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Kyocera’s new M-Six Shell Mill double-sided CNC cutting tool.

Kyocera introduces new milling cutters for CNC machining featuring inserts with proprietary Megacoat Nano technology

Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corporation, Cutting Tool Division recently introduced its new MEW M-Four and MFWN M-Six milling cutters. The M-Four Endmills feature negative inserts that use Kyocera’s insert-forming technology, which reduces cutting forces to levels equivalent to positive inserts. The double-sided, four-edge inserts offer low cutting forces for reduced chatter, improved surface finishes, and minimized vibration. The 90-degree cutting angle features an obtuse edge for increased cutting edge toughness.The M-Six Shell Mill features a double-sided, six-edge, extra-thick insert with tough cutting edges and sharp cutting performance. The M-Six features neutral inserts applicable for shouldering, plunging, and facing, and four different chipbreakers to cover a variety of applications. Both the M-Four and M-Six Milling Cutters feature Megacoat Nano, Kyocera’s proprietary multi-layered coating technology that enables stable milling and extends tool life by reducing wear and fracture with its high hardness and superior oxidation resistance.

3M commences tender offer for Ceradyne, Inc.

3M announced that its direct wholly owned subsidiary, Cyborg Acquisition Corporation, has commenced its previously announced tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Ceradyne, Inc. at a price of $35.00 per share. The tender offer is being made in connection with the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 30, 2012, by and among 3M Company, Cyborg Acquisition Corporation and Ceradyne, Inc., which 3M and Ceradyne announced on October 1, 2012. The board of directors of Ceradyne has unanimously determined that the offer is fair to and in the best interests of Ceradyne’s stockholders and unanimously recommends that the shareholders of Ceradyne accept the offer and tender their shares. The tender offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Tuesday, November 27, 2012, unless extended.

Global smart pill technology market worth $965 million by 2017

According to a new market research report, “Smart Pill Technology Market (2012-2017),” published by MarketsandMarkets, global Smart Pill Technology Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17% reaching $965 Million by the year 2017. The research report is an attempt to unveil the incredible breakthrough in medical electronic technologies using Bio-MEMS (Biological Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems). Smart pill technology, also known as “ingestible capsule technology” incorporates miniaturized micro-electronic systems in a single chip enclosed in a small capsule. The capsule is administered orally for diverse diagnostic and biomedical applications. Capsule endoscopy is already in command in the current smart pills market. Next generation ingestible electronic capsules for drug delivery and patient monitoring are the emerging technologies under SPT.

Felix Baumgartner: The best photos and videos from the edge of space

Felix Baumgartner successfully skydived from 128,100 feet (24.2 miles, 39 kilometers, the middle of the stratosphere) above Roswell, New Mexico on Oct. 14. In doing so, he set three world records: The highest manned balloon flight, the highest skydive free fall and the first person to break the speed of sound without mechanical aid. He travelled 119,846 feet (22.7mi, 36.5km) in a free fall lasting 4 minutes 20 seconds and experienced a maximum velocity of 373 meters per second, or 833.9 mph (1342 kph). That final tidbit is probably the most exciting, as it was completely unexpected.  In the stratosphere, the speed of sound is nearer 700 mph, or 313 m/s, thus Baumgartner’s max velocity of Mach 1.2. The exact stats of the jump, as measured by Baumgartner’s on-board equipment, are not yet certified by the FAI governing body.

Surmet wins two more SBIR Phase II awards from DOD

The first of the two Phase II awards is from the US Army—”Quantitative analysis of ALON and Spinel dome blanks”—and will address the issues of the high cost of fabricating advanced multimode seeker domes. It is important to know that a starting dome blank is of sufficient quality to yield a compliant dome, prior to beginning the expensive precision fabrication. Issues such as inhomogeneity arising from stress birefringence and other causes can undermine the performance. Surmet has developed an economical preview methodology to sort good dome blanks from not so good ones. The second Phase II award is from the US Navy—”Infrared Transparent, Electrically Conductive Coatings.” During Phase I, Surmet fabricated a durable over coating to enhance an IR transparent, conductive coating. The Phase II award will allow for further development of the coating technology to improve optical properties and durability and make it valuable for wider range of MWIR applications. Additionally, thicker durable layers will be evaluated to increase the abrasion resistance of the IR transparent conductive coating.

Osorb: Absorbent nanomaterial cleans up toxic water

Chemical engineer Paul Edmiston demonstrated Osorb, a revolutionary new type of material that can clean water from oil spills, detect explosives and even treat the subsurface of Superfund sites, during a webcast hosted by the National Science Foundation last year. Edmiston was working on nano-engineered glass for explosives detection, and during testing, one of the formulations instantaneously grew in size. That formulation became the first identified member of a now larger group of swellable silica-based materials. Osorb is now the principal product of a company in Wooster called ABSMaterials, and Edmiston became the company’s chief scientist. With support from the NSF, Edmiston and his colleagues at ABSMaterials are developing water remediation technologies for cities and industries-targeting everything from storm water to agricultural runoff.

New report, ‘Ceramics: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2012 to 2018’

Worldwide markets are poised to grow steadily as developing countries have parts of the population that achieve middle class and create demand for ceramic products. This is combined with steady demand in developed countries for ceramic materials used in industry and to keep the home livable and nice. Ceramic markets are tied to the construction industry. The middle class has a primary focus on fixing up a pleasant home. Tile and ceramic materials are key to achieving a comfortable lifestyle, in a nice home. Ceramics also are part of the steel industry as the refactory materials are key to lining the containers that are used to make steel for manufacturing automobiles. Basic steelmaking takes place in containers lined with basic refractories. These may be bricks or other ceramic material. Ceramics subsectors are being impacted by the need for the availability of raw materials. The cost structures of energy-intensive ceramics producers are becoming disadvantaged by increasing fuel prices. The ceramics manufacturing process in need of efficient energy is changing markets, hindering the competitiveness of ceramics producers without access to cheap fuels.

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