All Features
Anthony Vianna
There’s a lot of talk about automation these days, not just in manufacturing circles but also the news in general. As the demands of modern manufacturing grow more complex, and manufacturing industries continue their digital transformation—with automation playing an ever-expanding role—where does…
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Simulations still can’t predict precisely when an earthquake will happen. Still, with the incredible processing power of modern exascale supercomputers, they can now predict how they will happen and how much damage they will likely cause.
Imagine a colossal earthquake strikes the California coast…
NIST
Even if you’ve never heard of “light caustics,” you’ve probably seen them. They’re the ethereal patterns of light that coat the bottoms of swimming pools and break up the shadows of glass. Anywhere light is bent or reflected by a curved surface, caustics can appear.
This trick of the light is…
Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech
A new study explains how tiny water bugs use fan-like propellers to zip across streams at speeds up to 120 body lengths per second. The researchers then created a similar fan structure and used it to propel and maneuver an insect-sized robot.
“Scientists thought the bugs used their muscles to…
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Most metals found in nature are actually in their oxide forms. To extract those metals to use in critical applications—ranging from infrastructure such as bridges and buildings to advanced technologies like airplanes, semiconductors, or even quantum materials—those oxides must be reduced with gases…
Donald J. Wheeler
Everybody wants to have good measurements. To this end, many recommend a regular schedule of recalibration. While this sounds reasonable, it can actually degrade the quality of the measurements.
The key to getting the most out of a measurement process is to know when to recalibrate and when to…
Creaform
C hallenges abound for today’s manufacturers. Labor shortages and rising labor costs require innovative solutions to maintain productivity with fewer staff. Inflation continues to exert pressure on raw material costs, squeezing margins. Manufacturers are also racing against tight production…
Kamran Sayrafian
A few years ago, I heard on the news that many people were being hospitalized with a condition of excess fluid in the lungs, called pulmonary edema. It’s common in elderly patients. Pulmonary edema is dangerous and can lead to breathing difficulties and lung failure. Because it has the potential to…
Creaform
Karbonius Composites specializes in manufacturing precision molds and composite components across various sectors, including automotive restoration and high-performance customization. Founded in 2008 and based in La Coruña, Spain, the company’s production capabilities cover every step needed to…
Paul Hanaphy
The dental industry is seeing a surge in 3D printing, with the technology enabling a growing number of dentists to rapidly create custom implants in clinics around the world.
When it comes to customizing implants like dental crowns, bridges, guides, and aligners, 3D printing is faster, more…
Adam Zewe
A new theory-guided framework could help scientists probe the properties of new semiconductors for next-generation microelectronic devices or discover materials that boost the performance of quantum computers.
Research to develop new or better materials typically involves investigating properties…
Creaform
Based in Tampa, Florida, Starr Creations, a powerhouse in fiberglass design and fabrication, is known for turning ambitious automotive visions into reality. Jesse Starr, creative director and 3D designer, founded the company with a passion for racing and innovation.
Starr Creations has been the…
Creaform
Since its founding in 1974, Intercontrôle has been a leader in France’s nuclear energy sector, ensuring the safety of reactor components through automated nondestructive testing (NDT).
As part of the Framatome group, the company develops its own inspection equipment, oversees logistics and…
NIST
To support the creation of software that is secure against cyber-breaches and free of malicious code, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with industry partners through a consortium focused on improving software security.
The Software…
Silke von Gemmingen
Precise material analysis plays a central role in many industries, from the pharmaceutical and food industries to construction materials, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. Whether for quality assurance or for predicting material behavior, the precise characterization of particles is…
NIST
A rapidly growing category of drugs called protein-based biotherapeutics can be used to treat cancers and genetic and autoimmune disorders. These drugs, which usually take the form of large protein molecules, are manufactured by growing living cells that are genetically engineered to produce the…
Creaform
The Bott Group designs vehicle and operating equipment as well as workplace systems. From its headquarters in Gaildorf, Germany, and two production sites in Bude, England, and Tárnazsadány, Hungary, Bott Group designs and manufactures work environments for mobile and stationary manual work…
Sam Schaffter
My grandfather was a carpenter, so growing up I often heard the adage, “Be sure to measure twice so you only have to cut once.” The saying is also attributed to tailors—you have to make sure your measurements are correct before you cut the fabric.
Little did I know that years later the saying…
Automated Precision Inc.
CNC machine tool calibration is essential for machining precision and process reliability. Even a well-built CNC machine will gradually drift out of alignment due to everyday wear and environmental factors, leading to deviations in accuracy.
Without regular calibration, these small errors can…
Darren Metherell, Quality Digest
Quality Digest attended the 2025 Hexagon Live event in Las Vegas in June—and with that came the opportunity to speak with the great minds, creators, innovators, and sales teams of Hexagon. Darren Metherell, head of sales at Hexagon, followed up with the QD team after this event to speak more about…
George Schuetz
There are endless variations in the dials used on mechanical dial indicators. In most cases, though, they can be broken down into two distinct styles: balanced and continuous. Let’s look at both.
With a balanced dial, the graduations around the dial represent the smallest value, or resolution, as…
Sabine Terrasi
The precise recording of passenger numbers is essential for transport companies—it helps optimize timetables, make better use of capacities, and organize local public transport more efficiently.
A modern solution for this is camera-based passenger-counting. Intelligent image processing systems…
Creaform
Brosius GmbH is a trusted partner in metal processing for a wide range of companies in the mechanical and plant engineering industries, offering comprehensive services under one roof. Brosius ensures that every part it manufactures in its 10,000 m² state-of-the-art production hall meets or exceeds…
Adam Zewe
Scientists are striving to discover new semiconductor materials that could boost the efficiency of solar cells and other electronics. But the pace of innovation is limited by the speed at which researchers can manually measure important material properties.
A fully autonomous robotic system…
Mark Hembree
The 2025 Major League Baseball season certainly started with a bang—at least for the New York Yankees. At Yankee Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Bronx Bombers blasted an MLB-record 15 home runs in the first three games, including nine homers in a 20-9 bludgeoning of the Brewers in the…