Glass & Ceramics News

"Regulations never lessen and compliance never gets easier." In this Ceramic Industry report, Michael Wood of Solvay Chemicals describes how sodium-based chemicals, used in a dry sorbent injection system, efficiently remove pollutants. The ceramic, brick, and glass industries discharge halide pollutants that the U.S. Clean Air Act requires to be treated. Traditional thinking was that wet scrubbing, which creates other waste products, was the answer. However, a dry injection system using sodium scrubbing offers a low-cost alternative to wet scrubbing with higher efficiencies than lime or calcium based sorbents.

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Thick polyurea hybrid linking material is sprayed onto various substrates including geotextile, concrete, and dry earth to form a thick monolithic and impervious secondary lining systems. Linking implementation is significantly quicker than alternative system. More on Industrial Solutions USA, LLC.

The Thin Film Product Team at Williams is a group of skilled engineers who have a vast knowledge of the Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process and the tools currently used in today's marketplace. Williams develops thin film material processes and product enhancements to increase yields, surface conditions, and target utilization while lowering the material cost of ownership.

The future of air travel will depend in large part on advanced ceramic materials. High-performance ceramics play a critical role in the further development of commercial and military aircraft, not to mention NASA's space program. In this fact sheet, the American Ceramic Society provides a list of experts who may be contacted for information about ceramic applications in aerospace.

Instead of graphite, a "just-announced" rechargeable battery uses a patented nanotitanate material for its negative electrode. This feature, says Altair Nanotechnologies Inc., results in a much greater charge/discharge capability compared to conventional rechargeable batteries. Read more about the company's NanoSafe™ battery technology and its advanced ceramic electrode materials.

A Northwestern University research team headed by Professor Rod Ruoff, an expert on carbon materials, hopes to introduce a new class of composites using natural graphite, which is abundant and available. By mixing graphene-based materials with polymers, glasses, and ceramics, the team hopes to make composites that are tailored to specific applications.

Producing nanocrystalline ceramic powders measured in the billionths of a meter is no simple task. Nanophase Technologies describes two processes: Physical Vapor Synthesis (PVS) and NanoArc Synthesis (NAS). Both processes use arc energy applied to a solid precursor material to create a vapor which, upon condensing, forms nanoparticles. The newer NAS process expands the range of precursor formats and chemical compositions that can be processed, including complex multi-component materials.

Moly discs, from Yangzhou Positioning Tech Co., Ltd., shall be capable of withstanding a Mech. Stress test of one 90° bend with no evidence of cracking or splitting. Clean, degreased, and packaged in an inert atmosphere (or vacuum) to prevent oxidation. Find out more about these Molybdenum discs.

Marathon™ Series thermometers (MA1S and MA2S), by Raytek Corporation, combine superior specifications with digital technology to provide high-performance temperature measurement. MA1S and MA2S thermometers offer an advanced electro-optical design, digital electronics, and a built-in user interface-enclosed in a rugged, compact housing.

Alfred University, located in upstate New York, has a well-known College of Ceramics. The College operates the Center for Glass Research, a National Science Foundation industry and university partnership. Look to the Center's Web site for an excellent listing of glass resources. Organizations listed include federal, industry/university, professional societies, foreign glass research sources, and industrial councils.

Auto industry experts predict that by 2010, 40% of all new cars will have sun roofs. This will include even larger panoramic sunroofs, raising impact safety concerns. To address this concern, Dupont™ recently introduced a laminated glass with improved capabilities and reduced weight. Spallshield® composite replaces the traditional safety glass sandwich construction. Two layers of polyester film are laminated to a single layer of glass, providing up to eight times the impact performance.

ZIRCAR Refractory Composites, Inc. (ZRCI) of Florida, NY has introduced a medium-duty, fiber-reinforced ceramic composite material with greater than 99% alumina content. The high-strength alumina composite material is used in demanding thermal, electrical, and structural insulation applications. The technical data sheet provides composition, properties, and suggested applications.

Advanced Materials & Processes recently announced that Pyrotek, in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Missouri-Rolla, has developed a new class of material coating for crucibles used in the smelting of aluminum and low-pressure die casting. One of the coatings is zircon-based, and exhibits low permeability that can successfully withstand the thermal shock, erosion, and corrosion during contact with molten aluminum.

PYROID HT matches the thermal performance of CVD diamond at 1200 W/mK and offers substantially better economics. Available in sheet form up to 30 cm square and any thickness ranging from 0.25 mm to 1.3 mm, this material is ideal for high-volume production and provides economic value at the device assembly level. More info...

Offset discharge is sometimes required where several units are positioned around a process where headroom is limited. The Model 4000 SolidsFlow® Vibratory Offset Feeder accurately meters bulk solids continuously or in batches through an offset discharge point to accommodate these requirements. More on AccuRate/Schenck AccuRate.

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

Located in Laurens, SC, CeramTec is a major manufacturer of technical ceramics. They recently posted a position for a Product Sales Manager requiring a BS in Ceramics, Materials, or Mechanical Engineering with automotive experience. See their Web site for company and contact information.

Industry Week reports on the widening gap between the supply of qualified workers and the needs of modern manufacturing. The article reviews the many structural changes that have occurred in the manufacturing world and what some companies are doing in terms of "best workforce practices" to address the skill shortage.

In the June issue, we reviewed an Economist article indicating that the U.S. workforce is actually gaining leisure time. But, that is not translating into more vacation time, as disclosed by Expedia.com in their latest "vacation deprivation" survey. Americans give back a number of vacation days due, and receive on average only 14 days to begin with, compared to 39 in France.

In this Monster® report, Barbara Reinhold says a lot of people expect to reach the financial goal of becoming a millionaire, and offers five strategies that reflect the patterns among people that reach that goal. Taking calculated risks, focusing, and persevering are among some of the habits on that road to your first million.

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