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July 12, 2022Volume 18 Issue 26


Image - WORLD-CLASS STAGES -- ASSEMBLED IN THE USA by HIWIN
WORLD-CLASS STAGES -- ASSEMBLED IN THE USA by HIWIN
HIWIN builds single- or multi-axis motion systems using ballscrew driven or linear motor stages and direct drive rotary tables in Chicago, perfect for prototyping and small-run custom applications. Components, drives, controllers, brackets and cable chains are included. Contact us to get started on your design; built in the USA.
See all that HIWIN has to offer.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Raspberry Pi Pico W adds Wi-Fi to popular board
  • Metal 3D Printing: Alternative market players
  • Flexible thermoelectric generator wraps around pipes
  • Speedy delivery: 2,000-hp Ford SuperVan
  • OnRobot Palletizer: Complete, configurable, and modular
  • Engineer's Toolbox: How to pin a shaft and hub assembly
  • Top Tech Tip: Choosing brush or brushless DC motors
  • Food-grade stainless steel delta robot
  • Recommended: Alternative to traditional drive systems
  • Smart contactors with CAN bus
  • Machine learning eliminates cogging for linear motors
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Cool Tools: Oscilloscope feels like a tablet
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • VelociRaptor 400 Bronco by Hennessey Performance
    • Solar Power: More light captured w/o sun tracking
    • The Big Inch: Fueling America's WWII war effort
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Ford Pro Electric SuperVan

News

Silicon carbide modulator overcomes three-decades-long shortfall

Scientist develops spray-on antimicrobial plant-based food wrap to replace plastic

UCLA engineers create single-step, all-in-one 3D-printing method to make robotic materials

What drives rechargeable battery decay? SLAC Lab says it depends on how many times you've charged it



Image - 1/4 Ton Of Refrigeration
1/4 Ton Of Refrigeration
This small, stainless steel Vortex Tube from EXAIR produces 1/4 ton of refrigeration and has no moving parts to wear out. Temperatures range from minus 50 to +250 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling applications include electronic controls, machining operations, heat seals, welding operations, hot melts and more.
More details online.

Feature articles

Image - Raspberry Pi Pico W adds Wi-Fi to popular microcontroller board
Raspberry Pi Pico W adds Wi-Fi to popular microcontroller board
Raspberry Pi launched the $4 Pico microcontroller board in January of last year. It has sold almost 2 million units and proven to be a great tool for commercial, industrial, and maker applications, but it still lacks one important element: wireless connectivity. That is about to change.
Read the full article.

Image - Metal 3D Printing: Alternative market players
Metal 3D Printing: Alternative market players
New entrants in the metal 3D-printing space are rejecting the traditional business model of selling printers to end-users and are instead keeping their proprietary printing tech in-house to print parts for customers. Sona Dadhania, Technology Analyst, IDTechEx, highlights stealth movers in the metal 3D-printing market and their alternative technologies.
Read the full article.

Image - Flexible thermoelectric generator wraps around hot pipes
Flexible thermoelectric generator wraps around hot pipes
A new flexible thermoelectric device developed by researchers at Penn State can wrap around pipes and other hot surfaces and convert wasted heat into electricity. In tests conducted on a gas flue, their device exhibited the highest reported output power and device power density from a single thermoelectric generator.
Read the full article.

Image - Speedy delivery: 2,000-hp Ford SuperVan does 0 to 60 in under 2 sec
Speedy delivery: 2,000-hp Ford SuperVan does 0 to 60 in under 2 sec
In a bid to show off the over-the-top capabilities of all-electric truck power, Ford has created a 2,000-hp one-of-a-kind SuperVan that is sure to be the envy of many delivery drivers worldwide. The new vehicle is the fourth of Ford's bulked-up SuperVan demonstrators that stretch back to 1971, but this is the first all-electric one and certainly the first to feature a dedicated burnout mode.
Read the full article.

Image - OnRobot Palletizer: Complete, configurable, and easy-to-use modular solution
OnRobot Palletizer: Complete, configurable, and easy-to-use modular solution
OnRobot has launched OnRobot Palletizer, a complete collaborative palletizing solution designed to take the physical and financial pain out of palletizing processes. It includes four new hardware and software products to make affordable collaborative automation available to companies of all sizes and technology skill levels.
Read the full article.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: How to pin a shaft and hub assembly properly
Engineer's Toolbox: How to pin a shaft and hub assembly properly
One of the primary benefits of using a coiled spring pin to affix a hub or gear to a shaft is the coiled pin's ability to prevent hole damage. Another is the coiled pin absorbs wider hole tolerances than any other press-fit pin. This translates to lower total manufacturing costs of the assembly. However, there are a few design guidelines that must be adhered to in order to achieve the maximum strength of the pinned system and prevent damage to the assembly.
Read this very informative SPIROL article.

