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hyperMILL 2024 CAD/CAM software suite

OPEN MIND Technologies has introduced its latest hyperMILL 2024 CAD/CAM software suite, which includes a range of powerful enhancements to its core toolpath capabilities, as well as new functionality for increased NC programming efficiency in applications ranging from 2.5D machining to 5-axis milling. New and enhanced capabilities include: Optimized Deep Hole Drilling, a new algorithm for 3- and 5-axis Rest Machining, an enhanced path layout for the 3D Plane Machining cycle, better error detection, and much more.
Learn more.

One-part epoxy changes from red to clear under UV

Master Bond UV15RCL is a low-viscosity, cationic-type UV-curing system with a special color-changing feature. The red material changes to clear once exposed to UV light, indicating that there is UV light access across the adhesive material. Although this change in color from red to clear does not indicate a full cure, it does confirm that the UV light has reached the polymer. This epoxy is an excellent electrical insulator. UV15RCL adheres well to metals, glass, ceramics, and many plastics, including acrylics and polycarbonates.
Learn more.

SPIROL Press-N-Lok™ Pin for plastic housings

The Press-N-Lok™ Pin was designed to permanently retain two plastic components to each other. As the pin is inserted, the plastic backfills into the area around the two opposing barbs, resulting in maximum retention. Assembly time is quicker, and it requires lower assembly equipment costs compared to screws and adhesives -- just Press-N-Lok™!
Learn more about the new Press-N-Lok™ Pin.

Why hybrid bearings are becoming the new industry standard

A combination of steel outer and inner rings with ceramic balls or rollers is giving hybrid bearings unique properties, making them suitable for use in a wide range of modern applications. SKF hybrid bearings make use of silicon nitride (twice as hard as bearing steel) rolling elements and are available as ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, and in custom designs. From electric erosion prevention to friction reduction and extended maintenance intervals, learn all about next-gen hybrid bearings.
Read the SKF technical article.

3M and Ansys train engineers on simulating adhesives

Ansys and 3M have created an advanced simulation training program enabling engineers to enhance the design and sustainability of their products when using tapes and adhesives as part of the design. Simulation enables engineers to validate engineering decisions when analyzing advanced polymeric materials -- especially when bonding components made of different materials. Understand the behavior of adhesives under real-world conditions for accurate modeling and design.
Read this informative Ansys blog.

New FATH T-slotted rail components in black from AutomationDirect

Automation-Direct has added a wide assortment of black-colored FATH T-slotted hardware components to match their SureFrame black anodized T-slotted rails, including: cube connectors (2D and 3D) and angle connectors, joining plates of many types, brackets, and pivot joints. Also included are foot consoles, linear bearings in silver and black, cam lever brakes, and L-handle brakes. FATH T-slotted hardware components are easy to install, allow for numerous T-slotted structure configurations, and have a 1-year warranty against defects.
Learn more.

Weird stuff: Moon dust simulant for 3D printing

Crafted from a lunar regolith simulant, Basalt Moon Dust Filamet™ (not a typo) available from The Virtual Foundry closely mirrors the makeup of lunar regolith found in mare regions of the Moon. It enables users with standard fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers to print with unparalleled realism. Try out your ideas before you go for that big space contract, or help your kid get an A on that special science project.
Learn more.

Break the mold with custom injection molding by Rogan

With 90 years of industry experience, Rogan Corporation possesses the expertise to deliver custom injection molding solutions that set businesses apart. As a low-cost, high-volume solution, injection molding is the most widely used plastics manufacturing process. Rogan processes include single-shot, two-shot, overmolding, and assembly. Elevate your parts with secondary operations: drilling and tapping, hot stamping, special finishes, punch press, gluing, painting, and more.
Learn more.

World's first current-carrying fastening technology

PEM^® eConnect™ current-carrying pins from Penn-Engineering provide superior electrical connections in applications that demand high performance from internal components, such as automotive electronics. This first-to-market tech provides repeatable, consistent electrical joints and superior installation unmatched by traditional fastening methods. Features include quick and secure automated installation, no hot spots or poor conductivity, and captivation options that include self-clinching and broaching styles.
Learn more about eConnect pins.

