Designfax articles from October 2002

Designfax archives from October 2002

Design minimalism 101. (Layer One).
October 1, 2002... On this page in Designfax November 2000 we showed the winner of a design contest for an artistic power meter. Another competition from the same source has recently ended, in which participants were asked to design a computer apropos to a...

Lighter than E'er: is this to be the dash panel of your next car? (Up Front).
October 1, 2002... Look closely, and you'll see fine print on the fuel gauge that reads, "Hydrogen fuel only So declares the prototype, and its engineers, from a combined effort at Ballard and Ford Motor Company. I visited Ballard in August as they rolled out...

Anti maim: fiber optics employed in interlock switch. (Five Star Product of the Month).
October 1, 2002... Whether one sees OSHA as a hedge against spiraling employee insurance rates or as a bunch of meddlesome government busybodies, their efforts have at least contributed to a reduction of serious injuries in the workplace. They have also given...

New, Harmonic Drive gearhead, zero backlash.
October 1, 2002... The CSF-2UH series high torque gearheads use HD Systems' patented "S" tooth that delivers more than twice the torque, twice the life, and twice the torsional stiffness when compared to conventional Harmonic Drive Gearing. Positional Accuracy is...

Ultra flat gearing components.
October 1, 2002... CSD Series harmonic drive gearing from HD Systems delivers 1 arc-mm positional accuracy in a compact package. The axial length of the CSD Series has been reduced by 50% versus the CSF series. This design is made possible by HD Systems patented...

New, hollow shaft actuators.
October 1, 2002... The FHA Series of actuators feature a through-bore up to 45mm in diameter and provides high torque and exceptional positioning accuracy. This performance is achieved in a compact design using a patented "S" tooth harmonic drive gear coupled to...

Celanese AG. (Technology Spotlight).
October 1, 2002... Last month a new manufacturing facility opened in Frankfurt, Germany that will build high temperature membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cells. Celanese AG has developed a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell that can be used...

NASA technology. (Technology Spotlight).
October 1, 2002... Kerosene--the same as fuels an oil lantern--is being considered as a fuel for two main engine candidates for a second-generation reusable launch vehicle, now in development by the Space Launch Initiative. The Initiative is NASA'S technology...

New, Harmonic Planetary high precision planetary gearhead. (Advertisement).
October 1, 2002... Exclusively from HD Systems, the Harmonic Planetary[R] HPG Series provides the motion control and design engineer with a planetary gearhead that reduces backlash to less than 1 arc-mm. This level of backlash is maintained for the life of the...

New, hollow shaft actuators. (Advertisement).
October 1, 2002... The FHA Series of actuators features a through-bore up to 45mm in diameter and provides high torque and exceptional positioning accuracy. This performance is achieved in a compact design using a patented "S" tooth harmonic drive gear coupled to...

New, Harmonic Drive gearhead, zero backlash. (Advertisement).
October 1, 2002... The CSF-2UH series high torque gearheads use HD Systems' patented "S" tooth that delivers more than twice the torque, twice the life, and twice the torsional stiffness when compared to conventional Harmonic Drive Gearing. Positional Accuracy is...

Elastic magnet material. (Top Product).
October 1, 2002... * high elasticity & fatigue resistance * retains magnetic properties This company has introduced a new class of high-energy, elastic rare-earth magnet material called Reance SF. With up to 250% elongations, this material is claimed to...

Specialty shaped tubing. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Specialty shaped tubing has been added to this company's standard line. New profiles include teardrop, hexagonal, square, oval, and rectangular in all 300 and 400 series stainless steel, nickel-based and Inconel alloys. The shapes are designed...

High tolerance shapes. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... This brochure describes the application of precision cold-rolled and drawn net shapes as an economical alternative to machining and powdered metal manufacturing. Capabilities in specifications development, die making, and process engineering...

Deposition material. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Tribocor deposition material is comprised of niobium, titanium and tungsten. The company's In-Fusion process impregnates this material into and onto most substrates, offering increased wear protection and corrosion protection in highly acidic...

Metallizing ceramics. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Thick-film metallizing and sputtered thin-film metallized patterns on this company's line of beryllium oxide discs, discs with flats, washers and standard configuration heat sinks is available. Screen printing, spraying, roller coating and hard...

