Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
January 15, 2013Volume 09 Issue 02


Image - New Full Line Catalog -- Full of New Fasteners
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.

Click here for more information.


In this issue of Designfax

  • Cold spray technology saves magnesium components
  • Snowboard includes flax, cashew biocomposites
  • Peel-and-stick solar panels
  • Wheels: Breakthrough full-vehicle driving simulator
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Installing coiled spring pins
  • Advantages of tactile pressure measurement
  • igus 2013 bearings catalog
  • Linear encoders for safety-related applications
  • dSPACE SystemDesk 4.0: 100% AUTOSAR
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • 3D-printed M.C. Escher drawings (not a typo)
    • Tiny, 8-axis micropositioner
    • Return of the Stingray: 2014 Corvette C7
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Mike Likes Extra: Raspberry Pi
    • Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2013
    • IBM reveals life-changing innovations
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion, Special: Software
    Cover Image: Cold spray tech repairs aero components [Image: U.S. Army]

News

'Standard quantum limit' smashed; could mean better fiber-optic communications

Cooper reduces lead times for made-to-order bearings

Johnson Controls unveils 48-V Micro Hybrid battery at North American International Auto Show

Autodesk and INDYCAR form three-year technology partnership



Image - FREE MATERIALS SAMPLE LIBRARY
FREE MATERIALS SAMPLE LIBRARY
This boxed set of over 100 thermoplastic resin samples from Protomold will be the envy of your engineering department. Compare strength, impact resistance and effect of finishes between material options -- without having to request individual samples. US residents only. One entry per person. Twenty winners will be selected at random from eligible entries. Ends 2/28.

Enter now.


Feature articles
Saving magnesium components: Cold spray technology named DoD 2012 Project of the Year
A project involving the U.S. Army Research Laboratory's (ARL's) cold spray technology was named in November as one of six environment technology Projects of the Year for 2012, recognized for research and technology developments with significant benefits to the Department of Defense (DoD). The technique is used to repair magnesium components that have been damaged either mechanically or due to corrosion.
Read the full article.
Biocomposites in prototype snowboard include flax and cashew nuts
Innovative biocomposite materials are heading for the slopes after engineers at England's University of Sheffield's AMRC Composite Centre produced a prototype snowboard from flax, cashew nut husks, and recycled plastic.
Read the full article.
Researchers create totally viable peel-and-stick solar panels
A decal-like application process allows thin, flexible solar panels to be applied to virtually any surface, from business cards to roofs to window panes.
Read the full article.
Wheels:
MapleSim used in creation of breakthrough full-vehicle driving simulator technology

With support from Maplesoft, VI-grade, an engineering simulation software provider, has produced the award-winning, breakthrough driving simulator technology called VI-DriveSim Dynamic. This high-end driving simulator allows automotive OEMs and racing teams to test full-vehicle configurations, from the engine through the transmission to the suspension and tires, using a human driver and a virtual vehicle.
Read the full article.
Engineer's Toolbox:
The importance of the insertion quill when installing coiled spring pins

For anyone experiencing coiled spring pin installation issues in their assembly process, SPIROL provides dos, don'ts, tips, and easy fixes.
Read the full article.

Image - Learn the advantages of tactile pressure measurement
Learn the advantages of tactile pressure measurement
Tekscan is pleased to announce the release of a new white paper: "Comparison of Interface Pressure Measurement Options: Review of Load Cells, Pressure Indicating Film, and Tactile Pressure Sensors for Improvement of Research and Quality Control." Download the white paper to learn how product development, manufacturing, research, and quality control can be improved through integrating different interface load gauge technologies. This paper analyzes three different interface pressure measurement options and how engineers can use these technologies in various applications to help solve design challenges.
Click here to learn more.

