| April 18, 2017 | Volume 13 Issue 15 |
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 | Proto Labs Demo Mold
Our Demo Mold shows the mechanics of how the A-side and B-side of a tool work together during the injection molding process to create plastic parts. The design aid demonstrates the functionality of side-actions, sprues and runners, ejector pins and plates, and the relationship between core and cavity. It helps those new to injection molding easily visualize the process and is a great teaching device for educators.
Get a free Demo Mold design aid today! |
| | Feature articles | Splat! Kinetics used to make ceramic coatings
By making high-velocity submicron ceramic particles slam onto surfaces at room temperature, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have found a way around using high temperatures to process ceramics. Coating at room temperature makes microelectronics design and fabrication more flexible and could someday lead to better, less expensive microelectronics components.
Read the full article. |
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 | Metal 3D printing gets reinvented with LLNL's Direct Metal Writing Process
Metal 3D printing has enormous potential, but the most popular metal printing processes, which use lasers to fuse together fine metal powder, have their limitations, including that parts can end up with gaps or defects caused by a variety of factors. To overcome those drawbacks, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers, along with collaborators at Worchester Polytechnic Institute, are taking a wholly new approach to metal 3D printing with a process they're calling Direct Metal Writing, in which semisolid metal is directly extruded from a nozzle.
Read the full article. |
 | Researchers make super-strong stretchy silver
Working with silver at a vanishingly small scale -- nanowires just a few hundred atoms thick -- researchers at the University of Vermont have discovered that they can make wires that are both super strong and stretchy -- like gum. This kind of silver wire could be fashioned into a mesh that conducts current, allows light to shine through, and bends so easily "you might be able to tie your smartphone into a knot."
Read the full article. |
 | Wheels:
2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon comes wheelie-ready
As a kid playing with Hot Wheels cars, you probably dreamed of being a grown-up and pulling a wheelie when the light turned green. But that was all childlike make-believe and fun. You found out as you got older that they really don't make production cars like that. Well, that was then. The 840-hp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the world's most powerful factory-production V-8, has arrived -- and it comes complete with wheelie-inducing Drag Mode Launch Assist.
Read the full article. |
 | Mini but mighty high-load linear actuator
Equipped with precision ground ball screws for higher speed and a longer service life, the L-239 high-force actuator from Physik Instrumente (PI) has a positioning range of 52 mm (2 in.), pushing force of 300 N (66 lb), and 50-mm/sec (2-in./sec) maximum velocity. The nonrotating tip enables uniform motion, preventing wobble, torque, and wear at the point of contact. Noncontact limit switches protect the mechanics, while a direction-sensing reference point switch speeds up the homing procedure and supports automation applications. Special versions available for vacuum applications.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Motor Tech: UAV camera stabilization with brushless motors
Today, recon is dominated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones due largely to concerns for pilots' safety and costs. However, photos and videos obtained from UAVs are only useful if they are crisp and clear, which requires both precise focusing and extreme stabilization of the camera system. Compact and powerful FAULHABER brushless DC motors from MICROMO were selected to get the job done.
Read the full article. |
 | Become a robot programmer in only 87 minutes!
Learning how to set up and program a collaborative robot -- or cobot -- no longer depends on real-life access to a robot or a training class. Now everybody with a desire to learn the concepts of cobots can log in to the Universal Robots Academy and get the introduction necessary to master basic programming skills. Become a master of the cobots! (That's a pretty sweet title.)
Click here to learn more. |
 | Alternative precision linear motion system: Faster, more accurate, zero backlash
With high speeds, incredible accuracy, and zero backlash at unlimited lengths, Nexen's patented Roller Pinion System (RPS) overcomes the limitations of conventional rack and pinion, ball screw, and belt drive systems. The RPS offers longer life, less maintenance, 99% efficiency, and can run without lubrication. Nexen Group is a leading manufacturer of precision motion control components, power transmission, and web tension control products.
Learn more about RPS. |
 | Wireless and batteryless pull-wire switches
Wireless pull-wire switches from Steute Industrial Controls feature an internal electrodynamic energy generator. No battery required! Displacement of the actuator generates power to send a unique, coded telegram to one or more compatible, easily programmed receivers. If the pull-wire switch does not receive a signal that the telegram was received by the receiver within 15 ms, it transmits a second telegram. Transmits at 915 MHz. Maximum nominal transmission range: 164 ft (50 m) indoors, 2,300 ft (700 m) outdoors. Check out the full range of clever wireless switches from Steute.
Click here to learn more. |
 | A new way to tie one on
The 4ZERO Cuff is the most advanced flexible polymer handcuff on the market and is used by select police and law enforcement agencies that demand the strongest and most durable product available. Now, the same material used to manufacture the 4ZERO Cuff is available from Micro Plastics, Inc. in the line of extremely durable 4ZERO Cable Ties designed to perform and hold their strength in extremely dry environments and in temperature extremes from -30 deg F to 400 deg F -- conditions that can leave normal nylon cable ties brittle and broken. Available sizes include: 8 in. (50 lb), 14 1/2 in. (50 lb), and 11 in. (120 lb).
Click here to learn more. |
 | Low-cost spring-applied brakes
Inertia Dynamics type FSB brakes are designed to decelerate or hold inertial loads when the voltage is turned off. These brakes can be mounted to a bulkhead or motor. The FSB brakes are rated up to 100 lb-in. static torque and fit motors up to 5.3 in. OD. Features include 12-V, 24-V, 90-VDC, or 120-VAC windings; bore sizes from 1/4 in. to 3/4 in.; low current consumption; and low cost. Metric bores and special voltages available.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Army developing new laser-guided precision mortar
The U.S. Army has closed its initial solicitation phase for designs to create a next-generation
"smart" precision mortar where a laser guides the round to the physical target instead of a GPS location. The 120-mm High Explosive Guided Mortar, or HEGM, will have the potential to correct course in flight to hit a target that has moved.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | NY Auto Show 2017: Big vehicles that burn big fuel
Autoblog's Senior Editor Greg Migliore runs through the highlights of the New York International Auto Show 2017, including the Mercedes AMG "hot-rod" trio (sweet!), roomy Subaru Ascent Concept SUV, an accessory-laden Toyota FT-4x Concept offroader, the 707-hp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, the wheelie-ready Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, and the luxurious 2018 Lincoln Navigator.
View the video. |
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How valveless metering pumps work
Using CeramPump technology from Fluid Metering Inc. (FMI) means that only one moving part is used to accomplish all fluid control functions. This valveless pumping function is accomplished by the synchronous rotation and reciprocation of the ceramic piston in the precisely mated ceramic cylinder liner. One complete piston revolution is required for each suction/discharge cycle. In this innovative design, the pump-head angle relative to the drive determines the piston stroke length and, in turn, the volume per stroke. It provides easy and infinite flow-rate adjustments and features sapphire-hard ceramic internals that are wear resistant and chemically inert.
See how one pump does it all. |
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