Mechatronics, the joining of mechanical and electrical components is welcoming a new member to the partnership — materials — to create mechmatronics. Mechmatronics is the integration of smart materials with mechanical systems and electronics. Adding smart materials — different material systems that can not only affect a motor or gears, but alter shape through heat or a magnetic field, can improve overall efficiency. General Motors is currently exploring this field with a magnetorheological fluid in shock absorbers and clutches. Alan I. Taub, the executive director of the company's Research and Development offers a vision into new automotive trends in the 21st century in this article from the Materials Research Society.

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Whether a solution is required for new applications, redesigns of existing apparatus, or retrofit and replacement, AST's high-quality bearings remain unsurpassed. Our products are used in numerous aerospace applications, medical and dental equipment, power tools, X-Y plotters, motion control systems, scientific miniature and micro-miniature instrumentation, and many other industrial applications. More information.

Since 1964, MS Bellows has designed and manufactured bellows and assemblies for critical applications in field ranging from aerospace to medicine. We provide:
• Bellows Form and Function Design
• Assembly Techniques Design
• Package Envelope Layout Design
• State-of-the-Art Manufacturing Techniques
• Stringent Quality Control
For information — www.msbellows.com

Take your mechanical designs to new levels and create models previously not possible with the sophisticated, new design tools found in Mechanical Pack for TurboCAD v12 Professional from IMSI/Design:

• Bending, Facet Offset, and Parametric Hole Creator
• Pattern Constraints of 2D Entities
• Enhanced Part Tree Functionality
• And Many More!

Roller, needle, radial, ball, and thrust bearings are only a few of the different types of bearings available for engineering designs. Then there are materials, load ratings, grove or radial, and fatigue. So where can you find out all about bearings? Check out this Bearing Engineering and Knowledge Application Menu.

Bronze bearings have been operating in equipment for decades, often outlasting the machinery itself. The keys to proper bearing selection include understanding the service environment, designing for proper lubrication, and selecting the best bearing material for the job. This Copper Development Association paper serves as a guide for machinery design.

There are five operating conditions that must be known to properly select seals for a mechanical application — liquid, pressure, temperature, liquid characteristics, and reliability and emission issues. Failure of the shaft seal, for example, is the leading cause of pump downtime. This Application Note serves as a guide for engineers involved in mechanical seal selection.

Do you want screen printing on your gaskets? What kind of coatings do you need? Or is laminating better? And how the heck is it going to be installed? The Gasket Fabricators Association offers a PDF file of gasket enhancements complete with advantages, discussion of the enhancement, and photo examples.

Niagara Gear Corporation is an established, world class precision gear grinding manufacturer, utilizing the latest in gear grinding technology. Our Gear Grinding capabilities include: to AGMA Class 15 with crowning; up to 12 in. diameter; and from 38 DP through 4 DP. More info...

Improve your assembly process with threaded assemblies. Two and three-piece SEMS and fastener products, quality cold-headed fasteners, machine screws, sheet metal/tapping screws, weld screws, rivets, specialty screws, thumb screws, metric/unified threads, and socket cap screws. We offer custom design, manufacture, and services including: heat-treating, plating, and coating with the fastest turnaround in the industry.

Durlon 8300 is our premium grade, multi-service, high strength carbon and NBR gasket sheet designed to handle the extremes of pressure and temperature. Specifically designed for applications commonly found in the power generation and chemical processing industries, the Durlon 8300 maintains excellent sealability during thermal cycling... more info

Hobson & Motzer is your single source for quality critical precision metal stampings and assemblies. This anvil is used for medical stapling. The anvil has 138 pockets and is made from 300 series stainless steel. All of the components in this picture are welded together in our laser welding manufacturing cells.

Just fill in the blanks — the wire diameter and the outside diameter, how many coils, how long, and how elastic — in this compression spring calculator and you'll find what you're looking for, even custom designs. The iCrank.com site even offers tips and suggestions for using the tool and ordering the spring you need.

Have you hit your endurance limit in an angular relationship? Don't get torqued. But it would help to know your stress range and natural frequency. No, we're not talking advice from Dr. Phil here, but an easy-to-use glossary of spring technology that may keep your designs from disobeying Hooke's Law.

A simple tool — a bulk solid feeder — is not so simple to design, especially when dealing with foods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. There are multiple requirements — hygienic or explosion proof, materials fed, operating environments, even regulatory requirements. Check out the design guidelines for these feeders in this white paper from Schenck AccuRate.

Embedded Magnetic Domain (EMD) technology is a blending of magnetic induction and electronic processing techniques to determine torque and angle on power tool shafts. To monitor wear on machinery, these sensors can be added to tools with no contact and at least 10 mm from the shaft. EMD can be added to existing machines or as part of a new design according to the article in Modern Machine Shop.

The HD Series are designed for OEMs, Machine Builders, and End Users requiring a robust positioning solution they can count on. Parker Hannifin's New HD Series Linear Positioners are easy to apply, install, and maintain.
View all of Parker Hannifin / Electromechanical's products here...

The load capacity is clearly one of the most important factors evaluated when choosing a heavy duty drawer slide. Rollon's TELESCOPIC RAIL drawer slides combine high load capacity with compact dimensions. TELESCOPIC RAIL drawer slide have stiffer and higher quality design but with a similar capacity.

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

Be part of the mechanical engineering team that brings specialty printing systems, such as fixed head high-speed printers, to the industrial market. This may be the job if you've got at least three years experience with a focus on inkjet technology and are looking for a fulltime position in San Diego, CA.

Registration is now open for the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) International Mechanical Engineering Congress November 5-10 conference being held in Chicago. Program topics include biomedical and safety systems, design and manufacturing, fluids engineering, homeland security, micro- and nano-scale electrical and mechanical systems, and process industries, among others.

According to the U.S. Patent Office, in order to receive a patent, the invention must be "novel, non-obvious, and useful." If that's the case, how did a stick animal toy receive a patent; only one of hundreds of crazy patents. How about an inclining coffin or a chin putter on your holiday gift list this year?

The Library of Congress has a collection of films, "Inside an American Factory: Films of the Westinghouse Works, 1904." Download these movies in several different formats, showing the inside workings of the plants as employees perform their jobs, as well as exterior shots of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company and the Westinghouse Machine Company.

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