| July 02, 2019 | Volume 15 Issue 25 |
|
 | Robot Tools for automated manufacturing and finishing
Suhner Robot Tools are available for integration as end effectors on all types of robots for various machining and finishing operations, including drilling, grinding, filing, cutting, brushing, sanding, polishing and deburring. They bring high-level automation to your manufacturing, from large auto production lines to weld shop equipment builders.
Learn more about Suhner Robot Tools.
See Suhner Robot Tools in action.
Or contact Lee Coleman, Suhner, 706-235-8046. |
|
In this issue of Designfax
- Is this Boeing's flying car? Prototype takes flight
- Mustang Shelby GT500: Most powerful street-legal Ford
- Army fields new modular handgun to military police
- Harley goes electric with LiveWire motorcycle
- Ford Explorer redesigned from ground up
- New Star Trek replicator-like projection 3D printer
- Un-weldable aluminum alloy now weldable
- How GE's 'leaky engine' became ubiquitous
- Alternative to Styrofoam is environmentally friendly
- Top Application: Hoover Dam pressure-relief valves
- Top Product: Gecko Gripper with NASA tech available
- Top Application: High-traction robot goes underground
- Top Material: 316L stainless steel for 3D printing
- Top Product: How Nord-Lock washers work
- Top Prototyping: Appearance models impress clients
- Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
- Fly along in Blue Angels cockpit!
- 7 UR3 cobots produce 1,000 oil nozzles/hr
- Boston Dynamics shows off rad warehouse robot
- Most expensive Porsches of all time
- Body and paint problems with my Tesla Model 3
- Most Popular Last Issue
- AK-47 maker gets into drone biz
- 8 ways to improve your sheet metal parts
- Nickel 'metallic wood' has strength of titanium
- New Products
- Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
Cover Image: 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500, Harley-Davidson LiveWire
|
News
Scientists break record for highest temperature superconductor
Sun-soaking device turns water into superheated steam
Ford to develop electric vehicle based on Rivian's flexible skateboard platform, invests $500M in company
Ditch the ultra-rare iridium: Scientists find a cheaper way to light up OLED screens
|
|
|
 | New 16mm Brushless Motor Delivers High Torque & Speed
MICROMO launches the new FAULHABER 1660 BHx series, a high-power brushless DC motor based on 2-pole technology that's setting new standards for performance, speed, and power. 16mm in diameter and 60mm in length, the 1660 BHx series motor weighs only 78g and is ideal for handheld tools and devices requiring impressive power and high efficiency. Available in two motor design options, each optimized for speed and torque performance.
Learn more. |
 | Mustang Shelby GT500: Most powerful street-legal Ford ever
We were excited last June when Ford released details of its 526-hp 2019 Mustang Shelby GT350, but now the pony car maker has gone one better. Arriving this fall, the all-new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500 is the most powerful street-legal Ford ever -- with a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 producing more than 700 hp. Capable of mid-three-second 0-60 mph and sub-11-second quarter-mile scores, Shelby GT500 owes a lot of its impressive new attributes to tech transfer from Ford GT and Mustang GT4 racing programs.
Read the full article. |
 | Harley goes electric with LiveWire motorcycle
There's a new sound at Harley-Davidson, and it's not that deep rumbling roar you hear from their traditional two-wheelers. It's more of a high-pitched zip, and it comes from LiveWire, the company's first electric production motorcycle, which is now available for pre-order. LiveWire's instant torque rockets riders from 0 to 60 mph in under 3.5 sec, so that mosquito-on-steroids buzz sound is no indicator of the bike's real power.
Read the full article. |
 | How GE's 'leaky engine' became ubiquitous
"Over four decades, the F404 developed and produced at GE's Lynn, MA, plant has powered thousands of F/A-18 Hornets for the U.S. Navy and other Allied nations, as well as other aircraft applications, most notably the U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-117 Stealth Fighter," according to GE Aviation. The J101 design was dubbed a "continuous bleed" or "leaky" engine at GE "because a continuous flow of air from the fan cooled the afterburner and nozzle downstream. This clever design feature allowed the engine to operate at higher temperatures and pressures, but with less installed drag."
Read the GE Aviation blog. |
 | Top Application: Hoover Dam pressure-relief valves updated with unique team effort
Hoover Dam, one of the most impressive engineering feats of the 20th century, generates hydroelectricity for millions of homes and businesses across the Southwest, and it's a constant challenge to keep the vital power source running smoothly. Recently, a team of innovative engineering experts -- led by Precision Machine & Supply and including Parker Hannifin and Controlled Motion Solutions -- wrapped up a massive multi-year retrofitting and refurbishing project to make the dam safer and more operationally efficient.
