| January 21, 2014 | Volume 10 Issue 03 |
| | Feature articles |
 | Keeping carbonation bottled up with FEA
When Dom Perignon was asked to look into why sparkling wine bottles were unexpectedly bursting in the cellars of his abbey in northern France 300 years ago, he decided to investigate the bubbles. Fermentation, it turns out, continued after the beverage was bottled, producing additional carbonation and increasing pressure. Today, research engineers working for Verallia at Saint-Gobain's Research Center, near Paris, take a different tack to ensure there is no breakage: They analyze the bottles, not the bubbly.
Read the full article. |
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 | Mike Likes:
Custom wave springs
Smalley can manufacture custom Wave Springs quickly and economically to meet your specific application requirements. Because force and deflection requirements are application-specific, custom springs are often needed. With Smalley's No-Tooling-Cost™ manufacturing process, customs can be produced from .200" to 120" diameters in carbon steel, stainless steel, or other readily available exotic alloys. Prototypes can be available in as little as two weeks for testing.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product Spotlight:
Fast, no-crimp contacts provide one-step installation
Raychem SolderTacts shielded contacts from TE Connectivity utilize a one-piece contact design with integrated soldering technology to deliver fast, reliable terminations for circular connectors. SolderTacts contacts help eliminate the variables of crimping and enable a one-step installation process that can reduce handling and installation costs. Their versatile design makes them particularly well suited to military, aerospace, and defense equipment applications.
Click here for more information. |
 | Product Spotlight:
Quick-release shaft collar prevents slipping between reels and shaft
Amacoil/Uhing has introduced Easylock shaft collars that hold reels, spools, and other objects in place on shafts. Objects are held firmly between two pintles, one of which has a clamping force control. The clamping control permits adjustment of the holding force from 90 to 1,124 lb. In converting and winding applications where it is important that there be no play between the shaft and the core, Easylock is an easy-to-install solution with no special tools required. The maintenance-free Easylock system is available in 10 different sizes.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product Spotlight:
Low-cost ERD electric rod-style actuator line expanded
Tolomatic's ERD electric cylinders provide an economical motion control platform ideal for extreme environments that involve washdown. The cylinders are now available in six body sizes, expanding the force range from 500 lbf (2.22 kN) to 4,500 lbf (20.03 kN). The ERD is an economical rod-style electric actuator family designed as an alternative to pneumatic cylinders and an option for automating manual processes. The products are suitable for a variety of motion control applications, including product changeovers, diverting/sorting, pressing, and heat-staking/sonic welding. The ERD25 and ERD30 hygienic designs are USDA certified for meat (livestock), poultry, and dairy processing applications.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Wheels:
Maxi scooter design -- Riding into new territories
BMW Motorrad is renowned for its touring bikes and, more recently, its sports bikes too. Yet with the new C600 Sport and C650 GT maxi scooters, with a powertrain engineered by Ricardo, the Munich-based premium motorcycle maker is entering a completely new sector of the market. Jesse Crosse talks to Ricardo's Paul Etheridge about how this ambitious design challenge was completed in record time.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action |
Ford CEO talks aluminum F-150
With a Boeing aerospace background, is it any wonder that Ford's CEO, Alan Mulally, is excited to talk about the new aluminum-body Ford F-150 pickup truck that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show this week? The materials switch from steel shaved off nearly 700 lb from the vehicle's curb weight.
View the video. |
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