| August 06, 2013 | Volume 09 Issue 29 |
 | Powerful Piezo Motor with Magnetic Absolute Encoder
The compact LR 17 is a mere 17 mm in diameter and has stall torque of 30 mNm, which is high compared to its small size. Because of the self-locking feature of the friction drive, the motor can hold position without consuming any power. The integrated 15-bit magnetic absolute encoder gives a closed loop resolution of 0.2 milli-radians (0.01 deg).
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| | Feature articles | Picking the pattern for a stealth antenna
 A frequency selective surface that acts as an RF filter and helps reduce the radar cross-section of antennas consists of a pattern of geometrical objects. There are literally thousands of possibilities, and testing each one physically would take enormous amounts of time. With simulation, though, we can find promising candidates in just minutes.
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 | Mike Likes:
Reach new heights of creativity and efficiency at your workstation
American Sales Development (ASD) offers cool new bolt-on adjustable lift systems for easily turning existing tables, desks, workstations, assembly tables, countertops, or any work surface into an ergonomically height-adjustable unit. Built-in height adjustability is a desirable option offered by most workbench and workstation manufacturers, but these units can cost thousands of dollars. ASD QS systems consist of four height-adjusting legs, a pump, and either motor or hand-crank actuation. Typical sit and stand height range is 12 in., but the QS systems also offer travel distances of 8 and 16 in. for special situations. Each system arrives in one box completely assembled with drilling templates, ready to attach and operate. Systems are available from stock to four weeks, and prices range from $433 to $690.
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 | Readers tell us: Why I love my car
What engineer doesn't like to talk about cars? Now it's your turn to tell us why you love yours -- and the engineering behind it. Email a paragraph or two and maybe even a pic, and we'll post your story in an upcoming issue of Designfax. This week: Ever since he was a boy, Steve has been enamored with Henry Ford's flathead V8 ...
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 | New line of miniature sensors from Balluff
Balluff's new full line of miniature sensors can be used in the smallest of installation spaces and easily integrated into existing mechatronic assemblies. Balluff mini sensors are available with all operating principles: inductive, photoelectric, magnetic, capacitive, or ultrasonic sensors. Compact inductive couplers, space-saving I/O modules, and RFID-in-miniature versions are available for each sensor technology. These sensors are ideally suited for factory automation -- especially robotics, handling, and production lines. The lineup includes the shortest inductive M12 sensor in the world (12 mm).
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 | UL 50 seals for electrical enclosures
Apple Rubber Products now offers two new silicone compounds with UL 50 and UL 50E certifications for use with and without environmental considerations. UL 50 and UL 50E are the safety standards for seal use with enclosures for electrical equipment, and Apple Rubber has selected two silicone compounds, 14SL7ML and 35SL5ML, to provide to customers who require products with these certifications. These compounds provide an ultra-low compression set, even at elevated temperatures, and offer the quality and durability customers need for safe operations.
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 | DC drives from Sprint Electric regenerate energy
With its recently extended PLX range, Sprint Electric offers the latest in regenerative three-phase digital DC drive technology. The DC drives are able to regenerate energy back to the mains supply under braking without the need for expensive, complex intermediate storage, resistive dumping, or additional power bridges. PLX DC drives are compact, powerful, flexible, and easy to program, and are available in current ratings between 12 A and 2,250 A at supply voltages up to 690 VAC. A four-quadrant DC drive uses two thyristor bridges to enable it to motor and brake in both directions of rotation. This allows it to reverse the torque to slow the load very gently or almost instantaneously, regenerating energy at the same time. And unlike an AC drive, it is able to generate full torque at zero speed, enabling the load to be held stationary in complete safety without the need for mechanical brakes, an especially useful feature for winders and hoists.
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 | American Aerospace Controls announces new capabilities
Three-time Boeing Performance Excellence Award Winner American Aerospace Controls has released a new four-page, full-color capabilities brochure, highlighting the company's full range of standard and custom electrical transducers for high-reliability defense, aerospace, spacecraft, automotive, light rapid transit (LRT), rail, helicopter, rotorcraft, and industrial requirements.
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 | Composite clad gold or silver wire superior to plated wire
Precious metal-clad wire that offers superior formability, ductility, solderability, and design flexibility to plated wire is available from Anomet Products. These gold or silver composite wires are metallurgically bonded to a core material such as copper, Kovar, nickel-iron, molybdenum, stainless steel, tantalum, and titanium. They are less expensive than solid wire and allow designers to combine properties such as strength and conductivity. Applications include a wide range of electronic connectors and medical devices.
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 | Steel belt chip conveyors
Whether the application involves producing/removing chips or moving parts/scrap pieces, Hennig can provide the chip conveyor for all machine tool requirements. The company's new 2.5-in.-pitch steel belt can be made for most applications in the field when the standard 1.5-in.-pitch belt is not effective for the particular conditions present. Conveyors can be manufactured in widths from 4 in. to 80 in., depending on the need. The unique Hennig belt hinge is designed as one continuous piece, whereas many competitive brands do not have this feature. All belt manufacturing is done on Hennig's in-house press equipment.
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| | Most popular last issue | NIST: Prototype generators emit 90 percent less carbon monoxide
Portable electric generators retrofitted with off-the-shelf hardware by University of Alabama (UA) researchers emitted significantly lower levels of carbon monoxide (CO) exhaust, according to the results of tests conducted recently by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | IIHS: Overlap crash test results for small SUVs
The 2014 Subaru Forester is the first vehicle to ace every aspect of the challenging small overlap front crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Forester, the only one of 13 small SUVs to earn an overall rating of good in the test, and the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which earns acceptable, are the latest vehicles to qualify for the Institute's recently inaugurated top honor, TOP SAFETY PICK+. Each of the other 11 SUVs earns either a poor or marginal rating.
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Employees making a difference:
Honda engineer retools auto-body painting process
Honda engineer Shubho Bhattacharya was inspired to develop technology to reduce the energy needed to operate the auto-body painting system at Honda's manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio. Auto-body painting accounts for the most energy use in Honda's production process. With the help of his fellow associates, Bhattacharya conceived Honda's Intelligent Paint Technology, which has cut Honda's North American manufacturing CO2 emissions by about 10,000 metric tons per year and saves a considerable amount of energy daily.
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