New interactive digital catalog from EXAIR

EXAIR's latest catalog offers readers an incredible source of innovative solutions for common industrial problems like conveying, cooling, cleaning, blowoff, drying, coating, and static buildup. This fully digital and interactive version of Catalog 35 is designed for easy browsing and added accessibility. Customers can view, download, print, and save either the full catalog or specific pages and sections. EXAIR products are designed to conserve compressed air and increase personnel safety in the process. Loaded with useful information.
Check out EXAIR's online catalog.

5 cost-saving design tips for CNC machining

Make sure your parts meet expectations the first time around. Xometry's director of application engineering, Greg Paulsen, presents five expert tips for cutting costs when designing custom CNC machined parts. This video covers corners and radii, designing for deep pockets, thread depths, thin walls, and more. Always excellent info from Paulsen at Xometry.
View the video.

What can you secure with a retaining ring? 20 examples

From the watch dial on your wrist to a wind turbine, no application is too small or too big for a Smalley retaining ring to secure. Light to heavy-duty loads? Carbon steel to exotic materials? No problem. See how retaining rings are used in slip clutches, bike locks, hip replacements, and even the Louvre Pyramid.
See the Smalley design applications.

Load fasteners with integrated RFID

A crane, rope, or chain may be required when something needs lifting -- plus anchoring points on the load. JW Winco offers a wide range of solutions to fasten the load securely, including: lifting eye bolts and rings (with or without rotation), eye rings with ball bearings, threaded lifting pins, shackles, lifting points for welding, and more. Some, such as the GN 581 Safety Swivel Lifting Eye Bolts, even have integrated RFID tags to clearly identify specific lifting points during wear and safety inspections and manage them digitally and without system interruption.
Learn more.

Couplings solve misalignments more precisely with targeted center designs

ALS Couplings from Miki Pulley feature a simplistic, three-piece construction and are available in three different types for more precisely handling parallel, angular, or axial misalignment applications. The key feature of this coupling design is its center element. Each of the three models has a center member that has a unique and durable material and shape. Also called a "spider," the center is designed to address and resolve the type of misalignment targeted. Ideal for unidirectional continuous movement or rapid bidirectional motion.
Learn more.

What is 3D-MID? Molded parts with integrated electronics from HARTING

3D-MID (three-dimensional mechatronic integrated devices) technology combines electronic and mechanical functionalities into a single, 3D component. It replaces the traditional printed circuit board and opens up many new opportunities. It takes injection-molded parts and uses laser-direct structuring to etch areas of conductor structures, which are filled with a copper plating process to create very precise electronic circuits. HARTING, the technology's developer, says it's "Like a PCB, but 3D." Tons of possibilities.
View the video.

Creator of darkest material on Earth honored by IEEE

By Tracey Leibach, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

[Photo Credit: Rensselaer]

 

 

Nanophotonics expert and physics professor Shawn-Yu Lin has been selected to receive the 2016 Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nanotechnology Council Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology "for pioneering contribution to the development of 3D optical photonic-crystals and the discovery of the darkest nano-material on Earth."

Lin, professor of physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), will receive the award at the annual IEEE Conference on Nanotechnology Aug. 22-25 in Sendai City, Miyagi, Japan.

Nanophotonics expert and physics professor Shawn-Yu Lin.

 

 

The darkest material was discovered by Lin and his team in 2008. The material, a thin coating comprised of low-density arrays of loosely, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, absorbs more than 99.9 percent of light and could one day be used to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of solar energy conversion, infrared sensors, and other devices. The research has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The total reflectance of conventional black paint, for example, is between 5 and 10 percent (or absorptance of between 95 and 90 percent). The darkest manmade material, prior to the discovery by Lin's group, boasted a total reflectance of 0.16 percent to 0.18 percent (or absorptance of 99.84 to 99.82 percent).

