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Top Product: Future-proof enclosure cooling

Seifert's new SLIMLINE NEO ushers in next-generation industrial cooling with natural refrigerant R290 (GWP 0.02) and high-efficiency inverter technology. It cuts energy costs with EER up to 3.6, reduces refrigerant charge by 75%, and extends electronics life. A fully redesigned, lighter, smaller enclosure delivers lower vibration, better component protection, and easier handling. Available in two elegant surfaces: stainless steel and mild steel, powder coated.
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Coin cell supercapacitors: High capacity, quick release

Coin cell supercapa-citors are compact, high-capacity energy storage devices that rapidly charge and discharge and endure far more cycles than rechargeable batteries. They're ideal for high switching loads such as real-time clock and battery back-up power, battery-swap ride-through, and LED or audible alarms. SCHURTER's latest versions support up to 5.5 V and 100 to 1,500 mF.
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Tech Tip: Mastering sheet metal bend calculations in Onshape

Mastering bend calculations in sheet metal design is a key skill that can impact the accuracy and manufactur-ability of your designs significantly. Explore the various options available to become a pro in this Onshape Tech Tip: K Factor, bend allowance, and bend deduction, with guidance on when each should be used. You will probably learn something even if you don't use this software.
Read the Onshape blog.

Digital Engineering: How a private jet gets a high-end refurb

Ever wonder how private jets get overhauled from standard OEM layouts to exotic, artful interiors? It takes engineering expertise, specialty design skills, and true craftspeople. Increasingly, it also takes automation provided by middleware to weave a digital thread through CAD, BOM, ERP, and PDM software.
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How AI is quietly transforming simulation

Is AI really useful, or is it just a passing trend? Balavignesh Vemparala, an R&D Engineer II at ANSYS, lays out a compelling case for how artificial intelligence is already hard at work in the simulation world with real results for users. From faster solves to accelerated workflows, improved quality and traceability, generative models, and more, discover what you might be overlooking when it comes to real-world AI application. Worth the read.
Read this informative ANSYS blog.

All about photoelectric sensors

From counting boxes on a conveyor and ensuring precise packaging and labeling to the automatic doors you walk through daily, learn all about photoelectric sensors and the options available from AutomationDirect. Did you know there are four main types? Familiarize yourself with their constructions, capabilities, and their main pros and cons. A good basic primer or refresh.
View the AutomationDirect video.

Halex liquid-tight and FMC conduit fittings

Automation-Direct has added Halex liquid-tight metallic and non-metallic fittings that ensure a secure bond between conduits and enclosures, delivering a dependable seal that protects against moisture, oil, and contaminants. Available in trade sizes from 3/8 in. to 2 in. in both straight and 90-degree configurations, these fittings come with insulated and non-insulated options. Halex Flexible Metal Conduit (FMC) fittings provide strong, reliable connections between flexible metal conduit, or aluminum and steel AC/MC cable, and metal boxes or enclosures. Offered in trade sizes from 3/8 in. to 4 in., these fittings are available in straight and 90-degree styles with a choice of squeeze, screw-in, set screw, saddle, or specialty connectors. Corrosion-resistant zinc finish.
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Machine vision enforces zero-defect manufacturing of engine fans

Engine cooling fan failure in commercial vehicle applications can result in power unit overheating and catastrophic engine damage. To mitigate these risks, a leading manufacturer of engine components has deployed an advanced machine vision system based on SVS-Vistek cameras to enforce zero-defect quality standards. The implementation presented substantial technical challenges.
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Do-it-yourself board-level EMI shielding

ProtoShield sheets from Tech-Etch are depth-etched with a checkerboard pattern for folding, so they can be easily formed into many diverse configurations. In the product-development stage, fully functional shields can be created in minutes with just a pair of scissors and a straight edge for folding. Offered in two sizes: standard (.25-in. squares) and metric (5-mm squares). Both versions are solderable and corrosion resistant due to nickel silver material. Shield prototypes can be directly soldered to the board, or shield clips can be used for easy mounting. Samples available.
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New angle sensors designed for rugged applications

Novotechnik's new Vert-X 26 Series of non-contacting magnetic angle sensors use the Hall effect to track the position of the shaft and are designed for rugged applications like automotive and off-highway equipment where high humidity, dampness, dust, and/or vibrations are expected. They are plug-in sensors using an AMP MQ5 6-pole connector, with a measurement range from 0 to 360 degrees. Both single and fully redundant versions are available.
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Cool Tools: Mobile surface measuring solution

With its lightweight, compact design and the smallest skidless probe system available on the market, the MarSurf M 510 Series is an ideal solution for precise surface measurement across a wide range of applications. The series offers convenient mobile testing of P, R, and W parameters with just one instrument, and users can create up to 1,000 measuring programs. This instrument can cover a broad spectrum of applications in sectors such as mechanical engineering, automotive, medical, and aerospace.
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Code-free LIN LED driver rewrites the rules of automotive LED design

