MTS installs Echo remote lab monitoring technology in Brazilian research institute
May 24, 2017
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MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn., has completed the installation of the MTS Echo remote lab monitoring technology in the Civil Engineering Structural and Materials Laboratory at Rio de Janeiro's Pontificia Universidade Católica (PUC-Rio).
The University deployed MTS Echo Intelligent Lab to help improve lab efficiency. Under the supervision of Dr. Flavio de Andrade Silva, PUC-Rio contracts with many of Brazil's foremost engineering companies to design and conduct a wide array of mechanical tests to better understand the performance and durability characteristics of construction materials, techniques, and structures.
Now with the latest technology from MTS incorporated into the laboratory, the staff and students have far greater visibility to ongoing test system performance and overall system health. Authorized personnel can remotely access detailed information about their test systems from an Android or iOS-compatible device (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.). The university is consequently able to maximize testing efficiency, and can preemptively identify equipment problems that could delay testing results.
Facing more demanding schedules, many modern test facilities are often expected to run around the clock, and unscheduled disruptions can affect multiple projects. Through Echo Equipment Monitoring, MTS addresses the growing need to improve productivity by providing real-time remote access to test status and equipment performance data. In addition, the Echo Health Monitoring functionality helps extend test system service life, enabling early detection and remedy of potential issues before they damage equipment or interrupt tests.
"There is a longstanding and deep-rooted cooperative relationship between PUC-Rio and MTS," says Dr. Flavio de Andrade Silva of PUC-Rio's Civil Engineering Department. "With the implementation of the Echo solution, we're able to know what is happening in the lab even when we are not there, giving us the assurance that we are operating efficiently."
MTS Systems Corp., Eden Prairie, Minn., has completed the installation of the MTS Echo remote lab monitoring technology in the Civil Engineering Structural and Materials Laboratory at Rio de Janeiro’s Pontificia Universidade Católica (PUC-Rio).
Oxford Instruments to sell Industrial Analysis business to Hitachi High-Technologies
May 14, 2017
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Oxford Instruments plc, England, announces that it has agreed to sell its Industrial Analysis business to Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. for a consideration of $100 million on a cash and debt-free basis. Hitachi will acquire the companies, assets, and liabilities that comprise the Industrial Analysis business.
The Industrial Analysis business is a leading global provider of handheld and benchtop instruments based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF), laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) technologies for analyzing materials in a broad range of industrial applications. Headquartered in Oxford, England, the Industrial Analysis business has research and development and assembly operations in Finland, Germany, and China, and sales and support operations in a number of countries around the world.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in Austria, confirmation of receipt by the relevant regulator of the share transfer filing in China, and completion of a pre-sale reorganization to carve out the relevant businesses. Assuming satisfaction of these conditions, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of the 2017/18 fiscal year. Proceeds will be used to reduce existing borrowings. The current Industrial Analysis management team will transfer with the business.
Oxford Instruments plc, England, announces that it has agreed to sell its Industrial Analysis business to Hitachi High-Technologies Corp. for a consideration of $100 million on a cash and debt-free basis.
Leica Microsystems announces education partnership with ASM International
February 3, 2017
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Leica Microsystems, Buffalo Grove, Ill, announces a new educational partnership with ASM International, the preeminent association for connecting materials professionals with the finest resources available – to solve problems, improve materials performance, and support professional development.
ASM will host classroom programs using inverted and digital microscopes for inspection and analysis in metallography, manufacturing, and materials research through this partnership. These programs will rely on sophisticated equipment from Leica Microsystems, including the Leica DMi8 modular inverted microscope system for the material sciences and the Leica DMS300 digital microscopy system, as well as Leica LAS X advanced measurement and image analysis software. The partnership between Leica and ASM will provide learning opportunities for new imaging techniques and the benefits of heads-up inspection.
"The partnership will allow ASM to expand its existing content and enhance the experience for both instructors and professionals," says John Cerne, ASM International Senior Manager of Education.
"Leica Microsystems‘ partnership with ASM unites a leader in materials imaging and analysis instrumentation with the premier industrial materials educational institution," says Alan Paris, Director of Business Development at Leica Microsystems. "This partnership will advance materials science and manufacturing worldwide."
