It’s common knowledge that slapping a better heat sink, water cooler, or phase-change unit on a CPU can yield better overclocking results, but there’s more to the CPU cooling issue than simply bolting on a better heat sink. One of the biggest barriers to higher CPU clock speeds is hot spots.
So how do you fix that?
There are a few proposed methods. One alternative is to boost the efficiency of the thermal interface material (TIM). Intel has caught flack in recent years for using thermal paste, not solder, for its microprocessors. Another option is to improve lateral heat transfer within the CPU itself. Other approaches, like computational sprinting, could be combined with new phase change materials like wax to dramatically increase thermal dissipation for short periods of time.
Another solution to the heat issue is to adopt new materials. Certain element combinations from Groups III and V of the Periodic Table are well suited to high-frequency, low-voltage operation.
There’s a third idea out there that’s attracted significant interest in recent years. Why not leverage the advantages Moore’s law still offers to build fundamentally different kinds of chips?
Click here to view the full, original article “Post-post-PC: The new materials, tech, and CPU designs that will revive overclocking and enthusiast computing.”
S-Bond Technologies has developed an ultrasonic assisted soldering process for making active solder filler metal joints and seals on aluminum assemblies. The process is similar to MIG welding processes in which filler metal wires are fed into a moving arc to create a weld fillet. In Ultrasonic Assisted Solder “Welding”, an ultrasonic solder tip serves as the heat source to melt the solder wire, instead of a welding arc. The heated tip melts S-Bond 220 wire solder which is continually fed to the solder tip. S-Bond active solder alloys melt at lower temperatures than the filler metals used in traditional MIG welding. Lower bonding temperatures are just one of the many processing advantages realized with Ultrasonic Assisted Solder Welding.
Dr. Ronald Smith, President of S-Bond Technologies reports, “This solder-welding process will enable the sealing of thin aluminum sheets where normal MIG or TIG welding would burn through the aluminum because of its low melting temperature. S-Bond has successfully proven this process as an alternative for aluminum bonding applications.”
S-Bond Technologies has developed S-Bond® 140, a new, lower temperature active solder that melts from 135 – 140°C. This new alloy is formulated with a Bismuth-Tin (Bi-Sn) eutectic base composition, which is then alloyed with active elements and rare earths. The resulting S-Bond® 140 active solder successfully bonds a wide range of materials without the requirements of flux or pre-plating.
Lower bonding temperatures enable multi-step soldering operations, mitigating the risk of remelt where previously soldered connections or seals must remain intact. Active solders that melt below 150°C are also finding use in thermally sensitive applications, replacing Sn-Ag based solders that melt over 215°C and cause thermal degradation of the component parts being assembled. Lower temperature soldering also provides processing advantages when bonding dissimilar materials where thermal expansion mismatch many times fractures or distorts an assembly’s component parts.
Dr. Smith, President of S-Bond Technologies, states that “S-Bond 140 is already finding application in glass-metal seals in electronic packages in the avionics industry, where higher temperature soldering alloys would have damaged the packages’ components. We are also using S-Bond 140 to bond LED packages to heat pipes and vapor chambers to protect the thermally sensitive phase change fluids from damaging the devices when solder bonding. We see major market potential for this active solder composition. It is an economical bonding solution, since it does not rely on expensive Indium in its base.”
The Philadelphia “Liberty Bell” Chapter of ASM International has awarded the 2013 Delaware Valley Materials Person of the Year to Dr. Ronald Smith, FASM and President of S-Bond Technologies. This award is bestowed in recognition of Dr. Smith’s achievements in the field of materials science and engineering, accomplishments in the materials industry, and contributions made to ASM International.
Dr. Smith was born in Salem, Massachusetts and attended schools in Saugus, MA, home of the Saugus Ironworks National Park, the first successful ironworks in the US. From his earliest days, metallurgy was to be his heritage. He attended Northeastern University and received a BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Smith then joined GE Gas Turbine Division in Schenectady, NY, working in the GE R&D Center to develop the first commercial vacuum plasma spray coating process for land based turbines. While there he received his PhD in Materials Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia. Dr. Smith went on to join GE Aircraft Engine in Lynn, MA to work on first part qualification of casting processes for GE’s small jet engine components. In 1987 Dr. Smith joined the faculty of Drexel University, where he led a University-Industry Center on Plasma Processing for almost 10 years. While at Drexel, Dr. Smith also started his own company, Materials Resources International, specializing in materials processing development in coating and joining technologies, which conducted materials R&D for DoE, DoD and NSF.
In 2002, Dr. Smith spun off S-Bond Technologies which he now owns and directs full time. S-Bond Technologies developed and patented its active solder technology in the late 1990’s as a new technique for joining metals, ceramics and composites. With over 30 years of research, operations and industrial engineering experience, Dr. Smith continues to be the driving force in S-Bond’s manufacturing capabilities as well as its materials research and development efforts. He is a Fellow of ASM International, has served as Chair of the Hudson-Mohawk Chapter of ASM, and served as Founding President of ASM’s Affiliate Thermal Spray Society. Dr. Smith now chairs the American Welding Society (AWS) C3 Brazing and Soldering Committee which manages many of the industrial brazing and soldering specifications and educational materials. He is internationally recognized for his contributions in materials science and engineering, with more than six patents in coating and joining technology.
