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Supercar of the skies: Autodesk Alias design

Learn how Hill Helicopter is using Autodesk Alias to design the innovative HX50, the "supercar of the skies." The next-gen, private copter marries high-end automotive and aero design and materials to create a futuristic flying five-seat SUV for a discriminating clientele. A neat insider look.
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CNC machining: How to avoid high costs on thin walls

Parts that are light and strong are crucial to nearly every industry. To achieve better performance without risking part failure, parts must maintain a specific wall-height-to-thickness ratio and wall-height-to-length ratio. Additionally, some geometries and supports can support thin walls to achieve a lighter component weight. Dive deeper into the cost drivers behind CNC-machined thin walls in this Xometry design-for-manufacturing article.
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Before you design your next application, try this

Smalley's industry-leading Spirolox^® Retaining Rings feature a gapless design with 360° of retaining surface. Unlike other rings, Spirolox has no protruding ears to interfere with mating components in your assembly! The highly versatile Spirolox rings are also groove-interchangeable with circlips, meaning they can replace circlips without any design changes. Are you ready to try the Smalley Advantage? Request your free samples today!
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No-cost courses in fastener technology

Master the theory of fastener design to expand your product knowledge and become an even better and more efficient design engineer. PennEngineering's PEM FastenerClass^® courses aim to give participants insight into peer and competitor techniques, a better understanding of loads and stress analysis, and enhanced career opportunities -- all beyond the basics of fastener design, selection, and installation. Self-clinch, threads, press-in inserts, surface-mount options, and sheet-to-sheet are only a few of the many topics covered.
See what courses are offered.

Engineer's Toolbox: The secret to living hinges that fold flat

Living hinges are often used to produce a container and its lid as a single molded part. If properly designed, they can open and close thousands of times without ever losing strength or flexibility. Protolabs provides valuable tips on designing these (sometimes thin and fragile) parts.
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EXAIR's new Catalog 36: BETE products and a comprehensive guide to industrial solutions

EXAIR is excited to introduce Catalog 36 -- a full-color, in-depth resource designed to help businesses tackle conveying, cooling, cleaning, blowoff, drying, coating, and static control challenges. This latest edition features an expanded selection of products, technical guides, certifications, and expert insights to help manufacturers optimize their operations. A new addition is BETE's robust lineup of precision spray solutions. Catalog 36 is also a valuable reference for industry standards, safety best practices, and energy conservation techniques in compressed air systems.
Get your EXAIR Catalog 36 today.

Telescopic rail system is PTFE-free

igus has introduced an aluminum version of its drylin NT-60 telescopic rail, eliminating the use of polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE) and over 100 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This rail system extends up to 2 m and is suitable for many applications, including vehicles, furniture, and medical technology. Despite incorporating a new, PTFE-free plain bearing, the drylin NT-60-4 telescopic rail does not compromise performance.
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Top Product: 3M Friction Shims -- Why have more than 300 million been sold?

3M Friction Shims are small, thin steel shims with a big impact. They can increase maximum load and peak torque in bolted connections without additional fasteners or redesigns. What else makes them so popular -- and so useful?
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Improving high RPM performance with Revolox self-locking rings

Join a Smalley engineer as they explore innovative solutions for high RPM applications. This video delves into the challenges of high rotational speeds and highlights the unique features that make the Revolox^® self-locking retaining ring a reliable choice. Smalley's retaining rings are designed to enhance performance and longevity in demanding applications.
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Now available: Boker's new 2025 Catalog & Calendar

Boker's, Inc. has two new valuable resources available to help design engineers and procurement managers overcome engineering challenges: the 2025 Stampings & Washers Catalog and the 2025 Scheduling Calendar. The Catalog outlines the company's expansive line of more than 32,000 non-standard washer sizes, spacers, and shims that are available with no tooling charges, and the company's vast stamping capabilities. The Scheduling Calendar offers an at-a-glance, 15-month view of January 2025 through March 2026. Reverse side has a metric conversion chart.
Get your catalog and calendar today.

What are Crossed Roller Bearings?

