Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
June 03, 2014Volume 10 Issue 21


Image - Constant Section Rings from Smalley
Constant Section Rings from Smalley
Smalley offers over 1,000 Constant Section Rings from stock in both carbon and stainless steel in diameters ranging from .375" to 10". Smalley can also produce these heavy-duty rings with different end configurations to meet your application requirements. Custom designs are available from .200" to 120" diameters. Free samples available for testing.

Click here to learn more.


In this issue of Designfax

  • Lockheed Martin 3D prints satellite tanks
  • New class of lubricants
  • Self-healing composite materials
  • Wheels: Nissan 24 Hours of Le Mans hybrid
  • Super-clever foldable development board
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Magnetic flow for heat transfer
  • Next-gen mini valve for flows to 100 l/min
  • Ultra low-profile LEDs
  • Cold deck added to LSR molding machine
  • Double dip your grips
  • Single-cable terminals for motors
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Amazing. Universal Robots on the job
    • NASA Supersonic Decelerator saucer tests
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Wheels: Hydraulics empower walking excavator
    • Make your own bearings
    • B-52s get 90-year operating-life update
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Nissan brings an electric/gas hybrid to 24 Hours of Le Mans

News

U.S. lightweight howitzers to be powered by new Super-Phosphate Li-ion batteries from Saft

Ford licensing its inflatable seat belt tech to expand industry adoption

SpaceX completes qualification testing of SuperDraco thruster that has 3D-printed engine parts

Designfax readers tell us: Why I love my car



Image - MICROMO Introduces the New FAULHABER <br>17/1 Series Planetary Gearhead
MICROMO Introduces the New FAULHABER
17/1 Series Planetary Gearhead

Thanks to their sturdy construction, the FAULHABER metal Planetary Gearheads are ideal for applications which demand the highest torque. The new 17/1 gearhead is the latest addition to the FAULHABER gearhead product line in the 16 to 20 mm diameter range. The 17/1 gearhead is available with up to five gear stages, with standard reductions of 3.33:1 to 1,367:1.

Find out more today!


Feature articles
RedEye and Lockheed Martin build one of the largest 3D-printed parts for space satellite project
Faced with a lengthy turnaround time and a sticker price of around $250,000 to machine prototypes, Lockheed Martin's Space Systems Company (SSC) took a shot at 3D printing two large-scale satellite fuel tank simulators.

When RedEye's aerospace team received design files from Lockheed's engineers, they were stunned with the size of the tanks.
Read the full article.

Image -
This excellent resource covers materials, texture, draft, sink, and many other design considerations.


Image - Gearheads rejoice: Liquid crystal forms a totally new class of lubricants
Gearheads rejoice: Liquid crystal forms a totally new class of lubricants
Although lubricants are widely used in motors, axles, ventilators, and manufacturing machines -- just for starters -- there have been almost no fundamental innovations for this product in the last 20 years. Together with a consortium, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg, Germany, have developed an entirely new class of substance that could change everything: liquid crystalline lubricant.
Read the full article.

Image - Repeated self-healing is now possible in composite materials
Repeated self-healing is now possible in composite materials
Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created a 3D vascular system that allows for high-performance composite materials such as fiberglass to heal autonomously -- and repeatedly.
Read the full article.




Image - Wheels: <br>Nissan set to make hybrid history at 24 Hours <br>of Le Mans
Wheels:
Nissan set to make hybrid history at 24 Hours
of Le Mans

The Nissan ZEOD RC hybrid racecar with an 88-lb, 400-hp three-cylinder combustion engine the size of a piece of carry-on luggage and an all-electric running option is set to make history at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans road race.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: <br> Clever enclosure provides a stow-away workspace for multiple development boards
Mike Likes:
Clever enclosure provides a stow-away workspace for multiple development boards

Bud Industries has come up with a really clever solution to the problem of organizing multiple development boards and a maze of wiring. Using a "flat or folded" approach, the patent-pending Board-ganizer enclosure provides a tidy work platform, keeps components of a design project in one place, and makes breadboarded designs easy to store and transport. Popular PC development boards such as the Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Freescale Freedom, etc. easily attach to the Board-ganizer using adhesive rubber feet. Up to three development boards and a breadboard can be installed on a single enclosure. The enclosure's hinged design makes it easy to work on a project with the boards located side by side and later to fold the project into a compact 5 x 5 x 3 in. enclosure with no need to disconnect any wires.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Magnetically stimulated flow patterns offer strategy for heat transfer problems
Engineer's Toolbox:
Magnetically stimulated flow patterns offer strategy for heat transfer problems

Sandia National Laboratories researchers Jim Martin and Kyle Solis have what Martin calls "a devil of a problem." They've discovered how to harness magnetic fields to create vigorous, organized fluid flows in particle suspensions -- and even demonstrated a heat transfer valve that could potentially control the temperature of computer processors. But they're not sure how and why the flow patterns occur.
Read the full article.

