Developments

Skylar Tibbits, an architect, designer and computer scientist, in a recent TED interview unveiled the concept of 4D printing which allows objects to self-assemble and adapt. While a 3D printer builds things up layer by layer, Tibbits has developed a technology where chunks of material start separated and then intelligently arrange themselves into a pre-programmed object, and furthermore, create objects that can change after they are first printed meaning they are self adaptive. Tibbits’ latest technology uses water to activate and power strands of material that fold themselves into desired shapes. It will be developed in part by the new MIT Self Assembly Lab  to be headed by Tibbits and announced during his talk  in association with Minnesota based company Stratasys and a Israel-based maker of 3D printers. It can also be used on multiple types of materials rather than simply one type of plastic, as with other 3D printers. Practical uses could include furniture, construction and eventually aerospace development. Tibbits believes that the technology could be most useful for astronauts in space. Tibbits looks at 4D printing as the future of manufacturing, and not just manufacturing small objects, but large construction projects, such as buildings. He says that current methods of manufacturing have become ever more complex, requiring more and more parts to go into one completed piece, at the cost of more time spent on construction. CAD systems developer Autodesk, 3 printing company Stratasys, and biological printing specialists Organovo are already involved in collaborative exploratory projects with MIT. The next step in the development is to print sheets, working up whole structures and also looking at alternative energy sources to water.  

 Researchers from China’s Kunlun Polar Research Team in Antarctica have developed the world’s first wind-powered, satellite controlled, autonomous robot called the Polar Rover. Polar Rover harvests wind energy with the help of top mounted turbine of 200 watts built by New York’s Urban Green Energy (UGE). It uses numerous sensors that include atmospheric sensors, snow samplers, and geography and geology analyzers as it goes on exploring the Antarctic sheets to document the impact that global warming has on the region. The autonomous robot which is 1.8 meters long, 1.6 meters wide, 1.2 meters high and weighs 300 kilograms made its maiden voyage last month wherein it covered an impressive 1,550 miles in 58 days at an average height of 4,000 meters above the sea level. The rover is capable of tackling the obstacles as high as 0.5 meters and what’s even worth noticing is the fact that small four wheeled vehicle didn’t topple over even in severe windy storms that the continent is known for. The vertical axis wind turbine sitting atop the Polar Rover is certainly the most significant addition to China’s Kunlun Polar Research Team in Antarctica. The compact wind turbine named ‘HoYi!’ can be installed anywhere, from the Antarctic to marine environments – it is even rated to withstand hurricane force winds. Polar Rover which is capable of moving swiftly in cold temperatures, geomagnetic interferences, cosmic rays or for that matter, in severe environmental conditions is surely a move ahead in environmental robotic practices to make earth a better place to live. The use of wind power in the Polar Rover also offers long lasting performance while monitoring the environment. Polar Rover is not the first robot to be used in Antarctic ice, but the combination of renewable energy source is a promising feature in it.   […]

3D printing has been touted as the second industrial revolution. Globally, current developments are simply staggering and in New Zealand local businesses must embrace the technology at entry level in order to keep up with the play. One way business can get involved is by engaging with the tertiary sector. In Christchurch, the CPIT Foundation purchased a mid-range 3D printer for the institute last year. The intention is threefold; up skilling current students, staff research opportunities and industry collaboration. Engineering, architectural studies and art & design students will have a working knowledge of the technology before they graduate. Tutors will extend local expertise through research projects, some of which will directly address industry challenges. Local business, who aren’t yet ready to invest in this technology, can use the 3D printer on a commercial basis to explore the cost and time-saving potential of rapid prototyping and sophisticated modelling. 3D printing has long since emerged from research departments where it started to evolve over two decades ago. Today it’s hard to keep pace with all the different approaches to producing a solid three-dimensional object from a CAD file and the novel applications to which 3D printers are being put – a team in Spain, for example, recently printed food. Airbus is investing in a high-speed prototype machine that will produce complex titanium components at a speed 10 times higher than standard manufacturing. When you consider the ramifications of that development, not a long term aspiration but something planned for mid-2013, you understand that the technology has the potential to revolutionise manufacturing by creating sophisticated parts without the need for labour intensive factories. Hence the ‘second industrial revolution’ predictions. CPIT is still exploring the technology and viable commercial and research model structures, but the institute has already made 3D printing available to the […]