For questions regarding this partnership, please contact Lon Nelson, Director of Sales-Microscopy, at 224-628-2467 or [email protected].
Leica Microsystems, Buffalo Grove, Ill, announces a new educational partnership with ASM International, the preeminent association for connecting materials professionals with the finest resources available – to solve problems, improve materials performance, and support professional development.
Sturbridge Metallurgical wins Sikorsky approval for materials testing
January 25, 2017
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Sturbridge Metallurgical Services Inc., Sturbridge, Mass., announces that it has been approved as a Materials Testing Lab for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. (a Lockheed Martin Corp.) and its manufacturing supplier base. Manufacturers, suppliers and/or vendors of Sikorsky, as well as Sikorsky directly, can now utilize the full scope of Sturbridge Metallurgical's materials testing capabilities. Suppliers can access their approved certification letter through the Sturbridge Metallurgical website and navigate to the quality assurance section.
Sturbridge offers chemical analysis, SEM/EDS analysis, failure analysis, tensile testing, GE grain size ratings, corrosion testing, metallography, hardness and microhardness testing, and a variety of other metallurgical testing services.
"Our team has worked extremely hard to put the systems in place to ensure that organizations such as Sikorsky and their supply chain will want to have their parts tested here," says Brendan Fullam, General Manager and Business Development Manager at Sturbridge. "We have a great team here and everyone works very hard to keep our customers happy. Having Sikorsky grant us approval validates all of the effort and time that they have put into the organization, and keeps us even more focused on demanding the best from ourselves."
Sturbridge Metallurgical Services Inc., Sturbridge, Mass., announces that it has been approved as a Materials Testing Lab for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. (a Lockheed Martin Corp.) and its manufacturing supplier base.
EAG Laboratories combines 11 labs into one company
August 17, 2016
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EAG Inc., San Diego, announces that it has formed EAG Laboratories, a single entity combining all of its 11 labs, including Evans Analytical Group, ABC Laboratories, Chemir Analytical Services, SEAL Laboratories, Shiva Technologies, NanoScience, Accurel, and MEFAS, among others.
EAG Laboratories offers an extensive range of testing, analytical, and characterization services (environmental testing, materials testing, failure analysis, engineering services, and more). Its range of markets served includes medical devices, aerospace, defense, semiconductors, and other industries.
Following multiple acquisitions in recent years, the move is designed to bring together broad capabilities in the materials, engineering, and life sciences sectors. EAG Laboratories will leverage scientific talent in its 20 locations in the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions, strengthening its offering for each of the vertical markets it serves.
"Over the last decade, EAG has quietly added capabilities through complementary acquisitions and service line expansions in the high-growth contract research and testing space," stated Siddhartha Kadia, president and CEO, EAG Laboratories. "We've built a problem-solving culture in which our scientists and engineers go beyond simply delivering data; they interpret results and find answers that support our clients' commercial success. That is something today's technology-driven companies need from their outsourcing partners, and it makes EAG unique in the scientific services arena. By unifying multidisciplinary expertise under one brand, we simplify delivery of our services to enhance our customer relationships."
EAG Inc., San Diego, announces that it has formed EAG Laboratories, a single entity combining all of its 11 labs, including Evans Analytical Group, ABC Laboratories, Chemir Analytical Services, SEAL Laboratories, Shiva Technologies, NanoScience, Accurel, and MEFAS, among others.
This new profile series introduces leading materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Lesley D. Frame, Director of Product Development for Thermatool Corp.
The new strategic alliance brings the complementary strengths of both organizations together to better serve their global members and the community at large.
The National Football League (NFL), Under Armour, General Electric , and the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), recently announced the five winners of Head Health Challenge III, an open innovation competition to support the discovery, design, and development of advanced materials that better absorb or dissipate impact. The new materials have the potential to improve the performance of protective gear, playing surfaces, and equipment for athletes, members of the military, and others.
Each of the winners will receive $250,000 to advance their work in developing state-of-the-art materials. A panel of leading experts in the field of materials science selected these five winners from 125 entries because they met the challenge's technical criteria to maximize energy absorption and minimize momentum transfer. One overall Head Health Challenge III winner will be selected from the five awardees to receive a $500,000 grand prize.