Dr. Smith is also a dedicated Rotarian, providing service to his community and to the world, hosting almost 30 Rotary exchange students with his wife Patricia. He has served as his club’s President and as a District Governor and now serves the Rotary Foundation regionally. He has three children, all of whom have graduated university, with their fields of study including Criminal Justice, PhD in Chemistry, and a Medical Doctor from Drexel University. In addition, with his first grandchild recently born to his “Bosnian son”, Dr. Smith has added the coveted title of grandparent to his long list of accomplishments.
Popular car manufacturer, Honda, recently announced their development of a technology that will allow them to join steel and aluminum. This new improvement will help them assemble lighter vehicle doors with the combination of the two metals. The new doors will be about 17% lighter than a conventional steel door panel and will provide better stability and handling.
Honda says that the joining of these dissimilar metals will involve combining at least three different new technologies. These new technologies will help them produce vehicle doors with an aluminum outer panel.
The first newly developed technology is a patented ‘3D Lock Seam Structure’ (3DLS). The 3DLS will incorporate mechanically joining steel and aluminum panels through twice-over hemming and layering. In addition to the newly developed 3DLS, Honda created a unique panel shape using a high anticorrosive steel that provides enough space in between the two panels to be filled in with an adhesive agent.
Finally, Honda developed a thermal deformation to prevent retaining an adhesive agent that has a low elastic modulus while the position of the 3DLS will also help to address deformation.
With all of these newly developed technologies, Honda was able to reduce the process of spot-welding that is needed to join conventional steel door panels. They were also able to implement the new process on current production lines. Honda’s Acura RLX will be the first vehicle to utilize the new technology once it goes on sale in the US, and then it will be used worldwide in many other Honda models.
They’ve said that these new technologies are just a part in their “ongoing commitment to improving the fuel economy and the dynamic performance of its vehicles.”
Honda also added that this new weight-saving technology is the first in a series of new efforts in reducing vehicle weight “in the interests of lower emissions and greater efficiency.”
S-Bond Technologies is a leading provider for joining solutions in the automotive industry. Our patented S-Bond technology is effective in soldering aluminum to aluminum and aluminum to copper. Contact us with any of your metal bonding questions today.
One of the biggest issues for any camera is the device's abilities to take pictures or record video in the dark, especially when a flash isn't practical or can't generate enough light. However, with new sensors that have been developed by Canon, all of that may change. On Friday, the company announced a new high-sensitivity 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor, which is specially designed to work in low-light environments.
By utilizing the increasing sensitivity to light along with low-noise imaging, the sensor allows a camera to pick up images that would have been blurry or obscured entirely by darkness, albeit at lower resolutions. According to a press release from Canon, the sensor will be initially tailored for video use only due to the low quality images produced by the lens. In addition, it's unlikely that the new development will be incorporated into any personal-use devices any time soon. Instead, the technology will be incorporated into gathering images of space for research.
"The company is looking to such future applications for the new sensor as astronomical and natural observation, support for medical research and use in surveillance and security equipment," the company said in the release. "Through the further development of innovative CMOS sensors, Canon aims to expand the world of new imaging expression."
In terms of practical use, Canon claims the lens will operate with just 0.03 lux of illumination, comparable to how bright it is with a partial moon in the sky.
The camera will be seen for the first time at SECURITY SHOW 2013 in Tokyo, Japan from March 5-8. At the exhibition, the public will get the first glimpse of what type of sensor housing Canon will use to incorporate the lens into different devices and what future uses the company has planned. Companies such as S-Bond will be integral in developing bond assembly for sensor housing and different methods for which Canon's lenses can be used in the future.
A couple of years ago, Volvo announced that it would install sensors in some of its vehicles that enabled it to detect pedestrians that entered the path of the driver, which would signal the vehicle to automatically break to avoid impact. Now, the Swedish car manufacturer has announced that is has taken this technology to the next level, unveiling new technologies that will allow the sensors to stop the vehicle when cyclists present a danger.
The update to the car sensors – known as Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake – was revealed to the public earlier this week at the Geneva Motor Show, and will first appear in select Volvo models starting this May.
In a release, Volvo claims that 50 percent of all European cyclist deaths occur due to collisions with vehicles, an enormous problem for urban areas where individuals attempt alternative methods of transportation. The sensor will be best served in preventing cars from striking cyclists that unexpectedly cut in front of vehicles in cases where the driver would not have seen the rider in time. Bike riders will be detected by using a radar to sense the speed and location of the cyclist while the car's camera determines what kind of object it is.
