Designfax – Technology for OEM Design Engineers was launched as an exclusive eMagazine in October 2005 following 25 successful years in print. Subscribers to the weekly publication (48 issues a year) are high-level OEM product design engineers and engineering managers who operate in a broad range of manufacturing industries, including automotive, aerospace, appliances, medical equipment, transportation, computer process controls, industrial equipment, and more. Primary content focuses on the latest exciting applications and products for Electrical/Electronic, Mechanical, Motion Control, Fluid Power, and Materials engineering, including articles on powerful software programs that serve as a primary engineering tool. Take a look at what Designfax offers and then subscribe.
| March 02, 2021 | Volume 17 Issue 09 |
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 | Stuck on Coil Springs?
Smalley Wave Springs can replace conventional coil springs while occupying only 50% of the space and providing the same force and deflection. Over 4,000 springs available from stock in carbon and stainless steel, or utilize Smalley's No-Tooling-Cost™ manufacturing process on custom designs, available from .118" to 120". Free samples available for testing.
Learn more. |
 | Hollow Shaft, Solid Performance
FAULHABER has set a new standard for internal aperture motors, with the new DM66200H stepper motor series. As a direct drive, the new hollow shaft motor operates backlash-free and can be integrated into different applications with minimal effort. This new stepper motor achieves impressive performance for both speed and torque values. Its exceptionally wide aperture has a diameter of 40 mm.
Learn more. |
| | Feature articles |
 | Far-out space concepts selected by NASA for study
You gotta think big to make big things happen. The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program is awarding grants to more than a dozen individuals for early-stage research into some futuristic and far-out space ideas. Concepts include a lunar levitation track system, a light-bending lunar power system, and a method for making soil from asteroid material.
Read the full article. |
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 | DOD outlines latest hypersonics development strategy
The Defense Department has identified hypersonics as one of the highest priority modernization areas, as Russia and China develop their own capable systems. Hypersonic systems are able to travel on extended flights within the upper atmosphere -- 80,000 to 200,000 ft -- at speeds near and above Mach 5, and they're able to maneuver in ways that are hard for defenders to predict.
Read the full article. |
 | Less waste in laser cutting: New MIT software
In a bid to optimize material usage in laser cutting, researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have created a new tool called Fabricaide that provides live feedback on how different parts of a design should be placed onto sheets. It can even analyze exactly how much material is used as multiple designs take shape.
Read the full article. |
 | Will it survive? 3D-printed parts are durability tested in cement mixer
In Xometry's latest "Will it ..." challenge, Greg Paulsen, Director of Application Engineering, puts nine 3D-printed parts through a continuous drop test by tumbling them in a cement mixer. These samples were designed with advanced features like ultra-thin walls, overhangs, lattices, and more to see which features would meet their match. Materials used in six different additive manufacturing platforms were tested. They included ABS-M30, Polycarbonate, ULTEM 9085, VeroBlack+, Nylon 12, Accura ClearVue, and more. How will each material hold up?
View the video. |
 | Engineer's Toolbox:
12 key factors in bellows design
What do you need to know to design your own custom bellows? The experts at Servometer have prepared this handy resource for you. Typical bellows applications include: volume compensators, actuators, electrical spring contacts, pressure switches and transducers, flexible shaft couplings, and more.
Read the full article. |
 | PolyDrill® Multi-Spindle Heads
Multiple drill heads are available for a variety of machine OEMs. Two-spindle up to 10-spindle units, with fixed or flex shaft power, adjustable or fixed hole pitches, and compact designs allow adaptability for the machine builder, integrator, or assembly line designer. Holes in most material from 0.06"-1".
Contact Lee Coleman at Suhner for all the details.
706-314-2927
Learn more. |
 | Discover the design and functional advantages of copper foam
Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
Learn more. |
 | Precision micro stage for high-volume applications
The M3-LS-U2-10 Linear Smart Stage from New Scale Technologies is a direct-drive precision piezoelectric micro stage with embedded controller designed for integration into compact devices. Applications include instruments for DNA sequencing, wearable medical devices, instruments for point-of-care diagnostics, devices for telemedicine, handheld imaging systems, and laser beam steering. The stage has high stiffness with no gears or backlash, low acoustic noise, and no high voltage. It can be powered by batteries or any low-cost DC supply and is suitable for use in near-patient instruments and wearable devices.
Learn more. |
 | PBT and PPS plastics for driver-assist automotive applications
The growing trend toward electric vehicles is spurring material suppliers like Polyplastics Co. to position its innovative resin products for use in Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) parts that enable autonomous driving. The company's DURANEX PBT and DURAFIDE PPS materials -- targeted for sensors in radar and camera bracket systems -- show great promise in delivering low warpage, dimensional stability, and a low dielectric constant.
Learn more. |
 | Compact power module with side flange mounting
SCHURTER's proven power entry module, series DD11, provides a high level of functional integration in the most minimal of package dimensions. The power module is ideally suited for equipment with low-profile panels. Consisting of an IEC appliance inlet (C14), which is compatible with cord retention, 1- or 2-pole fuse holder, and power ON/OFF switch, the DD11 is now available with side mounting flanges in addition to the existing model with top and bottom flanges. The new model is designed to minimize height when vertically mounted. Applications include medical, IT and telecom, office and household equipment, and automation systems.
Learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Porsche 911 made into extreme all-terrain rally off-roader
Some days you just want to see what's out there -- something fun and wild. Take, for example, the All-terrain Competition Study (ACS), in which Singer Vehicle Design, a high-end restoration house, turned a 1990 Type 964 Porsche 911 into an off-road desert racing beast. From its dramatically increased ride height, suspension travel, and overall strength to its carbon fiber body and 450-hp twin turbo, it's a real showstopper that's made to impress and compete.
Read the full article. |
 | New real-time Mars landing onboard cam footage
NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance mission captured thrilling footage of its rover landing in Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. The footage in this 3.5-min. video was shot by several cameras that are part of the rover's entry, descent, and landing suite. The views include a camera looking down from the spacecraft's descent stage, a camera on the rover looking up at the descent stage, a camera on the top of the aeroshell looking up at that parachute, and a camera on the bottom of the rover looking down at the Martian surface.
View the video. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Learn about precision machining of ultra-hard materials
Insaco provides high-precision machining for extremely hard materials such as sapphire, aluminas, carbides, glass ceramics, and quartz. With the advent of exotic hard materials exhibiting superior performance to metallic materials, it's important to understand that alternatives to metals do exist and should be considered based on application and cost. Insaco welcomes small-lot or even single-piece orders as well as production series.
View the video. |
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How Ford F-150 Max Recline Seats work
Flat is where it's at. The all-new available Max Recline Seats in the 2021 Ford F-150 allow for some super-comfy shut-eye in a first-class cabin. The mechanism lifts the back half of the seat bottom 3.5 in. to make a flat surface to support the lower back. The upper seatback can also be moved forward for neck support. There are no additional motors in these seats -- just a simple mechanism that relies on the customer moving the seatback using the power recline function. The seats have been awarded five patents tied to their novel design and assembly process.
View the video. |
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