Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
February 23, 2016Volume 12 Issue 08


Image - A new way to tie one on
A new way to tie one on
The 4ZERO Cuff is the most advanced flexible polymer handcuff on the market and is used by select police and law enforcement agencies that demand the strongest and most durable product available. Now, the same material used to manufacture the 4ZERO Cuff is available from Micro Plastics, Inc. in the line of extremely durable 4ZERO Cable Ties designed to perform and hold their strength in extremely dry environments and in temperature extremes from -30 deg F to 400 deg F -- conditions that can leave normal nylon cable ties brittle and broken. Available sizes include: 8 in. (50 lb), 14 1/2 in. (50 lb), 11 in. (120 lb), and 22 in. (200 lb).

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In this issue of Designfax

  • Thor's hammer crushes stuff at 1 million atmospheres
  • 5 ways to improve part moldability with draft
  • Wow! Flat, ultralight optical lens
  • Wheels: Plastic tire chains try to get a grip in Europe
  • Ask the Expert: Wave spring substitution, compression
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Multi-shot silicone molding
  • Sensors: Highest sensitivity in the industry
  • Bearings: Anti-static bearing material
  • Cooling: Orion expands DC fan and blower line
  • Linear Motion: 2016 catalog and design guide
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Flexible smartphone prototype (Impressive!)
    • What's new in ANSYS Spaceclaim 2016?
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Wheels: BMW shows off carpet of light
    • Clever engineering sharpens drone navigation
    • NASA space laser modem
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Tire chains made of BASF TPUs get a grip in Europe

News

Researchers 3D print super-lightweight supercapacitors

Graphene is strong, but is it tough? Researches find weakness in one form of the material

Mitsubishi Electric robot to manage 492 segment mirrors at new Hawaiian telescope

Experiment choice reveals that Army aims for making 3D-printed UAVs on demand, onsite



Image - Proto Labs Protogami
Proto Labs Protogami
Protogami's three-dimensional flexagons create a continual kaleidocycle that exposes a different set of triangular faces with each turn of its living hinges. It lets product designers and engineers see commonly used materials like ABS, PC and acetal, and how they interact with different surface finishes.

Get a free Protogami today!


Feature articles
Thor's hammer aims to crush materials at 1 million atmospheres
A new Sandia National Laboratories accelerator called Thor is expected to be 40 times more efficient than Sandia's Z machine, the world's largest and most powerful pulsed-power accelerator, in generating pressures to study materials under extreme conditions.
Read the full article.
Image -
Learn more about this piezo motor technology.


Image - 5 ways to improve part moldability with draft
5 ways to improve part moldability with draft
When developing parts for plastic injection molding, applying draft (or a taper) to the faces of the part is critical to improving the moldability of your part. Without it, parts may bend, break, or warp, suffer poor cosmetic finishes, or be damaged when ejected. Gus Breiland, customer service engineering manager, Proto Labs, runs through the dos and don'ts when it comes to this critical design element.
Read the full article.

Image - Wow! Flat, ultralight optical lens may open new world of design possibilities
Wow! Flat, ultralight optical lens may open new world of design possibilities
Researchers have always thought that flat, ultrathin optical lenses for cameras or other devices were impossible, but University of Utah electrical and computer engineering professor Rajesh Menon and his team have changed all that. Paper-thin eyeglass lenses, here we come!
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels: <br>Plastic tire chains try to get a grip in Europe
Wheels:
Plastic tire chains try to get a grip in Europe

A French textile and rubber company has put snow chains on the market in Europe that have chain links made entirely of plastic. The chains use Elastollan, the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) from BASF. Although there are already a slew of different plastic chain sets on the market in the United States and abroad, what differentiates this technology is the materials incorporated and the molding technique used to put the chains together.
Read the full article.

Image - Ask the Expert: <br>Wave spring substitution, compression, and performance
Ask the Expert:
Wave spring substitution, compression, and performance

Can wave springs be used to replace coil springs? Can they be compressed flat for extended periods? And how does spring performance change over time in a static application? Engineering experts at Smalley answer these important user questions.
Read the full article.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Silicone molding gets multi-shot, multi-material advance
Engineer's Toolbox:
Silicone molding gets multi-shot, multi-material advance

Silcotech and Dow Corning have teamed up to create an exciting new capability for liquid silicone rubber (LSR) processing: producing single parts that feature multiple materials that can vary in durometer, texture, and color.
Read the full article.

