| September 16, 2014 | Volume 10 Issue 35 |
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 | Protomold Protogami
Protogami's three-dimensional flexagons create a continual kaleidocycle that exposes a different set of triangular faces with each turn of its living hinges. The design aid lets product designers and engineers see commonly used materials like ABS, PC and acetal, and how they interact with different surface finishes.
Register for a free Protogami today. |
| | Feature articles |
 | DC motors and careful engineering yield affordable high-performance camera positioning system
Feature filmmakers have the luxury of working with dollies and grips and expensive automated technologies to guarantee accuracy and repeatability of camera angles. Videographers aren't so lucky. With users ranging from bloggers to entertainment channels, to scientists and engineers, the video market presents the same positioning requirements but with only a fraction of the budget. With the help of sophisticated engineering, plus small FAULHABER DC motors from MICROMO, Kessler Crane takes economical performance to a whole new level.
Read the full article. |
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 | Mike Likes:
Clever engineers create LED lamp in CD format
A German company that specializes in making music and video CDs and DVDs has used its technological know-how to make a flat LED light that uses a special high-performance plastic from Bayer MaterialScience as its base. All of the electronic elements required to operate the tiny LEDs, such as resistors and conductor tracks, are thinly printed onto the transparent substrate.
Read the full article. |
 | Products:
Hi-Flux LED Slim Strip Lights
Hi-Flux LED Slim Strip Lights from LEDtronics come in a sealed enclosure with water-clear lens and are IP68-certified waterproof. With a great-looking strip illumination that provides even lighting without the buzzing and flickering that afflicts fluorescents, the TBL4520 series offers versatility in applications such as passenger interiors in RVs, buses, and trains; task lighting, under cabinets, concealed lighting, and edge lighting; illumination for cubicles, marine recreation areas, coolers, freezers, retail store displays, and many more.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Products:
One-touch fasteners for quick changeover
Imao "One-Touch" fasteners from Fixtureworks are pin-and-receptacle units that are used to attach fixtures, plates, machine covers, and more to join components with moderate clamping force. A convenient alternative to cumbersome nut-and-bolt assembly, they provide for quick, easy, and secure changeover and installation without the need for any tools. One-Touch fasteners can be used in automation to attach conveyors, star wheels, guide plates, and more.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Products:
Direct-drive linear motors with integrated encoders
New patent-pending SDLM-051 direct-drive linear motors with built-in encoder from MotiCont eliminate backlash and provide users with high acceleration, high speed, high resolution, and long life. Available in several off-the-shelf models, these compact motors feature resolutions of 5.2 µm (0.000206 in.), 1.25 µmm (0.000049 in.), and sub-micron resolution.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Hydraulics:
The 'dinosaur' returns, again and again
Over the past 40 years, hydraulic systems have been continually deemed a dying technology -- if not pronounced dead altogether. And these views don't seem all that farfetched in light of the on-going energy-efficiency debate and the apparent cure-all: electric drive systems. Perhaps the "dinosaurs of drive technology" are truly at an end. Yet they keep coming back and are more sustainable than ever -- all thanks to consistent, systematic thinking.
Read the full article. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | New wind-power concept inspired by birds
Taking a cue from the natural airfoil design of bird wings, the creative wizards at pneumatics specialist Festo have come up with a totally new concept for generating wind power. The horizontal DualWingGenerator uses an opposing-wing design to generate electricity and is especially effective at low wind speeds. This video explains the simple mechanical inner workings. A really fresh -- and inspiring -- design.
View the video. |
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Convert from pneumatic to electric actuation
James Marek, director of new product development for Thomson, demonstrates how the PC-Series electromechanical actuators give machine builders a new way to convert from pneumatic to electric actuation -- enabling more compact designs, improved reliability, and extended travel life. Electric actuation also gives more precise control of velocity and position with substantially lower assembly and energy costs. Using the Thomson RediMount system, the PC-Series has a fast, three-step motor mounting process.
View the video. |
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