ModElec

Integrating electronics with highly custom 3D designs for the physical fabrication of interactive prototypes is traditionally cumbersome and requires numerous iterations of manual assembly and debugging. With the new capabilities of 3D printers, combining electronic design and 3D modeling workflows can lower the barrier for achieving interactive functionality or iterating on the overall design. We present ModElec---an interactive design tool that enables the coordinated expression of electronic and physical design intent by allowing designers to integrate 3D-printable circuits with 3D forms. With ModElec, the user can arrange electronic parts in a 3D body, modify the model design with embedded circuits updated, and preview the auto-generated 3D traces that can be directly printed with a multi-material-based 3D printer. We demonstrate the potential of ModElec with four example applications, from a set of game controls to reconfigurable devices. Further, the tool was reported as easy to use through a preliminary evaluation with eight designers.

A Study on the Control of Residual Stress of Copper Thick-Film Using 2D Nanomaterial

With the rapid development of the electronics industry, high-density electronic devices and component mounting have gained popularity. Because of the heat generated from these devices, efficiency of the electronic parts is significantly lowered and life of various electronic devices is considerably shortened. Therefore, it is essential to efficiently dissipate the heat generated from the device to extend product life and ensure high efficiency of electronic components. This study evaluated how residual stress is impacted by the thickness of the deposited copper film, which is widely used as a heat dissipation material, and the number of graphene layers. The results confirmed that the residual stress decreased with increasing thickness. Moreover, the residual stress changed based on the transfer area of graphene, which had an elastic modulus eight times that of copper, indicating that the residual stress of the deposited copper film can be controlled.

Retrofitting in Fabric Finishing Machine - Sanforizadeira

With the advancement of technology in all fields, mainly in the industrial sector, which is manifested in more modern and self-contained equipment. Many equipment in the industry are obsolete with the electrical and electronic parts, but the mechanical parts are in perfect condition and can often be used for a long time. This paper demonstrates the retrofitting of a fabric finishing machine (Sanforizadeira) in the textile process thet was obsolete. In these conditions, it became necessary to retrofit the automation system. Through the study of the machine and the process, involving the fields of production and mechanical maintenance, the critical points and the improvements that should be implemented were found, thus raising the materials needed to carry out the work. The automation system was modernized, the control panels were replaced and improvements were implemented. The final result was achieved through the objectives outlined in this work, guaranteeing the company a system with considerable improvements, with a reduction in the number of stops and time spent for maintenance. The results were demonstrated by the graphs of the maintenance indicators. Comparing the before and after retrofitting, the following indicators were analyzed for six months: Failure rate, with an average reduction of 50\% in the failure rate per hour; Mean time between failures, showed an average increase of 140 hours in the prediction of the next failures; Average time to repair, presented an average reduction of thirteen minutes in the resolution of the failures; Availability, there was a 16\% increase in the availability of the machine, leaving the indicator above 90\% where the ideal is 100\%. Finally, the total cost of the project represented only 9.5\% of the total value of a new machine, being also considered a positive result for the work.

Mechanical Properties of Doped Solder SAC-Q for High Strain Rate Testing at Extreme Surrounding Temperatures for 6 Months of Isothermal Aging

Electronic parts may often get exposed to high strains during shocks, vibrations and drop conditions in both commercial and defense applications. In addition, such electronic parts can often be simultaneously exposed to extreme surrounding temperatures between −65°C and 200°C after storage in non-climate-controlled conditions. Electronic equipment can be subjected to strain rates of 1 to 100 per second in shock and vibration. Many of the doped SAC soldering alloys in the electronic components, including SAC-Q, SAC-R, Innolot have found applications in long-term thermal exposure environments. Low temperature high strain-rate properties are needed to assure durability under high temperature storage followed by shock and vibration. There is scarcity of high strain-rate data on alloys exposed to high temperature aging operating at extreme low-temperatures and extremely-high temperatures. For this study, SAC-Q material was tested and analyzed at temperatures from −65°C to 200°C and at a strain rates of from 10 to 75 per second. Following the production and retrieval of the specimens, specimens were stored for isothermal aging for up to 6 months at 100°C temperature, before performing tensile test experiments at various operating temperatures. Stress vs strain curves are formed for the wide range of strain rates and surrounding temperatures. In addition, test results and data were complemented by the Anand viscoplasticity model and by calculating stress-strain behavior, evaluated in a wide range of working temperatures and strains rates.