The Commerce Commission has urged consumers and tradespeople to exercise caution when using two models of ‘Transforma’ multi-purpose ladder, sold nationwide by Brand Developers Limited between 2007 and March 2013.  The Commission is investigating potential breaches of the Fair Trading Act involving claims made about the load rating of Transforma TR24 and TR33(35) ladders and their compliance with compulsory safety standards.  The Commission understands that approximately 16,000 of these multi-purpose ladders have been sold, mainly through TV infomercials and trade suppliers. The Commission’s Competition Manager, Greg Allan, said that while the Commission had so far only tested one of each model of ladder, both ladders had failed the independent safety test and the test failures were of sufficient concern for the Commission to warn people to take care in using them. The ladders were tested against the AS/NZS 1892.1:1996 Portable ladders Standard. In testing, the TR33(35) model buckled under the maximum advertised 180kg load.  The TR24 model failed two tests. • Under the standard the ladder is allowed to ‘sag’ by 5.2mm when the rated weight is put on it. The TR24 sagged 20mm. • The TR24 was also tested for ‘walking’ – which measures the movement of the ladder’s feet when the ladder is moved from side to side. The maximum allowable movement for these ladders is 79mm under the safety standard. The tested ladder walked 130mm on average. “There is the potential for someone to be badly hurt if they expect the ladder to carry the advertised maximum load or if the ladder moves significantly,” Mr Allan said. He said that because the ladders were advertised as able to hold more than 120kg they were classed as industrial strength and therefore more likely to be used by tradespeople. Mr Allan stressed that further testing was being undertaken by […]

Commercial laser printers typically produce pin-sharp images with spots of ink about 20 micrometers apart, resulting in a resolution of 1,200 dots per inch (dpi). By shrinking the separation to just 250 nanometres — roughly 100 times smaller — a research team at A*STAR can now print images at an incredible 100,000 dpi, the highest possible resolution for a colour image1. These images could be used as minuscule anti-counterfeit tags or to encode high-density data.  To print the image, the team coated a silicon wafer with insulating hydrogen silsesquioxane and then removed part of that layer to leave behind a series of upright posts of about 95 nanometres high. They capped these nanoposts with layers of chromium, silver and gold (1, 15 and 5 nanometres thick, respectively), and also coated the wafer with metal to act as a backreflector. Each colour pixel in the image contained four posts at most, arranged in a square. The researchers were able to produce a rainbow of colours simply by varying the spacing and diameter of the posts to between 50 nanometres and 140 nanometres.  When light hits the thin metal layer that caps the posts, it sends ripples — known as plasmons — running through the electrons in the metal. The size of the post determines which wavelengths of light are absorbed, and which are reflected (see image).  The plasmons in the metal caps also cause electrons in the backreflector to oscillate. “This coupling channels energy from the disks into the backreflector plane, thus creating strong absorption that results in certain colours being subtracted from the visible spectrum,” says Joel Yang, who led the team of researchers at the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering and the A*STAR Institute of High Performance Computing. Printing images in this way makes them potentially more […]

Visitors from all over the world made up the record crowds at DMG/Mori Seiki’s 2013 Pfronten Open House.            A record 6,000 visitors from around the globe attended the annual DMG/Mori Seiki Open House at the Deckel Maho plant in Pfronten, Germany. The five-day event, from 29 January to 2 February, featured over 70 machines, six of which were world premieres. Making their debut on the world stage were the CTX beta 2000 and the European-made NLX 2500/SY 700 universal turning machines, the DMU 125 FD monoBLOCK and DMU 65 FT monoBLOCK 5-axis universal milling machines, and the DMC 80 H linear 5-axis horizontal milling centre, which features linear drives on all axes. Also unveiled was the high-precision DIXI 210 P 5-sided, 5-axis universal milling machine. This product boasts an error tolerance of less than or equal to 0.004 millimetres and a rapid traverse of up to 60 metres per minute. More than half of the customers attending the event travelled from overseas. This included a strong contingent of customers from Australia and New Zealand. One Australian customer had the unique experience of seeing his new machine being assembled on the production line at the Deckel Maho plant. The open house gave customers an opportunity to gain insight into the versatility and professionalism of the company, and to see how it was organised. The open house featured an exhibition space showcasing 12 automation system solutions designed to help customers achieve maximum productivity, and presentations from Boeing and Rolls Royce which shed light on the latest developments and innovations in the aerospace industry. For Weiwadel, the highlight of these presentations was learning how DMG/Mori Seiki can continue to support and contribute to the aerospace industry’s targets and success.  

