Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
October 03, 2017Volume 13 Issue 37


Image - Low-Profile Retaining Rings
Low-Profile Retaining Rings
Smalley Hoopster® Rings fit into much shallower grooves than regular snap rings or retaining rings. Where retaining rings once were not an option because of groove depth, the low profile, precision circularity & small radial size allow the Hoopster to be an unobtrusive component in the assembly, ideal for thin wall tubes. Hoopster Retaining Rings are easily installed without special tools. Standard sizes are stocked from .375" to 3" or 10 mm to 76 mm and offered in carbon and 302 stainless steel. Customs can be made with No-Tooling-Charges™.
Click here to learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Army develops lithium-ion batteries that don't explode
  • Real-World Applications: Aircraft control-column torque
  • Engineers 3D print high-strength aluminum
  • Wings: Taking on the sublime challenge of jet noise
  • First composite 3D-printed rocket motor
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Apple iPhone 8 Plus teardown
  • How to select electric linear actuators
  • New space-saving captive screw
  • Xcentric Mold & Engineering expands 3D capabilities
  • Ultrasonic welding Automotive Technology Day
  • Mini hybrid sensors for force, pressure, strain, and more
  • DENSO intros new HSR high-speed 4-axis robot
  • Helical Products names HC Pacific as master distributor
  • Cool Tools: Proto Labs Protogami
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Cobots increase glassmaker capacity 50%
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Mercedes brings yacht style to Maybach 6 Cabriolet
    • Profiles: At 94 years old, the sky is the limit
    • New ultra-thin lensless camera developed
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: ANL takes on jet noise. [U.S. Marines F-35B Lightning II photo by Darin Russell]

News

NASA technologist develops self-calibrating, hybrid space magnetometer

Novel 3D-printing process strengthens parts by 275%

World first: Researchers use neutrons to peer into a running engine to test aluminum alloy performance

Researchers revolutionize brain-computer interfaces using silicon electronics



Image - New Standards for Precision in Micro Motion
New Standards for Precision in Micro Motion
MICROMO now offers the new high precision FAULHABER IER3 optical encoders. This new encoder series delivers 2 channel quadrature signals plus an additional index signal, and can be combined with CXR and CR small DC motors, and BX4 and BP4 FAULHABER brushless DC servo motors. The optical measuring principle gives the IER3 a strong edge in terms of accuracy and signal quality -- compared to encoders with other measuring principles.
Learn more.

Feature articles
Army develops water-based Li-ion batteries that don't explode
Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Univ. of Maryland have developed a lithium-ion battery that uses a water-salt solution as its electrolyte and reaches the 4-V mark desired for household electronics, such as laptop computers, without the fire and explosive risks.
Read the full article.
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Image - Real-World Sensor Applications: <br>Aircraft control-column torque measurement
Real-World Sensor Applications:
Aircraft control-column torque measurement

Flight controls require extreme auditing prior to in-flight use. FUTEK's MBA500 Torque and Thrust Biaxial Sensor provides quality-assurance engineers with the appropriate tools to monitor the torque applied to an aircraft's control column (yoke).
See how engineers design this application setup.

Image - Engineers 3D print high-strength aluminum, solve age-old welding problem using nanoparticles
Engineers 3D print high-strength aluminum, solve age-old welding problem using nanoparticles
Researchers at HRL Laboratories have made a breakthrough in metallurgy by developing a technique for successfully 3D printing high-strength aluminum alloys -- including types Al7075 and Al6061. The feat opens the door to additive manufacturing of engineering-relevant alloys that are very desirable for aircraft and automobile parts.
Read the full article.

Image - Wings: <br>Taking on the sublime challenge of jet noise
Wings:
Taking on the sublime challenge of jet noise

A team of researchers working through DOE's Argonne National Lab is creating high-fidelity computer simulations to determine how jet turbulence produces noise in a bid to reduce noise over commercial flight paths and on aircraft carrier decks. Aeronautic engineers often incorporate chevrons, broken eggshell-shaped patterns, into jet exhaust-nozzle designs to change the shape of the high-speed exhaust stream as it leaves the engine.
Read the full article.

