Product Design & Development articles from April 2005

Product Design & Development archives from April 2005

Portable datalogger.(PD&D Exclusive)
April 1, 2005... The OM-DAQPRO-5300 is an eight-channel portable data acquisition and logging system with graphic display and built-in analysis functions. The datalogger is powered by an internal rechargeable battery and is capable of sampling, processing, and...

Non-clogging flowmeter.(First Look: Smart Products and Technical Tools for Engineers)
April 1, 2005... The ST75 Series flowmeter measures and monitors air or gas flows in line sizes from 0.25 to 2.0 in. with a single instrument and provides three outputs of the mass flow rate, totalized flow, and media temperature. Combining a non-clogging,...

Measurement platform.(First Look: Smart Products and Technical Tools for Engineers)
April 1, 2005... Series 2600 System SourceMeter instruments feature a new platform that is designed to significantly lower the cost of testing for a wide range of electronic component producers, including silicon and compound semiconductor manufacturers. Built...

Vacuum motors.(First Look: Smart Products and Technical Tools for Engineers)
April 1, 2005... The 211 vacuum-rated series of motors is capable of up to 16 oz-in, of holding torque depending on stack size. The units are suitable for commercial grade vacuums of [10.sub.Torr] to [10.sub.Torr]. The Nema size 11, 1.8 degree motors measure...

Viewport windows.(First Look: Smart Products and Technical Tools for Engineers)
April 1, 2005... A line of custom sapphire and fused silica windows is available for assembly into viewports. The windows are made through a two-step process that provides a ground window blank, typically sapphire or fused silica, to a user. The blank can then...

Lead-free solder paste.(First Look: Smart Products and Technical Tools for Engineers)
April 1, 2005... A lead-free solder paste, Multicore WS300 is a high-activity, water-washable material with cleaning characteristics. It is suitable for fine-pitch, high-speed printing applications. Multicore WS300 has long open and abandon time capabilities....

Bus bar contacts.(First Look: Smart Products and Technical Tools for Engineers)
April 1, 2005... These 120 A and 350 A bus bar contacts can be used w with Powerpole 120, SB 120, and SB 350 connector families. The new rugged contacts attach directly to a copper bus, while offering a quick disconnect design that minimizes the expense of...

Eco-friendly switches.(PD&D Exclusive)
April 1, 2005... The HP Series of 6-mm eco-friendly tactile designed specifically to meet the RoHS directive, which restricts the use of hazardous substances such as lead and cadmium. This environmentally friendly series of through-hole and surface mount...

Plastic tubing.(Product Review)
April 1, 2005... Plastic tubing is used in countless applications, yet manufacturers keep coming up with new ways to put it together. Much of it is subject to approvals by such entities as FDA, NSF, ISO, and others. This month we have a selection of...

Miniature component tubing.(Product Review)
April 1, 2005... Beswick Engineering has a selection of tubing for different applications. Polyurethane tubing provides flexibility, resistance to kinking and abrasion, superior memory, and elasticity. It resists attack by water, ozone, oil, and grease. IDs...

Conductive fluoroplastic tubing.(Product Review)
April 1, 2005... Conductive fluoroplastic tubing is offered in a variety of sizes and configurations to eliminate and prevent the build-up of static charges. This PTFE conductive tubing has a conductive ID that conforms to AMS-H-27267 with a minimum conductance...

Custom-molded tubing parts.(Product Review)
April 1, 2005... These dip-molded parts made from PVC-based plastisol address problems that can occur with typical tubing and fitting connections. No tubing/fitting connections means there are no opportunities for leaks to occur. Parts arrive ready to install,...

Semi-rigid tubing.(Product Review)
April 1, 2005... Ark-Plas Products manufactures a complete line of semi-rigid tubing for pneumatic and fluid applications. It is available in a variety of materials including Nylon 11, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Nylon 11 resists crushing and abrasion and...

Composite valve lightens burdens on the rough seas: new concept eliminates corrosion and reduces weight.(Engineering At Work)
April 1, 2005... The sea can be rough. No one knows this fact more than the men and women of the United States Navy, whose work is done on waters throughout the world. Their battles, as well as other types of missions, force them to take their ships through...

Robots: flexible automation for a strong economy.(Tech Watch)
April 1, 2005... Just how should American manufacturing react to the cheap foreign labor available overseas? Many people have answered this question by proposing tariffs and organizing boycotts, but others are taking a much more productive and proactive...

Selecting the right cell for portable battery systems: determining the real-world demands on a battery system is only one-half of the cell selection process; picking the right cell manufacturer is the other half.(From The Field)
April 1, 2005... The number of electronics devices being redesigned in portable or handheld versions is growing across industry sectors. These redesigns include life-saving medical equipment, test and measurement tools, and field data collection devices. That...

