Stories

0
20940
30
Blog
Coming Attractions
SolidWorks® 2008 3D CAD software from SolidWorks Corp. (Concord, MA) has been named NASA Tech Briefs' Product of the Month for August. The latest version of the software features a new user interface and 3D graphics, an enhancement of the SolidWorks Intelligent Feature Technology (SWIFT), and advanced design analysis...
Blog
Tech Needs of the Week
A company seeks a material that will be used to transmissive-polarize 630-nanometer LED emissions. The material will be cut into flat disks no thicker than 2 mm. Diameters range from 9 mm to 72 mm. Temperature ranges are from -40 to 125 degrees Celsius for operation and -55 to 150 degrees Celsius for storage. Click here to...
Blog
New! Digital Design Center
NASA Tech Briefs has launched the Digital Design Center, sponsored by Autodesk, that provides a one-stop source for the latest information on digital prototyping, simulation, and analysis tools to help designers and engineers design better products faster. The site features CAD and CAE software news, design and...
Excerpts: Manufacturing & Prototyping
This is the first in a series of excerpts from "Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success" by Dr. Ronald Hollis, President, CEO, and Co-founder of Quickparts.com (Atlanta, GA)....
Feature Image
Articles: Electronics & Computers
The production of many electronic devices begins with wafer processing. In addition to complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs), this can include such diverse...
Feature Image
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
The semiconductor industry and automation technology increasingly require more precise and faster machines in order to satisfy growing demands on miniaturization, quality, and manufacturing...
Feature Image
Application Briefs: Imaging
Presto Imaging Software Inmagic Woburn, MA 781-287-6277 www.inmagic.com With every space shuttle mission, hundreds of individuals across NASA need to access extensive...
Feature Image
Application Briefs: Motion Control
The Bugatti Veyron is the world’s fastest street-legal motor vehicle, a high-end passenger car that can reach speeds of more than 200 miles per hour. These high speeds...
Feature Image
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Complex machines in semiconductor manufacturing often have tough performance requirements for motion control. When traditional PLCor PC-based motion controllers fail to...
Feature Image
Application Briefs: Software
MSC Nastran and MSC Adams Enterprise Simulation Software MSC.Software Corp. Santa Ana, CA 714-540-8900 www.mscsoftware.com NASA’s MIDEX Mission THEMIS...
Feature Image
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Theoretical analysis and some experiments have demonstrated that silicon-on-insulator (SOI) 4-gate transistors of the type known as G4FETs could be efficiently used for...
Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
QuickSilver Controls (San Dimas, CA) has released the QuickSilver IGF, a simple servo controller/driver for its line of NEMA 11, 17, and 23 frame high-torque, direct-drive servomotors. The QuickSilver IGF features a DIN...
Feature Image
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
An architecture, and a method of utilizing the architecture, have been proposed to enable error-free operation of a data bus that includes, and is connected to, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) circuits and...
Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Nidec Copal USA Corp. (Torrance, CA) has announced its family of brushless DC sub-miniature fans and blowers suitable for use in office automation machines, video cameras, and portable medical and small industrial...
Feature Image
Briefs: Software
Program Merges SAR Data on Terrain and Vegetation Heights
X/P Merge is a computer program that estimates ground-surface elevations and vegetation heights from multiple sets of data acquired by the GeoSAR instrument [a terrain-mapping synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system that operates in the X and P bands]. X/P Merge software combines data from X-...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Elmo Motion Control (Westford, MA) has announced the integration of its SimplIQ core servo technology with plug and play capabilities into the Duet series of brushless DC servo motors. The Duet can support resolver feedback,...
Feature Image
Briefs: Information Technology
Two Algorithms for Processing Electronic Nose Data
Two algorithms for processing the digitized readings of electronic noses, and computer programs to implement the algorithms, have been devised in a continuing effort to increase the utility of electronic noses as means of identifying airborne compounds and measuring their concentrations. One...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Linear Actuator
Bishop-Wisecarver Corp. (Pittsburg, CA) has released the SRX-150, an aluminum profile linear actuator in belt- or ball-screw-driven versions. Both versions are available in 400, 600, 1000, 1500, and 1900 mm stroke lengths. The SRX-150 provides to 66kN dynamic load capacity, roll moment capacity to 3,380 Nm, and speeds to 5 m/s. A...
Briefs: Software
General-Purpose Front End for Real-Time Data Processing
FRONTIER is a computer program that functions as a front end for any of a variety of other software of both the artificial intelligence (AI) and conventional data-processing types. As used here, "front end" signifies interface software needed for acquiring and preprocessing data and making the...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
TOPBALL® slide products from NB Corp. (Hanover Park, IL) offer 27 times more travel life to automation equipment, machinery, optical, and measuring instruments. Since the slide products have three times the load capacity,...
Feature Image
Briefs: Semiconductors & ICs
It has been proposed to equip future microprocessors with electronic cumulative timers, for essentially the same reasons for which land vehicles are equipped with odometers (total-distance-traveled meters)...
Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Midwest Motion Products (Watertown, MN) has released the Model MMP-TM55-12V GPk52-124, a DC gearmotor that accepts any 12-volt DC source including battery power. This gearmotor measures 2.14" in diameter by 7.7" in length, and has...
Feature Image
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Nanocomposite Photoelectrochemical Cells
Improved, solid-state photoelectrochemical cells for converting solar radiation to electricity have been proposed. (In general, photoelectrochemical cells convert incident light to electricity through electrochemical reactions.) It is predicted that in comparison with state-of-the-art photoelectrochemical...
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
AMETEK Technical and Industrial Products (Kent, OH) offers the PITTMAN® Series 1300 slotted brushless DC servomotors that are available in three lengths: 1.5", 2", and 2.5". The servomotors are housed in...
Feature Image
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Whenever a data acquisition (DAQ) system is moved from the controlled environment of the laboratory to validation testing or the manufacturing floor,...
Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Vector Fields (Aurora, IL) has announced a design software for rotating electrical machinery that is part of the OPERA electromagnetic design tool. The software combines finite element analysis modeling with a design...
Feature Image
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
The figure depicts a portable, handheld power drill with its attached powersupply unit, in which ultracapacitors, rather than batteries, are used to store energy. This ultracapacitor-powered drill is a...
Feature Image
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
Kerk Motion Products (Hollis, NH) offers the VHD Series anti-backlash assemblies suitable for eliminating drag and wear associated with high pre-load forces. The VHD assembly uses Kerk’s patented axial take-up mechanism,...
Feature Image
Briefs: Materials
Photocatalytic/ magnetic composite particles have been invented as improved means of exploiting established methods of photocatalysis for removal of chemical and biological pollutants from air and...
Feature Image

Videos