Lin's team created a coating of low-density, vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays that are engineered to have an extremely low index of refraction and the appropriate surface randomness, further reducing its reflectivity. The end result was a material with a total reflectance of 0.03 percent (or absorptance of 99.97 percent) -- more than three times darker than the previous record, which used a film deposition of nickel-phosphorous alloy. Lin's darkest material has a higher absorptance than that recently reported value of 99.965 percent by Surrey Nanosystem. The original darkest material from Rensselaer is still the darkest manmade nano-material on Earth.

Lin was congratulated by his colleagues at Rensselaer and within the field of nanophotonics.

"Shawn is richly deserving of this award that recognizes his work toward generating an extremely unusual -- and up to that point, what was expected to be unattainable -- material that has applications in photonics, electronic materials, and solar energy capture," said Jonathan Dordick, vice president for research and the Howard P. Isermann Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer.

Lin has earned international recognition for his pioneering work in developing photonic crystals. His recent scientific breakthroughs include the discovery of extreme light bending by negative-refraction for solar harvesting and the discovery of super-Planckian thermal radiation in 3D photonic crystals. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, and the Optical Society of America. He has received research funding from the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and the Focus Center (New York) for Interconnects.

His current work with 3D photonic crystals is funded by the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences.

The IEEE Pioneer Award in Nanotechnology recognizes individuals who by virtue of initiating new areas of research, development, or engineering have had a significant impact on the field of nanotechnology. The IEEE considers itself to be the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE has more than 400,000 members in more than 160 countries, 45 percent of whom are from outside the United States.

Lin received his bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University, his master's degree from the University of North Carolina, and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton. Before joining Rensselaer, Lin headed Sandia National Laboratories' multimillion-dollar research and development effort in photonic crystal devices. He also directed a U.S. Department of Energy multi-laboratories initiative in nano-structural photonics.

Lin's research exemplifies the work being done at The New Polytechnic, addressing difficult and complex global challenges, the need for interdisciplinary and true collaboration, and the use of the latest tools and technologies, many of which are developed at Rensselaer.

Sidebar: More about the material's properties
All materials, from paper to water, air, or plastic, reflect some amount of light. Scientists have long envisioned an ideal black material that absorbs all the colors of light while reflecting no light. So far they have been unsuccessful in engineering a material with a total reflectance of zero.

The darkest manmade material, with its 0.03 percent reflectance (center), is noticeably darker than the 1.4 percent NIST reflectance standard (left) and a piece of glassy carbon (right). This photo was taken under flashlight illumination. [Photo Credit: Rensselaer]

 

 

 

 

Lin's team created a coating of low-density, aligned carbon nanotube arrays that are engineered to have an extremely low index of refraction and the appropriate surface randomness, further reducing its reflectivity. The end result was a material with a total reflective index of 0.03 percent -- more than three times darker than the previous record, which used a film deposition of nickel-phosphorous alloy.

"The loosely packed forest of carbon nanotubes, which is full of nanoscale gaps and holes to collect and trap light, is what gives this material its unique properties," Lin said. "Such a nanotube array not only reflects light weakly, but also absorbs light strongly. These combined features make it an ideal candidate for one day realizing a super black object."

"The low-density aligned nanotube sample makes an ideal candidate for creating such a super dark material because it allows one to engineer the optical properties by controlling the dimensions and periodicities of the nanotubes," said Pulickel Ajayan, the Anderson Professor of Engineering at Rice University in Houston, who worked on the project when he was a member of the Rensselaer faculty.

The research team tested the array over a broad range of visible wavelengths of light, and showed that the nanotube array's total reflectance remains constant.

"It's also interesting to note that the reflectance of our nanotube array is two orders of magnitude lower than that of the glassy carbon, which is remarkable because both samples are made up of the same element: carbon," said Lin.

The project was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Focus Center New York for Interconnects.

Published July 2016

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