Bruker introduces MultiMode 8-HR atomic force microscope for nanoscale research
January 20, 2016
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Bruker Nano Surfaces, Santa Barbara, Calif., announces that it has significantly enhanced the capabilities of its MultiMode platform with the MultiMode 8-HR. Improvements include higher speeds, higher resolution imaging, new capabilities in nanomechanics with enhanced PeakForce QNM, and new FastForce Volume modes. These improvements are also available as upgrades to current MultiMode systems.
The high-resolution and data processing capabilities of the MultiMode 8-HR are the result of its combination of rigid mechanical design and extremely advanced control electronics. Utilizing Bruker's NanoScope V Controller and new Version 8.2 software, the system features unprecedented bandwidth and extremely low-noise data acquisition to enable such proprietary technology advances as ScanAsyst, Peak Force QNM and FastForce Volume. These features combine to reaffirm the MultiMode 8-HR as the most versatile, highest performance AFM in its class.
www.bruker.com
Bruker Nano Surfaces, Santa Barbara, Calif., announces that it has significantly enhanced the capabilities of its MultiMode platform with the MultiMode 8-HR.
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Tresa Pollock named Principal Editor for Metallurgical and Materials Transactions
January 19, 2016
Source: ASM International
ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that the new principal editor of the Metallurgical and Materials Transactions (Met Trans) family of journals will be Dr. Tresa M. Pollock, an internationally recognized leader in the science and technology of advanced structural alloys.
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High-strength magnesium-lithium alloy weighs half as much as aluminum
January 1, 2016
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The University of New South Wales and Monash University, Australia, announce that a team of researchers has developed a high-strength magnesium-lithium alloy with density of 1.4 g/cm3, 50% less than aluminum and 30% less than magnesium. The researchers have shown that the alloy forms a protective layer of carbonate-rich film upon exposure to air, making it immune to corrosion. The finding is published online in the 19 October edition of Nature Materials.
Prof. Michael Ferry, of UNSW's School of Materials Science and Engineering, says that the excellent corrosion resistance of the alloy was observed by chance, when the team noticed that a heat-treated sample in a beaker of salt water showed no corrosion after several hours. Normally magnesium would have been extensively corroded.
The researchers then designed a magnesium-lithium alloy of specific composition together with a processing sequence consisting of hot extrusion, heating and water quenching, low-temperature aging, and cold rolling.
"This is the first magnesium-lithium alloy to stop corrosion from irreversibly eating into the alloy, as the balance of elements interacts with ambient air to form a surface layer which, even if scraped off repeatedly, rapidly reforms to create reliable and durable protection," says Prof. Ferry.
The UNSW team partnered with scientists on the Powder Diffraction beamline at the Australian Synchrotron, to confirm that the alloy contains a unique nanostructure that enables the formation of a protective surface film.
Prof. Nick Birbilis (shown in the photo), School of Materials Science and Engineering at Monash University, says viewing unprecedented structural detail of the alloy through the Australian Synchrotron will enable the team to work toward commercializing the new metal.
‘We're aiming to take the knowledge gleaned at the Australian Synchrotron to incorporate new techniques into the mass-production of this unique alloy in sheets of varying thickness, in a standard processing plant," Prof. Birbilis said.
https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/discovery-%E2%80%98stainless-magnesium%E2%80%99-could-herald-transport-revolution
http://monash.edu/news/show/monash-university-researchers-co-discover-revolutionary-new-ultra-light-magnesium-alloy
The University of New South Wales and Monash University, Australia, announce that a team of researchers has developed a high-strength magnesium-lithium alloy with density of 1.4?g/cm3, half as much as aluminum and 30% less than magnesium.
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Oxygen-free copper strip produced in continuous casting, rolling, and coiling process
November 30, 2015
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Mansfelder, Kupfer, und Messing GmbH (MKM), Germany, has begun the production of high-purity, oxygen-free copper strip via Conti-M technology, which makes it possible to cast, hot-roll, mill, and coil copper strip in a continuous process. The oxygen-free (OFE) copper contains no elements that can outgas in vacuum, is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, and is particularly resistant to hydrogen in both natural and industrial atmospheres.
