This research was motivated by the use of multi-track feeders in the printed
circuit board (PCB) assembly. In a low volume, high mix production environment,
setup time is usually considered more important than processing time. Implementation
of multi-track feeders not only increases the capacity of the surface mount
machines but...
The miniaturization of energy, chemical and biological systems for distributed and portable applications, known as process intensification, is realized by the enhancement in heat and mass transfer performance within high surface-to-volume ratio microchannels. Fabrication of devices for process intensification is achieved in part by microlamination techniques. These techniques consist of...
Miniature energy and chemical systems (MECS) are miniature thermal, fluid, and chemical devices in the mesoscale size range between a sugar cube and a human fist. MECS take advantage of improved rates of mass and heat transfer that have been observed at the microscale. There are many potential applications for...
Capacitor discharge welding (CDW) is a rapid solidification joining process under
the influence of one-dimensional thermal gradients. Although CDW is useful for joining
small parts and dissimilar metals, CD welded joints have a large variability in weld
strength. CDW is not widely accepted because of a lack of automated process...
Micromanufacturing consists of processes for producing structures, devices or systems with feature sizes measured in micrometers. Micromanufacturing began in the mid-1960's with microelectronics fabrication technology. In the 1980's, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) began to be developed, in which electrical and mechanical subsystems were integrated at small scales. More recently, Microtechnology-based Energy...