Manufacturing & Prototyping

A New Method to Design Better Metallic Materials

In a new study, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reported that automated high-resolution electron imaging can capture the nanoscale deformation events that lead to metal failure and breakage at the origin of metal failure. Read on to learn more.

Carbon Fiber-Carbon Nanotube Yarn Hybrid Reinforcement

Innovators at the NASA Glenn Research Center have developed a toughened hybrid reinforcement material made from carbon fiber and carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn for use in polymer matrix composites (PMCs). The new material improves toughness and damping properties of PMCs, enhancing impact resistance, fatigue life, as well as structural longevity. Read on to learn more.

Single-Step 3D-Printing Process to Build Robots

The piezoelectric “meta-bot” is capable of propulsion, movement, sensing, and decision-making.

Gaining a Competitive Edge with Functionally Integrated Components

Machine builders are under intense pressure to keep engineering time in line with shorter delivery schedules and materials, assembly, and inventory cost considerations. Machine builders are also striving to make equipment smaller, lighter, higher-performing, and easier for their customers to maintain. While functionally integrated products have been available for a long time, they are more vital today than ever. And there are more options available to provide solutions. Read on to learn more.

How SmartCap Uses AI-Powered Robots to Manufacture Steel Truck Cap Systems

For the team at SmartCap, building top-notch gear for outdoor adventurers isn’t just a business — it’s a passion driven by their own love for the wild. But as demand for their rugged, modular truck caps soared after their move to North America in 2022, they hit a snag: How do you ramp up production without sacrificing the meticulous quality you are known for, all while navigating a tough labor market? Their answer? Read on to find out.

Wire Feed Laser Welding for Battery Pack Aluminum Enclosure Manufacture in EVs

Lightweight aluminum is a top choice for designing and manufacturing battery pack enclosures due to its durability and ability to enhance vehicle performance. While welding 6000-series aluminum alloys can be challenging, advanced methods like laser welding with filler wire effectively create strong, airtight joints while addressing issues like porosity and cracking. Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including Intellias' “Smart Charging Portable Kit,” a comprehensive solution accelerator designed to address the most pressing challenges in the EV charging sector; Marposs' solutions for testing prismatic battery cells; a new Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode active material developed by Integrals Power; and more.

Better Texture for Better Batteries

To create the new batteries needed for EVs, mobile devices, and renewable energy storage, researchers have explored new materials, new designs, new configurations, and new chemistry. But one aspect — the texture of the metals used — has been historically overlooked. Read on to learn more.

Leading the Charge to Better Batteries

A team led by Kelsey Hatzell, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, has uncovered insights that could help power a new type of battery, called an anode-free solid-state battery, past lithium-ion’s limitations.

Remotely Moving Objects Underwater Using Sound

Sound can do more than just provide a nice beat. Sound waves have been used for everything from mapping the seafloor to breaking apart kidney stones. Thanks to a unique material structure,...

Revolutionizing Solid-State Metal 3D Printing

On the heels of its 2018 CTF contest triumph, MELD Manufacturing keeps churning out technology that is advancing 3D printing.

3D Printing Multiple Metals in a Single Complex Structure

Guhaprasanna “Guha” Manogharan and his team at Penn State College of Engineering and the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D) have developed a method to 3D print complex parts with different materials to achieve multiple design and engineering goals.

Beyond the Hype: The Real Impact of Robotics in Manufacturing

While AI-driven robotics is driving greater efficiency and productivity, the manufacturing sector still faces several challenges that need to be addressed. How can manufacturers prepare for this new era of automation? Ujjwal Kumar, Group President, Teradyne Robotics, one of the keynote speakers at Automate 2025, shares his insights about the future of automation.

How Much Do You Know About Servo Systems?

Without servo systems, there would be no automated factories. Since they’re so common, this quiz ought to be easy. Try it and see. How much do you know about servo systems? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Strong, Stretchy, 3D-Printed Metamaterials

MIT engineers have found a way to fabricate a metamaterial that is both strong and stretchy. The base material is typically highly rigid and brittle, but it is printed in precise, intricate patterns that form a structure that is both strong and flexible.

5Ws of the AstroRad

AstroRad, a next-gen radiation vest for astronauts to wear beyond low-Earth orbit, shields their vital organs from dangerous space radiation during missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

How Much Do You Know About CNC Machining?

Test your knowledge of CNC machining with this quiz.

Product of the Month

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.

Products of Tomorrow

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.

New on the Market

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.

Scientists Propose Laser Scalpel with a ‘Curved’ Blade

Changing the shape of the blade will expand the possibilities of using the laser in medicine.