Materials • advanced

igus has developed a new material for its ball transfer units to protect conveyed goods and people from uncontrolled static electricity discharge. The new material, tribo-polymer xirodur F182 ball, has proved its electrostatic conductivity in tests. Users rely on ball tables for transducers in roller conveyors and the transport of sensitive goods. Ball transfer units…

Toray, Industries Inc., a global leader in polymer chemistry, organic synthetic chemistry, and biotechnology, announces the North America availability of TOYOLAC Transparent ABS Resin for medical applications. Toray was the first and is the world’s largest manufacturer of transparent ABS Resin. With newly expanded production capabilities and customer support including distribution throughout the United States,…

This webinar was presented live on Tuesday, August 27, 2019. Click below to watch it on demand.     Rapid manufacturing allows for complex injection molding techniques with overmolding and insert molding processes. In this webinar, see how these multi-material processes work, learn about the key design considerations for prototyping and low-volume production, and examine…

Register with code SIEMENS19 for a Free Expo Hall Pass or $50 off a Full Conference Pass Hannover Fairs USA and Deutsche Messe, the organizers of the world’s largest manufacturing show HANNOVER MESSE and its North American edition, HANNOVER MESSE USA, have announced that Siemens, a global leader in the fields of industrial automation and…

Not only is the Robot Operating System the standard for research, but it is also increasingly the foundation for commercial robots. Here are 10 ROS-based companies, plus some honorable mentions.

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. announces the new Gore fiber optic cables, 1.8 mm Simplex with high impact-resistance for extreme defense aircraft environments. This version is proven to exceed new stringent JN1177 and EN4641-301 industry standards for more durability while maintaining high-bandwidth data and video transmission on 10-Gb avionics networks. With a unique buffering […]

Robots and prosthetic devices may soon have a sense of touch equivalent to, or better than, the human skin with the Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin (ACES), an artificial nervous system developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The new electronic skin system has ultra-high responsiveness and robustness to damage, and can be…

The Fischer Freedom technology platform launched in June 2018 by Fischer Connectors, continues to gain international recognition among the company’s peers throughout the electronics world. Within a single year, the Fischer LP360 connector — the first product of the technology platform — has won two “Best Product of the Year” awards in 2019, and two […]

Long-established technology of Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) is being challenged in various markets by fast-emerging, highly advanced science of blue light scanning. By Matthew Martin, Exact Metrology For more than 50 years, the benchmark for accuracy in measuring solid objects, whether machined, molded, die cast, welded or forged, was the coordinate measuring machine. Using a […]

Master Bond EP21TP-2NV is a two part epoxy polysulfide formulated for use as an adhesive, sealant and potting system. It withstands prolonged exposure to many harsh chemicals including fuels, oils, hydrocarbons, and hydraulic fluids. It is also fully RoHS compliant, meeting RoHS3 Directive (EU) 2015/863. EP21TP-2NV offers an elongation between 40-80% at room temperature and…

Two leading manufacturing centres of excellence in the UK have been named as the first to install additive manufacturing technology developed by Desktop Metal, a company committed to making metal 3D printing accessible to global manufacturers and engineers. World top 100 academic establishment the University of Sheffield, and global engineering solutions firm Weir Group, are […]

America Makes announced that its third America Makes Satellite Center will be located on the campus of the Institute’s Platinum-level member, Wichita State University (WSU) within the facilities of the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) in Wichita, Kan. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between America Makes, which is managed by the National Center for […]

PTC ASIA, the leading tradeshow in Asia for power transmission and fluid technology, runs again from October 23-26, 2019 in the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). The event covers a display area of 100,000 sq-m and features the exhibit categories electrical and mechanical drives, fluid technology, ball bearings, and motors and engines — as…

A lot of people have lower limb mobility impairments, but there are few wearable technologies to enable them to walk normally while performing tasks of daily living. XoSoft, a European funded project, has brought together partners from all over Europe to develop a flexible, lightweight and resource-efficient soft exoskeleton prototype. Frail elderly, incomplete spinal cord…

When designing actuators involves too many variables for humans to test by hand, this system can step in.

New MIT system of contracting fibers could be a boon for biomedical devices and robotics.

Xometry, an on-demand manufacturing marketplace, announced that Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC) will join the recently announced Series D round. RBVC joins Greenspring Associates, Dell Technologies Capital, BMW i Ventures, Foundry Group, GE Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, Maryland Venture Fund and Almaz Capital as investors in the round. This additional investment brings the total amount […]

Royal DSM announced a collaboration with Briggs Automotive Company (BAC), the British supercar manufacturing company based in Liverpool. The two companies will co-develop innovative 3D printing applications for the new BAC Mono R and showcase the potential of additive manufacturing to reduce weight and increase customization in the automotive industry. Both companies are convinced that […]

Researchers at TU Delft have developed soft actuators that could help soft robots collaborate with humans.

There are several industries where corrosion resistance is important, but not all bearings are suited for use in environments with moisture, acids, gases, and other potentially damaging substances. Corrosion can lead to several problems that range from bearing damage that impacts performance and part lifespan to product contamination. These issues make it important to identify […]

While bearings are most commonly made of metal, there are other materials that offer some distinct advantages depending on the needs of an application. Plastic bearings are versatile components that can come in several different forms, including deep groove, thrust, angular contact, and miniature bearings. Manufactured in a range of styles, the use of plastic […]

Several 3D printing and additive technologies, such as the powder bed and stereolithograpy technologies, primarily build solid objects.  The benefits of solid objects are that they are usually strong and resistant to breakage.  But they are also costly because of the amount of material used to build them.  Another potential drawback is that excess material […]

Years ago, MIT Professor Neil Gershenfeld had an audacious thought. Struck by the fact that all the world’s living things are built out of combinations of just 20 amino acids, he wondered: Might it be possible to create a kit of just 20 fundamental parts that could be used to assemble all of the different…

Solar Atmospheres recently installed another unique, all-metal hot zone vacuum furnace at its 1969 Clearview Road facility in Souderton, PA. This is Solar’s third all-metal hot zone furnace installation for their climate-controlled room.  The additional furnace increases Solar’s capacity for processing sensitive materials such as PH stainless, nickel-chrome based superalloys, titanium, and ferritic and austenitic…

TE Connectivity has introduced an extension of its VAL-U-LOK connector product line that increases the maximum current rating from 9 to 13 A in the broadly accepted 4.2-mm centerline spacing connector system. TE’s new 13A VAL-U-LOK connectors support high current requirements for wire-to-board and wire-to-wire connections in a wide range of applications where power must […]