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February 02, 2016Volume 12 Issue 05


Image - Low-Profile Retaining Rings
Low-Profile Retaining Rings
Smalley Hoopster Rings fit into shallower grooves than regular snap rings or retaining rings. Where retaining rings once were not an option because of groove depth, the low profile, precision circularity and small radial size allow the Hoopster to be an unobtrusive component in the assembly, ideal for thin wall tubes. Easy to install without special tools, Hoopsters are stocked from 3/8" to 3" in carbon and stainless steel. No-Tooling-Charges™ on customs from 1/4" to 80".

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In this issue of Designfax

  • All about rotary ball spline technologies
  • Juno spacecraft breaks solar power distance record
  • Can incandescent bulbs make a comeback?
  • Wings: Navy tests cooperative UAV sailplanes
  • Mike Likes: 3M magnet bonding adhesive tape
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Why a new alloy is amazingly tough
  • Vacuum Solutions: Rectangular suction cup
  • Motors: Integrated step motor + drive and control
  • Prep and Pack: Oldham couplings for conveyors
  • Materials: World's strongest fiber now in black
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Universal Robots doubles production: Tegra Medical
    • New face and tools of SOLIDWORKS 2016
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Magnesium + ceramic = super-strong new metal
    • Engineer's Toolbox: Ion propulsion tech
    • Wheels: Electronic glass shading
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion, Special: Materials
    Cover Image: NRL and PSU keep cooperative unmanned sailplanes aloft

News

TV time: Why the new Ultra HD standard matters for quantum dot suppliers -- and consumers

Machine vibration monitoring gets big boost from artificial intelligence algorithm

Navy-developed micro-UAV named POPULAR SCIENCE 'Best of What's New'

Easily integrated metamaterials found to boost sensitivity of MRI machines



Image - 6-mm Stepper Motor Is A Step Above
6-mm Stepper Motor Is A Step Above
MICROMO presents the newest FAULHABER stepper motor series: FDM 0620. Measuring just 6 mm in diameter and 9.7 mm in length, including all components and connections, and with a 0.25 mNm holding torque rating, the FDM 0620 stepper motor series is ideal for applications in optics, photonics, as well as medical technology industries, in which high power is required in the most compact space.

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Feature articles

Image - Rotary ball spline technologies and the effective differences of two rotational nut technologies
Rotary ball spline technologies and the effective differences of two rotational nut technologies
Before you specify a rotary ball spline, ask the question, "Should the rotary spline nut be riding on angular contact ball bearings or crossed roller bearings?" Naoki Yamaguchi, assistant technical manager, NB Corp. of America, answers this and a host of other considerations.
Read the full article.

Image - NASA's Juno spacecraft breaks solar power distance record
NASA's Juno spacecraft breaks solar power distance record
NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter has broken the record to become humanity's most distant solar-powered emissary. The milestone occurred Wednesday, Jan. 13, when Juno was about 493 million miles (793 million km) from the sun. Launched in 2011, Juno is the first solar-powered spacecraft designed to operate at such a great distance from the sun.
Read the full article.

Image - Can incandescent bulbs make a comeback?
Can incandescent bulbs make a comeback?
Incandescent bulbs have always suffered from one major problem: More than 95 percent of the energy that goes into them is wasted, most of it as heat. That's why country after country has banned or is phasing out the inefficient technology. Now, researchers at MIT and Purdue University may have found a way to change all that.
Read the full article.

Image - Wings: <br>Navy tests cooperative soaring concept for sustained flight of UAV sailplanes
Wings:
Navy tests cooperative soaring concept for sustained flight of UAV sailplanes

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, in collaboration with the Air Vehicle Intelligence and Autonomy Lab at Penn State University, completed testing of cooperative autonomous soaring algorithms used to keep unmanned sailplanes aloft for sustained flight durations -- demonstrating the concept of shared soaring data (including atmospheric mapping and collision-avoidance algorithms) between two unmanned aerial vehicles in flight.
Read the full article.

Image - Mike Likes: 3M magnet bonding adhesive tape
Mike Likes: 3M magnet bonding adhesive tape
Throw out those messy liquid adhesives. The 3M Magnet Bonding Adhesive AU-205 is a high-performance structural bonding tape designed to provide electric motor design and manufacturing engineers with an advanced tool for adhering permanent magnets to rotors and stators in high-efficiency permanent magnet electric motors. The product combines a modified structural epoxy adhesive with a thickness control system, all configured in a low-tack, double-sided tape that offers strong bond strength and chemical resistance, and is RoHS and REACH compliant.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>A nanoscale look at why a new alloy is amazingly tough -- especially when cold
Engineer's Toolbox:
A nanoscale look at why a new alloy is amazingly tough -- especially when cold

Just in time for the icy grip of winter: A team of researchers led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has identified several mechanisms that make a new, cold-loving material one of the toughest metallic alloys ever.
Read the full article.