Image - MIT students make the first composite 3D-printed rocket motor with Markforged materials
MIT students make the first composite 3D-printed rocket motor with Markforged materials
Rocket motors commonly consist of long, sleek metal tubes surrounding dark rubbery propellant -- a commonplace design, and for good reason. The solid rocket fuel inside these motors can burn at over 5,000 deg F and generate pressures of over 1,400 lb/in.2 It's quite possibly the last place you'd expect to find a plastic part.
Read this informative Markforged blog.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Apple iPhone 8 Plus teardown reveals what its higher cost buys
Engineer's Toolbox:
Apple iPhone 8 Plus teardown reveals what its higher cost buys

The new Apple iPhone 8 Plus, equipped with 64 GB of NAND flash memory, carries a bill of materials (BOM) cost that comes out to U.S. $288.08 -- higher than any previous versions of the company's smartphones. IHS Markit tears down the unit to find out what's inside.
Read the full article.

Image - How to select electric linear actuators that stand the test of time
How to select electric linear actuators that stand the test of time
The length of time a linear actuator will function (i.e., service life) is critically important to a machine designer. Machines need to keep working reliably with little or no need for lengthy maintenance, so components like actuators must keep working. Aaron Dietrich from Tolomatic runs through a real-world actuator application and provides some good selection advice.
Read the Tolomatic blog.

Image - New space-saving captive screw for tight spaces
New space-saving captive screw for tight spaces
Southco has expanded its Captive Screw offering with a low-profile version designed for applications where installation space is extremely limited. The 52 Miniature Captive Screw Low Profile series features a 25% reduction in installation height compared with Southco's standard 52 Miniature series. It is available with a metal finish and with an over-molded head that acts as a visual indicator for access points. Press-in and Surface Mount Technology (SMT) options provide versatility for fastening and unfastening. Combination tool-operated recesses and hand-tightened knurled head options provide versatility when mounting doors, panels, and other hardware components in limited-space applications.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Xcentric Mold & Engineering expands 3D capabilities
Xcentric Mold & Engineering expands 3D capabilities
Xcentric Mold & Engineering (Clinton Township, MI) is a different kind of manufacturing company, providing quick-turn, low-cost molding and machining services for a wide variety of plastic and metal custom parts. No matter the industry, and no matter how complex the part, they deliver parts in as fast as 1 to 15 days. Launched this month, Xcentric is offering new, expanded 3D-printing services, including Stereolithography (SLA), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), MultiJet Printing (MJP), PolyJet Printing, ColorJet Printing (CJP), and Markforged (MKF). If you have a CAD file ready, they can provide you with an interactive quote in 24 hours or less.
Learn more about Xcentric Mold & Engineering.

Image - Ultrasonic welding Automotive Technology Day
Ultrasonic welding Automotive Technology Day
When it comes to joining automotive plastic parts, visual appearance, geometry, function, and material properties have become increasingly demanding. Herrmann Ultrasonics (Bartlett, IL) will host an Automotive Technology Day Oct. 12, featuring the latest innovations in automotive bonding applications. Ultrasonic welding is an assembly method with short cycle times, ensuring a large degree of process control and repeatable, quality results. Herrmann Ultrasonics will put on nine top-quality workshops tailored to beginner-to-expert levels, dispensing knowledge on all aspects of ultrasonic welding technology. Workshops include: Technology Integration, Compression Staking, Weld Quality, Fascia Punching and Bracket Welding, and Collaborative Ultrasonics with a focus on integrating robots.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Mini hybrid sensors for force, displacement, pressure, strain, and acceleration measurements
Mini hybrid sensors for force, displacement, pressure, strain, and acceleration measurements
The Micro-Measurements brand of Vishay Precision Group has introduced a new range of miniature, lightweight hybrid sensors for high-volume OEM and test applications. The design of the sensor range incorporates the brand's own renowned precision foil strain gages, adhesively bonded to flat substrates and constructed of either metal, composite, or polymer. Typical consumer product applications include appliances, sporting equipment, hand tools, and lawn and garden equipment. Process control applications include HVAC, liquid-level sensing, motor control, and vibration monitoring.
Click here to learn more.
Go directly to the products page.

