3D-Printed Engines Propel Next Industrial Revolution

The new possibility of 3D-printed aluminum engine parts will mean significant savings for NASA in terms of time, money, and, most importantly, the weight of future spacecraft. Elementum 3D Inc., a partner on the project, is now bringing the benefits of that technology to its customers.

Volvo Trucks’ Battery Chemistry of Choice: NCA

While Daimler Truck and Paccar are pursuing LFP battery cells, Volvo Trucks employs lithium-ion batteries in which lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) is used as the cathode — for now anyway. The Swedish truck maker is continuously exploring other battery technologies. Read on to learn more.

New Technique for Environmentally Friendly Battery Recycling

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have created a new and efficient way to recycle metals from spent electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The method allows recovery of 100 percent of the aluminum and 98 percent of the lithium in EV batteries.

Self-Healing Aluminum Metal Matrix Composite

NASA has developed a new metal matrix composite (MMC) that can repair itself from large fatigue cracks that occur during the service life of a structure.

Eddy Current Displacement Sensors for Industry

Eddy current displacement sensors can make measurements in harsh Industrial environments, even where pressure, dirt, or temperature fluctuations occur.

Abnormal Grain Growth Suppression in Aluminum Alloys

Applications include manufacturing structural components for aerospace vehicles, cars, trucks, trains, ships, and submarines.

Sustainable Aluminum-Anode Batteries

The rechargeable batteries could be a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to lithium-ion batteries.

Eco-Friendly Technique Upcycles Metal Waste into Multipurpose Aerogels

Potential applications include lightweight building materials and growing cells for biomedical purposes.

New Approach Makes Lighter, Safer Lithium-Ion Batteries

Adding polymers and fireproofing to a battery’s current collectors makes it lighter, safer, and about 20% more efficient.

Electricity-Free Radiative Cooling System

The system is effective in urban environments where there are tall buildings on all sides.

Fiber Lasers for Powertrain Welding Applications

Altering the traditional intensity distribution of fiber lasers improves weld quality.

Copper Strengthens 3D-Printed Titanium

Titanium-copper alloys for 3D printing could create high-performance alloys for medical device and aerospace applications.

Multi-Objective Flight Control Optimization Framework

This framework can be used by commercial and military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Manufacturing Process for Aluminum Alloys

An advanced manufacturing process was developed to produce nano-structured rods and tubes directly from high-performance aluminum alloy powder in a single step. Using a Solid Phase Processing approach,...

Generating Electrical Power from Waste Heat

Directly converting electrical power to heat is easy; however, converting heat into electrical power is not as easy. To address this issue, a tiny silicon-based device was developed that can harness...

Aluminum Extrusions Help Ski Maker Achieve Olympic-Sized Goals

Minalex Corp.Whitehouse Station, NJwww.minalex.com In PyeongChang, South Korea this month, competitors representing 89 countries will be competing for Olympic gold. For many skiers,...

Ultrathin, Ultralight “Nanocardboard” Recovers Shape After Bending

When choosing materials to make something, tradeoffs need to be made among properties such as thickness, stiffness, and weight. A new material called nanocardboard was...

Self-Healing Metal Oxides for Corrosion Protection

Most metals, with the notable exception of gold, tend to oxidize when exposed to air and water. This reaction — which produces rust on iron, tarnish on silver, and verdigris on copper or...

Aluminum as a Fuel

Batteries and combustion engines each have distinctive benefits and limitations. Batteries have simple construction and operate silently; however, their energy density (i.e., the energy per unit volume) is poor, and...

Pros & Cons of Advanced Lightweighting Materials

Learn how advanced materials are creating high-efficiency engines, better powertrains, and lighter components.

Aluminum Electroplating Using Bromide Salts

Corrosion of structural materials is a serious problem for industrial and civil infrastructure worldwide, costing billions of dollars, and hampering gross domestic product. Corrosion also presents a...

Transfer Technique Produces Wearable Gallium Nitride Gas Sensors

A transfer technique based on thin sacrificial layers of boron nitride could allow high-performance gallium nitride gas sensors to be grown on sapphire substrates and then...

Extrusion Method Improves Structural Properties of Magnesium

Magnesium is 75 percent lighter than steel, 33 percent lighter than aluminum, and is the fourth most common element on Earth behind iron, silicon, and oxygen. But despite its light...

Products of Tomorrow

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.