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Designing the right servo drive for camera motion in deep sea explorations meant the drive had to experience extreme pressures up to 8,800 psi. How a Deep Sea Camera Servo Drive Endures Extreme Pressures Designing the right servo drive for camera motion in deep sea explorations meant the drive had to experience extreme pressures up to 8,800 psi. Edited by EE Staff Cool Stuff Dec 2, 2025 At 6,000 meters below the surface of the sea, pressures can reach 8,800psi. The Titanic is only 3,800 meters below the surface. Equipment, such as the camera motion device, used at that depth often has to be encased inside a thick sealed container. When the customer approached ADVANCED Motion Controls (AMC) about using their servo drives without a sealed container, the customer suggested an alternative approach—submerging the electronics in a non-conducting oil bath. After speaking with AMC’s applications engineers the customer was encouraged to “give it a try” even though AMC had never tested their devices at the required depths. The customer purchased a standard DigiFlex servo drive and performed high-pressure testing of the device while submerged in the oil bath. The drive held up considerably well except that the standard electrolytic capacitors (shaped like small cans) were being crushed by the pressure. The customer’s solution during the testing process was to drill a small hole in the capacitor housing and allow the oil to equalize the pressure. This worked perfectly for the prototype but as a manual modification would be costly and inefficient in a production setting. Images courtesy of ADVANCED Motion Controls. After some design considerations, the AMC applications engineering team provided a custom solution using high-pressure tolerant, solid-state capacitors, which could easily handle the pressure naturally and without needing additional modification. For feedback, the customer proposed incorporating a magnetic encoder chip, which required a magnet on the rotating shaft and a sensor chip positioned precisely above it. The AMC team chose to design a custom daughterboard that the drive could plug into. The daughterboard held the sensor chip in perfect alignment with the motor shaft magnet—solving the mechanical difficulty of alignment and saving the customer from having to build their own brackets—reducing the mounting footprint. The customer required that the main communications between the drive and the host was set up using standard RS-232. Images courtesy of ADVANCED Motion Controls. Through a committed approach to make the design work, and by overcoming multiple challenges, AMC was able to work with their customer to produce the perfect solution to a difficult project. The underwater camera became a successful and integral product for undersea explorations. Cross industry applications for AMC technologies are explained in this video: For more information: ADVANCED Motion Controls DigiFlex Drive Servo Drive Selector Other underwater applications >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

Astronaut Clayton C. Anderson informed the new show 'Flight,' which features the first-ever stage replica of the International Space Station. Simulating Zero Gravity in Royal Caribbean International's New High-Tech Stage Performance Astronaut Clayton C. Anderson informed the new show 'Flight,' which features the first-ever stage replica of the International Space Station. Edited by EE Staff Stage Events Jun 29, 2026 One of Royal Caribbean International’s technologically advanced shows, “Flight: Dare to Dream” is still an audience favorite. The cruise ship has always pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in entertainment with their cutting-edge productions on stage, in the air, under water, and on ice on board Symphony of the Seas . Images courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. “Flight: Dare to Dream,” is a one-of-a-kind journey through the past, present, and future of air travel and space exploration that makes history as one of the most ambitious stage productions to date. Guests take off on a spectacular adventure through time, chronicling key milestones in aeronautics, beginning with the first leisure voyage to Mars and ending with a stunning homage to the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk. A Royal Caribbean Productions original, “Flight: Dare to Dream” introduces cutting-edge 3D flying technology, video, and automation to a 1,401-seat Royal Theater. Going where no stage has gone before, space and zero gravity is simulated as actors float within a detailed replica of the International Space Station (ISS). The first theater set piece of its kind, the detailed design of Royal Caribbean's ISS was informed by Astronaut Clayton C. Anderson, who lived 167 days in space and completed 38 hours and 28 minutes over six spacewalks in two separate missions. Images courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. Complex, high-impact choreography and production also take form in 3D flying with