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Advanced MIM applications complementary to injection molding
Don Rosato EngineeringMetal injection molding (MIM) relies on a thermoplastic polymer blend filled with about 60 percent by volume of a small metal powder. This mixture of polymer and powder is injection molded to form a complex shape. Once molding is completed, the polymer (binder) is extracted, and the small powder is sintered.
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Advanced MIM electronic materials and processing
Don Rosato EngineeringWithin the field of advanced metal injection molding (MIM) technology, aluminum MIM thermal management for electronics is a major focus for materials and process development. Even the best-designed most dependable electronic device can fail if it overheats. Electronic component suppliers estimate that device failure rate doubles for every 10 degrees C rise in junction temperature. Thus, if the waste heat generated inside an electronic device package is not removed, the reliability of the device is severely compromised.
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Developing a positive math mindset
Brian Stack EducationAs a former high school math teacher, I often ask myself why math has such a bad reputation in our society. For years I have found people either really enjoyed math — likely because they "got it" in school — or they just plain hated it.
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Amusement parks rolling out major new additions for 2016
Dave G. Houser Recreation & LeisureAs theme and amusement parks across the country throw open their gates for the summer season, a compilation of fresh additions reveals a mind-boggling array of new attractions vying for the attention of nearly 400 million expected park-goers in 2016.
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The future is now: 3-D printers are poised to disrupt the economy
Ronnie Richard ManufacturingIt's Monday morning. Your alarm goes off, and you slowly spill out of bed. You shuffle along to the kitchen and pour a fresh cup of coffee in your favorite mug — all set to start a new work week. But as you reach for some sweetener to add in, your arm knocks the mug off the counter, shattering it on the floor. How do you replace it?
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Plant-based food packaging to combat food waste
Bambi Majumdar Waste Management & EnvironmentalAlmost 795 million people go without proper nourishment everyday globally. That means 1 out every 9 people on earth don't have enough to eat. But before we tackle this problem and actively think of food security, we have to combat food waste at the individual level. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has estimated at least a third of all food produced is wasted.
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Making an integrated heating and cooling strategy work
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsWe have talked here before of how the European Union's heating and cooling strategy — currently out for consultation — could be a driver for bringing the respective industries closer together for the common good of energy reduction. Now, the European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE), which represents the heating, cooling and refrigeration industry in Europe, has published a series of recommendations for how it believes the strategy can be made even more effective.
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Metal injection molding technical marketing basics
Don Rosato EngineeringMetal injection molding (MIM) offers a manufacturing capability for producing complex shapes in large quantities. The process utilizes fine metal powders typically less than 20 micrometers in diameter, which are custom formulated with a binder made of various thermoplastics, waxes and other materials, converted into a feedstock that is granulated and then fed into multiple cavities of a conventional metal injection molding machine.
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SPE plenary session: The state of the plastics industry
Don Rosato EngineeringThere's a new plenary session concept for SPE's ANTEC Indianapolis 2016: an editor's panel composed of leading industry trade magazine editors called "State of the Plastics Industry: Outlook for 2016 and Beyond." Editors have unique viewpoints from which to identify and analyze industry trends — and, being "word people," they're good at describing them. They'll comment on various questions about where the industry is headed and challenges it faces.
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Changing medical simulation with 3-D printing
David Escobar Medical & Allied HealthcareThe 3-D printing movement has been featured in countless articles and media describing the changes it will bring to manufacturing, technology and the world. But what can we expect to see in the medical simulation community? Currently, the majority of medical simulation training devices are manufactured with traditional methods that meet the general objective of training healthcare providers. Yet this current simulation equipment lacks realism, which is needed when training future and current healthcare workers.
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