TESCAN Group, a.s, Czech Republic, a leading global manufacturer of electron microscopes and advanced scientific instruments, has acquired EXpressLO LLC, Lehigh Acres, Fla., a provider of innovative FIB lift-out solutions for specimen preparation in STEM and other analytical techniques.
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A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, D.C., analyzes the causes of the 2020 collapse of the National Science Foundation’s telescope at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, where NSF maintained research operations for its National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, and draws lessons learned for other unique, critical science facilities.
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Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Mass., has highlighted the ability of scanning electron microscopy to successfully capture defects when conducting failure analysis on metals.
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In a significant move to streamline mechanical testing and enhance material insights, Airbus, France, the global aerospace leader, is collaborating with Plastometrex, England, to support the standardization of profilometry-based indentation plastometry (PIP) – the innovative mechanical testing technique developed and commercialized by the Cambridge-based technology provider.
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HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd., Japan, released the fully automated thin film inspection system, Xtrology, that combines spectroscopic ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence sensors making it possible to perform important inspections, such as film thickness measurement, defect analysis, and composition analysis of various wafers with a single instrument.
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A team of researchers at Ames National Laboratory, Ames, Iowa, has made significant progress in understanding how surface oxides, a primary cause of decoherence in quantum circuits, can improve the performance of quantum computing circuits.
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Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, has helped determine the viability of pressure relief valves for liquid natural gas tanks in the event of a train derailment for the Federal Rail Administration.
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Nikon Metrology, Inc., Japan, and Hyundai Motor North America, Fountain Valley, Calif., announced that Hyundai has purchased and installed Nikon’s X-ray computed tomography system in its newly opened $51.4 million Safety Test and Investigation Laboratory in Superior Township, Mich.
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inTEST Corporation, Mt. Laurel, N. J., launched the Acculogic patent-pending hover sense non-contact technology for electric vehicle battery testing, representing a significant leap forward in validating the quality and reliability of EV battery interconnects.
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To address the needs of the rapidly growing battery market, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Mass., introduced the Thermo Scientific LInspector Edge In-line Mass Profilometer, which delivers full-width electrode mass loading measurement and provides battery manufacturers with the data needed to make better, safer batteries, more efficiently.
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Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., are developing algorithms and multilayered communication and control systems that make electric vehicle chargers operate more reliably, even if there is a voltage drop or disturbance in the electric grid.
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Henkel, Germany, released a semiconductor capillary underfill encapsulant to address the unique requirements of the market’s most demanding advanced packages, like those used in artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) applications.
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Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, Sweden, launched the first optical 3D scanner on the market with a motorized zoom lens that enables users to adjust data resolution and measurement volume entirely through software settings.
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Hitachi High-Tech Corporation, Japan, launched the GT2000 high-precision electron beam metrology system to meet the needs of semiconductor device development and mass production in the high-NA EUV generation.
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology ongoing project will improve time-resolved-emission microscopy by tailoring its’ single-photon detectors and scaling up these sensors to the megapixel level.
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Undetected corrosion and wear led to an equipment failure on a cargo ship while offloading cargo in Houston, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
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Researchers at the Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, recently made a discovery that challenges the conventional understanding of fracture mechanics. The team, led by Dr. Meng Wang, Dr. Songlin Shi, and Prof. Jay Fineberg, experimentally demonstrated the existence of “supershear” tensile cracks that exceed classical speed limits and transition to near-supersonic velocities.
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Gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing processes can be processed with fixed gasifying amounts of ammonia, nitrogen, and, for nitrocarburizing, a carburizing and oxidizing agent. However, this does not produce consistent results if different load surfaces are treated with the same fixed gasifying amounts. Furthermore, especially for nitriding processes, the ammonia gasifying has to be reduced or diluted with nitrogen after several hours because the nitrogen uptake of a load decreases. Another quite popular method, usually called the “Floe process,” is a two-step nitriding, where two different nitriding temperatures and different gas flows allow adjustment of the nitriding potential (KN) to the requirements.
Therefore, modern gas nitriding and nitrocarburizing furnaces are equipped with sensor systems and a process control unit that allow the measurement and automatic control of the nitriding potential (KN). The figure shows a schematic of a typical horizontal retort furnace. Similar to the vertical execution, a good circulation of the process gas is needed to get uniform results, which can be reached by the use of a muffle and a high circulation rate. Indirect cooling is performed with an external cooling fan, blowing cold air along the retort.