a custom-built recreation of the Wright Flyer that takes off into the house; the set piece has a 22-foot wingspan and single-seat cockpit. The play needed more than a prop and planned for the creating of a ride-on prop that would simulate flight in a realistic way. The challenge was to have the plane soar over the audience with a performer in the pilot’s seat as the show’s finale. The moving set piece was fabricated using ultralight carbon fiber tubing, which assured the plane’s durability. The material allowed for precise weight control necessary for rigging the flyer to the theater’s ceiling and hoisting it above the audience. The overhead motion had to be executed perfectly and safely during the performance. Images courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. The plan also features motorized spinning propellers that add an authentic touch to the performance. Hand-held controls enable the performer to rotate the plane, which enhances the sense of flight and interactivity with the audience to create an amazing illusion of flight—a moment that encapsulates the magic of live theater. According to Nick Weir, Vice President, Entertainment, Royal Caribbean Internations, “We continue to push the envelope with high-tech, immersive entertainment at Royal Caribbean, and we couldn't be prouder of how 'Flight: Dare to Dream' has brought to life the awe and wonder of flying.” Images courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. Other entertainment venues on Symphony of the Seas includes an AquaTheater that includes high diving, acrobatic performances in an open-air amphitheater overlooking the ocean and a performance pool—the deepest at seas—with hydraulic lifts and ten-meter diving platforms. At Studio B pairs world-class skaters performing extraordinary skills against stunning multimedia visuals and audio. Guests watch as the surface of the ice rink transforms before their yes, blending fantasy with reality. For information: Royal Caribbean International Read more stage production case studies >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

Live production and signage workflow incorporates live social content into lively display screens Social Media Engages Recreational Crowd Live production and signage workflow incorporates live social content into lively display screens Brian Galante Sports Jun 4, 2025 The rallying cry of “Attention all sand addicts, duners, and dirtheads” resonated loud and clear in the YouTube event announcement for Polaris Camp RZR, one of the biggest dune gatherings of the year. It was the first serve in a social media volley that amplified the fan experience throughout the three-day recreation event. The annual event celebrates the sport and the machines, taking place at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area near Glamis, California. The location is roughly two hours east of San Diego in a region considered the Mecca of North American sand dune recreation. The reputation of the event and the region was enough to draw thousands of enthusiasts this year, driving everything from backyard quads to full-blown desert racers. Overnight, attendees transformed Glamis Beach into a massive campsite as the event prepared to open on Halloween day. Those preparations included the installation of three video walls and a fully loaded digital production facility. Alpha Sports TV, experts in delivering specialized broadcast content for sports and live events, provided the production front-end and handled content creation and delivery. This included playout of sponsor advertisements and more than 30 special features, as well as live content captured on a roving, wireless Sony HXC100 camera with embedded audio. “A lot of what we did involved processing literally terabytes of media files, primarily video, from many different sources,” said Andrew Allan, president of Alpha Sports TV. “We made sure that the high-quality content we processed was rendered in equally high quality with no artifacts, even though outdoor video walls are quite tolerant of high compression. We needed to make sure all the content, whether from an outside source or acquired live on-site, ultimately looked the same in terms of aspect ratio and overall quality.” Allan points out that many production companies can handle this, but Alpha Sports TV, with its history in Olympic Games and other high-profile events, was brought in for its expertise in integrating graphics, video, and data into live broadcasts and events. This was especially important for the social media aspect, which proved to be a major attraction and source of engagement for attendees. The social media gateway was opened courtesy of software from Bannister Lake, a graphics and broadcast automation specialist. Allan integrated Bannister Lake’s TweetOut and TweetOut Nano products into the workflow to keep screen content refreshed and dynamic. Allan ran TweetOut on the Ross Video XPression Studio platform, creating Twitter and Facebook routines for several different graphics layouts including insertion over the