Image - Sensors: Highest sensitivity in the industry
Sensors: Highest sensitivity in the industry
Four new additions to Honeywell's line of magnetoresistive technologies feature highly sensitive sensor integrated circuits (ICs) that offer design engineers more flexibility for creating a range of industrial, medical, and white goods devices. The Standard Power Series offers a sensitivity of 11 Gauss max -- among the most highly sensitive in their class for standard power applications. This allows for design with larger air gaps between the sensor IC and the magnet or for the design engineers to decrease the total cost of their designs by using smaller, less expensive magnets. These sensors also feature a solid-state, non-contact, no-glass design that makes them durable and reliable. Potential applications include everything from flow sensing in HVAC and anti-tamper detection in utility meters, to RPM sensing in exercise equipment and door position detection.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Bearings: Anti-static bearing material
Bearings: Anti-static bearing material
Uncontrolled static discharges may negatively affect electronic components, can hinder production processes, or even contribute to fire risk. In applications where ESD properties are required, the self-lubricating iglide F2 EDS bearing material is a great choice because it contributes to continuous active discharge of electrostatic charges. igus offers this material in 14 bearing diameters, as well as machinable bar stock. The low surface resistance reduces the charging voltage level and contributes to the depletion of the charge.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Cooling: Orion expands DC fan and blower line
Cooling: Orion expands DC fan and blower line
Orion Fans has expanded its DC fan and blower product listing to offer a viable, long-term source for customers when their current source obsoletes a fan or blower product. Orion has introduced 52 new DC fans and 4 new DC blowers. The additions to the DC fan and blower families include a wide range of package size, speed (RPM), airflow (CFM), and special-function combinations. Fan sizes include 25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 80 mm, 92 mm, and 120 mm. New blower frame sizes include 51 mm x 15 mm and 60 mm x 15 mm.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Linear Motion: 2016 catalog and design guide
Linear Motion: 2016 catalog and design guide
Haydon Kerk Motion Solutions, a brand of AMETEK Precision Motion Control, has just released its new Catalog and Design Guide, revised for 2016. The catalog has been updated and expanded with new product sections, including the WGS06 linear rail, the brushless IDEA servo motor controllers, Size 8 double-stack 21000 linear actuators, ZBM micro screw nuts, and 15-mm external linear Can-Stack actuators. The new 260+ page resource illustrates a wide range of products engineered for use as building blocks in sophisticated linear motion assemblies.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Wheels: <br>Walk this way -- BMW shows off carpet-of-light path to your car door
Wheels:
Walk this way -- BMW shows off carpet-of-light path to your car door

It's dark outside, but with just a press of the key fob, a striped carpet of light appears on the ground illuminating a curved path to your car. This clever design element, available on the new BMW 7-series, is based on special micro-optics developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.
Read the full article.

Image - Clever engineering sharpens drone navigation for dodging obstacles
Clever engineering sharpens drone navigation for dodging obstacles
New motion-planning algorithms allow drones to do donuts and figure-eights in object-filled environments -- and even avoid obstacles outside at up to 30 mph. This is a great look at the complexity of programming for real-world scenarios.
Read the full article.

Image - NASA space laser modem: Engineers building first integrated-photonics modem
NASA space laser modem: Engineers building first integrated-photonics modem
A NASA team is working on building a new type of communications modem that promises to transform the way NASA sends and receives data, video, and other information. The chip-based device will use lasers to encode and transmit data at rates 10 to 100 times faster than today's communications equipment, requiring significantly less mass and power.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Flexible smartphone prototype with haptics features bend control (Impressive!)
Researchers at Queen's University's Human Media Lab in Ontario, Canada, have developed ReFlex, the world's first full-color, high-resolution, and wireless flexible smartphone that combines multi-touch technology with bend input.
View the video.

Video Image
What's new in ANSYS Spaceclaim 2016?
SpaceClaim 2016 delivers 10 times-faster 3D modeling than any other tool on the market. Its developers have improved a variety of workflows and tools, helping you get your designs and ideas to market faster than ever. You'll see efficiency gains from start to finish. Learn about new and improved functionality for reverse engineering, 3D printing, general design tools, CAE, and more.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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