IPTRADE, Inc. Announces First Commercially Available Smart Composite Structure.NEWTON, Mass. -- Today at its Newton, MA headquarters IPTRADE announced the completion of the development phase of first commercially available smart composite structure. The design and manufacturing effort for the patents pending smart composite lasted for 18 months and was successfully completed with the help of our exclusive manufacturing partner, ARC Technologies of Amesbury, MA. The smart composite structure incorporates multiple layers of piezoceramic (PZT PZT Lead Zirconate Titanate (piezoelectric ceramic material) PZT Piezoelectric Transducer PZT Photographic Zenith Tube PZT Point Zone Telephone ) wafers, enabling it to be at once a high-fidelity structural strain sensor and a high precision strain actuator. Key technological breakthroughs include full compatibility with commonly accepted manufacturing practices for such composites as glass and graphite fibers in epoxy matrix, as well as extremely robust electrical connections to the embedded piezoceramic layers. The newly available smart composites are expected to find utilization in the immediate future in a wide array of industries. Primary users are expected to be aerospace and high-precision manufacturing companies, including micro and nano electromechanical The use of electricity to run moving parts. Disk drives, printers and motors are examples. Electromechanical systems must be designed for the eventual deterioration of moving components that wear over time. The first TVs were electromechanical systems (see video/TV history). systems (MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) Tiny mechanical devices that are built onto semiconductor chips and are measured in micrometers. In the research labs since the 1980s, MEMS devices began to materialize as commercial products in the mid-1990s. and NEMS n. 1. (Zool.) The ichneumon. ), integrated circuit (IC), and liquid crystal display liquid crystal display (LCD) Optoelectronic device used in displays for watches, calculators, notebook computers, and other electronic devices. Current passed through specific portions of the liquid crystal solution causes the crystals to align, blocking the passage of light. (LCD) capital equipment manufacturers. The primary uses of the smart composite are expected to be non-destructive testing (NDT NDT Newfoundland Daylight Time ) and structural health monitoring Structural health monitoring (SHM) is an upcoming technology in civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering. In the last ten to fifteen years, SHM technologies have emerged creating an exciting new field within various branches of engineering. , as well as precision control of elastic vibration. The newly developed active composites feature ultra-slim profile of less than three millimeters, good mechanical robustness, broad range of operating temperatures and easy integration into even the most demanding systems. They have unlimited shelf life and when operated as sensors do not require electrical power. Rather they generate their own power in accordance with the direct piezoelectric effect. When operated as actuators, the smart composites require voltages of 50 - 200 volts with small current levels of up to 1 ampere ampere (ăm`pēr), abbr. amp or A, basic unit of electric current. It is the fundamental electrical unit used with the mks system of units of the metric system. maximum. A single smart composite structure can be configured and easily reconfigured for use as sensor, actuator, or both. One of the most advanced features of the smart composites is their ability to be remotely reconfigured from unimorph to bimorph configuration and back. This unique feature is enabled by the patented electrical connection system that allows each piezoceramic layer to be individually addressed through a configurable electrical bus. Public Release at Semicon West 2007 The IPTRADE smart composites will be featured for the first time at the Semicon West exhibition in San Francisco from July 17 through July 20, 2007. The demonstration will include the use of smart composites for structural damage detection and precision vibration control. Further Development IPTRADE and ARC Technologies are proceeding with further development and improvement of their smart composites technology in cooperation with selected customers. Further enhancements will be presented to the public at Semicon Japan 2007 in December of this year. IPTRADE is a registered trademark of IPTRADE, Inc. a privately held corporation Noun 1. privately held corporation - a corporation owned by a few people; shares have no public market close corporation, closed corporation, private corporation headquartered in Newton, MA, USA. For more information on the full range of IPTRADE products and services: http://www.iptrade.com |
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