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Best high-speed rotary bearing in THK history

THK's High-Speed, Double-Row Angular Contact Ring BWH is the fastest rotary bearing in company history. By utilizing balls inside a cage instead of rollers, this new structure achieves unprecedented speeds. It supports loads from all directions while matching the high rigidity and rotational accuracy of standard cross-roller ring design options.
Learn more.

100,000 hours: KNF diaphragm pump achieves exceptional lifetime

Reaching 100,000 hours of uninterrupted performance is a remarkable achievement for micro diaphragm gas pumps. It represents more than 11 years of continuous operation in a controlled environment, exceeding the demands of most real-world applications. This milestone highlights KNF's engineering expertise and the reliability built into every pump.
Get a closer look at the 100,000-hour lifetime test.

Metal finishing: With rising carbide prices, when cermet makes sense

As critical raw material access tightens, manufacturers are rethinking cutting tool usage. While essential, carbide is often unnecessary for finishing processes. Cermet -- a ceramic-metal composite -- offers an excellent alternative, delivering exceptional fracture and wear resistance for these specific machining stages.
Read the full article.

Crossed roller bearings for complex loads

Designed with a large contact area where the rollers meet the raceway surfaces, crossed roller bearings (CRBs) from IKO exhibit exceptional rotational accuracy with less deflection under load. Many mechanical designs can benefit from the rigidity, accuracy, speed, and compact size that IKO CRBs provide, and they come in a wide choice of sizes and constructions to fit various rotating mechanisms. Machine tools, industrial robots, and medical equipment are only a few of many applications.
See all your options, including slim and super slim models, from IKO.

Full-color 3D-printing Design Guide from Xometry

With Xometry's PolyJet 3D-printing service, you can order full-color 3D prints easily. Their no-cost design guide will help you learn about different aspects of 3D printing colorful parts, how to create and add color to your models, and best practices to keep in mind when printing in full color. Learn how to take full advantage of the 600,000 unique colors available in this flexible additive process.
Get the Xometry guide.

What's new in hyperMILL 2026?

OPEN MIND Technologies has announced a wide range of new and enhanced capabilities in its hyperMILL 2026 CAD/CAM Software Suite that save time and increase accuracy. For precise and efficient 2.5D, 3D, precision 5-axis, and mill/turn machining, hyperMILL offers users exceptionally productive programming and powerful machining strategies. Check out all the new features.
Learn more.

Clear, high-flexibility silicone meets NASA low-outgassing specs

Master Bond MasterSil 981-LO is a two-component, addition-cured silicone for bonding, sealing, coating, and encapsulating. Meeting NASA low-outgassing specs, its optical clarity suits aerospace, satellite, and optoelectronic applications. This 100% reactive, solvent-free system features a forgiving 1:1 mix ratio, minimal shrinkage, a 3- to 4-hr working life, and cures overnight at room temperature plus heat.
Learn more.

What's a high-helix (high-lead) screw and what can it do for you?

"High-helix (high-lead) screws are a crucial component in many motion control systems, offering increased efficiency and faster linear motion," says Christopher Nook, CEO and founder of Helix Linear Technologies. "Unlike standard lead screws, these specialized screws feature a steeper helix angle, allowing for greater lead per revolution." Learn their mechanics, advantages, and many applications.
Read the Helix Linear Technologies blog.

New interactive factory microsite helps manufacturers discover EXAIR solutions

EXAIR and BETE have launched a new interactive factory microsite designed to help manufacturers quickly identify products that can improve efficiency, safety, and performance throughout their facility. From conveying and cooling to blowoff, static elimination, and industrial cleanup, the platform demonstrates how liquid and air solutions integrate into everyday manufacturing challenges. The digital experience features a fully interactive factory floor map with clickable hotspots positioned throughout key production and maintenance areas. Each hotspot highlights how specific EXAIR and BETE products can be applied in real-world industrial processes.
Explore the interactive microsite.

Next-gen SLA materials rival traditional thermoplastics

Formlabs has announced two new SLA materials that bring 3D printing significantly closer to being a manufacturing method for end-use part production. Tough 1000 Resin and a significantly improved Tough 2000 Resin join Tough 1500 Resin, forming the new Tough Resin family. These resilient engineering materials stand up to harsh environments, impact, and repeated wear, all while delivering a dark, matte surface finish with crisp details when printed on Form 4 Series 3D printers.
Learn more.

SOLIDWORKS: Mastering sheet metal -- advanced tips and tricks

GoEngineer's Brady Daniels, Senior Applications Engineer, gives a master class in next-level sheet metal design. This on-demand webinar covers practical tips and techniques aimed at expanding your understanding and improving real-world workflows. Topics include bend calculations, comparing design approaches, how flat patterns work, and embracing multi-body design. Skip through or take in the whole presentation when you have time. [Credit: Screenshot courtesy of GoEngineer]
View the GoEngineer video.

