Alcoa, Pittsburgh, is supplying a high-strength, aerospace-grade aluminum to Samsung for its latest smartphones — the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge.
Continue readingAlcoa 6013 aerospace aluminum chosen by Samsung for Galaxy S6 smartphone
Cerium-cobalt alloy added to NdFeB magnets raises Curie temperature, cuts cost
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, Ames, Iowa, reports that ASM Fellow Karl A. Gschneidner and a team of researchers have developed a low-cost cerium-cobalt alloy that can be added to neodymium-iron-boron to improve magnetic properties in rare-earth magnets.
Continue readingNovelis Evercycle aluminum for food containers is made of 100% recycled aluminum
Novelis, Atlanta, announces the first product in its Evercycle portfolio of certified high-recycled-content aluminum for specialty applications.
Continue readingGlobal Foundries and Imec partner for joint research on RF solutions for Internet of Things
Global Foundries, Santa Clara, Calif., announces a partnership with Imec, Belgium, for joint research on future radio architectures and designs for highly integrated mobile devices and IoT applications.
Continue readingNew smartphone case is 3 times harder than steel
A new smartphone case is lightweight, thin, harder than steel, and as easy to shape as plastic.
Continue readingFourth-generation Intel Core processor enables 50% longer battery life
Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif., has introduced the 4th generation Intel Core processor family, with power levels as low as 6 watts, up to 50% improvement in battery life over the previous generation in active workloads, and two to three times improvement in standby battery life.
Continue readingPrecious metal additive manufacturing system for jewelry enables lower cost
Cooksongold, England, and EOS GmbH, Sweden, have launched the Precious M 080 Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) system.
Continue readingOptomec announces record orders for 3D printers
Optomec, Albuquerque, N.M., announces that its order bookings have more than doubled through the first three quarters of 2014.
Continue readingWind turbine gearbox bearings improve 415% after cryogenic processing
300 Below, Decatur, Ill., has pioneered an ultra-low temperature cryogenic process that the company says increases lifespan for 52100 stainless steel bearing components by an average 415% over current durability and wearability.
Continue readingIpsen’s Titan furnaces used for aerospace, automotive, and sporting goods
Ipsen, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces that it shipped three Titan vacuum furnaces in a span of one week: two went to China for use in the aerospace and automotive industries, and the other was shipped to Arizona for an American company in the commercial sporting industry.
Continue readingHeraeus introduces thick print copper paste system for circuits 20 to 350 microns thick
Heraeus Precious Metals, West Conshohocken, Pa., introduces a thick print copper paste system for power electronic applications where excellent reliability, thermal conductivity, and robust thermal cycling performance are required.
Continue readingAluminum products producer Aleris acquires sheet producer Nichols Aluminum
Aleris, Cleveland, Ohio, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Nichols Aluminum, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quanex Building Products Corp.
Continue readingAcoustics and aesthetics merge with door opening system
Assa Abloy group brands Frameworks, Graham Wood Doors, and Maiman Wood Doors, New Haven, Conn., teamed up to launch Serenity, the first wood door and aluminum frame sound-rated door opening solution.
Continue readingInduction preheating system with process feedback enables shorter heating times, faster production
Ambrell, an AmeriTherm Company, Scottsville, N.Y., has sold an Ekoheat 35 kW/30 kHz induction heating system to a fastener manufacturer to preheat blanks prior to forging. The solution includes a custom-built coil, along with an optical pyrometer and controller for quality control. The client determined that a new modern system with process feedback from Ambrell’s Application Lab would allow shorter heating times and faster production rate.
Continue readingJean Duval Educational Fund with ASM Foundation
The Duval family established an educational fund with the ASM Materials Education Foundation in honor of Mr. Jean Duval’s accomplishments during his long, productive, and innovative career as chairman and CEO of Aubert & Duval (Paris, France). The Jean Duval Educational Fund is designated for educational activities to encourage young people to enroll in materials science or other STEM professions for their lifelong career.
Continue readingFlame-sprayed silver protects 40-ton generator rotor
RFI Screening Ltd., England, has selected Metallisation MK61 Flamespray equipment from Metallisation Ltd., England, to metal spray a 40-metric-ton generator rotor with fine silver. It was first sprayed with a 25-micron coating of molybdenum, to optimize the adhesion of the top coat of silver. A final coating of silver was then added to achieve the specified outside diameter on the shaft. In a typical application, a coating 250 microns thick of silver would be sprayed.
Continue readingBodycote reports six-month revenues rose by 5%
Bodycote plc, UK, reports that revenues in the six months to June 30 rose 5% from $464 million to $488 million. However, revenues would have fallen had it not been for the contribution of businesses it bought, which added 7% to sales. One such business was the mid-October deal for Carolina Commercial Heat Treating, bought for $64 million. Pre-tax profits grew 10.5%, and the interim dividend was increased by 10%.
Continue readingThermal Spray Society prepares Accepted Practice for bond testing
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that the Thermal Spray Society (TSS) Accepted Practices Committee on Metallography and Mechanical Testing has prepared an Accepted Practice for Thermal Spray Coating Bond (Adhesion) Testing. This document defines and highlights critical aspects for representative and reproducible test results based on ASTM C 633 and applicable industry standards. The Accepted Practices Committee, chaired by Dr.
