February 2007

Spheric Technologies Introduces Spheric/Syno-Therm High-Temperature Continuous Horizontal Microwave Furnaces
 
Spheric Technologies, Inc. has announced that Spheric/Syno-Therm high-temperature continuous horizontal microwave furnaces are now available. Each furnace is custom-manufactured by Syno-Therm Co., Ltd.

Microwave sintering systems form complex industrial parts by heating metal or ceramic powders below the melting point until they adhere. Microwave furnaces typically use up to 80 percent less energy than conventional sintering units and produce as little as one-tenth the time stronger, finer-grained parts, with less deformation and cracking, according to a report by Penn State and Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science.

The Spheric/Syno-Therm furnaces provide maximum temperature of 1,700° C, a frequency of 2,450 MHz, tunnel running speed of 15 to 60 mm per minute (adjustable), IR sensor and thermo-couple temperature measuring, 12 to 200 kW of power and belt, push-pad and push-boat conveying.

PEM fuel cells consist of electrodes containing a platinum catalyst and a solid polymer electrolyte. By splitting hydrogen molecules at the anode, and oxygen molecules at the cathode, PEM fuel cells generate an electrical current with only heat and water as a by-product.

Researchers with the US` Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory are one step closer to developing hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles.

They have identified a new variation of a familiar platinum-nickel alloy that is the most active oxygen-reducing catalyst reported.

The slow rate of oxygen-reduction catalysis on the cathode, a fuel cell’s positively charged electrode, has been a primary factor hindering development of the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells favored for use in hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Researchers are investigating platinum alloys use combined with a surface enrichment technique. Under this scenario, the surface of the cathode is covered with a “skin” of platinum atoms, and beneath are layers of atoms made from a combination of platinum and a non-precious metal, such as nickel or cobalt.

The researchers identified the platinum-nickel alloy configuration Pt_3 Ni(111) displays the highest ORR activity that has ever been detected on a cathode catalyst, 10 times better than a single crystal surface of pure platinum (111), and 90 times better than platinum-carbon. All of the layers underneath those top two layers consist of three atoms of platinum for every atom of nickel.

According to Vojislav Stamenkovic, a scientist with dual appointments in the Materials Sciences Division of both Berkeley Lab and Argonne, Stamenkovic, the Pt_3 Ni (111) configuration acts as a buffer against hydroxide and other platinum-binding molecules, blunts their interactions with the cathode surface and allowing for far more ORR activity. The reduced platinum-binding also cuts down on the degradation of the cathode surface.

The hydrogen-powered fuel cells most talked about for use in vehicles are PEM fuel cells (also known as proton exchange membrane fuel cells) because they can deliver high power in a relative small, light-weight device. Unlike batteries, PEM fuel cells do not require recharging, but rely on a supply of hydrogen and access to oxygen from the atmosphere.

PEM fuel cells carry out two reactions, an oxidation reaction at the anode and an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are developing the next generation of screening devices to identify hazardous and toxic materials even if concealed by clothing and packaging materials.

The project, the Terahertz Microelectronics Transceiver Grand Challenge, is in its second of three years of funding through Sandia's internal Laboratory Directed Research and Development program.

Researchers, working in the terahertz (THz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies between microwaves and infrared, have a goal to build a highly integrated miniaturized terahertz transceiver that could make a number of applications possible.

The team is currently developing the receiver, doing systems tests and exploring packaging requirements. At the end of three years, the researchers expect to have an actual working prototype capable of detecting the materials and chemicals by reading distinctive molecular spectral signatures.

Laser Cutting System from Fico Achieves 40x Performance Enhancement after Engineering Fluid Dynamics Analysis

Fico engineers used engineering fluid dynamics analysis software EFD.Pro to obtain a 40x performance enhancement in their new laser cutting system.

The company optimized airflow in the new equipment to deal with the dust created during the cutting process. System maintenance intervals increased from 15 minutes to 11 hours in record time. "In the past this process would have consisted of trial and error and would certainly have taken a lot longer than 90 days," explained Peter Venema, engineer.

The new generation of machines uses lasers as the ideal method for cutting printed circuit boards (PCBs) and memory cards. A glass window protects the laser optics. The dust chamber prevents the laser light from escaping and protects the operator from dust and smoke.

The team noticed that the laser lost effectiveness within 15 minutes because dust from the cutting process seemed to contaminate the glass and absorbed the laser light, which stopped the laser from reaching the PCB material. Cleaning the glass required machine downtime and loss of productivity.

"We needed to increase the cleaning interval to meet our customer requirement of at least four hours," Venema said. "We had to find a solution to prevent dust contamination and do it quickly since we were at a production facility."

A combination of Pro/Engineer for solid modeling and EFD.Pro, the Pro/Engineer embedded fluid dynamics software is used to analyze airflow and dust collection.

Advanced Polymer has announced the debut of its DuraGrip TPE 6300 series, a versatile Melt- Processible Elastomer with outstanding elastomeric properties.