"Our solutions for avoiding collisions with unprotected road users are unique in the industry. By covering more and more objects and situations, we reinforce our world-leading position within automotive safety. We keep moving towards our long-term vision to design cars that do not crash," said Doug Speck, Volvo senior vice president of marketing, sales and customer service in a press release.
Developing proper sensor housing for devices that can detect unforeseen threats on the road are just one of many ways that companies like S-Bond are making roads safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike.
Previously on this blog, we've discussed the progress of electric cars as one of the major ways that car manufacturers are turning to alternative energy technologies. However, luxury carmaker Aston Martin announced at this year's Geneva Motor Show that it would be turning to a different fuel source to stave off gasoline usage: hydrogen.
However, Aston Martin doesn't just want to produce a serviceable low-emissions hybrid vehicle, it wants one that can race.
Later this year, the company will be entering one its hydrogen-fueled Aston Martin Rapides in the Nurburgring 24-hour race. The goal, according to Autocar, is to achieve the "first-ever race-pace zero emissions lap" during the event. According to CEO Ulrich Bez, the Rapide will use gasoline for just 20 percent of the race, showing that a car doesn't need gasoline in order to compete.
While hydrogen-based fuel cells have been a popular way to incorporate the substance as a fuel source in vehicles, it's not common to use it directly as a fuel source. According to GreenCarReports.com, the move to produce a vehicle that uses gasoline only a fraction of the time is one of many changes for the high-performance car producer, which has been trying to change its image from one that just produces powerful fuel-guzzlers. By spurning electric motors for ones that use hydrogen as a fuel source, Aston Martin can still produce its signature V-8 and V-12 engines, but can also feature lower gas usage.
Considering the reputation of low emission and electric vehicles as low-performance vehicles that can't keep up with their gasoline-powered counterparts, the presence of a powerful hybrid like the Rapide is a good sign for producers of alternative energy technologies. Companies such as S-Bond will continue to raise the bar of what can be accomplished with new, cleaner fuel sources.
Previously on this blog, we've reported on companies struggling with thermal management technologies, particularly when battery complications lead to overheating in certain devices. Boeing's failure to address such concerns on its 787 Dreamliner was one of the most publicized cases of this in recent memory.
After running into similar concerns, tool manufacturer One World Technologies, which owns Ryobi, has been forced to recall a number of its devices when reports of overheating in its rechargeable lithium 18 V 4Ah battery packs first emerged.
According to a report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the South Carolina-based company received four reports of charging batteries reaching unsafe temperatures, causing the component to "burst" in some instances. The defective batteries can create burn and fire hazards in such instances, although no injuries have been reported.
These incidents show why it is vital for companies to invest into thermal management technologies and to put adequate resources into testing such devices before they're made available to consumers. While Boeing and Ryobi are currently scrambling to deal with the ramifications of their recalls and to get their products back onto the market, the true damage may come down the road.
In addition to forcing customers to return a purchased product, or in Boeing's case, abandon the use of a certain model of airplane, companies that recall products are dealt a heavy blow to their reputations. When a company recalls a product, they force consumers to question how safe their products are to use. That reluctance may be the difference for a customer to make the switch to another product.
Because of this, it should come to no surprise that many successful companies are putting more resources into thermal management technologies and developing safe methods of bonding battery terminals, so as to avoid the over heating concerns that have plagued Boeing and Ryobi.
In a market where new alternative energy technologies are constantly in development and companies are in a perpetual state of competition for the newest innovation, automobile manufacturers have released a bevy of new technologies in recent years, some of which fall under vague classifications for government regulators. Such is the case right now for many car producers with the latest developments in LED-headlight technologies.
According to a story on ExtremeTech.com, it may take some time for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to approve the latest headlight designs from foreign manufacturers, such as the new designs from Audi. The headlights, which are based on more complex LED matrices instead of one simple halogen headlight, offer more precise lighting for the driver as well as less glare for cars heading in the opposite direction. While these advancements are a positive for drivers, the headlights also possess more complicated outputs to attach to the car, making it difficult for producers in the U.S. to incorporate them into North American models. The main challenge on that front comes not from the development of the outputs, but the process through which the NHTSA must approve such new elements for vehicles.
"When government is uncertain about a new product or technology, it often chooses to move cautiously," Bill Howard wrote in the story for ExtremeTechnology. "That's good if it's a prescription acne drug that might cause cancer. With car lighting, the benefits (fewer accidents) probably outweigh the drawbacks."
It's an unfortunate circumstance for manufacturers, especially when such technologies can do so much good for transportation in America. Regardless, it's up to companies like S-Bond to continue to develop new advancements for automobiles, especially in terms of alternative energy technologies, in the hopes that continued improvements will force government regulators to catch up to what's available on the market.
It’s common knowledge that slapping a better heat sink, water cooler, or phase-change unit on a CPU can yield better overclocking results, but there’s more to the CPU cooling issue than simply bolting on a better heat sink. One of the biggest barriers to higher CPU clock speeds is hot spots.
