| June 26, 2012 | Volume 08 Issue 24 |
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 | Wire and harness protection gets colorful
Micro Plastics has added color to their polyethylene and nylon lines of wire-routing split loom. All six of the standard sizes (1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, and 1 in.) are available in orange, which is especially great for safety. Red, yellow, and green are other options. Extruded from durable materials, these highly flexible, kink-resistant corrugated tubes have an easy opening seam for simple and quick insertion and removal of wires. Organizing cables and managing cords into color-coded bundles never looked so good.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Feature articles | Self-guided bullet prototype can hit target a mile away
Take two Sandia National Laboratories engineers who are hunters, get them talking about the sport, and it shouldn't be surprising when the conversation leads to a patented design for a self-guided bullet that could help war fighters.
Sandia researchers Red Jones and Brian Kast and their colleagues have invented a dart-like, self-guided bullet for small-caliber, smooth-bore firearms that could hit laser-designated targets at distances of more than a mile.
Read the full article. |
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 | Wheels:
Kenworth beefs up simultaneous design and manufacturing
When engineers at big-truck maker Kenworth were first tinkering with the idea of how to produce their latest and greatest Class 8 truck, they started with a list – a wish list, that is – and a determination to break down the wall between design and manufacturing. The subsequent development of the Kenworth T680 represents a leap forward in building world-class, quality trucks.
Read the full article. |
Micro Solutions:
Small-but-mighty micromotors power 5-axis CNC unit
There is a clear trend toward making components as small and compact as possible, even in mechatronic components. It saves both raw materials and costs. A new compact 5-axis CNC machine is now making the production of complex small components easier. Despite its small size, the use of brushless micro-drives means the system can offer all the properties that were previously the domain of larger systems.
Read the full article. |
 | Engineer's Toolbox:
Self-clinching fasteners by design
Dozens of types and thousands of variations of self-clinching fasteners (steel, stainless steel, or aluminum) have been engineered over the years. Leon M. Attarian of PennEngineering provides three mini case studies where manufacturers benefited greatly by switching to self-clinching fasteners in their assemblies. This article is filled with insightful tips and suggestions.
Read the full article. |
 | Quick Look:
Copper foam
Copper foam, now available 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.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Mike Likes:
All-in-one workstation with swappable parts
Design-wise, who hasn't wished for a powerful computer with easily accessible, changeable parts? Well, HP's new Z1 all in one is just that, featuring a tool-less chassis and a very sweet 27-in. display. Built for computer-aided design, digital media, and entertainment professionals, this just-launched customizable powerhouse brings "plug-and-play" to new heights. Be sure to check out the "making of the HP Z1" video for insights from the designers. Pricing starts at $1,899.00.
Find out more about the HP Z1. |
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | World's fastest 6-axis robots
The advanced-design VS-Series six-axis articulated robots from DENSO are the world's fastest in their class. See them perform with lightning speed and even take a "swim." But don't blink. These things can really move.
View the video. |
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F-35 fighter testing: 2011 is 'year of firsts'
The F-35A flight test team at Edwards AFB, CA, recounts 2011, a productive year of test that they call "the year of the firsts." From flight envelope expansion to mission systems, and KC-10 fuel testing to sensor fusion, the team made great strides testing the F-35A fighter, a conventional takeoff and landing craft that is the smallest, lightest F-35 version and the only one in the series equipped with an internal cannon. The fighter's fraternal twin, the F-35B, is a short-takeoff and vertical-landing craft.
View the video. |
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How James Cameron's Deepsea Challenger submarine works
Now that the Titanic and Avatar director has made his 7-mile-deep dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, you may be wondering how the one-man submarine he captained works. Well the BBC's Rebecca Morelle and Simon Hancock interviewed project manager David Wotherspoon to find out.
View the video. |
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Flying inversion object aims to inspire new drive concepts
The nature-loving wizards at Festo have combined extreme lightweight construction, electric drive units, and control and regulation technology to create SmartInversion, a working helium-filled flying object that moves through the air by turning inside out. The shape is based on the geometrical band devised by Paul Schatz: its middle section, in the form of an articulated ring of six members, detaches itself from a cube and constantly turns inside out, taking on different geometrical shapes in the process. Kind of mesmerizing, don't you think?
View the video. |
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