Image - Next-gen mini valve for flows to 100 l/min
Next-gen mini valve for flows to 100 l/min
Clippard's high-flow, two-way Minimatic DV Series bidirectional electronic valves utilize a unique, patented valving principle and feature a robust stainless steel "spider" flat armature spring. This design is the next generation of the well-know and trusted original EV line of Clippard "Mouse" valves. With a cycle life of over a billion, a solid, compact design, and extremely high flow rates, these valves are suitable for many applications across numerous diverse industries. A variety of voltage, connector, and mounting options are available.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Ultra low-profile LEDs increase freedom of design
Ultra low-profile LEDs increase freedom of design
The low-profile, rectangular shape of the new Synios E4014 from Osram Opto Semiconductors enables the light from this LED to be injected into light guides so that a wide range of design ideas can be realized. The mid-power LEDs also have an impressively robust plastic package, a very uniform distribution of light, and an excellent price/performance ratio. The LEDs are intended primarily for visually enhancing white goods such as appliances and for lighting systems in vehicles and displays.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Rogan adds new cold deck system to its vertical LSR molding machine
Rogan adds new cold deck system to its vertical LSR molding machine
Rogan Corporation, known for its true two-shot, liquid silicone rubber and insert molding, has purchased and added a new cold deck system to its vertical Sodick Plustech Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) molding machine. The cold deck will reduce the volume of LSR material used during molding by eliminating the sprue and runner waste that occurs with traditional silicone injection molding. The result is a reduction in part costs, material savings, reduced cycle times, and increased equipment utilization. In addition, Rogan customers also experience a significant tooling savings benefit.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Double dip your grips
Double dip your grips
MOCAP's line of round, flat, or finger-nub-style vinyl grips are also available with a dual-wall (double-dipped) feature. The grip can be double dipped in various materials, colors, or hardness durometers (soft, semi-rigid, or hard) to fit your thicker wall or unique handle cover application. These double-dip grips provide maximum comfort and durability and are currently used on a wide variety of hand tools and instruments. Choose from many material options, including traditional smooth and glossy or textured vinyl materials.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Single-cable terminals reduce  motion control costs
Single-cable terminals reduce motion control costs
Beckhoff Automation has released the new EL7201-0010 servo terminal that supports innovative One Cable Technology (OCT), combining power and feedback signals into one streamlined cable. The EL7201 series servo terminals from the Beckhoff EtherCAT I/O system integrate a complete servo amplifier for motors up to 200W in a compact, high-density (HD) terminal housing measuring just 12-mm wide. One Cable Technology-equipped motors reduce wiring costs and keep commissioning costs to a minimum. In addition to solutions for stepper and DC motors, the servo terminals are designed for highly dynamic servo positioning tasks due to integrated, fast control technology.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Wheels: <br>Innovative hydraulics empower highly specialized spider/walking excavator
Wheels:
Innovative hydraulics empower highly specialized spider/walking excavator

The Swiss excavator manufacturer Menzi Muck unveiled the first model in its new walking excavator series last year at the bauma 2013 trade fair. The working hydraulics in these highly specialized construction machines are configured as a complete system of Linde Hydraulics components, including the electronic control unit.
Read the full article.

Image - Make your own bearings: <br>igus presents the world's first printable bearing material filament for 3D printers
Make your own bearings:
igus presents the world's first printable bearing material filament for 3D printers

Plastics expert igus has introduced the world's first plastic filament for 3D printers enhanced with tribological, or low-friction, properties. The material, 50 times more resistant to wear and abrasion than conventional 3D-printer materials, is ideally suited for creating custom bearings. igus even provides some STL design model files, too.
Read the full article.

Image - Air Force updating B-52s with CONECT system so planes have 90-year operating life
Air Force updating B-52s with CONECT system so planes have 90-year operating life
The Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) took delivery of a significantly enhanced Boeing B-52H Stratofortress in a ceremony at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on April 25. The B-52H spent the previous 10 months at Tinker Air Force Base, OK, being refitted with the Combat Network Communications Technology, or CONECT, upgrade. This modification is designed to greatly improve the aircraft's utility in the modern battlespace and to keep the 50-year-old aircraft capable and lethal until at least 2040.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Amazing. Universal Robots on the job
Lettuce wrapping, CNC machine tending, palletizing, spray painting, and vision-guided tire inspection. These are just a few of more than 20 innovative, cage-free applications in this fascinating video mosaic, depicting the light-weight, flexible Universal Robots in action. Did we mention how easy they are to program? Use the touch screen tablet or simply grab the robot arm and show it the desired path of movement. ROI: 3-8 months.
View the video.

Video Image
NASA engineers ready Supersonic Decelerator saucer tests
NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project is scheduled to perform full-scale, stratospheric tests of two devices this week in Kauai, Hawaii, for landing heavy payloads on Mars: an inflatable deceleration shield in the shape of a saucer and an enormous parachute. The supersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator is a very large, durable, balloon-like pressure vessel that inflates around the entry vehicle and slows it from Mach 3.5 or greater to Mach 2 or lower. In the inflatables test, a saucer-shaped vehicle with rocket engines will hang from a launch tower, be attached to a huge helium balloon and lifted to 120,000 ft, and then rocket to Mach 4 for supersonic testing.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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