New roads for engineering composites: technological improvements and better manufacturing processes are taking composites to places they've never been.(Technology Review)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... From flying the friendly skies and cruising down the highway to racing bikes up rocky mountainsides and sailing the seven seas, composite materials can be found just about everywhere. Over the past few years, material and process improvements...

Q&A: probing for machine accuracy.(Questions & Answers)
April 1, 2005... Advances in probing technology are having a significant impact on machining accuracies and, thus, cycle times. This month's Q&A delves into a metrology technique called artifact probing. Also known as reference comparison, it is being used for...

Kids design the darnest things.(Focus On Engineering)
April 1, 2005... Do you need a "Tapeler" for our desk? What about a lighted retractable leash for walking your dog in the middle of the night? Perhaps you'd like to listen to the radio on your computer--in our mouse? These are just a few of the ideas high...

Process-intensive industrial controllers.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Engineers building processing-intensive control applications can triple processing performance with a new family of Compact FieldPoint controllers. The cFP-2100 controllers include a 200 MHz Pentium-class Vega processor that, when combined with...

Micro-miniature chip inductors.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... A new series of micro-miniature chip inductors has been added to a line of surface mount and through-hole coils, chokes, inductors, and transformers. PM0402T and PM0603T chip inductors are designed to provide tight inductance tolerance with...

Australian enclosure outlets.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Three new splash- and dust-resistant Australian enclosure outlets can be panel-mounted. The Australian enclosure outlets are IP rated for dust and splashing water (IP 66). They can be used for connection to equipment rated from 10 to 20 A with...

High-speed actuator.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The Type VIA actuator is designed to have few components and a low overall cost. It incorporates patented caged technology, a QZ Lubricator, and electro-mechanical components. The QZ Lubricator is incorporated to ensure optimal lubrication...

Flat and trackless cable.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... A line of high-flex flat cable and trackless cable includes all of the components necessary to drive and control a motion system. Included are shielded/unshielded power and signal, video, Ethernet, IEEE 1394, and pneumatic lines. The...

Brush-commutated motors.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Pittman Series 6000 22-mm brush-commutated iron-core dc motors are suitable for applications requiring the power of an "ironless core" or "coreless" motor, without the associated cost. Typical applications include equipment for data storage,...

Analog rocker switches.(From the Cover)
April 1, 2005... New AR4 and AR5 Series analog rocker switches feature a contactless sensing design, which gives an accurate, proportional output suitable to off-road machinery. With a life of more than one million cycles (greater than or equal to 1.5 million...

Hydraulic position sensors.(From the Cover)
April 1, 2005... Built on the Temposonics MH position sensor, a new comprehensive line of mobile hydraulic position sensors is available. Beginning with an enhanced version of the existing MH sensor, the M-Series family includes solutions designed for smaller...

Pushbutton switches.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... A line of IP Series pushbutton switches is designed for harsh environments. The IP Series models can be used for applications that require an ergonomic interface in electrical/electronic, medical, instrumentation, and control equipment...

Ball screw drive.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... A high-performance ball screw is available in a rigid aluminum housing to drive motion at speeds up to 96 m/min, even in extreme environments. Available in ball screw accuracy classes 5, 7, and 9, and in sizes 20x, 32x, and 40x, the AGK is...

Limit controller.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The SA100L 16th DIN limit controller has an optional DIN rail mounting socket. It provides circuit protection in processes with safety concerns or where products may be affected in an "over or under temperature" condition. The unit is available...

Upgraded PLM software.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... SolidEdge Version 17 is the newest version of the 3D CAD system designed for the mainstream product lifecycle management market. It features a four-step "evolve to 3D" approach that helps users migrate to a 3D environment in a non-disruptive...

Epoxy resin system.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... A new non-halogenated epoxy resin system, called EP21HTFR-1, offers flame resistance and minimal smoke generation even upon prolonged exposure to open flames. Based upon new proprietary technology, EP21HTFR-1 is a two-component epoxy resin...

Surge suppressor.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The Ground Transient Terminator (GTT) is designed for electrical transient and surge suppression for electronic equipment. At the device level it can be safely installed on the ground line in order to eliminate one of the common causes of...

Industrial pumps.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... D/G35 Kel-Cell Series industrial pumps are available as standard with patented Diaphragm Position Control (DPC) technology for greatly enhanced pump performance, reliability, and durability. This technology reduces by up to 90 percent the...

