| August 26, 2014 | Volume 10 Issue 32 |
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 | Molded Nylon Special Standard Round Spacers
Micro Plastics announces a new product line of Special Standard Round Spacers. The new line of molded nylon round spacers includes over 250 sizes, with diameters of 1/8" through 1 1/2" and lengths from 1/8" to 2 3/4". These tough, resilient spacers can be used in a variety of assemblies. Useful in electronic and electrical applications, they may also be used as bushings, bearings, rollers, gliders, and bumpers. They are resistant to vibration, abrasion, and corrosion; are electrically insulating; and have a high strength-to-weight ratio.
Click here to learn more. |
 | IMPORTANT message for gmail users -- both personal and corporate email accounts
If you have logged into your gmail account lately directly through gmail.com, you have probably noticed that gmail is pre-sorting your email into three folders, which they call labels or tabs: Primary, Social, and Promotions. If you use a corporate gmail account with a mail management program, you may not know that your gmail is being pre-sorted -- and you may not be receiving all of your email. We would love for Designfax to always be found in your Primary email and hope that making that designation in your gmail account will make finding our issues easier for you.
Find out how to move Designfax to your Primary email tab. |
 | Thermoelectrics:
Running on waste heat
Think thermoelectric generators for tanks are a good idea to help save on expensive fuel? Well they're in the works. MIT's Gang Chen has created a spin-off company that makes thermoelectric devices that turn waste heat into electricity for vehicles and other machines.
Read the full article. |
 | Wheels:
Replacement plastic bearings show their mettle on worldwide car tour
 Here's a great promotional idea. To celebrate 30 years of their line of self-lubricating plastic bearings called "iglide" (and tied into the company's 50th anniversary), igus has been traveling around the world with its orange iglide Smart car, retrofit with 56 of igus' plastic bearings in applications including the throttle valve, windshield wipers, alternator, and more. After a half-year of traveling through Asia and South America, and 17,500 miles of driving through deserts, rainforests, and some of the world's busiest cities, the tour car has made it to the United States. The igus team will be visiting customers across a massive range of industries, from automotive and motorcycle manufacturers, to aerospace, manufacturing equipment, and more.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes:
World's first robot with advanced safety settings
With eight new adjustable safety-rated functions, Universal Robots now provides the only robot in the world that adapts advanced safety settings to each specific application. The third generation of the company's UR5 and UR10 robot arms also comes equipped with True Absolute Encoders that eliminate the need for re-initializing the robot, enabling automatic startup and easier integration into other machinery.
Read the full article. |
 | Cool Tools:
USB microscope/magnifier boasts 200x power
If you need easy super-magnification at your desktop (and who doesn't?), Saelig's MV200UM is a 2-megapixel USB digital microscope for capturing high-quality magnified images and video for display on a PC using a simple USB 2.0 PC connection. The handy unit can take snapshots and time-lapse sequences. It contains a built-in white LED illumination ring for viewing tiny components and markings, examining traces and solder joints on printed circuit boards, or for detailed product examination and record-taking, inspection, and quality-control purposes. For 60 bucks, a real cool tool or a great thing to pick up for your kid's impending science project.
Learn more about this product.
View a very thorough video review of this product. |
 | Products:
Smart enclosure provides a stow-away workspace for multiple development boards
Bud Industries has come up with a really smart solution to the problem of organizing multiple development boards and a maze of wiring. Using a "flat or folded" approach, the patent-pending Board-ganizer enclosure provides a tidy work platform, keeps components of a design project in one place, and makes breadboarded designs easy to store and transport. Popular PC development boards such as the Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Freescale Freedom, etc. easily attach to the Board-ganizer using adhesive rubber feet. Up to three development boards and a breadboard may be installed on a single enclosure. The enclosure's hinged design makes it easy to work on a project with the boards located side by side. Fold the project into a compact 5 in. x 5 in. x 3 in. enclosure for storage or transport -- no need to disconnect any wires.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Products:
Mini rotary actuator has highest torque and power output
New Scale Technologies has demonstrated a miniature rotary actuator module (M3-R) with torque of 0.17 Nm and speeds of more than 400 degrees per second in a compact, 60-mm-diameter by 8-mm-thick design. Resulting from the successful completion of a Phase 1 SBIR project for the U.S. Navy, the non-inductive rotary actuator module delivers higher power output in a smaller footprint than electromagnetic pancake motors or other piezoelectric actuators. Applications include guided munitions and missile systems, MRI-compatible medical devices, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) controls, gimbal systems, and computer equipment.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Products:
Brighter, stronger, cooler flip-chip LEDs
TitanBrite Wireless Bonded LEDs from Lumex feature "flip chips" that are up to 15 percent brighter than any others in the market. In addition to the standard 3-W and 6-W LEDs, Lumex's TitanBrite Wireless Bonded LED is also available in 9 W. Wireless bonded LED technology, also referred to as "flip chip," offers several key performance benefits over traditional surface-mount technology (SMT) LEDs, including enhanced durability, enhanced heat dissipation, and superior light performance. A flip-chip LED is up to 15 percent brighter, 5x stronger, and 25 percent cooler than alternative technologies. Applications include: automotive interiors, appliance backlighting, industrial control lighting, medical lighting, signage, construction, and military.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | New catalyst converts carbon dioxide to fuel
Scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago have synthesized a catalyst that improves their system for converting waste carbon dioxide into syngas, a precursor of gasoline and other energy-rich products, bringing the process closer to commercial viability.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | |
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