SJT Industries SIM couplings and timing pulleys

Automation-Direct now offers SIM couplings and 8M timing pulleys for reliable power transmission in OEM and MRO applications. Designed for precise motion control, these components efficiently transmit torque and rotational power. Available in multiple bore sizes and configurations, they ensure accurate alignment, consistent torque transfer, and dependable tooth engagement for various industrial equipment systems.
Learn more.

Top Tech Tip: How do you 3D print STL files?

Learn the basics of 3D printing STL files -- the files that serve as the digital foundation for 3D printing -- and a whole lot more from the experts at Xometry. These files have advantages, of course, but did you know they have disadvantages too? Also learn about STL tools and programs, and how to reduce file size or even repair a file you are having trouble with.
Read the Xometry article.

Tech Tip: Why pins walk and how to ensure it doesn't happen

Lateral movement of installed solid, slotted, or coiled spring pins, commonly referred to as "walking," can occur within a dynamic application if proper design guidelines are not followed. Issues with different pin types may have different causes. Learn the many reasons why pins walk and the design best practices you should follow to avoid the condition.
Read this informative SPIROL Tech Tip.

Ball screw assemblies: Ships in 2 to 3 weeks

Designed to simplify your projects and minimize assembly time, the BNK and SDA-VZ Ball Screw Assembly Series from THK are ready when you are. Each ball screw assembly includes: ball screw shaft (finished ends for standard THK support units), nut bracket, support units, housings, and coupling. Intermediate flange and coupling kit for your motor available.
Learn more.

Scary! SwRI engineers come up with ways to trick object detection systems

Many of today's vehicles use object detection systems to help avoid collisions. SwRI engineers developed unique patterns that can trick these systems. In this photo, the object detection system sees a person rather than a vehicle. This research will allow engineers to thoroughly test object detection systems and improve the security of the deep-learning algorithms they use. [Credit: Southwest Research Institute]

 

 

 

 

New adversarial techniques developed by engineers at Southwest Research Institute can make objects "invisible" to image detection systems that use deep-learning algorithms. These techniques can also trick systems into thinking they see another object or can change the location of objects. The technique mitigates the risk for compromise in automated image-processing systems.

"Deep-learning neural networks are highly effective at many tasks," says Research Engineer Abe Garza of the SwRI Intelligent Systems Division. "However, deep learning was adopted so quickly that the security implications of these algorithms weren't fully considered."

Deep-learning algorithms excel at using shapes and color to recognize the differences between humans and animals or cars and trucks, for example. These systems reliably detect objects under an array of conditions and, as such, are used in myriad applications and industries, often for safety-critical uses. The automotive industry uses deep-learning object detection systems on roadways for lane-assist, lane-departure and collision-avoidance technologies. These vehicles rely on cameras to detect potentially hazardous objects around them. While the image processing systems are vital for protecting lives and property, the algorithms can be deceived by parties intent on causing harm.

Security researchers working in "adversarial learning" are finding and documenting vulnerabilities in deep- and other machine-learning algorithms. Using SwRI internal research funds, Garza and Senior Research Engineer David Chambers developed what look like futuristic, Bohemian-style patterns. When worn by a person or mounted on a vehicle, the patterns trick object detection cameras into thinking the objects aren't there, that they're something else or that they're in another location. Malicious parties could place these patterns near roadways, potentially creating chaos for vehicles equipped with object detectors.

"These patterns cause the algorithms in the camera to either misclassify or mislocate objects, creating a vulnerability," said Garza. "We call these patterns 'perception invariant' adversarial examples because they don't need to cover the entire object or be parallel to the camera to trick the algorithm. The algorithms can misclassify the object as long as they sense some part of the pattern."

What looks like a colorful pattern to the human eye looks like a bicycle to an object detection system. While deep-learning algorithms used in these systems are reliable, they can be deceived with special imagery. SwRI researchers are developing techniques to mitigate the risk of compromise in these systems. [Credit: Southwest Research Institute]

 

 

 

 

While they might look like unique and colorful displays of art to the human eye, these patterns are designed in such a way that object-detection camera systems see them very specifically. A pattern disguised as an advertisement on the back of a stopped bus could make a collision-avoidance system think it sees a harmless shopping bag instead of the bus. If the vehicle's camera fails to detect the true object, it could continue moving forward and hit the bus, causing a potentially serious collision.

"The first step to resolving these exploits is to test the deep-learning algorithms," said Garza. The team has created a framework capable of repeatedly testing these attacks against a variety of deep-learning detection programs, which will be extremely useful for testing solutions.

VIDEO: Adversarial Learning: SwRI engineers developed unique patterns that can trick these systems into seeing something else, seeing the objects in another location, or not seeing the objects at all.

SwRI researchers continue to evaluate how much, or how little, of the pattern is needed to misclassify or mislocate an object. Working with clients, this research will allow the team to test object detection systems and ultimately improve the security of deep-learning algorithms.

Source: SwRI

Published April 2019

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