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December 17, 2013Volume 09 Issue 47


Image - 2014 COOL PARTS CALENDAR
2014 COOL PARTS CALENDAR
Designed by designers and engineered for engineers, our annual Cool Parts Calendar features the visions of product developers across the nation and around the world. It features monthly contests, industry tradeshow dates, and (of course) those elusive days of the week.

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In this issue of Designfax

  • Simulation at work: Artificial heart design
  • Foosball brought to life
  • Big structures from small interlocking components
  • Wheels: Insider look Changan-Ford plant in China
  • Mike Likes: Freeze-proof pressure transducers
  • Engineer's Toolbox: 9 new mechanical engineering titles
  • Xmas tree-type fasteners
  • Four drive components in one package
  • Unfilled nylon for additive manufacturing
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Bentley uses 3D printing
    • Micro drive has no measurable jitter
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Engineering a safer bounce
    • Wheels (and wings): F-35 fighter canopy forming
    • World's smallest FM radio transmitter
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion, Special: Materials
    Cover Image: Ultra-flexible ABB robots are part of ABB's FlexLean philosophy at the Changan-Ford factory in Chongqing, China

News

Army tests vehicle-mounted laser against multiple targets

DARPA space telescope aims to view 40 percent of Earth's surface at once using 'plastic wrap' membrane optics

Swiss researchers develop app that turns a smartphone into a 3D scanner

GE announces winners of 3D Printing Design Quest for the best jet engine loading bracket



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PREVENT BOLT LOOSENING
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Feature articles

Image - Simulation at work: <br>Multiphysics systems simulation leads to better understanding of a smaller artificial heart design
Simulation at work:
Multiphysics systems simulation leads to better understanding of a smaller artificial heart design

A new continuous-flow total artificial heart (CFTAH) is smaller and less complex than other artificial heart designs. It features a single moving part, the rotor, that is suspended by a combination of magnetic and fluid forces. To minimize the risk and number of expensive design changes, engineering consultants from the SimuTech Group are performing multiphysics simulation that incorporates electromagnetic simulation coupled with fluid flow to fully explore the CFTAH's operation.
Read the full article.

Image - Foosball brought to life
Foosball brought to life
A compact software testing device developing during a research project conducted by the University of Freiburg has now emerged itself in table soccer market success. Utilizing software designed to react intelligently to situational moves and powered by durable, high-speed FAULHABER DC motors the game is brought to life.
Read the full article.

Image - MIT develops new approach to assembling big structures from small interlocking components
MIT develops new approach to assembling big structures from small interlocking components
MIT researchers have developed a lightweight structure whose tiny blocks can be snapped together much like the bricks of a child's construction toy. The new material, the researchers say, could revolutionize the assembly of airplanes, spacecraft, and even larger structures, such as dikes and levees.
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels: <br>Insider look at ultra-flexible robotic manufacturing at a Changan-Ford plant in China
Wheels:
Insider look at ultra-flexible robotic manufacturing at a Changan-Ford plant in China

The Changan-Ford factory in Chongqing, China, is using ABB robots on a new vehicle line meant to provide the ultimate in flexibility. Using what ABB calls its FlexLean philosophy, this car body assembly line is equipped with several key robotic technologies to allow for rapid switching between car models based on market demands. Nick Chambers from ABB Robotics has put together a special insider look at these technologies.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: <br>Freeze-proof pressure transducers
Mike Likes:
Freeze-proof pressure transducers

It only takes a small formation of ice deep inside the inlet cavity of a pressure transducer to destroy the sensing element. To prevent this, Ashcroft engineers have developed a unique media isolation method for the G2, T2, and KM15 pressure transducers. Along with consistent performance in extreme temperatures, these transducers are designed to withstand other harsh operating conditions, including high shock and extreme vibration. A wide choice of pressure ranges, outputs, electrical terminations, and process connections help make them the perfect fit in nearly any installation.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Elsevier releases 9 new mechanical engineering titles
Engineer's Toolbox:
Elsevier releases 9 new mechanical engineering titles

Elsevier has published nine new titles in the area of mechanical engineering. What's your guilty pleasure? Heat pipes, fluid dynamics, aviation design, or ship stability? Tribology or ROV design? Whatever it is, Elsevier has got you covered with these informative and valuable titles.
Read the full article.

