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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.
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In this issue of Designfax |
News |
Cover Image: Nelson Publishing
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Researchers build a transistor from a molecule and a few atoms Glass paint could keep metal roofs and other structures cool -- even on sunny days Car and truck shock absorbers aim to harvest energy from bumps in the road |
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2016 Cool Parts Calendar Keep track of your schedule in 2016 with our Cool Parts Calendar that showcases a year's worth of cool medical devices, aerospace components, automotive parts, lighting elements and more. Each month highlights what's possible with 3D printing/additive manufacturing, CNC machining and injection molding at Proto Labs.
Click here to get your 2016 calendar.
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| Featured Articles |
| Tiny inverse-Wankel rotary engine concept is 4-lb powerhouse | |
 Noise, excessive vibration, and relative inefficiency are drawbacks of the piston-based internal combustion engines (ICEs) that power today's lawn and garden equipment, such as leaf blowers and lawn trimmers. But now MIT startup LiquidPiston has developed a 4-lb rotary concept that it says is significantly smaller, lighter, and quieter, as well as 20 percent more fuel efficient than the ICEs used in many such small-engine devices.
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Ford GT carbon fiber supercar aims to redefine innovation in aerodynamics, EcoBoost, and lightweighting Ford unveiled its all-new 2017 GT at the 2015 North American International Auto Show (Detroit) January 12, and the crowd went wild. The ultra high-performance supercar serves as a technology showcase for top EcoBoost performance, aerodynamics, and lightweight carbon fiber construction.
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30-ton overhead crane is testament to U.S. manufacturing, WWII sabotage-plot intrigue An 85-year-old overhead crane provided the ultimate testimonial to the quality of American manufacturing recently when it was discovered still in good working condition 10 floors below Grand Central Terminal in the middle of New York City. The 30-ton Whiting double-girder crane was spotted when it was featured in an historic film about how spies sent by Hitler tried to cripple the U.S. rail transport system during WWII.
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Popular Science names 'Power Over Wi-Fi' one of the year's game-changing technologies University of Washington engineers have developed a novel technology that uses a Wi-Fi router -- a source of ubiquitous but untapped energy in indoor environments -- to power devices. The Power Over Wi-Fi (PoWiFi) system is one of the most innovative and game-changing technologies of the year, according to Popular Science, which included it in the magazine's annual "Best of What's New 2015" awards announced Nov. 18.
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NTSB: Cause of Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo in-flight breakup was human error The National Transportation Safety Board has determined the cause of the Oct. 31, 2014, in-flight breakup of SpaceShipTwo, the Virgin Galactic rocket plane designed to take commercial passengers on a ride to the edge of space. NTSB cited the spacecraft maker's failure to consider and protect against human error and the co-pilot's premature unlocking of the spaceship's feather system, which performs some mechanical gymnastics to slow the vehicle down as it cruises back to Earth.
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Wings: Boeing modernizes B-52 bomber weapons bay launcher Boeing and U.S. Air Force personnel have successfully installed the first prototype of a new B-52 bomber weapons bay launcher that improves the aircraft's "smart" weapons capacity and mission flexibility.
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New technique can weld 'unweldable' metals Engineers at Ohio State University have developed a new welding technique that consumes 80 percent less energy than a common welding technique, yet creates bonds that are 50 percent stronger. The new process could have a huge impact on the auto industry, which is poised to offer new cars that combine traditional heavy steel parts with lighter, alternative metals to reduce vehicle weight.
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Wheels: Ford using Carbon3D's 'Terminator 2' CLIP 3D-printing technology Engineers at Ford Motor Company have been beta testing Carbon3D's Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) technology, the mind-blowing 3D-printing method that grows plastic parts from a pool of heated resin. In December 2014, Ford began testing a pre-release version of Carbon3D's first CLIP-based device, which was inspired, in part, by a scene in "Terminator 2."
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Mike Likes: Switches go wireless without batteries Cherry has introduced a new line of switches that don't need wired connections -- or batteries to operate. Their power source is the physical actuation of the switch. In a very nice implementation of energy harvesting, that little bit of motion to throw the switch translates into power through an innovative penny-size micro-dynamo within the body of the device. One benefit to designers is a much simplified ability to implement remote switches without the need to run connecting wires, which can simplify both product design and certifications. The RF transmission distance is rated up to 300 m in open space, and up to 30 m indoors with any type of obstruction.
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Engineer's Toolbox: Sandia's new 6DOF vibration table promises different ways of testing It took decades for technology to catch up with the math David Smallwood worked out to control vibration table shakers. Smallwood, a retired Sandia National Laboratories researcher who consults at the labs, knew that shaking in all directions at once was the key to realistic parts testing. Now Sandia is putting the algorithms he developed more than 30 years ago to the test by shaking up nuclear weapon components using a new six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) machine.
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No. 1 Most Popular Product of 2015: 3D metal printing -- Parts that are way tougher than stainless steel 3DX Industries has expanded its additive manufacturing capabilities by introducing new NanoSteel metal powders for printing complex, wear-resistant parts. Using Binder Jet additive manufacturing for prototypes and production runs, 3DX can print your parts in a variety of sizes and complexities at significantly reduced lead times -- and often more cost effectively than other additive manufacturing processes. 3DX now offers parts made with NanoSteel BLDRmetal J-10 and J-11 metal powders, which are designed for components that operate in abrasive environments and have 3X (J-10) and 10X (J-11) the wear resistance and impact toughness of an equivalent 420 stainless steel in lower-impact applications. Click here to learn more about this new 3DX capability. Watch the NanoSteel BLDRmetal powders in action.
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| Most Popular |
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Part 1 | Designfax Most Popular Stories, Products, Cool Tools, And More What were the most-read stories in Designfax in 2015? What research stories did readers find most interesting? What products and tools generated the most buzz? Find out these answers and more in the first of our two-part Designfax special. Go to the Most Popular issue Part 1.
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| Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action |
| What does Alka Seltzer do in space? | |
| Astronauts on the International Space Station dissolved an effervescent tablet in a floating ball of water and captured images using a camera capable of recording four times the resolution of normal high-definition cameras. The higher resolution images and higher frame rate videos give researchers a valuable new tool aboard the space station. This footage is one of the first of its kind. The cameras are being evaluated for capturing science data and vehicle operations by engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
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| New products |
| Electrical/Electronics | Mechanical | Motion |
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| For advertising opportunities contact: John Holmes jholmes@nelsonpub.com Dan Beck danbeck58@gmail.com (518) 852-9624 |
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