OFE copper is also resistant to stress corrosion cracking. MKM will be offering OFE copper predominantly to customers in the electrical engineering, electronics, and vacuum systems engineering segments, for whom this high-quality copper strip offers exceptional properties. OFE copper not only possesses very good hot and cold forming properties, but also is good for welding and very good for hard and soft soldering.
According to Roland Harings, CEO of MKM, "With OFE copper strip, we at MKM have now begun a quality-oriented expansion of our product portfolio that fulfils the demands of many of our customers. Numerous tests have clearly confirmed that MKM OFE copper strip can offer exceptionally high quality standards and process reliability."
MKM is the only manufacturer in the world to offer copper wire, strips, tubes, bars, and sheets from a single source. In the past year, MKM processed 245,000 metric ton of copper, with a workforce of about 1100 employees. Approximately 1000 customers from 60 different countries place their trust in MKM. This positions MKM as a global premium partner for the electronics and construction industry, solar energy, and systems engineering; and the automotive, aerospace and telecommunications segments.
http://www.mkm.eu/en/
Mansfelder, Kupfer, und Messing GmbH (MKM), Germany, has begun the production of high-purity, oxygen-free copper strip via Conti-M technology, which makes it possible to cast, hot-roll, mill, and coil copper strip in a continuous process.
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Ipsen furnace enables California Brazing to increase aluminum brazing capacity
November 11, 2015
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Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that California Brazing recently purchased its third vacuum aluminum brazing (VAB) furnace from Ipsen, to expand capacity and manufacture a variety of aluminum-brazed assemblies. These include cold plates, heat exchangers, waveguides, and antennas, for customers in the aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries.
The furnace features an all-metal hot zone with dimensions 38 x 40 x 62 inches. It has a 1500-pound load capacity, and it operates at temperatures of 500 to 1200°F, with ±5°F temperature uniformity. It is also equipped with a 35-inch diffusion pump and Ipsen's CompuVac control system.
Featuring multiple individually controlled heating zones, Ipsen's VAB furnaces provide fast cycle times and precise, uniform heating of the workload. In addition, joint-free heating elements eliminate resistance buildup and hot spots.
"There is a growing need for aluminum-brazed assemblies across multiple industries," says Jeff Ager, General Manager at California Brazing. "California Brazing is committed to meeting our customers' requirements by continuing to invest in brazing and machining equipment to further improve capabilities, lead times, and quality."
www.IpsenUSA.com/VAB
Ipsen USA, Cherry Valley, Ill., reports that California Brazing recently purchased its third vacuum aluminum brazing (VAB) furnace from Ipsen, to expand capacity and manufacture a variety of aluminum-brazed assemblies.
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Air Force selects Northrop Grumman to build new long-range bomber
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The U.S. Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church, Va., the company that developed and manufactured the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to deliver the new Long-Range Strike Bomber, which is also to be stealthy. The company has continued to develop stealthy systems, such as the stealthy X-47B unmanned aircraft.
"The Air Force has made the right decision for our nation's security," said Wes Bush, chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Northrop Grumman. "We look forward to providing the Air Force with a highly capable and affordable next-generation Long-Range Strike Bomber."
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.
www.northropgrumman.com
The U.S. Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman Corp., Falls Church, Va., the company that developed the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to deliver the new Long-Range Strike Bomber, which is also to be stealthy.
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Carl Zeiss Microscopy celebrates fifty years of scanning electron microscopes
August 31, 2015
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Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd., England, marked the 50th anniversary of the first sale of a commercial scanning electron microscope with an event in Cambridge. Customers and specialists from many disciplines had the chance to meet scientists who worked on its development. Between 1951 and 1961, a team of engineering PhD students led by Sir Charles Oatley built the world's first five SEMs. In 1965, they built the first commercial SEM, the StereoScan (photo), with the Cambridge Instrument Company, a Zeiss predecessor.
