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Damping elements, stoppers, and rubber buffers

JW Winco provides a wealth of variants to serve every application when it comes to vibration damping elements for alternating tensile and compressive loads. JW Winco has 40 standard parts covering several hundred article numbers in its selection -- from simple rubber buffers like GN 353 to more complex designs such as GN 148.3 that can take up to 17,600 newtons of compression. These elements have a core of natural rubber, because this still offers the best damping values, unmatched by synthetic elastomers or silicone materials.
See the full line that JW Winco offers.

Stratasys moves beyond polymers: Metal 3D printing

Stratasys, the global leader in polymer additive manufacturing, is getting into metals by investing in industrial metal 3D-printing company Tritone Technologies. The agreement brings cutting-edge, production-grade metal and ceramic technology to Stratasys' service portfolio. At the core of Tritone's offering is its MoldJet^® technology, the only powder-free AM technology that enables the high-throughput production of metal and ceramic parts at industrial scale and speed that overcomes previous challenges.
Learn more about this exciting development.

TS0501: Pushing the limits of aerospace machining

Seco has launched TS0501, a Duratomic^® finishing grade engineered for exceptional performance in turning modern high-hardness superalloys as well as traditional materials such as Inconel 718. Designed for lights-out machining, TS0501 delivers unmatched tool life, surface finish, and reliability in demanding aerospace and energy applications. The insert's wear resistance and thermal stability make it ideal for industries where component integrity is critical.
Read the Seco article.

Most powerful heatsink: Extreme CPU cooling

Learn how 3D Systems played a crucial part in developing "the world's most powerful AI-designed and metal 3D-printed liquid nitrogen (LN2) heatsink for extreme CPU cooling." The heatsink was created using 3D Systems' Direct Metal Printing tech utilizing certified oxygen-free copper for superior thermal conductivity. An eccentric application that pushes the boundaries of thermal management.
Read the 3D Systems blog.

When metals can't survive: Machined ceramics as an alternative

Technical Ceramics are so hard and wear resistant that they cannot be machined with conventional tools -- but they can outlast and outperform other materials in demanding or harsh applications. INSACO's proprietary diamond grinding process and specialized techniques developed over many decades allow the company to produce and document parts to exacting specifications consistently. Learn all about the alternatives you have when metals just can't take it.
Read the INSACO article.

Build-to-order knobs and hand hardware

Rogan Corp.'s innovative use of two-shot plastic injection and insert molding has been providing customers with high-quality plastic clamping knobs, levers, and control knobs for more than 90 years. Rogan offers concurrent engineering, product design, and assistance in material selection to ensure customer satisfaction for standard or customized parts, with a focus on cost optimization and on-time delivery. Custom colors, markings, decorative inlays, or engineered materials to meet special requirements, such as adding extra strength or utilizing a flame-retardant material, are all offered.
Learn more.

Why switch from weld fasteners to clinch fasteners?

According to the experts at Penn-Engineering, engineers usually make the switch from weld fasteners to self-clinching fasteners due to two key motivators: environmental impact and cosmetic appeal. Additional benefits often materialize, though, that have positive effects on time, costs, and end-product quality. Find out how.
Read this PennEngineering PEM blog with real-world examples.

Tech Tip: How to create high-quality STL files for 3D prints

Have you ever 3D printed a part that had flat spots or faceted surfaces where smooth curves were supposed to be? You are not alone, and it's not your 3D printer's fault. According to Markforged, the culprit is likely a lack of resolution in the STL file used to create the part.
Read this detailed and informative Markforged blog.

Metal 3D printing: Right at your desktop

From prototyping to tooling or batch production of end-use parts, the Studio System 2 from Desktop Metal brings metal 3D printing to any office, studio, or lab setting. This powder- and laser-free system consists of an easy-to-adopt two-step process: print using pre-bound metal rod feedstock and then sinter. It requires minimal training and operator intervention. Combined with next-gen Separable Supports and a software-controlled workflow, the Studio System makes metal 3D printing simpler than ever. This platform offers more materials than any other metal extrusion 3D-printing system on the market. They include Inconel 625, titanium (Ti64), copper, tool steels, and stainless steels.
View the video and learn more.

