| October 20, 2015 | Volume 11 Issue 39 |
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 | 2016 Cool Parts Calendar
Keep track of your schedule in 2016 with our Cool Parts Calendar that showcases a year's worth of cool medical devices, aerospace components, automotive parts, lighting elements and more. Each month highlights what's possible with 3D printing/additive manufacturing, CNC machining and injection molding at Proto Labs.
Get your 2016 Proto Labs calendar. |
 | Convert rotary to linear motion
Lead screws are a common power transmission technology used to convert rotary motion into linear motion. igus® dryspin plastic lead screws and nuts are geometrically and tribologically optimized for lower wear and higher efficiency than other lead screw nut technologies, and are a self-lubricating alternative to ball screws in a wide range of applications.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Precision dispensing for micro-electronics engineering
The spread of miniaturization in automation has led to an ever-increasing demand for optimum dispensing of the tiniest volumes. Whether in electronics or micro-mechanical engineering: solder pastes, adhesives, lubricants, and sealing compounds must be applied precisely where needed, in exactly the right dosage, and without spillage or dripping. Micro dc motors provide a compact and highly controlled precision solution.
Read the full article. |
 | Wings:
New polymer creates safer jet fuels
Before embarking on a transcontinental journey, jet airplanes fill up with tens of thousands of gallons of fuel. In the event of a crash, such large quantities of fuel increase the severity of an explosion upon impact. Researchers at Caltech and JPL have discovered a polymeric fuel additive that can reduce the intensity of postimpact explosions that occur during accidents and terrorist acts. Furthermore, preliminary results show that the additive can provide this benefit without adversely affecting fuel performance.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes: In-mold electronic inks
DuPont Microcircuit Materials has launched a suite of in-mold electronic inks designed to help streamline electronic devices by reducing the need for rigid circuit boards. By printing circuits directly onto plastic substrates, touch controls (such as electronic buttons, switches, and slides) are readily integrated in applications such as home appliances and automobiles. The inks offer important design, manufacturing, weight, and cost advantages and mark the further expansion of DuPont advanced materials enabling printed electronics. The new DuPont ME series in-mold electronic inks are designed to withstand demanding manufacturing processes such as thermoforming and injection molding. They also simplify the assembly process because there is only a single connection point and no wires behind the console. This can reduce the weight of a console by more than 70 percent.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Heating tech: Maximize diesel engine performance
The new ECO-HEAT exhaust gas heating system from Watlow functions as an internal load bank in medium stationary and mobile diesel generator applications. Incorporating ECO-HEAT into a diesel generator's aftertreatment system helps eliminate problems encountered under low generator load conditions, such as increased engine back pressure due to excessive soot loading, poor NOx conversion, and fouled EGR valves. Unlike external load banks that require a completely separate footprint and waste their heat to the surrounding environment, ECO-HEAT is designed to be installed in the exhaust pipe and provides heat directly where it is needed: within the aftertreatment system. Using electricity from the generator, it increases exhaust gas temperatures by both increasing load on the diesel engine and heating the exhaust directly.
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 | Fasteners: Spring-loaded captive panel screw
New PEM ReelFast surface-mount spring-loaded captive panel screws (Type SMTPFLSM) from PennEngineering install precisely and permanently where designed on printed circuit boards to provide secure attachment and allow for subsequent access whenever necessary. These all-metal captive screw assemblies mount in one piece on boards using the pick-and-place method and will install in the same manner and at the same time as other surface-mount components prior to the automated reflow solder process. The captive screw technology eliminates issues and risks associated with the handling, installing, and potential loosening of standard screws and can be easily actuated with the combination Torx/slot drive.
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 | Robotics: Adaptive gripper with advanced control
Robotiq recently released the 2-Finger 140 Adaptive Robot Gripper, a large-stroke electric gripper with advanced control features. It is able to detect that a part has been picked, as well as pick soft, fragile, or deformable parts without crushing them while maintaining a safe grip when the robot is moving. This unit is ideal for high-mix pick-and-place operations for various industries such as electronics, consumer goods, and logistics.
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 | 3D printing: Stratasys and Adobe team up
3D-printing juggernaut Stratasys is partnering with Adobe to bring high-quality, color 3D printing to creatives around the world. Adobe Photoshop CC users will be able to send 3D files for production through Stratasys Direct Express. This connection is done directly from the native Photoshop CC environment, increasing ease of use by enabling a streamlined workflow with features such as direct quoting, validation, and previewing. Stratasys Direct Express is a self-service website that makes it easy for anyone to take advantage of 3D printing by simply uploading files, instantly submitting an order, and receiving parts within days. Stratasys Direct Express is powered by Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, one of the world's largest providers of advanced manufacturing services.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | NASA tests acrylics for Orion spacecraft windows
When astronauts travel to an asteroid and toward Mars in NASA's Orion spacecraft, they'll get a tremendous view of their deep-space destinations and of Earth through the spacecraft's windows. NASA engineers are making sure those windows will be more structurally sound, lighter, and cheaper than on previous spacecraft.
Read the full article. |
 | What does Alka Seltzer do in space?
Astronauts on the International Space Station dissolved an effervescent tablet in a floating ball of water and captured images using a camera capable of recording four times the resolution of normal high-definition cameras. The higher resolution images and higher frame rate videos give researchers a valuable new tool aboard the space station. This footage is one of the first of its kind. The cameras are being evaluated for capturing science data and vehicle operations by engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
View the video. |
 | 'Off-the-shelf' semitrailer becomes Army missile launcher
Members of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command developed a transportable, mission-configurable, 25,000-lb-capacity Transportable Target Launcher to support Department of Defense operational testing of theater-class tactical ballistic missile targets. They were designed, analyzed, built, and tested using an economical, modified commercial off-the-shelf semitrailer and hydraulic crane as a portable launch platform.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | |
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