| April 28, 2015 | Volume 11 Issue 16 |
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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.
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| | Feature articles |
 | Shot out of tubes, new Navy swarming UAVs fly into the future
A new era in autonomy and unmanned systems for naval operations is on the horizon. Officials at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced April 14 a series of technology demonstrations of swarming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) -- part of the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) program. The LOCUST program includes a tube-based launcher that can send UAVs into the air in rapid succession.
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 | Tesla Model S uses Rotor Clip DHO retaining rings
DHO retaining rings from Rotor Clip play a key role in the mechanical drive system of the Tesla Model S electric car. Tesla has been giving consumers a glimpse into what the future of environmental friendly cars will look like with its high-performance electric vehicles that keep luxury standards high.
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 | Wings:
Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft
Researchers at Siemens have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a weight of just 110 lb (50 kg), delivers a continuous output of about 260 kW -- five times more than comparable drive systems. The motor has been specially designed for use in hybrid aircraft where the electric motors are used for high-energy-demand tasks like takeoff and climbing.
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 | Mike Likes: 3D-printing white paper
There are many different additive manufacturing processes to choose from, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. This white paper from Proto Labs examines the various 3D-printing technologies -- SL, SLS, DMLS, FDM, PolyJet, and others -- being used by today's product designers and engineers to build better, faster products.
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 | Microporous copper foam is powerful heat sink
Goodfellow offers a new copper foam with pore sizes between 300 and 600 µm and a relative density of around 37 percent, providing a much higher surface area than traditional copper foams. This microporous material is expected to be of particular interest to design engineers working in fields requiring heat exchange. Microporous copper foam is unique in that it is produced by means of a lost carbonate sintering process. The resulting structure is regular and uniform throughout, producing a rigid, highly porous, and permeable structure with a controlled density of metal per unit volume. Applications include: liquid cooling, air cooling, heat exchangers, board-level electronics cooling, EMI shielding, and more.
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 | Cool Tools: All-new CadMouse for CAD professionals
Designed using extensive CAD-user input, the 3Dconnexion CadMouse is the first mouse made specifically for CAD professionals. It combines powerful, ergonomic hardware and smart, easy-to-use software. It features a dedicated, full-size middle mouse button; QuickZoom; a smart scroll wheel; an advanced laser sensor; a gesture/radial menu button; and optimally shaped PTFE feet. Power users will have the CadMouse in one hand and the 3Dconnexion wireless SpaceMouse Pro or SpaceNavigator in the other.
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 | Cool Tools: See how easy vibration measurements can be
Introduced at Sensors Expo last year, the Digiducer Piezoelectric USB Digital Accelerometer is rapidly gaining acceptance in both industrial and test markets. There are already more than a dozen commercially available software packages that communicate directly with the Digiducer Model 333D01. The device is finding utility in applications from balancing to electric motor monitoring to vehicle vibration. Value-added reseller GTI Predictive Technology has incorporated the product with its app, VibeRMS, and an Apple iPad mini for an entry-level vibration monitoring system. The ability to bring high-dynamic-range vibration signals to smartphones and tablets is simplifying and broadening both predictive maintenance and process-improvement uses of sound and vibration.
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | For latest exoskeleton, a spring is a marvelous thing
Biomechanical engineers at Carnegie Mellon University recently unveiled an unpowered exoskeleton -- a small, light, spring-activated device that fits on the lower leg -- that reduces the energy cost of walking by around 7 percent. The carbon fiber clamp-on device has no batteries and no motors, and uses the spring like a clutch.
View the video. |
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Gordon Moore: Thoughts on the 50th Anniversary of Moore's Law
This April marks the 50th Anniversary of Moore's Law. Three years before co-founding Intel, Gordon Moore made a simple observation (in a trade magazine!) that has revolutionized the computing industry: The number of transistors incorporated on a computer chip will double every two years, resulting in increased computing power and devices that are faster, smaller, and lower cost. But what did Moore really think about his prediction at the time?
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