Tag Archives: Manufacturing

Using Pad Printers To Add Color To Artistic PCBs

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I’ve done a few experiments in adding color to printed circuit boards. These experiments used a process known as pad printing, and so far all indications are that pad printing is a viable process for truly multicolor artistic PCBs. For this year’s DEF CON, I’m stepping things up and taking them to their logical conclusion. I’m making true multicolor PCBs with orange and blue ink. This is, I believe, the first time this has ever been done with printed circuit board art, and it is certainly the first time it has ever been documented.

You may be wondering why I …read more

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The Magic that Goes into Magnets

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Every person who reads these pages is likely to have encountered a neodymium magnet. Most of us interact with them on a daily basis, so it is easy to assume that the process for their manufacture must be simple since they are everywhere. That is not the case, and there is value in knowing how the magnets are manufactured so that the next time you pick one up or put a reminder on the fridge you can appreciate the labor that goes into one.

[Michael Brand] writes the Super Magnet Man blog and he walks us through the high-level steps …read more

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Retrotechtacular: Constructing A Car Engine

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Oxford is a city world-famous for its university, and is a must-see stop on the itinerary of many a tourist to the United Kingdom. It features mediaeval architecture, unspoilt meadows, two idylic rivers, and a car plant. That’s the part the guide books don’t tell you, if you drive a BMW Mini there is every chance that it was built in a shiny new factory on the outskirts of the historic tourist destination.

The origins of the Mini factory lie over the road on a site that now houses a science park but was once the location of the Morris …read more

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Electronics Manufacturers React To China Trade Tariffs

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Mere weeks ago, the United States announced it was set to impose a 25% tariff on over 800 categories of Chinese goods. These tariffs include nearly every component that goes into the manufacture of any piece of electronic hardware, from resistors to capacitors, semiconductors to microcontrollers, and even the raw components that are turned into printed circuit boards. These tariffs will increase the cost of materials for electronics, even if those electronics are ultimately manufactured in the United States because suppliers and subcontractors must source their materials from somewhere, and more often than not, that place is China.

Now, manufacturers …read more

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Electronics Manufacturers React To China Trade Tariffs

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Mere weeks ago, the United States announced it was set to impose a 25% tariff on over 800 categories of Chinese goods. These tariffs include nearly every component that goes into the manufacture of any piece of electronic hardware, from resistors to capacitors, semiconductors to microcontrollers, and even the raw components that are turned into printed circuit boards. These tariffs will increase the cost of materials for electronics, even if those electronics are ultimately manufactured in the United States because suppliers and subcontractors must source their materials from somewhere, and more often than not, that place is China.

Now, manufacturers …read more

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In war against botnets, manufacturers need to step up, report says

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The problem of botnets — the legions of computers used to carry out distributed denial-of-service attacks — is exacerbated by the fact that developers do not have the cost incentives to build more security into their products, according to a new report from the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security. “Product developers, manufacturers, and vendors are motivated to minimize cost and time to market, rather than to build in security or offer efficient security updates,” states the report mandated by a White House executive order last year. “Market incentives must be realigned to promote a better balance between security and convenience when developing products.” The report says the government should give companies some help by prioritizing research and development funding for botnet-thwarting products, and it suggests the private sector should expedite its own work on those technologies. The R&D — in techniques like data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence is — “urgently needed to get […]

The post In war against botnets, manufacturers need to step up, report says appeared first on Cyberscoop.

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Splunk turns data processing chops to Industrial IoT

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Splunk has always been known as a company that can sift through oodles of log or security data and help customers surface the important bits. Today, it announced it was going to try to apply that same skill set to Industrial Internet of Things data. IIoT is data found in manufacturing settings, typically come from […] Continue reading Splunk turns data processing chops to Industrial IoT→

Mechanisms: Ode to the Zipper

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Look around yourself right now and chances are pretty good that you’ll quickly lay eyes on a zipper. Zippers are incredibly commonplace artifacts, a commodity item produced by the mile that we rarely give a second thought to until they break or get stuck. But zippers are a fairly modern convenience, and the story of their invention is one that shows even the best ideas can be delayed by overly complicated designs and lack of a practical method for manufacturing.

Try and Try Again

Ideas for fasteners to replace buttons and laces have been kicking around since the mid-19th century. …read more

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Aluminum No Match For 3D Printed Press Brake Dies

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If you’re looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, you can scratch “Doing small-scale manufacturing of ultralight aircraft” off your list right now. Turns out there’s no money in it. At least, not enough money that you can outsource production of all the parts. Not even enough to setup a huge shop full of customized machining tools when you realize you have to make the stuff yourself. No, this sounds like one of those “labors of love” we always hear so much about.

So how does one do in-house manufacturing of aircraft with a bare minimum of tools? Well, since …read more

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