Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
May 02, 2017Volume 13 Issue 17


Image - Wavo: The New Spring in Town
Wavo: The New Spring in Town
Wavo are produced from round-section wire to provide higher loads while maintaining the accurate loading found in wave springs. As an alternative to Belleville Springs, the Wavo Wave Springs provides similar loads but with an accurate, predictable spring rate. Available from stock in 1/2" to 6" diameters. Free samples available. Customs can be manufactured from .157" to 120".
Click here to learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • NASA 3D prints dual-purpose chain-mail 'space fabric'
  • Load Cell Tech: Exoskeleton for paraplegics
  • Fasteners that change color with strain?
  • Wheels: New mix of materials for Audi A8 space frame
  • Great Resources: ABCs of gears and more
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Army testing no-GPS navigation
  • Overview of precision motorized systems
  • Right-angle gear drives with lifetime lubrication
  • Low-cost industrial-grade inertial sensors
  • Mike Likes: 3-day powder metallurgy short course
  • Motors: First sterilizable drive system
  • What's new from a leader in all things polyurethane?
  • Fun! LEGO launches NASA Apollo Saturn V set
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • New and novel: 3D printing in gel
    • Pushing the limits of motorcycle design
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Siemens electric airplane motor setting records
    • Navy develops field-repairable transparent armor
    • Engage spin rocket motor: U.S. mock nuke test
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: Audi A8 space frame/LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V kit

News

Scientists identify chemical causes of lithium-ion battery 'capacity fade'

Dual injection gets even better: Bosch, Ford, and TI Automotive recognized with 2017 PACE innovation award

Aerojet Rocketdyne completes qualification tests on reusable engine for human spaceflight

Researchers store computer operating system and short movie on DNA



Image - World's Smallest Stepper Motor is a Big Win
World's Smallest Stepper Motor is a Big Win
MICROMO presents the FAULHABER FDM 0620 series stepper motor. 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 compact to fit in the most compact spaces for limitless applications. This micro stepper motor is also now available for purchase online.
Click here to learn more.

Feature articles
NASA 3D prints dual-purpose chain-mail 'space fabric'
Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are designing advanced woven metal fabrics for use in space applications such as large antennas and other deployable devices. But these materials aren't knitted or woven. They're 3D printed in one piece, yet produced with a chain-mail effect, and they've got a secret side to their functionality.
Read the full article.
Image -
Get your "Industrial 3D Printing for Dummies" book today.


Image - Load Cell Tech: Exoskeleton for paraplegics
Load Cell Tech: Exoskeleton for paraplegics
FUTEK recently partnered with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition on their latest exoskeleton to provide paraplegics with gait mobility. These powered exoskeletons use several FUTEK LCB200 load cells, which were installed in the actuators to measure the torque that the actuator applies.
Learn about this application.

Image - Fasteners that change color with strain? Engineers create programmable silk-based mechanical components
Fasteners that change color with strain? Engineers create programmable silk-based mechanical components
Tufts University engineers have created a new format of solids made from silk protein that can be preprogrammed with biological, chemical, or optical functions, such as mechanical components that change color with strain, deliver drugs, or respond to light.
Read the full article.

Image - Machining Without Coolant
Machining Without Coolant
Replace messy mist systems and improve dry machining with clean, cold air! EXAIR's Cold Gun Aircoolant System improves tolerances, tool life and production rates by cooling with 20°F air. The Cold Gun is ideal for tool sharpening, drill and cutter grinding, milling, band sawing, more.
Website offers detailed information.

Image - Wheels: <br>Milestones in lightweight design -- New mix of materials for Audi A8 space frame
Wheels:
Milestones in lightweight design -- New mix of materials for Audi A8 space frame

Audi is writing a new chapter in its lightweight design success story. For the next generation of the Audi A8, an intelligent mix of four materials is being used for the first time in the weight-bearing body structure -- more materials than in any of the brand's previous production models.
Read the full article.

Image - Great Resources: ABCs of gears and more
Great Resources: ABCs of gears and more
KHK USA takes you on a journey through the history and applications of gears in two information-packed free volumes called "The ABCs of Gears." Part A is aimed at beginners, while part B moves on to intermediate fare, such as types of gears and tooth forms, heat treatment, surface treatment, production methods, etc. Another mid-level text called "Introduction to Gears" and an in-depth "Gear Technical Reference" are also available, chock full of materials information and calculation examples and tables. Best of all, there is no registration for any of these valuable no-cost PDF resources.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Army testing no-GPS navigation for Soldiers on patrol
Engineer's Toolbox:
Army testing no-GPS navigation for Soldiers on patrol

A picture may truly be worth 1,000 words to Soldiers who lose GPS while on patrol. The Army Materiel Command's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, or CERDEC, is using miniature cameras to create vision-aided navigation capabilities in GPS-denied situations.
Read the full article.

Image - Overview of different types of precision motorized systems
Overview of different types of precision motorized systems
Motion drive and control technologies are advancing rapidly, giving engineers access to an expanding spectrum of options to leverage previously unattainable performance and form factors.
Read article to learn more.
Watch how a piezo ratchet motor works.

