Click this link if you cannot read the issue below: Designfax - Tech for OEM Design Engineers
May 05, 2020Volume 16 Issue 17


Image - Reduce Spring Height by 50%
Reduce Spring Height by 50%
Smalley Wave Springs can replace conventional coil springs while occupying only half the space and providing the same force and deflection. Over 4,000 springs available from stock in carbon and stainless steel or utilize Smalley's No-Tooling-Cost™ manufacturing process on custom designs, available from .157" to 120". Free samples available for testing.
Learn more.

In this issue of Designfax

  • Postage stamp-size ion propulsion system
  • NASA develops ventilator in 37 days
  • Stronger than diamonds: New nanostructure created
  • 250-mph Speedtail is fastest McLaren road car ever
  • Why all piezo motors are NOT created equal
  • Engineer's Toolbox: Self-clinching fasteners tips
  • 20,000 stock metric gears
  • Fly along with U.S. Navy Blue Angels over NYC
  • Turn any pipe or hose into a conveyor
  • Tech Tips: Guide to vibration-proof fasteners
  • High-speed camera for manufacturing analysis
  • High-torque synchronous drive/timing belts
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Improved low-backlash Slip-Ease clutches
    • What's the future of 3D printing?
  • Most Popular Last Issue
    • Sneak Peek: Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 drag racer
    • Doctors see success using ventilator alternatives
    • Aerogel insulations save millions for industry
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: McLaren hybrid Hyper-GT Speedtail

News

Two-way delivery: ORNL demonstrates bi-directional wireless charging on hybrid UPS truck

Lunar Flashlight: NASA CubeSat will shine a laser light on the Moon's darkest craters

UCF researchers develop groundbreaking new rocket propulsion system

Tribological response in-situ: Army researchers develop new method for analyzing metal



Image - New FAULHABER 2020-2021 Product Catalog
New FAULHABER 2020-2021 Product Catalog
Comprised of more than 650 pages, the new FAULHABER product catalog 2020-2021 features the most comprehensive portfolio of highly developed miniature and micro drive technology available from a single source, worldwide. The new product catalog paired with our online product selector make it quick and easy to determine which products and configurations will best suit the drive system requirements of your application.
Grab your digital copy now!

Feature articles

Image - Postage stamp-size ion propulsion system gets NASA, DoD, and Boeing HorizonX funding
Postage stamp-size ion propulsion system gets NASA, DoD, and Boeing HorizonX funding
Spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014, Accion Systems' TILE (Tiled Ionic Liquid Electrospray) propulsion system aims to increase the lifespan and maneuverability of satellites and other vehicles in space. The system leverages a non-toxic, ionic liquid propellant and postage stamp-size thrusters.
Read the full article.

Image - NASA develops ventilator in 37 days, gets emergency FDA approval
NASA develops ventilator in 37 days, gets emergency FDA approval
A new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA engineers and tailored to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients was approved April 30 by the FDA under the Emergency Use Authorization. It can be built faster and maintained more easily than a traditional ventilator, and it is composed of far fewer parts.
Read the full article.

Image - Stronger than diamonds: New nanostructure could have aerospace applications
Stronger than diamonds: New nanostructure could have aerospace applications
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions have architecturally designed plate-nanolattices, nanometer-sized carbon structures, that are stronger than diamonds as a ratio of strength to density. Nanolattices hold great promise for structural engineers, particularly in aerospace.
Read the full article.

Image - Machining Without Coolant
Machining Without Coolant
Replace messy mist systems and improve dry machining with clean, cold air! EXAIR's Cold Gun Aircoolant System improves tolerances, tool life and production rates by cooling with 20°F air. The Cold Gun is ideal for tool sharpening, drill and cutter grinding, milling, band sawing, more.
Website offers detailed information, video and more.

Image - 250-mph Speedtail is fastest McLaren road car ever
250-mph Speedtail is fastest McLaren road car ever
With a silhouette like something from a 1950s issue of Popular Mechanics, the new Speedtail is McLaren's fastest road car ever and its first Hyper-GT model. The 250-mph three-seater is way more than retro-futuristic chic, though. It provides a glimpse into the latest developments in lightweighting and hybrid-drive technology, featuring titanium woven into its carbon fiber, a Formula E-derived electric motor, and a special high-voltage battery design
Read the full article.

Image - Why all piezo motors are NOT created equal
Why all piezo motors are NOT created equal
Piezo ceramic motors and actuators are innovative drive components and the gold standard when it comes to speed, force and precision in a small package -- ideal for miniaturization in fields such as bio-nanotechnology, semiconductors, photonics, metrology. There are different types of piezo drives, optimized for specific applications. The Quick Start Guide tells you what to use when.
Read tutorial.

Image - Engineer's Toolbox: <br>Self-clinching fasteners design tips
Engineer's Toolbox:
Self-clinching fasteners design tips

Dozens of types and thousands of variations of self-clinching fasteners (steel, stainless steel, or aluminum) have been engineered over the years. Leon M. Attarian of PennEngineering provides three mini case studies where manufacturers benefited greatly by switching to self-clinching fasteners in their assemblies. This article is filled with insightful tips and suggestions.
Read the full article.

