Designfax articles from September 2001

Designfax archives from September 2001

Getting Handicapped Kids Onto the Playground.
September 1, 2001... For children who wear leg braces or use walkers or wheelchairs, the elevated activity platforms on many playgrounds remain sadly out of reach. To solve this problem, an assignment proposed by the Baltimore-based Volunteers for Medical...

SPIRAL RETAINING RINGS.
September 1, 2001... Select from over 4,000 stock Spiral Retaining Rings, available in both carbon or stainless steel. Diameters range from 3/8" to 84". Spirals have no ears to interfere. Spiral Rings install easily and can be removed with a screwdriver. Smalley...

WAVE SPRINGS.
September 1, 2001... 40 Pages of Space Saving Solutions in Smalley's latest Wave Spring catalog. Wave Springs fit in tight radial and axial spaces and reduce spring heights up to 50%. Thousands of stock sizes are available in carbon and stainless steel. Stock sizes...

Designfax Joins a New Family.
September 1, 2001... Designfax has joined a new publishing family, Nelson Publishing, Inc., effective with this issue. Our 30+ year old company publishes magazines in the manufacturing, electronics engineering, information technology and healthcare industries. ...

Non-Contact Torque Sensor.
September 1, 2001... Getting the facts on rotating shafts What's the power of a spinning shaft? A calculation is simple to generate, but what about a real-time, in situ measurement? And let's say that the critical shaft is deep within layers of machinery and...

Aminopropyltrethoxysilane (APS).
September 1, 2001... Polymers do not usually adhere to glass, but combining glass and polymer to create composite materials is possible if an intermediary polymer coupling agent is used as a go-between, according to Penn State scientists. "Aminopropyltrethoxysilane...

Human Computer Interaction Group.
September 1, 2001... While we're on the topic of college research, researchers in Cornell's Department of Communication, Department of Computer Science, and the Human Computer Interaction Group gave students in two classes laptop computers equipped to connect to a...

Plastic bearings.
September 1, 2001... * corrosion resistant * chemical resistant Available in both English and metric sizes, the "H" series ball bearings are made of polyacetal (POM) plastic. Other available materials for the outer and inner rings are polypropylene,...

Washer bearing.
September 1, 2001... The threaded Stems hex nut's preassembled, free spinning collar washer passes through a clearance hole in any fragile bearing material to transfer clamp load directly to the more rigid joint member.

Roller catalog.
September 1, 2001... Having durometer measurements ranging from 20 to 95, DuraSoft rollers provide cushioning flex for securely handling fragile items. Comprehensive specs are included with part numbers and ordering information.

Pillow blocks.
September 1, 2001... Using a free-rolling design and larger rolling diameter than conventional ball bushing pillow blocks, these pre-lubricated roller bearing pillow blocks are self-aligning for higher speed operation and acceleration in linear motion applications....

Self-lubricated hearing.
September 1, 2001... Designed for harsh environments where lead is prone to chemical attack, lead-free, self-lubricated FB2 bearings accept PVs up to 140,000 psi/fpm without any oil or grease. They are available in 5-165mm sizes.

Rollers.
September 1, 2001... Designed for sliding doors, noiseless PowerCore rollers and trolley systems resist moisture and flat development and do not wear out the rail. The dimensionally-stable tire material carries high loads at temperatures between -40 and...

Heat transfer fluid.
September 1, 2001... The company has reformulated its OR heat transfer fluid, significantly enhancing the product's resistance to oxidation-induced sludge formation and coke deposits. It has been independently analyzed to be twice as resistant to this sludge...

Coating for linear guides.
September 1, 2001... Designed to protect the company's linear guides and ballscrews in wet processing environments, this rust-proofing coats elements with stable cold Cr-fluoride plating without hydrogen brittleness.

Self-lubricating bearings.
September 1, 2001... iglide M250 self-lubricating bearings are suited for low- to medium-load applications. Impact resistance and vibration dampening, wear-resistance and the ability to absorb dirt ingression are the main features.