For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 24
R Schneider; R. Mesquita; H. Altena; T. Müller; P. Seemann, Processes and Furnace Equipment for Heat Treating of Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014, https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005958
Materials Analysis Technology Inc., Taiwan, is setting up new laboratories in Kumamoto, Japan, and the US state of Arizona to support its “big clients,” and is eyeing more locations in the future amid the changing IC supply chain landscape.
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Oxford Instruments, England, has brought together the best of its analytical innovations to form the Oxford Instruments Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art facility at its High Wycombe site.
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As the energy density of battery packs for vehicles and grid energy storage increases, how can we make high-density energy systems less hazardous and more reliable? That’s the question explored by scientists at Exponent Inc., Menlo Park, Calif.
Their new technical paper, “Understanding the Fundamental Mechanisms of Battery Thermal Runaway Propagation and Mitigation” published by the Society of Automotive Engineers, explains how severe thermal runaway scenarios can occur and outlines the tenets of successful mitigation to reduce these hazards.
Thermal runaway events often begin with the failure of a single battery cell or group of cells, cascading to other neighboring cells, and increasing in severity as the stored energy of the battery pack is released. To reduce the likelihood and severity of these scenarios, the scientists discuss design strategies that can impede propagation of thermal runaway events between cells.
To implement these design strategies and moderation measures, the authors suggest that design engineers first develop a deep understanding of the mechanisms that drive battery thermal runaway propagation. To start, the authors outline a number of the factors that drive many cell failures and runaway events such as acute exposure of a cell to high temperatures, mechanical abuse, and flaws in the construction of either individual cells or the battery pack.
The paper then discusses the mechanisms by which thermal runaway propagation can occur between cells and provides details on the fundamentals of these methods. In addition, the authors provide an overview of potential mitigation approaches to prevent thermal runaway propagation that are currently used in industry and commentary on pathways for developing an effective protection strategy.
For more information:
Exponent, Inc.
Sensiworm (Soft ElectroNics Skin-Innervated Robotic Worm), a highly intelligent, acutely sensitive soft robot from GE Aerospace, Niskayuna, N.Y., could serve as extra sets of eyes and ears for aerospace service operators, enabling less invasive inspection and repair of jet engines on wing to reduce downtime.
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Spirit Electronics, Phoenix, AZ, acquired Insight Analytical Labs, Colorado Springs, CO, to add device analysis services including destructive physical analysis, to its existing full-turnkey semiconductor supply chain services.
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Testing the longevity of new electric vehicle battery designs could be four times faster with a streamlined approach, researchers at the University of Michigan have shown.
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North Star Imaging, Rogers, MN, recently opened an x-ray inspection services laboratory in Orlando, Florida. The facility houses a vault with a 9 Million Electron Volt high energy CT X-ray system capable of scanning very large dense parts used in aerospace and aviation.
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The Calgary-based TC Energy, formerly known as TransCanada, announced its initial findings into the December oil spill, stating the pipe failed due to a combination of factors, including bending and a weld flaw that was completed during its manufacturing.
“Although welding inspection and testing were conducted within applicable codes and standards, the weld flaw led to a crack that propagated over time as a result of bending stress fatigue, eventually leading to a instantaneous rupture,” it said in a statement, adding that the cause of the bending stress remains under investigation by a third party.
TC Energy added that metallurgical analysis found no issues with the strength or material properties of the pipe or manufactured fitting and that it was operating within its operation design and within its maximum operating pressure.
The leak was discovered on Dec. 7 about 20 miles south of Steel City, Neb., along the 2,687-mile pipeline that runs from the Canadian province of Alberta into the United States. The break was found near where it spilts into two arms with on running east into Illinois and the other south down to Houston, Texas.
The leak was found feeding oil into a Washington County, Kan., creek, with initial estimates putting the size of the leak at about 14,000 barrels. The company recently reduced that estimate to 12,937 barrels, for about 543,350 gallons of oil, making it the Keystone Pipeline’s largest spill.
The company also said that it estimates the clean-up costs to be about $420 million. “This estimate may be adjusted as we continue to progress work on site,” it said. “We have appropriate insurance coverage in place and are working with our insurers to maximize cost recoveries.”
December’s leak is the fourth in the Keystone Pipeline’s 12-year history, after a leak of 400 barrels in 2016, a leak of 9,600 barrels in 2017 and a leak of 9,120 barrels in 2019.
