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September 18, 2018Volume 14 Issue 35


Image - The World's First -- and Best -- Linear Motion Guides
The World's First -- and Best -- Linear Motion Guides
THK's original technology is behind the smooth and silent movement of the "Linear Motion System." The LM Guide is our major product that put the rolling of the linear motion part into practical use for the first time in the world. This improves the accuracy, rigidity, energy saving, velocity, productivity, and service life of the machine. THK offers a full support system from the beginning design phase throughout the maintenance, and follow-up service.
Click here to learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • NASA targets three ideas to help transform aviation
  • Dual clutch transmissions get plastic pistons
  • Blast tube tests the shock wave nuke weapons could face
  • James Bond 'Goldfinger' DB5 car will be made
  • Motors for model train meet demanding requirements
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Maintenance-free bearings help pool owners keep it clean
  • Top Technical Tips: Interlaced wave springs
  • DuPont announces newest in-mold electronics inks
  • First explosion-proof stackable multi-turn encoder
  • Test your knowledge: High-temp adhesives
  • Spinning flare nuts eliminate loose fasteners
  • Compact electronic slide bolt
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Will it melt? 3D-printing heat-resistance test
    • Understanding pressure losses using CFD
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison ruggedized off-roader
    • U.S. Army working on tripling energy of explosives
    • Airbus manned glider soars to 76,000 ft
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: DARPA/Boeing Experimental Spaceplane engine test

News

New physics model acts as an 'EKG' for solar panel health

How do you prolong the useful life of lubricants? Stanford researchers zero in on the problem of foaming oil

DARPA/Boeing Experimental Spaceplane program successfully completes engine test series

Rare-earth magnet recycling tech wins innovation award



Image - UR+ platform delivers access to automate legacy machines with collaborative robots
UR+ platform delivers access to automate legacy machines with collaborative robots
All Axis Machining struggled to automate the operation of old machinery. When the company discovered the open integration architecture through the Universal Robots+ platform, it was quickly able to automate six different operations with collaborative robots. The deployment was so successful that All Axis started offering UR cobot integration services to other machine shops.
Read the full story -- a lot of useful info here.

Feature articles
NASA targets three ideas to help transform aviation
NASA's Convergent Aeronautics Solutions project has chosen three new ideas to pursue: a new assembly technique for aero composites, finding ways to reduce and shed heat generated by an electric motor, and exploring use of a water-based solution for generating electricity to replace lithium-based batteries.
Read the full article.
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Hexapods help take away the shake. Watch the Google camera testing video, courtesy of "Nat & Friends."


Image - Hydraulic accumulators in dual clutch transmissions get plastic pistons thanks to Freudenberg
Hydraulic accumulators in dual clutch transmissions get plastic pistons thanks to Freudenberg
Hydraulic accumulators allow manufacturers to install smaller hydraulic systems to actuate transmission gears. But their installation is complicated by because the steel piston in the accumulator requires an elaborate sealing package. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has developed a new plastic piston that relies on single-part sealing technology -- eliminating three parts in the sealing package.
Read the full article.

Image - Blast tube tests at Sandia simulate shock wave conditions nuclear weapons could face
Blast tube tests at Sandia simulate shock wave conditions nuclear weapons could face
Sandia National Laboratories researchers are using a blast tube configurable to 120 ft to demonstrate how well nuclear weapons could survive the shock wave of a blast from an enemy weapon and to help validate the modeling.
Read the full article.

Image - Air Operated Conveyors
Air Operated Conveyors
EXAIR's Line Vac connects to standard hose or tube to create a powerful conveyor. The design features large throat diameters for maximum throughput capability. A small amount of compressed air is injected through directed nozzles to produce a vacuum on one end and high output flows on the other.
Web site offers detailed information.

Image - James Bond 'Goldfinger' DB5 will be made in a limited edition of 25
James Bond 'Goldfinger' DB5 will be made in a limited edition of 25
The iconic Aston Martin DB5 is back, thanks to a unique collaboration between Aston Martin and EON Productions, the company that produces the James Bond films. Twenty-five Goldfinger DB5 authentic reproductions will be created for customers based on James Bond's legendary car from 1964.
Read the full article.

Image - Motors for model train meet demanding requirements
Motors for model train meet demanding requirements
Building an N-gauge (1:160) model train system involves working with very small units. The 1930s-inspired BR 70 locomotive from Fleischmann is only 2.25 in. long when measured buffer to buffer. As on large locomotives, traction (and on the model, power transmission) between the wheel and the track is a crucial factor. To give the unit appropriately scaled big-train power with low vibration and noise, the folks at Fleischmann turned to customized DC motors from the FAULHABER Group.
Read the full article.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Maintenance-free bearings help pool owners keep it clean
Engineer's Toolbox:
Maintenance-free bearings help pool owners keep it clean

A company in Austria has designed a swimming pool cleaning device with maintenance-free polymer ball bearings from igus that helps people keep their water crystal clear. Poolwonder designers chose corrosion-resistant and maintenance-free components because of the unique application for underwater use.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Technical Tips: Interlaced wave springs
Top Technical Tips: Interlaced wave springs
When heavy loads are necessary with a demand for greater travel, Smalley Interlaced Wave Springs can handle weighty loads in small places. Interlaced wave springs can replace heavy-duty coil springs or Belleville stacks. An interlaced wave spring is formed from two constituent wave springs of similar thickness, amplitude, and frequency. The two individual wave springs are combined together by interlacing them so that the spring turns of each spring abut each other for the entire length of the interlaced spring.
Learn more.