Large bearing cages.
September 1, 2001... Large Dimension Ball Bearing Cages provide additional strength while their increased rigidity and lack of deflection allow higher tolerances and increased strokes per minute. Various interior dimensions include 3.5to 5.625-in, and 89 to 140mm...

Thin-section bearings.
September 1, 2001... Metric sizes have been added to the RealiSlim bearing line. The compact bearings combine a large bore size with small cross section. Radial-, angular-, and 4-pointcontact configurations are available.

Heavy-duty bearings.
September 1, 2001... Designed for any linear application where high load capacities are required, the Hevi-Rail bearings are available in a fixed or adjustable eccentric style. Single bearing capacity ranges from 5000 to 33,500 lbs.

Bearing seals.
September 1, 2001... Ocean seals keep a bearing clean for longer life. Two stationary flexible plastic lips press lightly against stainless steel rings to form a positive rotary seal. Inside pressure between the two lips quickly equalizes outside pressure, sealing...

PEEK Polymer Bushings.
September 1, 2001... * self-lubricating * reduces downtime When BP discovered that the PTFE-bronze bushings on two of its reactor pumps were wearing out after just six months, they turned to a plastics specialist to solve the problem. Working with the pump...

A Modern Conveyance.
September 1, 2001... Moving materials in a factory takes a new turn One of the most interesting paths taken in the course of design is when a product is retooled and re-engineered, without changing the overall scheme. It's more common to apply new technology to...

Point-source LED pixels.
September 1, 2001... * individually-addressable * standard manufacturing technology A line of point-source RGB surface mount LED pixels appear as full-color point sources to the human eye, and are able to generate any mixture of the three primary colors....

FED.
September 1, 2001... Outputting one candlepower at 32000[degrees]K, this low-voltage, low-current flame-emitting diode is for applications where minimum brightness is desirable. Color spectrum is in the yellow band. Options include a wind deflector.

Flexible light pipe.
September 1, 2001... The FLPRI Series of light pipes feature a rectangular lens cap assembly for through-hole and surface mount configurations. It can provide LED-based lighting to points up to 328 ft. distant, in a variety of colors.

Coated mirrors & prisms.
September 1, 2001... This company offers 90-degree mirrors with aluminum or copper coatings, and enhanced aluminum coating on 90-degree prisms. The latter can serve to split an image from a video lens onto two cameras.

Ring light.
September 1, 2001... The Munchkin R-90M 8-point adjustable ring light provides full 360-degree shadow-free illumination. Diameter is 1.75 in. Applications for the 1 lb device include clean room and quality control installations.

Optic bonding.
September 1, 2001... OptiLOC products include anaerobic adhesives plus room temperature and heat curable epoxies for a wide variety of applications in telecommunications, data linking and networking. The materials can be used in optical alignment applications where...

Hi-intensity LEDs.
September 1, 2001... The Shark Series of high flux LED illuminators are offered in standard blue, green, amber, red and white colors. Typical brightness for the red Shark is 55 lumens, with a static operating current of 300-800mA for the series.

Photodiodes.
September 1, 2001... S7861/S7861-02 Si PIN photodiodes feature wide dynamic ranges and fast data transfer rates, making them excellent for high-speed optical communications systems such as Fiber Channel and Gigabit Ethernet.

Fiber optic panels.
September 1, 2001... Providing high-brightness illumination for front and back lighting of machine vision imaging systems, these woven fiber optic panels emit uniform, diffuse and shadow-free light over large surface areas. The panels can be driven by LEDs, or by...

Avalanche photodiode.
September 1, 2001... Combining a 500-micron diameter, low-noise Si avalanche photodiode with a high-speed transimpedance amplifier, the PSS-AD500-1.3G-TO5 responds to light in the 350-1000nm range.

