Manufacturing

Half the weight of aluminum alloy parts, but the same price. Revolutionary claims for a new composite pressing process under development at Williams Advanced Engineering that could shake up the whole automotive industry, not to mention aviation.

Strong as it is, concrete doesn’t stand up well against bending. Now, researchers at Swinburne University have developed a new type of concrete that can not only bend better, but doesn’t require cement to make, reducing its environmental footprint.

A materials science and engineering team from Korea's Yonsei University has developed a 3D printing technique enabling OLED screens to be printed into transparent structures of any shape, meaning nearly anything can become a see-through color display.

While it's now common to see 3D-printed prototypes, the use of 3D printers for manufacturing is still limited. That could be about to change, thanks to a new model that's being heralded as "the largest and highest throughput printer in its class."

Graphene is incredibly thin, flexible, strong and electrically conductive, but it’s tricky to manufacture on large scales. Now researchers at the University of Rochester have recruited bacteria to make the stuff, which is cheaper and faster than current methods and doesn’t require harsh chemicals.

Noting that complex, proprietary systems can hinder productivity and profitability, BMW and Microsoft have announced the Open Manufacturing Platform. The idea is to set up an open technology framework and cross-industry community to accelerate automotive and manufacturing sector developments.

Traditionally, welding has been limited to materials that share similar properties. But now, scientists are claiming a breakthrough method that can weld together materials as different as glass and metal, thanks to ultrafast laser pulses.

Engineers from MIT and the University of Colorado have developed a new microfabrication technique and used it to produce the smallest 3D transistors ever made, measuring about a third the size of the current leading commercial products.

MIT engineers recently managed to create cell-sized robots that could collect data about their environment, but were a little tricky to manufacture. Now, the team has found a way to mass produce these synthetic cells (syncells) through controlled fracturing of graphene.

Lockheed Martin is no stranger to 3D printing components, but now the company has created its largest piece to date – titanium domes to cap off satellite fuel tanks. Using additive manufacturing can help satellites be assembled faster and with less wasted materials.

Brothers Bob and Tom Schiller are looking to bring back local bike frame production. Taking lessons from the auto industry, the twins decided to try and reinvent the way a bike frame is produced. And the first model is rolling off the production line.

On its Digital Day 2018 event, the BMW Group displayed technology applications destined to transform the automotive world in the near future. Starring among these, 3D printing is already producing car parts, but the appearance of a mysterious motorcycle frame certainly raised some eyebrows.