Manufacturing & Prototyping

Videos of the Month

See the videos of the month, including one on the techniques and current targets for sustainable crosslinked thermoset polymer materials, one on medical materials innovation pioneers, one on making hydrogen the next major fuel source for our warfighters, and one on the Department of Defense exploring options to protect our warfighters further.

New Products

See the new products, including Kollmorgen's latest update to its AKD2G Servo Drive, Teledyne FLIR IIS's Bumblebee® X series, Emerson's Movicon.NExT™ HMI/SCADA, Pleora Technologies' expanded eBUS Edge GigE Vision software transmitter solution, Bodine Electric Company's 12 new AC inverter-duty hypoid hollow shaft gearmotors, Linear Servo Motor from Moticont, and more.

Octopus-Inspired Suction Mechanism for Robots

A new robotic suction cup which can grasp rough, curved, and heavy stone, has been developed by scientists at the University of Bristol. The team, based at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, studied the structures of octopus biological suckers, which have superb adaptive suction abilities enabling them to anchor to rock.

Manufacturing Materials to Bring Bio-Inspired Robots to Life

In bringing bio-inspired robots to life, scientists must first create soft matter counterparts that match the softness and functionality of biological tissue. University of Nebraska–Lincoln engineer Eric Markvicka is at the forefront of these efforts. Read on to learn more.

Pioneering Precision: The Fusion of AI Vision and Cobots in Manufacturing

The integration of collaborative robots, or cobots, into manufacturing has revolutionized traditional processes, offering an unprecedented blend of precision, productivity, and safety. Now, with advancements in AI and visual detection systems, cobots are evolving further, equipped to adapt their actions based on visual cues. Read on to learn more.

EV Energy Management Powers Up

Future electric vehicles will be more efficient, more powerful, and will be able to hold more energy in their batteries than today’s EVs. Those big “mores” require countless small improvements beyond the headline component — batteries. Read on to learn more.

New Products

See the new products, including Nexperia's latest Energy Balance Calculator, StoreDot's new I-BEAM XFCTM concept, Bourns Inc.'s latest miniature resettable thermal cutoff device series, Rohde & Schwarz's wireless battery management system technology, Weidmuller USA's rugged battery connectors, Littelfuse Inc.'s overtemperature detection platform, and more.

Recyclable ‘Water Batteries’ That Won’t Catch Fire

A global team of researchers and industry collaborators led by RMIT University has invented recyclable ’water batteries’ that won’t catch fire or explode. Read on to learn more.

How Intelligent Battery Management Drives EV Buyer Confidence

Battery management systems are poised to become a key competitive differentiator in an EV market that is seeking to grow and thrive on a global level. And by tapping into smarter BMS, automotive manufacturers are future-proofing their resources by embracing, even anticipating, trends in EV battery design. Read on to learn more.

Control Valves: Essential Components for EV Battery Manufacturing and Recycling

Recovery of valuable elements within the EV battery is essential for the health and viability of the industry. In recycling used EV batteries, controls valves are required. Read on to learn more.

Personalized Pills That Can Deliver Timed Doses

Researchers from the University of Nottingham have led work that has fabricated personalized medicine using Multi-Material InkJet 3D Printing (MM-IJ3DP).

Aligning Laser Antenna Optical Components for the LISA Space Mission

In January, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Program Committee approved the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, the first scientific endeavour to...

Tech Focus: Leveraging Generative AI for Industrial Environment

Del Costy, President and Managing Director at Siemens Digital Industries (Plano, TX), unveiled how the company is making automation easy with their first generative AI-powered...

3D Printing Flexible Devices Sans Mechanical Joints

Manufacturing elastomers that can be shaped into complex 3D structures that go from rigid to rubbery has been unfeasible until now.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: e-con Systems' new IP67-rated high dynamic range (HDR), Power over Ethernet (PoE) camera — RouteCAM_CU22 — a powerful addition to its high-performance Ethernet camera series for tough outdoor conditions.

New on the Market

See what's new on the market, including igus' iglide i230 3D printing material for selective laser sintering (SLS); Evident Corporation's advancements in operability and versatility; high-tech stainless steel measuring tape; PI Americas' series of air bearing-based optical delay line stages; and Emerson's DeltaV™ Edge Environment integrated software.

A Bioinspired Multimaterial Soft Robotic Hand

A research paper by scientists at the University of Coimbra proposed a soft robotic hand comprising soft actuator cores and an exoskeleton, featuring a multimaterial design aided by finite element analysis to define the hand geometry and promote finger’s bendability.

Freeze-Resistant Hydration System

NASA’s Johnson Space Center is offering an innovative freeze-resistant hydration system for licensing. The technology substantially improves on existing hydration systems because it prevents water from freezing in the tubing, container, and mouthpiece, even in the harshest conditions on Earth.

New Patch Can Help Control Robotic Exoskeletons

In a new study, engineers from Korea and the United States have developed a wearable, stretchy patch that could help to bridge the divide between people and machines — and with benefits for the health of humans around the world. In lab experiments, the researchers showed that humans could use these devices to operate robotic exoskeletons more efficiently.

‘Smart’ Coating Could turn Fabrics into Protective Gear

A durable, copper-based coating developed by a team at Dartmouth University can be integrated into fabric to create responsive, reusable materials such as protective equipment, environmental sensors, and smart filters.

Making Hydrogels More Injectable

To aid the development of gel-like materials, MIT and Harvard University researchers have created a set of computational models to predict the material’s structure and mechanical properties, as well as functional performance outcomes.

A New Material That Excels at Trapping Hydrogen

The advance, detailed in a paper published recently in the journal Physica Scripta, could enable more efficient compact fusion reactors that are easier to repair and maintain.

Enhancing Generative Design with Topology Optimization

Both generative design and topology optimization can be leveraged with the COMSOL® software, which also provides features for customizing automated designs so that they are suitable for specific manufacturing methods.

New Products

See the new products, including TDK-Micronas' further extended Micronas 3D HAL® position sensor family, AW-Lake’s TRICOR Coriolis Flow Meters, Kistler's new accelerometer series 8740A and 8788A, Melexis' MLX90830, and more.

Digital Twins for Industry

To learn about the use of digital twins for machining operations in industry, we interviewed Gisbert Ledvon, VP of Marketing at HEIDENHAIN Corporation, Schaumburg, Illinois. Click to read the full interview.

Sensors — Powering the Future of Transportation

The next generation of sensors needs to maintain efficiency and cost-effectiveness while ensuring fast, accurate, and reliable communication.