Continue readingOlympus OmniScan SX phased-array portable flaw detector is smaller and lighter
Olympus America Inc., Center Valley, Pa., introduces the OmniScan SX, which is 33% lighter and 50% smaller than its predecessor. Featuring an easy-to-read 8.4-in. touch screen, the single group OmniScan SX provides a cost-effective solution for linear zero-degree inspections, such as corrosion mapping and composite inspection. It also enables weld inspection using one phased array group or one TOFD channel. The OmniScan SX comes in two models: the SX PA and SX UT.
Continue readingSRC to help establish Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Electronic Systems in Abu Dhabi
The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), Research Triangle Park, N.C.; and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), Abu Dhabi, have launched the ATIC-SRC Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Electronic Systems (ACE4S). ATIC will dedicate over $4.7 million to the project over the next three years, which will be matched collectively by Masdar Institute and Khalifa University for a total budget of more than $9 million.
Continue readingSpherical gold nanoparticles embedded in polyurethane make flexible conductors
Engineers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, have made extremely flexible electrical conductors by embedding networks of spherical gold nanoparticles in polyurethane. To find out what happened as the material stretched, the team took state-of-the-art electron microscope images of the materials at various tensions. The nanoparticles started out dispersed, but under strain, they could filter through the minuscule gaps in the polyurethane, connecting in chains as they would in a solution.
Continue readingConnecting the drops with 3D printing
Researchers from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, developed 3D printing technology and techniques to create free-standing structures made of liquid metal at room temperature. “It’s difficult to create structures out of liquids, because liquids want to bead up. But we’ve found that a liquid metal alloy of gallium and indium reacts to the oxygen in the air at room temperature to form a ‘skin’ that allows the liquid metal structures to retain their shapes,” says Dr.
Continue readingZeiss to acquire Xradia to complement its microscopy business
On June 13, Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany, announced the planned acquisition of the U.S.-based Xradia, Inc., Pleasanton, Calif. Xradia is a medium-size company providing innovative 3D x-ray microscopes for industrial and academic research applications. The closing of the transaction is subject to the fulfillment of customary closing conditions including a required filing with the U.S. competition authorities. After closing, Xradia, Inc.
Continue readingWisconsin Oven opens 30,000 square foot facility in Waukesha
Wisconsin Oven Corp., East Troy, Wis., has opened another plant in Waukesh, Wis. The 30,000-square-foot existing facility will increase the capacity of the industrial oven manufacturer’s existing four plants in East Troy. The expansion will help Wisconsin Oven continue to design and manufacture a broad line of heating equipment . The company’s standard or custom industrial ovens are used for a multitude of applications, such as heat treating.
Continue readingGrieve announces 550°F floor-level cabinet oven
Grieve Corp., Round Lake, Ill., announces the No. 1030 cabinet oven, a 550ºF floor-level electric cabinet oven, currently used for heating large gears at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 48 x 48 x 60 in. The 40 kW heating system is installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 2000 CFM, 2-HP recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow across the workload. This oven features 6 in.
Continue readingPortable optical emission spectrometer designed for metal analysis
Oxford Instruments, Concord, Mass., launches a portable optical emission spectrometer designed for metal analysis, grade identification, and sorting. The patent pending optics, made of carbon fiber, is the key. Mechanical expansion and tension, triggered by temperature changes and distortion due to change of position are virtually eliminated, guaranteeing stable measuring results.
Continue readingAlfe helps design and heat-treat chassis and suspension for solar-powered car
Alfe Heat Treating, Fort Wayne, Ind., sponsor of the University of Texas Austin’s Solar Power Team, helped design and build the TexSun, a vehicle with an aluminum sub-frame and chassis. The 35-pound design is much lighter than the previous model’s 80-pound steel sub-frame and chassis. “The aluminum chassis was great because it is so much lighter,” said Alfe Vice President Dan Andersen.
Continue readingSupport for women in STEM
Women now make up nearly half the workforce, yet only 23% of workers in STEM-related jobs are women. A way to combat this trend is to find support from peers in a formalized way.
Continue readingIHEA announces 2013-2014 board and officers
The Industrial Heating Equipment Association, Taylor Mill, Ky., recently announced its 2013-14 Board of Directors and Officers. Serving as president (shown in the photo) is Tim Lee of Maxon, a division of Honeywell. Bob Green of Bloom Engineering was named IHEA Vice-President, and B.J. Bernard of Surface Combustion was elected Treasurer. Outgoing president Mike Shay of Elster Kromschröder, assumes the role of Past President.
Continue readingResearchers explore the microworld using haptic optical tweezers
What if you could reach through a microscope to touch and feel the microscopic structures under the lens? In a breakthrough that may usher in a new era in the exploration of the worlds that are a million times smaller than human beings, researchers at Université Pierre et Marie Curie in France have unveiled a new technique that allows microscope users to manipulate samples using a technology known as “haptic optical tweezers.
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