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July 15, 2025Volume 21 Issue 27


Image - What is the C-Flex Pivot Bearing?
What is the C-Flex Pivot Bearing?
It's a flexure-based bearing utilizing internal flat crossed springs, capsuled in a cylindrical housing, to provide precise rotation with low hysteresis and no frictional losses. The C-Flex bearing will offer infinite life when used within its rated load and rotation values. Applications include Medical, Industrial, Aerospace, Semiconductor, and Optical.

Advantages include: Frictionless, Backlash-free, Self-centering, Simple installation, Low hysteresis, Vacuum applications, Stock items, No lubrication, No maintenance, and Infinite life.
Learn more from C-Flex, The Leader in Flexing Metal Technology.
View the C-Flex Pivot Bearing training page.


In this issue of Designfax

  • Renault EV concept is super lab on wheels
  • AC Cobra GT Roadster: High-end updated classic runabout
  • Aluminum turned transparent using tiny droplets
  • Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution: Most powerful ICE car
  • First look: Advanced autonomous naval attack vessel
  • Toyota RAV4 2026: Totally new look, all-hybrid lineup
  • First look: New Corvette concept
  • Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- over 300 million sold
  • Top Product: High RPM? Try Revolox® Self-Locking Rings
  • Top Product: Need Inserts? They make it E-Z.
  • Top Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?
  • Top Product: New bearing can be remanufactured repeatedly
  • Top Product: Copper filament for 3D printing
  • Top Tech Tip: Gear crowning -- a cheap noise fix
  • Top Fun: LEGO giant T.rex set is mighty cool
  • Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
    • Guy builds omni-directional ball-wheeled bike
    • See how Craftsman tool boxes are made
    • CAD skill check: Learn to make a groovy ball
  • New Products
    • Electrical, Mechanical, Motion
    Cover Image: AC Cars Cobra GT Roadster

News

U.S. Army scientists develop new battery treatment process

Microvanes could save Air Force $14 million annually -- for starters

Mercedes paints cars with inkjet tech -- no masking required for specialty designs

OLED breakthrough: Each pixel a sound source



Feature articles

Image - Renault EV concept is super lab on wheels: Filante Record 2025
Renault EV concept is super lab on wheels: Filante Record 2025
Inspired by legendary Renault speedster models, the Renault Filante Record 2025 is no ordinary all-electric concept car. It's part Batmobile and part salt-flats racer designed for reaching ultra efficiency. The single-seater demo was made to preview a range of future technologies while using the same real-world battery capacity as the brand's Scenic E-Tech compact crossover SUV.
Read the full article.

Image - AC Cobra GT Roadster: High-end updated classic runabout
AC Cobra GT Roadster: High-end updated classic runabout
Live out your 1960s Shelby Cobra-ish fantasy with a newly built Cobra GT Roadster from AC Cars in the UK. The sporty two-seater will be built in very limited quantities in standard and supercharged V8 versions -- with a GT coupe model in the works too.
Read the full article.

Image - Aluminum turned transparent using tiny droplets
Aluminum turned transparent using tiny droplets
Researchers in the Philippines and Japan have devised an easier way to make very thin sheets of aluminum transparent. The see-through aluminum oxide is incredibly hard and resistant to scratches, making it a great candidate for protective coatings.
Read the full article.

Image - Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution: Most powerful ICE road car
Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution: Most powerful ICE road car
Surprise! The world's most powerful internal combustion engine road car is built in ... Texas. The mid-engine Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution sports a 2,031-hp, 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 capable of rocketing from 0 to 200 mph in 10.3 sec. Whew!
Read the full article.

Image - First look: Advanced autonomous naval attack vessel
First look: Advanced autonomous naval attack vessel
Want to know what's next-level and next-generation in the world of naval attack vessels? Take a look at the AIRCAT Bengal MC from U.S. defense company Eureka Naval Craft -- a fast and efficient autonomous surface effect ship that can carry a 40-ton payload, including a full suite of sensors and weapons.
Read the full article.

Image - Toyota RAV4 2026: Totally new look, all-hybrid lineup
Toyota RAV4 2026: Totally new look, all-hybrid lineup
America's best-selling compact SUV, the Toyota RAV4, has a brand new, boxy look for 2026 and will come only with hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains. The 6th-gen RAV4 will be available in three styles across seven grades, including a new-look Woodland and first-ever GR SPORT.
Read the full article.

