| October 11, 2016 | Volume 12 Issue 38 |
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 | 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. |
 | What is Electroforming? How does it actually work?
Electroplating may have been around for centuries but only Servometer® excels at manufacturing dynamic, convoluted bellows electroforms. Watch Servometer's five-step electroforming manufacturing process and learn how they are able to deliver electroformed components that feature extreme tolerances, complex geometries, lightweight construction, structural strength, and how they can be applied to a variety of applications.
Watch the video. |
| | Feature articles | Why polymers outperform metals in precision gearing
 You can solve excessive noise, vibration, heat, weight, and corrosion problems with good gear design practices. Unfortunately, even the best engineers can forget a vitally important strategy: picking the right gear materials for the job. Besides metal or injection-molded plastic, there's a third option that should get more engineering attention. Here are five application examples.
Read the full article. |
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 | Ballistics research goes 3D
When matching a bullet to a gun, examiners look at striations that are carved into the bullet by rifling in the gun's barrel. If the cartridge case is left behind, they can also look at impressions left on it by the weapon's breech face and firing pin. But these clues can sometimes be misleading. A new 3D forensic science database developed at NIST will provide a statistical foundation for more reliably linking bullets to the guns that fired them.
Read the full article. |
 | Inspired by nature:
Researchers developing material for 'furry' beaver-inspired wetsuits
Beavers and sea otters lack the thick layer of blubber that insulates walruses and whales. And yet these small, semiaquatic mammals can keep warm and even dry while diving by trapping warm pockets of air in dense layers of fur. Inspired by these fuzzy swimmers, MIT engineers have now fabricated fur-like, rubbery pelts and used them to identify a mechanism by which air is trapped between individual hairs when the pelts are plunged into liquid.
Read the full article. |
 | Mike Likes: New 3M metal bonding adhesive
3M Scotch-Weld Metal Bonder Acrylic Adhesive DP8407NS delivers strength, corrosion resistance, and reliable performance for bonding metal without extensive surface prep. This high-strength, fast-curing structural adhesive offers high peel and durability, and maintains its strength at temps as low as -40 F. With the ability to bond active metals like steel, copper, brass, and bronze, 3M's Metal Bonder is ideal for a wide range of assemblies in metal fabrication, transportation, specialty vehicle, architectural panels, appliances, and office furniture. It bonds plastics and composites for multi-material bonding and is also well suited for bonding metals prior to powder coating and paint processes.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Maplesoft User Summit in Vienna
Maplesoft will be hosting their annual international user summit in Vienna from October 19-21, 2016. Users of Maple T.A. and Möbius and educators from around the world will gather for networking, presentations, and discussions on current news and Maplesoft Technology, with a focus on transformations in online STEM education. They'll receive up-to-date information on Maplesoft products, hear presentations from users and developers, and receive training on how to most effectively utilize these online education solutions.
Click here to learn more. |
 | SuperShape antenna for telematics and tracking
This new high-performance SuperShape antenna is designed for a wide range of tracking and telematics applications in the trucking, manufacturing, shipping, transportation, and warehousing industries. SuperShape antennas could be used for tracking applications in IoT, office, and medical environments as well. The AC30011 provides greater coverage and accuracy in challenging RF conditions compared to ceramic GPS patch antennas and does not require any external LNA or filter components to achieve good performance. Efficiencies of 65 to 70 percent are typical.
Click here to learn more. |
 | Go mini: Precision diaphragm regulators
When Clippard invented miniature regulators in 1962, the MAR Series became very popular as a simple, robust, and cost-effective regulator in a small package with exceptionally long life. As regulator applications continue to increase, Clippard is meeting the demand with the newest addition to the reputable regulator line. The new DR-2 Series provides greater accuracy and repeatability (+/-0.15 psi) while maintaining the same flow and performance characteristics as the MAR regulators in a small, sleek package. What else makes these units so special?
Click here to find out. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | Lockheed Martin pulls off unmanned-vehicle air-and-sea hat trick
Good things really do come in threes, at least if you're Lockheed Martin. The company successfully launched Vector Hawk, a small, unmanned aerial vehicle, on command from the Marlin MK2 autonomous underwater vehicle during a command-and-control event hosted by the U.S. Navy this summer. In addition to Marlin and Vector Hawk, the Submaran, an unmanned surface vehicle, provided surface reconnaissance and surveillance.
Read the full article. |
 | Top cars from the 2016 Paris motor show
"Roadshow" runs down the best production and concept cars from the 2016 Paris Motor Show. The designs can get pretty outrageous, but as vehicles of inspiration, they can also run out of gas. Our favorites? The Renault Trezor electric GT, which really looks like a RoboCop vehicle, and the prototype Honda Civic Type R, which gains 100 points in street cred for trying to look like a Fast and Furious bad boy.
View the video. |
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| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Rapid manufacturing helps Lockheed Martin drone take flight
To get its new Indago quadcopter off the ground and into a soaring market for commercial drones, Lockheed Martin turned to Proto Labs for its rapid prototyping and on-demand production capabilities. The aerospace, defense, and technology giant used Proto Labs' automated design for manufacturability (DFM) and quoting system to quickly move its drone from 3D-printed prototypes to injection-molded parts -- and accelerate its time to market. The project included 34 molds, thousands of on-demand production parts, and a 15-day turnaround.
View the video. |
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Designing, testing, and building a wind tunnel
Koen Beyers, CEO of Voxdale (Belgium), describes how FloEFD, the award-winning frontloading CFD simulation solution from Mentor Graphics, was instrumental in the design of the brand new Flanders' Bike Valley wind tunnel. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the state-of-the-art facility has already helped athletes optimize their riding positions and select the best gear. This is a great behind-the-scenes look.
Watch now. |
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