Manufacturing Update

Prefab houses that are glued, not nailed, together

Tuesday, June 18, 2013 00:00 MST

With prefabricated houses, the dream of having one's own home can quickly become a reality. Until now, nails have been used to hold the individual components together. Now an adhesive tape has been developed to perform this task.

Repairing turbines with the help of robots

Monday, June 17, 2013 00:00 MST

Compressor and turbine blades are important components in aircraft engines and gas turbines. When they become damaged, it is often cheaper to repair them than to buy replacements. Now there is a new robotassisted technique that is boosting efficiency.

Patent awarded for novel use of water jets to create high tensile strength alloy parts

Friday, June 14, 2013 00:00 MST

US Patent Number 8,459,078 entitled "System and Method for Forming of Tubular Parts" discloses a method for using propellant driven water. It teaches a method in which a combustion chamber generates a gas to drive water through a tubular part with sufficient force to mold the part into the form provided by the die surrounding the high tensile strength alloy work piece.

Less friction loss in combustion engines

Thursday, June 13, 2013 00:00 MST

Researchers have developed a method that can reduce engine friction and wear even during production of engine components. Special coatings can help to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Quality control in the manufacturing cycle

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 00:00 MST

Even the minutest deviations are detected: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF have created the "Wheelinspector," an in-line compatible system for 100 percent inspection of vehicle wheels without contact.

Glove shows its true colors

Saturday, June 08, 2013 00:00 MST

Security takes top priority in laboratories and in production. In the future, employees exposed to risks will only have to put on a glove in order to receive a toxic substance warning: This textile identifi es poisonous substances, and points them out immediately.

Improving the oil and gas industry security

Friday, June 07, 2013 00:00 MST

Northrop Grumman and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Energy Institute collaborate to improve security for critical oil and gas infrastructure.

Professor uses Petri nets to solve automation problems in manufacturing

Thursday, June 06, 2013 00:00 MST

An expert in robotics and automation problems, especially those involving manufacturing systems, NJIT Distinguished Professor and IEEE Fellow Mengchu Zhou will have two articles published in the upcoming proceedings of the 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Both papers were recently presented at this conference.

3-D modeling technology offers groundbreaking solution for engineers

Wednesday, May 22, 2013 00:00 MST

Software developed at the University of Sheffield has the potential to enable engineers to make 'real world' safety assessments of structures and foundations with unprecedented ease.

Novel quality control system

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 00:00 MST

Tecnalia is co-ordinating the MUPROD project, which is part of the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme. This initiative involves developing an innovative Quality Control system which is set to drastically change the current concept of End-of-Line quality control and go beyond the established methodologies like Six-sigma and SPC.

New logistics services that will cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions

Monday, May 20, 2013 00:00 MST

The iCargo project (Intelligent Cargo in Efficient and Sustainable Global Logistics Operations) is aiming to cut CO2 emissions, thanks to an improvement in the efficiency of intermodal loading systems and the boosting of intelligent systems that assist decision making. It comprises 29 European organisations with experience in the logistics sector and in supply chain management.

More effective, cheaper concrete manufactured with ash from olive residue biomass

Monday, May 06, 2013 00:00 MST

The plasticity and cohesion of this type of concrete mean no compaction is needed when used in construction and, moreover, it has advantages with respect to conventional concrete.

Researchers tackle collapsing bridges with new technology

Thursday, May 02, 2013 00:00 MST

In this month's issue of Physics World, an international group of researchers propose a new technology that could divert vibrations away from load-bearing elements of bridges to avoid catastrophic collapses.

Research helps to show how turbulence can occur without inertia

Wednesday, May 01, 2013 00:00 MST

For more than a century, the field of fluid mechanics has posited that turbulence scales with inertia, and so massive things, like planes, have an easier time causing it.Now, research led by engineers at the University of Pennsylvania has shown that this transition to turbulence can occur without inertia at all.

New fatigue model leads to more durable ships

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 00:00 MST

Heikki Remes, a researcher at the Aalto University in Finland, has developed a model making it possible to determine how fatigue sets in with various welded steel materials. The model allows for the development of lighter structures, and as a consequence, more energy-efficient ships.