Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
April 16, 2013Volume 09 Issue 15


Image - 20-minute webinar: <br>Getting successful parts made fast
20-minute webinar:
Getting successful parts made fast

The more you know about the injection molding process, the quicker you can achieve cost-effective results and develop superior products. This 20-minute technical webinar looks at plastic part design issues, materials, moldability, and smart ways to speed up both product development and manufacturing.
Reserve my spot!

In this issue of Designfax

  • Metal bellows used as spring replacements
  • New Shore testing methods in the nano-range
  • Nuclear fusion-powered rocket
  • Wheels: Testing big-rig rear crash guards
  • Mike Likes: No-cost NASA e-books
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Top 5 LabVIEW rookie mistakes
  • Friction positioning hinges
  • Lightweight linear actuator
  • Mini motors reduce device, instrument size
  • Next-gen material for bearings, bushings
  • 3G sensors stream photos, video
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Bolts with improved fatigue performance
    • Microsoft Surface tablet design
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Wheels: New side-mirror optics
    • Glass as strong as steel? Key discovery
    • Sikorsky, Boeing propose X2 rotorcraft
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion, Special: Materials
    Cover Image: IIHS tests car crahses into big-rig trailer guards

News

GE scientists helping to bring advanced laser manufacturing tools mainstream

Alcoa licenses breakthrough tech for mass production of aluminum-intensive vehicles

BAE Systems tapped by U.S. Navy to develop airborne mine-detection sensor prototype

Led by auto, medical, and aerospace, 3D printing to grow into $8.4 billion market by 2025



Image - Rogan's Liquid Silicone Rubber Molding Capabilities
Rogan's Liquid Silicone Rubber Molding Capabilities
In business since 1934, Rogan Corporation is a leader in the injection molding industry, producing thermoplastic and LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber) components and assemblies. Manufacturing LSR components is a rapidly growing segment of the business. Rogan is one of a few select manufacturers that offer Bondable LSR overmolding. This process involves the injection molding of a bondable-grade silicone directly onto plastic or metal parts, creating a single integrated component. LSR's heat, chemical, shock, and vibration resistance along with its sound-dampening characteristics have made it an ideal fit for integral seals and gaskets, waterproofing complex geometries and electronic interconnects, integral membranes, diaphragms, valves, and switch covers. (Picture has .008" thick fins bonded to a plastic tube.)

Our state-of-the-art Class 100,000 clean room enables Rogan to meet the increasing demand for LSR molding and assembly for the medical device market.


Feature articles

Image - Precision metal bellows used as spring replacements in mechanical and electrical applications
Precision metal bellows used as spring replacements in mechanical and electrical applications
Servometer metal bellows are used for metallic hermetic seals, volume compensators, pressure and temperature sensors, flexible connectors, and countless other applications where quality, dependability, and long life are critical requirements. In this article, we evaluate the use of an electrodeposited metal bellows as a replacement for a metal spring in mechanical and electrical systems. The bellows offers various benefits to create a cost-effective, repeatable solution.
Read the full article.

Image - New Shore testing methods in the nano-range
New Shore testing methods in the nano-range
Shore A hardness is an important product attribute when parts are manufactured from flexible polymers. A new nano-Shore durometer that can measure ultra-miniature items relies on brushless miniature drives to provide incredibly accurate needle positioning for testing. Learn about the motion-control design considerations for building this testing device.
Read the full article.

Image - Rocket powered by nuclear fusion could send humans to Mars
Rocket powered by nuclear fusion could send humans to Mars
University of Washington researchers and scientists at a Redmond-based space-propulsion company called MSNW are building components of a fusion-powered rocket aimed to clear many of the hurdles that block deep space travel, including long times in transit, exorbitant costs, and health risks.
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels: <br>Testing big-rig rear crash guards
Wheels:
Testing big-rig rear crash guards

Crash guards on modern semitrailers do a good job of keeping passenger vehicles from sliding underneath them, greatly increasing the chances of surviving a crash into the back of a large truck, according to recent tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). But in crashes involving only a small portion of the truck's rear, most trailers fail to prevent potentially deadly underride. That's about to change.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: <br>No-cost NASA e-books
Mike Likes:
No-cost NASA e-books

If you haven't taken a tour of the latest no-cost e-book offerings from NASA, now's the time to fill up on summer reading material. "Coming Home: Re-entry and Recovery from Space" is one of my new faves. It's 300+ pages of in-depth NASA history about re-entry aerodynamics, thermal protection, guidance and control, stability, propulsion, and landing systems. "Dressing for Altitude - U.S. Aviation Pressure Suits" is another good choice, chronicling an "indispensible part of a small fragment of the aviation world" and providing loads of historical perspective along the way. And after reading "Hubble Space Telescope: Discoveries," an interactive picture book made for all ages, you may never look at the July night sky the same way again. All titles are available in mobile and pdf formats.
Check out the NASA e-books page.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Top 5 LabVIEW rookie mistakes
Engineer's Toolbox:
Top 5 LabVIEW rookie mistakes

Although NI LabVIEW software has long helped engineers and scientists to quickly develop functional measurement and control applications, not all new users follow LabVIEW programming best practices. This article reviews the most common programming mistakes made by inexperienced LabVIEW programmers, along with recommendations on the correct LabVIEW programming approach to use instead.
Read the full article.

