Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Exploiting the “spatial” degree of freedom of light can mean many things. Read on to learn what they are and what the process can lead to.
Application Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Machining metal has its challenges as many shops will attest, but machining glass is another matter – one that Dan Bukaty Jr., President of Precision Glass & Optics (PG&O) is well schooled in. Mr. Bukaty and his 35-person shop manufacture high-end precision glass optics for customers such as IMAX, Intuitive Surgical, Boeing and NASA, to name a few. Read on to learn about PG&O's use of a vision system.
Articles: Electronics & Computers
AI-driven computing is at a turning point. The old paradigm — squeezing ever-smaller transistors onto silicon chips — is becoming infeasible. Just increasing the chip size and with it the power consumption is unsustainable. The future lies in photonic processors that operate without electrical resistance, minimize heat dissipation, and deliver unmatched computational speed and efficiency. Read on to learn more.
Products: Photonics/Optics
See the new products, including TRIOPTICS' ImageMaster® PRO AR Reflection waveguide testing solution; TOP-TICA’s Clock Laser System; Aerotech Inc.'s HexGen® HEX150-125HL Miniature Hexapod, a six degree-of-freedom precision positioning system; Teledyne e2v's Optimom™ 5D turnkey imaging module; Coherent Corp.'s set of pluggable optical transceivers optimized for use in data centers that incorporate optical circuit switches; and more.
Articles: AR/AI
Machine vision is a cornerstone of modern manufacturing quality control, ensuring product consistency and reliability. However, many facilities face a dilemma: while their existing vision systems remain mechanically sound, their analytical capabilities lag behind evolving manufacturing requirements. Read on to learn the solution.
Application Briefs: RF & Microwave Electronics
The MEMS industry can’t match the rapid innovation cycles typical of the semiconductor industry — it’s been more than a decade since we’ve seen a major leap in MEMS manufacturing processes. However, Omnitron is confident that they can rapidly improve the approach to manufacturing MEMS. Read on to learn more.
Application Briefs: IoMT
While the rapid advancement of IIoT applications is exciting, it also come with its challenges, especially from a security perspective. A recent study found that 57 percent of all IoT devices are vulnerable to medium- or high-severity threats and that two in five chief information security officers struggle to gain visibility into — and understand — their IoT deployments. Read on to learn more.
Articles: Communications
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is working to provide best practice guidelines to help manufacturers use wireless systems. Read on to learn more about it.
Products: Software
See the new products, including Teledyne FLIR's radiometric models of its high-performance Boson®+ thermal and Hadron™ 640R+ dual thermal-visible camera modules; Insight SIP's ISP2554-HM module — a dynamic IOT node, with support for Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, and Zigbee radios; Bosch Sensortec's BMV080 particulate matter sensor; dSPACE's MicroLabBox II, a very flexible entry-level system for closed-loop tests at the controller level; and more.
Articles: Connectivity
Thanks to Internet of Things technologies, there are many ways to make previously unconnected things talk. Processes, conditions, equipment, or machines have much to say about themselves and help keep the industry applications they’re integrally involved in running smoothly.
Articles: Design
The use of AI in the design process is seeing strong adoption from engineers of all disciplines and management levels. It can be proven to deliver a faster time to market and an overall improvement in design quality. Read on to learn more about it.
Articles: Propulsion
The race is on for leadership in cislunar space, considered a gateway to the future of space exploration. Yet operating in this domain introduces unique challenges for propulsion systems. Read on to learn more about the progress being made on the matter.
Products: Electronics & Computers
See what's new on the market, including SBG Systems' expansion of its high-performance inertial navigation systems, Ekinox, Apogee, and Navsight, with new GNSS receiver options; Littelfuse's 823A Series fuse, an AEC-Q200-qualified, high-voltage-rated surface-mount fuse; Würth Elektronik's Thyone-e radio module; the new handheld scanner from FARO Technologies; and more.
