Doctor blade for screen printing

In screen printing, flexible doctor blades are used for distributing the printing inks. They must be able to withstand a wide variety of stresses and strains and must also have good swelling resistance in contact with the ink solvents used in the printing industry. This is no problem for Vulkollan®, because it is free of fillers and plasticizers – a factor that contributes to its good chemical resistance.

With long printing runs, it is essential that the quality of the prints remains consistently good from beginning to end. Since the edges of the blades are subjected to considerable wear and tear, it must have very high dimensional stability. The high shear modulus of Vulkollan® and its low permanent deformation are key factors when it comes to ensuring consistent print results. In addition, the quality of the fabrics is rising all the time, increasing the strain on the blade material. Vulkollan's® high mechanical resistance ensures a long service life and considerably minimizes the work involved in subsequent sharpening.

This superior combination of properties – namely high mechanical strength and excellent chemical resistance – guarantees an extremely long service life even when the doctor blades are subjected to extreme conditions.

Sensor elements

To track down any corrosion damage or cracks in oil and gas pipelines, the workers use UCSD "go-devils" equipped with Baytec P sensor strips. Because Baytec P has such high elasticity, the sensor elements can always stick close to the pipe wall, even when they pass over pipe bends or travel through narrow cross-sections, thus minimizing measuring errors.
Other specifications made on the elastomer are particularly high resistance to wear and tear and outstanding swelling resistance.

Device for light therapy

A light therapy device that specifically activates the self-healing forces, relieves the organism and triggers regenerative processes has been developed by Bioptron AG in Mönchaltorf, Switzerland. The Bioptron 2 model works by encouraging cell activation, known as biostimulation of the cell. The housing of this device is manufactured by emaform AG, which is based in the Swiss town of Gontenschwil. The company uses the Baydur® 60 polyurethane integral skin foam system, developed by Bayer MaterialScience AG primarily for the production of technical housings.

On the look-out for a lightweight, tough and rigid material which would reproduce the complex design of the light therapy device perfectly, the choice fell on Baydur® 60. Because with its excellent flow properties, this polyurethane system has proved its suitability even for the production of large moldings with complex geometries. Thanks to its mold reproduction accuracy, finely detailed textures can also be rendered.

Another argument for integral skin foam system from BaySystems is that it forms a solid outer layer which, together with a two-pack polyurethane coating, produces a highly-resistant, easy-care surface.

Baydur® 60 also delivers the goods as far as economics are concerned. The parts can be made with inexpensive aluminum molds because the internal pressure generated in the mold is particularly low. Apart from this, the integral skin foam can easily be combined with other materials, which means, for example, that thread inserts can be pre- positioned in the mold and molded in place, considerably simplifying subsequent fabrication.

Helios movie projector

A cabinet can be far more than a handy, light and robust case. This has been proved by the Helios video projector and its sophisticated exterior made of Baydur® polyurethanes from BaySystems®. Available in a variety of colors, it is perfectly at home in its environment, whether at conferences or presentations.

The Helios digital video projector from the Italian company Vidikron Industries S.p.A. has a special visual appeal in more than one sense. The highly sophisticated electronics packed inside the set are protected by a cabinet manufactured by 2a.effe of Lissone, Italy, using polyurethanes Baydur® 60 and Baydur® 110 from BaySystems®. In addition to offering a perfect combination of design and functionality, these two materials also provide a number of structural benefits, including an excellent surface finish that is ideal for high-grade coatings and gives the projector a distinctively elegant appearance

H-Bridge for Robots with High Current DC Motors

DC Motors which need high current and high voltage usually give high velocity and high torque. For small robots like line follower robot or fire fighting robot, I think IC motor driver L298 (up to 2A total current) is better choice. While for large and heavy robot, you need high current DC motors also H-Bridge suit to your DC motor.

This article sould be useful for you to build high current H-Bridge. H-Bridge schematics provided…

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The H-Bridge is the link between digital circuitry and mechanical action. The computer sends out binary commands, and high powered actuators do stuff. Most often H-bridges are used to control rotational direction of DC motors. And unless you buy a potentially expensive motor-driver, you need an H-bridge to control any robot with a motor.

This is a quickly sketched H-Bridge circuit with supporting circuitry.
H-Bridge

First lets talk about what a transistor is. These nifty chips revolutionized the electronics industry and you would be hardpressed to find something electronic that does not have at least a few thousand of these in them. So what do they do? They can control a flow of electrons by applying a voltage to them. The plumbing equivalent would be a water valve. By rotating the valve, a very large flow of water can easily be controlled.

