Improved materials and design practices are putting plastic gears into increasingly demanding applications. One example is increasing use in Europe of plastic actuators at rear wheels that transfer power to parking brake systems. Other automotive uses include gear in doors, where new low-emission grades of polyacetal have been developed.
Any precision gears probably will be custom gears. Design rules for plastic are entirely different than they are for metal. One old problem in plastic gear design is misaligned mating spur and helical gear surfaces. A newly adapted gear design handbook from ABA/PGT of Manchester, CT, describes how to crown gear teeth to avoid the problem. Another good design reference is a downloadable brochure from UFE of Stillwater, MN, that covers "must-ask questions" about plastic gear design.
Click below to read about the latest Plastic Gear product trends:
Inforbix is leveraging its CAD and product data access technology to power up a free iPad app that lets mobile users search and access engineering data.
Unlike his friends in engineering programs, blogger Jon Titus had little need for calculus except in a few of his college physical-chemistry labs and classes.
In the wake of the Chevy Volt fire investigations, sales are down, and General Motors' (GM) CEO Dan Akerson is blaming the downturn on a spate of bad publicity.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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