What is laser peening for metal components?

According to Curtiss-Wright, laser peening (also called laser shock peening) "drives deep plastic strain into a part that creates a high-magnitude residual compressive stress from 1 to 10 mm below the surface." This process involves hitting a part surface with a laser repeatedly through a stream of water, offering designers the ability "to surgically engineer residual compressive stress into key areas of components." Benefits include enhancements to fatigue strength, durability, damage tolerance, and resistance to stress corrosion cracking of critical metallic components.
Read the extensive Curtiss-Wright article.

Full-color 3D-printing Design Guide from Xometry

With Xometry's PolyJet 3D-printing service, you can order full-color 3D prints easily. Their no-cost design guide will help you learn about different aspects of 3D printing colorful parts, how to create and add color to your models, and best practices to keep in mind when printing in full color. Learn how to take full advantage of the 600,000 unique colors available in this flexible additive process.
Get the Xometry guide.

New lightweight compound for structural car parts

Following four years of collaboration with the University of Toronto, Axiom is proud to announce the creation of AX Gratek PP40 -- a groundbreaking lightweight, high-strength alternative to heavy glass-filled 40-60% PP components. This hybrid composite features graphene nanoplatelets with glass fibers. Patent pending, this material has achieved up to 20% improvement in tensile strength while achieving an impressive 18% weight reduction compared to commercial PPGF60% parts.
Learn more.

Quickparts making big moves for part making

Quickparts has expanded its Seattle HQ to create an Aerospace & Defense Center of Excellence, strengthening the company's long-standing expertise in high-fidelity casting patterns and advanced stereolithography (SLA). Simultaneously, the company is launching its Quick Mold solution across North America, bringing production-quality molded parts to market in as little as five days.
Read the full article.

Print parts in M300 tool steel: Starter kit

Take your 3D printing to the next level with M300 Tool Steel Filamet™ -- a high-strength and wear-resistant material. Virtual Foundry has released a brand-new M300 Tool Steel Kit packed with everything you need to get started, including: 0.5-kg starter filament spool, Filawarmer, 1 kg of steel blend, 0.5 kg of sintering carbon, and an alumina crucible. From the company that brought us 3D-printable lunar regolith simulant.
Learn more, including print instructions.

Tank cleaning: 360° corrosion-resistant option

For processes requiring efficient tank washing, BETE's HydroWhirl Poseidon offers a unique solution that cleans effectively in tanks containing harsh chemicals or stubborn substances. This slow-spinning tank cleaning nozzle provides complete 360° coverage with longer dwell time on target surfaces; ideal for use in corrosive chemical environments, chemical processing tanks, food and beverage processes, IBC Totes, and more. The unit's bearing-free design delivers a slow, deliberate spray that provides a more effective washdown than conventional rotating designs.
Learn more. Available from EXAIR.

Fascinating: Reasons why hydrogen makes metal brittle discovered

A study led by University of Oxford and Brookhaven National Laboratory researchers has uncovered how exposure to hydrogen atoms dynamically alters the internal structure of stainless steel. The findings reveal that hydrogen allows internal defects in steel to move in ways not normally possible, which can lead to unexpected failure.

This discovery offers vital insights that could help make hydrogen fuel systems safer and more reliable, from aircraft and fusion reactors to pipelines and storage tanks. The study was published September 9 in Advanced Materials.

In the world-first experiment, the team used an advanced X-ray imaging technique to track how tiny defects (called dislocations) inside stainless steel respond to hydrogen exposure. This is crucial to understanding how hydrogen can cause metals to weaken or fail, and the findings could guide the design of next-generation alloys for a growing hydrogen economy.

