March 2008

New Temperature/Humidity Monitoring Tools Available for Engineers

Engineers tracking temperature or humidity conditions can now have the convenience of both real-time data and the ability to download data for further analysis with the redesigned Dickson Graph-at-a-Glance Flat Panel Temperature and Humidity Data Loggers. The Graph-at-a-Glance data loggers are paperless chart recorders that provide a digital graph enabling engineers to immediately visualize environmental trends.

Features of the redesigned Graph-at-a Glance data loggers include 36 percent greater data resolution in a Jumbo 4.5 inch by 3.4-inch (114.3 mm by 86.36mm) display screen, flash memory card data transfer capability, USB-enabled triple speed downloading, user-defined display settings, 32 KB of storage and audio/visual alarms.

Dickson’s Graph-at-a-Glance Flat Panel Data Logger models include: FT300 and FT325 for temperature only and FH 320 and FH325 for temperature and humidity.

Athena Announces Availability of Two New Alarm Options for IMP, RMB and RMC Series Hot Runner Controls for Injection Molding

Athena Controls, Inc., a manufacturer of temperature/process controllers, temperature sensors and related accessories has announced availability of two new alarm options for three series of hot runner controls for injection molding.

Designed for use with Athena IMP Series, RMB Series and RMC Series Controllers, the alarms are available in two types to suit varying application requirements up to 99 zones of Hot Runner Control. The alarms will activate when they sense any of the following conditions: open thermocouple, reversed thermocouple, high temperature, low temperature or open heater. The 050 alarm option provides relay contacts for use with other related equipment. The 070 alarm option provides a visible light tower and audible alarm which will light up and provide an audible sound when activated.

ExxonMobil Chemical Introduces New Cold Insert Nylon Bonding Santoprene TPVs
ExxonMobil Chemical has introduced new grades of Santoprene thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) that bond with nylon in cold insert over-molding applications. The new B500 grade family, which is colorable or black, has been developed for applications that require a very strong bond with nylon and high temperature resistance, such as power tools, kitchen tools, automotive applications, furniture and sporting goods.

Exhibiting high bond retention values, the new grades enable the design and manufacture of nylon parts coupled with the performance properties of a TPV. These properties include long-term sealability, a durable slip resistant feel, suitable compression set, chemical, oil and heat resistance and improved bond integrity to extend product life.

The cold insert molding grades, available in Shore 60 and 75 A, can also generate new opportunities for processors of Santoprene TPVs. Previously, nylon bonding TPVs have required two-shot injection molding, which generally is more cost efficient for high-volume applications.

Martin Engineering Expands Use of EDEM Software in Design of Solids Handling Equipment

DEM Solutions, a company focused on DEM (Discrete Element Method) software for simulation and analysis of particulates solids handling and processing operations, has announced that Martin Engineering (Neponset, Illinois), a supplier of solids handling systems, continues to expand its use of EDEM software in design optimization and development of its innovative engineered products, which include all aspects of conveyor systems and transfer points for multiple industrial sectors.

EDEM provides a means of testing the performance of design prototypes to determine the best system configuration to match the solid materials and operating conditions. The software is fully integrated with CAD design software, enabling direct use of 3D solid models of equipment with easy-to-use tools for definition of material properties and movement of components such as conveyor belts and rollers. With short simulation times and extensive data visualization and analysis tools, EDEM enables engineers to quickly iterate toward optimum design at the same time gaining insights into the interactions between the physical characteristics of the bulk solids (size and shape distribution, flow properties, etc.) and the equipment design and operating parameters.

Martin Engineering researches, develops and tests structures and products that improve the operation of conveyor systems and transfer points, including engineered chutes, belt accessories, air cannons, vibration equipment, and other flow aid devices, dust and spillage control equipment and other leading-edge conveyor technologies and parts.

