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June 09, 2015Volume 11 Issue 22


Image - Completely Updated New Full Line Catalog: <br>Full of New Fasteners
Completely Updated New Full Line Catalog:
Full of New Fasteners

Micro Plastics introduces its new 300-page catalog #40 containing thousands of fastening solutions for engineers and product designers. Find hundreds of new problem-solving products, including Spacers, Washers, Clips, Clamps, Ties, Bushings, Screws, Nuts, Rivets, and Plugs. Micro Plastics specializes in Nylon threaded fasteners, but the company also offers extensive product lines for wire management and circuit board hardware. FREE samples are available upon request.

Click here for more information.


In this issue of Designfax

  • Delivering power where wires can't go
  • MIT cheetah robot clears hurdles at 5 mph
  • How defects can 'Hulk-up' materials
  • Wheels: Audi cooks up synthetic diesel using CO2
  • Mike Likes: 'Digital Manufacturing for Dummies' book
  • How pneumatic valves support extreme engineering
  • Electronics: In-vehicle computer in protected box
  • Mechanical: Component mounting collars
  • Encoders: No-strings-attached beta test
  • Motors: All-in-one brushless torque motor
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • igus quality assurance - view from inside the box!
    • Micro robot pulls 2,000 times its weight
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Swelling magnets are new discovery
    • Simulation solves mystery behind elevator accident
    • Engineers develop ballistic wallpaper
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Defects Hulk-up materials [Credit: The Hulk, Universal Pictures, 2003, filmed in part at Berkeley Lab]

News

Ford offers patented electrified-vehicle technologies to competitors

Thin coating on condensers could make power plants way more efficient

NASA awards $5 million to develop next-gen methane rocket engines

Passive computer cooling system could save U.S. $6.3 billion in electricity a year



Feature articles

Image - Delivering power where wires can't go
Delivering power where wires can't go
Wouldn't it be cool if you could recharge a device "on the fly" by shooting a laser from a drone? A multi-divisional team of engineers at Southwest Research Institute is working on it. The project aims to develop an alternative charging method for on-demand power transfer to inaccessible electronic devices, such as sensors along a gas pipeline.
Read the full article.

Image - MIT cheetah robot clears hurdles at 5 mph
MIT cheetah robot clears hurdles at 5 mph
In a leap for robot development, the MIT researchers who built a robotic cheetah have now trained it to see and jump over hurdles as it runs -- making this the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously.
Read the full article.

Image - How defects can 'Hulk-up' materials
How defects can 'Hulk-up' materials
In the story of the Marvel Universe superhero known as the Hulk, exposure to gamma radiation transforms scientist Bruce Banner into a far more powerful version of himself. In a study at Berkeley Lab, exposure to alpha-particle radiation has been shown to transform certain thermoelectric materials into far more powerful versions of themselves.
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels: <br>Audi cooks up synthetic diesel using CO2
Wheels:
Audi cooks up synthetic diesel using CO2

Audi has taken a big step forward in the development of sustainable fuels: A pilot plant in Dresden, Germany, has started production of a high-quality synthetic fuel called Audi e-diesel that is made from CO2.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes:<br> Get 'Digital Manufacturing for Dummies' book gratis
Mike Likes:
Get 'Digital Manufacturing for Dummies' book gratis

Proto Labs has put together a comprehensive guide to the major 3D-printing, CNC machining, and injection-molding technologies that are frequently used in digital manufacturing. The book helps readers to compare processes, explore material options, and see how digital manufacturing can fit into every stage of the product life cycle.
Get your copy on the house.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>How pneumatic valves support extreme engineering
Engineer's Toolbox:
How pneumatic valves support extreme engineering

Using pneumatic industrial valves for applications in low-temp environments, such as found in transportation applications, can pose special challenges from an OEM perspective. To understand why, Bill Service of Parker Hannifin looks into what goes into a valve manufacturer's thought process in designing a valve that can handle extremes.
Read the full article.

