Laboratory Equipment

Silk is Better than Kevlar

At seven times the tough­ness of Kevlar, a silk pro­duced by the Caerostris dar­wini spider of Mada­gascar is more robust than any other material — synthetic or nat­ural. Most spider silks are about two times tougher than Kevlar, and have long been con­sid­ered an intriguing alter­na­tive for bul­let­proof vests and other pro­tec­tive gear. There’s only one problem: pro­ducing spider silk on demand is a tricky task.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/silk-better-kevlar

Process Manufactures Car, Plane Parts Cheaply

Producing strong, lightweight and complex parts for car manufacturing and the aerospace industry is set to become cheaper and more accurate thanks to a new technique developed by engineers from the Univ. of Exeter. The research team has developed a new method for making three-dimensional aluminum composite parts by mixing a combination of relatively inexpensive powders. Combining these elements causes a reaction that results in the production of particles that are 600 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Around 100 nanometers in size, the reaction uniformly distributes them through the material, making it very strong.

Caption: A complex SLM part. Image: Univ. of Exeter

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Process-Manufactures-Car-Plane-Parts-Accurately-Cheaply-070312.aspx

Printed Guitar Plays Beautifully

Massey Univ. mechatronics Prof. Olaf Diegel made his dream come true when he created a series of colorful 3D-printed electric guitars with latticed bodies adorned with spiders and butterflies.

And when he posted images of the prototypes, explaining their origins before launching an online business, musicians and design buffs worldwide were dazzled by the aesthetics and a deluge of inquiries ensued. Now, punters can hear the decorative, brightly colored instruments, with a demo by Massey jazz guitar tutor and freelance rock guitarist Neil Watson, of the New Zealand School of Music. Watson is based at the university’s Albany campus where Diegel is a lecturer and researcher.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Printed-Guitar-Plays-Beautifully-051512.aspx

3D Printing Could Change Manufacturing World

Peter Schmitt, an MIT doctoral student, printed a clock in 2009. He didn’t print an image of a clock on a piece of paper. He printed a three-dimensional clock — an eight-inch diameter plastic timekeeping device with moving gears, hands and counterweights. When he put it up on a wall and pushed the counterweight, it went ticktock. “It wasn’t very accurate, but it was a functioning clock,” Schmitt says.

MIT scientists also would like you to be able to print your own robot. Their vision: decide what you want it to do, download the design from the Internet, use software to make whatever changes you want and hit “print.”

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-3D-Printing-Could-Change-Manufacturing-041312.aspx

Tiny Pellets Reshape Ceramics, Save Money

Producing thin ceramic components has until now been a laborious and expensive process, as parts often get distorted during manufacture and have to be discarded as waste. Researchers are now able to reshape the surfaces of malformed components by bombarding them with tiny pellets.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Tiny-Pellets-Reshape-Ceramics-Save-Money-040312.aspx

Unusual Collapsing Iron Superconductor Sets Record

A team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Univ. of Maryland has found an iron-based superconductor that operates at the highest known temperature for a material in its class. The discovery inches iron-based superconductors—valued for their ease of manufacturability and other properties—closer to being useful in many practical applications.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Unusual-Collapsing-Iron-Superconductor-Sets-Record-020812.aspx