MOSFET, Transistor
There are several types of transistors, such as the PNP and NPN, but for sake of making your life easy I will only talk about a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor). These neat things have only been around for a decade or two, but are way better than the more traditional transistor. First they are more efficient. They are easier to calculate mathwise. Plus they usually have built in protection diodes so you don’t need to add them in later. They even have PWM (explained later) optimized MOSFET’s.

So to operate a MOSFET, you apply a voltage to the gate (from your microcontroller), and suddenly a current of electrons passes through the other two pins. Connect a motor (M) in line with one of the pins and your robot is set to go. In the above schematic you will notice the letters A and B. These are your two control lines which you apply this logic voltage to. Since you have two pins, and only a binary control, there are four possible things that can happen.

A=0 B=0 : Nothing happens, the motor is turned off
A=1 B=0 : Motor rotates clockwise
A=0 B=1 : Motor rotates counterclockwise
A=1 B=1 : Your circuit explodes into pretty sparks

Here is a ghetto visual graphic of the H-bridge logic chart:
H-Bridge A

H-Bridge B

So now lets talk about how to operate the MOSFET’s. Basically all you need to do is attach the gate to your digital output of your controller. When the digital output is turned on, 5V will be applied to the gate, turning the MOSFET on. However it is better to amplify that 5V to a value higher and I will explain why. The gate voltage controls the MOSFET internal resistance. Zero voltage makes the resistance too high for it to work. A very high voltage has a very low resistance. Resistance leads to loss of energy thermally. This means your MOSFET will heat up and possibly burn out. Take a look at the MOSFET picture above and you will notice my finger print in it. That is what happens when you touch a hot MOSFET - pain! So although you do not need to amplify the gate voltage, it is best to do so. You should also put a heat sink on it.

Square Wave for Pulse Width Modulation PWM
Ok so what if you want speed control, and not just an on/off switch? PWM! Pulse width modulation. PWM is when you send a square wave at a certain frequency to control the MOSFET as shown above. Basically you are telling your controller to turn on and off the motor at very high rates. So through inductance the motor is neither fully on or fully off, but somewhere in between. Such as at a slower speed. Also a note that motor torque, under PWM, remains the same whether fully on or only a percentage on. However, varying voltage for speed control reduces torque. So with PWM you have maximum torque yet slower speeds! You will have to experiment with wave length for both on and off periods, as well as frequency, to optimize your speed control. But a guess usually works.

Make sure the MOSFET you have has built in protection diodes. If not, install them on your circuit as shown. This is to prevent back currents from your DC motor. Also do not forget to put a small capacitor across the leads on your motor to reduce electronic noise and increase motor life. You might also want to refer to the tutorial on robot power regulation to help you design a better power source for your H-bridge.

It is also recommended to put a slow blow fuse after the power supply, resistors of a few 100 ohms on the gate logic, and the additional capacitors on your circuit as shown. This will prevent melting, large voltage surges, and high frequency emission.

Robots In CIS Applications

Robots have started receiving greater attention in medical/surgical applications. Tasks beyond human manipulation/precision capabilities are being trusted to assitant systems that only perform that small portion of the procedure, under human supervision. Despite intial skeptical response due to safety, and cost concerns the role of robots in surgery is likely to grow.

Surgical robots present an environment unlike most other applications where robots are applied. e.g. industrial plants. Mechanical components of surgical robots tend to be simpler, slower than their industrial counterparts, but the electronics, safety, and guidance systems are usually far more complex. A set of complex planning, guidance, and safety systems (often redundant) are involved in operating a surgical robot.

A team designing a surgical robot is faced with several difficulties. A complex system takes several years to develop, and development is often sequencial. E.g. The guidance system can not be tested until the hardware is available, and software developing and testing is highly dependent on availability of functioning hardware. Surgical robots are developed to deal with specific surgical procedures, and so each application results in the repetition of the design cycle.

A modular system allows software development to be independent of hardware design. It also allows existing modules to be used for new applications. It improves design clarity and testing and finally develops interfaces making interoperability between different systems easier.

There are several ways to develop modular/flexible software to control a robot: use/develop a programming language with all the facilities of object oriented design. But this would create yet another language, with a learning curve and user acceptance issues. An alternative approach is to develop interfaces, and implementations of the same in an acceptable programming language. This provides libraries that can be shared, swapped, and developed independently of each other. Furthermore, it allows the programming language to be changed, while preserving the interfaces (most programming languages provide ways of calling other language libraries, if need be).

