Big-rig truck drivers will soon get a big nix on their habit of running their engines all night long to power their in-cab conveniences such as heating, cooling and entertainment. Without running the engine, their batteries get depleted overnight. So Maxwell Technologies of Detroit and Alcoa AFL Automotive of San Diego are merging their technologies to develop an efficient engine-starting system that will quickly jump a cold engine. “The AFL-Maxwell cold starting system, with its ultracapacitor pack, will provide what amounts to an on-board jump-start capability,” says Allen Zwierzchowski, president of Alcoa’s Worldwide Components AFL Automotive.
According to Zwierzchowski, fleet owners incur significant costs due to vehicle downtime and jump-starting stranded trucks. The Maxwell-AFL ultracapacitor is designed to relieve batteries of the demanding short-duration high-current loads experienced during cold-starting and engine. The ultracapacitor is also built to improve overall system performance and reliability while extending battery life and reducing battery maintenance and replacement costs.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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