Materials & Manufacturing

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Explore innovations supporting advances in manufacturing and rapid prototyping. Access the developments and solutions that have an impact on applications in 3D printing and automation.

Stories

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Reverse Fuel Cell Converts Waste Carbon to Valuable Chemicals

The technology could lead to production of fuels, building materials, and other products in a carbon-neutral way.

Briefs: Aerospace

Graphene Smart Textiles for Heat-Adaptive Clothing

Smart adaptive clothing can lower the body temperature of the wearer in hot climates.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

3D-Printed Glucose Biosensors

These biosensors could lead to improved glucose monitors for millions of people who suffer from diabetes.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Neural Hardware for Image Recognition in Nanoseconds

An ultrafast image sensor with a built-in neural network can be trained to recognize certain objects.

NASA Spinoff: Transportation

Nanotechnology Repairs Engine Damage in Cars

The NASA-funded nanoparticle lubricant also works in satellites and space vehicles.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Room-Temperature Magnon Switch

This approach could lead to entirely new and more efficient logic switches for computer chips.

Briefs: Energy

Organic Lithium-Powered Batteries

These batteries are more environmentally friendly while retaining performance, stability, and storage capacity.

Products: Software

New on the Market: August 2020

Data storage boards, modular plugs, equipment enclosures, and more.

Articles: Electronics & Computers

Venting for EV Battery Packs

Cell chemistries, thermal dynamics, vehicle packaging, and even weather present challenges for optimizing electric vehicle battery functional safety.

Briefs: Energy

Doubling Battery Performance with Lithium Metal

Drop-in replacements for lithium ion batteries would not pose a fire danger.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Ultrasonic Metal Welding Enables Advances in Battery Technology

A number of battery-related innovations have been assisted by a joining technology: ultrasonic metal welding.

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Spreadable Way to Stabilize Solid-State Batteries

A “butter-like” interlayer material boosts current density and increases safety.

Products: Semiconductors & ICs

New Products

Positioning devices, vibration transmitters, brushless DC motors, and more.

Briefs: Motion Control

Flexible Feet Help Robots Walk Faster

This technology can help robots walk up to 40 percent faster on uneven terrain such as pebbles and wood chips.

Articles: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Wiegand Wire: Energy Harvesting and More

With the emergence of a new generation of ultra-efficient electronic chips, the Wiegand technology is showing significant promise, especially in the exciting area of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Will Morphing Wings Take Off?

Our lead INSIDER story today showcased a morphing MADCAT aircraft wing. “From a first glance, it literally doesn’t look like anything that anyone’s ever seen before,” said MIT researcher Ben Jennet in our Here's an Idea episode. How about you? Will Morphing Wings Take Off?

Podcasts: Aerospace

A Morphing Airplane Wing Built by Tiny Robots

Ben Jennet is a PhD student at MIT and a former space research fellow at NASA. He is working with NASA to develop a new kind of aircraft wing that's flexible and changes mid-flight.

Blog: Software

Even NASA Needs Effective Parts Sourcing

You can design the best product in the world but what if the parts, assemblies, and sub-components for your idea aren’t there?

Special Reports: Power

Vehicle Electrification - July 2020

The global transition to electric vehicles presents new design, manufacturing, and infrastructure challenges. To help you keep pace with the rapid changes in vehicle electrification technology, we present...

Products: Electronics & Computers

New on the Market: July 2020

Photoelectric sensors, cable connectors, power monitors, and USB3 cameras.

Articles: AR/AI

5 Important ESD Protection Considerations for Augmented Reality Wearables

How to design for safety, reliability, and connectivity using the latest circuit protection technologies and board layout strategies.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Super-Fast Method for Ceramic Manufacturing

Scientists have reinvented a 26,000-year-old manufacturing process into an innovative approach to fabricating ceramic materials widely used in batteries, electronics, and extreme environments....