Image - DENSO intros new HSR high-speed 4-axis robot
DENSO intros new HSR high-speed 4-axis robot
The HSR four-axis SCARA robot from DENSO Robotics uses advanced vibration control; a newly designed, highly rigid lightweight arm; and improved heat dissipation in the base unit to achieve new levels of continuous high-speed performance and repeatability. What sets the HSR apart is that it can run at its maximum speed and maintain its highest repeatability without interruption, not just in short bursts. That translates into more cycles per minute, which in turn means higher throughput. This robot can be easily switched between floor- and ceiling-mount positions. Applications include high-speed, high-precision pick and place in assembly processes, as well as packaging processes in the food, medical device, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics sectors.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Helical Products names HC Pacific as master distributor
Helical Products names HC Pacific as master distributor
Helical Products, a precision metal components company of MW Industries, has appointed HC Pacific as its master distribution partner for its standard HELI-CAL Flexure flexible coupling product line. Under the new partnership, HC Pacific will provide this state-of-the-art coupling solution for mechanical misalignment to the domestic marketplace, effective Oct. 1, 2017. The agreement will expand HC Pacific's existing portfolio of high-quality coupling solutions to customers in multiple vertical markets. In 1958, Helical invented the beam-style flexible shaft coupling.
Learn about HELI-CAL Flexure couplings.
Go to the HC Pacific site.

Image - Cool Tools: Proto Labs Protogami
Cool Tools: 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!

Most popular last issue

Image - Wheels: Mercedes brings yacht style to the Maybach 6 Cabriolet concept
Wheels: Mercedes brings yacht style to the Maybach 6 Cabriolet concept
If Thurston Howell III dreamed of the far-distant future while shipwrecked on "Gilligan's Island," he probably imagined tooling around the mainland with Lovey in something like the yacht-inspired Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet concept. Recently displayed at Monterey Car Week in California, the 750-hp (550-kW) electric hard-top convertible is luxurious, pretentious, exaggerated, and a real head turner -- but it's full of clever and impressive design details too.
Read the full article

Image - Profiles: At 94 years old, the sky is the limit
Profiles: At 94 years old, the sky is the limit
At age 94, aeronautics engineer Karl Bergey, designer of one of the most enduring small planes, the Piper Cherokee, is not slowing down. Following a lifetime of innovation, Bergey is now focusing his energies on working with students to develop a plane that can beat a long-standing altitude record. By Trish Riley, SKF Evolution
Read the full article.

Image - New ultra-thin camera design creates images without lenses
New ultra-thin camera design creates images without lenses
Traditional cameras -- even those on the thinnest of cell phones -- cannot be truly flat due to their optics: lenses that require a certain shape and size in order to function. At Caltech, engineers have developed a new camera design that replaces the lenses with an ultra-thin optical phased array (OPA).
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Collaborative robots handle tubes in CNC glass lathe, increase capacity 50%
Hofmann Glastechnik faced a challenge in hiring skilled workers for its glass manufacture and wanted to make better use of existing employees' potential. Looking into automation, the company chose two cobots from Universal Robots to feed highly sensitive glass tubes into a CNC glass lathe. The UR robots stabilized the production process, improved quality, and increased capacity by 50 percent.
Watch how:
Get the free "Get Your Team onboard with Cobots" ebook:
Request an on-site cobot demo:

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