Medical

Talk about composites in most machine shops usually refers to carbon-fiber material, though “composites” may refer to a variety of mixed materials going back to the mud-and-straw structures made in ancient times. The latest example: A new metal nanocomposite composed of magnesium infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic-silicon-carbide nanoparticles. It’s a superstrong-yet-lightweight structural metal with record levels of specific strength and specific modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio, and was created by a team led by researchers from UCLA. The material also showed superior stability at high temperatures. It could be used to build lighter aerospace and automotive vehicles, helping to improve fuel efficiency, and for mobile electronics and biomedical devices, according to the researchers.

You might think laser pulse lengths measured in nanoseconds—that is, billionths of a second—are short. But they’re long compared to those of picosecond (a trillionth of a second) and femtosecond (a quadrillionth of a second) lasers, which are known as ultrashort-pulse lasers. Once confined mainly to laboratories and medical facilities, USPLs have become increasingly popular machining options over the last decade, thanks to lower prices and more-rugged designs intended for industrial settings.

END USER: Wagner Machine Co., (217) 384-0072, www.wagner-machine.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: 5th Axis Inc., (858) 505-0432, www.fifthaxis.com. CHALLENGE: Reliably and cost-effectively grip parts during 5-axis machining. SOLUTION: A compact, dovetail-style, 5-axis clamping system.