Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
August 28, 2012Volume 08 Issue 32


Image - New Line of Phillips Pan Machine Screws
New Line of Phillips Pan Machine Screws
Micro Plastics has added a new line to their inventory of 250 million parts! The Phillips Pan Machine Screws are molded in tough, resilient, and corrosion-resistant Nylon 6/6 material. Thread sizes included are: 4-40, 6-32, 8-32, 10-32, 1/4-20 and 1/4-28. Available in 25 standard lengths ranging from 3/32 in. up to 3 in., Micro Plastics also offers an extensive line of machine screws, including head styles such as Binder, Binder Combination, Fillister, Hex, Pan, Round, Socket, Flat, Oval, and Thumb Screws, as well as Studs, Grubs, and Flat Head Wing Screws.
Click here for more info.

In this issue of Designfax

  • LED Materials: Polycarbonate stays cool
  • Self-filmer SOLOSHOT video system
  • Robotic Sandia Hand aims to disable IEDs
  • Wheels: Car radios go global and soft
  • Mike Likes: Solve up to 100 million elements
  • Engineer's Toolbox (Plastics): Cool prosthetic foot
  • Quick Look: Customizable actuation, button height
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Lead screw vs. ball screw tech
    • Printed paper speakers
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Can a smart hand router rival CNC machines?
    • Wheels: Replicating classic motorcycle engines
    • Tiny electric car runs Pikes Peak
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Global Software Radio from Continental

News

Army to streamline Network Integration Evaluation process for industry, small businesses

Laser-sintering technology soars in rapidly evolving UAV industry

Electric ships spur natural-gas-tanker boom

Photovoltaic cells developed to tap underwater solar energy



Image - Have you checked out our <br>Mechanical Products section lately?
Have you checked out our
Mechanical Products section lately?

You can find lots of cool new solutions in the Designfax Mechanical section, like the high-performance, oil-less, long-life Picolino Rotary pump and compressor from Thomas. This compact unit is designed for a variety of applications, including medical, vacuum lifting, laboratory, air sampling, sewage aeration, and printing.
See this and more in the Designfax Mechanical section.

Feature articles
LED Materials: Polycarbonate stays cool in a hot market
While market demand for LEDs is white hot, overheating is a significant obstacle for lighting designers and manufacturers. Bayer MaterialScience recently launched a new grade of thermally conductive plastic to help lighting manufacturers overcome limitations of other materials (like aluminum) and meet consumer demand quickly and cost effectively.
Read the full article.

Image - Self-filmer SOLOSHOT is latest Proto Labs Cool Idea! winner
Self-filmer SOLOSHOT is latest Proto Labs Cool Idea! winner
Ever wanted to film yourself while surfing a wave or doing some dirt-bike jumps? Well now you can with SOLOSHOT, the latest Proto Labs Cool Idea! Award winner. Proto Labs provides no-cost prototyping and short-run production services through its very cool new-product-launch program.
Read the full article.

Image - Lifelike, cost-effective robotic Sandia Hand aims to disable IEDs
Lifelike, cost-effective robotic Sandia Hand aims to disable IEDs
Sandia National Laboratories has developed a cost-effective robotic hand that can be used in disarming improvised explosive devices, or IEDs.
Read the full article.
Wheels:
Car radios go global and soft

The digital technology in Continental's Global Software Radio creates new entertainment possibilities and lowers costs thanks to streamlined hardware.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: <br>Solve problems with up to 100 million elements
Mike Likes:
Solve problems with up to 100 million elements

Cranes Software has released NISA Version 18, an engineering analysis software tool for structural, thermal, fluid, and electromagnetic applications. This version offers streamlined and expanded pre- and post-processing capabilities, supports larger models, and features a new "seepage" analysis feature - plus support for design challenges with 100 million elements. NISA has been an engineering favorite for more than 35 years. It is one of the most comprehensive engineering analysis software solutions available, created to address challenges in the automotive, aerospace, energy and power, civil, electronics, and sporting goods industries.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox (Plastics):<br> Innovative prosthetic foot wins prestigious med design award
Engineer's Toolbox (Plastics):
Innovative prosthetic foot wins prestigious med design award

If you have a part that needs to bend, flex, twist, open, compress, turn, or squeeze, DuPont Hytrel polyester elastomer just might be your step in the right direction.
Read the full article.

Image - Quick Look: <br>Sealed tactile switch has customizable actuation and button height
Quick Look:
Sealed tactile switch has customizable actuation and button height

The surface-mountable KSC9 Series switch from C&K Components delivers a specific actuator with a groove for button clipping and compatibility. The IP67-sealed tactile switch features a unique design that provides simple integration by way of adjustable height with buttons, full SMD pick-and-place capability, and overload resistance.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue
Can a smart hand router rival big CNC machines?
A self-correcting handheld-router system created by students at MIT precisely follows a digital plan with minimal guidance from a user. The students may have come up with a new system that manufacturers of large CNC systems can learn from.
Read the full article.
Wheels:
CAM software makes classic racing engines go faster

A leading U.K. engine manufacturer for classic motorcycles says 4-axis machining driven by Edgecam toolpaths helps him produce faster engines and win more races.
Read the full article.
Tiny Mitsubishi electric car finishes 8th overall, second in EV class in 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb debut
Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) saw its 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) electric vehicle racing team achieve an impressive debut this August on the difficult 12.42-mile-long, 156-corner mountainside race course in Colorado Springs, CO.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Lead screw vs. ball screw technology
Jeff Johnson, Thomson screw product engineer, says ball screws and lead screws can sometimes be used in the same applications. Typically, ball screws are used in industry applications that need a lot of load or life, while lead screws are used in smaller, lighter-duty applications. Lead screws, however, are highly customizable with the ability to interchange leads, sizes, and nut configurations quickly. Watch this video to learn more differences.
View the video.

Video Image
While you're at it, print me a speaker system to go
A professor at Germany's Chemnitz University has been developing printable-electronics technology that is transforming electronics into novel paper-based products, like functioning, printed loud speakers or even solar cells.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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