| January 12, 2016 | Volume 12 Issue 02 |
|
 | Completely Updated New Full Line Catalog:
Full of New Fasteners
Micro Plastics introduces its new 300-page catalog #40 containing thousands of fastening solutions for engineers and product designers. Find hundreds of new problem-solving products, including Spacers, Washers, Clips, Clamps, Ties, Bushings, Screws, Nuts, Rivets, and Plugs. Micro Plastics specializes in Nylon threaded fasteners, but the company also offers extensive product lines for wire management and circuit board hardware. FREE samples are available upon request.
Click here for more information. |
 | 2016 Cool Parts Calendar
Keep track of your schedule in 2016 with our Cool Parts Calendar that showcases a year's worth of cool medical devices, aerospace components, automotive parts, lighting elements and more. Each month highlights what's possible with 3D printing/additive manufacturing, CNC machining and injection molding at Proto Labs.
Click here to get your 2016 calendar. |
| | Feature articles | Tiny inverse-Wankel rotary engine concept is 4-lb powerhouse
 Noise, excessive vibration, and relative inefficiency are drawbacks of the piston-based internal combustion engines (ICEs) that power today's lawn and garden equipment, such as leaf blowers and lawn trimmers. But now MIT startup LiquidPiston has developed a 4-lb rotary concept that it says is significantly smaller, lighter, and quieter, as well as 20 percent more fuel efficient than the ICEs used in many such small-engine devices.
Read the full article. |
|
|
|
 | NTSB: Cause of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo in-flight breakup was human error
The National Transportation Safety Board has determined the cause of the Oct. 31, 2014, in-flight breakup of SpaceShipTwo, the Virgin Galactic rocket plane designed to take commercial passengers on a ride to the edge of space. NTSB cited the spacecraft maker's failure to consider and protect against human error and the co-pilot's premature unlocking of the spaceship's feather system, which performs some mechanical gymnastics to slow the vehicle down as it cruises back to Earth.
Read the full article. |
 | New technique can weld 'unweldable' metals
Engineers at Ohio State University have developed a new welding technique that consumes 80 percent less energy than a common welding technique, yet creates bonds that are 50 percent stronger. The new process could have a huge impact on the auto industry, which is poised to offer new cars that combine traditional heavy steel parts with lighter, alternative metals to reduce vehicle weight.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes: Switches go wireless without batteries
Cherry has introduced a new line of switches that don't need wired connections -- or batteries to operate. Their power source is the physical actuation of the switch. In a very nice implementation of energy harvesting, that little bit of motion to throw the switch translates into power through an innovative penny-size micro-dynamo within the body of the device. One benefit to designers is a much simplified ability to implement remote switches without the need to run connecting wires, which can simplify both product design and certifications. The RF transmission distance is rated up to 300 m in open space, and up to 30 m indoors with any type of obstruction.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Engineer's Toolbox:
Sandia's new 6DOF vibration table promises different ways of testing
It took decades for technology to catch up with the math David Smallwood worked out to control vibration table shakers. Smallwood, a retired Sandia National Laboratories researcher who consults at the labs, knew that shaking in all directions at once was the key to realistic parts testing. Now Sandia is putting the algorithms he developed more than 30 years ago to the test by shaking up nuclear weapon components using a new six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) machine.
Read the full article. |
 | Top Product: Turn ordinary pipe into a conveyor
EXAIR's new aluminum 3/8 NPT and 1/2 NPT Threaded Line Vac Air Operated Conveyors convert ordinary pipe into a powerful conveying system for parts, scrap, trim, and other bulk materials. Their small size makes them perfect for fitting in the cramped spaces and tight confines of many production lines. The Threaded Line Vac is designed to attach to plumbing pipe couplers, making it easy to build a complete system using ordinary pipe and fittings. Threaded Line Vac Conveyors eject a small amount of compressed air to produce a vacuum on one end with high-output flows on the other. Response is instantaneous. Regulating the compressed air pressure provides infinite control of the conveying rate.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Top Product: LED retrofit kits
New UL-Listed LED Universal Retrofit Kits from LEDtronics provide a true screw-in retrofit unit for installation into just about any existing lighting fixture. Other kits require the user to bolt/strap in a plate or heavily modify their existing fixture to accommodate the device. This next-generation retrofit kit does not. Replace from 80 W to 1,500-W HPS and Metal Halide lamps while using only 35 to 450 W -- up to a 70 percent reduction in energy consumption. Various mounting options provided.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Top Product: Raspberry Pi touch-panel display
Just in time for those back-to-school science projects, a new touch panel for the Raspberry Pi credit-card-size computer functions without a mouse or an alternate HDMI device -- or an extra power source. The 4DPi-24-HAT from 4D Systems and Newark element14 is a 2.4-in., 320- x 240-pixel fully HAT-compliant primary display with resistive touch that plugs directly on top of the Raspberry Pi. Neat and useful for only 35 bucks.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Top Product: First industrial motor-powered caster
The Drive Caster from Caster Concepts integrates an electric motor with an industrial caster to create a single unit that can be easily added to carts, racks, or just about anything that rolls on casters. With a mere flip of a switch, operators can effortlessly move heavy loads without fear of injury. This is a game changer because it is the first all-in-one, motorized industrial caster. Offered with a 1/4- or 1/2-hp motor to move loads up to 6,000 lb at up to 5 mph.
Click here to learn more. |
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | What does Alka Seltzer do in space?
Astronauts on the International Space Station dissolved an effervescent tablet in a floating ball of water and captured images using a camera capable of recording four times the resolution of normal high-definition cameras. The higher resolution images and higher frame rate videos give researchers a valuable new tool aboard the space station. This footage is one of the first of its kind. The cameras are being evaluated for capturing science data and vehicle operations by engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
View the video. |
 |
Jetpack flyer takes Dubai tour
How cool would it be to fly with a real jetpack? See for yourself as Swiss-born Yves Rossy, sometimes called "Jetman" or "Rocketman," dons a 120-lb pack with 7-ft-long carbon-fiber wings and four modified kerosene-fueled model aircraft engines. In this incredible adventure, he flies with fellow jetpack enthusiast Vince Reffet around Dubai. The fuel they can carry provides up to 13 minutes of fly time. Speeds average 125 mph. Thrilling.
View the video. |
 |
|
|
