| December 11, 2012 | Volume 08 Issue 46 |
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 | New Full Line Catalog -- Full of New Fasteners
Micro Plastics introduces its new catalog #39. With 290 pages of nylon fastener items, 12 new product lines, and over 500 new items added. Contents include: standard and metric machine screws, cap screws, nuts, washers, spacers, insulators, grommets, bushings, rivets, hole plugs, clamps, printed circuit board accessories, suspended ceiling hooks, and wire routing kits. FREE samples are available upon request.
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 | Humanoid joints simplify robot design
igus has applied its plastics expertise to develop multiple-axis robot joints. No more sourcing complex custom solutions -- robolink® is a simple, easy-to-use system. The corrosion-resistant joints are controlled by cable tension -- just as the human body guides bones and tendons. Data cables are routed through the jointed arms, which act as the robot's skeleton. These same cables convey images, acoustics and forces -- the artificial senses of humanoid robots.
Find out more. |
 | Mike Likes:
Bond metals and plastics in seconds
Ultra Light-Weld 3013 from Dymax is a resilient, low-viscosity, moisture-resistant adhesive designed for rapid bonding to a wide variety of plastic and metal substrates. This solvent-free, worker-friendly product forms high-strength, environmentally resistant bonds for appliance assembly, bond joint and sealing, plastic window bonding, and plastic assembly. It fluoresces blue under low-intensity "black light," allowing for in-line quality control using optical scanners. Cures in seconds when exposed to ultraviolet and visible light -- even through UV-blocked plastics.
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 | Mini flush-mount switches are sleek alternative
With a choice of metal or plastic bezels and various sizes (8 mm to 30 mm), contact ratings, and mounting options, IDEC LB switches add style and safety to any application. These switches project only 2 mm when mounted on a panel and are perfect for applications requiring a smooth, clean surface appearance. IDEC switches have a powerful 5-A operating current plus an available 3PDT contact configuration for more flexibility within a small package.
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 | Discover the design and functional advantages of 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. The matrix of cells and ligaments is completely repeatable, regular, and uniform throughout the material. Characteristics of copper foam include: optimal heat transfer, high strength-to-weight and surface-area-to-volume ratio, controlled stress-strain characteristics, isotropic load response, and can be brazed, coated, and plated.
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 | World's first single-chip motor controller
Precision movement and positioning systems can be quieter, smaller, lighter, simpler, and more efficient using the advanced single-chip digital motion controllers unveiled in November by STMicroelectronics. cSPIN controllers can be designed into precision machines such as robotic systems, industrial automation, and general positioning and rotation equipment. The small size and low weight of the cSPIN solution enables lower-cost and more responsive equipment. cSPIN also allows precise control over rotation speed, which is particularly important for many applications.
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 | Turbomachinery design, the easy way
TURBOdesign Suite v. 5.2 is a unique aerodynamic and hydrodynamic 3D design software package that allows users to design, analyze, and optimize all types of turbomachinery, such as axial, mixed-flow, or centrifugal pumps, compressors, fans, turbines, and torque converters. Using the software, designers evaluate turbomachinery package size and performance predictions, perform detailed 3D blade design with 3D inverse design capabilities, analyze flow information per component, stage performances with turbomachinery-specific 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and automate exploration of the design space with automatic optimization capabilities.
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | 3D Printing: World's largest 3D-printed wrench
Looking to fabricate your own 1:1-scale, really large prototype parts? Objet has you covered. Unveiled at Euromold early this month, the company's new Objet1000 system features a climb-aboard-size build tray (39.3 in. x 31.4 in. x 19.6 in.) and is able to print up to 14 different material properties within a single model. Wow. Fourteen in one model! It can also handle big jobs that you could only dream about in the past, like the world's largest 3D-printed wrench, which Objet's Sam Green says took a few days to print.
View the video. |
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Reverse-engineer an impeller using Rapidform XOR
See how Rapidform XOR creates CAD models from 3D scan data. This short intro shows how you can convert a 3D scan of an impeller into a parametric CAD model, which is then transferred into CAD software as a native, editable model. Built-in wizards and a magic-wand tool make precise reverse-engineering from a scanned model a snap.
View the video. |
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