July 2007

Bolt Technical Ceramics Division Offers HALSIC High Performance Silicon Carbide for High Temperature Applications

The Bolt Technical Ceramics division of Morgan Advanced Ceramics (MAC) offers HALSIC high performance silicon carbide (SiC) materials for kiln furniture and other high-temperature environments. The HALSIC materials provide absolute dimensional stability and thermal shock resistance despite extreme mechanical strain in high temperature applications. 

Bolt Technical Ceramics supplies three grades of HALSIC in the US that are manufactured in MAC’s Haldenwanger, Germany facilities. In addition to offering HALSIC-R (recrystallized SiC) and HALSIC-I (silicon infiltrated SiC), Bolt Technical Ceramics offers HALSIC-RX, an extremely oxidation-resistant SiC-material.

Typical thermal management applications of HALSIC include tubes and rollers used in roller kilns, as well as rectangular batts, setting rings and plate setters for porcelain production. HALSIC beams and profiled supports provide high load-carrying ability for system-building structures in kiln cars or as load support components for furnace construction and mechanical engineering. Hollow profiled supports made of HALSIC can be produced in different cross-sections up to a length of 3,500 mm. The possibility of a long free span of HALSIC beams allows maximization of usable setting space in the kiln. 

In addition to kiln applications, the HALSIC materials are used for a variety of boiler and furnace components, flue gas channels and firing chambers.  For example, thermocouple protective sheaths manufactured with HALSIC provide an increased lifespan in many demanding conditions because of the material’s extreme resistance to high temperatures (up to 2,000° C), high mechanical strength, excellent thermal conductivity and strong resistance against acids and alkalis.

During the fermentation process proprietary microbes consume corn syrup as a feedstock and convert it to Mirel. By the end of fermentation, the microbes are filled with polymer globules.

Metabolix, Inc. recently announced that Telles, its joint venture with Archer Daniels Midland that produces Mirel natural plastics, has introduced three new grades of Mirel resins. The grades are Mirel P1001 and P1002, for injection molding applications, and Mirel P2001, for paper coating. Mirel is a family of biobased, sustainable and biodegradable, semi-crystalline natural plastics.

For injection molding, Mirel P1001 is specifically engineered to replace styrenics such as polystyrene and Mirel P1002 replaces polyolefins such as polypropylene. “Mirel injection molding grades can be easily processed on conventional injection molding equipment,” said Bob Findlen, VP of sales and marketing at Telles.

The e-Staple is the first product being produced with Mirel. It's an agricultural stake replacing metal stakes that have been used for years. Now these stakes won't have to be retrieved because they will biodegrade in the soil.

Mirel P2001 was developed as an alternative to petroleum-based paper coatings to enable the production of fully biodegradable paper coated cups and food packaging. “Mirel offers high heat resistance making it a superior biobased and biodegradable coating material for hot cups and microwaveable packages,” said Findlen.

Mirel is a versatile brand of natural plastics produced from renewable resources like corn sugar that provides an alternative to traditional, oil-based plastics. Unlike conventional plastics, Mirel will biodegrade harmlessly back to nature in a wide range of environments such as soil, compost, rivers and oceans.

Laird Technologies Offers Quick Availability for RCC Fingerstock Products

Laird Technologies, a company focused on critical components and systems for advanced electronics and wireless products, recently announced that its top 31 fingerstock standard products made from Recyclable Clean Copper (RCC) are now available within two business days or fewer.

RCC products offer similar performance characteristics to beryllium copper (BeCu) products and will work in 80 percent of all applications in which BeCu is now used. RCC products do not contain beryllium, which gives customers, who want to avoid the use of beryllium containing metals and who wish to avoid certain price increases, a choice in alloy selections. The new metal alloy that Laird Technologies’ utilizes comes from two different reliable sources, one in Europe and one in Asia.

Laird Technologies’ RCC products are copper-based shielding gaskets that offer a beryllium-free EMI shielding solution for use in a wide range of slotted applications.

RCC material provides better stress relaxation properties than many other solutions which customers have reported because they have so few alloy choices. RCC’s excellent stress relaxation properties allow it to maintain pressure longer at the contact points resulting in higher end product quality and longer system life spans in multiple industry applications.

“Our goal is to meet our customer’s needs by giving them a choice in alloy selection and offering products they want, quickly,” said Paul Stus, global business director for the EMI strategic business group. “We took the 31 most popular standard fingerstock parts constructed from RCC and made them available in two days or less. Not only do our customers have an alternative to beryllium, they have the convenience of receiving the products right away saving time and money. Additionally, with one of our distribution partners, Sager Electronics, we increase the availability and service levels for these types of parts. The products can be purchased through Sager.

