 |
|
Stuck on Coil Springs? Smalley Wave Springs can replace conventional coil springs while occupying only 50% of 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 .118" to 120". Free samples available for testing.
|
In this issue of Designfax |
News |
Cover Image: Nelson Publishing
|
Light gets twisted: Data limits could vanish with new optical antennas Missile defense: DARPA initiates design of LongShot unmanned air vehicle People blame a vehicle's automated system more than its driver when accidents happen Shipping container 3D-printing factory being developed for Department of Defense |
|
Hollow Shaft, Solid Performance FAULHABER has set a new standard for internal aperture motors, with the new DM66200H stepper motor series. As a direct drive, the new hollow shaft motor operates backlash-free and can be integrated into different applications with minimal effort. This new stepper motor achieves impressive performance for both speed and torque values. Its exceptionally wide aperture has a diameter of 40 mm.
|
| Featured Articles |
 |
Far-out space concepts selected by NASA for study You gotta think big to make big things happen. The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program is awarding grants to more than a dozen individuals for early-stage research into some futuristic and far-out space ideas. Concepts include a lunar levitation track system, a light-bending lunar power system, and a method for making soil from asteroid material.
|
 |
DOD outlines latest hypersonics development strategy The Defense Department has identified hypersonics as one of the highest priority modernization areas, as Russia and China develop their own capable systems. Hypersonic systems are able to travel on extended flights within the upper atmosphere -- 80,000 to 200,000 ft -- at speeds near and above Mach 5, and they're able to maneuver in ways that are hard for defenders to predict.
|
 |
Less waste in laser cutting: New MIT software In a bid to optimize material usage in laser cutting, researchers from MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have created a new tool called Fabricaide that provides live feedback on how different parts of a design should be placed onto sheets. It can even analyze exactly how much material is used as multiple designs take shape.
|
 |
Airbus passenger plane concept is powered by hydrogen fuel-cell pods Could passenger planes powered by hydrogen fuel cells become a reality in the future? Airbus wants to find out. The company's latest design feasibility study features an aircraft with a half-dozen LH2-powered electric propeller "pods" mounted beneath the aircraft wings.
|
 |
Will it survive? 3D-printed parts are durability tested in cement mixer In Xometry's latest "Will it ..." challenge, Greg Paulsen, Director of Application Engineering, puts nine 3D-printed parts through a continuous drop test by tumbling them in a cement mixer. These samples were designed with advanced features like ultra-thin walls, overhangs, lattices, and more to see which features would meet their match. Materials used in six different additive manufacturing platforms were tested. They included ABS-M30, Polycarbonate, ULTEM 9085, VeroBlack+, Nylon 12, Accura ClearVue, and more. How will each material hold up?
|
 |
Engineer's Toolbox: 12 key factors in bellows design What do you need to know to design your own custom bellows? The experts at Servometer have prepared this handy resource for you. Typical bellows applications include: volume compensators, actuators, electrical spring contacts, pressure switches and transducers, flexible shaft couplings, and more.
|
 |
Why all piezo motors are NOT created equal The demand for miniaturization and/or higher speed and precision in fields such as bio-nanotechnology, semiconductors, photonics, metrology, and data comm keeps pushing manufacturers to come up with innovative drive technologies. There are multiple types of piezo drives that work for various applications. Read this PI tutorial / Use quick start guide.
|
| PolyDrill® Multi-Spindle Heads | |
Multiple drill heads are available for a variety of machine OEMs. Two-spindle up to 10-spindle units, with fixed or flex shaft power, adjustable or fixed hole pitches, and compact designs allow adaptability for the machine builder, integrator, or assembly line designer. Holes in most material from 0.06"-1". Contact Lee Coleman at Suhner for all the details. 706-314-2927
|
 |
Discover the design and functional advantages of copper foam Copper foam from Goodfellow combines the outstanding thermal conductivity of copper with the structural benefits of a metal foam. These features are of particular interest to design engineers working in the fields of medical products and devices, defense systems and manned flight, power generation, and the manufacture of semiconductor devices. This product has a true skeletal structure with no voids, inclusions, or entrapments. A perennial favorite of Designfax readers.
|
 |
Precision micro stage for high-volume applications The M3-LS-U2-10 Linear Smart Stage from New Scale Technologies is a direct-drive precision piezoelectric micro stage with embedded controller designed for integration into compact devices. Applications include instruments for DNA sequencing, wearable medical devices, instruments for point-of-care diagnostics, devices for telemedicine, handheld imaging systems, and laser beam steering. The stage has high stiffness with no gears or backlash, low acoustic noise, and no high voltage. It can be powered by batteries or any low-cost DC supply and is suitable for use in near-patient instruments and wearable devices.
|
 |
PBT and PPS plastics for driver-assist automotive applications The growing trend toward electric vehicles is spurring material suppliers like Polyplastics Co. to position its innovative resin products for use in Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) parts that enable autonomous driving. The company's DURANEX PBT and DURAFIDE PPS materials -- targeted for sensors in radar and camera bracket systems -- show great promise in delivering low warpage, dimensional stability, and a low dielectric constant.
|
| Most Popular |
 |
Tesla's innovative power electronics: Silicon carbide inverter The "big three" enabling technologies commonly cited for electric vehicles are the battery, electric traction motor, and power electronics. Luke Gear, Senior Tech Analyst at IDTechEx, takes a look at why Tesla's inverter tech is so innovative.
|
 |
Porsche 911 made into extreme all-terrain rally off-roader Some days you just want to see what's out there -- something fun and wild. Take, for example, the All-terrain Competition Study (ACS), in which Singer Vehicle Design, a high-end restoration house, turned a 1990 Type 964 Porsche 911 into an off-road desert racing beast. From its dramatically increased ride height, suspension travel, and overall strength to its carbon fiber body and 450-hp twin turbo, it's a real showstopper that's made to impress and compete.
|
 |
New real-time Mars landing onboard cam footage NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance mission captured thrilling footage of its rover landing in Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. The footage in this 3.5-min. video was shot by several cameras that are part of the rover's entry, descent, and landing suite. The views include a camera looking down from the spacecraft's descent stage, a camera on the rover looking up at the descent stage, a camera on the top of the aeroshell looking up at that parachute, and a camera on the bottom of the rover looking down at the Martian surface.
|
| Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action |
| Learn about precision machining of ultra-hard materials | |
| Insaco provides high-precision machining for extremely hard materials such as sapphire, aluminas, carbides, glass ceramics, and quartz. With the advent of exotic hard materials exhibiting superior performance to metallic materials, it's important to understand that alternatives to metals do exist and should be considered based on application and cost. Insaco welcomes small-lot or even single-piece orders as well as production series.
|
| New products |
| Electrical/Electronics | Mechanical | Motion |
| View Products... | View Products... | View Products... |
| For advertising opportunities contact: John Holmes jholmes@nelsonpub.com Dan Beck danbeck58@gmail.com (518) 852-9624 |
Questions or comments about the eMagazine or articles? Contact us at: Designfax www.designfax.net |
| Subscribe to Designfax Newsletter |
|
Nelson Publishing, LLC | ww2.designfax.net PO Box 424, Alto, MI 49302 Phone: 941-539-7579 webmaster@ww2.designfax.net |