Designfax articles from April 2002

Designfax archives from April 2002

Low-cost ABS printer. (Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing).
April 1, 2002... Low-cost ABS printer, Booth 401. The Dimension 3D printer is a desktop system to fit the budget of many design engineering departments. Since the system models with ABS plastic, designers and engineers can test parts for fit and function. The...

That which we sow. (Up Front).
April 1, 2002... Richard Mandel A couple of reports from the environmental fronts, nearly concurrent in their arrival, remind us that one technology sector still needs to be addressed. At the annual meeting of the American Association for the...

Enclosures without limits: Units offer weatherability and unobstructed side walls. (Five Star Product of the Month).
April 1, 2002... Encasing system components can be every bit as critical as designing the system itself. Industrial systems are often called upon to withstand daily washdowns with harsh chemicals, operate in potentially explosive environments, or simply stay...

Dynelec Corp. (Technology Spotlight).
April 1, 2002... Produced through what is designated the "depletion process," Dynaglass offers a potential to inexpensively market a variety of structural and electrical products. Patented by Dynelec Corp, a technology company founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1994,...

Sunovation Gesellschaft fur regenerative Energiesysteme mbH. (Technology Spotlight).
April 1, 2002... A line of flexible photovoltaic modules is offered by the Sunovation Gesellschaft fur regenerative Energiesysteme mbH in Klingenberg, Germany. Initial applications have included industrial construction, self-sufficient lighting systems with...

Co-molding. (Top Product).
April 1, 2002... * fully-automatic * versatile This supplier of custom precision molded elastomeric components can now provide fully automatic single-stage molding of 2- and 3-component parts. Typical combinations of co-molded assemblies include:...

Leather-like grips. (Top Product).
April 1, 2002... Vynaprene dip material has the feel of leather at the he cost of vinyl. Double-dipping increases durability while enabling bicolor designs. The one-piece construction does not crack or split. Grips can be stamped or imprinted. GripWorks, St...

Rapid alloy casting. (Top Product).
April 1, 2002... The ZA-12 casting process is suited for manufacturing high-precision flat frames and bases. Permanent graphite molds are used to produce zinc-aluminum alloy as an economical alternative to die-casting and machined methods. Graphicast Inc,...

Heading wire coating. (Top Product).
April 1, 2002... KnightCote wire coating for all heading alloys has been designed to perform with high efficiency, improve heading tool life and eliminate cost and environmental problems associated with the emission and disposal of nitric acid used in copper...

Replacing rusty welder housings: Application xtra. (Materials).
April 1, 2002... * High impact strength * Weatherable Plastics consulting company, Commercial Plastics, Inc. (now a subsidiary of GE Polymer Shapes), was asked to suggest internal insulation material for electric welders made by ESAB North America,...

Facilitating fiber-optic fabrication: Spooling system for fiber-optic material reduces dependency on external controls.
April 1, 2002... Packaging fiber-optic cable at the end of a production line is nothing like winding wire, cable, tubing or rope. Winding assemblies configured for spooling heavy gauge cable are too robust for handling the delicate fiber-optic material. In any...

Linear steppers. (Innovations).
April 1, 2002... Traveling at speeds up to 80 in./sec over distances up to 144 in., these 2- and 4-phase linear stepper motors can achieve acceleration up to 1G. They are capable of 50 lbs continuous force and 65 lbs peak force. Motor, bearings and positioning...

Micropositioners. (Innovations).
April 1, 2002... Designed for precise manual positioning of subassemblies in instrumentation applications, the XYZ-1000 series of micropositioners provides 1-in, travel on each axis. Measuring 3.75 x 4.75 in., and can be ordered with either screw or micrometer...

Absolute rotary encoder. (Innovations).
April 1, 2002... This certified absolute rotary encoder provides reliability between the encoder and other DeviceNet devices. EDS programmability ensures fast adaptation to the required application during the start-up phase. Configurable parameters include...

Rotary encoder collars. (Innovations).
April 1, 2002... This lightweight series of aluminum clamp-type collars can be custom configured with metallic targets to permit shaft speed sensing with customer-supplied variable reluctance sensors. The collars can be supplied in one- and two-piece clamp-type...

Pushing air: Re-motoring transonic and supersonic wind tunnels.
April 1, 2002... Creating air movement is a fairly straightforward affair. Nature does it with simple tools -- just a hydrogen fusion reactor placed 93 million miles away from a rotating body massing about 6.57 (21) tons. The resultant effects between the two...

Extreme temperature rodless cylinder. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... * functional to 500[degrees]F * hi-temp gaskets The Thermocylinder is a rodless pneumatic cylinder (OSP series) designed for applications where temperatures can reach up to 500[degrees]F. The barrel is designed to allow coolant passage...