RCC parts are ideal for customers in several industries including telecom, automotive, computer and storage, handsets, medical instrumentation and power supplies. Prices range from 15 cents to more than $4.80 each with an average sales price between 45 cents and 79 cents. These prices compare favorably to current BeCu pricing and become even more advantageous as the overall cost for BeCu increases.

Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials (CEAM) has released its new online interactive Alpha Wave Solder Flux Selector tool designed to assist electronic assemblers in identifying the best Alpha flux for their application. 
The Selector can be found on the Alpha Web site at http://www.alphametals.com/showCookWSFCalc.asp. Access is available to registered Alpha Web site visitors and registration is designed to be quick and easy.

“We have been pleased to hear very positive responses about the Flux Selector from our customers, and both Alpha and distributor sales personnel,” said Mike Murphy, Alpha’s global product manager for chemicals. “We have a broad flux portfolio, including products designed for lead-free and tin-lead compatible processes. Our new, interactive Alpha Flux selector offers engineers a systematized approach to finding the right Alpha flux for their process.”

Alpha fluxes meet the challenges of both lead-free and tin-lead processes. The Alpha EF-Series offers environmental and worker safety benefits while providing soldering and reliability performance.

RheoSense, Inc. Introduces Flow-Thru Viscometer on a Chip

The VROC, a flow-thru viscometer and rheometer on a chip, has multiple sensors and micro fluidic interfaces that measure true viscosity, pressure, flow rate and temperature.

This product is a suited solution for chemists and engineers involved in the research and development and quality control of complex liquids that are tested either in the lab or real time at the reactor.

These compact units produce accurate liquid characterization in challenging situations such as high shear rates. They are suited for quality control for companies that need a real time measurement at the reactor.

Compared to conventional viscometers, the VROC is smaller, faster and smarter. It is able to take accurate measurements from samples that measure in a millionth of a liter. The VROC is designed for challenging, high throughput manufacturing applications. It offers accuracy and speed, making it suited for the petroleum, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Stainless Steel Paint for Railings and Above Water Structures

A stainless steel epoxy paint system for protecting above water structures that must resist water, salt air, detergents and solvents is available from Stainless Steel Coatings, Inc.

The Steel It Stainless Steel Epoxy System consists of an epoxy primer and finish coating with a 316 L stainless steel leafing pigment that creates a gray satin finish that resists water, salt air, detergents and solvents. Ideally suited for fabricators and builders of above water railings and other structures, this stainless steel epoxy coating is durable as well as chip resistant and can be applied by brush, roller or spray gun.

Available in gallon and quart kits, the Steel It Stainless Steel Epoxy System’s leafing pigment overlays itself to form a protective metallic barrier capable of withstanding a continuous 2,000 hour salt spray test.

A polyurethane-based formulation is also available for applications where prolonged UV resistance is more critical than acid resistance.

The Steel It Stainless Steel Epoxy System is priced according to formulation and quantity.

Honeywell recently announced the development of a new line of Spectra fiber-based materials with improved ballistic stopping capability for body and vehicle armor.
 
The new line of materials, called Spectra Shield II, has demonstrated up to 20 percent greater ballistic performance than Honeywell’s standard Spectra Shield product line, which already uses one of the strongest man-made fibers currently in use. Pound for pound, Spectra fiber is 15 times stronger than steel yet light enough to float. Shield technology is a patented Honeywell process designed to optimize the ballistic performance characteristics of Spectra fiber.

For Spectra Shield II ballistic materials, Honeywell has adapted its patented shield technology to incorporate its new and improved fiber. Spectra S3000 fiber was developed specifically for use in armor applications to help manufacturers and the military counter new ballistic threats.

“Our armor materials have been used to protect military and police personnel for nearly 20 years,” said Joe Gelo, business director for Honeywell’s Advanced Fibers and Composites business. “We continue to invest in improving our materials to meet the future performance requirements of advanced military and law enforcement agencies. Our latest offering demonstrates our commitment to continued innovation in the ballistic protection arena.”

Honeywell has completed upgrades of several production lines to manufacture the fiber used for Spectra Shield II and plans to make additional investments to meet the growing need.

Honeywell’s patented Spectra Shield and Spectra Shield II materials are used in advanced armor systems for a wide a range of ballistic protection and security applications, from bullet-resistant vests, breastplates and helmets to combat vehicles and military aircraft, where lightweight solutions and durability are critical. This latest Spectra fiber-based material, like Honeywell’s existing products, is transparent to radar.