prerecorded Polaris features. This included full-page and lower-third layouts, the former of which could take advantage of TweetOut’s inline photo support. This means that the full-page graphics space was mostly reserved specifically for photos taken by attendees with their “feet on the ground.” Those photos were stored in the Flow database along with tweets and other data content, and made available for output into the lower-third layouts. Room to Spread The TweetOut Nano solution essentially offers users a compact form factor for integrating social media content into live broadcasts – especially ideal for temporary facilities where rack space is limited. Allan likens its size to “a few decks of cards,” noting that it’s very quick, reliable, and networkable. “We can conceivably have several different ‘content moderation clients’ networked into the switch, all providing their own social media contributions to the stream,” said Allan. At the Polaris event, the TweetOut software constantly polled Twitter and Facebook content based on search parameters, including several different hashtags provided by Polaris. The production team regularly received hits based on those hashtags. A built-in interface allowed for downstream editing of content that was raw or inappropriate. From there, the content went straight into XPression. That flexibility to moderate streams with simplicity also meant that Allan could focus on higher-end production aspects, including live camera feed monitoring and on-the-fly graphics creation. “I like to have all these different components broken out into modular functionalities, which is why we have TweetOut Nano dedicated to managing the raw data,” said Allan. “That way when there is someone on site who can help, we can put them in front of the Nano box to moderate the content. Everything that comes from the Nano into my Ross XPression has been pre-moderated. That relieves me from having to keep my eye on four different machines.” Flow Motion The complete workflow included transcoding tools from Handbrake and Adobe for format conversion, and a temporary site-wide satellite broadband solution for local WiFi device connections so that attendees and participants could engage and connect via social media. The combined output of video, graphics and social media was ultimately output through a Ross Carbonite switcher, which, along with the videowalls, Sony camera and RF hardware – including six antennae spread around the site for camera feed transmission – was provided under a contract with Screenworks. The broadband link was partitioned for private and public use. This ensured that Alpha Sports TV wouldn’t lose its slice of the bandwidth if attendees swamped the network. “Nano doesn’t require much bandwidth at all – it’s purely XML data, and as such doesn’t cause any bottlenecking in terms of data throughput,” said Allan. “It was essentially an input into the Carbonite switcher, networked with one of the laptops running XPression. We used a third laptop for standalone Xpression graphics, which were basically content layouts built in advance so we could quickly post updated event schedules.” Elsewhere, Allan notes that aspect ratio was an interesting challenge. All video content was delivered to Alpha Sports TV in HD 16:9, while the main giant screen was SD 4:3. To compensate, videos were formatted for HD and letterboxed to the screen to avoid loss of content. The screen's huge size allowed the letterboxing to be an acceptable compromise. Ultimately, turning the typical event production into a “SocialTV” experience was an important step. “You can very quickly tell when people catch on to tweets and social media activity on the screens, because the comments quickly increase in quantity,” said Allan. “If you make it clear that you’re looking for photos and things to accompany tweets, it comes fast and furious. That’s really what you want to see out of an event like this, and we had the right tools in place to out as much content as possible.” For more information: Alpha Sports TV Sony HXC100 Camera Bannister Lake (now part of Ross) Handbrake transcoding tools Adobe transcoding tools Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

This VR experience features realistic and intuitive navigation, helpful advice from Mission Control, and compelling and visceral science-related content. Explore the International Space Station with Immersive VR Experience This VR experience features realistic and intuitive navigation, helpful advice from Mission Control, and compelling and visceral science-related content. Edited by EE Staff Cool Stuff Oct 28, 2025 Every person on the planet, young and old alike, has wondered about our place in the universe. The idea of space creates a deep yearning for answers and experiences in all of us, and it serves as a common, unifying thread for humanity. NASA wanted to bring the magic of space travel to everyone and teamed up with Magnopus to bring Mission: I SS into reality and to help promote these common feelings through thrilling immersive technology. Mission: