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August 20, 2024Volume 20 Issue 31


Image - What is the C-Flex Pivot Bearing?
What is the C-Flex Pivot Bearing?
It's a flexure-based bearing utilizing internal flat crossed springs, capsuled in a cylindrical housing, to provide precise rotation with low hysteresis and no frictional losses. The C-Flex bearing will offer infinite life when used within its rated load and rotation values. Applications include Medical, Industrial, Aerospace, Semiconductor, and Optical.

Advantages include: Frictionless, Backlash-free, Self-centering, Simple installation, Low hysteresis, Vacuum applications, Stock items, No lubrication, No maintenance, and Infinite life.
Learn more from C-Flex, The Leader in Flexing Metal Technology.
View the C-Flex Pivot Bearing training page.


In this issue of Designfax

  • How NASA's sky crane changed Mars exploration
  • Raspberry Pi Pico 2: Microcontroller board w/ 2x memory
  • New super-black material created from wood
  • 2025 Corvette ZR1: Fastest Corvette ever, now a twin turbo
  • Tip: Before you design your next application, try this
  • Sandia shakes up weapons testing
  • Helical thread inserts and kits for soft metals
  • LM guide actuator with right/left ball screw
  • High-power-density outer-rotor brushless motor
  • Universal Robots: Seamless integration with Siemens PLCs
  • Free-Core vs. Spring-Loaded LVDT position sensors
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Pneumatic Shaft Locking Clamps automate changeover
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Ford Mustang GTD Carbon Series Performance pack
    • Nissan testing paint that keeps cars cooler
    • Plasma tech could bring satellites closer to Earth
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

News

New transistor's superlative properties could have broad electronics applications

World's first 4th-gen heat pump system for EVs reduces HVAC system size by 30%

Robots create their own teams and wait to see what happens in improved multi-robot control system

What time is it on the Moon? Researchers need to figure that out to make lunar GPS



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!

Feature articles

Image - How Curiosity's sky crane changed the way NASA explores Mars
How Curiosity's sky crane changed the way NASA explores Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover mission is celebrating a dozen years on the Red Planet, where the six-wheeled scientist continues to make big discoveries. Just landing successfully on Mars is a feat, but the Curiosity mission went several steps further on Aug. 5, 2012, touching down with a bold new technique: the sky crane maneuver featuring "7 minutes of terror."
Read the full article.

Image - Raspberry Pi Pico 2: Microcontroller board with 2x flash memory
Raspberry Pi Pico 2: Microcontroller board with 2x flash memory
Raspberry Pi's Pico low-cost, high-performance microcontroller board with flexible digital interfaces is now being offered as a full second-generation product, complete with twice the on-board flash memory, higher performance, lower power consumption, and greater security.
Read the full article.

Image - New super-black material created from wood
New super-black material created from wood
Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers at the University of British Columbia have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells, and precision optical devices.
Read the full article.

Image - 2025 Corvette ZR1: Fastest Corvette ever, now redesigned with a twin turbo
2025 Corvette ZR1: Fastest Corvette ever, now redesigned with a twin turbo
The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has been redesigned to up the ante as America's dominant supercar, sporting a 5.5L twin-turbocharged V8 engine that puts out 1,064 hp. With its carbon fiber aero package, it looks just as cool standing still as it does racing down the highway, and the return of the split rear window is icing on the cake.
Read the full article.

Image - Tech Tip: <br>Before you design your next application, try this
Tech Tip:
Before you design your next application, try this

Smalley's industry-leading Spirolox® Retaining Rings feature a gapless design with 360° of retaining surface. Unlike other rings, Spirolox has no protruding ears to interfere with mating components in your assembly! The highly versatile Spirolox rings are also groove-interchangeable with circlips, meaning they can replace circlips without any design changes. Are you ready to try the Smalley Advantage?
Request your free samples today!