Spectra fiber is made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene using a patented gel-spinning process. The fiber exhibits high resistance to chemicals, water and ultraviolet light. It has excellent vibration damping, flex fatigue and internal fiber-friction characteristics. It also has up to 60 percent greater specific strength than aramid fiber.
The various Spectra Shield products are manufactured by bonding parallel strands of fiber in place with an advanced resin system. In addition to Spectra fiber, Honeywell adapts this technology to other fibers, including aramid.

Honeywell also produces Spectra fiber for industrial applications such as rope and marine cordage. Honeywell maintains an active Spectra fiber and ballistic material research and development program aimed to meet increased demand for its high performance armor materials.

MicroStrain, Inc. recently released the latest version of its TC-LINK wireless thermocouple node, the TC-LINK-6CH, that features six thermocouple channels, an embedded cold junction compensation sensor and includes the option of adding a relative humidity sensor. The 24-bit delta-sigma A/D provides outstanding resolution over a wide temperature range.

The TC-LINK-6CH represents a reduction in the cost per channel. With the ability to transmit real-time data from multiple nodes to a single base station, or store up to 300,000 data points in on-board memory, the TC-LINK-6CH offers improved flexibility.

At a sample rate of one sample per minute monitoring all six thermocouple channels, MicroStrain’s patented low power circuit design sips an average 85 microamps from the internal battery, offering 10 months of continuous operation between recharge. With the optional use of external batteries, the TC-LINK can operate for more than 10 years between battery changes. 

Applications include civil structures sensing for concrete maturation, industrial sensing networks for machine thermal management, food and transportation systems for refrigeration and freezer performance monitoring, advanced manufacturing for plastics processing and composite cure monitoring as well as assembly line testing with smart packaging.

Invensys Process Systems received a contract to provide a SimSci-Esscor Operating Training Simulator (OTS) for the BASF FINA Petrochemicals LP Olefins Plant in Port Arthur, Texas. The Invensys OTS solution will include DYNSIM simulation software for high fidelity process modeling, FSIM Plus software for simulation of the Foxboro I/A Series distributed control system (DCS) and TRISIM Plus software for simulation of the Triconex safety integrated system (SIS). The solution is integrated by SimSci-Esscor's SIM4ME common user environment.

BASF FINA Petrochemicals operates one of the largest steam crackers of its type in the world, turning naphtha and light hydrocarbons into ethylene, propylene and other chemical raw materials. The SimSci-Esscor OTS will allow BASF FINA Petrochemicals to train operators on all aspects of plant operations, including normal operation, start-up, shutdown and possible upset situations in the manufacturing process.

Indium Corp. and Metallic Resources Announce Agreement for Marketing And Manufacture of Cobalt995 Pb-Free Alloy 

Indium Corp. and Metallic Resources, Inc. have entered an agreement allowing Indium to globally market and manufacture Metallic Resources’ patent-pending Cobalt995 (99 Sn 0.5 Cu < 0.05 Co) Pb-free alloy.

Cobalt995 is an alternative to SAC (Sn/Ag/Cu) alloys that costs less than the silver-containing SAC alloys and exhibits brighter, shinier and smoother solder joints in standard wave soldering applications.

Metallic Resources has marketed Cobalt995 for Wave, HASL and SMT applications for over a year and has an installed customer base. Indium plans to develop complimentary and compatible cored wire and solder paste products as well as market its bar solder for wave applications. Indium’s technological development, technical support and global capability combined with Metallic Resources’ advanced alloy and electrolytic capabilities make this high performance alloy ideal for solder customers worldwide.

Zero Downtime 2007
November 6 - 7, 2007
Scottsdale, Ariz.

Zero Downtime 2007, Nov. 6-7 in Scottsdale, Ariz., is a two-day conference focused on the latest advancements in protecting electronic equipment for data centers, communication and control networks, 24X7 industrial and facility systems, infrastructure and emergency service operations and other mission-critical electronic systems.
Topics discussed will include new developments in power protection and reliability including UPS, surge and circuit protection; thermal protection including controls, sensors, heating, cooling and environmental mitigation; condition monitoring and control including predictive and reliability capabilities, preventative maintenance; EMI shielding; and electronics packaging solutions such as enclosures shelters, cabinets and cases.
This November event will be organized to provide numerous opportunities for networking, discussion sessions, daily luncheons, a cocktail reception, and a large, co-located exhibit (co-located with Remote Monitoring and Networking 2007 and Onsite Power 2007) with dedicated hours and exhibit only passes for industry attendees.
Register today at www.EquipmentProtectionMagazine.com/zero07_reg.htm or call 800-803-9488.