| April 16, 2013 | Volume 09 Issue 15 |
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 | 20-minute webinar:
Getting successful parts made fast
The more you know about the injection molding process, the quicker you can achieve cost-effective results and develop superior products. This 20-minute technical webinar looks at plastic part design issues, materials, moldability, and smart ways to speed up both product development and manufacturing.
Reserve my spot! |
 | Rogan's Liquid Silicone Rubber Molding Capabilities
In business since 1934, Rogan Corporation is a leader in the injection molding industry, producing thermoplastic and LSR (Liquid Silicone Rubber) components and assemblies. Manufacturing LSR components is a rapidly growing segment of the business. Rogan is one of a few select manufacturers that offer Bondable LSR overmolding. This process involves the injection molding of a bondable-grade silicone directly onto plastic or metal parts, creating a single integrated component. LSR's heat, chemical, shock, and vibration resistance along with its sound-dampening characteristics have made it an ideal fit for integral seals and gaskets, waterproofing complex geometries and electronic interconnects, integral membranes, diaphragms, valves, and switch covers. (Picture has .008" thick fins bonded to a plastic tube.)
Our state-of-the-art Class 100,000 clean room enables Rogan to meet the increasing demand for LSR molding and assembly for the medical device market. |
| | Feature articles |
 | Precision metal bellows used as spring replacements in mechanical and electrical applications
Servometer metal bellows are used for metallic hermetic seals, volume compensators, pressure and temperature sensors, flexible connectors, and countless other applications where quality, dependability, and long life are critical requirements. In this article, we evaluate the use of an electrodeposited metal bellows as a replacement for a metal spring in mechanical and electrical systems. The bellows offers various benefits to create a cost-effective, repeatable solution.
Read the full article. |
|
 | New Shore testing methods in the nano-range
Shore A hardness is an important product attribute when parts are manufactured from flexible polymers. A new nano-Shore durometer that can measure ultra-miniature items relies on
brushless miniature drives to provide incredibly accurate needle positioning for testing. Learn about the motion-control design considerations for building this testing device.
Read the full article. |
 | Wheels:
Testing big-rig rear crash guards
Crash guards on modern semitrailers do a good job of keeping passenger vehicles from sliding underneath them, greatly increasing the chances of surviving a crash into the back of a large truck, according to recent tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). But in crashes involving only a small portion of the truck's rear, most trailers fail to prevent potentially deadly underride. That's about to change.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes:
No-cost NASA e-books
If you haven't taken a tour of the latest no-cost e-book offerings from NASA, now's the time to fill up on summer reading material. "Coming Home: Re-entry and Recovery from Space" is one of my new faves. It's 300+ pages of in-depth NASA history about re-entry aerodynamics, thermal protection, guidance and control, stability, propulsion, and landing systems. "Dressing for Altitude - U.S. Aviation Pressure Suits" is another good choice, chronicling an "indispensible part of a small fragment of the aviation world" and providing loads of historical perspective along the way. And after reading "Hubble Space Telescope: Discoveries," an interactive picture book made for all ages, you may never look at the July night sky the same way again. All titles are available in mobile and pdf formats.
Check out the NASA e-books page. |
 | Engineer's Toolbox:
Top 5 LabVIEW rookie mistakes
Although NI LabVIEW software has long helped engineers and scientists to quickly develop functional measurement and control applications, not all new users follow LabVIEW programming best practices. This article reviews the most common programming mistakes made by inexperienced LabVIEW programmers, along with recommendations on the correct LabVIEW programming approach to use instead.
Read the full article. |
 | Product Spotlight:
Friction positioning hinges provide constant torque for precise control
RT Series friction positioning hinges from Reell provide constant torque throughout their full 360-degree range of motion to precisely control and hold the angle of mounted components in any position. These hinges carry an industry-leading guaranteed service life exceeding 50,000 cycles. They integrate patented ReellTorq clip technology for a premium quality feel and smooth and precise position control without requiring adjustment during installation. Typical applications include motion and positioning of a display or access panel within a wide range of equipment and systems in the medical, aerospace and aviation, automotive, electronics, architectural lighting, and POP and POS industries. Three standard product families deliver successively more powerful torque capabilities.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product Spotlight:
Next-gen high-performance material for bearings, bushings, and other wear parts
WS Hampshire Inc., a leading fabricator and supplier of non-metallic materials, has introduced Ryertex S/T, the next generation of high-performance phenolic material for bearings, bushings, and other wear parts for a wide range of the most demanding industrial applications, including steel and aluminum manufacturing, paper manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, rail, off-road/construction, and agricultural equipment. In these demanding applications, Ryertex S/T can increase part performance life five to seven times.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product Spotlight:
3G sensors stream photo and video for new security, military applications
The new Video Camera Sensor board from Libelium, in conjunction with the company's 3G module for Waspmote, allows developers to add photo (VGA, 640x480) and video (QVGA, 320x240) capabilities. Media is sent to the cloud using high-speed WCDMA and HSPA cellular networks in the same way as smartphones do. This makes possible sensor nodes that send not only discrete sensor information, such as temperature or humidity (which can be encoded using just a single number), but also complex streams of information such as photos and videos. Includes dozens of high-power infrared (IR) LEDs for night-vision mode.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Bolts with improved fatigue performance
Because the Huck 360 was designed with shallow, low-notch factor bolt threads (the grooves aren't rolled as deep as a conventional bolt), the effective diameter of the fastener itself is widened by as much as 18 percent, increasing tensile and fatigue strength. According to maker Alcoa Fastening Systems, the Huck 360 thread delivers five times the fatigue life of a standard thread bolt, and finite element analysis (FEA) reveals that the shallow thread form of the Huck 360 concentrates 27 percent less axial stress in the root than conventional bolt threads. This stress concentration is the primary contributing factor leading to stress corrosion cracks (SCC) and fatigue failures.
View the video. |
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Insider's Look: Microsoft Surface tablet design
Take a peek behind the scenes at the designing of Microsoft's Surface Tablet. It's that cool one on the commercials that "snaps" together with its keyboard. When the video is over, take a look at the "Making of the Touch Cover for Surface" video. It looks like Microsoft has really loosened up on letting people see the design considerations and processes behind some of their products.
View the video. |
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