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Wind Tunnel Aerodynamic Force Measurement Aircraft scale models undergo strenuous testing to characterize aerodynamic effects on the aircraft. Mounting the model to a stationary triaxial sensor allows test engineers to monitor and capture any lift, drag, and/or side loading that might occur.
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In this issue of Designfax |
News |
Cover Image: Nelson Publishing
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Battery-switching device promises more road time for Tesla and Nissan Leaf electric car drivers How to float your coffee creamer: Study explains how droplets can 'levitate' on liquid surfaces Virtual-reality controller included: Toyota unveils third-generation humanoid robot T-HR3 |
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Unit Conversion Tool Convert popular spring units such as force or retaining ring thrust capacities into metric units with Smalley's engineering tools. Convert units such as mass and weight, angular measurements, velocities, temperatures, pressures and densities, and more. Click here to learn more. You should bookmark this one.
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| Featured Articles |
| 3D printing: Inner workings come into view | |
Researchers from Argonne National Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Missouri University of Science and Technology team up to examine phenomena at the microstructural level. High-speed X-ray microscopy lets them watch -- in real time -- as 3D printers add layers.
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Hydraulics: Research underway on new rotating seals In hydraulic applications, seals made from two polyurethane components can resolve the conflict between sealing tightness and strength. Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is now doing research on rotating seals in which polyurethanes are bonded with new high-performance plastics.
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Making safer electrochromic inks Chemists at Georgia Tech have developed a new method to more safely and easily produce electrochromic films, which change their color with the help of a tiny electric current. This could make the technology available to many industries that have not been able to use it before.
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Wheels: Sam Schmidt, a quadriplegic, races Corvette 190 mph Paralyzed from the chest down since a racing accident in 2000, Sam Schmidt thought he would never drive again. In 2014, Arrow engineers modified a Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray to create a smart, connected vehicle with a human-to-machine interface that Schmidt can operate safely and independently using only the motions of his head. That model and its companion technologies have since been updated for even more impressive results -- and Schmidt has even raced Mario Andretti.
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2018 Cool Parts Calendar Request a free Proto Labs 2018 Cool Parts Calendar and keep all your projects on track next year. Every month you'll see a custom part made possible through 3D printing, CNC machining, injection molding, and the innovative companies behind the design of those parts. Request your free calendar today!
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Toolbox: A quick look at NASA's shake-testing history In order to ensure the James Webb Space Telescope can survive its rocket launch -- before it gets to its destination a million miles away, where it would be nearly impossible to fix -- engineers strapped the telescope to vibration tables and shook it in every direction. Hard. It's a process every spacecraft and satellite has gone through since the space agency first began sending satellites into orbit in the 1950s.
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How OEMs can save power through direct drive servo technology How can Direct Drive servo technology help OEM engineers incorporate higher energy efficiency into machine design? This article by Kollmorgen Senior Applications/Systems Engineer Hurley Gill discusses how PMAC Direct Drive servo motor and drive technology not only reduces axis count, mechanical losses and noise, but also delivers increased efficiency and significantly lowers cost of operation. Gill presents a determinate measure and a specific method for calculating optimal inertia ratio for managing energy utilization of a servo motor during a machine's design to maximize power savings.
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All about edge-welded metal bellows BellowsTech, an industry leader in the development and manufacture of metal bellows using edge-welded metal bellows technology, proudly serves the aerospace, semiconductor, UHV, Cryogenic, Oil and Gas, and various other high-technology markets. Learn how edge-welded bellows can work in your application. This product video focuses on the unique characteristics and parameters of edge-welded metal bellows.
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Thermoelectric alternative for beverage cooling Laird's standard and custom thermoelectric cooling systems offer superior heat pumping capability with lower power consumption, noise, weight, and footprint compared to compressor-based systems. The 12-V or 24-V DC thermoelectric modules (TEMs) and thermoelectric assemblies (TEAs) offer reliability, design flexibility via vertical integration capabilities, and an overall lower cost of ownership. Thermoelectric coolers also operate at lower noise levels and provide a more environmentally friendly solution. This technology does not use ozone-depleting refrigerants, which must be phased out of new and existing equipment in the European Union by 2022.
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Wheel drive assemblies for electric vehicles WheelMax Steering Drives from Allied Motion Technologies are fully integrated, electrically powered traction wheels with on-board steering systems for electric vehicles. Each WheelMax Steering Drive combines a traction wheel with tire, epicyclic gearbox, robust steering gear and bearing system, and two rugged PMDC brush motors, one for traction and one for steering power. The complete assembly is compact, easy to mount, and requires little to no maintenance. WheelMax Steering Drives handle loads up to 227 kg (500 lb) and provide 14 Nm (120 lb-in.) continuous torque at speeds up to 5 km/hr (3 mph). Applications include AGVs, autonomous robotic material handlers, pushers and tuggers, powered utility carts, and hospital patient handlers, among many others.
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Medium-load hexapod 6-axis motion platform With the usability of 6-axis hexapods increasing in research and industry applications, PI introduces a new medium-load 6-axis precision motion platform, the H-825 hexapod. The H-825 provides a self-locking load capacity up to 30 kg (66 lb). The motion range is up to 55 mm (linear) and up to 38 degrees (rotation). High system precision is guaranteed by absolute encoders and an actuator resolution of 8 nanometers -- with excellent position repeatability of +/-0.1 µm and +/-2 µrad, respectively. The parallel-kinematic design of the hexapod makes it smaller and stiffer than traditional 6-axis positioning systems while providing a higher dynamic range. Features long-lifetime brushless servo motors. >Read technical articles and applications of PI hexapods >Specifications, Datasheet, More Information
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Ultra-light aluminum produced by USU chemist may be a material design breakthrough -- maybe If you drop an aluminum spoon in a sink full of water, the spoon will sink to the bottom. But if you restructure the common household metal at the molecular level, as Utah State University chemist Alexander Boldyrevand and colleagues did using computational modeling, you could produce an ultra-light crystalline form of aluminum that's lighter than water.
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Synthetic fuel from seawater? Naval Research Lab receives patent for carbon capture device Researchers at the Navy Research Lab have developed and received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trade Office for an electrolytic-cation exchange module (E-CEM) capable of both producing hydrogen (H2) and simultaneously extracting CO2 from seawater.
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NASA's Mars 2020 mission performs first supersonic parachute test An ambitious NASA Mars rover mission set to launch in 2020 will rely on a special parachute to slow the spacecraft down as it enters the Martian atmosphere at over 12,000 mph. Preparations for this mission have provided, for the first time, dramatic video of the parachute opening at supersonic speed.
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| Videos+: Technologies and inspiration in action |
| Smaller springs, smarter applications | |
When space is an issue, Smalley Wave Springs can reduce spring heights by up to 50% compared to ordinary coil springs. Smalley's expanded manufacturing capabilities now allow us to coil wave springs to almost any diameter. Regardless of your unique application requirements, Wave Springs are an ideal solution to save space and weight. Watch this video to learn more.
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| Electrical/Electronics | Mechanical | Motion |
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