Nitinol Devices and Components (NDC), Fremont, Calif., offers a wide range of materials in wire, strip, sheet, tubing, and bar form. It was the first company to process laser-cut, self-expanding stents for the medical device industry, and pioneered electropolishing techniques to achieve biocompatible surfaces for medical implants. Its materials meet ASTM standards and reportedly have the lowest carbon content and the tightest tolerances in the industry.
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MedShape Inc., Atlanta, reports that during its targeted soft launch period, DynaNail has been successfully implanted in over 100 tibiotalocalcaneal (TTC) fusion procedures. Because the internal nickel titanium (Nitinol) element maintains the target fusion bones in close apposition and under sustained compression, fusions are being observed with the DynaNail TTC Fusion System in high-risk patients, specifically those who require bone allografts.
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A research team at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Calif., has discovered a way to introduce a recoverable strain into bismuth ferrite of up to 14% on the nanoscale, larger than any shape-memory effect observed in a metal. Bismuth ferrite is a multiferroic compound comprised of bismuth, iron, and oxygen. It displays both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties, meaning it will respond to the application of external electric or magnetic fields.
Continue readingWalter Voit, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Texas, Dallas, was awarded $1 million to create medical devices that will lead to greater control of prosthetics in wounded soldiers.
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Implants are commonly made from metals such as titanium alloys. These materials are being made porous during processing used to prepare them for medical use.
Continue readingThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., selected a consortium led by Northwestern University, Ill., to establish a new NIST-sponsored center of excellence for advanced materials research.
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A torsion tester is a machine that twists a material specimen, such as an iron bar, to measure ultimate torque, but also continuous or intermittent torque loading in both directions of rotation.
Continue readingThe world’s largest airship, the Skyship 600, made its way through the clouds on a month long journey across the U.S.
Continue readingNanotechnique creates image 30 µm in width.
Continue readingEngineering students around the world have just three months to take part in the global Valeo Innovation Challenge.
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In the search for long-lasting, inexpensive rechargeable batteries, researchers develop more realistic methods to study the materials in action.
Continue readingLiquidmetal Technologies Inc., Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., delivered missile canards that are being fitted for a future test of Lockheed Martin’s (Bethesda, Md.) EAPS (Extended Area Protection and Survivability) missile.
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The world’s largest airship, the Skyship 600, made its way through the clouds on a month long journey across the U.S. A team of British scientists made the air trek in a blimp as part of a BBC expedition team to study the clouds and life activity in the air.
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SAKOR Technologies Inc., Okemos, Mich., announces the availability of its complete AccuDyne AC Dynamometer system for wind power testing applications. The system can be used by multiple engineering groups to test and verify designs, as well as for quality control testing after manufacturing.
Continue readingThe history and process of dual acid decapsulation. This includes basic decapsulation techniques and the correct use of electrostatically dissipative tweezers and proper grounding relative to the Elite Etch Cu ESD decpasulation equipment.
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Ajax-Tocco-Magnethermic, Warren, Ohio, presented “Materials Selection for Induction Hardening Processes” at Heat Treat 2013. Material selection plays an essential role in the performance of induction-hardened workpieces such as shafts, axles, pins, and gears. Any prior heat treatment and the ability to be induction hardened are some of the factors design engineers need to take into consideration.
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Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., developed a new microscopy technique that uses a process similar to how an old tube television produces a picture-cathodoluminescence-to image nanoscale features. Combining the best features of optical and scanning electron microscopy, the fast, versatile, and high-resolution technique allows scientists to view surface and subsurface features potentially as small as 10 nm in size.
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Researchers at the University of Rostock, Germany, have developed a new way to produce high strength metallic alloys at a lower cost and with less energy. Led by Dr. Eberhard Burkel, Professor of Physics, researchers demonstrated that rapidly cooling a material directly after spark plasma sintering (SPS) fabrication can enhance hardness, strength, and ductility. The new rapid cooling SPS system is based on a commercially available design, modified to include a series of gas inlet nozzles.
Continue readingNearly 400 Gather in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for Oct. 27 Gala Celebration ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, commemorated its 100th anniversary with a celebratory gala on Oct. 27 in Montreal, Canada. Nearly 400 guests, including ASM members, past-presidents, dignitaries and valued partners from around the world, came together to celebrate the society’s impact on material science and look ahead to the next century.
Continue readingKennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Tungsten Materials business of Allegheny Technologies Inc., Pittsburgh, for $605 million. With approximately $340 million in annual sales, the business is a leading producer of tungsten metallurgical powders, as well as tooling technologies and components. It consists of two market-leading divisions: ATI Firth Sterling and ATI Stellram.
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Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., announces a new case study detailing the Titan’s adaptive, multipurpose processing capabilities. Its versatility lies in its ability to run a variety of workloads through many different heat treatment processes back-to-back, while maintaining energy and cost efficiency. The paper emphasizes how varied and ever-changing customer needs can be, and how Titan’s features and options can improve job turnaround.
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Leica Microsystems, Switzerland, has launched two cameras that are ideal instruments for routine brightfield (Leica DMC2900) or fluorescence (Leica DFC3000 G) applications. Both are equipped with sensors that allow live images of up to 30 frames per second and a USB 3.0 interface for fast data transfer. The Leica Application Suite and the fluorescence counterpart Advanced Fluorescence software platform provide for image acquisition and support users in analysis and documentation.
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Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Calif., created movies of irreversible reactions that occur too rapidly to capture with conventional microscopy for the first time. The team used multi-frame, nanosecond-scale imaging in the dynamic transmission electron microscope (DTEM) to create movies of the crystallization of phase change materials used for optical and resistive memory.
Continue readingOlympus Corp., Japan, introduced new Corrosion Module software available with the portable EPOCH 600 Ultrasonic Flaw Detector. The module is designed for the growing population of inspectors that require both flaw detection and corrosion measurement solutions as standard application offerings. This optional software provides simplified instrument operation for basic corrosion applications, requiring less set up time and more efficient data collection.
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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 readingThe 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 readingA team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, Calif., have developed a printing process they call FLUENCE-fluid-enhanced crystal engineering-that for some materials results in thin films capable of conducting electricity ten times more efficiently than those made by conventional methods. The printing method is fast and works with a variety of organic materials.
Continue readingPark Systems, Santa Clara, Calif., introduces Park NX-HDM, a fully automated atomic force microscopy (AFM) automatic defect review and sub-angstrom surface roughness measurement system for device substrates and disk media. The system increases throughput by up to 1000%, and offers a 30% higher success rate than prior systems. It analyzes, identifies, and scans media for all wafer sizes up to 150 mm.
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Sulzer Metco, Switzerland, introduces MetcoClad, a robotics-based laser cladding system that can apply welded deposits on multi-dimensional surfaces in a single cladding run. The robust systems simplify operability, reduce production set-up time, and monitor the cladding process. Part manipulation can be tailored to customer requirements.
Continue readingKLA-Tencor, Milpitas, Calif., introduces the 2910 Series optical wafer defect inspection platform with NanoPoint technology, and the eDR-7100 electron-beam wafer defect review system. Meeting the need for accelerated defect sourcing on advanced devices, these tools combine increased speed with seamless connectivity to quickly find and identify defects that inhibit yield and reliability.
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