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January 07, 2025Volume 21 Issue 01

Image - Upgrade Your Assembly with Smalley's Spirolox<sup>®</sup> Retaining Rings!		Upgrade Your Assembly with Smalley's Spirolox® Retaining Rings!
Discover Smalley's industry-leading Spirolox® Retaining Rings! With a gapless design and 360° of retaining surface, they eliminate interference from protruding ears. Groove-interchangeable with circlips, Spirolox offers an easy upgrade with no design changes. Choose from over 6,000 standards in carbon and stainless steel, with sizes from 0.250" to 16". Experience the Smalley Advantage -- request your free samples today!
Learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • 2025 Corvette ZR1: Fastest Corvette ever -- officially
  • U.S. Army gets world's largest metal 3D printer
  • Students invent leaf blower noise damper
  • Inverse Wankel engine tested for Army 10-kW generator
  • Bugatti Tourbillon: V16 with 3 e-motors makes 1,800 hp
  • New X plane: Flight with no moving control surfaces
  • Companies line up to license NASA super alloy
  • Top Product: Raspberry Pi $70 AI Kit
  • Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- over 300 million sold
  • Top Product: Snap-together LED enclosure lighting -- Neat!
  • Top Product: Need inserts? We make it E-Z.
  • Top Application: Clay milling automotive design
  • Top Product: 3D print tool steel with the ease of a plastic
  • Top Engineer's Toolbox: What's ground loop feedback?
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Guy makes funky Mecanum wheel bike
    • Aftermarket brake pads: The sketchy truth
    • Pinball design: Making the Godzilla machine
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Dodge Charger Daytona EV: Fratzonic exhaust sound
    • Great Resources: ABCs of Gears
    • Xometry case study: One-of-a-kind PC chassis
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: 2025 Corvette ZR1

News

Nuclear battery claimed to power small devices for 50 years without charging

Can golf ball dimple tech help rockets fly better?

BMW to road-test revolutionary in-wheel drive motor

New wheel design alters stiffness in real time

Feature articles

Image - 2025 Corvette ZR1: Fastest Corvette ever, now redesigned with a twin turbo		2025 Corvette ZR1: Fastest Corvette ever, now redesigned with a twin turbo
The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 has been redesigned to up the ante as America's dominant supercar, sporting a 5.5L twin-turbocharged V8 engine that puts out 1,064 hp. With its carbon fiber aero package, it looks just as cool standing still as it does racing down the highway, and the return of the split rear window is icing on the cake.
Read the full article.

Image - U.S. Army gets world's largest metal 3D printer		U.S. Army gets world's largest metal 3D printer
The U.S. Army's new Jointless Hull machine (made with the aim of 3D printing a tank hull in one piece) is the world's largest additive and subtractive manufacturing apparatus. It 3D prints parts up to 30 ft long that are forging-level quality.
Read the full article.

Image - Students invent leaf blower noise damper: Stanley Black & Decker onboard		Students invent leaf blower noise damper: Stanley Black & Decker onboard
Engineering students at Johns Hopkins University were challenged to make a standard leaf blower quiet -- make it work as powerfully as ever, but without an ear-piercing squeal. Shocking their sponsors, their advisers, and even themselves a little, they did it.
Read the full article.

Image - LiquidPiston inverse Wankel engine tested for U.S. Army 10-kW generator prototype		LiquidPiston inverse Wankel engine tested for U.S. Army 10-kW generator prototype
LiquidPiston has begun testing its 10-kW heavy-fueled generator prototype that uses the company's 25-hp heavy-fueled XTS-210 rotary engine -- the size of a basketball -- with an inverse Wankel design. The system is up to 75% lighter and smaller than the currently fielded Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources used by the U.S. Army.
Read the full article.

Image - Bugatti Tourbillon: V16 engine with 3 e-motors makes 1,800 hp and a lotta vroom		Bugatti Tourbillon: V16 engine with 3 e-motors makes 1,800 hp and a lotta vroom
The iconic W16 engine is out at Bugatti. The company's newest creation, the mid-engine Tourbillon, will be powered by an all-new 8.3-liter naturally aspirated V16 engine paired with three e-motors. It will be filled with cutting-edge materials and technology.
Read the full article.

Image - New X plane will test flying with no moving control surfaces		New X plane will test flying with no moving control surfaces
DARPA has selected Aurora Flight Sciences to build a full-scale, modular X-plane -- about the size of a military trainer aircraft -- to demonstrate the viability of using active flow control actuators (air from a pressurized source) for primary flight control in place of traditional flaps and rudders.
Read the full article.