Image – TC Energy said the cause of December’s oil spill in Kansas was caused by a welding flaw and bending pipe stress. Courtesy of: Larry W. Smith/EPA.
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TC Energy
Researchers from Argonne National Labs, Lemon, Ill., Idaho National Laboratories, Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich., are developing new models that can use data generated by sensors on hydropower components to predict how the components will degrade over time and estimate a component’s remaining life.
Digitally transforming risk prediction can guide effective operations and maintenance (O&M) policies for hydropower facilities, enabling proactive mitigation, reducing forced outages, and lowering O&M costs.
Researchers will leverage monitoring/sensor data from the Hydropower Research Institute, covering 44% of MW hydro-capacity in the U.S., and maintenance records and sensing data from industry partners.
Researchers will leverage hydro prognostics capabilities developed in Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy-Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) seedling projects and integrate their asset management models into an open-source tool that will be co-developed with industry partners.
Feng Qiu, a principal computational scientist and group manager for advanced grid modeling – optimization and analytics at Argonne, is principal investigator for the project, which is funded with $500,000 from WPTO.
Image – Courtesy of: Shutterstock/DedMityay.
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Argonne National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory
Wayne State University
The DOE awarded $42 million in funding for 12 projects developing next-generation electric vehicle battery technologies to Exponent, Inc., Menlo Park, Calif., along with colleagues from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the University of Texas, Austin. Project funding comes from the Department of Energy’s Electric Vehicles for American Low-Carbon Living (EVs4ALL) program.
“Exponent has been a leader in evaluating battery performance, risk, and safety for our clients for over 20 years,” said Ryan Spray, Ph.D., principal scientist at Exponent. “We look forward to the opportunity, with NREL and UT, to apply our deep expertise toward evaluating the energy storage technologies of tomorrow to enable new transportation possibilities.”
Deploying “clean” (zero emission) EVs is key to global decarbonization efforts. In the U.S., for instance, EVs4ALL reports that 80% adoption of EVs could reduce overall CO2 emissions by 800 million tons per year. However, the widespread adoption of EVs depends on developing more durable, faster-charging battery technologies that are effective at low temperatures.
Exponent’s team will focus on characterizing the risks posed by next-generation cells from fundamental reaction-kinetics of the materials all the way to the battery pack level. The project will lead the charge by investigating failure modes and effects, revising testing standards, and new capabilities and tools to help de-risk adoption of next-generation cells for commercial applications.
For more information:
Exponent, Inc.
Leading software provider Volume Graphics, Germany, received a 2023 industry award for their Adaptive Measurement Template application that automatically compares original CAD intent against scan-based visualizations of parts, made with almost any material or manufacturing method, to assess quality and robustness. Volume Graphics’ Adaptive Measurement Templates has been named as one of the ten most innovative technologies for 2023 by a leading industry publication.
As CT scanning of parts becomes an increasingly routine quality-inspection step for manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, energy, medicine and other industries, the software that interprets that CT-scan data is becoming ever-more sophisticated, as well as more user-friendly.
An independent jury of machine-vision experts anonymously evaluated a shortlist of technology developments in image processing, metrology, embedded vision, and AI. The editorial team drew up the original list from around 30 products that stood out at trade fairs or in news articles over the past year. The jury then assigned points and selected the ten technologies with the highest total to be listed as Top Innovations. Products or solutions are selected because they enable more accurate, better, or simpler inspections for the industry.
Volume Graphics provides its Adaptive Measurement Templates in its latest versions of VGSTUDIO MAX, VGSTUDIO, VGMETROLOGY and VGinLINE software. These applications use data from CT-scanned objects to inspect and evaluate product quality. The shape-following templates speed up the identification of deformed components by allowing users to digitally apply metrics from their original CAD data or Product Manufacturing Information onto digital visualizations of the altered components, created from the CT scans.
The templates then highlight any differences between the original design and the as-manufactured-and-scanned part, and can be further applied to determine if such deviations are significant enough to affect performance or even cause rejection of the part.
This is highly valuable for the inspection of injection-molded parts and 3D-printed parts, which can often be out of tolerance and/or warped in such a way that a standard measurement plan, created on the nominal CAD object, cannot be applied easily or automatically to them. In such cases, correct analysis used to be possible only by applying time-consuming, local coordinate systems. The new Adaptive Measurement Templates apply dimensions and tolerances much more quickly, even to severely distorted parts, and can also inform design changes that improve final product quality.
For more information:
Volume Graphics