Image - First look: New Corvette concept hints at what's to come
First look: New Corvette concept hints at what's to come
General Motors has given the world a first look at the possible design direction for a next-gen Corvette. A Chevrolet Corvette concept car developed by the company's new UK advanced design studio captures an aero-inspired, low-slung racecar-meets-spaceship vibe.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- Why have more than 300 million been sold?
Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- Why have more than 300 million been sold?
3M Friction Shims are small, thin steel shims with a big impact. They can increase maximum load and peak torque in bolted connections without additional fasteners or redesigns. What else makes them so popular -- and so useful?
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: High RPM? Try Smalley's Revolox<sup>®</sup> Self-Locking Rings
Top Product: High RPM? Try Smalley's Revolox® Self-Locking Rings
Smalley's Revolox® self-locking retaining rings are built for applications with high rotational requirements. They feature a dome and slot design to prevent ring expansion. They're lightweight, sturdy, and easy to install/remove -- making them ideal for high production volumes! Try the Smalley Advantage today and get started with free product samples.
Learn more.

Image - Top Product: Need Inserts? They make it E-Z.
Top Product: Need Inserts? They make it E-Z.
E-Z LOK threaded inserts allow users to repair or reinforce threads without the need for special taps or installation tools. This line of threaded inserts is used in metal, plastic, wood, composite and additive industries. Extensive inventories of standard products are available throughout the U.S., and E-Z LOK is also able to produce special threaded inserts to print or per application requirements.
FREE SAMPLES FOR STANDARD PRODUCTS.
Learn more
or contact Kyle Lindsly-Roach at 310.323.5613 x221.

Image - Top Engineer's Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?
Top Engineer's Toolbox: What is ground loop feedback?
Improper grounding can create problems in data logging, data acquisition, and measurement and control systems. One of the most common problems is known as ground loop feedback. Experts at CAS DataLoggers run through five ways to eliminate this problem.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: New bearing can be remanufactured again and again
Top Product: New bearing can be remanufactured again and again
The experts at SKF have developed a machine bearing that can be reclad and reused repeatedly. SKF multi-material Infinium bearings can have damaged areas repaired, and they can also be reclad with different materials that exhibit different or enhanced performance.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Product: Copper filament for 3D printing
Top Product: Copper filament for 3D printing
Virtual Foundry, the company that brought us 3D-printable lunar regolith simulant, says its popular Copper Filamet™ (not a typo) is "back in stock and ready for your next project." This material is compatible with any open-architecture FDM/FFF 3D printer. After sintering, final parts are 100% pure copper. Also available as pellets. The company says this is one of the easiest materials to print and sinter. New Porcelain Filamet™ available too.
Learn more and get all the specs.

Image - Top Tech Tip: Gear crowning -- a cheap noise fix
Top Tech Tip: Gear crowning -- a cheap noise fix
With smaller gearboxes transmitting more power at higher rpm and the incumbent demands for greater efficiency, gear engineers are always searching for ways to reduce vibration and limit noise -- without increasing costs.
Read the full article.

Image - Top Fun: LEGO giant T.rex set is mighty cool
Top Fun: LEGO giant T.rex set is mighty cool
The new LEGO Jurassic World Dinosaur Fossils: Tyrannosaurus rex (T.rex) set is the largest LEGO Jurassic World set ever made at more than 3 ft long. It offers a challenging and rewarding building experience for dinosaur hunters young and old with 3,145 pieces. Featuring a detailed T. rex fossil skeleton, it boasts articulated joints including a movable head, opening jaw, and posable arms and tail. Probably our favorite LEGO set in the last year or two.
Learn more.

Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action
Guy builds omni-directional ball-wheeled bike
Do you remember last September when we featured YouTube maker James Bruton and his funky, self-built Mecanum wheel screw bike? Well, Bruton has been busy; this time around he has designed and created an equally wacky omni-directional ball-wheeled bike. He says he used 3D printing for much of the build and five ODrive brushless motors to keep the balls spinning. Really fun to see him work it all out. Riding the bike brings a whole new meaning to drifting. [Credit: Screenshot courtesy of James Bruton YouTube channel]
View the video.
See how Craftsman tool boxes are made
YouTuber ChrisFix takes viewers on a step-by-step tour of how Craftsman makes one its best-selling, multi-drawer tool boxes at the company's giant factory in Sedalia, MO. Who doesn't like to see all the metal cutting and forming it takes to make something so long lasting and useful? [Credit: Image courtesy of Craftsman]
View the video.
CAD skill check: Learn to make a groovy ball in Onshape
A groovy ball looks like a complicated design, but Onshape makes this sphere with a groove really manageable using four main features. This is an interesting challenge, even if you don't use Onshape. Think about how you would make it with your design software, and then watch this video. [Credit: Image courtesy of Onshape]
View the video.

New products

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