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A standardized electronic dummy
NIST engineers mixed a polymer with carbon black, a fine powder
almost entirely made of elemental carbon, to create a compound that
mimics the average electrical conductivity of the human body. This mix
is molded into bricks then arranged on a nonconductive fiberglass frame
so that they mimic the mass and height of an average adult American
human man.
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Seal It, Protect It!
 A Smalley Laminar Seal
Retaining Ring is a metallic labyrinth seal consisting of multiple rings
in a groove. To seal an assembly from contamination while withstanding
high temperatures and corrosive environments, laminar rings are produced
from metal, not rubber, neoprene, or other non-metallic materials. The
arrangement of the rings and the specific orientation of the rings are
dictated by the application and the severity of the environment.
Numerous configurations are available; standard sizes from 5/8" to
50".
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Meet Axel the robot
NASA researchers have built a robot that can rappel off cliffs,
travel over steep and rocky terrain, and explore deep craters. Called
Axel, it might help future robotic spacecraft better explore and
investigate foreign worlds such as Mars. It can operate upside down and
right side up and uses only three motors: one to control each of its two
wheels and a third to control a lever. The lever contains a scoop to
gather dirt for study and also adjusts the robot's two stereo cameras. A
short video shows how Axel navigates over obstacles and steep drops.
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It all hinges on this
So you’re designing an enclosure. You look through your old notes,
but it seems you slept through the enclosure design component of
Engineering 101. You assume it can’t be that hard, until you start
looking at all the available hinge, latch, handle, and support options.
Hinges are the first piece of hardware you might think of. After all, a
hinge is essential for access to whatever is inside the enclosure. But
even though hinges appear relatively simple, there are a wide range of
issues to consider.
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And now for some fun
You have to hand it to Johnson Controls for coming up with this
online game. Using a set of common objects, you design a cart that can
traverse rough terrain and deliver coconuts to a shredder. The first
time we tried this our cart dropped all its coconuts.
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Video clip: Isolating shocks and
vibrations
Greg Herman from ITT Enidine and Joe Amshoff from ITT Compact
Automation discuss shock absorbers and vibration isolators with Machine
Design Managing Editor Ken Korane. Running time 6:40.
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Single-piece clutch or brake
A bearing-mounted clutch and brake assembly ships as one piece,
eliminating the need for assembly or adjustment. Universal mount types
come with a flange for mounting a sprocket or pulley, or the unit can be
designed to come with a clutch output.
More Information:
Ogura Industrial
Corp.
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Disc couplings
Torsiflex disc couplings have high-torque, high-reliability, and
zero-maintenance characteristics. The couplings, which operate at 0.26
to 85-kNm loads and speeds of 8,000 to 3,600 rpm (smallest to largest),
are said to last 20 to 30 years. The torsionally stiff and backlash-free
couplings also have an antiflail feature, and can handle significant
levels of angular, radial, and axial misalignment without any loss of
operating performance.
The couplings have no moving parts and require no lubrication. The
presence of oil in the operating environment will not effect coupling
operation. For hostile working environments, special materials and
surface coatings are available, as are spark-free Atex-rated versions
for hazardous environments.
More Information:
Altra Industrial
Motion
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IT'S SALARY SURVEY TIME!!
Find out how you stack up against your peers when it comes to income and
workload by taking a few minutes to fill out the 2009 Machine Design
salary survey. Your confidential response, and the replies of other
readers, will show where you fit in among other design professionals.
Results will be highlighted in our salary survey article in the April 23
issue. Respond to the survey at http://www.zoomerang.com by Friday, Feb 20 and
you're automatically entered into a prize drawing for a $100 American
Express gift card.
Energy Efficiency Web Conference & Expo –
May 14
Do you know you can get in-depth education on energy-efficiency and all
the benefits of an in-person trade show without ever leaving your desk
or spending a dime?
The intelligent use of energy is making headlines. Product designers and
manufacturers are striving to deliver products that consume less power,
extend battery life, generate less heat, or work from alternative energy
sources. Our Energy Efficiency Web Conference and Expo will
educate design engineers, product developers, and managers on how to
make the best use of energy-efficient product innovations and devices,
and on how to arrange them in systems to lower power consumption and
stay "green." This special one-day event will include sessions
on such areas as:
- Power-efficient drive techniques for lighting
- ROI for high-efficiency capital equipment
- Energy monitoring and energy standards
- Designing for SEMI S23 and the Energy Act of 2007
- Working with alternative power and battery technology
Make plans now to attend the Energy Efficiency Web Conference and Expo. The
event offers a full day of live webinars and interactive booths, along
with a Resource Center where visitors can download or link to additional
materials.
Register Now!
Machine Design Video Spotlight
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B&R Automation Remote
Machine Monitor |
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Mark Ostertag from B&R Automation
talks about B&R’s new remote machine monitor and control
software. |
Check Out the New Machinedesign.com
Our newly redesigned web site still features the best content and
information for engineers provided by engineers but with these new great
features.
Multiple Path Navigation
Find content your way. Improved site navigation creates multiple ways to
find the content you are looking for.
Supercharged Search
The search function has been highly improved and tested to provide the
most effective results for engineers.
Highlighted Resources
Looking for CAD drawings? Find them in our CAD Library.
Download whitepapers in the Whitepaper
Library. Valuable educational content is featured in the eBook
section. Check out the latest in editorial and sponsored video
in the Video
section.
UPCOMING WEBCASTS
Take Advantage of Web-based File Sharing
Sponsored by PTC
DATE: March 5th, 2009
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
Collaboration is essential to successful product development in
today’s difficult economy. However, facilitating and managing the
process is growing increasingly difficult. Design teams must
participate from all parts of the world, develop products that are more
complex than ever before, and deal with product-update cycles that move
faster and faster.
Do you have the right CAD collaboration platform?
- Do you use network folders or an FTP site to manage CAD
files?
- Have you experienced trouble locating the latest versions of CAD
files?
- Are you looking for an easy way to collaborate internally?
Companies of all sizes face Product Data Management and Product
Lifecycle Management challenges. Fortunately, quick-to-deploy solutions
can help companies overcome these challenges. In this Webinar, we’ll
explore how design teams in small and medium-size companies can use
these solutions to work concurrently, find the right files, share data
and enable social product development.
Click here to learn more and register!
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click
Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.
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Industrial automation & controls
seminar
Wind River and Danaher Motion will host a free seminar on Feb.26 in
Manhattan Beach, Calif. Topics include which motion controller is best
for your application (PCI or standalone); how to evaluate software
options that support low latency and reliability; designing in C, C++,
C#, Java, net environments, and others; capitalizing on RTOS
environments to support latency, precision, and growth; new development
tools; and other topics.
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Contact Information
Editorial questions: Leslie Gordon
216-931-9242
Advertising/sponsorship opportunities: Virginia Goulding
216-931-9893
Machine Design
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