The Challenge III award winners are:
Alba Technic LLC (Winthrop, Maine) has developed a patented, shock-absorbent honeycomb material with an outer layer that diverts the energy from a fall or hit. The material is normally soft and compliant, but upon impact, the outer layer changes into a hard shell to spread the energy and protect the user from injury.
Charles Owen Inc. (Lincolnton, Ga.) made cellular structures that use a stacked, origami-like design to optimize energy absorption. The essential building block of this winning material is a double corrugated sheet of the material, whose ability to fold efficiently was originally developed for applications in areas such as solar array packing in the space industry.
Corsair Innovations (Plymouth, Mass.) has developed a textile that uses tiny, spring-like fibers to repel rotational and linear impacts, thereby reducing potential damage. Unlike foam materials, this textile is washable, breathable, wicks sweat and can be easily engineered to meet impact performance requirements.
Dynamic Research Inc. (Torrance, Calif.) and 6D Helmets LLC are collaborating to evolve 6D's single-impact suspension technology for use in repeated impact conditions. The suspension technology consists of a multi-layer, suspended internal liner system that allows the outer layer to move independently of the inner layer in order to reduce the effect of both angular and linear impact forces.
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.) researchers designed a lightweight, multi-layered composite that includes a viscoelastic material. This material can be uniquely utilized to help limit the force of multiple and repeated impact events.
The finalists will work with the HHC III partners to optimize their materials over the coming year.
The Challenge III judges were:
Jeff Crandall, professor in Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia. Crandall's research focuses on mechanisms of injury under impact loading.
Sharon Glotzer, Ph.D., professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Glotzer's research focuses on the ability to manipulate matter at the molecular, nanoparticle, and colloidal level to create "designer" structures.
Heinrich Jaeger, Ph.D., professor of Physics at the University of Chicago. Jaeger's team at the University of Chicago is involved in projects ranging from the assembly of next-generation nanostructures to investigations of the complex nonlinear behavior of granular materials, including grain, gravel, pharmaceutical pills and ultrafine powders.
Michael Maher, program manager for the Defense Sciences Offices at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Maher's current interests include development of new technologies to reduce the manufacturing cycle time and novel lightweight multifunctional material systems.
Tresa Pollock, Ph.D., chair of the Materials Department at the University of California – Santa Barbara. Pollock's current interests include the mechanical and environmental performance of materials in extreme environments, unique high temperature materials processing paths, ultrafast laser-material interactions, alloy design and 3-D materials characterization.
Alton D. Romig, Ph.D., former vice president and general manager of Advanced Development Programs Engineering and Advanced Systems, known as Skunk Works, for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. In this role, Romig focused on generating breakthrough technologies and designs for aircrafts and is known as the leader in aerospace innovation. Romig now serves as executive officer of the National Academy of Engineering.
Alan Taub, Ph.D., professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. Taub is pursuing research in advanced materials and processing and leading an initiative to establish a new center within the U-M College of Engineering that will focus on advanced manufacturing of lightweight material structures for automotive and aerospace applications.
Head Health Challenge III, part of the larger Head Health Initiative, a four-year, $60 million collaboration between GE and the NFL, is one of three open innovation challenges to invest up to $20 million in research and technology development to better understand, identify and protect against brain injury. Challenge I focused on discovering imaging and methods for diagnosis and prognosis of mild traumatic brain injuries, and in July 2015, six grand prize winners were awarded $500,000 to further their revolutionary research. Challenge II focused on new technologies to monitor, identify and protect against mild traumatic brain injury, and in December 2015, three grand prize winners were announced. The winners could receive up to $1 million over the next year to continue to advance their innovations.
The Head Health Challenge III collaboration helps implement a pledge by NIST and the Department of Commerce to invest resources to accelerate the development of materials that can protect against concussions, made at the White House's Healthy Kids and Safe Sports Concussion Summit in May 2014.
The National Football League (NFL), Under Armour, General Electric , and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), recently announced the five winners of Head Health Challenge III, an open innovation competition to support the discovery, design, and development of advanced materials that better absorb or dissipate impact.
