| November 04, 2014 | Volume 10 Issue 41 |
|
 | Conversion Tool
Convert popular spring units such as force or retaining ring thrust capacities into metric units with Smalley's new engineering tool. A simple conversion tool allows for units to be converted such as mass and weight, angular measurements, velocities, temperatures, pressures, densities, and more. Additional engineering tools allow engineers to design custom wave springs and Spirolox ® retaining rings. Custom designs can be manufactured from .200" to 120".
Go to the online conversion tool. |
 | Explore, Build and Buy Online Today
MICROMO is pleased to announce the launch of the MICROMO Motion System Selector™. This new service allows users to select, compare, and purchase online from the industry's widest range of micro linear and rotary motion solutions. With 24/7 access, users can instantly find their ideal solution from our on-site inventory of over 104,000 product configurations and, in many cases, expect delivery within three days or less.
Find out more.
Watch a video about MICROMO's new Motion System Selector. |
| | Feature articles | 3 tips for moving your manufacturing operations to the cloud
 The race to the cloud is on. Seventy-five percent of all manufacturers in the U.S. are either in the process of moving to the cloud or seriously researching cloud computing.
The primary driver of cloud adoption is cost control, with more than 80 percent of surveyed companies reporting that they realized savings after moving to the cloud.
Read the full article. |
|
|
|
 | Hybrid molding delivers next-gen aerospace parts
Victrex has developed a new PAEK-based polymer and an innovative hybrid molding technology that allows engineers to overmold a PAEK-based composite with fiber-reinforced VICTREX PEEK injection-molding materials. The polymeric advancement allows engineers to design stronger, lower cost components that are up to 60 percent lighter than typical metal and thermoset systems.
Read the full article. |
 | Adaptive zoom riflescope prototype features push-button magnification
Sandia National Laboratories optical engineer Brett Bagwell (an Army Special Forces officer-turned-engineer) led the development of the Rapid Adaptive Zoom for Assault Rifles (RAZAR) prototype. At the push of a button, RAZAR can toggle between high and low magnifications, enabling Soldiers to zoom in without having to remove their eyes from their targets or their hands from their rifles. The flexible, polymer-based optics are based on the human eye.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes:
Wireless 3D SpaceMouse
SpaceMouse Pro Wireless' patented 6-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) controller cap creates a natural connection between you and your 3D content, while the advanced 2.4-GHz wireless tech puts an end to unsightly cables on your desktop. With 3Dconnexion's SpaceMouse Pro Wireless, users can smoothly pan, zoom, and rotate models and camera views while 15 conveniently positioned buttons provide access to application commands, standard views, and more. Battery life is two months. 3DxWare 10 allows you to customize and optimize your SpaceMouse Pro Wireless for peak performance and tailor settings and buttons to your application and needs.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: World's smallest, most integrated Wi-Fi module
Need to connect your product to the Internet of Things? Econais Inc. has created the EC19W01, arguably the world's smallest, smartest, and most integrated 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi System In Package (SiP) module. The EC19W01 offers low power drain and features a fully integrated MCU, Wi-Fi, cloud connectivity, flash, and an antenna that is fully certified FCC, EC, IC, and TELEC. This unit makes it easy to quickly design a Wi-Fi-equipped device that connects to the cloud. A development kit (EC19W01EVB) is also available.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: Silicon carbide foam -- Extreme toughness in a lightweight form
Silicon carbide (SiC) foam, available from Goodfellow, provides the exceptional hardness (Mohs 9), high-temp durability (up to 2,200 C), and performance of solid silicon carbide, but in an extremely lightweight and versatile foam structure. This material has a high thermal and electrical conductivity, and its matrix of cells and ligaments is completely repeatable, regular, and uniform throughout the material, yielding a rigid, highly porous, and permeable structure with a controlled density of metal per unit volume. This combination of properties is highly valued in a range of industries, including aerospace, defense, and semiconductor manufacturing. Applications include: high-temp filters, rocket nozzles, heat-shielding elements, heat exchangers, and electromagnetic radiation absorbers.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Product: Heavy-duty spring plungers optimize positioning accuracy
SZ-NIV-HD series heavy-duty spring plungers from FIPA are new must-haves in rough production environments. Also called spring-loaded suction fingers, the units ensure that the attached suction cups handle sensitive products gently and protect the grippers from collision damage. One of the key reasons for the long service life of FIPA's heavy-duty spring plungers is the high-quality igus plain bearing, which offers high abrasion resistance and excellent sliding properties with minimum play. The lubricant embedded in the bushing material ensures smooth running and maintenance-free operation throughout the entire service life.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Guides: Loctite structural adhesive/NVH selector
Henkel Corporation has introduced its new Loctite Structural Adhesives and NVH Selector Guide. This 30-page brochure is designed to educate readers about the performance of structural adhesives in demanding, high-stress applications, and to communicate their ability to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness. Engineered to eliminate or greatly reduce fasteners and welds from an assembly, structural adhesives provide superior bond strength, long life, and dependability in a variety of bonding applications involving metals, plastics, composites, magnets, and dissimilar surfaces or substrates.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Are U.S. Army modernization efforts in a 'death spiral'?
As the budget comes down and programs are extended, smaller quantities of items are purchased, driving up cost. Organic industrial workers are sitting on their hands with less work coming in. Small businesses that produce critical system components that the Army can no longer afford risk bankruptcy. "This is a death spiral we're in now," said Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, describing the state of Army modernization recently.
Read the full article. |
 | Magnesium: The lightweight contender for modern parts
Magnesium is the lightest usable structural metal, widely available and easy to produce, so no wonder it is steadily replacing iron, other metals, and even plastic in an increasing number of applications. It's nearly as strong as aluminum and about one-third lighter, giving it a significant strength-to-weight advantage. Gus Breiland, Customer Service Engineering Manager from Proto Labs, runs through the fabrication methods for magnesium, design and prototyping considerations, corrosion and safety issues, and the basics of thixoforming -- a high-speed injection-molding process that is gaining in popularity.
Read the full article. |
|
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | A little fun and inspiration:
Paper airplane machine gun
A Designfax reader tipped us off to a YouTube user called Papierfliegerei, who says that he has created a paper airplane folding machine that shoots out the little flyers machine-gun style. He says he had most of the parts 3D printed and uses a cordless screwdriver as the main motor component. Pretty inventive if you've got the time and motivation.
View the video. |
 |
Smashing pumpkins: The physics behind punkin chunkin
Learn how the American Chunker team won last year's national Punkin Chunkin Championship with ingenuity and engineering skill, and how they continue to revolutionize the sport by staying ahead of the competition with new ideas and CAD-embedded testing in SOLIDWORKS Simulation.
View the video. |
 |
|
|