Directional valve. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The Magna-Cycle 4-way valve automatically reverses pneumatic cylinder direction when an obstruction is met or a pre-set load is reached. It is sub-plate mounted with 1/4- or 1/2-in. NPT or SAE ports, and a pressure rating of 150 psi. Lexair...

Durable cylinders. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The Hydro-Line Q6 (and optional HQ6 and NQ6) series withstand the rigorous environments and cycle demands of industrial applications. Bore sizes range from 3/4- to 8-in. with multiple rod sizes available. Eaton Fluid Power, Eden Prairie, MN....

Solenoid control module. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... CoolCube attaches between a solenoid valve and its power supply to provide "hit and hold" without excessive heat generation. The module accepts 12 or 24 VDC input and works with any valve from this manufacturer. Bio-Chem Valve Inc, Boonton, NJ....

Solenoid valve manifold. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... A 15mm solenoid valve manifold and subbase system is offered for applications requiring piloting of process control valves. The aluminum manifold mounts up to 20 normally-open or normally-closed valves. Parker Hannifin Corp, Richland, MI. Free...

Flow controller. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... Designed with the same base mounting holes, length and width dimensions as the Tylan FC-280 instrument, the TFC-202 performs as a drop-in replacement flow controller without need of modification. Teledyne Hastings Instruments, Hampton VA. Free...

Swivel fittings. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... Straight connector, elbow and tee 360-degree swivel fittings are offered in brass, nickel-plated brass or stainless steel. Connections can be 10-32 thru 1/2 NPT male or female threads, or 1/16-thru 1/2-in. ID barb. Industrial specialties Mfg,...

Hydraulic motors. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... A 24-page brochure is offered that covers this company's radial piston hydraulic motors. These units are designed with pistons and cylinders mounted radially around central crank-shaft, without use of piston rods. The resulting motor has a...

Rotary actuator. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The Series RF actuator features a low-profile body design with a one-piece pinion/output hub. The line includes 14, 20 and 25mm bore sizes, with torque ranging from 7 to 67 in-lb at 100 psi. Standard rotation is 180 degrees. PHD Inc, Fort...

Twist clamp cylinder. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... Based on a 40mm bore EFI cylinder, this unit incorporates and internal mechanism to produce rotary piston motion through out the stroke Clamping force is up to 224 lbs at supply maximum of 140 psi. Bimba Manufacturing Co, Monee, IL. Free...

Solid modeling products. (Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing).
April 1, 2002... Solid modeling products, Booth 701. This company's solid imaging products help reduce the time and cost of designing products and facilitate direct and indirect manufacturing. Its systems utilize patented technologies that create physical...

Gearmotor. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The M4000 GIL200 series permanent magnet DC parallel shaft gearmotor is rated to 300 in-lbs with speeds up to 350 rpm and voltages ranging from 12 to 180 VDG. It features TENV design, reversibility and hardened steel gears. RAE Corp, McHenry,...

Stepper motor controller. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The compact MCB-4B integrated stepping motor controller/driver board controls up to 4 stepping motors with mini-step capability. Each axis is addressable. Advanced Control Systems Corp, Hingham, MA. Free info--Circle 216....

Brushless servoamplifiers. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... SS100 and SS200 SimpleServo digital brushless amplifiers range from 80 to 320 VDC and 115 VAC/230 VAC, with peak currents ranging from 4 to 24A. They can drive linear or rotary brushless motors with encoder feedback. The SS100 accepts [+ or...

Helical bevel gears. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... Offering up to 61% increased gear capacity, the redesigned 90.1 series of helical gear products features various sizes and configurations to fit customer needs. Gear ratios range from 8.04:1 to over 300,000:1. NORD Gear Corp, Waunakee, WI. Free...

Encoder interface ICs. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The LS7183 and LS7184 CMOS silicon gate quadrature clock converters change A, B quadrature pulses from incremental encoders to counter control signals. The ICs are offered in 8-pin DIP and SOIC packages. LSI Computer Systems Inc, Melville, NY....

Screw actuators. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The Compac 300 and 1000 series screw actuators include 72 compact models with stroke lengths ranging from 4- to 24-in. Custom designs up to a 48-in, stroke are also available. Compac 300 models withstand 1000 lb static load, moving loads up to...

Rotary torque sensors. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... Featuring non-contact infrared digital signal transmission, Model 01279 torque sensor eliminates the maintenance and wear problems of conventional slip rings. A high level analog output represents the torque load. Sensor Developments Inc,...

