Latest Stories

INSIDER
Materials

Understanding Condensation Leads to Better De-icing Materials

Water repellency is needed for surfaces to shed condensation buildup. New research by the University of Illinois and North Carolina State University shows that the necessity of...

Feature Image

Articles
Materials

Outsourcing Plasma Treatments for Surface Modification

For many manufacturers, plasma-applied coatings and surface treatments can play a significant role in new product development.

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Nano-Barrier Could Strengthen Spacecraft Payloads

The University of Surrey developed a robust, multi-layered nano-barrier for ultra-lightweight and stable carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) that could be used to build high precision instrument structures for future space missions.

Articles
Defense

Engineered Solutions for Enclosure Sealing and Insulation

Custom enclosure gaskets can meet a variety of mechanical shock and thermal requirements.

Feature Image

Articles
Test & Measurement

The Three Rs of Analog Position Sensor-Based Mechanical Measurements

Learn about Repeatability, Resolution, and Response.

Feature Image

Articles
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The Challenge of Replacing Hard Chrome

Replacing hard chrome requires aerospace companies to critically evaluate why they used it in the first place.

Feature Image

INSIDER
Materials

Coating Improves Pilots’ Visibility in Rainstorms

An Air Force Research Laboratory-developed product called HydroSkip repels water from aircraft transparencies, addressing the issue of limited visibility caused by heavy rain that can...

Feature Image

Products
Software

New Products

Mobile Workstation Eurocom's (Ottawa, Canada) latest mobile workstation, the Tornado F7W, features a modular MXM 3.1 slot-based GPU allowing easy reconfiguration of GPU capabilities. The GPUs offered are ISV-certified,...

Feature Image

Application Briefs
Materials

Ruggedized Bioprinter

nScrypt Inc.Orlando, FL407-275-4755www.nscrypt.com nScrypt has partnered with the U.S. Military, the Uniformed Services University 4D Bio3 Program, and The Geneva Foundation to move bioprinting out of sterile biology...

Feature Image

Briefs
Materials

Hybrid Ultra-Low VOC and Non-HAP Rain Erosion Coatings

Numerous military aircraft and shipboard surfaces, such as radomes, antennas, gun shields, wing leading edges, and helicopter blade leading edges, are coated with a specialized...

Feature Image

Articles
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Coating Technology Enables Effective Missile Countermeasures

Heat-seeking missiles have been in use against both rotorcraft and fixed wing aircraft since the mid-1950s, and countermeasures to deceive their guidance systems have been employed...

Feature Image

Articles
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Aerospace Work Platforms — More than Meets the Eye

For maintenance personnel in the aerospace industry to do their jobs effectively, they need to be able to get physically close to the equipment they are working on. This statement sounds...

Feature Image

News
Automotive

Aerospace Manufacturers Turn to Non-Hazardous PVD Coatings as Regulations Tighten on Toxic Hard Chrome Plating

The search for a suitable replacement to hard chrome plating on aerospace components has been a key supply chain priority for...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

New Coating Repels Ice from Any Surface

Researchers used a new theory in physics called stress localization to create a durable silicone polymer coating capable of repelling ice from any surface. The new material uses elastic energy...

Feature Image

Articles
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Does Your Coating System Require Climate Control? What to Look For and What to Expect

There is one aspect of the paint and coatings finishing business virtually guaranteed to give the budget director heart failure: climate control. There's no...

Feature Image

Articles
Test & Measurement

Optimizing Plasma Treatments to RESOLVE Challenging Adhesion Issues

The process of determining the ideal plasma treatment that will resolve a challenging bonding or adhesion issue is an exact science, often the domain of chemists and...

Feature Image

News
Materials

Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Seek Simplified, Portable, Fast Aviation Eddy Current Testing

In aircraft maintenance and repair, eddy current devices have long been used to nondestructively test (NDT) wheels, struts, propellers, airframes,...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Test & Measurement

Unique Chamber Gives Air Force Real-World Corrosion Test Capabilities

Aircraft corrosion is a multi-faceted issue that requires more than a simple, one-dimensional approach. To enable Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) personnel to arrive...

Feature Image

Articles
Photonics/Optics

Combating Infrared Threats on the Battlefield

There have been several news headlines lately about offenders pointing commercial lasers at helicopters or police personnel, temporarily blinding and distracting them. An increasing number of...

Feature Image

Articles
Materials

Meeting Environmental Objectives and Regulations

Gone are the days when the impact of products on the environment or human health were optional business concerns. Regulatory constraints on materials and chemicals are increasing, and many...

Feature Image

Articles
Aerospace

Improving Component Life in Abrasive, Corrosive Aerospace Environments

In industries such as aerospace, characterized by extreme operating environments that push materials and components to the edge of their design capabilities, companies are...

Feature Image

Application Briefs
Aerospace

Robotic Paint Removal System

Air Force Research LaboratoryWright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH+1 937-255-0017www.wpafb.af.mil AFRL Materials Integrity engineers recently played a key role in enabling the safer and more efficient removal of paint...

Feature Image

INSIDER
Aerospace

Corrosion Evaluation System Makes "Sense" for Aircraft Coatings

Through a Small Business Innovation Research project with Luna Innovations, the Air Force supported the development of CorRES, an improved system for coating materials...

Feature Image

News
Defense

Breaking Bonds

Bonded composite airframe structures offer a potential to achieve more affordable manufacturing and more efficient structures, ultimately meeting United States Air Force (USAF) goals to increase range and reduce fuel...

Feature Image

News
Materials

Faster, Lighter, Stronger: Aerospace Composites Join Together Advanced Materials

Boeing and Airbus forecast a worldwide demand for up to 40,000 new aircraft over the next two decades. With a 10-year production backlog and new aircraft...

Feature Image

Articles
Aerospace

Developing a Conformal Coating Process for Aerospace Applications

Conformal coatings protect electronic circuits from harsh environments via a chemical film that “conforms” to a circuit board’s topography. These coatings protect against...

Feature Image

Articles
Software

New Products & Services

Metric-Sized Metal Shapes Parker Steel Company (Maumee, OH) offers metric-sized metals suitable for applications where presized metric parts are needed. Parker Steel’s cold-finished carbon steel, alloyed and...

Feature Image

Articles
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Improving the Surface Finish of Additive Manufactured Parts

South West Metal Finishing has been working on an additive manufacturing surface treatment process for the last three years and believes it could be the future choice of aircraft...

Feature Image

News
Electronics & Computers

Researchers Print the Unprintable: Kapton

Kapton, a material used in electronics and aerospace applications, has only been available in sheet form. Researchers from Virginia Tech have found a way to 3D-print a polymer with Kapton's structural...

Feature Image