International automotive supplier ramps volume production of MK 100 family of electronic stability control (ESC) systems with TI ARM MCUs with embedded Flash Texas Instruments Incorporated and Continental, the international automotive supplier, are pleased to announce their collaboration on the first 65 nm ARM Cortex safety microcontrollers with Flash technology in volume production. The Continental […]
Automotive/Transportation
Environmental Community Assists Judge in Sentencing
Apparently frustrated by a U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down an $18 million penalty for a Texas natural gas firm, a federal judge is taking the unusual step of asking the environmental community for suggestions on how to sentence the company in a way that will have “the broadest possible impact.” U.S. District Judge […]
Quality Control in the Manufacturing Cycle
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. The experts will be presenting this and other systems at Control 2013 (Hall 1, Booth 1502) in Stuttgart on May 14 […]
UV-/light-Curing Adhesives Improve Manufacturing Productivity
The manufacturing world is constantly looking for processes that can accelerate production while lowering unit costs and improving product reliability. Each innovation must mesh with the overall production process to achieve high output levels. Bonding processes should be capable of smoothly running in automated processes requiring short cycle times. UV and other light-curing adhesives, like […]
Photos of the Day: 3.5 Mile-High Martian Mound
Researchers based at Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology and Ashima Research suggest that Mars’ roughly 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp (above) most likely emerged as strong winds carried dust and sand into Gale Crater where the mound sits. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound is the remnant of a massive […]
New Analysis Suggests Wind, Not Water, Formed Mound on Mars
A roughly 3.5-mile high Martian mound that scientists suspect preserves evidence of a massive lake might actually have formed as a result of the Red Planet’s famously dusty atmosphere, an analysis of the mound’s features suggests. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound holds evidence of a large body of water, which […]
A Giant Leap to Commercialization of Polymer Solar Cell
A polymer solar cell is a type of thin film solar cells made with polymers that produce electricity from sunlight by the photovoltaic effect. Most current commercial solar cells are made from a highly purified silicon crystal. The high cost of these silicon solar cells and their complex production process has generated interest in developing […]
What Price Cheap Clothing?
When the Rana Plaza garment factory building collapsed on April 24, crushing hundreds of workers under a pile of concrete and machinery that used to be an eight-story factory building, it was like lifting a rock in your garden and finding a snake’s nest full of baby rattlers. Something that most of the world preferred […]
In CA Some Ships Plug in to Power up
In less than a year, many of the towering cargo ships loading and unloading goods at California ports won’t just tie up at dock — they’ll also plug in. In January, the state will become the first government body in the world to require container fleets docking at its major ports to shut off their […]
Improving Materials That Convert Heat to Electricity & Vice-Versa
Thermoelectric materials can be used to turn waste heat into electricity or to provide refrigeration without any liquid coolants, and a research team from the University of Michigan has found a way to nearly double the efficiency of a particular class of them that’s made with organic semiconductors. Organic semiconductors are carbon-rich compounds that are […]