Image - Xmas tree-type fasteners
Xmas tree-type fasteners
Micro Plastics' product line of "X-MAS TREE TYPE FASTENERS" has now been expanded to include over 50 new standard sizes, with 8 special item clips. In addition, a metric line of over 20 sizes is also now available. These uniquely designed fastening snap-in clips feature a ribbed shank that ensures fast and easy installation. Clips hold secure in a wide range of materials and work effectively in blind hole applications. A variety of head, prong, and point styles are available. The standard line offers fasteners to fit hole sizes of 1/8 in. through 3/8 in. and will accommodate panel thicknesses from .062 in. to 2.00 in. The metric line accommodates hole sizes of 3 mm through 8 mm and panel thicknesses from 1.6 mm to 50 mm. Fasteners are molded in corrosion-, abrasion-, and vibration-resistant black nylon.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Four drive components in one compact package
Four drive components in one compact package
Bodine Electric Company has added a new selection of high-performance right-angle INTEGRAmotor gearmotors to its product line. The new type 34B4/FV-5N gearmotors combine Bodine's 34B brushless DC motor with a compact and cost-competitive right-angle gearhead, a built-in PWM speed control, and an optical encoder. Together, they create a high-performance drive package that radically simplifies design, wiring, and assembly. The 24 VDC 34B/FV-5N gearmotors are ideal for a wide range of low-voltage applications in medical equipment, packaging machines, conveyor systems, printing equipment, and factory automation. The new gearmotors provide 1/4 hp (187 W) and up to 104 lb-in. (12 Nm) continuous torque
Click here to learn more.

Image - Tough, unfilled nylon now available for additive manufacturing
Tough, unfilled nylon now available for additive manufacturing
FDM Nylon 12 from Stratasys is the first nylon material specifically engineered for the company's line of Fortus 3D Production Systems. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Nylon 12 offers up to five times greater resistance to breaking and better impact strength compared to even the strongest FDM materials. The new material's elongation-at-break specification surpasses that of other 3D-printed nylon 12 material by up to 100 percent based on published specifications. This can create new opportunities for manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, home appliance, and consumer electronics to more easily create durable parts that can stand up to high vibration, repetitive stress, or fatigue.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Engineering a safer bounce
Engineering a safer bounce
Ask a kid if they like trampolines and their eyes are sure to light up with joy, but how can all the fun go wrong? In a number of ways, thanks to the unavoidable laws of physics. Dr. Keith Alexander, an associate professor of engineering at Canterbury University, New Zealand, felt there had to be a safer way to enjoy the trampoline, so he began working in his garage. His clever Springfree Trampoline moves the frame below the jumping surface, creates a soft edge to the mat, and surrounds the whole thing with tensioned, UV-resistant netting that bounces users back to the center if they go off-kilter.
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels (and wings): <br>Automating F-35 fighter canopy forming adds speed, precision to jet manufacturing
Wheels (and wings):
Automating F-35 fighter canopy forming adds speed, precision to jet manufacturing

A faster, more precise way to create cockpit enclosures may end up saving the F-35 Lightning II program a significant amount in manufacturing costs.
Read the full article.

Image - Columbia engineers make world's smallest FM radio transmitter
Columbia engineers make world's smallest FM radio transmitter
A team of Columbia University Engineering researchers has taken advantage of graphene's special properties -- its mechanical strength and electrical conduction -- and created a nano-mechanical system that can create FM signals, in effect the world's smallest FM radio transmitter.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
How Bentley uses multi-material 3D printing
Watch how legendary Bentley Motors Ltd is dedicated to using Objet Connex multi-material 3D printing to produce small-scale car models, as well as full-size parts, for assessment and testing prior to actual production. Virtually every part is prototyped in miniature, right down to the crystal decanter.
View the video.

Video Image
M3-R rotary micro drive has no measurable jitter
At 44 mm x 44 mm x 36 mm, the M3-R rotary micro drive from New Scale Technologies is smaller than -- and can replace -- a servo drive. It also offers higher position resolution. The M3-R rotary micro drive has no measurable jitter, holds position without power, and generates no magnetic fields. It exhibits excellent velocity, acceleration, and repeatability characteristics. Learn more about this awesome little piezoelectric drive.
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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