New Aluminum-Rich Alloy Produces Hydrogen On-Demand for Large-Scale Usess

Purdue University engineers have developed a new aluminum-rich alloy that produces hydrogen by splitting water and is economically competitive with conventional fuels for transportation and power generation.

"We now have an economically viable process for producing hydrogen on-demand for vehicles, electrical generating stations and other applications," said Jerry Woodall, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue who invented the process.

The new alloy contains 95 percent aluminum and 5 percent of an alloy that is made of the metals gallium, indium and tin. Because the new alloy contains significantly less of the more expensive gallium than previous forms of the alloy, hydrogen can be produced less expensively, he said.

When immersed in water, the alloy splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, which immediately reacts with the aluminum to produce aluminum oxide, also called alumina, which can be recycled back into aluminum. Recycling aluminum from nearly pure alumina is less expensive than mining the aluminum-containing ore bauxite, making the technology more competitive with other forms of energy production, Woodall said.

"After recycling both the aluminum oxide back to aluminum and the inert gallium-indium-tin alloy only 60 times, the cost of producing energy both as hydrogen and heat using the technology would be reduced to 10 cents per kilowatt hour, making it competitive with other energy technologies," Woodall said.

A key to developing the alloy for large-scale technologies is controlling the microscopic structure of the solid aluminum and the gallium-indium-tin alloy mixture.

"This is because the mixture tends to resist forming entirely as a homogeneous solid due to the different crystal structures of the elements in the alloy and the low melting point of the gallium-indium-tin alloy," Woodall said.
The alloy is said to have two phases because it contains abrupt changes in composition from one constituent to another.

"I can form a one-phase melt of liquid aluminum and the gallium-indium-tin alloy by heating it. But when I cool it down, most of the gallium-indium-tin alloy is not homogeneously incorporated into the solid aluminum, but remains a separate phase of liquid," Woodall said. "The constituents separate into two phases just like ice and liquid water."
The two-phase composition seems to be critical for the technology to work because it enables the aluminum alloy to react with water and produce hydrogen.

The researchers had earlier discovered that slow-cooling and fast-cooling the new 95/5 aluminum alloy produced drastically different versions. The fast-cooled alloy contained aluminum and the gallium-indium-tin alloy apparently as a single phase. In order for it to produce hydrogen, it had to be in contact with a puddle of the liquid gallium-indium-tin alloy.

"That was a very exciting finding because it showed that the alloy would react with water at room temperature to produce hydrogen until all of the aluminum was used up," Woodall said.

The engineers were surprised to learn late last year, however, that slow-cooling formed a two-phase solid alloy, meaning solid pieces of the 95/5 aluminum alloy react with water to produce hydrogen, eliminating the need for the liquid gallium-indium-tin alloy.

"That was a fantastic discovery," Woodall said. "What used to be a curiosity is now a real alternative energy technology."

The research is partially funded by Purdue's Energy Center at the university's Discovery Park.

"This technology has exciting potential, and I hope that it receives a fair and detailed evaluation and consideration from the scientific, government and business communities," said Jay Gore, the Vincent P. Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering and interim director of the Energy Center.

The slow-cooling technique made it possible to create forms of the alloy containing higher concentrations of aluminum.

The Purdue researchers are developing a method to create briquettes of the alloy that could be placed in a tank to react with water and produce hydrogen on-demand. Such a technology would eliminate the need to store and transport hydrogen, two potential stumbling blocks in developing a hydrogen economy, Woodall said.
The gallium-indium-tin alloy component is inert, which means it can be recovered and reused at an efficiency approaching 100 percent, he said.

"The aluminum oxide is recycled back into aluminum using the currently preferred industrial process called the Hall-Héroult process, which produces one-third as much carbon dioxide as combusting gasoline in an engine," Woodall said.