Soft touch overmolding. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Evoprene compound integrates soft-touch Kraton G polymer overmolding onto a flexible medium-hardness TPE base without any deformation taking place. The resulting product has an even wall thickness and excellent adhesion between the two layers,...

Strip steel. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Best Bright Number 3 cold rolled strip steel offers a mirror-like surface finish. This exceptionally bright finish can eliminate the need for plating or enhance nickel, chrome, brass or copper plating. It is available with a number 3 or 4...

Shielding gasket fabric. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Consisting of a layer of nickel on top of a layer of copper, plated to a polyester ripstop substrate, NiCu C70 fabric for shielding gaskets is designed for applications where high frequency shielding--to 96 dB, over a frequency range of 20 MHz...

Tool coating. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... This company's PVD coating--a thick layer of titanium aluminum nitride topped by a thin layer of titanium nitride--offers greater speed capability and wear resistance, Low stress state and less built-up edge for better surface finishes. It can...

Anti-reflective sheet. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Acrylite anti-reflective sheeting reduces unwanted glare and reflection from LCD screens, projection televisions, flat panel displays and instrumentation readouts. The material provides 97% light transmission and reduces glare and reflection to...

Website. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... This company has expanded its website to include an e-Business Center and updated Technical and Design Center. MSDS sheets and COAs, online seminars, troubleshooting guides, an answer line and industry links are all available. Visitors can...

Corrosion inhibitor. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... With some industries now specifying the elimination of hexavalent chromium coatings, FisherCoteIII provides a trivalent chromate-based coating as an alternative corrosion inhibitor. This in-house coating process is bright and non-corrosive with...

Impact-resistant PPS. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Fortron PPS SKX-382 impact-modified polyphenylene sulfide exhibits unusual ductility and flexibility. It has a high melt strength for extrusion or blow-molding as a monolayer or as part of multilayer structures. It adheres well to nylons and...

Spot plating. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... This company has added spot plating equipment to its reel-to-reel plating operation, to provide precious metal spot plating only where it is functionally required on a metal strip. Nearly any shape can be precisely applied to areas as small as...

Liquid foam. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Rescor 740 liquid foam forms lightweight, high-strength, machinable parts that are both thermally and electrically insulating. They can withstand tempera tures up to 2300[degrees]F, for applications such as heating-element supports, hot...

Insert-molding Design Kit. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... This company's Design Kit discusses ways to use insert molding process to reduce assembly and labor costs, size and weight, while increasing reliability and design flexibility of electromechanical interconnections and components. A white paper...

Machinable ceramic. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Aremcolox 502-1550-MD mediumdensity zirconia phosphate ceramic has a low CTE and is suited for high temperature applications in temperatures up to 15500C. It has a compressive strength of 40,000 psi, dielectric strength is 100 V/mil and thermal...

Glass bubble compounds. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Specialty thermoplastic compounds containing hollow glass Scotchlite microspheres can reduce part weight, enhance properties and lower part costs in demanding applications. They can provide lower viscosity, improved flow and reduced...

Composite. (Materials).
October 1, 2002... Tufcote RM-10-75 composite performs as a noise barrier and heat reflector for engine-driven vehicles and equipment. The 3-layer composite consists of a 3/4-in. urethane foam decoupler, a 11b/[ft.sup.2] flexible lead-free vinyl barrier and a top...

Protective coating. (Application Xtra).
October 1, 2002... * durable EMI shielding * environmentally friendly When engineers designing the Segway HT needed to shield out EMI on the user interface, they searched for a dual-duty durable coating. The base of the HT houses the motor and gyro...

Sky CAD: design interoperability streamlines aerospace R&D.
October 1, 2002... Designing a new commercial airframe, military jet engine or launch vehicle is a task of enormous complexity. The creation of a multitude of unique new parts, the involvement of a legion of engineers, the need for frequent and intensive...

Rotational sensor/switch. (Innovations).
October 1, 2002... Combining a Hall-effect device, an MR or GRM device with sealed-in-place lead wires and easy screw mounting, this insert molded sensor-switch provides all-in-one thermoplastic assembly. This pulse-sensing device was conceived as an economical...