Image - Right-angle gear drives with lifetime lubrication
Right-angle gear drives with lifetime lubrication
Lifetime lubrication in Zero-Max "Crown" gear drives assures motion system designers of a smooth-operating, quiet right-angle gear drive. These drives are designed for economical transfer of speed or power. Lubricated for life with Beacon 325 premium grade grease, Zero-Max Crown drives feature heat-treated AGMA Class 10 spiral bevel gears. This combination of bearing design and lubrication formulation ensures long-term, maintenance-free operation for demanding industrial applications. The drives feature precision hardened and ground ball bearings with non-magnetic steel shafts for handling speeds up to 2,000 rpm in most operating environments.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Low-cost industrial-grade inertial sensors
Low-cost industrial-grade inertial sensors
The LORD Sensing 3DM-CV5 family of industrial-grade board-level inertial sensors provides a wide range of triaxial inertial measurements and computed attitude and navigation solutions. Applications include vehicle health and usage monitoring, precision agriculture, platform stabilization, and artificial horizon. Compared with similar sensors in its class, the 3DM-CV5 offers optimal performance in a small, lightweight package, and it includes direct measurement of acceleration and angular rate. It employs LORD Sensing's microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) elements that provide accurate measurements in a small and lightweight package.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Mike Likes: 3-day powder metallurgy short course
Mike Likes: 3-day powder metallurgy short course
Registration has opened for the Metal Powder Industries Federation's Basic Powder Metallurgy (PM) Short Course to be held Aug. 14-16, 2017, at Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA. The Basic PM Short Course is an essential educational tool if you or your company's employees are new to PM, need an update of recent industry developments, look to broaden or enhance background knowledge, and/or seek to enhance advancement opportunities. Learn about designing for PM parts, tooling for PM, sintering, how microstructures affect parts, superalloys, achieving 100% density, additive manufacturing/3D printing, and so much more.
Click here to learn more.

Image - Motors: First sterilizable drive system
Motors: First sterilizable drive system
maxon motor's NEW ENX EASY is a steam-sterilizable encoder for use with maxon's brushless DC motors and planetary gearheads. It opens up an entire new range of possibilities in medical technology, and its compact and robust design is ideal for power tools. It is available in an incremental (1,024 counts) and absolute version (4,096 steps), both designed for 1,000 autoclave cycles. The encoder can be integrated into the ECX 13 and ECX 16 SPEED brushless drives (up to 120,000 rpm and 104 W) to make a fully sterilizable positioning system.
Click here to learn more.

Image - What's new from a leader in all things polyurethane?
What's new from a leader in all things polyurethane?
Kastalon, a long-time leader in polyurethane products, announces the rollout of its new website. The new site offers a look at the company's extensive lines of standard products, including rollers, pads, bumpers, and sleeves for various uses in materials handling, metals producing and processing, as well as myriad other market applications. It details the custom material formulation and production capabilities of Kastalon, as the company has built a reputation for problem-solving solutions since its inception in 1963. Also included are a number of engineering tools that allow prospective customers to detail their requirements for prompt quotes.
Check out the new website.

Image - Fun! LEGO launches NASA Apollo Saturn V set
Fun! LEGO launches NASA Apollo Saturn V set
Coming to an inner child near you in June: Make history with the LEGO NASA Apollo Saturn V, the first rocket to put people on the Moon! With 1,969 pieces total, build the 3 stages of this stunning meter-high rocket and display it on the stand or launch it into orbit. Offload the S-IC and S-II sections, dock the lunar lander with the command service module, and complete a successful Moon landing mission!
Read all about the new set. You know you want one!

Most popular last issue

Image - Siemens electric airplane motor setting records
Siemens electric airplane motor setting records
Electric motor technologies in aircraft are making steady development progress -- and setting records along the way. Case in point is the Extra 330LE aerobatic plane, powered by a propulsion system from Siemens, which set several records recently. Weighing just 110 lb, the system supplies a constant electric output of 260 kW -- five times more than comparable propulsion systems. It features a unique weight-to-performance ratio of 5 kW/kg.
Read the full article.

Image - Navy Research Lab develops lighter, field-repairable transparent armor
Navy Research Lab develops lighter, field-repairable transparent armor
Research chemists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have developed and patented a transparent thermoplastic elastomer armor to reduce weight, inherent in most bullet-resistant glass, while maintaining superior ballistic properties. The material is a standout not only for its transparency but also because it enables damaged armor surfaces to be repaired "on the fly" in the field.
Read the full article.

Image - Engage the spin rocket motor: Drop of U.S. mock B61-12 nuclear weapon is first of new flight tests
Engage the spin rocket motor: Drop of U.S. mock B61-12 nuclear weapon is first of new flight tests
From a distance, the drop of a mock nuclear weapon -- containing only non-nuclear components -- was a mere puff of dust rising from a dry lake bed at Nevada's Tonopah Test Range. However, it marked the start of a new series of test flights vital to the nation's B61-12 weapon refurbishment program.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
New and novel: 3D printing in gel
In collaboration with the Self Assembly Lab at MIT, Steelcase has unveiled a new method of 3D printing called "rapid liquid printing." Especially for a furniture and interior design company like Steelcase, this technique offers a process that competes with the speed, size, and materials available to existing 3D-printing methods. By using 3D printing, Steelcase hopes to unlock the potential of truly personalized interior design. Weird but cool concept.
View the video.

Video Image
Pushing the limits of motorcycle design and manufacturing
Matt Chambers, founder and CEO of Confederate Motors, talks about the impact that 3D Systems' Quickparts rapid parts and prototypes service has on his design-and-build business. With the exception of some engine components, wiring, wheels, tires, and lighting, 3D Systems makes every part of the super-boss P51 Combat Fighter motorcycle, saving a tremendous amount of time and hassle for Confederate Motors by being able to consolidate part production with one primary vendor.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
View Products…
Mechanical
View Products…
Motion
View Products…


Subscribe to DesignFax

For advertising opportunities contact:

John Holmes

jholmes@nelsonpub.com
(847) 364-7441

Dan Beck

danbeck58@gmail.com
(518) 852-9624

Questions or comments about the eMagazine or articles? Contact us at: Designfax

www.designfax.net
PO Box 424, Alto, MI 49302

webteam@designfax.net
Privacy Statement