Lead researcher Dr. David Yang of Brookhaven National Lab said, "Hydrogen has great potential as a clean energy carrier, but it's notorious for making materials it comes in contact with more brittle. For the first time, we have directly observed how hydrogen changes the way defects in stainless steel behave deep inside the metal, under realistic conditions. This knowledge is essential for designing alloys that are more resilient in extreme environments, including future hydrogen-powered aircraft and nuclear fusion plants."

As countries aim to transition to fossil-free energy systems, hydrogen has been touted as the ideal fuel for "hard to decarbonize" sectors such as shipping, aviation, and heavy freight. However, this gas can cause unexpected cracking in metals (known as hydrogen embrittlement) that threatens the integrity of high-pressure vessels, pipelines, and critical components in energy systems.

While engineers have long known that hydrogen affects metal performance, the precise mechanisms at the atomic scale have remained elusive, because hydrogen is very difficult to detect.

"Using coherent X-ray diffraction, a non-destructive method, we were able to watch atomic-scale events unfold in real time inside solid metal without cutting open the sample," said the study's principal investigator, Prof. Felix Hofmann of the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. "It has been tremendously exciting analyzing this data and piecing together the parts of this scientific puzzle. Some of the results really surprised us by showing up behavior we weren't expecting."

An artistic impression of the experiment: 3D rendering of the micro-scale stainless steel grain investigated in this study shows the evolution of defects inside it with time (early: blue lines; later: red lines). The grain is embedded within a polycrystalline bulk sample. By focusing a coherent X-ray beam on this grain, a coherent X-ray diffraction pattern can be measured, from which the shape of the grain and the defects inside it can be reconstructed. By continually monitoring this grain while hydrogen is introduced, researchers studied how hydrogen interacts with defects. [Credit: David Yang, Felix Hofmann (bubbles graphic sourced from Free PNG Logos, John D.)]

To uncover what hydrogen does inside the material, the researchers used an ultra-bright beamline at the Advanced Photon Source in a United States partner facility to focus X-rays onto a single stainless steel grain, roughly 700 nanometers (nm) in diameter. They then applied a technique called Bragg Coherent Diffraction Imaging to measure how the internal structure of this grain changed over time. In this method, the X-rays are scattered by the crystal lattice, creating a complex interference pattern. This can be reconstructed to reveal the structure of the grain, the crystal defects within it, and how they distort the lattice around them.

By imaging the steel grain over 12 hours, the experiment revealed three key changes once hydrogen was introduced:

• Dislocations became unexpectedly mobile. Internal faults began to move and reshape themselves, even without additional external stress. This suggests that hydrogen acts like a lubricant at the atomic scale, making it possible for defects to move more easily.
• A surprising out-of-plane motion of defects was observed. This upward shift, known as "climb," is unexpected and signals that hydrogen allows atoms to rearrange in ways that aren't typically possible at room temperature. This process is thought to play a critical role in reducing the hardness of alloys.
• The dislocation's surrounding strain field reduced noticeably as hydrogen accumulated. A strain field is the zone around a defect where atoms are pushed or pulled out of place, allowing the material to accommodate the defect. This study provides the first direct, 3D experimental measurement of a long-theorized effect called "hydrogen elastic shielding," where hydrogen reduces defect strain fields, effectively shielding the surrounding metal from stress.

These findings help explain why hydrogen can lead to unexpected failure in metals, since it allows internal defects to move more easily and in ways that are not normally possible.

According to the researchers, the work directly informs how to model and predict material performance in hydrogen environments, feeding into multi-scale simulation frameworks used by industry. It also points toward potential strategies for engineering novel alloys that offer greater resistance to hydrogen embrittlement.

"This research is only possible because of the availability of extremely bright and coherent X-ray beams at international synchrotron sources," said Hoffman. "The results are highly complementary to information from electron microscopy and simulations. We are now planning even more sophisticated experiments to study how hydrogen changes other types of defects. At the same time, we're also developing models to help industry design complex hydrogen fuel systems."

The study also involved researcher partners from Argonne National Laboratory in the United States and the University College London in the UK.

Source: University of Oxford

Published September 2025

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