The modular robot control(MRC) library is one such library. While the set of robots under consideration is mostly serial manipulators, the interface design can be easily extended to parallel architectures. The interface design is independent of the programming language, and the first implementation uses C++ classes. The library classes have a layered structure, each new Layer inheriting significant functionality from its parents.

This documentation is for the MRC library version 1.1 The class most commonly used by an application as an instantiable robot is the mrcRobot class and this should also be the base for all derived robot classes. Detailed implementation documentation exists separately.
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Live 3D Breadboard

Using the Live 3D Breadboard tool in TINA, you can automatically build a life-like 3D picture of a solderless breadboard (sometimes called a “whiteboard”). When you run TINA in interactive mode, components like switches, LEDs, instruments, etc. become “live” and will work on the virtual breadboard just as in reality. You can use this capability of TINA to prepare and document lab experiments.

You can either assemble the circuit step-by-step or by generating the whole circuit on the breadboard. Pick up and move parts on the breadboard using the mouse, and TINA will automatically rearrange the wiring while retaining connectivity. In the same fashion, you can select and move wires for clearer appearance. Note that you cannot change the endpoints of a wire this way–wiring integrity is preserved.

The breadboard tool is mostly intended for educational purposes to prepare laboratory experiments in a safe 3D environment. You can also use this breadboard to guide you in actually wiring a physical breadboard for lab verification.

Lenovo ThinkPad X301

Earlier this year Lenovo released their ThinkPad X300, a great notebook for the business minded. Recently, the X300 has been updated to the ThinkPad X301 model. With many improvements from its already great predecessor, you can expect great things from the X301.

Familiar, Sturdy Design

When it comes to design, the Lenovo X301 has the same look as most other ThinkPad notebooks that have come before it. It’s a personal choice if you like the ThinkPad design. Some think it’s dull, some people believe it to be simple and effective. It’s a matter of opinion either way. However, there’s no argument that ThinkPad machines have some strong characteristics that stand out from the competition. The X301 laptop weighs a little less than 3.5lbs with an 8X DVD burner and a 6-cell battery equipped. The X301’s exterior is squared off and has a matte black finish. It’s dimensions are 12.5 x 9.1 x 0.9, and just like it’s predecessor the X300, the sides are slightly tapered. The X301 is a beautifully constructed machine with Lenovo’s internal roll cage design and a carbon and class fiber interior, which according to Lenovo, is not only stronger but lighter than titanium.

The keyboard deck and outer shell utilize a new rubberized soft touch paint which helps provide a more secure grip and a more comfortable feel. The X301 has all the regular connectors and ports with three USB 2.0, Ethernet, microphone and headphone jacks, DisplayPort, and a VGA connector. Unfortunately, no memory card slot is included with this laptop, which means you’ll have to use a USB card reader device or adapter to read from memory cards.

Display and Speakers

The X301 employs a LED-backlit, 13.3" (1440×900 resolution) display with a matte finish that prevents most glare. The high resolution certainly makes a difference when viewing documents and web pages, though the default text may be too small for some eyes. The backlit, low-reflectivity LED keeps the display legible when outdoors. Rich colors and wide viewing angles are available for watching DVDs and other content. The stereo speakers lacked low-end punch, but due to their close proximity (they’re located in the palmrest), the volume was clear and loud. Above the display is a 1.3 megapixel webcam that provided somewhat dark visuals when tested through video chat.

With the high resolution (1440×900) 13.3" screen, the X301 is great for surfing the web and viewing documents. The LED display is amazingly clear for viewing outdoors because it’s extremely low reflectivity negates glare. The ThinkPad X301 features wide viewing angles with rich colors, which makes watching a DVD or other content more enjoyable. The 1.3 megapixel camera (located above the display) was a little dark during the video chat tests performed via MSN Messenger.

First-Class Ergonomics

In line with all the other ThinkPad models, the X301 features a magnificent keyboard that definitely ranks with the top runners in the business. The typing experience is excellent because the keyboard provides space in between individual keys. The X301 includes a touchpad and a pointing stick (located between the G and H keys) for navigation. The touchpad may be small for some users since the design accommodates for the larger keys. A biometric fingerprint reader is integrated to the right of the touchpad to help keep private business away from unauthorized individuals. Above the keyboard, you’ll notice buttons for volume, mute, ThinkVantage (for launching Lenovo’s system utilities), and, of course, the power button.