Pinch clamp.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... With one hand and a simple finger squeeze from any angle, the Easy Open pinch clamp can easily be opened or closed. Completely eliminated is the need for two hands to open the pinch clamp, or the difficult hand and thumb movements typically...

ISD board.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The ISD board is designed to measure air temperature and velocity from two independent sensors. The ISD's sensors provide high-speed data rates via analog voltage outputs that range from 0 to 5 V per sensor. The board can be used to control...

Non-isolated converters.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... Three new non-isolated NFA Series dc-dc converters have been added to the Volant family of point-of-load (POL) products. Available in industry standard packages with a surface mount, open frame, PTH (pin through hole) design, the new NFA Series...

Zero-backlash couplings.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... A line of zero-backlash motion control couplings includes Discflex miniature disc units. Offered in both single- and double-disc styles, the disc couplings are an assembly of two anodized aluminum hubs, a center spacer (double disc style only),...

Low ESR supercapacitors.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... BestCap (battery energy saving technology capacitor) Series electrochemical supercapacitors are high voltage low ESR pulse supercapacitors. Offering high power pulse characteristics due to the combination of high capacitance and ultra low ESR,...

Disposable static mixer.(New Products)
April 1, 2005... The Hi Flow Turbo is a square geometry, disposable static mixer. This mixer enables high flow rates with minimal effort. It allows users to mix adhesives and sealants with ease. The flow inverters effectively channel the fluids from the walls...

Developed to enable quick, imaginative design considerations and use of key CompactPCI components for designers and engineers, a new designers' kit is offered by Bivar Inc.(Designers' Kit)
April 1, 2005... Developed to enable quick, imaginative design considerations and use of key CompactPCI components for designers and engineers, a new designers' kit is offered by Bivar Inc. The new kit includes various styles of Bivar's newest CompactPCI...

A new full-color 104 page catalog is available on Oil-Rite Lubrication Equipment featuring PurgeX centralized lubrication systems.(Catalogs & Guides)
April 1, 2005... A new full-color 104 page catalog is available on Oil-Rite Lubrication Equipment featuring PurgeX centralized lubrication systems. Complete "turnkey" systems are available for immediate delivery. The catalog also features a line of level gages,...

Suhner Manufacturing Inc. has made available its new flexible shaft/bevel gear catalog.(Catalogs & Guides)
April 1, 2005... Suhner Manufacturing Inc. has made available its new flexible shaft/bevel gear catalog. It contains complete information in 88-pages on flexible shafts and assemblies, spiral bevel gears, and electric/pneumatic motors. This new catalog offers...

Boker's Inc. is offering free samples of its non-standard size washers and spacers.(Spacer Samples)
April 1, 2005... Boker's Inc. is offering free samples of its non-standard size washers and spacers. A sample pack that includes several samples in a variety of sizes and materials is available. The samples represent just a few of more than 19,000 washers and...

AutoCAD users who need to work with multiple versions of DWG files can work confidently with any DWG file, regardless of the AutoCAD version that produced it, without suffering error messages or being forced to upgrade to a new software version.(Online Offerings)
April 1, 2005... AutoCAD users who need to work with multiple versions of DWG files can work confidently with any DWG file, regardless of the AutoCAD version that produced it, without suffering error messages or being forced to upgrade to a new software...

Alias has released Alias Studio 12 Personal Learning Edition (PLE), a comprehensive, edition of its industrial design software tools that allows everyone, from novice design students through to experienced industrial designers, the ability to discover the benefits of Studio 12.(Online Offerings)
April 1, 2005... Alias has released Alias Studio 12 Personal Learning Edition (PLE), a comprehensive, edition of its industrial design software tools that allows everyone, from novice design students through to experienced industrial designers, the ability to...

Misumi USA Inc. has made its inch-sized component line and enterprise-wide parts library available at www.misumiusa.com.(Online Offerings)
April 1, 2005... Misumi USA Inc. has made its inch-sized component line and enterprise-wide parts library available at www.misumiusa.com. This online resource enables time-pressed design engineers to search, download, share, and store the configurable 2D and 3D...

A new automotive electronics connector application guide from FCI provides designers with an overview of the new and expanded FCI product offerings.(Automotive Guide)
April 1, 2005... A new automotive electronics connector application guide from FCI provides designers with an overview of the new and expanded FCI product offerings. The guide focuses on connector applications in the engine and passenger compartments. The guide...

Electronic catalogs.(Free Stuff)
April 1, 2005... Allied Electronics has released its 2004/05 annual catalog containing 1,672 pages, including a new product category--pneumatics. The Allied 2004/05 Catalog contains more than 97,000 products, all in stock and available for same day shipping. An...