New systems automate composite wind-turbine blade fabrication
Industrial technologies specialist MAG is revolutionizing the manufacture of composite wind-turbine blades with its new Rapid Material Placement System (RMPS) and quick-cure molding system for wind blades, which the company says can be combined to reduce labor content by two-thirds, double throughput, and produce a consistently high-quality blade from the start of a shift to the end.
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Reverse engineering makes blimp fan blade magic
Among a blimp’s unique design elements are custom fan blades used to cool its engine. The fan blades were especially problematic for American Blimp, maker of the world’s most popular airship, after initial suppliers went out of business.
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Can PowerNap save 75% of data center energy?
Putting idle servers to sleep when they're not in use is part of University of Michigan researchers' plan to save up to 75% of the energy that power-hungry computer data centers consume. Each time you make an ATM withdrawal, search the Internet, or make a cell phone call, your request is routed through a data center.
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Wheels: Technology breakthroughs lead to dawn of EFV
If ever there was an idea ahead of its time, the sea-skimming Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) might fit the description. “Marines recognized the need for this vehicle since World War II, but it’s only in the last two decades that we’ve had the technology to support it,” said Colonel Keith Moore, EFV Program Manager.
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5-Star Product: Rexroth gets heavy into conveying
The Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies group at Bosch Rexroth has been busy beefing up their offerings. The result? The division recently introduced a whole new class of conveyor to the market with its TS 5 heavy-duty transfer system.
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Engineer's Toolbox: Multilayered tech makes tougher stretch films, more
Who doesn't want better, stronger, and cheaper in the long run? A new innovation from Extrusion Dies Industries in flat extrusion die systems now makes it possible to multiply key functional layers in cast film and sheet, substantially improving properties without increasing either overall thickness or raw material content.
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Air Force program saves nearly $300M in turbine engine repair
Engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate are succeeding in reducing the operation and support costs associated with aircraft jet engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul under the Engine Rotor Life Extension program.
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