Microball bearings in machine miniaturization
Using well-known manufacturing techniques similar to those practiced in the semiconductor industry to make computer chips, researchers at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering have successfully miniaturized ball bearing support mechanisms with microballs nearly invisible to the naked eye. They have built tiny silicon pumps, motors, and turbines demonstrating rotational speeds of up to 87,000 rpm, comparable to the speed of large-scale machinery.
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Honing .50-caliber machine gun barrels no easy shot
"Ask the man who owns one" is a 1950's advertising slogan that still rings true, and if America's war fighters are to be believed, the .50-caliber machine gun barrels made by U.K.-based Sabre Defence Industries are the best in the business. Part of the reason for that preference, officials at the company's Nashville plant believe, is the superior accuracy and easy cleaning that result from the excellent bore geometry and surface finish imparted by a Sunnen HTB tube hone.
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Vintage air traffic control radios get critical updates
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has received a $4 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to redesign critical modules used in thousands of air traffic control radios. First fielded in 1968, these ground-based units play a vital role in keeping U.S. military aircraft safe, and the redesign should help keep the radios on the job until newer designs can replace them. The redesign task must be completed in a year.
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Wheels: Carbon chain/sprocket combo is strong, silent biking advance
Gates Corporation, known for industrial belts and hoses, is putting its own innovative spin on powering bicycles. The Denver-based company has developed the Carbon Drive System, original synchronous belt and sprocket technology that requires no lubrication and will not rust, for its move into the fast-paced mountain- and commuter-biking industry.
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5-Star Product: Single-use switches for medical apps
EASTPRINT Single-Use Membrane Switch Assemblies are custom designed and manufactured to OEM specifications for use in a wide variety of hand-held medical and surgical devices. Available for customer integration or fully assembled with plastic housings, cabling, and connectors, these disposable switch assemblies can be alcohol-wiped and packaged into a single SKU.
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Engineer's Toolbox: Wireless temp and humidity sensors
The SureCross Temperature and Humidity Sensor from Banner Engineering is factory-calibrated to determine relative humidity and temperature for simple critical data monitoring. The sensor provides maintenance-free operation in a wide variety of environmental monitoring applications and is optimized for use with the company's SureCross Wireless Network.
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Matching aerospace design intent with process capability
It wasn't that long ago that the most sophisticated design tools for aerospace systems were a T square and French curve. Throw the drawing generated from these tools "over the wall" to manufacturing, who somehow made them into airplanes, missiles, and the full range of aerospace and defense products. A more modern approach involves producibility assessment during design, capturing fundamental knowledge of design practices/constraints and process capability at the component part level.
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1966 collision of XB-70, F-104 drew attention to wing vortex issue
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an initiative endorsing the development of an American supersonic transport (SST) capable of flying three times the speed of sound. Weighing a half-million pounds due to its stainless steel rather than aluminum construction, the XB-70 (Valkyrie) was designed as an intercontinental bomber that featured six General Electric YJ93 jet engines and advanced aerodynamics, including canards and drooping wing tips.
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