Melexis has unveiled the MLX80124, a highly configurable, code-free LIN LED driver. It is designed to radically simplify the development of dynamic RGB-LED automotive ambient lighting applications for engineers of all backgrounds. The MLX80124's unique innovation enables engineers to configure behavior without writing or compiling a single line of code. Instead, a GUI provides access to configurable parameters, delivering the full lighting functionality expected by tier 1 suppliers and OEMs.
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EMI filters -- the first line of defense in military/aerospace electronics

When failure is not an option, high-reliability EMI filters deliver superior high-frequency EMI suppression for mission-critical applications in aerospace and defense. The experts at Johanson Technology run through your options and what makes each type beneficial for specific applications.
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Fastest workstation for SOLIDWORKS?

What's the fastest new workstation for SOLIDWORKS users? The experts at TriMech Group have done their testing and made their decision. It's the Dell Pro Max Tower T2. Dell's Precision Brand top-range PCs have a new name -- Pro Max -- and they are the only units certified for professional applications such as SOLIDWORKS and CATIA. Learn why TriMech thinks this PC, which replaces the best-selling Dell Precision 3680 model, is a winner.
View the video.

Cool Tools: HandySCAN BLACK Elite handheld 3D scanner

Optimized to meet the needs of design, manufacturing, and metrology professionals, FARO's HandySCAN BLACK Elite provides an effective and reliable way to acquire accurate 3D measurements of physical objects anywhere.
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'Incredibly resilient' nylon device creates electricity under tons of pressure

PhD researcher Robert Komljenovic holding the flexible nylon-film energy-harvesting device developed at RMIT University. [Credit: Photo by Will Wright/Courtesy of RMIT University]

 

 

Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have developed a flexible nylon-film device that generates electricity from compression and keeps working even after being run over by a car multiple times, opening the door to self-powered sensors on our roads and other electronic devices.

Certain materials -- such as quartz, some ceramics, and even bone -- produce an electrical charge when they are squeezed, pressed, or vibrated. This is piezoelectricity, coming from the Greek "piezein," meaning to press.

Modern vehicles rely on piezo components in fuel injectors, parking sensors, airbag systems, and other functions. The team's nylon innovation could provide a more durable alternative material for such components or support new technologies for traffic-management sensing on roads.

The breakthrough tackles a long-standing problem with energy-harvesting plastics, which can produce power from movement but are often too fragile for real-world use, while also reducing carbon emissions by using ambient energy naturally present in movement and pressure.

By using sound vibrations and electrical fields to reengineer the material at a molecular level, the team turned a tough industrial nylon into a resilient power-generating film suited to wearables, infrastructure, and smart surfaces.

The team, led by Distinguished Professor Leslie Yeo and Dr. Amgad Rezk, used high-frequency sound vibrations while applying an electric field as the nylon solidified, helping its molecules form a more ordered structure. This technique enabled the nylon device to generate electricity each time it was bent, squeezed, or tapped.

Nylon by itself does not convert movement into electricity efficiently, limiting its potential in powering everyday devices.

The team used a durable industrial plastic called nylon-11 that, unlike common nylons, can generate electricity from pressure when its molecules are carefully aligned.

Yeo said the team found a simple way to transform nylon into an energy generator that was "incredibly resilient."

"This method could power next-generation devices that need to survive real-world stresses -- whether that's wearable tech, sensors, or smart surfaces," said Yeo from the School of Engineering.

Dr. Amgad Rezk said the process offered significant advantages for industry, with an energy-efficient and scalable approach. "We're excited to see where prospective industry partners could take this technology, from flexible electronics to sports equipment," he said.

First author and RMIT PhD researcher Robert Komljenovic said the nylon films were flexible, tough, and reliable, maintaining their ability to turn movement into power. "Our nylon devices can harvest energy simply from compression during motion," Komljenovic said. "The thin-film devices are so robust, you can fold them, stretch them, even run a car over them -- and they keep making power. This could mean new ways to charge small devices using compression from the movement of people, machines, or vehicles."

The researchers plan to scale up the technology for larger applications and are exploring partnerships with industry to bring this innovation to market. Organizations interested in developing new products or collaborating further should contact RMIT at research.partnerships@rmit.edu.au.

The paper, "Electroacoustic alignment of robust and highly piezoelectric nylon-11 films," is published in Nature Communications.

The researchers stated in this paper, "We show that the material produces a piezoelectric voltage coefficient (g₃₃ = 427 × 10^-3 Vm N^-1) that surpasses the performance of all piezoelectric polymers reported to date. The film's exceptional mechanical resilience is evident from its stable performance over 20,000 compression cycles at 50 N and its ability to withstand vehicular loads."

Source: RMIT University

Published February 2026

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