Materials & Manufacturing

Manufacturing & Prototyping

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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.

Blog: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Woodworking, Simplified: New Software Aids in Design
An interactive software being developed at the University of Tokyo allows architects and furniture makers with little experience in woodworking to to design and build structurally sound wood joints.
White Papers: Aerospace
Electropolishing for Significantly Improved Corrosion Resistance

One of the most common applications for electropolishing is to enhance corrosion resistance on a wide variety of metal alloys, specifically stainless steel. Electropolishing is...

White Papers: Software
The State of Product Development & Hardware Design 2020

The most successful companies are always striving to get better, to deliver more innovative products and get them to market faster. What do today’s product development teams think...

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems
Researchers Prove Their Elastic Exosuit Eases Back Stress
Vanderbilt University engineers are proving that their elastic exosuit can provide relief for people doing the heavy lifting.
White Papers: Materials
Extruding High-Performance Thermoplastic Filaments for 3D Printing

Over the last few years, high performance thermoplastics have become a widely discussed topic in the 3D printing community. However, due to the characteristics of high...

Question of the Week: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Will Flat Fisheye Lenses Play a Greater Role in Medical Imaging and Consumer Electronics?

A recent Tech Briefs TV video demonstrated an achievement from engineers at MIT and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. The teams designed the first completely flat fisheye lens to produce crisp, 180-degree panoramic images. The lenses, according to...

Podcasts: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Here's an Idea: 3D Printing in Space
In this episode of Here's an Idea, NASA's Tracie Prater wants to leave spare parts back on Earth...and 3D print them in space.
Products: Software
New on the Market: October 2020
Tubing plugs, displacement measurements, CAM software, and more.
Briefs: Electronics & Computers
Using Silicon for Battery Anodes
A nanostructure design lends extraordinary strength to a promising storage ingredient.
Facility Focus: Automotive
Facility Focus: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
In 2020, the EPA marks 50 years of preparing for, responding to, preventing, and mitigating natural and manmade disasters.
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
Hybrid Material is an Efficient Photodetector
A metal-organic framework does not contain cost-intensive raw materials and can be produced in bulk.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Mass-Producible, Centimeter-Scale Metalens
Applications include low-light conditions such as on orbital satellites and VR applications where the lens needs to be larger than a pupil.
Articles: Photonics/Optics
Products of Tomorrow: October 2020
Nanowire masks, underwater imaging, and tiny 3D-printed block that repair bone breaks.
Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition
3D-Printed Soft, Rubbery Brain Implants
This technique may enable speedy, on-demand design of softer, safer neural devices.
Briefs: Materials
Method Turns Nearly any Object into a Data Storage Unit
This technology makes it possible to save extensive data in objects such as shirt buttons, water bottles, or the lenses of glasses and then retrieve it years later.
Briefs: Energy
Laser Inversion Enables Multi-Material 3D Printing
The technique could enable the printing of circuit boards, electromechanical components, and robots.
Articles: Robotics, Automation & Control
Simple Robot Vision Tools Support Complex Applications
New collaborative robot-based vision systems are changing how manufacturers can inspect their parts.
5 Ws: Manufacturing & Prototyping
5 Ws of Algae-Based Flip-Flops
Would you take a walk in biodegradable flip-flops?
Briefs: Materials
3D Additive Manufacturing with a High-Power Electron Gun
Applications include rapid prototyping, medical, aerospace, and automotive.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Controlling Defects in 3D Printing
Temperature data is used to tune, and fix, defects in 3D-printed metallic parts.
Q&A: Lighting
Q&A: NanoLED Architecture Overcomes Efficiency Droop
A nanoLED has up to 1,000 times the brightness of conventional submicron-sized LEDs.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
AI Software Enables Real-Time 3D Printing Quality Assessment
The software assesses the quality of parts in real time, without the need for expensive characterization equipment.
Briefs: Photonics/Optics
Wavy Surfaces for Better Light Control
This method could impact optical technologies such as smartphone cameras, biosensors, or autonomous vision for robots and self-driving cars.
Briefs: Imaging
Measuring Optical Null Lens Aberrations
This method can be used in astronomy, surveillance, and optics manufacturing.
Briefs: Test & Measurement
System Eases Networking Lag in Massive IoT Devices
“EasyPass” would enable smart warehouses, automated factories, and more to operate without delays.
Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping
Fluoride Materials for Extra-Thin Computer Chips
To make electronic components smaller, semiconductor 2D materials are combined with new types of insulator materials.
Articles: Motion Control
Open Controllers Simplify Automation Systems
By consolidating tasks traditionally performed by multiple devices into a single, high-performing controller, manufacturers can improve operations.
Articles: Imaging
Rapid Prototyping of Cable and Connectors for Unique Applications
Standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) connectors continue to be a great resource for quick prototypes and reference designs.
Technology Leaders: Materials
Protecting the New Generation of Sensors and Electronics: Smarter and Smaller Requires Advanced Protection
For nearly 50 years, engineers in the electronics, aerospace, defense, medical device, and transportation industries have relied on Parylene coatings.

Top Stories

Blog: Energy

'Soil Fuel Cells' Support Water Treatment in Brazil

Blog: Software

Woodworking, Simplified: New Software Aids in Design

Blog: Energy

A Solar Alternative: How to Power Devices with Indoor Light

Blog: Imaging

What's Best for Autonomous Cars: LiDAR vs Radar vs Cameras

INSIDER: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Printing Paper Structures for Mechatronics

Videos: Materials

Extending Next-Generation, Stable Lithium Metal Batteries

Webcasts

Upcoming Webinars: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Machine Vision for Industrial Inspection

Upcoming Webinars: Electronics & Computers

Protecting Power Electronics from EM and RF Interference

Upcoming Webinars: Electronics & Computers

Vehicle Electrification

Upcoming Webinars: Sensors/Data Acquisition

The Evolution of SOSA

Upcoming Webinars: Software

Next-Gen Vehicle Architectures and the Role of HPCs

Tech Talks: Medical

Testing Home Healthcare Medical Devices

Trending Stories

Briefs: Materials

Nanocardboard Aircraft with No Moving Parts

Articles: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Mechatronic System Integration and Design

Technology Leaders: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The Heat Is On: A Guide to Specifying Insulation Materials

Briefs: Wearables

Specialized Dye Enables Medical Information to be Stored Below the Skin

Briefs: Lighting Technology

Recovery of Mercury and Rare Earth Elements from Fluorescent Lamp Phosphors

Briefs: Aerospace

Autonomic and Apoptotic Highly Distributed System

Videos