From makers to professional engineers, 3D printing has long been used to develop prosthetics because it can save time and money. It also helps stimulate innovative thinking, which led to this fully functional hydraulic prosthetic arm. Ben Ryan, founder of Ambionics, developed the prosthetic for his two-year-old son, Sol using a Stratasys multi-material, multi-color PolyJet […]
Xuron Corp. Introduces Its Model TK 3300 Radio Control Tool Kit
Xuron Corp. released a portable tool kit that includes three popular hand tools for making field wiring repairs to radio control drones and small UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). The Xuron® Model TK 3300 Radio Control Tool Kit features three ergonomic hand tools for cutting electronics wire up to 12 AWG, control rods and hard wire…
Meller Introduces Sapphire Centrifuge Windows
Meller Optics, Inc. released a line of sapphire UV cell windows for Beckman® centrifuges that simplify field replacement and are impervious to acids, alkalis, plasma, and body fluids. Meller Sapphire Centrifuge Windows are suited for use where chemical-, scratch-, and high-pressure resistance are required. Ideally suited for Beckman® centrifuges and similar instruments, they feature a scribed…
Model Solution delivers prototypes in 7 days
Model Solution is a precision prototyping, tooling and low volume manufacturing service provider with an edge—the company likes to handle challenges, those unusual, custom parts that require out-of-the-box thinking. As part of the Laird group, Model Solution is building a facility in Milpitas, CA. In addition to its custom services, it also offers design validation […]
Lab Researchers 3D Print with High-Performance Carbon Fiber
Lawrence Livermore National Lab researchers have become the first to 3D print aerospace-grade carbon fiber composites, opening the door to greater control and optimization of the lightweight, yet stronger than steel material. The research, published by the journal Nature Scientific Reports online on Feb. 28 represents a “significant advance” in the development of micro-extrusion 3D…
Partnership Yields Better Instrumentation and Enables Better Knowledge About Complex Fluids
Ever wonder why you have to shake your bottle of ketchup or mustard before pouring? Or why, to get out of quicksand, you must move slowly? Or why you can run on the surface of a suspension of cornstarch in water, but you’d sink if you tried to walk on it? The common feature of…
Unique servomotors improve packaging application
High-capacity manufacturing applications are leveraging servomotors and drives in their quest to achieve better efficiency with automation. This is because servomotors are one of the most commonly used motors for precision positioning and load-responsive motion. Servomotors power applications in a wide range of industries, though are most suited for controlling the movement of machines in packaging, […]
How Researchers Are Using The Ocean To Generate Nuclear Energy
Though controversial in some cases, nuclear energy plays a big role in powering homes and grids across the United States. Reactors are up and running in 30 US states, and nuclear energy accounted for 19.5 percent of all electricity generated in the United States in 2015. One of the necessary components used to generate nuclear…
EpoxySet Introduces EB-316M, Versatile, Structural Epoxy
EpoxySet introduced EB-316M, a structural epoxy for bonding and sealing an extensive variety of substrates including metals, ceramic, glass, and many engineered plastics. This room-temperature curing system offers superior strength and can be used continuously at operating temperatures up to 150°C. It is semi-rigid making it excellent for thermal cycling, including passing 500 cycles from…
AT&T Pushes for Global IoT Connectivity through Connected Car Alliance
BARCELONA – AT&T is seeking to extend its Internet of Things influences further afield, pushing for global connectivity in part via a new Bridge Alliance initiative for connected cars. According to the carrier, the newly announced Bridge Alliance consists of a group of Asia Pacific, Middle Eastern, and African carriers that have pledged to help…
Photo Etching Thin Titanium Components from Tech-Etch
Tech-Etch, which specializes in photo chemical etching, introduced a line of titanium components. Because of its low weight, strength, and corrosion resistance, titanium is used in everything from jet engines to eyeglass frames. Titanium is inert and completely biocompatible, making it useful in many medical implantation applications such as maxillofacial and craniofacial reconstruction plates, as well as…
U.S. Air Force Equips Decoy Flight Vehicles with Anti-Jam Capabilities
Raytheon and the U.S. Air Force have finished upgrading and validating Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammers used by B-52 and F-16 aircraft. The work consisted of six flight tests performed at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Raytheon says the upgrades improved the navigation system used by the devices while also fitting them with anti-jam capabilities. Miniature…
SpaceX Says It Will Fly Civilians to the Moon Next Year
