Carrying water to the space station is a real challenge and cost, hence recycling water is critical. Waste water, sweat and other ISS water is constantly recycled in a complex system that evaporates and condenses clean water for reuse. For more information on the space station recycling system see the following link: Water Recovery System.
S-Bond soldering is seeing increased application for the solder bonding of sputter targets. Sputter targets are used in a wide range of applications for making thing films used in making electronic chips, solar cells, sensors, TV screens, optical components, electrical devices, and on and on… Sputter targets support a very large physical vapor deposition (PVD) and diverse technological base that is wide ranging and pervasive. Sputter targets under ion bombardment release target material atoms into a high vacuum chamber that under an electric field can be accelerated and deposited onto the component surface where the arriving atoms arrange themselves into a contiguous thin film. Figure 1 schematically illustrates the sputtering process. Ion bombardment is a high energy collisional process that can heat target materials to their melting points unless cooled; hence most sputter targets are bonded to a water cooled backing plate. Backing plates are made normally made from copper and are mounted to a water cooling manifold. Other metallic backing materials are also used. See Figures 2-3 for examples of bonded sputter targets. (more…)
S-Bond® active solders are very effective in combination with ultrasonic soldering for a range of applications. Ultrasonic soldering (U/S) is a fluxless soldering process and is finding growing application in soldering of metals and ceramics from solar photovoltaics and medical shape memory alloys to specialized electronic and senor packages. U/S soldering has been reported since 1955 as a method to solder aluminum and other metals without the use of flux. The reason for expanding usage is that ultrasonic soldering is a fluxless process. (more…)
Hybrid S-Bond joining processes eliminate the use of fluxes and have been shown to be more effective since it completely joins with the S-Bond filler metals. The methods that are recommended to minimize the use of S-Bond, yet still achieve fluxless joining are as follows: (more…)
S-Bond Technologies and EWI have signed an agreement granting S-Bond Technologies the ability to distribute EWI’s patented lead-free, fluxless solder marketed by EWI as EWI SonicSolder®. The agreement is effective immediately. SonicSolder® is an active solder that permits the cost effective fluxless joining of aluminum, copper, other metals, glass, and ceramics without the need for plating. (more…)
