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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.
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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.

Forensic scientists begin to unlock the unique chemical signatures in tires

A team at the University of Central Florida is developing a new approach that could provide law enforcement additional tools to track down those who flee a crime scene. [Credit: University of Central Florida/Karen Norum]

 

 

 

 

Skid marks left by cars are often analyzed for their impression patterns, but they usually don't provide enough information to identify a specific vehicle. Chemistry Associate Professor Matthieu Baudelet at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and his forensics team at the National Center for Forensic Science, which was established at UCF in 1997, may have just unlocked a new way to collect evidence from those skid marks.

The team recently published a study in the journal Applied Spectroscopy that details how they are classifying the chemical profile of tires to link vehicles back to potential crime scenes.

"Tire evidence is often overlooked in forensics," says Baudelet. "In cases of hit-and-runs or accidents involving multiple cars, the chemical signature of the tires has the potential to be integral information to the investigation."

The team used laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) on each tire sample. The technique focuses a laser onto the sample, which creates a microscopic plasma that emits light according to the chemical elements present. The spectroscopy comes in because it analyzes this light and matches it to the corresponding chemicals. It's the same technique that instruments aboard the Mars rovers (Curiosity and Perseverance) use to determine what kinds of elements are found within the rocks of Mars.

"The process is as complicated as it is fun," says Baudelet. "The whole idea is that tire evidence holds a lot of data. They have patterns, but these pattern impressions do not give all the answers. It became a question of, 'Can we use their chemical composition to obtain information from the tires?'"

Baudelet and his graduate student, John Lucchi, started testing their idea by recreating skid marks in the laboratory using road materials like concrete and asphalt. By pressing a tire into the surface at the same velocity as a moving vehicle, a braking impression is made on the laboratory controlled "road" from the tire. This in turn gives the team a chance to analyze the chemical composition of the tire and the road material and make chemical comparisons.

Every tire is expected to have its own chemical signature and, as such, a unique, corresponding skid mark. One current challenge is identifying how elements on the road like oil, rainwater, and other cars interfere and change that signature. Baudelet says the National Center for Forensic Science has been working on overcoming these interference challenges with other evidence for years.

Now that the process shows promise, the team will focus on establishing statistical reliability. Standards for police evidence are justifiably high, so next steps involve reproducible, dependable protocols, Baudelet says. Ultimately, he would like to know his team's work provided justice and closure to cases of hit-and-run and vehicle violence.

"We're still working, but so far we've made a lot of progress," Baudelet says. "I feel that this can be a great supplementation to the methods currently being used in forensics and law enforcement."

Source: University of Central Florida

Published May 2021

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