Honorable Mentions

Self-Locking Ball Bearings

Tad Staniszewski

Asymmetric Fasteners

Hackettstown, NJ

The Self-Locking Ball Bearing (SLB) rigidly mounts to shafts, offers infinite axial adjustments, and instant locking capability. The bearing’s inner ring is made wider than its outer ring to accommodate one nut on each side and features patented asymmetric threads. Both sides are also slotted to allow the nuts to compress the threaded ends. When the bearing is inserted onto the shaft and the nuts are tightened, the continuous incline created by the asymmetric thread produces a large radial clamping force, clamping the slotted sections of the inner ring to the shaft. To unlock the bearing, remove one nut and attach a spanner wrench in the threaded slot to free the opposite nut.

For more information, visit www.asymmetricfasteners.com, or contact the inventor at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Inline Peristaltic Pump

Daniel Brunermer

The Ex One Company

Leechburg, PA

With the Inline Peristaltic Pump, the inlet and outlet port are designed for one fluid in and out, but six tubes inside the housing provide the peristaltic action. The fittings, manifold, and shaft bearing mount are printed as a single piece, with the manifold tubes embedded in the shell. The ends could, however, have provided distribution of a single fluid to many points, or fluids from many points to a single point; any shape or distribution scheme is possible. If the motor is reversible, the installation configurations double. The fittings depicted are all barbs, but any fitting that can be rendered in CAD could be used. The design depicts six tubes for the pump, but this could be expanded or contracted as required. Multiple sizes of tubing could also be designed inside the same pump for applications requiring ratio-metric flow.

Medical Category Winner, "Create the Future" 2007 Design Contest