DuraGrip TPE 6300 is designed to include extrusion performance and offers a low-gloss finish, improved compression set, high melt strength and good weather resistance. The properties make it well suited for profile extrusion applications including automotive exterior body moldings, windscreen and rear window seals and wire and cable jackets. It also has potential in architectural window applications like bulb window seals. DuraGrip 6300 can be co-extruded with polypropylene and polyethylene. Its melt strength makes it suited for soft ergonomic feel sheet and other wide web applications.

Potential DuraGrip 6300 series applications include extruded automotive window and door seals.

Agilent Technologies’ New Solder Paste Inspection System Offers Manufacturers Twice the Speed, Enhanced Resolution, Ease of Use

Agilent Technologies, Inc. has introduced a new solder paste inspection system that allows printed circuit board assembly manufacturers to cut inspection time in half, without compromising capability. The system brings improved accuracy and repeatability that has been verified by early adopters, including manufacturers working with 01005 components. The system uses patented imaging techniques coupled with powerful inspection algorithms.

The Agilent Medalist SP50 Series 3 is poised to help manufacturers define the path for solder paste inspection going forward. It demonstrates enhanced ease-of-use and throughput, as well as accuracy and repeatability.

As technology trends and production costs pose new challenges to the industry, it is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers to implement an industry-friendly solder paste inspection system that can provide process feedback and control to help them not only catch defects early, but prevent them from happening in the first place.

“We are committed to help manufacturers meet their latest challenges and needs, and the SP50 Series 3 has the technological capabilities to do that,” said Bernadette Duffy, Agilent’s marketing manager for automated optical inspection. “Be it a three-month plan to tackle manufacturing needs, or a three-year product roadmap to help our customers grow their inspection capabilities, our dynamic team of experts are geared to help manufacturers keep ahead,” she said.

DuPont Microcircuit Materials, part of DuPont Electronic Technologies, has introduced its seventh generation (7G) Fodel photoimageable thick-film pastes for the metallization of the front bus electrode used in plasma display panels ( PDPs).

The new pastes provide improved image quality and enable substantial cost reductions through lower paste consumption and reduced precious metal content. It is lead free and provides the same cost-effective, high-performance metallization for PDPs.

"The rapid growth in the PDP market has put pressure on suppliers to develop lower cost and higher performance materials solutions, including improved image quality through better bright and dark contrast and finer resolution for full high definition (Full HD) television," said Walt Cheng, global business director, DuPont Microcircuit Materials. "Customers using the 7G system have targeted reduced ruthenium ( Ru) and other precious metal content, and lower paste usage as key strategies for cost reduction.  Our 7G products allow PDP manufacturers to substantially reduce paste usage, to deliver world class image quality and finer line resolution for Full HD designs.  We expect this to support the continued growth of the PDP industry and allow more consumers to enjoy the visual experience offered by high definition, flat panel plasma televisions."

DuPont’s new paste technology provides a simple, high yield and highly scaleable process for fine-line patterning of conductor lines on plasma glass panels. The newly launched 7G pastes utilize novel, patent pending black pigments developed by DuPont to reduce dependence on Ru and still achieve improved blackness and conductivity at lower paste usage. These innovations reduce Ru consumption by 80 percent in a typical plasma television compared to previous generation Fodel pastes.  Improvements in photopolymer technology give customers the ability to achieve finer line resolution at reduced fired thicknesses when using the 7G Fodel system. Full-scale production is expected during this year.

Photo courtesy University of Delaware, Office of Public Relations, photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

Researchers from the University of Delaware (UD) discovered a new class of ultra-thin polymer films with potential applications ranging from coating tiny microelectronic devices to plastic solar cells. The research focused on formerly nonpolymerizable ethylenes.

UD researchers developed a polymer-making technique that eliminates the need for a solvent. Their deposition-polymerization (DP) process takes place in a vacuum chamber. Material to be coated, such as a piece of metal, is placed in the chamber. The metal is cooled below the monomer's freezing point, which causes the monomer vapor to condense on the metal. Then the resulting film is exposed to ultraviolet light to initiate polymerization. While the DP technique was developed a few years ago, the class of materials the UD scientists has applied it to lately is new and unique.

Gloss-Meters.com has released the DUAL Gloss 20-60 glossmeter tester for gloss measurement at two gloss levels simultaneously.

The DUAL Gloss measures normal and very high gloss products accurately and quickly. It performs separate tasks by combining two sets of optics.

Thanks to a new system of miniaturization, the Dual Gloss has been designed to reduce the overall cost to nearly the price of a single measurement instrument at $2,269.

Customers producing products that are either very glossy such as metal components or regular plastic or painted materials can perform both tasks effortlessly. The continuous scan feature allows a quick evaluation of the entire surface area. In addition, readings can be displayed on the clear LCD and stored. Users can download the information into a PC with the included software.