Image - Product Spotlight: <br>Friction positioning hinges provide constant torque for precise control
Product Spotlight:
Friction positioning hinges provide constant torque for precise control

RT Series friction positioning hinges from Reell provide constant torque throughout their full 360-degree range of motion to precisely control and hold the angle of mounted components in any position. These hinges carry an industry-leading guaranteed service life exceeding 50,000 cycles. They integrate patented ReellTorq clip technology for a premium quality feel and smooth and precise position control without requiring adjustment during installation. Typical applications include motion and positioning of a display or access panel within a wide range of equipment and systems in the medical, aerospace and aviation, automotive, electronics, architectural lighting, and POP and POS industries. Three standard product families deliver successively more powerful torque capabilities.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Product Spotlight: <br>Lightweight linear actuator with small mounting height
Product Spotlight:
Lightweight linear actuator with small mounting height

DryLin® ZLW belt drive actuators from igus were developed to quickly position small loads and can be employed in a number of industries from packaging to medical technology to food and beverage. These belt drives are extremely cost effective versus ball bearing drive systems and work well in dirty, dusty environments and clean environments.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Product Spotlight: <br>Mini motors reduce device and instrument size without compromising power
Product Spotlight:
Mini motors reduce device and instrument size without compromising power

The 10NS brush DC miniature motor from Portescap delivers spectacular speed-to-torque performance, ensuring high nominal torque and high power up to 0.7 W in a smaller envelope than motors with comparable performance attributes. This enables OEMs to build smaller, lighter, and higher performing machines and devices. It also eliminates the need to choose between compact size and weight, or battery life and equipment life cycle.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Product Spotlight: <br>Next-gen high-performance material for bearings, bushings, and other wear parts
Product Spotlight:
Next-gen high-performance material for bearings, bushings, and other wear parts

WS Hampshire Inc., a leading fabricator and supplier of non-metallic materials, has introduced Ryertex S/T, the next generation of high-performance phenolic material for bearings, bushings, and other wear parts for a wide range of the most demanding industrial applications, including steel and aluminum manufacturing, paper manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, rail, off-road/construction, and agricultural equipment. In these demanding applications, Ryertex S/T can increase part performance life five to seven times.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Product Spotlight: <br>3G sensors stream photo and video for new security, military applications
Product Spotlight:
3G sensors stream photo and video for new security, military applications

The new Video Camera Sensor board from Libelium, in conjunction with the company's 3G module for Waspmote, allows developers to add photo (VGA, 640x480) and video (QVGA, 320x240) capabilities. Media is sent to the cloud using high-speed WCDMA and HSPA cellular networks in the same way as smartphones do. This makes possible sensor nodes that send not only discrete sensor information, such as temperature or humidity (which can be encoded using just a single number), but also complex streams of information such as photos and videos. Includes dozens of high-power infrared (IR) LEDs for night-vision mode.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue
Wheels:
Side-mirror blind spots disappear thanks to progressive optics

A new optical prescription for automobile side-view mirrors may eliminate the dreaded "blind spot" in traffic without distorting the perceived distance of cars approaching from behind.
Read the full article.
Glass as strong as steel? Researchers discover key to making glass brittle or ductile
A Yale University team and collaborators propose a way of predicting whether a given glass will be brittle or ductile -- a desirable property typically associated with metals like steel or aluminum -- and assert that any glass could have either quality.
Read the full article.
Sikorsky, Boeing propose X2 rotorcraft design for U.S. Army's future vertical lift requirements
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and Boeing have submitted a joint proposal to build a demonstrator aircraft, based on Sikorsky's X2 Technology rotorcraft design, for the U.S. Army's Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator (TD) Phase 1 program. The JMR TD program supports the Army's Future Vertical Lift initiative to deliver the next generation of vertical lift utility and attack aircraft.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Bolts with improved fatigue performance
Because the Huck 360 was designed with shallow, low-notch factor bolt threads (the grooves aren't rolled as deep as a conventional bolt), the effective diameter of the fastener itself is widened by as much as 18 percent, increasing tensile and fatigue strength. According to maker Alcoa Fastening Systems, the Huck 360 thread delivers five times the fatigue life of a standard thread bolt, and finite element analysis (FEA) reveals that the shallow thread form of the Huck 360 concentrates 27 percent less axial stress in the root than conventional bolt threads. This stress concentration is the primary contributing factor leading to stress corrosion cracks (SCC) and fatigue failures.
View the video.

Video Image
Insider's Look: Microsoft Surface tablet design
Take a peek behind the scenes at the designing of Microsoft's Surface Tablet. It's that cool one on the commercials that "snaps" together with its keyboard. When the video is over, take a look at the "Making of the Touch Cover for Surface" video. It looks like Microsoft has really loosened up on letting people see the design considerations and processes behind some of their products.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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Materials
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