TechArchive

Original article date: April 1998 The first of 3M’s very high bond (VHB) tapes was introduced 15 years ago. How has this alternative to mechanical fastening techniques developed in the interim? Alan Quinn sticks to the trail like glue! The technology developed the existing pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes that had then been around for some time. [...]

Original article date: July 1999 Led by Process Technology Group Director Dr ASHOK BATTACHARYA, Warwick University now knows how to control the potential health risks associated with ceramic fibres Researchers at the Warwick Process Technology Group say they have devised a manufacturing technique for spun-fibre based ceramics that allows manufacturers to produce high tech ceramic [...]

Original article date: February 1998 A French metal stamping simulation tool that uses finite element analysis has been extended to cover thermoforming. Alan Quinn explains the significance. Press forming of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic (FRTP) sheets, known as thermoforming, offers a promising fabrication option for lightweight structural composite components. Thermoplastic polymers have several improved mechanical [...]

Original article date: February 1999 With the withdrawal of the old British Standards and the integration of the new BS EN standards for copper and copper alloys there is inevitably going to be confusion. For this reason the Copper Development Association has published “Copper and Copper Alloys – Composition Applications and Properties” which explains the [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Alan Quinn illustrates the importance of materials properties to efficient design, concentrating on the influence of temperature on mechanical properties. The time-dependent strain which occurs when a material is subjected to a sustained stress is known as creep. For a component under a constantly applied external [...]

Original article date: September 1997 The principle of the mechanical face seal is quite simple: Two flat, ring-shaped surfaces, one stationary and one rotating, are pressed together so as to create as narrow a gap as possible between them. The closer the gap between the two surfaces, the less the leakage. The main components of [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Researchers have been entranced by diamond for decades. It has all the features of a perfect material: harder than any other known substance, essentially transparent, highly ordered crystallinity, intriguing electrical properties. Until the 1950s, only naturally obtained diamonds could be studied – diamond seemed to be [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Silicone rubber keypads feel good and last well. Here’s an extract from an excellent design guide sent to us by Pat Duffy of ARC Turmkey Technology’s office in Stirling. Conductive rubber switches and keypads were originally developed for the electronics industry to meet the increasing demand [...]