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May 16 | News
Wet
chemical processes or vacuum plasma processes are typically used for
coating applications in industry. Both have drawbacks: vacuum units are
expensive and time-consuming, and wet chemistry is energy-intensive and
environmentally challenging. Researchers have recently developed a new
kind of plasma coating process that works at ambient pressure.
May 8 | News
Mineral
oil is typically used as a cooling lubricant for machining hard metals
and for tool-making machinery on which tools are manufactured, but
engineers are now offering an alternative to fossil fuel-based oils that
often transport very little heat. The new aqueous biopolymer solutions
are actually based on water, which is no worse a lubricant than oil if
the right additives are used.
May 1 | News
Radio
signals reach pilots on board an aircraft through the radar dome, the
rounded nose of the aircraft. But if imperfections are introduced during
the production of this nose, it can impede radio traffic. Researchers
have developed a non-destructive testing system that will identify these
errors during production.
Apr 30 | News
If
errors creep in during the assembly of components for automobiles,
costly post-processing is often the consequence. Automatic testing is
difficult, especially where individual products are concerned. Now,
researchers in Germany are new testing system that is flexible and
economical, even for smaller production runs.
Apr 17 | News
At
the analytica conference in Munich this week, the Hübner company is
demonstrating its T-Cognition 1.0, which operates in the terahertz
wavelength range. The device, developed with the assistance of
Fraunhofer researchers, detects, without contact, substances such as
drugs or explosives contained in unopened letters or flat packages.
Apr 16 | News
Ship
propellers are as large as a single-family home—and manufacturing them
is a challenge. During the casting process, pores and miniscule cracks
can form that in the worst case may cause a blade to break. Now these
massive components can be inspected for defects in a non-invasive
manner, using a new kind of ultrasound process.
Apr 11 | News
Technological
advances have produced implantable, electronic solutions for dosing and
therapeutic functions in humans. However, these medical devices use
probes, actuators, and electronic controls that need power. Researchers
at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies have recently
succeeded in wirelessly transmitting power from a portable transmitter
module to a receiver, offering the possibility of wirelessly-powered
medical devices.
Apr 2 | News
Producing thin ceramic components has, until now, been a laborious and expensive process, as parts often get distorted during manufacturing and have to be discarded as waste. Researchers are now able to reshape the surfaces of malformed components by bombarding them with tiny pellets.
Mar 1 | News
The
diesel engine housing for a train has to be tough enough to protect the
engine at high speeds, but also to contain fire and oil leaks
Researchers in Germany who have developed an extremely durable
polyurethane sandwich material say it’s tough enough to replace aluminum
or steel in these types of applications, and at a weight savings of up
to 35%.
Feb 1 | News
Tons
and tons of old produce goes to waste each year, much of it simply
thrown away. A new biogas plant near Stuttgart, in Germany, has been
built specifically to convert this market waste into methane for
commercial use