Articles: Medical
See the products of tomorrow, including seals that actively self-clean in a continuous or periodic manner; a method to grow artificial muscle tissue that twitches and flexes in multiple coordinated directions; and a compact and versatile robot that can maneuver through tight spaces and transport payloads much heavier than itself.
Products: Power
See the product of the month: Power Integrations' HiperLCS™-2 chipset. The new device can deliver up to 1650 W of continuous output power with over 98 percent efficiency and permits brief peak loads of 2.5 kW.
Q&A: Design
Professor Sameh Tawfick and his team at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana have developed a 3D process that grows polymer objects in a controlled manner to achieve a desired shape.
NASA Spinoff: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Creators of the original antigravity treadmill for astronauts in space have now developed a new treadmill that uses air pressure to counter gravity, making running possible for people with injuries and other conditions.
5 Ws: Motion Control
GOAT (Good Over All Terrains), a bioinspired robot developed at EPFL, can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle.
Articles: Power
Along with rapid innovation in cooling methods, a major trend in EV thermal management is the use of technology to better design more thermally efficient vehicle architectures. AI and digital technologies have been major boons to the engineering toolkit for better design, helping to radically speed up system testing and development. Read on to learn more.
Articles: Energy
It’s important to note that skepticism toward AI is reminiscent of past attitudes toward now-standard technologies. Thirty years ago, tools such as CFD were met with trepidation — an attitude defined by limited understanding. Today, engineers see them as indispensable. Similarly, adopting AI requires a shift in perspective and embracing its potential.
Products: Energy
See the new products, including KULR Technology Group's NASA-certified M35A battery cells; Nexperia's 650 V, 10 A silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diode; Rotor Clip's patented InterShim™ Wave Spring design; and more.
Articles: Energy
Whatever technology is employed in the future, it is clear that battery test systems will continue to adapt to keep pace with changes in EV battery technology and production. Ensuring that you choose a future proof, scalable, and capable bi-directional DC source is critical in planning for testing success today and tomorrow. Read on to learn more.
Articles: Test & Measurement
Research and development aimed at optimizing both the technology and the cost of that most expensive of EV components — the battery — continues. Not only are the makers of current batteries under pressure to produce the highest-quality product, but they may also be considering how to participate and compete in the next-generations of these key components. Read on to learn more.
Articles: Automotive
Today, electrically actuated (servo-electric) test systems have emerged as a preferred alternative to servo-hydraulics that have traditionally been used. Michigan-based eMpulse Test Systems is a supplier of these advanced testing systems. Read on to learn more.
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Mesekon Oy, a Finnish welding manufacturer that produces complex welded steel structures for the marine, energy, and paper industries, needed a flexible and collaborative solution to improve efficiency, reduce defects, and enhance workplace ergonomics by automating repetitive and physically demanding welding operations. Read on to learn what Mesekon Oy did.
Application Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control
Los Angeles-based plastics contract manufacturer Kal Plastics deployed UR10e trimming cobot for a fraction of the cost and lead time of a CNC machine, cut trimming time nearly in half, and reduced late shipments to under one percent — all while improving employee safety and growth opportunities. Read on to learn more.
Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
The applications that require dewatering are too numerous to list in their entirety. Dewatering is a process that — as its name suggests — separates fluids from solids, often converting what would otherwise go down the drain or end up in a landfill into saleable products. Read on to learn more about it and how gear motors come into play.
Products: Robotics, Automation & Control
See the new products, including igus' aluminum version of its drylin ® NT-60 telescopic rail; Tolomatic Inc.'s online Drive Integration Tool; Flexiv's KURAVIZON adaptive robot; Thomson Industries' upgrade to its stepper motor linear actuator online selector tool, which adds the ability to include encoders in the design process; and more.
Articles: Power
Motor commutation involves the process of switching between motor phases to ensure smooth, continuous operation. In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of commutation, explain how it works, and discuss the challenges faced when trying to pair different motors and drives, especially across brands.
