Materials & Manufacturing

Browse innovative developments in materials and manufacturing that significantly impact military, medical devices, automotive, and industrial manufacturing. Advances in plastics, metals, and composites are transforming 3D printing and rapid prototyping.

Stories

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Coatings Could Improve Traction on Slick Surfaces

Material for shoe bottoms could help prevent falls in icy or slippery conditions.

Briefs: Aerospace

Carbon Fiber/Carbon Nanotube Yarn Hybrid Reinforcement

Applications include aerospace and automotive components, prosthetics, sporting goods, and other uses where strength-to-weight ratio is important.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

System Identifies Battery Materials for Recycling

The Battery Identity Global Passport could be accessible as a scannable QR code or a computer chip.

Briefs: Materials

High-Pressure Soft Lithography for Microtopographical Patterning of Molded Polymers and Composites

Applications include anti-fouling and anti-contamination, aerodynamic and hydrodynamic drag reduction, and adhesive joining of composite parts.

Products: Materials

New on the Market: August 2021

Epoxies, reverse-engineering software, temperature loggers, and more.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Shape Memory Alloy Tubular Structure

Applications include vehicle and aircraft tires, sports helmets, military equipment, and seals and couplings.

Briefs: Electronics & Computers

Heat-Resilient Silver Circuits for Extreme Electronics

The tough circuits could withstand the grueling demands of energy production, space exploration, and more.

Briefs: Materials

Method Turns Discarded Plastic into Surfactants

The chemical process turns plastic into biodegradable chemicals for surfactants and detergents.

Briefs: Aerospace

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)-Enabled Actuators

SMA tube elements drive rotary and ring gear motion in compact, powerful actuators.

Briefs: Motion Control

Soft Mate Lifting Device

This below-the-hook device enables gentle crane placement to decrease the risk of property damage.

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Giving Robots Better Moves

RightHand Robotics combines machine vision with an intelligent gripper design to make more adaptable robots.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Coiled Linear Actuators for Soft Robotics

This artificial muscle technology enables more human-like motion.

Briefs: Sensors/Data Acquisition

“Flexoelectricity” in Soft Elastomers Could Improve Robot Movement

A connection between electricity and mechanical motion in soft, rubber-like materials could improve robot range.

Products: Manufacturing & Prototyping

New Products

Linear motion bearings, magnetic angle encoders, isolation valves, and more.

Articles: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Making High-Duty-Cycle Industrial Automation Affordable

A new generation of long-life electric linear actuators has emerged to give designers more flexibility.

Blog: Electronics & Computers

A Soft Robot Replaces Electronics With 'Air Power'

While soft robots hold promise in applications ranging from search-and-rescue efforts to wearable exoskeletons, the technologies are often held back by the electronics, says William Grover, a...

Podcasts: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Hearing Aids

This episode of our Tech Briefs podcast series Here’s an Idea™ explores a variety of new-and-improved hearing aids, from $5 “do-it-yourself” devices to advanced systems that monitor brain waves.

Blog: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

How the Scalable 'Coventor' Stacks Up to a Traditional Ventilator

Learn how a low-cost machine known as the 'Coventor' stacks up to a traditional ventilator.

INSIDER: Materials

Infrared Imaging by Ultrathin Nanocrystal Layers

The demand for detecting infrared (IR) light, invisible to human eyes, is constantly growing, due to a wide variety of applications ranging from food quality control and remote sensing to...

Question of the Week: Energy

Will ‘Mass-Less’ Energy Storage Finally Catch On?

A July Tech Brief highlights a “structural battery” from the Chalmers University of Technology that uses carbon fiber as a negative electrode and a lithium iron phosphate-coated aluminum foil as the positive electrode. The battery works as both a power source and as part of the main...

Blog: Robotics, Automation & Control

A Robot That Moves Like a Bug (and a Cheetah)

UC Berkeley engineers have created a lightweight and durable robot that achieves exquisite control and agility by modulating the electrostatic forces between its feet and surfaces.

Question of the Week: Materials

Should Cities be More Strategic with Reflective Surfaces?

Cities around the world are adjusting – and in some cases overhauling – their infrastructure in an effort to cool temperatures in their areas. Los Angeles and New York City, for example, have adopted “grey infrastructure” efforts, like applying coatings to roofs and roads so that...