(Pic) ‘Nam Trams’ a winner for Access Automation. The general manager of Access Automation of the Hutt, Darin Phillips-Brown, shared with NZ Manufacturer the Solidtec software of choice his company uses in day by day operations.  NZM: Which Solidtec software are you using? AAL: We have two seats of SolidWorks 2013 (1 x premium and 1 x standard) NZM: Why have you chosen this particular software? AAL: We chose Solid Works as it seemed to be the mechanical design CAD software of choice. Its 3D modelling capabilities coupled with its ease of use have made it a key tool in our design office. As every project we do is bespoke to each client’s site, we are able to model the entire cable car if required and check interferences on the screen rather than out on site. NZM: Why have you chosen Solidtec? AAL: We choose Solidtec, mainly because of the people but also because of what they offer. Their technical support and turnaround is great. We have also developed a relationship with the staff from sales through to tech support and they know and understand what we do. NZM: How has the software made your company work better? AAL: SolidWorks has allowed us to accurately complete a design with the confidence of knowing that everything will fit together and operate as intended once installed on site. NZM: Is your company more efficient from using it? AAL: We are definitely more efficient from material usage through FEA (finite element analysis) and reduced rework required on site. *NZM: What applications is it used for? AAL: We use SolidWorks for the following: Product design Sheet metal Lasercut templates and flat patterns R & D Error and collision detection FEA We use it to model everything from structural steel work to fully enclosed custom […]

The invention is one of five on the Society of Manufacturing’s 2013 List of Innovations that could change the way you manufacture. An easy-to-make rainbow filter that could help users identify the true color of everything from paint to medicine has been named to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) list of 2013 Innovations that could change the way you manufacture. This year’s list includes just five items: a technique for mass producing robotic insects and other devices; super-water-repellant coatings; stronger, lighter carbon nanotubes; a more efficient welding process; and the UB invention — an “everyday spectrometer.” The technology is a rainbow-colored polymer that UB engineers created using a one-step, low-cost holographic lithography method. Employed as a filter for light, this polymer could form the basis of handheld multispectral imaging devices that identify objects’ “true colour.” Such accurate color detection could make it easier for governments to identify counterfeit money, for homeowners to match paint colors in renovation projects, and for doctors to analyse colo-urs in medical images to detect disease. There are potential applications in fields from climate monitoring to remote sensing for military and defense. Visit the following link for a video the technology:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF2d2wUf0Gg The simple process for fabricating the polymer could make it feasible to develop small, low-cost, high-performance devices that connect with cell phones to conduct multispectral imaging. In addition, the filters can be produced at less than $US10 apiece, making them a viable, state-of-the-art alternative to the much more expensive linear variable filters that are currently used for spectral analyses. The UB researchers who led efforts to develop the technology are Alexander N. Cartwright, PhD, professor of electrical engineering and biomedical engineering and UB vice president for research and economic development, and Qiaoqiang Gan, PhD, assistant professor of electrical engineering. Both are members of UB’s […]

A major new investment in New Zealand’s titanium materials research is set to enable the development of a pan-industry manufacturing base for high value export products, say participants in the programme. “Titanium Technologies New Zealand” (TiTeNZ), funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), will provide a major boost to research activities with widespread national and international application across the medical, aerospace, defence, marine, energy and general engineering sectors. The research collaboration has initial funding of $3.1M pa for two years, but is aiming to establish a long term programme to support high value manufacturing based on Titanium alloys. Titanium Technologies New Zealand builds on current research capability and infrastructure in titanium metallurgy, high temperature materials processing and fabrication, and advanced surface coatings at Callaghan Innovation, GNS Science, the University of Waikato, the University of Auckland and the Titanium Industry Development Association (TiDA). “This investment will enable the development of a world class titanium research platform in New Zealand and create a multi-company, multi-sector manufacturing base for high value export products,” says Professor Ian Brown of Callaghan Innovation who is leading a cluster of Crown Research Institutes and University applied materials research teams working in partnership with New Zealand industrial manufacturers. Oversight of the new programme will be managed by an Industry Advisory Panel which includes Chairs, former Chairs and Deputy Chairs of NZTE, F&P Appliance, Auckland Airport, Wakefield Health and IRL, as well as managers and owners of award-winning manufacturing and engineering companies. The Advisory Board panel members are Jon Mayson, John Calder, Keith Turner, Barry Robinson, Michael Ludbrook and Andy Cameron. The Chair of the Advisory Panel, Jon Mayson, says: “New Zealand has an amazing opportunity around the research and commercialisation of Titanium materials. We are currently at the leading edge internationally in some of our […]