PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY FILE
‘NEXT GENERATION’ 3D PRINTER LAUNCHED
Ultimaker has launched the next generation of its 3D printing product line – the Ultimaker 3. According to the company, with the
new machine it is possible to print an unlimited number of geometry options thanks to the new dual extrusion system that allows the freedom to produce more complex outputs in a full range of engineering materials – including Nylon and dissolvable PVA, and two colour. In addition, its material-matching
print core design enables users to switch cores optimised for Ultimaker’s own
A NEW RANGE OF BALL VALVES FOR HYGIENE-SENSITIVE APPLICATIONS
Designed to be easy to clean, Eisele’s new stainless steel ball valves are said to be ideal for hygiene applications in the food processing industry.
industry-grade materials in seconds. Furthermore, smart material detection through NFC technology, as well as active bed levelling, tunes the printer to the best possible settings for specific materials and corrects level errors. The machine also features
Wi-Fi capabilities, and USB and Ethernet connections. A built-in camera, connected to open source software CURA, allows for remote monitoring of print output.
Ultimaker
https://ultimaker.com
ENERGY HARVESTING SOLUTIONS
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has completed a project to create a novel printed energy harvesting device, which will play an important role in the development of packaging with electronic functionality. Powered by near-field communication (NFC) technology,
this will draw energy from the user’s mobile telephone, facilitating the wider adoption of NFC-enabled printed electronic components. The 18 month Innovate UK funded project, entitled ‘HaRFest’,
was led by PragmatIC Printing a long time CPI collaborator and provider of flexible electronics. The resulting harvesting device houses a printed antenna alongside printed passive and active components, including an array of tuning capacitors. The device can be tuned to resonant frequency in
order to maximise harvested power output. This next generation of printed electronic functionality is said to enable product designers to embed electronics into their designs, creating innovative components that are low cost, smarter, lightweight and wireless. Flexible energy harvesting devices have a key role to play
With these, the ball is permanently
enclosed and sealed by two PTFE half-liners; and the inside of the ball valve and the ball seats are completely free of dead zones and micro-machined to minimal roughness, the company explains. These have 1/4-inch threads on both
ends, providing an interface to Eisele Freeline connectors or enabling direct mounting in installations and lines. All Freeline parts with media contact are produced in stainless steel 1.4404. According to the company, they are ideal for connecting tubes of PTFE, PA and FEP as well as for dead zone-free connection of stainless steel pipes. The combination of ball valve and
Freeline connectors can be used for compressed air, vacuum, gases and liquid media in hygiene-sensitive applications or sterile environments. In addition, the Freeline connectors feature advanced holding technology that ensures a reliable seal up to 25 bar and 80˚C.
Eisele
www.eisele.eu
40 NOVEMBER 2016 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS
in high value industries such as pharmaceuticals, where smart packaging that incorporates printed sensors and NFC technology enables manufacturers to improve supply chain monitoring and prevent counterfeiting, and provides customers with usage instructions, quality assurance and shelf life assessment.
CPI
www.uk-cpi.com CONNECTORS WITH
LEVER-SPRING CLAMP ACTION
New from Hylec is the compact HYLK Kwik Lever connector. This, the company explains, features a lever-spring action clamp and can be used with both stranded and solid cables with a maximum conductor size of 4mm (AWG minimum 24, maximum 12), resulting in secure connections within seconds. Of benefit, there are no screws
to tighten – the cable insulation is simply stripped to length, inserted into the Kwik Lever connector and, once the spring lever is flipped, wires are securely and safely retained with even and constant pressure and no damage to the wire.
Thanks to its design, users can
see whether connections are in place correctly, while the levers overlap the end of the housing slightly for comfortable fingertip operation. Checking the electrical connection is simple thanks to the easily accessible testing points. There are also two-, three- and five-way single pole models in the range; and they are rated to 32A, maximum voltage 450V. Applications are in lighting,
power, heating & ventilation, and inside junction boxes.
Hylec
www.hylec-apl.com
NEW TECHNOLOGY RESULTS IN A WIDE RANGE OF LED BACKLIGHT COLOURS
OMC has developed a new technology that enables new LED backlight colours to be produced – including magentas and blue-greens. OMC’s new series of profiled backlights with Active Reflector
Technology produces vivid, next-generation LED backlight colours. Active Reflector Technology utilises photon wavelength up-conversion to produce a wide range of rich colours and pastel shades. The new ART series backlights are available in: crimson red, rose pink, a strong red-orange, bright orange, amber yellow, pastel yellow, high
brightness yellow/green, vivid green, deep green, electric green-blue, a classic rich LED blue and a strong, bright shade of magenta. As these use only one wavelength of emitter per backlight, there is no requirement to mix multiple LED wavelengths, reducing design complexity and lowering costs.
OMC
www.omc-uk.com
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