Image - igus releases 2013 bearings catalog
igus releases 2013 bearings catalog
igus® has released a 2013 bearings catalog for its iglide® plastic bushings, igubal® self-aligning bearings, and DryLin® linear bearings and guides. The edition features a number of innovative new product lines, such as knife-edge rollers offering oil-free deflection for conveyor belts, and zero-backlash leadscrew nuts. The catalog also offers 17 new plastic bearing materials suitable for almost any application.
Click here to request a catalog.

Image - New linear encoders for safety-related applications
New linear encoders for safety-related applications
Higher technical requirements in machine and plant manufacturing as well as more stringent national and international safety requirements have created the need for a new generation of sealed absolute linear encoders. HEIDENHAIN's answer: the LC 115 and LC 415 series with functional safety, resulting in encoders that achieve SIL2 in accordance with IEC 61508 and a performance level of ISO 13849.
Click here to learn more.

Image - dSPACE SystemDesk 4.0: 100% AUTOSAR
dSPACE SystemDesk 4.0: 100% AUTOSAR
SystemDesk 4.0 is a tool for modeling and integrating complex system architectures and distributed software systems. With the newest version 4.0, you can conveniently model electronic control unit (ECU) software in compliance with AUTOSAR R4.0. The AUTOSAR data can be exchanged by OEMs and suppliers, as well as with other tools in the development process.
Click here to learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Mike Likes Extra: <br>Raspberry Pi -- this educational toy is not a toy
Mike Likes Extra:
Raspberry Pi -- this educational toy is not a toy

So if you haven't heard of the Raspberry Pi single-board computing craze, well, it's never too late to jump into something really great. Eben Upton and his colleagues at the University of Cambridge's Computer Laboratory have come up with a $35 credit card-size Linux computer with 512 MB RAM "that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It's a capable little PC that can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video." It is also incredibly flexible, design-wise, so makers and professional engineers alike can get really creative with little investment. A power supply or SD cards are not included, but they can be purchased at the same time in bundled packages. You can order one from Newark (link below). Check out raspberrypie.org and then get to Googling projects. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Click here to learn more.
Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2013 announced: no hybrids, all-electrics, or diesels
For the first time in seven years, the list is comprised entirely of gasoline-powered engines, with no hybrid, all-electric, or diesel powertrains to be found.
Read the full article.
IBM reveals its annual 5 in 5: Five innovations that will change our lives within five years
Processing sights and sounds requires eyes, ears, and, most important, a brain -- right? But what if your hardware shared your senses?
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Making M.C. Escher's drawings come to life with 3D printing
Is it possible to create 3D objects that represent some of M.C. Escher's head-scratching 2D drawings? Well that is what Prof. Gershon Elber of Israel's Technion's Faculty of Computer Science has done. See the impossible come to life using an Objet 3D printer. Super cool.
View the video.

Video Image
Tiny, 8-axis micropositioner used for precision optical alignment in a new handheld instrument
New Scale's latest micro-positioning system fits eight axes of motion into an 80-mm space and runs on 3.3 V. Drive electronics are integrated right into the module; there's no external control board. It accepts high-level motion commands directly from your system processor over an I2C interface. This implementation solves an optical alignment problem in a new and highly miniaturized instrument. New Scale applies the same design skills and micro-mechatronic expertise to just about any positioning application that requires small, precise, and smart motion.
View the video.

Video Image
Return of the Stingray: 2014 Corvette C7
Detroit Auto Show attendees got a first look at the all-new 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray this week. The seventh-generation car rolls into Chevrolet dealerships later this year. The Corvette Stingray incorporates an all-new frame structure and chassis, a new powertrain and supporting technologies, as well as completely new exterior and interior designs. A 6.2L LT1 450-hp V-8 engine combines advanced technologies, including direct injection, Active Fuel Management, continuously variable valve timing and an advanced combustion system that delivers more power while using less fuel. Lightweight materials, including a carbon fiber hood and removable roof panel; composite fenders, doors and rear quarter panels; carbon-nano composite underbody panels and a new aluminum frame are highlights of the materials list. Watch as the car's engineers explain some of the innovations.
View the video.

Video Image

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Software
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