Swagelok Northern California Blog

Researchers from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and General Atomics have found that injecting beryllium – commonly used in x-ray machines and spacecraft – into the plasma that fuels fusion reactions could help stabilize it.

It can be difficult to identify issues within your process instrumentation application if you focus solely on the transmitter. Learn how to solve problems within your process instrumentation line with tips and best practices from Swagelok.

Our bite size videos highlight two kinds of hose in only three minutes

"The right hose and end connections maximize safety and performance. The wrong ones can mean costly maintenance issues, safety risks, and slow-downs."

- From Swagelok Hose & Flexible Tubing
 

Using the OMEGA laser at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (University of Rochester), a team of physicists has created the kind of plasma jet that will allow them to study astrophysical objects that are light years away. Its key properties are its stability and magnetism—and its supersonic speed.

3D printing has revolutionized engineering, but it has been limited by its ability to print using one material at a time. The option to print multi-material parts will allow the production of more complex objects. Now scientists have developed a 3D printer that uses visible and invisible light patterns to control printing in two different materials.

A team from Iowa State University has developed a technique to accelerate supercurrents that may allow the development of incredibly fast quantum computers. Supercurrents are movement of electricity through certain extremely cold materials without resistance. The researchers have found a way to control them with Tetrahertz light.

Learn the types of tubing or flexible hose end connections most used across industries, from pharmaceutical to semiconductor, and how to assess and select products best suited for your specific application.

How pure do you really need your components? We have a process for every level

"In vacuum work, cleanliness is absolutely essential. All tubing used
should be degreased and then dried thoroughly. If this is not done, oils and moisture may vaporize as pressure is reduced and the system will appear to leak even though it is tight."

- From Swagelok Tube Fitter's Manual

Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) have discovered a solution to a common and major defect in 3D-printed metal parts. By combining X-ray imaging with computer simulations, they have been able to prevent the formation of tiny holes that can later lead to stress fractures.

A team of researchers has developed easy-to-make wirelessly powered, bug-shaped microscopic robots. Each four-legged microbot is powered by laser light aimed at its solar cells. The robots are already tiny and hardy enough to be injected through a hypodermic needle. The challenge now is to attach sensors, clocks, and controllers that would allow them to journey through the body delivering medicines or mapping the brain.

A new kind of adhesive modeled on snail slime could be as durable as superglue but have the ability to be repositioned and reused multiple times. There are multiple applications from reusable envelopes to gravity-defying boots.

Corrosion—the deterioration of engineering materials by chemical interaction with their environment—is an extraordinarily costly problem. Damage to unchecked corrosion on tubing systems is a leading cause of profit loss for offshore and nearshore applications, costing billions each year. Corrosion can be prevented, so long as companies know what to look for and take preemptive measures to reduce corrosion risks before it’s too late.

Integrated Lab Solutions relies on Swagelok to help keep pace with customer demands

"The use of Swagelok components is credential, in terms of
safety, quality, and reliability. If we named Swagelok in front of clients, then this is just off the table and we don't have to discuss any further if the supplier is reliable or not. It's just a fact."

- Tobias Brose, CFO and BDM, Integrated Lab Solutions
 

Curious how Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) laser works? They have released a new 3-minute video explaining how this powerful short-pulse laser enables researchers to both explore and create extreme states of matter.

Titanium-aluminium nitride is an industrial ceramic commonly used to coat metal cutting tools for manufacturing. It hardens the cutting edge and lengthens the life of the tool. But at high temperatures—which naturally occurs under the high pressure of cutting—the edge begins to soften. Researchers at Linköping University have developed a model to simulate what happens in the material as it degrades, so that they can develop measures to counteract it.

Add a nose cone to SpaceX’s list of reusable parts. On June 24, SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket for the third time. Since its first launch, SpaceX has been attempting to catch the nose cone as it parachutes down in a large net drawn by a boat. Success this time around seems to be thanks to a larger net. Now the $6M nose cone, or fairing, can be reused to protect the payload of future launches.

The right industrial hose keeps your fluid systems performing safely and effectively—it is more valuable than its purchase price. Proper selection requires close attention to the variables with your application such as temperature, chemical compatibility, drainability, and pressure and flow requirements.

Scientists have long been using simulation and experimentation to build predictive codes that drive scientific discovery. Machine learning and data analytics are poised to completely revolutionize scientific discovery by presenting a third way of looking at reality.

Devices embedded within the body such as insulin pumps and pacemakers are vulnerable to attack from hackers, which would have life-threatening implications. Although no such attacks have been recorded, scientists are working to prevent them by ensuring the communication signals that these devices emit remain within the body, rendering them (and you) unhackable.

An international team has made a super-slim battery with double the life of similarly sized lithium-ion batteries currently on the market. The new battery is made of a composite of traditional lithium-storage materials (silicon, graphite and metal oxide particles) and carbon nanotubes. The new formula drastically increases the power without increasing the weight—ideal for myriad consumer and industrial applications.

Emissions reduction and efficiency are driving forces for automotive OEMs, and new clean transportation trends and technology were on full display at this year’s Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in California. The show was sharply focused on zero- and low-emissions vehicles—technologies that many see as the future of transportation.