Design News for Mechanical and Design Engineers

Quiet Steel® from this company is made of two skins of steel constrained over a layer of viscoelastic material to create a formable, weldable substrate. The product is said to be superior to cold-rolled steel in reducing noise, vibration, and weight. The product can be coated in a pre-finish or post-coated operation, and has been used in clothes dryers, lawn mowers, and laptop computer disk drives.

MSC Laminates and Composites, 2300 E. Pratt Blvd., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007; FAX (847) 806-2219; www. matsci.com.

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The Altra Composite System is a modular ceramic-fiber insulation system designed for rapid fire furnace applications where temperatures reach up to 1,750C. The product uses vacuum-forged, pre-shaped tongued and grooved boards for side walls, and suspended board modules for roof areas. They are said to be thermally shock resistant and lightweight.

Rath Performance Fibers Inc., 501 Silverside Rd., Suite 131, Wilmington, DE 19809; FAX (302) 793-0289; www. rath-usa.com.

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Refractory Sheet Type RS-100 is a fiber-reinforced alumina composite designed for thermal, structural, and electrical insulation applications, and the transport of molten non-ferrous metals up to 1,260C. The product is said to have compressive and flexural strengths similar to those of high- temperature reinforced plastics, but retains those qualities at higher temperatures.

Zircar Products, Box 489, Florida, NY 10921; FAX (914) 651-1515; www. zrci.com.

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HFT5000 fabric is said to be a durable, flexible, halogen-free, high-performance composite material which provides effective mechanical protection. The product is reportedly self-fixing, will not creep, and can be used only at the point of threat, while the woven construction provides flexibility and high conformability while not stiffening the substrate or trapping moisture.

Tyco Electronics, Box 3608, Harrisburg, PA 17105-3608; FAX (717) 986-7575; www.amp.com.

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Polaqua 73F is an extrusion, laminating, and printing primer designed for use with a wide range of substrates. The product is said to be grease-, oil-, water-, and moisture-resistant, and offers high bond strengths even when small amounts are used. The product may be used as supplied, or diluted with an equal amount of water. One undiluted gallon will reportedly treat 20 to 30 reams of substrate.

ADM Tronics, 224 S. Pegasus Ave., Northvale, NJ 07647; FAX (201) 784-0620.

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A new vacuum metallizing system which uses a smart distributed I/O network is now available. The system uses an Allen Bradley RS Logix 5 and RS View as a control platform and PC-based user interface, while the controls are based on a PLC5 platform and use flex I/O for the remote control points. The product is designed for rapid pump down with the company's direct-drive, canned motor blower systems.

Stokes Vacuum Inc., 5500 Tabor Rd., Philadelphia, PA 19120; FAX (215) 831-5420; www.stokesvacuum.com.

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MACOR Machinable Glass Ceramic is a white, ceramic-like material which is said to be non-wetting, exhibits zero porosity, and won't deform like ductile materials. The material reportedly to withstand temperatures up to 1,000C and has a coefficient of thermal expansion which matches most metals and sealing glasses. MACOR Machinable Glass Ceramic can also be joined or sealed to other materials in order to create a hermetic seal.

Morgan Advanced Ceramics, 225 Theodore Rice Blvd., Bedford, MA 02745; www.morganadvanced ceramics.com.

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