“You judge a pizza place on their cheese slice.”
– Dave Portnoy
1. Carbon-Alternative Composites
Oh geez. Here we go. I love me some woven composites. Bcomp’s ampliTex is the first carbon fiber alternative I've heard of since NASCAR adopted Milliken’s Tegris in the late 2000s. Unlike Milliken, however, Bcomp has more traction than left-turn racing and fancy luggage. This green(er) material has already seen applications from F1 to infrastructure, and has even made its way into BMW, Porsche, and Volvo. Hopefully they don’t get all cringey with the “sustainability” marketing.
2. 3D Prints You’re SUPPOSED To Throw Out
While AM processes have the potential to produce less waste than traditional methods, certain technologies, such as DLP and SLA, leave end users with leftover hazardous waste resin that can’t be filtered and reused. “The W7500 printer from Onulis solidifies the unused UV resin into solid plastic stock that can be used to produce valuable components, such as jigs and fixtures, via CNC machining, and is safe for disposal.” It legit prints the waste on what looks like a big toilet paper roll too!
3. Freeform Liquid 3D Printing
Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) developed an approach for implementing additive to print multi-material components for soft robotics using “gel as a temporary suspension media in which inks are extruded and held in place. Once the inks are solidified, the gel can then be easily washed off.” The method overcomes problems with materials that take a long time to solidify, and “due to its ability to hold inks and maintain them in the liquid state, advanced geometries such as overhanging structures shapes with high-aspect ratios or fine combinations of multiple materials have now become a feasible option.”
4. AR Interest is Booming Again
Siemens wants in on augmented reality (AR) and is making moves. They’re not the only ones, either! “WorkLink has been proven transformational in hundreds of use cases and industries, and makes it easy for leading organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell and others to create and distribute powerful AR content in minutes across a wide array of devices. In addition to Siemens Digital Industries, Scope AR partners with technology leaders such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, ServiceMax, Unity, NTT Data and more.”
5. The Wankel Isn’t Dead!
Maybe. The fiery spinning Dorito may never have been in the same league as the reciprocating piston for ICEs – but don’t tell any Mazda fanboys and fangirls. However! The efforts of Felix Wankel and Hanns Dieter Paschke might not have been as futile as the blown apex seals of enthusiasts across the globe would lead you to believe – just misplaced! My only qualm is that the article calls the rotor a piston. Do better.
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