Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
January 04, 2022Volume 18 Issue 01


Image - New Revolutionary Revolox™ Self-Locking Ring for High RPM
New Revolutionary Revolox™ Self-Locking Ring for High RPM
The revolutionary Revolox Self-Locking Retaining Ring from Smalley. Secure and easy locking for your high-speed rotational needs. The "dimple and slot" design prevents ring expansion, safely securing your application at high RPM. This makes it possible to operate at higher speeds, withstand vibration, function under rapid acceleration, and absorb a degree of impact loading.
Learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Scientists take new look at 100-year-old Tesla valve
  • Ford F-150 Lightning: Ready to electrify mass market
  • 2023 Corvette Z06: Track beast and everyday supercar
  • Airless bike tire uses NASA shape memory alloy tech
  • New Mercedes-AMG SL: Premium roadster even better
  • Top Application: What motors drive the Mars helicopter?
  • F-35 Lighting jet fighters: Drone-mounted inspection
  • Top Additive Mfg: 3D-printed copper windings for motors
  • Top Tech Tip: What they didn't teach you about fittings
  • Top Application: What's a sapphire piston used for?
  • Top Product: Allite Super Magnesium
  • Top Blog: Top 5 reasons for solder joint failure
  • Top Product: SCHUNK ADHESO gripper
  • Top Toolbox: All about lead screws
  • Top Bonus Fun: LEGO Titanic mega-build set
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Can the U.S. power grid handle electric cars?
    • Real-time Mars landing onboard cam footage
    • Top Product: How Nord-Lock washers work
    • Watch BMW electric motors being made
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion, Special: Materials
    Cover Image: Most Popular 2021 - Part 1

News

Weird Science: Physicists claim new circuit generates clean, limitless power from graphene

Researchers improve tractor hydraulics efficiency by 25%

Vertical turbines could be the future for wind farms

Customizing Harleys requires top-quality CNC machines

DOD outlines latest hypersonics development strategy



Image - Powerful and extremely miniaturized
Powerful and extremely miniaturized
With the new MC3001 motion controllers, available as MC 3001 B (board-to-board connectors) or MC3001P (28-pin plug connector), FAULHABER rounds out the MC V3.0 generation of controllers at the lower end of the performance spectrum. The controllers are extremely miniaturized and, with 1.4 amperes in continuous operation and up to 5 amperes peak current, are very powerful. They are designed as slaves for control and positioning tasks of DC micromotors, linear DC servomotors or brushless DC motors.
Learn more.

Feature articles

Image - Scientists take new look at 100-year-old Nikola Tesla valve design
Scientists take new look at 100-year-old Nikola Tesla valve design
A valve invented by engineer Nikola Tesla a century ago is not only more functional than previously realized, but it also has a host of new potential applications today.
Read the full article.

Image - Ford F-150 Lightning: Ready to electrify the mass market
Ford F-150 Lightning: Ready to electrify the mass market
Will the new all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning be the vehicle that makes real inroads into adoption of EVs by the American public? Sporting up to 563 hp and 775 lb-ft. of torque -- the most torque of any F-150 ever -- an exhilarating drive, a high-tech frunk, and the ability to power your home if needed, Lightning could be the one.
Read the full article.

Image - 2023 Corvette Z06: Track beast and everyday supercar you can drive around town
2023 Corvette Z06: Track beast and everyday supercar you can drive around town
Chevrolet is taking the American supercar to a whole new level with the introduction of the 2023 Corvette Z06, which is wider, sports a luxe interior, and features the all-new 5.5L LT6 engine -- the highest-horsepower naturally aspirated V-8 to hit the market in any production car, ever.
Read the full article.

Image - Airless bike tire uses NASA shape memory alloy technology
Airless bike tire uses NASA shape memory alloy technology
Born from Moon-buggy technology and possibly headed for rovers on Mars, tires made of shape-memory alloys (SMAs) have now been created for bicycles here on Earth. The SMART Tire Company, in partnership with NASA, is developing the first-ever consumer application of the airless tire tech.
Read the full article.

Image - Totally new Mercedes-AMG SL: Premium roadster just keeps getting better
Totally new Mercedes-AMG SL: Premium roadster just keeps getting better
Is it too early to dream about summer? Let's do it anyway and think about the all-new Mercedes-AMG SL, which will be available as a luxurious soft-top 2+2-seater with two V8 biturbo engine options: the 577-hp top model SL 63 and the 469-hp SL 55. For the first time in 70 years, the SL is available with all-wheel drive and rear-wheel steering, and the overall design is so fresh that no part of the body shell was adopted from the predecessor or any other model series.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Application: What motors drive the Mars Ingenuity helicopter?
Top Application: What motors drive the Mars Ingenuity helicopter?
NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter has made 18 historic, short flights on the Red Planet now, but did you ever wonder what's inside -- what motors drive its two 4-ft-wide carbon fiber counter-rotating blades? Who makes them, and how many does it take to power flight?
Read the full article.