Gearheads and actuators. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... The PS series of gearheads and actuators features zero-backlash, high torque, high-quality housings and high-load output bearings. Positional accuracy is less than 1 arc-minute. Harmonic Drive Technologies, Peabody, MA. Free info--Circle 222....

Right-angle gear-motors & reducers. (Fluid Power Components).
April 1, 2002... This company has expanded its line of planetary reducers to include AC and DC right angle planetary gearmotors as well as stand-alone right angle reducers. They feature a "floating" sungear design, which provides true involute action that...

Tubing pumps. (Pumps).
April 1, 2002... * Seal-less * Self-priming Specified for sampling and processing applications requiring 100% sanitation assurance, the MityFlex line of contamination-proof peristaltic pumps are designed for increased flow accuracies and efficient...

Integrated air pump. (Pumps).
April 1, 2002... Putting 1 1/2 gal/min and 3,000 psi directly into a D03 manifold with a 2-bolt interface, the P901 series Cubic Power unit provides power-on-demand that maintains pressure without heat buildup when not active. Hydronic Corp, Farmington Hills,...

Vacuum pump. (Pumps).
April 1, 2002... Consuming 30% less power and generating lower process gas discharge temperatures--without cooling purges--than comparable systems, the KDPH-120 dry screw vacuum pump features a variable pitch screw design. Tuthill Vacuum Systems, Canton, MA....

Parts from metal powder. (Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing).
April 1, 2002... Parts from metal powder, Booth 815. The EBM S12 is a machine for Free Form Fabrication (FFF) of components in solid metal directly from CAD. The CAD to Metal. process builds up the metal detail in layers of metal powder, each of which is melted...

Pump web site. (Pumps).
April 1, 2002... This company's website provides specifiers for pumping, injecting and mixing/blending equipment, including specifications, applications, and tutorials of the chemical metering pumps. Neptune Chemical Pump Co Inc, Lansdale, PA. Free info-Circle...

PPS impels automotive pump design. (Pumps).
April 1, 2002... * chemical- & temperature-resistant * dimensionally stable When developing new water pumps for cars made by US automakers, Airtex Products needed to find a material that would have the mechanical integrity and dimensional stability to...

Soaring Switch seals: Redesign of aviation switch extends lifecycle twentyfold. (Tech Upgrade).
April 1, 2002... When redesigning hermetic switches for signaling landing gear, flap and rudder positions in commercial and military aircraft, Haydon Switch, Waterbury, CT, sought to extend the life from 25,000 to 250,000 cycles in harsh environments. Among the...

PC board terminal blocks. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... * space-saving * allows for fine-stranded wire The 250 Series PCB terminal blocks have a pin spacing of 2.5mm to 7.5mm, plus integral push buttons that provide a quick and easy connection of conductors to the printed circuit boards. A...

Filtered connectors. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... PulseJack surfacemount modular jacks have integrated magnetics and are designed for 10/100Base-TX network interface cards. The single-port RJ-45-style jacks are offered with locking tab, either up or down. Pulse, San Diego, CA. Free...

Chip-cap connector. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... The Series 100 connector incorporates chip capacitors for filtration. They are available in 9-, 15-, 25- and 37-position male or female contacts, with a choice of capacitance values from 50 to 47,000 pF. Spectrum Control Inc, Fairview, PA. Free...

PCB power connector. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... The Mini Powerclaw has a horizontal design that reduces overall length for a wire-to-board mated pair. The device can handle 600V, at 55A per contact. The quick disconnect design is hot pluggable. Anderson Power Products, Sterling, MA. Free...

PCB connectors. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... This line of connectors attach with insulation displacement contact (IDC) technology. Available in 2- to 24-pole male or female styles, the IDC blocks accept two wires per termination. Voltage ratings meet most design requirements. Entrelec...

Connector caps. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... Thousands of cap shapes and sizes are available for protecting terminal blocks, cable ends and wire. Materials include flexible and hi-temp vinyls, EPDM and silicone formulations. Tabbed versions are available, as are custom fit. StockCap, St...

D-sub for profibus. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... The SUBCON-PLUS Profibus series facilitates wiring and installation of Profibus nodes with simple screw or spring-clamp terminal blocks. The insulation displacement components handle up to 12 Mbit/s data rates. Phoenix Contact Inc, Harrisburg,...

Hi-current connector. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... RADSOK socket technology, based on a hyperbolic grid configuration that engages a large surface area, has been integrated into P-lok connectors. Size 8 AWG contacts now handle currents up to 69A, and the size 4 carry up to 120A. Amphenol Corp,...

