Suspension

Ring-spring friction springs absorb and dampen high kinetic energy of a moving mass in a relatively small space.

Machined springs can provide linear-deflection rates. There are no internal stresses to overcome before deflection occurs, which can be the case with traditional springs.

Machined springs from Helical Products Co. Inc. have features cut from a solid blank of material.

Viscoelastic materials keep fragile components and assemblies out of harm's way.

Polyurethane foam technology from BASF Corp., Mount Olive, N.J. (www.basf.com/usa), may obsolete metal furniture springs.

Tiny networking devices from Millennial Net, Cambridge, Mass., let sensors and other control appliances connect over low data-rate wireless networks, without batteries.

Advances in controls and networks combined with components that pack more punch have opened the door to more-precise, durable, and economical pneumatic systems.

A new technique developed by Purdue University uses vibrations to pinpoint damage in composite materials likely to be used in future military vehicles.

Loosening up specs can boost spring precision.

In many industrial settings, engineers want highly accurate output speeds from a high-speed servomotor.

SC2 Heavyweight II Series shock absorbers from Ace Controls Inc.

Industrial shock absorbers can be used to slow heavy loads at low velocities.

A simple stamping in the shape of a dome with cloverlike cutouts gives engineers a new type of disc-shaped spring.

With twice the thrust of a single-bore cylinder, the STP linear motion slide series have internal and external shock pads to eliminate metal-to-metal contact.

In many industries, including chemicals, ceramics, plastics, and foods, an important part of manufacturing and processing is to separate dry or wet materials by size.