| May 10, 2016 | Volume 12 Issue 18 |
|
 | Completely Updated New Full Line Catalog:
Full of New Fasteners
Micro Plastics introduces its new 300-page catalog #40 containing thousands of fastening solutions for engineers and product designers. Find hundreds of new problem-solving products, including Spacers, Washers, Clips, Clamps, Ties, Bushings, Screws, Nuts, Rivets, and Plugs. Micro Plastics specializes in Nylon threaded fasteners, but the company also offers extensive product lines for wire management and circuit board hardware. FREE samples are available upon request.
Click here for more information. |
 | Coupling Connection for Motion Control
These versatile, flexible nickel and stainless steel shaft couplings from Servometer are capable of accommodating misalignments for parallel, angular and axial motion or any combination of all three types and are often used to support applications in resolvers, encoders, stepper and servo motors, small pumps, fans and blowers. For reliable 24/7 operations choose between standard parts for replacement, clamp style or set screw hubs. Go online today to choose a standard part. Hundreds of sizes to choose from. Standard parts can also be customized to fit your application.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Motor sensor tells when it's time for a service
Monitoring and preventive maintenance of low-voltage motors can be time consuming and expensive. Not anymore. New technology from ABB transforms simple motors (and not just ABB motors) into intelligent machines that tell you when they need servicing. Attached directly to the motor, smart sensors collect and transmit operating and condition parameters wirelessly.
Read the full article. |
 | 'Superman memory crystal' holds tons of data for eons
Scientists at the University of Southampton in England have made a major step forward in the development of digital data storage that is capable of surviving for billions of years. Made of nanostructured glass, the five-dimensional (5D) digital data technology provides 360-TB/disc data capacity, thermal stability up to 1,000 C, and a virtually unlimited lifetime.
Read the full article. |
 | Optimize mechanical misalignments, get hidden benefits
C-Flex Couplings combine the best qualities of disc, beam, and bellows couplings in a unique and economical new design. Made to couple two rotating shafts together, these couplings can accommodate large misalignments while transmitting high torque loads with zero backlash. Benefits include lower energy usage and less-frequent bearing failure, since less stress is placed upon bearings. Constructed using high-strength hardened stainless steel or glass impregnated polyamide flexures, these couplings require no maintenance and provide years of trouble-free life, even in contaminated environments. Flexible Pivot Bearings and Super Plastic Torsional Damping Couplings also available.
Click here to learn more.
Watch C-Flex Couplings in action handling misalignments. |
 | Mike Likes: Linear motor basics
What is a linear motor? Experts from H2W Technologies can tell you all about it. They say to think of a rotary electric motor that has been cut along a radial plane and unrolled. Rotary motors produce torque, whereas linear motors produce linear force -- and that's just the beginning.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Engineer's Toolbox:
Million-pound weight stack restored
It's official. NIST's 4.45-million-newton (equivalent to 1 million lbf) deadweight machine -- the largest in the world -- is back in one piece after a colossal 16-month effort to overhaul the 50-year-old system. Force metrology customers who rely on this unique device include U.S. aerospace manufacturers, U.S. military laboratories, and several top-end commercial force calibration labs.
Read the full article. |
 | Cabling: Special lightweight energy chain features easy assembly
Optimum use of installation space, light weight, and high stability are just some of the benefits of the E4.1L energy chain from igus, which is now available in new heights and widths from stock. Compared to the E4.1 version, weight can be reduced by 30 percent with this light version, meaning that the chain is well suited to highly dynamic applications. It was developed especially for unsupported applications. Long gliding travels are also possible with this e-chain.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Sensors: Magnetic rotary angle sensors
Novotechnik's Vert-X 31E Series of touchless magnetic angle sensors use a permanent magnet attached to a rotating shaft to measure angle. As the shaft turns, the sensor detects and accurately measures the changing position of the magnet. There is no mechanical connection between the shaft and the sensor -- and therefore no wear. Nine output options include a CANopen interface as well as analog and other digital outputs.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Motion: Servo motor brakes
Nexen Group's Eclipse Servo Motor Brakes offer distinct advantages over spring-engaged, electrically released brakes. No energy is consumed when the brake is disengaged. It is spring-engaged/air-released (no electric coil) to keep the brake cool until it's needed. Nexen's servo motor brakes are designed to mount to the shaft end of servo motors up to 20 hp, including NEMA 23, 34, and 42 frame sizes. Key features include fail-safe operation, 50 percent more torque, and zero backlash.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Test: Minimize uncertainty in high-speed applications
From motor sports to aerospace to making wind turbines, performance tests of high-speed motors and drives at high rotational speeds are an important factor. Now HBM has developed the T40HS as a space- and cost-saving torque flange for rotational speeds up to 45,000 rpm, for non-contacting transfer of signals while ensuring maximum precision. Thanks to the compact measurement flange design, the T40HS features high torsional stiffness, which allows for dynamic torque measurements. No additional bearings are required.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | 'Terminator' 3D printer now available to the masses
Inspired in part by a scene in 'Terminator 2,' the new MI additive manufacturing machine from Carbon3D uses Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) technology to harness light and oxygen to grow objects from a pool of resin instead of printing them layer by layer. Now you can have it in your shop or office, but it'll cost ya.
Read the full article. |
 | Can you make valuable electronics out of coal?
MIT's Jeffrey Grossman thinks we've been looking at coal all wrong. Instead of just setting it afire and ignoring the molecular complexity of this highly varied material, he says, we should be harnessing the real value of its complex chemistry to make solar panels, batteries, or electronic devices.
Read the full article. |
|
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | 3D printing reaches new heights in aerospace engineering at United Launch Alliance
The growing impact of additive manufacturing in aerospace is best exemplified at United Launch Alliance. In this video, you'll learn how ULA engineers are using Stratasys FDM-based 3D printers for everything from rapidly prototyping flight parts to producing over 300 tools that increase efficiency on the factory floor to creating innovative new designs for the next-generation Vulcan rocket.
View the video. |
 |
LEGO makes $300 Porsche 911 set
LEGO Technic's new Porsche 911 GT3 RS model features more than 2,700 pieces that all come together to make builders feel like they're running their own little sports car factory. Although the 1:8-scale model doesn't come with 500 hp and a top track speed of 193 mph like the real thing, it does feature an accessible cockpit with detailed dashboard, a working gearbox, steering wheel with gearshift paddles, racing seats, and a glove compartment containing a unique serial number. Functions include opening doors and hood with storage compartment and suitcase, and an opening rear lid that houses a detailed flat 6 engine with moving pistons.
Watch the LEGO video. |
 |
|
|
Rexroth's Open Core Interface technology provides a new degree of freedom for mechanical engineering and machine programming. The Open Core Interface, part of its Open Core Engineering (OCE) framework for PLC automation, allows for high-level language programming with enhanced access to the core of the control system, enabling machine builders to create their own individual functions without the need for additional hardware.