Field wireable connectors. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... IDC technology has been made available for this company's eurofast and picofast industrial automation connector lines. The solid IP67 connection can be re-used or reconnected multiple times. Turck Inc. Minneapolis, MN. Free info--Circle 288....

Contact springs. (Wires, Cables & Connectors).
April 1, 2002... Allowing for wider machining tolerances than louver-type contacts, BalGontact springs offer both low and high voltage current capabilities. Contact is sustained with each coil deflecting independently when under load. Bal Seal Engineering,...

Tapered bearing. (Bearings & Lubricants).
April 1, 2002... * Interchangeable angles * Improved lubricity Recent design changes to this company's tapered roller bearings have resulted in improved performance and durability. A new retainer design provides greater oil retention and improves...

Linear bearing system. (Bearings & Lubricants).
April 1, 2002... Designed for high-frequency, short-travel applications where lubricants are not desirable, the DryLin bearing system consists of DryLin R linear plain bearings with pillow blocks and DryLin S aluminum shafting. igus inc, E Providence, RI. Free...

Segmented bearings. (Bearings & Lubricants).
April 1, 2002... Designed for applications in which conventional ball bushings or other rolling element bearings are unsuitable, segments are offer flexibility to conform to unusual shapes and envelopes. Thomson Industries, Port Washington, NY. Free...

Spherical bearings. (Bearings & Lubricants).
April 1, 2002... Five basic types of spherical plain bearings are offered: Standard Radial, accommodating misalignment for heavy radial or thrust loading; Extended Inner Ring, eliminating locational spacers; High Misalignment, featuring a heavy cross section;...

Hydrodynamic pressure bearings. (Bearings & Lubricants).
April 1, 2002... Formed by stacking, petal-shaped, laminated AlSi alloy plates packed with special grease inside a steel case, the BBSPLN series of bearings operates at speeds up to 20,000 rpm. Quality Bearings & Components, Hyde Park, NY. Free info--Circle...

Self-lubricating composite bearings: Application xtra. (Bearings & Lubricants).
April 1, 2002... * flexible design * cost-effective Bearing manufacturer Polygon Company recently came out with a line of self-lubricating composite journal bearings constructed using Teflon PTFE fiber from DuPont. Ben Shobert, vice president of...

PMT power supply. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... Series C power supplies for photomultipliers can provide an output voltage of -500 to -1250 VDC, from an input voltage of 12 to 15 VDC. Output is controlled by programming either 0 to 5 kW resistance or 0 to 4.5V voltage. HiTek Power, Santee,...

EMC gasket. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... A series of watersealing EMC gaskets shields electronics enclosures and cabinets against high - frequency RFI/EMI. With these gaskets, two separate seals are no longer required. Self-adhesion is available. Holland Shielding Systems BV,...

Fiber-optic lightguides. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... This line of flexible quartz fiber-optic lightguides is configured in single- and multi-legged assemblies, customizable in lengths, fiber count and diameters. The light-guides use tighter packing fractions and a particular randomizing method to...

Cold plate drilling. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... This company offers hole tapping and drilling to customize its CP-10 series PressLock cold plates. Mechanical, rather than adhesive, position locking creates an efficient tubing-to-plate heat transfer interface bond. Lytron Inc, Woburn, MA....

Lightpipe. (Product News).
April 1, 2002... Designed specifically for use with small form-factor fiber-optic transceiver modules, these light pipes are made of water-clear UL94V-0-compliant polycarbonate material that permits high transmissivity of all colors and ESD protection. Dialight...

Flush valves: Need redesign. (Side Jobs).
April 1, 2002... Electronic products have come to the aid of the facilities manager, helping to promote both better sanitation and perceived cleanliness in public restrooms. Toilets and urinals now flush automatically in response to sensors that detect the...

Running on Trac: Urethane parts help exercise equipment manufacturer meet prototype production deadlines. (Just One More).
April 1, 2002... Gooch, Stephanie Often the long turnaround times from vendors -- not design time -- are what postpones final test, production and shipping. As speed to market critically affects sales, when Star Trac, Irvine, CA, found the shipping of...

Resin for stereolithography. (Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing).
April 1, 2002... Resin for stereolithography, Booth 727. Tuxedo 2355 Photopolymer is a low viscosity acrylate-epoxy based liquid resin, which is formulated for use in SLA equipped with solid-state diode lasers. It provides for high accuracy, tough and flexible...

Color prototyping. (Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing).
April 1, 2002... Color prototyping, Booth 706. The Z810 System creates large appearance prototypes for design review, mock-ups for form and fit testing, and patterns for casting applications. The large build volume (24- x 20- x 16-in.) allows full-scale concept...