Multi-tasking programming language. (Innovations).
October 1, 2002... MintMT integrates key functions of motion control, I/O handling, communications, networking and operator interface into a single programming language. The software allows each task to be truly independent of each other and makes it easier to...

Thrust rod linear positioning. (Innovations).
October 1, 2002... The use of a Thrust Rod linear motor, with just one. moving part, completely replaces lead screws in this linear drive system. Eight standard models offer forces up to 890 lbs peak, 30.88 in./sec accelerations, 574.2 in./sec velocity and 73 in....

Universal torque sensor. (Innovations).
October 1, 2002... The Series STH of torque sensors is designed for testing of catheters, threaded fasteners, motors, actuators, torques tools, valves, etc. Five models cover ca pacities from 10 oz-in. to 100 lb-in. and the quick-change chucks cover the range of...

Speed regulators. (Innovations).
October 1, 2002... The 1.5-in. stroke Mini-K series of speed regulators combines the advantages of a long stroke with a compact design and 400 lb capacity. All units are hermetically sealed, and may be operated in any position for millions of cycles without...

Little shot: injection-molding parts smaller than the pellets.
October 1, 2002... Manufacturing via injection molding occupies a large segment of plastics production today. As long as the hoppers of raw material are kept filled, the machines can, almost unceasingly, crank out components for toys, cases for laptop computers...

Triple-stage gearbox. (Top Product).
October 1, 2002... * high torque output * high efficiency The Clincher series of parallel shaft-mount gearboxes has been expanded by the SK 12332, a larger size that delivers a maximum output torque of 796,500 lb-in, in a triple-stage, helically-geared...

Right-angle helical gear drives. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... The S991MY and S991HY series are heavy-duty sealed ball bearing units that feature 0-ring sealed gear cases and either right- or left-hand rotation. Offered in ratios of 1:1, 3:2 and 2:1, they are designed around 45-degree helical gears for...

Parallel gear drives. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... Add-A-Shaft Parallel Gear Drives are offered in 1:1, 3:2 and 2:1 ratios with 21/4- and 21/2-in, shaft centers and are rated at 90% efficient. Add-A-Shaft Mini drives have a 1:1 ratio, with a 1 in. shaft center. Each model accepts a wide range...

Clutch/brakes. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... Posidyne clutch/brake units use a heat dissipating oil-shear design that can provide 70 to 150 more cycles per minute over conventional designs, when driving heavy loads. Engineered for 600+ cpm and up to 500 brake hp, in 11 basic sizes, the...

Speed reducers. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... TRANSSCYKO cycloidal speed reducers offer smooth, silent operation without vibration, and can absorb high shock loads in excess of 500%. Available in a wide range of mountings and configurations, the reducers are offered with reduction ratios...

Redesigned gear boxes. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... This company's gearboxes are now housed in completely sealed, maintenance-free cases. Configurations include gear ratios of 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 40:1 and 60:1, with motor options up to 1 hp available. The hollow bore output shaft can be ordered for...

Right angle gearmotor. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... The M1500 G4 PM is suited for applications that require limited continuous-duty torque ratings with low output and high-starting torques. All-metal construction with a Bakelite gear provides quiet operation for pump drives, welding wire...

Harmonic reducer. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... The hollow shaft RV-C gear reducer offers a through-hole ranging from 31 mm to 138 mm, which is suitable for allowing the passage of vacuum lines, wiring harnesses, concentric shafting and cooling lines. Rated torque range is 867 to 27,754...

End effector. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... The CV line of vertical compliance devices can be used to detect axial misalignment between two parts during an assembly process or loading application. Axial compression is spring and air adjustable. Loads are supported in the main body by...

Low backlash gearheads. (Power Transmission).
October 1, 2002... This line of Size 5, 8 and 10 gearheads have all stainless steel construction for high corrosion resistance and low maintenance operation. Offered in 1 or 2 stages, they have a range of standard reduction ratios of 4:1 to 49:1, with typical...

Stages. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The ABL1000 series 3D 3-axis air bearing stage provides 62-picometer resolution with its Automation 3200 "soft" controller. Linear encoder feedback provides up to 2nm resolution. Designed for high-performance alignment, assembly and...