Image - F-35 Lighting jet fighters: Drone-mounted inspection advances metrology at mach speed
F-35 Lighting jet fighters: Drone-mounted inspection advances metrology at mach speed
Lockheed Martin will be the first adopter of aerial digital inspection in the aero industry when it starts using drones on the manufacturing floor to inspect composite components on the F-35 Lightning II jet fighter.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Additive Mfg: 3D-printed copper windings for electric motors
Top Additive Mfg: 3D-printed copper windings for electric motors
3D-printing experts ExOne and startup Maxxwell Motors have successfully proved out a new concept for 3D printing a high-efficiency copper e-winding design using a binder jet system. The new process eliminates many of the challenges that come with traditional manufacturing.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Tech Tip: What they didn't teach you about fittings in engineering school
Top Tech Tip: What they didn't teach you about fittings in engineering school
Do you know why an old standard "Christmas-tree" barbed fitting may not be your best choice for your miniature fluid power application? Experts at Beswick Engineering run through the common types of fittings used in these smaller pneumatic applications, along with thread sizes and seals to help you make the correct choice. They also touch on pressure and temp ranges, chemical compatibility issues, rigid and flexible lines, and the ease of assembly and maintenance.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Application: What's a sapphire piston used for -- and who can make one?
Top Application: What's a sapphire piston used for -- and who can make one?
If you want a prototype piston made of metal for research purposes, you have a lot of options -- you can even 3D print your own. But what if you need something much more exotic, like the second-hardest natural material? When Mid Michigan Research had just such a need, it turned to Insaco for the company's long history of custom fabrication of precision parts made from ultra-hard materials, often in unusual forms.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Allite Super Magnesium
Top Product: Allite Super Magnesium
Weighing 33% less than aluminum and stiffer and stronger pound for pound, the Allite Super Magnesium alloy has shown its mettle in classified defense and aerospace applications. Now it's available for wider use. Less expensive than carbon fiber, industry applications include home improvement, sporting goods, aerospace, automotive, biking, and beyond. Four alloy variants are available to suit welding, forming/forging, or casting. These alloys feature excellent shock-absorption properties, good electromagnetic shielding performance, good heat dissipation, and recyclability.
Learn more.

Image - Top Blog: Top 5 reasons for solder joint failure
Top Blog: Top 5 reasons for solder joint failure
Solder joint reliability is often a pain point in the design of an electronic system. According to Tyler Ferris at ANSYS, a wide variety of factors affect solder joint reliability, and any one of them can drastically reduce joint lifetime. Properly identifying and mitigating potential causes of solder joint failure during the design and manufacturing process can prevent costly and difficult-to-solve problems later in a product lifecycle.
Read this informative ANSYS blog.

Image - Top Product: SCHUNK ADHESO gripper
Top Product: SCHUNK ADHESO gripper
The ADHESO gripper from SCHUNK uses no external power supply to activate its grabbing force. It is not a traditional vacuum system and does not use magnets. It just "sticks" by pressing to the piece. What makes this gripper -- which has no "fingers" that users can see -- look like it's performing magic?
Read the full article.

Image - Top Toolbox: All about lead screws and how to apply them
Top Toolbox: All about lead screws and how to apply them
Lead screws use the helix angle of the thread to convert rotary motion to linear motion. Learn all about their benefits, performance characteristics, design choices, lifecycles, and more in this in-depth article from Thomson Industries.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Bonus Fun: Titanic is LEGO's new mega-build set
Top Bonus Fun: Titanic is LEGO's new mega-build set
The new LEGO RMS Titanic is one of the biggest LEGO models to date at almost 4.5 ft long. The massive kit contains 9,090 pieces, making it a truly monumental building challenge. It features a replica of the engine room and several interior rooms, including the First-Class grand staircase that spans six decks and the Jacobean-style dining saloon on D deck. Iceberg not included.
Learn more.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Can the U.S. power grid handle electric cars?
If everyone had to drive electric vehicles, could the U.S. power grid handle it? Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained runs through the numbers while he takes a scenic drive, and his answer may surprise you. You almost always learn something new from a Fenske presentation. Now if the power goes out, well, that's a whole different story.
View the video.

Video Image
Real-time Mars rover landing onboard cam footage
NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance mission captured thrilling footage of its rover landing in Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. The footage in this 3.5-min. video was shot by several cameras that are part of the rover's entry, descent, and landing suite. The views include a camera looking down from the spacecraft's descent stage, a camera on the rover looking up at the descent stage, a camera on the top of the aeroshell looking up at that parachute, and a camera on the bottom of the rover looking down at the Martian surface.
View the video.

Video Image
Top Product: How Nord-Lock washers work
Can you get a design and functional edge with a wedge? In this animated video, Nord-Lock explains the principle behind their original wedge-locking technology, which secures bolted joints even when exposed to severe vibration and dynamic loads. The company says it is impossible for this washer type to loosen unintentionally, due to the wedge created underneath the bolt head and nut.
View the video.

Video Image
Watch BMW electric motors being made
Who doesn't like to see how the sausage is made? GommeBlog.it, a site that is known for its behind-the-scenes production videos, recently posted this look into how electric motors are made at BMW, Renault, and Audi facilities. Maybe you'll get inspired by some new automated production tech.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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Materials
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