Microscope in Action: An Interdisciplinary Fluorescence Microscopy Hands-on Resource for Schools

ABSTRACT Fluorescence microscopy is a ubiquitous technique in the life sciences that uses fluorescent molecules to visualize specific components of biological specimens. This powerful tool has revolutionized biology, and it represents a perfect example of the advancements enabled by biophysical research and technology development. However, despite its central role in contemporary research, fluorescence is hardly covered in typical secondary school curricula, with few hands-on “entry-level” materials available for secondary school teachers to introduce this important method to their students. Furthermore, most commercially available fluorescence microscopes are prohibitively costly and often appear as “black boxes.” To address this gap, we introduce here an experimental, research-grade fluorescence microscopy kit and educational resource targeted at secondary school students and teachers. Microscope in Action is an interdisciplinary resource based on active learning that combines concepts from both optics and biology. The students assemble a functional microscope from basic optical, mechanical, and electronic parts, thereby testing and understanding the function of each component “hands-on.” We also present sample preparation and imaging activities that can be incorporated to enable an exploration of biological topics with the assembled microscope and exercises in which students actively learn and practice scientific thinking by collecting and analyzing data. Although the resource was developed with secondary schools in mind, the variety of available protocols and the adjustable module lengths make it suitable for different age groups and topics, from middle school to PhD level, from short workshops to courses spanning several days.

A Remote Sensing Scheme for Fault Diagnosis to Wind Turbines: An Academic Experimental Set-Up

Nowadays, remote sensing for structural fault examination to wind turbines is an important technological challenger. On the other hand, laser diodes represent a low-cost option to implement a remote vibrometer sensor by just using cheap analog electronics. Therefore, a recent electronic circuit along with a laser diode is conceived to detect faults on a winding structure due to vibrations mainly induced by the wind and its rotary parts with possible mechanical defects. The electronic parts consist of a sequence of bandpass filters and peak detector stages. Besides, an academic experimental platform is constructed to validate the performance of the proposed remote sensing scheme for fault diagnosis in wind turbine structures.

High Strain Rate Mechanical Properties of SAC-Q Solder for Extreme Temperatures After Exposure to Isothermal Aging Up to 90 Days

In many industries, such as automotive, oil and gas, aerospace, medical technologies, electronic parts can often be exposed to high strain loads during shocks, vibrations and drop-impact conditions. Such electronic parts can often be subjected to extreme low and high temperatures ranging from -65oC to 200oC. Also, these electronic devices can be subjected to strain rates of 1 to 100 per second in the critical environment. Recently, many doped SAC solder alloys are being introduced in the electronic component e.g. SAC-Q, SAC-R, Innolot, etc. SAC-Q is made with addition of Bi in Sn-Ag-Cu are composition. Mechanical characteristic results and data for lead-free solder alloys are extremely important for optimizing electronic package reliability, at high temperature storage and elevated strain rates. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of solder alloys can be changed significantly due to a thermal aging, which is causing modification of microstructure. Data for the SAC-Q solder alloy with a high temp aging and testing at extreme low to high operating temperatures are not available.

New Version of High-Damping PCB with Multi-Layered Viscous Lamina

In a previous study, a high-damping printed circuit board (PCB) implemented by multilayered viscoelastic acrylic tapes was investigated to increase the fatigue life of solder joints of electronic packages by vibration attenuation in a random vibration environment. However, the main drawback of this concept is its inability to mount electronic parts on the PCB surface area occupied by interlaminated layers. For the efficient spatial accommodation of electronics, this paper proposes a new version of a high-damping PCB with multilayered viscoelastic tapes interlaminated on a thin metal stiffener spaced from a PCB. Compared to the previous study, this concept ensures efficient utilization of the PCB area for mounting electronic parts as well as the vibration attenuation capability. Free vibration tests were performed at various temperatures to obtain the basic characteristics of the proposed PCB. The effectiveness of the proposed PCB was verified by random vibration fatigue tests of sample PCBs with various numbers of viscoelastic layers to compare the fatigue life of electronic packages.

Condenser Design for On-Board ORC Recovery System

In this study, an ORC plant is considered that recovers the heat source from 1800 cc Diesel Engine exhaust gases. The power recovered by the ORC system could be used, as an auxiliary system, to provide energy to the electronic parts of the car. The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of allocating this ORC plant into a vehicle and in the design of the condenser, with the purpose of reaching the best configurations that lead to low-pressure drop and compact dimensions. The Organic Rankine Cycle converts thermal energy from low-grade heat sources into electricity. The thermodynamic cycles to produce 5 kW were simulated using a custom software application. The basic cycle was chosen to guarantee the most compact configurations. The selected thermodynamic parameters are based on the need to cope with atmospheric conditions. The working fluid chosen is R245fa, due to its thermodynamic characteristics. Since the electrical part would be partially satisfied by this system, the entire power of the thermal engine would be dedicated to mechanical use. It could also be assumed that, as a consequence of the settings of this plant, a reduction in fuel consumption could be expected, which, although at a percentage that cannot be theoretically evaluated at the moment, is nevertheless predictable. In this first stage of the evaluation, the condenser design is presented and analyzed.