Learn all about HIWIN Crossed Roller Bearings that are three to four times more rigid than standard bearing solutions and are capable of handling loads in the axial, radial, and moment directions. They consist of an outer ring, an inner ring, and a plurality of rollers and spacers. The roller lies between the inner and outer ring with the spacers placed between the rollers to prevent the mutual friction between them, thereby decreasing the torque resistance for rotation. Many options are available depending on the level of rigidity needed.
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How Reell electric wrap spring clutches work

Electric wrap spring clutches are ideally suited for critical timing applications requiring consistent, repeatable engagement and disengagement performance. Wrap spring technology used in Reell clutches provides the capability to transmit a large amount of torque in a small size -- package sizes smaller than other clutch technologies such as friction disk, tooth, or magnetic particle. Reell's technology has very positive engagement characteristics and also limits the effects of wear.
Read this informative Reell article.

Engineer's Toolbox: All about lead screws and how to apply them

Lead screws use the helix angle of the thread to convert rotary motion to linear motion. Learn all about their benefits, performance characteristics, design choices, lifecycles, and more in this in-depth article from Thomson Industries.
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Achieve higher loads with a round wire Wave Spring

Wavo^® springs are produced from round-section wire to provide higher loads while maintaining the accurate loading found in wave springs. As an alternative to Belleville Springs, the Wavo provides similar loads but with an accurate, predictable spring rate. Available in carbon and stainless steel from stock, sizes range from 1/2" to 6" diameters. Free samples are also available!
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Eco-friendly thermoplastic: Light, rigid, strong, damping

Polyplastics has launched PLASTRON^® LFT (Long Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic) RA627P, an eco-friendly composite of polypropylene (PP) resin and long cellulose fiber that delivers low density, high specific rigidity, high impact strength, and excellent damping for a range of applications including audio components and housings of industrial components. LFT exhibits 10% lower density than 30% short glass fiber-reinforced PP resin, roughly the same flexural modulus, and a specific rigidity that is higher.
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Rolls-Royce recycling military jet engine components into powdered metal for 3D printing

Rolls-Royce has been involved in a first-of-its-kind recycling initiative that has turned old Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado components into powdered metal, which has then been used to 3D print new parts for a prototype engine. The recycling project is called Tornado 2 Tempest.

[Credit: Image courtesy of Rolls-Royce]

 

 

The Tornado was a twin-engine, variable-sweep-wing, multi-role combat aircraft that was retired by the UK's RAF in the early 2010s. The fighter jet was replaced by the next-gen Eurofighter Typhoon. The Typhoon's successor is already being worked on. It will be called Tempest (hence the recycling project's name Tornado 2 Tempest). The Tempest combat air platform is a cornerstone of Rolls-Royce's Grow Combat strategic initiative.

The new Tempest fighter jet (projected to enter service in 2035) is getting a new engine too. Rolls-Royce has been working on a small gas turbine demonstrator (prototype) engine called Orpheus.

Many of the U.K. Ministry of Defence's (MOD) surplus assets, such as spare and broken components, contain strategic metals that include high-quality steel, aluminum, and titanium. Efforts to recoup these materials in new, usable forms are of growing importance.

The Tornado 2 Tempest project team came together to identify whether some of these old Tornado fighter jet components "could be atomized into powders" (feedstock) for additive manufacturing to make new parts.

Tornado components containing high quantities of titanium, including jet engine compressor blades from a low-pressure air compressor on Tornado, were cleaned and successfully atomized, resulting in powders that were used to create a 3D-printed nose cone and compressor blades.

Working as one team, Rolls-Royce installed the 3D-printed nose cone onto an Orpheus test engine and ran it at test conditions to demonstrate the part's suitability and safety for future use, with positive results.

The project was led by Defence Equipment and Support's (DE&S) Defence Recycling & Disposals Team (DRDT) in partnership with the MOD FCAS team, Rolls-Royce, and Additive Manufacturing Solutions Limited (AMS) based in Lancashire, England.

The project's successful results demonstrate that turning old parts into new ones is viable for high-value materials and could bring important benefits to the UK's military building efforts, especially through increasing the accessibility of strategic metals to the UK defense industry and suppliers.

Source: Rolls-Royce

Published February 2025

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