climbed to 350 ft, produced power at altitude, and landed in an automated cycle, lifting the top-selling Southwest Skystream turbine to produce over twice the power at high altitude than generated at conventional tower height. The product aims to reduce energy costs by up to 65% by harnessing the stronger winds found over 1,000 ft high and reducing installation time from weeks to days. The lifting technology is adapted from aerostats, industrial cousins of passenger blimps that for decades have lifted heavy communications and radar equipment into the air for long periods of time. Aerostats are rated to survive hurricane-force winds.
View the video. |
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Flying inversion object aims to inspire new drive concepts
The nature-loving wizards at Festo have combined extreme lightweight construction, electric drive units, and control and regulation technology to create SmartInversion, a working helium-filled flying object that moves through the air by turning inside out. The shape is based on the geometrical band devised by Paul Schatz: its middle section, in the form of an articulated ring of six members, detaches itself from a cube and constantly turns inside out, taking on different geometrical shapes in the process. Kind of mesmerizing, don't you think?
View the video. |
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