Miniature surface-mount LED.
September 1, 2001... The 1104B top-view LED features a 120-degree viewing angle with typical luminous intensity of up to 120 mcd, depending on color. Footprint is 2.2 x 2.8mm in a standard PLCC-2 package.

Low-power color LCD.
September 1, 2001... Engineered for portable handheld devices such as cellular phones, 2-way pagers, and small test and measurement units, the RA43Z uses the same amount of power as a black-and-white LCD of similar size, resolution and pixel configuration. The...

Single-digit LED.
September 1, 2001... The Series BS-C27 features a flat pad design with an internal connection to create a surface mount package. It's offered in a wide range of colors with intensities ranging from 12 through 20 mcd.

Molded backlights.
September 1, 2001... Tri-Color LED Molded Backlights can operate with a single LED through MicroLens technology. They are ideal for producing different colors for small to midsize displays

Sapphire base plates.
September 1, 2001... Suitable for mounting, plating, polishing, etching and final dicing of GaN, GaAs, Si and other materials, these plates feature a flatness to 0.5 fringes of HeNe and parallelism from 20 arc-secs to 1 arc-sec. The clear, Moh 9 plates can be...

RJ45 port indicators.
September 1, 2001... These LED indicators nest with RJ45 ports on PCBs to provide visual confirmation of data traffic, network connectivity and signal integrity on equipment like Ethernet hubs, bridges, routers and modems.

Elliptical LEDs.
September 1, 2001... The LO484 series of 4mm A1GaInP/GaN LEDs have a 110 x 45 degree radiation pattern. This wide viewing angle makes them suited for indoor signs, instrumentation and LCD backlighting.

Color sensors.
September 1, 2001... Three integrated optoelectronic sensors, one for each primary color (red, green, blue), provide onboard conditioning plus a deposited color filter. The devices can be used together for color measurement applications, or individually or in...

LED displays.
September 1, 2001... A line of numeric and alphanumeric LED displays are offered in a variety of colors (including multicolor), intensities and sizes. They can be surface or through-hole mounted, and special icons can be custom-made.

White LED ring and line lights.
September 1, 2001... Designed and optimized for machine vision and semiconductor manufacturing applications, these modules have a Fresnel lens for bright, uniform lighting. They produce bright, white light with excellent uniformity.

Visible-IR lamps.
September 1, 2001... These long-life miniature lamps are designed for applications involving gas analysis or detection. They feature uniform, thin-wall glass envelopes (0.15mm to 0.35mm) with closely positioned double-coiled CC-6 tungsten filaments for enhanced IR...

LCD inverter.
September 1, 2001... The DMA Series DC-AC inverter is designed to power LCDs back-lit by two cold cathode fluorescent lamps, for use in lower temperature environments and require higher starting voltages. Output power is 12W with PWM dimming.

Built-in connector.
September 1, 2001... Adding an L41 connector to this line of LEDs speeds production while ensuring correct lead matching. The connector is resistant against dust and water contamination, making it suited for marine and food processing equipment.

Two blues or not two blues.
September 1, 2001... Efforts to produce a true white-light LED moved closer to resolution, when a team of researchers in Italy demonstrated binary combinations of certain organic compounds producing white or near-white emissions. Reported in Applied Physics Letters...

Spinning a Profit.
September 1, 2001... Redesigned waste centrifuge filters more with less breakdown Very few process operations don't perform some kind of recycling of materials from their waste stream--not to do so would be exactly like pouring money down the drain. Metals that...

Dual rack and pinion rotary drive.
September 1, 2001... * high load capacity * backlash-resistant Both pneumatically-powered gear racks on the DRQD rotary drive are driven in different directions simultaneously during operation. This results in the elimination of backlash at the ends of...

Air filters.
September 1, 2001... This company can provide a customized, built-to-spec air filter for electronics equipment in five working days. Applications include computers, telecom equipment, electronics, testing and medical equipment, plus industrial uses such as...

Regenerative dryers.
September 1, 2001... These special compressed air dryers provide extremely low dew points down to -100[degrees]F. Bacteria do not survive in this kind of sterile environment, and the dry air also eliminates contamination of process material and finished products....