Image - DuPont announces newest in-mold electronics inks
DuPont announces newest in-mold electronics inks
DuPont Electronics and Imaging is launching its second generation of In-Mold Electronic (IME) materials with key advancements in its electrically conductive adhesive, protection encapsulant, and crossover dielectric. IME technology enables functions such as touch controls and lighting to be directly embedded inside plastic parts by printing circuits onto plastic sheets, which are then thermoformed and injection molded. This allows product engineers to reduce weight and cost while increasing design aesthetics and functionality in everything from car dashboards to home appliances, using fewer parts and manufacturing steps.
Learn more about the latest materials.
Go to the DuPont In-Mold Electronic Technology website.

Image - First explosion-proof stackable multi-turn encoder
First explosion-proof stackable multi-turn encoder
Sensata Technologies has introduced the first explosion-proof stackable multi-turn encoder, an ideal position sensing solution for oil and gas applications such as drawworks, top drives, and pipe-handling equipment where working conditions are extreme. The new encoder, BEI Sensors' model MAAX, is ATEX and IECEx certified to operate in explosive environments and features a Profibus output in a unique, stackable package. CANopen and SSI outputs are also available. The MAAX provides up to 16 bits of resolution as well as up to 16 bits of turns by mechanical counting. This workhorse product operates directly in Zone 1 environments without the need for an accompanying Intrinsic Safety barrier.
Learn more.

Image - Test your knowledge: High-temp adhesives
Test your knowledge: High-temp adhesives
Put your knowledge to the test by trying to answer these key questions on how to choose the right high temperature-resistant adhesive. The technical experts from Master Bond cover critical information necessary for the selection process, including questions on glass transition temperature and service temperature range. Some of the answers may surprise even the savviest of engineers.
Take the quiz.

Image - Spinning flare nuts eliminate loose fasteners in thin metal sheet applications
Spinning flare nuts eliminate loose fasteners in thin metal sheet applications
PEM SFN spinning flare nuts from PennEngineering become permanently captivated upon installation in thin metal sheets and, when paired with a self-clinching stud or other fixed externally threaded hardware, can eliminate all loose fasteners (including flange nuts) in attachment applications. These one-piece, flanged hex nuts additionally will spin freely in a sheet enabling quick attachment to mating hardware. Their use ultimately promotes savings in assembly time and costs.
Learn more.

Image - Compact electronic slide bolt
Compact electronic slide bolt
Southco has expanded its line of electronic access control solutions with a compact electronic slide bolt that simplifies the upgrade from mechanical to electromechanical latching. The lightweight EM-05 5 Series Electronic Slide Bolt is suitable for light-load applications where space is limited, and the efficient gear motor-driven mechanism can be easily integrated with any control system. This unit features simple push-to-close functionality and offers an upgrade in energy efficiency compared with solenoid solutions, as no power is required to maintain the product's retracted or extended position. It offers simple installation and retrofits.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Chevrolet unveils Colorado ZR2 Bison ruggedized off-roader -- snorkel optional
Chevrolet unveils Colorado ZR2 Bison ruggedized off-roader -- snorkel optional
With factory steel bumpers and Boron-steel skid plates, Chevrolet's new Colorado ZR2 Bison is ready for off-the-grid adventures, from serious rock climbing to not-so-dry river-bed racing. This all-new midsize performance pickup variant is Chevy's first collaboration with American Expedition Vehicles, a premium off-road aftermarket manufacturer.
Read the full article.

Image - U.S. Army working on tripling energy of explosives
U.S. Army working on tripling energy of explosives
A team of researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Washington State University has discovered a new type of energetic material that could have triple the energy content of well-known explosives.
Read the full article.

Image - Airbus manned glider soars to 76,000 ft, surpassing even U-2 reconnaissance plane
Airbus manned glider soars to 76,000 ft, surpassing even U-2 reconnaissance plane
For the third time in a week, Airbus Perlan Mission II has set a new world altitude record for a glider, this time soaring the engineless Perlan 2 to 76,124 ft -- surpassing even the maximum recorded altitude in level flight of the U.S. Air Force's famous U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft: 73,737 ft, flown by pilot Jerry Hoyt on Apr. 17, 1989.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Will it melt? 3D-printing heat-resistance test
How much heat will different 3D-printed materials withstand? Xometry's Director of Project Engineering, Greg Paulsen, tests the heat resistance of 3D-printed parts made with Veroclear, ASA, Nylon, Polycarbonate, Ultem 9085, Ultem 1010, and PPSF. Watch the company's latest challenge and find out how each material measures up!
View the video.

Video Image
Understanding pressure losses using CFD
Early pressure drop investigations and optimizations are crucial for today's efficient designs. This short 3-minute video from Mentor shows you how to conduct pressure drop characterizations such as determination of kv or cv coefficients in FloEFD, the leading frontloading CFD simulation solution for design engineers.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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