Image - Electronics: In-vehicle computer in protected box
Electronics: In-vehicle computer in protected box
The rugged BC50R from MEN Micro is an IP65-rated, maintenance-free aluminum box computer ideal for data acquisition in extreme environments. All external interfaces, including USB, digital I/O, Gigabit Ethernet, CAN bus and legacy serial I/O, are implemented on rugged M12 connectors for reliable data transmission. The BC50R starts with a powerful, energy-efficient T48N AMD Embedded G-Series APU running at 1.4 GHz. Various CPU/GPU options combine with a wide selection of external interfaces, connected via separate graphics and I/O interface boards, to provide an extremely flexible system quickly tailored to in-vehicle applications for trains, commercial vehicles, mobile machines, and ships.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Mechanical: Component mounting collars
Mechanical: Component mounting collars
A full line of mounting shaft collars that feature a perfectly square integral mounting clamp and will not mar or damage expensive shafts is available from Stafford Manufacturing. These Component Mounting Collars provide a flat mounting surface with multiple attachment options and are available with or without a flange. These mounts can be easily repositioned and are suitable for use with a wide range of components, including gears, lever arms, pulleys, and sprockets. Offered in steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. The Accu-Mount style has a centering hub and comes in one- and two-piece designs.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Encoders: No-strings-attached beta test
Encoders: No-strings-attached beta test
Dynapar is offering a no-cost 30-day beta test trial to all interested and qualified parties for its key product families of incremental and absolute encoders, with thousands of configurations available. Dynapar encoders provide motion feedback control for general factory automation, pulp and paper, primary metals, oil and gas, packaging, beverage, food, pharmaceutical, medical equipment, materials handling, lift and crane, construction operations, off-highway and others, as well as OEM motors.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Motors: All-in-one brushless torque motor
Motors: All-in-one brushless torque motor
The Megaflux MFH170i from Allied Motion is designed as a rotary actuator ready for use in semiconductor equipment, automated test equipment, scanners, gimbal systems, and similar applications where a complete, precision rotary actuator with a large hollow shaft is needed. The unit is comprised of a high-performance 170 series brushless torque motor, a digital servo drive, and a programmable high-resolution optical encoder -- each integrated into a rugged machined aluminum housing with robust duplex bearings. The MFH0170i series features a 63.5-mm (2.5-in.) large-bore through shaft and is characterized by a very high torque-to-inertia ratio. There are three stack lengths in the series, with peak torque ranging from 8.5 up to 16.9 Nm (75 up to 150 lb-in.) and rated speed up to 1,000 RPM. The standard winding voltage is 48 V.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Swelling magnets have potential to help energize the world
Swelling magnets have potential to help energize the world
A new type of magnet that expands its volume when placed in a magnetic field and generates negligible amounts of wasteful heat during energy harvesting has been discovered by researchers at Temple University and the University of Maryland. The discovery sheds new light on a 175-year-old principle.
Read the full article.

Image - Simulation solves mystery behind elevator accident
Simulation solves mystery behind elevator accident
In 2007, an elevator began moving upward while passengers were exiting, trapping and injuring an occupant. A drum brake intended to hold the elevator stationary failed, resulting in the unexpected movement. But how did it fail and at what rate -- slowly (preventable) or quickly (probably not preventable)? Veryst Engineering used COMSOL multiphysics simulation to investigate and determine the answer.
Read the full article.

Image - Engineers develop ballistic wallpaper, pop-up guard towers, laser guns for military
Engineers develop ballistic wallpaper, pop-up guard towers, laser guns for military
U.S. Army engineers have come up with a novel idea for fortifying abandoned masonry, brick, or cinderblock structures: rolls of lightweight ballistic Kevlar wallpaper that can be quickly installed because of the material's adhesive backing. Pop-up guard towers and laser guns for the military are also being refined and deployed.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
igus quality assurance - view from inside the box!
Take a ride down the quality testing line with one of igus' DryLin linear systems as it prepares to ship out of the factory! All igus products are extensively tested in the world's largest laboratory for self-lubricating plain and linear bearings. Take a peek inside the box as our DryLin linear systems pass through igus Quality Assurance.
View the video.

Video Image
Micro robot pulls 2,000 times its weight on glass
A 12-gram "micro tug" robot created by Stanford researchers moves objects 2,000 times its size on glass (steel objects without wheels or lubrication) enabled by gecko-inspired adhesives. This capability is comparable to a human dragging a blue whale. Even if the human were strong enough, his shoes would slip -- making this feat impossible without something like the micro robot's special sticky footwear.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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