Positioning stage. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The PI P-587.6CD 6-axis nano-scanning and nano-alignment system provides a linear travel range of 800 x 800 x 200 [mu]m, and rotation ranges of [+ or -]500 [mu]rad with ultra-high resolution capacitive sensors. Applications include...

Linear actuator. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... Model LA 1627-000A non-commutated linear servo motor is a fully-enclosed linear voice coil actuator assembly with internal bearings. Its linear force constant vs. displacement characteristic provides simple 2-wire control. It is suited for...

Angle sensors. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The VX family of non-contacting angle sensors provide 360-degree absolute angle measurement and selectable analog or digital outputs. The analog acquisition holds current angle measurement in the event of power failure. Designed to withstand...

Motion control. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The SDCD-P dual-axis motion controller is optimized for direct-drive applications using multi-phase linear or torque brushless DC servomotors. A fully digital servoamplifier with integral position control is engineered to deliver...

Encoder-ready actuator. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... Able to fit several hollow-shaft encoders, the size 17 hybrid linear actuators are available with an 8 mm extended rotor journal and threaded rear housing. Captive, non-captive and external linear versions are offered. Resolutions range from...

DC motor control. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The 700BDC compact brushless DC motor speed control offers economical customization at low volumes. The controller is offered with standard screw terminal connector or optional European style pluggable connector. Fixed resistors or conventional...

VAC drive. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The VLT 5000 series of drives has 575 VAC rated models for i to 300 hp installations. The UL- and cUL-listed drives are suited for various constant or variable-torque applications, and are rated for operation on 550 to 600 VAC lines. A...

Adjustable drive. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... Providing both open loop vector and V/Hz control, the compact V7 adjustable frequency drive gives tight speed regulation, high torque and lower speeds. Seven standard multifunction inputs access 17 preset speeds. Digital programming of almost...

Position sensors. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The 75S2DC series of DC-operated LVDT position sensors offers linear measurement ranges from 0-0.1 in. to 0-20-in. with 7 intermediate ranges. These units provide a low noise 1 to 10 VDC output for full displacement suitable for PLCs, data...

Ball slides. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... This company has introduced two lines of linear slides. EasyLinear Teflon Composite slides are designed for rugged environments, while the series' Round Way and Profiled Rail ball slides work well in high speed and positioning applications....

Three-channel controller. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The MRl3 3-channel multi-input, multi-range user-programmable controller can be used as a 3-zone controller, follower controller or cascade control. Expert PID suppresses hunting caused by overshoot or process disturbance. For applications...

Ball screw. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... With high thrust feeding speeds and the durability of a hydraulic cylinder, the heavy load ball screw Type HBN with caged technology features energy savings, high positioning accuracy, clean operation, enhanced machine control and reduced...

Stepper motor controller. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... With dual axis control and 4.9M pps pulse rate capacity for microstepping, the NPMC5O23-2104 PC/104 Bus controller includes S-curve ramp up and ramp down, encoder feed back inputs and linear interpolation. Integral software uses MS Windows98 to...

Absolute encoders. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The CoreTech CA2O series of 2-in. absolute encoders features a factory-configurable sensor module that can be set for any resolution from 2 to 32,768 ppr without additional cost. An electronic zero position set-and-parallel or SSI absolute...

Position transmitter. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The HDSI 750 series of loop-powered 4-20 mA LVDT position transmitters is designed to provide accurate position measurement in harsh and remote installations. Constructed of TIG-welded stainless steel and hermetically sealed, they operate in...

Digital linear actuator. (Motion Products).
October 1, 2002... The series 26DBM DLA bi-directional digital linear actuator provides linear resolution as fine as 0.0005 in. per pulse. Designed for precise measured control of fluids and gases, the modified rotary stepper motor has a rotor that includes an...

Steppers vs. Servos: a round-table discussion; selecting the small motor.
October 1, 2002... Significant technological advances over the last decade in motor and controller design, and the formulation of magnetic materials, have altered the divisions that affect motor selection. The marketplace now includes nanostepping motors, and...

Coupling. (Top Product).
October 1, 2002... * non-spill, high flow * withstands aggressive chemicals CQN06 series quick disconnect couplings allow repeated disconnection of critical fluid lines with virtually no spillage or air inclusion upon reconnect, even under pressure....

