Design News for Mechanical and Design Engineers

Portional valve uses armature

Based on Clippard Instruments' EV/ET series electronic valves, this new EVP proportional valve uses different armature and body configurations to allow for variable positioning. Most proportional valves use a sliding armature, which can be subject to limited life. The EV/ET valve uses a variable position armature to extend its life. "The armature is light and moves with little friction, resulting in low power consumption. The accuracy and long life of the valve are attractive attributes for medical applications, such as anesthesia machines, respirators, and ventilators," says Judge Douglas Stamps.

3D modeling with technical guidance

The Alibre Design Professional allows engineers to create precise 3D mechanical designs, make quick changes, and perform what-if analyses and revisions. Complete with integrated data management, a BOM editor, online data sharing, and real-time collaboration, this application also features an on-demand support and technical guidance function, the Alibre Assistant. "It not only provides real-time access to Alibre support engineers who can engage with users in anything from troubleshooting to interactive modeling, but it offers the same capability to connect to support engineers for third party applications," says Judge Dick Miller.

Graphical operating system for GUIs

The Amulet LCD is a 5.7-inch QVGA display panel with an embedded graphical operating system. Amulet's chip integrates a graphic library, dedicated microprocessor, and LCD controller that enables a user to develop GUIs easily. By eliminating the time-consuming and often painstaking processes of contemporary programming methods, precious time and talent is saved because no code writing is involved. Judge Michael Ruane states, "The Amulet LCD addresses important design bottlenecks facing the GUI developer, making attractive GUI development more affordable and giving designers a range of options for improving new and existing systems."

Flat cable without a cable track

Gore's Trackless cable assemblies are high-flex, flat cables that can travel back and forth, up to 60 inches in a rolling flex motion, without a cable carrier. This is achieved by incorporating support elements inside the cable that emulate an endoskeleton that allows it to bend in one direction while preventing it from bending in the opposite direction. Important for applications where space is critical, this hybrid ribbon can support itself over a long enough span to allow it to move back and forth 60 inches without sagging or buckling. Judge Dick Miller states, "The Gore engineers found an elegant way to eliminate issues with the standard cable track found in most applications—they eliminated the entire cable track."

Brush dc motor, smoother operation

ThinGap's TG3300 Series Brush DC Motor uses a motor coil that is made of precision-machined copper sheet. The motor achieves higher copper-packing density and a higher ratio of copper to total volume than that of motors using copper wire, enabling the production of motors with a higher power-to-weight ratio and greater power efficiencies for twice the run time in battery-powered applications. Judge Dick Miller, also says, "Most notably, these scientific accomplishments translate into quality-of-life benefits by making battery powered products lighter and more powerful. Medical applications alone, such as portable oxygen devices, wheelchairs, and mechanical-assist equipment will improve the ambulatory capabilities of disabled or medically impaired patients."

Software for test and control appplications

LabViewTM 7 Express is NI's newest graphical programming language software tool for engineers. The Express virtual instruments (VIs) encapsulate measurement functionality in easy-to-use, interactive VIs. Measurement Assistants and I/O code generation make data acquisition quick and easy and include a step-by-step wizard for configuring, testing, and programming measurement tasks that can automatically generate code for low level customization. "The design process has led to features that will simplify the development of complex virtual instruments for experts, yet ease the use of this product for novices," states Judge Raul G. Longoria.