The aluminum splits water by reacting with the oxygen atoms in water molecules, liberating hydrogen in the process. The gallium-indium-tin alloy is a critical component because it hinders the formation of a "passivating" aluminum oxide skin normally created on pure aluminum's surface after bonding with oxygen, a process called oxidation. This skin usually acts as a barrier and prevents oxygen from reacting with bulk aluminum. Reducing the skin's protective properties allows the reaction to continue until all of the aluminum is used to generate hydrogen, Woodall said.
"This skin is like an eggshell," he said. "Think of trying to fry an egg without breaking the shell."
The researchers developed the new alloy in late 2007 and are reporting about it for the first time during the conference.

"We now have a simple process for making 95/5, and we know the process splits water and produces hydrogen until all of the aluminum alloy is used up," Woodall said.

For the technology to be used in major applications such as cars and trucks or for power plants, however, a large-scale recycling program would be required to turn the alumina back into aluminum and to recover the gallium-indium-tin alloy. Other infrastructure components, such as those related to manufacturing and the supply chain, also would have to be developed, he said.

"So the economic risk is large, but the potential payoff is also large," said Woodall, who received the 2001 National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest award for technological achievement.

Aluminum, the most abundant metal on earth, is refined from the raw mineral bauxite, which also contains gallium.
Future research will include work to learn more about the chemical mechanisms behind the process and the microscopic structure of the alloy.

The Purdue Research Foundation holds title to the primary patent, which has been filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is pending. An Indiana startup company, AlGalCo LLC., has received a license for the exclusive right to commercialize the process.

BASF Raises Ethylhexylamine Prices

With immediate effect, BASF is increasing sales prices for ethylhexylamine in Europe by + 50 EUR/to for 2-ethylhexylamine (CAS 104-75-6) and + 50 EUR/to for di-2-ethylhexylamine (CAS 106-20-7) or by the equivalent amount in local currency, as applicable contractual terms and conditions allow. The price adjustment is in response to high raw material and energy costs and a sustained high demand for these products.

Ethylhexylamines are specialty amines commonly used in the production of pigments, fuel additives and surfactants. BASF produces ethylhexylamines at its Verbund sites in Ludwigshafen, Germany and Geismar, La..

Indium Corp.’s Chicago Materials Division Earns ISO-9001:2000 Certification

Indium Corp.’s Chicago Materials Division recently passed its ISO-9001:2000 certification audit.  Indium’s newest facility joins the company’s US, English, Chinese and Singapore operations in achieving ISO-9001:2000 certification.
 
ISO-9000 focuses primarily on quality management. Certification means that Indium’s Chicago facility has processes, procedures and standards in place to enhance customer satisfaction by meeting or surpassing quality goals. It also means that the company continues to improve its performance by developing and implementing continuous improvement programs to ensure future performance objectives are met.
 
A team of individuals from throughout Indium Corp. performed training, set up procedures and executed internal ISO audits in preparation for the independent audit, which was conducted by outside auditors.
 
Indium’s Chicago facility manufactures wave solder fluxes, flux-cored wire and solder bar for Indium’s global electronics assembly market.

ISO (International Standards Organization), a non-governmental organization, is the world’s largest developer of standards. ISO certification provides assurances about the quality, safety and reliability of the transportation, machinery and tools used by businesses and consumers. ISO certification is a voluntary process and the standards are developed in response to market demand on a worldwide basis.

Indium Corp. is a materials supplier to the global electronics assembly, semiconductor fabrication and packaging, solar photovoltaic and thermal management markets.

Register for the 2008 Magnetics Conference by April 4th and Save $200!
This two-day conference is a leading global event within the magnetics market, bringing together worldwide magnetics experts. This is a once-a-year opportunity for professionals in the magnetics market to assemble and discuss the latest magnetics developments.
The 2008 Magnetics Conference will focus on the latest advancements in magnetic applications, technology and materials. Serving OEM developers of products that utilize magnets and magnet systems, design engineers, OEM developers involved in EMC technology and magnetic effects, magnetics manufacturers and integrators, and material suppliers in the magnetics industry.
• Register by April 4, 2008 - $795   • Register after April 4, 2008 - $995
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