Image - Top Tech Tip: Choosing between brush and brushless DC motors -- What are the tradeoffs?
Top Tech Tip: Choosing between brush and brushless DC motors -- What are the tradeoffs?
Designing a system that involves motion and performs as intended requires choosing the right motor. The most fundamental decision involves commutation type. In some cases, mechanically commutated brush motors provide the best solution for the budget. In other cases, only brushless DC (BLDC) motors will do. Allied Motion provides a comprehensive review of the technology, along with tips and tricks for choosing the right solution for a given application.
Read the whitepaper (no registration required).

Image - Food-grade stainless steel delta robot
Food-grade stainless steel delta robot
FANUC America introduced the new DR-3iB/6 STAINLESS delta robot for picking and packing primary food products at Automate 2022 in June. Rated IP69K, the robot meets USDA and FDA food safety standards, and sets a new benchmark for robotic food handling. It has a 1,200-mm reach and a powerful four-axis design that allows it to handle 6-kg payloads at high speeds.
Learn more.

Image - Recommended: Alternative to traditional drive systems
Recommended: Alternative to traditional drive systems
Nexen Group has introduced a stainless steel version of its patented precision roller pinion system (RPS), which engages two teeth simultaneously to achieve superior accuracy with zero backlash at any length. RPS is extremely quiet and 99% efficient, with a long life up to 36 million meters. It provides a low-maintenance, durable alternative to rack and pinion, ball screw, and belt drive technology. The RPS is used for a wide range of applications including laser cutting, plasma cutting, and gantry applications.
Learn more.

Image - Smart contactors with CAN bus
Smart contactors with CAN bus
Sensata Technologies has announced the availability of the new GXC and MXC series of Smart-Tactor contactors with CAN bus communication, which provide valuable data for improved system performance, reliability, and diagnostics in military, battery system, energy storage, commercial vehicle, and industrial applications. This new series of CAN bus-enabled contactors are easily integrated and simplify data acquisition, making them ideal for data logging, telematics, and predictive maintenance.
Learn more.

Image - Machine learning eliminates cogging for linear motors
Machine learning eliminates cogging for linear motors
The highly dynamic AL8000 linear motors from Beckhoff now meet even greater requirements for accuracy and synchronization with the new TwinCAT Cogging Compensation software, which compensates for cogging forces. Cogging forces in linear motors are caused by the magnetic attraction between the iron core in the primary part and the permanent magnets in the secondary part. AL8000 linear motors are particularly suitable for high-precision applications such as milling machines or laser cutting machines.
Learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - VelociRaptor 400 Bronco: Hennessey Performance max upgrade
VelociRaptor 400 Bronco: Hennessey Performance max upgrade
If your automotive tastes run to outdoor fun and you like to dial it up to 10, Hennessey Performance has the Ford Bronco upgrade for you. The VelociRaptor Bronco 400 takes a stock 275-hp Badlands model and cranks it to 405 hp, while making it taller, louder, and sportier with a sleek livery along the way.
Read the full article.

Image - Solar Power: More light captured without sun tracking -- even on a cloudy day
Solar Power: More light captured without sun tracking -- even on a cloudy day
In a real "why-didn't-I-think-of-that?" moment, Stanford University researchers designed a deceptively simple, pyramid-shaped lens device that can efficiently gather light from all angles and concentrate it at a fixed output position. The graded index optics have light-management applications in solar power arrays, solid-state lighting, laser couplers, and more. Testing demonstrated impressive results.
Read the full article.

Image - The Big Inch: Fueling America's WWII war effort
The Big Inch: Fueling America's WWII war effort
Keith Martin from NIST presents the fascinating story of how the crucial work of pipeline engineer William Gillum Heltzel, who developed some of the earliest usable flow formulas, helped win the war "by an Inch."
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Cool Tools: The oscilloscope that feels like a tablet
Tektronix says, "Get ready to change the way you work forever!" Introducing the Tektronix 2 Series Mixed Signal Oscilloscope (MSO) -- the only full-featured bench oscilloscope that works where you work. It weighs less than 4 lb, is just 1.5-in. thick, and can accommodate an optional battery pack for up to 8 hours of unplugged power.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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