Next year, two private citizens are expected to become the first humans in nearly 50 years to fly beyond low Earth orbit and circle the moon, aerospace company SpaceX announced Monday. SpaceX, which has been helping the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration develop a spate of future missions, said the mission will launch in…
Lockheed Martin Gets $1 Billion F-35 Support Contract
Lockheed Martin has secured a $1 billion contract from the U.S. government and other customers to provide various support services for the F-35 aircraft. The contract was awarded by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and other governments participating in the foreign military sales program. Under the agreement, Lockheed Martin will perform several sustainment…
Scientists Forgo Kiln, Bake Ceramics with Pressure
Industrial kilns, the commercial ovens used to fire bathroom tiles and tableware, operate at temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius. Scientists at ETH Zurich have found a way to manufacture equally strong ceramic pieces at room temperature using pressure instead of heat. “The manufacturing process is based on the geological process of rock formation,”…
Science Checkout Continues for ExoMars Orbiter
Next week, the ExoMars orbiter will devote two days to making important calibration measurements at the Red Planet, which are needed for the science phase of the mission that will begin next year. The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), a joint endeavour between ESA and Roscosmos, arrived at Mars on 19 October. During two dedicated orbits…
Michigan Engineering Students Take the Time Capsule to New Heights
Engineering students at the University of Michigan have taken the time capsule to the next level with their very own cubesat, which will orbit Earth for 100 years.
Meet Nima: The Portable Gluten Detector
Close to 15 million people suffer from food allergies, and those numbers are rising. While 90 percent of food-related allergens come from milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat, most of them are treatable if not curable. Gluten allergies, however, lack any effective counteractive methods, and affect around three million Americans. A…
How Augmented Reality Could Find Its Way to The Courtroom
Returning to court to give evidence against their attacker can be a harrowing experience for victims of sexual abuse, and many have described it as like having to experience the abuse all over again. However, the rise of augmented reality and holographic technology – that could bring vulnerable witnesses into court in 3-D instead – could offer a…
Dual Back-Plate MEMS Microphone Design for Highest Performance
In recent years a revolution has been taking place in the world of user interaction with smart devices. The success of Amazon Echo and subsequent release of Google Home are evidence of a new ecosystem of hardware and apps that allow full voice control of our devices. The in-home hardware is supported by cloud-based services…
A Look at Australia’s Upcoming “Network Of The Future”
Telstra, Australia’s largest mobile and telecommunications company, recently unveiled its plans to create the country’s first nationwide Internet of Things (IoT) network. Telstra also announced plans of upgrading its optical networks and upcoming trials testing the network’s 5G capabilities. Telstra collaborated with Swedish-based multi-networking and telecommunications equipment company Ericsson to develop and implement the network…
Sub-6 GHz Spectrum is Better than mmWave for Fixed 5G. Here’s Why
In the telecoms industry all roads have been leading towards 5G for some time now. However, it’s safe to say that 5G mobile technology is still many years away from commercial deployment. Whilst 5G mobility specifications and use case debates rage on, mobile service providers aren’t standing still on the current 4G connectivity standard and…
Dell, VMware Highlight Moves to Fill Telco NFV Needs at MWC
You’ve surely heard their names before, but Dell EMC and VMware are now looking to push their plays in a new arena: the burgeoning world of telco network function virtualization (NFV). At Mobile World Congress this week, both companies were on hand to discuss what they have to offer operators who are increasingly eyeing –…
FCC Chairman Pai Talks ‘a Free and Open Internet’ at Mobile World Congress
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave a keynote address in which he stressed he’s looking to “preserve a free and open internet” but noted utility-style regulations are not necessary to reach that goal. Pai pointed to some regulatory overreach he thought the FCC went into under President Obama’s…
What are engineering technologists … and do we have enough of them?
Leland Teschler, Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @DW_LeeTeschler Those who’ve watched the engineering profession over the years might become suspicious when a prominent scientific organization studies employment in the field. The reason for this wariness arises from previous proclamations from the National Science Foundation which has had a reputation for forecasting fake engineering shortages. One…