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

Special Reports: Sensors/Data Acquisition

Test & Measurement - February 2021

Sensors to search for ancient life on Mars...nano-thermometers that could revolutionize temperature measurement...a major advance in semiconductor testing. These are just a few of the technologies you'll read...

Articles: Materials

Products of Tomorrow

Next-generation solar panels, 3D-printed composites from NASA, and a new way to sterilize medical devices.

Briefs: Aerospace

New Capabilities for Grasp-Assisting Gloves

Applications include aiding patients with impaired hand muscle strength and in manufacturing for operating tools for extended periods of time.

Application Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Improving Performance of Supercritical CO2 in Next-Generation Energy Applications with 3D Metal Printing

See why Mohawk Innovative Technology, Inc. is excited for the potential of additive manufacturing.

Articles: Motion Control

Electronic Device Manufacturers Shouldn’t Fear Custom Connector Solutions — They Should Embrace Them

As 5G arrives, devices will need to expand I/O counts at the controller, as well as overall networking capabilities.

Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Locking Side Pull Hoist Ring

The integrated tool eliminates the need for manual operators or additional custom fixtures.

Briefs: Robotics, Automation & Control

Electronic Skin Sensor Decodes Human Motion

This system can track the motion of the entire body with a small sensory network.

Application Briefs: Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Online Tools Reduce Time and Expense in Selecting, Configuring, and Ordering Motion Control Components

New online tools — coupled with online libraries of pre-selected and tested component specifications — simplify machine design.

Briefs: Manufacturing & Prototyping

Miniscule Robots of Metal and Plastic

A technique enables manufacturing of minuscule robots by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way.

Products: Motion Control

New Products

Industrial robots, motor disconnect switches, position sensors, and more.

Briefs: Lighting Technology

Compound for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)

The material could enable cheaper and more environmentally friendly displays and large-area lighting.

Briefs: Materials

Sensing Magnetic Fields

Applications include detection of explosives, navigation, and aerospace altitude sensing.

Briefs: Photonics/Optics

Smart Fabric Detects and Collects Space Dust

A smart fiber being tested on the International Space Station could be used to develop space dust telescopes and allow astronauts to feel through their pressurized suits.

Briefs: Nanotechnology

Wearable, Stretchable Gas Sensor

The stretchable sensor has applications in environmental monitoring and healthcare.

Application Briefs: Materials

Innovation on a Larger Scale: Robotic Fiber Placement and 3D Printing

“The disruption promised by Industry 4.0 has already begun,” says Jason Melcher from the aerospace manufacturing company Ingersoll.

Briefs: Materials

Linking Materials May Transform Robots Made of Robots

A new method of linking materials with unique mechanical properties could enable robots made of robots.

Briefs: Test & Measurement

Photoreceptor System for Melatonin Regulation and Phototherapy

This system treats light-responsive disorders or deficits such as eating disorders, sleep problems, hormone-sensitive cancers, and cardiovascular disorders.