Process control system.
September 1, 2001... AirLINE Type 8644 remote process actuation and control system combines pneumatic valve actuation choice of WAGO or Phoenix contact I/O modules and Fieldbus communication in a single compact module.

Silencers.
September 1, 2001... FA-51 series silencers reduce noise for high-volume exhaust applications without causing back pressure or hindering performance. Three thread sizes--114-, 3/8- and 1/2-in. NPT--are available to adapt to all pneumatic devices.

Vacuum system components.
September 1, 2001... CVM style components feature flat, single and multi-bellows suction cups molded from nitrile, silicone, urethane, Viton, SIA and other materials. Fully interchangeable with Convum components, the line includes spring suspensions and fittings,...

Miniature poppet valves.
September 1, 2001... MAV-2R and MAV-3R poppet valves with rotatable inlets have been added to the company's miniature pneumatic brass valve line. The side inlet may be positioned through 360-degrees.

Solenoid/quick-exhaust valve.
September 1, 2001... Integrating a 3-way normally-closed, direct-acting solenoid valve with a quick exhaust valve, this device features a guided diaphragm for high flow and millions of reliable cycles.

Mass flo-controllers.
September 1, 2001... The Model 80 Series Thermal Mass Flow Controllers provides accurate, stable control of gas flow rates from 0-50 SCCM up to 0-10 LPM. The valve closes in power-off conditions with minimal] leak rates. The Model 80D's rotation-adjustable 3...

Flow meter.
September 1, 2001... The C-AA30-A series thermal mass flow meter combines the convenience and accuracy of conventional mass flow devices with low cost. The meter operates on 0-5 VDC and 4-20 mA signals. Repeatability is [+ or -]0.5% of full scale.

Sealing system.
September 1, 2001... For air service applications, this around-the-shaft rotating union incorporates a labyrinth controlled leakage design. Non-contacting seals allow a small controlled amount of leakage vented to the atmosphere, but do not wear.

Pressure switches.
September 1, 2001... Solid-state Series PP7 switches incorporate a ceramic sensing element that is resistant to pressure surges. Setpoint accuracy is better than 1.5% of range, repeatability better than 1%. Programmable for N.O./N.C. output function, the units are...

Aircraft ducting.
September 1, 2001... * trims weight * maintains high performance "Weight means fuel dollars in the aircraft industry, and manufacturers have an ongoing need to reduce the cost of fuel consumed without sacrificing performance," observes Rod Ward, director...

A Drop in Time.
September 1, 2001... CFD speeds development of MEMS-based printing technology Researchers at Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York, are using computer simulation to speed the development of next-generation inkjet print-heads based on MEMS technology. Micro...

Rapid prototyping.
September 1, 2001... * instant quotes * multiple parts This company's website offers online instant quotes for rapid prototyping via their QuickQuote engine, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Users can upload .STL files and select a manufacturing process. A...

Prototype materials.
September 1, 2001... This company provides prototype quantities of a broad line of metals and materials, with finishing processes that include ion implantation, electroplating, heat treatment, photo-etching, and vapor deposition.

Coating services.
September 1, 2001... This company's specialty coatings provide corrosion resistance and lubrication in a reliable thickness. They offer high extreme pressure properties, good high-temperature performance and minimal clean-up.

Electrochemical etching.
September 1, 2001... The SM2000 system permanently marks parts for cradle-to-grave traceability. It does not weaken or distort metal parts as the molecular structure of the part is not altered beyond the depth of the mark.

Custom copper components.
September 1, 2001... Custom electrical components are available in copper and copper alloys in large or small order quantities. In-house extruding, casting and forging processing are backed by secondary processing.

Automated welding process.
September 1, 2001... Automated orbital welding is available for manufacturing high-pressure shell and tube heat exchangers to obtain high qualitative and quantitative results.