Image - Sandia shakes up weapons testing
Sandia shakes up weapons testing
Testing weapons and components in a lab-controlled environment has always been at the center of Sandia's mission. One of the newer methods is getting better results, with fewer tests, in less time: the six-degrees-of-freedom shaker table that simultaneously moves the x, y, and z axes, while also rotating each axis.
Read the full article.

Image - Helical thread inserts and kits for soft metals
Helical thread inserts and kits for soft metals
E-Z LOK, a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic, and wood, now offers E-Z Coil™ thread repair and reinforcement kits. Wire or helical coil threaded inserts quickly repair or reinforce tapped holes in soft metals. Made from 18-8 stainless steel wire, these helical coil inserts are corrosion resistant and can withstand temps up to 800°F. They also offer protection from wearing and stripping.
Learn more
or contact Kyle Lindsly-Roach for free samples at 310.323.5613 x221.

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.

Image - High-power-density outer-rotor brushless motor
High-power-density outer-rotor brushless motor
Allied Motion Technologies has released the new KinetiMax High Power Density (HPD) motor series. This outer-rotor brushless motor is designed for high-torque, low-cogging applications like robotics, AGVs, and handheld power tools. With an efficiency rating of over 85% and a high power-to-weight ratio, it's an ideal motor choice for any application where weight and battery life are critical. Available in six frame sizes, with three stack lengths per size and three windings per stack length.
Learn more.

Image - Universal Robots: Seamless integration with Siemens PLCs
Universal Robots: Seamless integration with Siemens PLCs
Cobot leader Universal Robots has integrated the Standard Robot Command Interface (SRCI) into its software. UR is proud to be among the first cobot vendors to offer this functionality, which is a new standard for robotics manufacturers that aims to create a single interface between PLCs and robots. It will ensure customers a frictionless integration with Siemens Programmable Logic Controllers, since Siemens is the first -- and currently only -- PLC Vendor supporting SRCI in the automation market.
Learn more.

Image - Free-Core vs. Spring-Loaded LVDT position sensors
Free-Core vs. Spring-Loaded LVDT position sensors
Linear Variable Differential Transformers are electromechanical devices used in many industrial applications to measure the displacement or position of an object. They convert the linear position or motion of a measured object into an electrical output that is displayed on a local readout or input into a programmable logic controller as part of an automated process control system. LVDTs come in two core configurations -- free-core and spring-loaded -- but do you know what the differences are?
Read the full NewTek Sensor Solutions article.

Most popular last issue

Image - All-new Ford Mustang GTD gets Carbon Series, Performance pack
All-new Ford Mustang GTD gets Carbon Series, Performance pack
The Mustang GTD is a street-legal racing supercar meant to thrill with an 800-hp supercharged 5.2-liter V8 and a price tag as high as its incredible wing. Interested parties willing to splurge mega bucks on it have an upgrade option to consider -- even before the car has hit dealerships.
Read the full article.

Image - Nissan testing paint that keeps cars cooler
Nissan testing paint that keeps cars cooler
Nissan has been testing an innovative metamaterial automotive paint aimed at helping lower a vehicle's ambient cabin temperature in summer and reducing the energy usage of the air-conditioning system -- and it really works.
Read the full article.

Image - Plasma technology could bring satellites closer to Earth
Plasma technology could bring satellites closer to Earth
Making satellites that operate closer to home in very low earth orbit would provide more space for them, and their pictures would be clearer. However, working at an altitude with air would mean more force would be needed to propel the satellite forward. That could also be an advantage: The air could be used as the propellant.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Pneumatic Shaft Locking Clamps for automated machine changeover
Discover the power of Fixtureworks' expanded line of Pneumatic Shaft-Locking Clamps. These compact pneumatic locks are perfect for secure clamping of sliding shafts and spindles after positioning and adjustment of machinery equipment. Two types available: Light Duty and Heavy Duty. Sliding shaft options include horizontal and vertical locking. Multiple shafts can be clamped at a time from a distance too.
Learn more and see them in action.

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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