Halogen-free hose. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... The HT-162 fire-retardant hose features halogen-free, wife-reinforced thermoplastic construction, and complies with ASTM E-162 and ASTM E-662 flame and smoke requirements for use in enclosed environments. Providing 4:1 compressibility, this...

Luer panel mounts. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... This company has expanded its luer panel mount line with connectors to accommodate tubing IDs from 1/16- to 1/8-in., and are available with 1/4-28 UNF or 10-32 UNF threads. They are available in thru-flow, and reducers are intended for panel...

Fluoroplastic tubing. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... This fluoroplastic tubing can be manufactured from PTFE, FEP, PFA, ETFE, ECTFE, MFA, THV, Radiopaque, PEEK, Ultem PEI and conductive materials. Available with various cuffed and flanged ends to meet commercial and military specifications,...

Cam-operated couplings. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... Manufactured for high-impact strength at much lighter weight than their metal counterparts, these cam-operated couplings prevent threads from seizing on mating threads. The nylon (Nuglass) or polypropylene (Propoglass) couplings are...

Connectors. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... The Hard-Line series of connectors and tees features a barb designed for use with harder durometer tubing, such as polyethylene 55 Shore D and polypropylene 80 durometer. The barb itself has a sharp sealing point that is slightly larger than...

Gripper fittings. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... Designed for connecting laboratory tubing, these gripper fittings offer zero dead volume at pressures up to 1000 psi. They can be hand tightened without any special tools and will not compress or twist tubing if over tightened. A chemically...

Silicone hose labels. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... CLEAR-Mark platinum-cured silicone hose labels are vulcanized to the hose, meeting FDA recommendations for identification and preventative maintenance programs. Offered in seven colors, with or without printing, these permanent labels can be...

Overbraided hose. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... Designed for pure fluid applications, APSOF stainless steel overbraided PTFE hose provides long flexural life, low permeability, non-flammability and the lowest coefficient of friction of any solid material, all at higher pressures than...

Tubing system. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... SYGEF PVDF HP Flex tubing system offers a more economical solution for conveying ultrapure water and chemicals than PFA and FEP resin based systems. Available in a range of tube and fitting sizes from 1/4- to 1-in., the system can handle...

Snap bushings. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... The SB series of snap bushings is molded with locking fingers to snap easily into raw-edge holes to create smooth, neat insulated holes. The bushings can withstand a push-back force up to 35 lbs. Available in 16 sizes for mounting from 0.312-...

Clamp. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... The Normaclamp GBS M offers triple the clamping force of the company's standard welded clamp and twice the destruction torque at a reduced cost. This series is constructed from lightweight AlZn with rounded edges to minimize hose abrasion....

International fittings. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... These hydraulic fittings and adapters are suited for applications where BSPP, BSPT, JUS, Komatsu and DIN threads are used. They are available in over 60 configurations, and custom sizes and styles can be accommodated. They meet JIG, SAE and...

Hose & tubing. (Tubing, Hoses & Connectors).
October 1, 2002... Synflex hose & tubing includes hydraulic hose, truck products, specialty hose, tubing & bundles, food & beverage dispensing products and industrial tubing. The thermoplastic hose and tubing is suited to replace rubber or metal designs in...

Micro scale connections. (Application Xtra).
October 1, 2002... * reliable flow path * biocompatible seal Lab-on-a-Chip applications are scaled-down versions of familiar laboratory procedures, such as liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. Using chips often similar in size to a...

Magnesium-structurally sound: consider this lightweight material for small cast parts.
October 1, 2002... Design engineers considering a structural metal for small component production have a "check list" of materials that includes steel, powdered metal, aluminum and zinc, depending on the application. Until recently magnesium has rarely been on...

Giant testimony: perennial sculpture exceeds 12-million cycles. (Tech Upgrade).
October 1, 2002... Outside the Seattle art museum stands a 48-foot high hollow steel sculpture, designed by artist Jonathan Borofsky to represent "the worker." Since 1991, between the hours of 7 am and 10 pm, this statue has been in daily operation at a rate of 4...

Electric motor adhesives. (Top Product).
October 1, 2002... * for various motor types * for various motor parts Designed for use in a variety of permanent magnet motors, these adhesives include structural acrylics, one- and two-part epoxies, UV curable, cyanoacrylates and anaerobic adhesives....