Covering Scientific & Technical AI | Thursday, July 9, 2026
Milk and Cookies To Go: A New Packaging Concept Is Born
Extensive research into consumer eating habits — from rising obesity rates and the latest dietary guidelines to on-the-go food consumption — provided the impetus for Emergent Technologies to create a two compartment container for compatible food products. The company then turned to packaging experts, Plastic Technologies, Inc., for help with some challenging design problems. Full article
iPhone Manufacturer Foxconn Plans for One Million Robots
Foxconn Technology Group has announced that it will significantly increase reliance on robots over the next three years. Full article
Reshoring US Manufacturing: the Tools Are Here, the Time Is Now
There are many who decry the sad state of US manufacturing, especially in the face of seemingly invincible Chinese competition. But in reality, there are excellent reasons why both foreign and American firms should be investing in US-based factories that produce products for the domestic market. Full article
From Detonation to Diapers at Los Alamos National Laboratory
When you think of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) what comes to mind? Perhaps the first atomic test on July 16, 1945? Or scientists today busily tending the US stockpile of nuclear weapons deterrent? Maybe in your mind's eye you can envision a sprawling, complex of buildings located in the stark beauty of the northern ... Full article
Car of the Future Doesn’t Crash
With advances in automotive technology leading to safer and smarter cars — the driver may one day be optional. Full article
3D Printed Plane Soars
Unmanned aircraft goes from design to takeoff in less than a week using 3D printing. Full article
The Power of Babble
When engineers talk about extrusion and tet meshing and FEA and so on, they're not trying to be pretentious — they're just speaking the language of engineering. Full article
Lost in Space: RedEye Brings Direct Digital Manufacturing Down to Earth
RedEye, a specialist in direct digital manufacturing techniques, helped NASA develop a prototype for the dexterous humanoid robot known as Robonaut 2, or R2 to his friends. R2 was created to help humans work and explore in space, but before NASA and partner Wyle could launch R2 out to the space station, they required a ... Full article
Four Steps to Better Success with IT
Information technology consultant and retired CIO Paul Ingevaldson shares some solid advice for manufacturers: involve users in the IT process. Full article
Will Defense Cuts Jeopardize US Manufacturing?
National Defense University professor believes proposed cuts to military spending could spell trouble for manufacturing industry. Full article
Tsunamis and Supply Chains: The Perils of Global Manufacturing
While the practice of offshoring is intended as a cost-saver, sending key parts of the manufacturing process overseas can have unintended consequences. Full article
PLM Software Promotes Collaboration for Increased Productivity
Product lifecycle management (PLM) software facilitates the sharing of work and ideas across departments, boosting efficiency and reducing design times. Full article
Case Study: AAI Corporation Builds Competitiveness with HPC and the ‘Black Art’ of Computational Fluid Dynamics
A few years ago, AAI Corporation hired Dr. Michael Guterres to lead its Aircraft Engineering Department. The company knew it had to elevate its design capabilities to be more competitive in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) marketplace. However, it had no specific plan to improve its computational abilities. Guterres recognized the need for expanded computational ... Full article
National Robotics Initiative Plays Key Role in Broader Manufacturing Strategy
An integral part of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), the National Robotics Initiative seeks to boost America's high-tech manufacturing sector by enhancing human capabilities, performance and safety. Full article
Vision with Action – A Peek into the NCMS DM SIG Meeting
A Strategic Interest Group, or SIG, is a group of like-minded individuals and organizations with a common goal. Recently the Digital Manufacturing Strategic Interest Group (DM SIG) formed with a mission "to foster the growth and competitiveness of all US manufacturers by promoting, improving and integrating the use of smart digital manufacturing technology." The collaborative ... Full article
Designing Bicycle Wheels in the Cloud
While riding a bike may be easy, the aerodynamics involved in wheel design are complex, requiring powerful CFD software running on high-performance computer systems. The simulations generate so much data that smaller manufacturers who could benefit from the technology get overwhelmed or go without. In response, several companies, including Intelligent Light and R-Systems, are offering ... Full article
Additive Manufacturing Shakes Up Industry
Additive-manufacturing processes like 3D printing are paving the way for new business models and new ways of thinking about the design process. Full article
Technology Advice for Job Shops
There are steps job shops should consider to help protect themselves from the forces of globalization and intense competition. Full article
Seamless Computing: A Conversation with John Hengeveld
Intel's John Hengeveld likes automotive analogies. "If you haven't got a car, you don't need an on-ramp," he says, a statement that makes perfect sense in the context of his vision of seamless computing and the efforts to bring high performance computing (HPC) to the "missing middle." Full article
Chocolate Craving? Press Print
As cool as 3D printing is, it's about to get even cooler. UK scientists have announced a new medium for the 3D printer: chocolate. Full article