With 50 years of continuous growth and development, the SEM has become ever more versatile, and is now firmly established as an indispensable tool for advanced research across many scientific disciplines. With new industrial applications emerging every year, the SEM is also a vital part of research & development, and quality control and analysis across an extensive range of industries.
From its early home in materials science, the SEM established itself in the disciplines of electronics, forensics, and archaeology. Over the years it has evolved into a key tool for food technologists, biologists, geologists and petrologists in the natural resources industries, adapting to fulfill the discrete requirements of these individual applications. Use of SEMs for process control and failure analysis is now widespread, with routine analysis on SEMs an integral part of the semiconductor and automotive industries, and manufacture more broadly.
Development still goes on: A direct descendant of the first microscopes produced in Cambridge in 1965 is the ZEISS EVO family. First launched in 2004, and widely accepted as the industry leading analytical platform, there are some developments soon to be unveiled for EVO offering more flexibility, ease of use, and further development of detectors. The new ZEISS Gemini SEM family comes with a novel optical design. Users achieve better resolution, especially at low voltage. With 20 times greater in-lens detection signal, they always acquire crisp images fast and with minimum sample damage.
http://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=20667
http://www.zeiss.com/semiconductor-manufacturing-technology/en_de/news-events.html
Carl Zeiss Microscopy Ltd., England, marked the 50th anniversary of the first sale of a commercial scanning electron microscope with an event in Cambridge.
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Ultra 76 Plus tantalum alloy resists corrosion in hot concentrated acids
July 8, 2015
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H.C. Starck, Newton, Mass., introduces the Ultra 76 Plus tantalum alloy, which is designed to combat aggressive hazardous-chemical corrosion in hot concentrated acids. The alloy is based on the Ta2.5W alloy, which improves corrosion resistance by minimizing hydrogen embrittlement, extending equipment life, and reducing downtime.
Ultra 76 Plus was designed by H.C. Starck's Fabricated Products Division. It enables increased concentrations and operating temperatures in HCI, H2SO4, and other acids. It can add value to a multitude of products, from heat exchangers, condensers, and coils, to thermocouple protection sheaths, pumps, distillation columns, boilers, and condensers.
H.C. Starck's high-tech materials — molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, and their alloys — are excellent choices for applications in high temperatures and severe environments. Tantalum, in particular, is widely used in electronics, chemical processes, and biomedical industries, where its alloys provide cost-effective, long service-life solutions for mission-critical components. In addition, it enables users to eliminate separate "Platinum Spot Welding" steps.
www.hcstarck.com
H.C. Starck, Newton, Mass., introduces the Ultra 76 Plus tantalum alloy, which is designed to combat aggressive hazardous-chemical corrosion in hot concentrated acids.
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Plansee’s new cold rolling mill produces thin moly sheets up to 1000 mm wide
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Plansee, Austria, recently invested in an ultramodern cold rolling mill to produce thin and medium-thickness molybdenum sheets up to 1000 mm wide, and to ensure increased capacity. Plansee also operates the world's largest hot rolling mill for molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, and niobium sheets. With a rolling force of 50,000 kilonewtons, this produces sheets up to 2000 mm wide and several meters long.
Whether smooth or etched, for punching or in deep-drawing quality, a wide range of sheets is now available at a reduced price. Plansee also makes rods, wire, and ribbon of molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, and niobium. These materials withstand high temperatures, have long service lives, and retain their shape even when exposed to frequent changes of temperature. Aside from semi-finished products, Plansee also develops and manufactures custom components from refractory metals.
The Plansee High Performance Materials division has expertise in the field of molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, and chromium components. Alloys and composite materials from Plansee are in electronics, coating technology, and high-temperature furnaces, wherever traditional materials are stretched beyond their limits.
www.plansee.com
Plansee, Austria, recently invested in an ultramodern cold rolling mill to produce thin and medium-thickness molybdenum sheets up to 1000 mm wide, and to ensure increased capacity.
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Flexible polymer electrodes printed with improved electrical properties
June 19, 2015
Source: ASM International
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) announces that its researchers have printed razor-thin polymer electrodes with improved electrical properties.
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