Read the Parker Hannifin blog. |
 | Top Product: Gecko Gripper with NASA tech comes to market
End-effector tooling specialist OnRobot is now taking orders for its Gecko Gripper, which uses millions of micro-scaled fibrillar stalks that adhere to a surface using powerful van der Waals forces -- the same way that geckos climb. The technology was first developed at Stanford and perfected by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. It's fascinating how it works.
Read the full article. |
 | Top Material: Desktop Metal launches 316L stainless steel for 3D printing
Desktop Metal, a 3D-printer maker, has just announced the launch of 316L stainless steel for the company's Studio System, the world's first and only office-friendly metal 3D-printing system. This machine is great for prototyping and low-volume production. A fully austenitic steel known for its corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties at extreme temperatures, 316L is well suited for applications in the most demanding industrial environments, including salt water in marine applications, caustic cleaners found in food processing environments, and chemicals in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Learn more. |
 | Top Product: How Nord-Lock washers work
Can you get a design and functional edge with a wedge? In this animated video, Nord-Lock explains the principle behind their original wedge-locking technology, which secures bolted joints -- even when exposed to severe vibration and dynamic loads. The company says it is impossible for this washer type to loosen unintentionally, due to the wedge created underneath the bolt head and nut.
View the video. |
 | Top Prototyping: Appearance models impress clients, designers alike
Appearance models, the realistic prototypes produced with a combination of 3D printing, traditional manufacturing processes, and expert hand finishing, have a unique ability to dazzle. "Clients are amazed by the quality of the model, because they don't understand how it was made so quickly and realistically," says designer Robert Bronwasser. "It's some kind of magic for them." The magic of the model making comes from 3D Systems On Demand.
Read the full article. |
| | Most popular last issue |
 | AK-47 maker gets into drone biz
The Washington Post featured a piece Feb. 23 on the Kalashnikov Group, the originators of the AK-47 assault rifle, partnering up and getting into the drone-building business. But these aren't just any drones -- they're cheap, can fly pretty far, and are weaponized with explosives to run a kamikaze mission. A real eye-opener.
Read the full article. |
 | 8 ways to improve your sheet metal parts
All sheet metal parts start out flat. And no matter how convoluted or complex their final shapes may be, the wall thickness of those parts must be uniform throughout. Engineers from Protolabs share their eight quick sheet metal design tips, focusing on material and finishing options along with design elements like bends, reliefs, holes, and slots when developing your metal components. Really useful info.
Read the full article. |
|
| | Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action | Fly along in Blue Angels cockpit!
Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators. Ride along with the Blue Angels Diamond pilots as they perform the Double Farvel over Fort Lauderdale Beach during the 2019 Fort Lauderdale Air Show. The mission of the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach. We challenge you to watch this only once! (U.S. Navy video/Released)
Watch and ride in a Blue Angels cockpit. |
 |
Boston Dynamics shows off radical warehouse robot
Looking something like a beefy robotic ostrich on wheels, Boston Dynamics' latest version of its Handle "mobile manipulation robot" concept autonomously performs mixed-SKU stacking and unstacking. The Handle on-board vision system tracks the marked pallets for navigation and finds individual boxes for grasping and placing. The bot's creators say the boxes used in this video weigh about 11 lb, but the robot is designed to handle boxes up to 33 lb. Impressive and strange design all in one.
View the video. |
 |
Most expensive Porsche models of all time
We run a lot of features on fancy cars and even one-off super-expensive designs, but what is truly rare in the collector car world? Ted Gushue, an expert on exclusive cars, counts down the five most expensive collector Porsche cars of all time. The setting is so apropos: the Castle Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany. The rococo palace has a rich history as a site for auto, motorcycle, and even Formula One races. As for the Porsches, well, they are just as well appointed and steeped in history.
View the video. |
 |
Body and paint problems with my Tesla Model 3
Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained had a $46,000 Tesla Model 3 delivered, and right away -- before he even drove it -- he noticed fit and finish issues. And then he saw some more, and then, well, he got to measuring too. He found paint scratches, paint defects, and also mismatching panel gaps. Is Fenske being picky about his add-on $2,500 special red paint job? Is Tesla missing the mark by ramping up production? Would you accept a new car in a condition like this?
View the video. |
 |
|
|
