In many industries, FMEAs are considered drudgery, contributing little – if anything – to valuable technical knowledge of the product design and development process, as well as to process design and continual improvement, while chewing up resources and time in...

An uncertain regulatory climate. Augmenting with electrification. The potential for automated and partially automated vehicle operation. All these trends are affecting the way engine developers are approaching near-term engine design and development cycles. What are the most significant...

A Tech Briefs reader recently asked our industry expert:

Our April Motion Design feature article highlights how manufacturers are reimagining robotics in a connected world, employing processes like real-time analytics, predictive maintenance, online support and diagnostics, and cloud backups.

Applying the stable and repeatable characteristics of lasers to high-powered directed energy applications has ushered in a new era of efficient weapons for the military. The development of these weapons comes with challenges that users of high-powered...

“Seawater is a very abundant resource for clean water, but the problem is how to desalinate it,” MIT researcher Lenan Zhang told Tech Briefs in our April issue.

Most precision optics, whether used in scientific, medical, industrial, or military applications, incorporate some type of thin film coating to enhance their capabilities. This Webinar from the editors of Tech Briefs Media delves into some of the more popular types of coatings, what they do, and how they're...

Metal parts are part of almost every electronic, rocket, and medical device. The parts need to be reliably precise in order for the application to work successfully. This Tech Talk examines the best practices of forming a photochemically etched metal component.

When transporting sealed containers by air, protecting against rapid decompression is a constant concern. Traditionally, spring-actuated valves have been used to address this design challenge. Magnet-actuated valves are a relatively new technology that provide distinct...

Penn Engineering researchers have introduced a "metal-air scavenger" vehicle, which gets energy not from a battery, but from breaking chemical bonds in the aluminum surface it travels over. The technology, which works like both a battery and an energy harvester, has 13 times more energy...

For years the difference between brushless servos and step motors was understood. That has all been blurred with servo vector control of step motors and the growing popularity of smart motors. Understanding these technologies is key to selecting the best product for specific...

Government emission standards have led to the rapid projected growth of EVs, HEVs, and PHEVs, which in turn is leading to the rapid increase in use of large gauge wires and cables. Harness manufacturers must take care to ensure quality connections in the harsh environments where...

Collaborative robots are the fastest growing segment in industrial robotics – for good reason. They’re flexible, easy to program, and when compared to their “older generation” industrial counterparts, far safer and less expensive, as well as faster to deploy. But those who use...