Performance

The base configuration is equipped with 2GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Due (1.4GHz) U9400 Ultra Low Voltage processor. The ThinkPad X301 achieved a PCMark Vantage score of 3157, which is 400 points higher than most ultraportables. It’s a great score, but still falls about 60 points shy of the Sony VAIO VGN-Z530N’s and almost 500 points shy of the Lenovo ThinkPad X200.

The X301 didn’t fare so well on all of its graphics tests. On the 3DMark03 benchmark, the X301 (which is powered by an Intel GMA X4500MHD graphics card) netted an 1812, a score that’s 400 points higher than its competitors and its predecessor the X300. However, the 3DMark06 score was 200 points less than other machines in its category. F.E.A.R was also tested in auto-detect mode, and the game ran at a miniscule 14fps. When the settings were increased to maximum, it ran at only 6fps. W.O.W ran at 27.4fps, which is okay, but it is important to remember that this is not a gaming laptop, and should not be expected to out perform Alienware, for example.

Lenovo’s X301’s boot-up time was a little slower than expected. The X301, with its 64GB SSD, took about 1 minute and 37 seconds to boot-up Windows Vista, almost 30 seconds slower than the average ultraportable and 48 seconds slower than the older X300. The SSD did not disappoint and definitely lived up to its fast transfer time copying a 5 GB folder in about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, however. The SSD has a transfer rate of 32.4 megabytes per second, which is miles ahead of the 13.4 megabyte per second transfer rate of competitors using mechanical drives. If 64GB does not fill your needs for capacity, an upgrade option is available for a 128GB SSD, which costs $400.

Test Results

PCMark Vantage / 3DMark03 / 3DMark06	3,157 - 1,812 - 683
Battery Life	3:29
F.E.A.R. (auto-detect/max)	14/6fps
W.O.W. (auto-detect) / File Transfer Test	27.4fps - 32.4 MB/s
Boot time (m:ss)	1:37
Wireless Performance (15/50 ft)	20.8 MB/s - 18.7 MB/s

Wi-Fi and Battery Life

The 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi moves data at an excellent speed of 20.8 MB/s at a distance of 15 feet from the access point, and 18.7 MB/s at 50 feet. These are nice improvements over the 16.7 MB/s and 16.1 MB/s averages presented by the X300, and made for a pleasant surfing experience. Although the default configuration does not include integrated mobile broadband, you can add a 3G connection from AT&T ($80) or Verizon Wireless ($150), which also features integrated GPS. The X301 will support WiMAX and Ultra-Wideband technologies when they become available.

When it comes to long battery life, the X301 definitely falls short by quite a bit. Its six cell battery lasted only 3 hours and a half during tests. On the same test, Sony’s VAIO VGN-Z530N lasted 5 hours. A little more should be expected out of ultraportable laptops when it comes to battery life (at least 4 hours).

Software, Security, and Warranty

Those who care about security on their portable computers will definitely appreciate the X301’s full disk encryption, centrally managed passwords, ability to disable the BIOS port, and remote lockdown. The machine is covered with an extendable 1 year warranty and 24/7 tech support. Included with the X301 is Lenovo Camera Center, a 60-day trial to Microsoft Office, Access Connections 5, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and Roxio Creator Business Edition.

The X300 was an outstanding laptop released by Lenovo, but they have definitely done a nice job with the ThinkPad X301. They took all the good aspects from the X300, and made them better for the X301. With the new Centrino 2 platform and an ultra-fast 64GB SSD, the X301 comes at a price. If you’re looking for an amazing business notebook, though, it will not disappoint. One thing we’d have to mention, however, is that you should consider investing in a spare battery.

Technical Specifications

CPU	1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U9400 ULV
RAM Included	2GB
RAM Upgradable To	4GB
Hard Drive Size	64GB
Hard Drive Speed	90MB/s Read and 70MB/s Write
Hard Drive Type	SSD Drive
Optical Drive Type	DVD+RW
Optical Drive Speed	8X
Display Size (inches)	13.3
Native Resolution	1440×900
Graphics Card	Intel GMA X4500MHD
Video Memory	384MB
Wi-Fi	802.11a/g/n
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 2.0
Mobile Broadband	Optional Add-on 3G connection from AT&T ($80) or Verizon Wireless ($150)
Operating System	MS Windows Vista Business
Ports (excluding USB)	DisplayPort; Ethernet; Headphone; Microphone; VGA
USB Ports	3
Card Slot(s)	N/A
Warranty/Support	One-year parts and labor/24/7 toll-free phone
Size	12.5 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
Weight	3.4 pounds