Image - 20,000 stock metric gears
20,000 stock metric gears
KHK USA Inc offers the largest selection of stock metric gears in North America. With over 200 types, in more than 20,000 configurations, KHK USA offers the broadest selection of metric spur gears, helical gears, internal ring gears, gear racks, bevel gears, worms and wormwheels, and other gear types.
See what KHK USA has in stock for you today.

Image - Fly along with U.S. Navy Blue Angels during NYC Strong
Fly along with U.S. Navy Blue Angels during NYC Strong
The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, and U.S. Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, honored frontline COVID-19 first responders and essential workers with formation flights over New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia on April 28, 2020. Ride along with this 360-degree pilot view. If you want something a little more daring, roll with them in Fort Lauderdale in 2019.
Ride along in NYC.
Ride and roll in Fort Lauderdale.

Image - Turn any pipe or hose into a conveyor
Turn any pipe or hose into a conveyor
EXAIR's Line Vac connects to standard hose or tube to create a powerful conveyor. The design features large throat diameters for maximum throughput capability. A small amount of compressed air is injected through directed nozzles to produce a vacuum on one end and high output flows on the other.
See video online.

Image - Tech Tips: Guide to vibration-proof fasteners
Tech Tips: Guide to vibration-proof fasteners
How do you ensure the fasteners you're using won't loosen in an application that is prone to vibration? Engineers frequently debate that question. The experts at JW Winco run through the common solutions, including threadlockers, pre-installed nylon patches, and more.
Read this short, informative engineering tip.

Image - High-speed camera for manufacturing analysis
High-speed camera for manufacturing analysis
High-speed video capture can help engineers troubleshoot manufacturing processes and researchers analyze fast-acting events, but traditional large-format, high-speed cameras can quickly run out of storage. Mikrotron has solved this problem with its MotionBLITZ CVR recording system that combines an EoSens 4MP CoaXPress color camera remotely connected to an industrial-grade DVR. The MotionBLITZ CVR is capable of recording video sequences of up to 12 sec at 560 fps and 2,336 x 1,728-pixel resolution directly into RAM, then quickly downloaded to the 2-TB RAID drive. It also can be configured to record up to 35,000 fps in smaller image formats. The detachable camera easily fits into tight spaces.
Learn more.

Image - High-torque synchronous drive/timing belts
High-torque synchronous drive/timing belts
AutomationDirect SureMotion 5M and 8M (5-mm and 8-mm pitch) high-torque synchronous drive/timing belts are an excellent choice for many industrial applications. They have a curvilinear HTD (High Torque Drive) tooth profile that allows the belts to have a much larger pulley contact area for improved performance. The chloroprene belt body is heat and ozone resistant and features a high tooth-shear resistance. Widths from 9 mm to 30 mm and circumferences from 180 mm to 4,400 mm are available. Pitch sizes and widths match SureMotion pulleys to cover a wide range of power transmission requirements.
Learn more.

Most popular last issue

Image - Sneak Peek: Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 drag racer
Sneak Peek: Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 drag racer
Ford Performance, the automaker's motorsport and racing division, has taken the wraps off its one-off Mustang Cobra Jet factory drag racer with all-electric propulsion ahead of the vehicle's official world debut this summer. Details are slim, but the EV is the latest in a growing line of demo and real-world plug-in cars from the Pony car maker.
Read the full article.

Image - UChicago Medicine doctors see 'remarkable' success using ventilator alternatives to treat COVID-19
UChicago Medicine doctors see 'remarkable' success using ventilator alternatives to treat COVID-19
Doctors at the University of Chicago Medicine are seeing "truly remarkable" results using high-flow nasal cannulas rather than ventilators and intubation to treat some COVID-19 patients. High-flow nasal cannulas, or HFNCs, are non-invasive nasal prongs that sit below the nostrils and blow large volumes of warm, humidified oxygen into the nose and lungs.
Read the full article.

Image - Aerogel insulations save millions in industrial applications
Aerogel insulations save millions in industrial applications
Aerogels (which are gels with all the water removed) are the world's most insulating materials, but when they were first created they were brittle to the point of uselessness. In 1992, a silica aerogel reinforced with ceramic fibers created by Aspen Systems changed all that, providing the first flexible and practical blanket aerogel insulation. The technology, developed with the help of NASA, has saved companies millions in industrial applications.
Read the full article.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Improved low-backlash Slip-Ease clutches
SDP/SI offers a new, low-backlash variant of its existing line of multi-plate in-line slip clutches. Both versions feature an all mechanical design, which makes them considerably cheaper than electromechanical alternatives. These clutches are commonly used for overload protection to prevent injury and machine failure, but have a wide variety of other applications such as tension control and positioning retention hinges like the ones in reclining chairs. The slip plates are layered with friction pads in between, and an adjusting nut sets the slip torque by squeezing the plates together. The outer plates are tabbed to fit into the output housing and the inner plates are connected to the input hub, so the two ends disengage from one another upon slipping.
View the video.
What's the future of 3D printing?
In the first episode of Xometry's new "OK Xoomer" Zoom interview series, on-demand manufacturing expert Aaron Lichtig ?talks to 3D-printing editor and enthusiast Sarah Goehrke about the future of additive manufacturing. One surprise? Goehrke says 3D printing won't truly have made it until it officially becomes a "boring" technology.
View the video.

New products

Electrical/Electronics
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Mechanical
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Motion
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