Image - Companies line up to license NASA super alloy		Companies line up to license NASA super alloy
Designed for aerospace applications, NASA is licensing its breakthrough 3D-printable superalloy GRX-810 to American companies. Compared to other nickel-based alloys, GRX-810 can endure higher temperatures and stress and can last up to 2,500 times longer.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Raspberry Pi launches $70 AI Kit		Top Product: Raspberry Pi launches $70 AI Kit
Artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage, and the makers of Raspberry Pi have created a way for enthusiasts of the single-board computer systems to take part and do a lot of experimenting along the way.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- Why have more than 300 million been sold?		Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- Why have more than 300 million been sold?
3M Friction Shims are small, thin steel shims with a big impact. They can increase maximum load and peak torque in bolted connections without additional fasteners or redesigns. What else makes them so popular -- and so useful?
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Snap-together LED enclosure lighting -- Neat!		Top Product: Snap-together LED enclosure lighting -- Neat!
Seifert StripLite SL 4000 Series LED enclosure lighting provides bright illumination to 700 lumens. On/off switch and motion sensor models are available. Easily daisy chain up to 16 light strips. Magnetic or clip mounting. See video/info on website or contact Bristol Instruments for more information.
Learn about snap-together lighting.

Image - Top Product: Need inserts? We make it E-Z.		Top Product: Need inserts? We make it E-Z.
Founded in 1956, E-Z LOK allows users to repair damaged or worn-out threads without the need for special taps or installation tools. Our line of threaded locking inserts is used in metal, plastic, wood, composite, and additive industries. Extensive inventories are maintained in four warehouses across the US, and all products are sold through industrial distributors. One source for all your needs!
Learn more
or contact Kyle Lindsly-Roach for free samples at 310.323.5613 x221.

Image - Top Application: Clay milling automotive design		Top Application: Clay milling automotive design
In 1984, Sterling Heights, MI-based TARUS completely changed the auto industry when it introduced the world to its invention, the Claymill™. Now they've upped the CNC milling machine's performance and its digital transformation with SINUMERIK ONE machine control from Siemens.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: 3D print tool steel with the ease of a plastic		Top Product: 3D print tool steel with the ease of a plastic
The Virtual Foundry, a pioneer in advanced 3D-printing materials, is excited to announce the launch of their latest innovation: M300 Tool Steel Filamet™ (not a typo). This material answers the demand for FFF 3D-printable Tool Steel, delivering unparalleled strength and versatility. What sets this material apart is its seamless compatibility with various 3D printers, including Creality, Bambu Lab, Ultimaker, and more. The filament prints effortlessly, resembling the ease of working with PLA (plastic).
Learn more.

Image - Top Engineer's Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?		Top Engineer's Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?
Improper grounding can create problems in data logging, data acquisition, and measurement and control systems. One of the most common problems is known as ground loop feedback. Experts at CAS DataLoggers run through five ways to eliminate this problem.
Read the full article.
Most popular last issue

Image - Dodge Charger Daytona EV: Hear its special Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system		Dodge Charger Daytona EV: Hear its special Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system
Dodge has outfitted its 670-hp Charger Daytona all-electric vehicle -- the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car -- with a special sound system that puts out variable old-school vroom with Hellcat levels of sound intensity.
Read the full article.

Image - Great Resources: ABCs of Gears		Great Resources: ABCs of Gears
KHK USA takes you on a journey through the history and applications of gears in two information-packed, no-cost 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. No registration required.
Learn more.

Image - Xometry case study: One-of-a-kind PC chassis build		Xometry case study: One-of-a-kind PC chassis build
Learn how Josh Sniffen, the YouTuber behind the popular PC-building channel Not From Concentrate, leaned on Xometry for a wide range of manufacturing options, personalized DFM feedback, and order management support for his latest creation: the HEXO ATX.
Read this very cool Xometry case study.
Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Guy makes funky Mecanum wheel bike
YouTube maker James Bruton has added a bike with four Mecanum wheels to his arsenal of off-beat, home-built projects. Watch and learn how he built this wacky transport using lots of mechanical know-how, 3D printing, four motors with encoders, a battery, angle sensors, and lots more parts. He's posted the CAD and code too. [Image: Screenshot courtesy of James Bruton YouTube channel]
View the video.
Video Image
Aftermarket brake pads: The sketchy truth
Engineering Explained's Jason Fenske takes a deep dive into aftermarket brake pad design, materials, and construction in a bid to educate consumers about good and not-so-good buying options out there -- and why there are major differences. You can always learn something from a Fenske video -- and you might be a little surprised along the way.
View the video.
Video Image
Pinball design: Making the Godzilla machine -- Stern Pinball
Engineers and game designers from Stern Pinball chronicle the development of their wildly inventive Godzilla pinball machine -- from concept to handmade prototype mechanisms and a whole lot more. An informative inside look at how all the fun gets put together, including a multi-level moving tower that shakes up traditional game play. [Image credit: Stern Pinball video screenshot]
View the video.
Video Image
New products

Electrical/Electronics
View Products…		Mechanical
View Products…		Motion
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