Image - Vacuum Solutions: Piab raises the bar with rectangular suction cup
Vacuum Solutions: Piab raises the bar with rectangular suction cup
The DURAFLEX RB20x40P suction cup from Piab was developed specifically for handling flow-packed bars of sweets, but it can be used for any small, rectangular flow-pack packages. It provides safe and secure handling without damaging either the packaging or its contents. Made of a specially developed material that features the elasticity of rubber and wear resistance of polyurethane, DURAFLEX suction cups are particularly suitable for handling uneven and porous surfaces. Designed with a single bellows, it has a firm but flexible grip.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Motors: Integrated step motor + drive and control
Motors: Integrated step motor + drive and control
Ideally suited for applications in packaging and labeling, automated test and measurement, automated assembly, and life sciences, StepSERVO motors from Applied Motion Products provide the next evolution in integrated step motor technology. StepSERVO motors, which feature an integrated motor, high-res incremental encoder, and closed-loop servo firmware, offer the same high torque at low speed and excellent holding torque characteristics of open-loop stepping motors with the advantages of true closed-loop control. These advantages include the ability to create peak torques from the motor up to 50 percent higher than the normal torque range of the same step motor running open loop. Closed loop also means the motor only draws current when it needs it, so step motors run cooler than ever before.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Prep and Pack: Oldham couplings for conveyors
Prep and Pack: Oldham couplings for conveyors
Oldham couplings from Ruland are zero-backlash, have a balanced design, accommodate large parallel misalignment, and are highly versatile, making them an ideal fit for precise positioning and general industrial conveyor systems. They also facilitate easy disassembly of rollers to allow for cleaning, replacement, and general maintenance. Ruland Oldham couplings are comprised of two anodized aluminum hubs and a torque-transmitting center disk. This allows a single coupling to combine clamp and set-screw hubs with inch, metric, keyed, and keyless bores.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Materials: World's strongest fiber now in black
Materials: World's strongest fiber now in black
Dyneema-branded ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber from DSM Dyneema is now available in black. Dyneema is the world's strongest fiber on a weight-for-weight basis and is already used in applications that range across sectors as diverse as sports and leisure, aquaculture, and protective apparel. Black Dyneema is similar to natural white Dyneema fiber, except that it is permanently colored throughout its cross-section. Very high breaking strength and stiffness; low density; low elongation; excellent durability; and chemical, moisture, and UV resistance are all retained, as is the fiber's quality consistency. Applications include yachting lines, specific military applications, specialty ropes, nets, and high-performance sportswear.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Magnesium + ceramic = super-strong new metal nanocomposite
Magnesium + ceramic = super-strong new metal nanocomposite
A team led by UCLA researchers has created a super-strong yet light structural metal nanocomposite with extremely high specific strength and modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio. The new material is composed of magnesium infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic silicon carbide nanoparticles. It could be used to make lighter airplanes, spacecraft, and cars, helping to improve fuel efficiency, as well as in mobile electronics and biomedical devices.
Read the full article.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>A look at ion propulsion technology
Engineer's Toolbox:
A look at ion propulsion technology

Ion thrusters are being designed for a wide variety of space missions -- from keeping communications satellites in the proper position to propelling spacecraft throughout our solar system. These thrusters have high specific impulses (ratio of thrust to the rate of propellant consumption), so they require significantly less propellant for a given mission than would be needed with chemical propulsion. Here's a look at how they work.
Read the full article.

Image - Wheels: <br>Continental shows off Intelligent Glass Control with automatic electronic shading
Wheels:
Continental shows off Intelligent Glass Control with automatic electronic shading

At the huge CES show in Las Vegas in January, automotive supplier Continental showed off a demo vehicle that had a shady disposition: All of its windows darken at the touch of a button. Intelligent Glass Control technology uses special films that are inserted into the glass and change their transparency through electric control signals.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
How Universal Robots doubled production at Tegra Medical
Medical device manufacturer Tegra Medical deployed three collaborative robot arms from Universal Robots to tend the machines manufacturing medical instruments. The UR robots doubled throughput, freed up 11 full-time positions, and enabled the manufacturer to keep up with customer demand while keeping costs down.
Watch how.
Learn the benefits of collaborative robots.
Locate a distributor in your area.

Video Image
See the new face and tools of SOLIDWORKS 2016
There are hundreds of customer-focused enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2016, but the first thing you might notice is the new user interface (UI) that was designed with one goal in mind: to make you more productive. The newly designed SOLIDWORKS 2016 UI offers:
  • Breadcrumbs for convenient access to any model level without needing the Feature Tree;
  • A consistent look and feel across all SOLIDWORKS products;
  • New section cuts that highlight mating issues; simplified mate selections;
  • The ability to easily select underlying features;
  • Auto size selection lists for immediate access to all selections;
  • A streamlined workflow and a whole lot more.
Watch the video and check out SOLIDWORKS 2016 today.

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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