Hardening & coating.
September 1, 2001... This company provides more than 25 heat treatment processes for various metals and alloys. Types of products processed include castings, forgings, stampings, spinnings, powdered metal, extrusions, fasteners, tubing, weldments, wire forms, wire...

Chip scale packaging.
September 1, 2001... The 3D-CSP process achieves size reductions up to 80% over conventional full-size assemblies. Gold-on-gold flip chip die attachment can have contact pitches as fine as 100[micro]m or less and more than 800 connections per die.

Custom plastic components.
September 1, 2001... Custom packaging and process machinery components are precision machined to [+ or -]0.001-in., depending upon material and configuration, and can be manufactured up to 60-in. dia. and 20 ft long.

Electrocoating.
September 1, 2001... Powerseal XL cathodic epoxy electrocoat is designed to meet the needs of the fastener marketplace. It demonstrates high corrosion resistance, improved torque control properties, reduced cure temperature and lower volatile emissions than...

Threaded cast parts.
September 1, 2001... This company has the ability to cast internal and external threads onto parts, thereby eliminating secondary processes. Intricate, near-net-shape parts can be cast, producing strong, light-weight parts.

Finishing services.
September 1, 2001... This company's finishing service provide paints, lubricants and custom high-performance finishes in both water and solvent-based media, including dip-spin, dip-drain, flood or spray processing.

Overmolding.
September 1, 2001... This company's capabilities include the injection molding and over-molding of thermoplastic materials, including TPE, TPU and TPR. They can overmold onto metal fasteners, stampings and plastic parts. Advanced production systems and high-speed...

Plating services.
September 1, 2001... This company has expanded its reel-to-reel plating operations, quadrupling production capability. Precious and non-precious electroplating includes gold, silver, tin, tin/lead, copper and nickel.

Seamless forming.
September 1, 2001... This company produces seamless vessels, tubing, liners, cones, skirts and nozzles from refractory and reactive metals, including tantalum, niobium (columbium), molybdenum, zirconium, vanadium and their alloys.

Testing lab.
September 1, 2001... Testing services include tension, ductility, hardness, hardenability, impact testing, stress rupture and heat treatment (0-2200[degrees]F). Fasteners can be tested for mechanical and rotational properties, panel fastening, thread evaluation and...

Product development.
September 1, 2001... This company provides full-service concept, design, detailing and analysis services, including FEA and reverse engineering, within reduced cycle times. Contract staffing provides product development flexibility.

Aluminum welding.
September 1, 2001... HY-PAK single-sided projection welding process is suited for sheet aluminum applications with critical surface finish requirements. Protective coatings on welded surfaces are not disturbed.

Molding service.
September 1, 2001... This company provides vertical integration from tooling to delivery, providing mold design, mold construction, injection molding and other services. 3D CAD/CAM systems shorten tooling lead times and facilitate complex part designs and forms....

Clarifying Critical Care.
September 1, 2001... Lipid-resistant resin provides create safety in infusion therapy Infusion systems make it possible for seriously ill patients to receive precisely the medicines and nourishment they need. The materials used to manufacture these systems come...

Zero Backlash Low-Cost NEMA Reducers.
September 1, 2001... Kamo Seiko offers standard low-cost Zero Backlash NEMA speed reducers. Available in NEMA 17, NEMA 23, NEMA 34, and NEMA 42, these reducers are easy to install and require zero maintenance. Motor coupling is achieved with a single compression...

Zero Backlash Pancake Speed Reducers.
September 1, 2001... The PBR Series is the latest addition to the Q-Ten System of Zero Backlash speed reducers. These compact, low profile devices feature a robust output bearing in a Zero Backlash package. * Zero maintenance * Three models * "C"...

Model-to-catalog integration.
September 1, 2001... Dynamic CAD models can now be installed into online catalogs with 3D PartStream.NET. The resulting models can be viewed, translated, configured and downloaded by customers. The current version permits batch uploads, and can handle SolidWorks,...