ISS lets users explore the International Space Station in detail to understand what it’s like to be an astronaut in a way that’s never before been possible. Based on NASA models and honed with input from astronauts who have lived in space, Mission: ISS recreates the International Space Station in painstaking detail. Users can experience how to move and work in zero-gravity, use space tools, dock a space capsule, and take a spacewalk. Images courtesy of Magnopus, NASA, and Meta. Real astronauts provide a sense of presence through instructional video clips. With strong STEM-related themes, anyone can take part in experiments and actual missions on the station. Since the experience is fully immersive, users feel a sense of weightlessness that can only be felt in VR, similar to what astronauts feel—a fact that Mission: ISS’s astronaut advisors have confirmed. In fact, more than one astronaut said it was like making a return trip! VR experiences are ideal for taking users to places that are too dangerous or too expensive to go. With that in mind, Mission: ISS was designed to remove those barriers—literally anyone with a VR headset can get a taste of space exploration. Images courtesy of Magnopus, NASA, and Meta. Mission: ISS is a non-profit initiative. It is freely available on Meta’s Quest store and has been demonstrated at science exhibits, international conferences, fairs, and exhibitions across North America and Europe to wide acclaim. The experience has won multiple awards including those from the Television Academy, VR Awards, XR Awards, and was even nominated for an Emmy. For more information: Magnopus NASA Meta Read more about applications in space >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

Simulating brain-controlled flying at the Institute for Flight System Dynamics Brain-Controlled Flight Simulating brain-controlled flying at the Institute for Flight System Dynamics EE Staff Cool Stuff Jun 4, 2025 Pilots of the future could be able to control their aircraft by merely thinking commands. Scientists of the Technische Universität München and the TU Berlin have now demonstrated the feasibility of flying via brain control – with astonishing accuracy. The pilot wears a white cap with myriad attached cables. His gaze is concentrated on the runway ahead of him. All of a sudden the control stick starts to move. The airplane banks and then approaches straight on toward the runway. The position of the plane is corrected time and again until the landing gear gently touches down. During the entire maneuver the pilot touches neither pedals nor controls. "A long-term vision of the project is to make flying accessible to more people," explains aerospace engineer Tim Fricke, who heads the project at TUM. "With brain control, flying could become easier. This would reduce the workload of pilots and thereby increase safety. In addition, pilots would have more freedom of movement to manage other manual tasks in the cockpit." The scientists have logged their first breakthrough: They succeeded in demonstrating that brain-controlled flight is indeed possible, with amazing precision. Seven subjects took part in the flight simulator tests. They had varying levels of flight experience, including one person without any practical cockpit experience whatsoever. The accuracy with which the test subjects stayed on course by merely thinking commands would have sufficed, in part, to fulfill the requirements of a flying license test. "One of the subjects was able to follow eight out of ten target headings with a deviation of only 10 degrees," reports Fricke. Several of the subjects also managed the landing approach under poor visibility. One test pilot even landed within only few meters of the centerline. The TU München scientists are now focusing in particular on the question of how the requirements for the control system and flight dynamics need to be altered to accommodate the new control method. Normally, pilots feel resistance in steering and must exert significant force when the loads induced on the aircraft become too large. This feedback is missing when using brain control. The researchers are thus looking for alternative methods of feedback to signal when the envelope is pushed too hard, for example. In order for humans and machines to communicate, brain waves of the pilots are measured using electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes connected to a cap. An algorithm developed by scientists from Physiological Parameters for Adaptation of the Technische Universität Berlin allows the program to decipher electrical potentials and convert them into useful control commands. Only the very clearly defined electrical brain impulses required for control are recognized by the brain-computer interface. For more information: Technische Universität Münche Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

The U.S. debut at RPM Raceway brings an immersive, game-like experience. Kart Klash Merges Go-Karts and Video Games for a Unique Experience The U.S. debut at RPM Raceway brings an immersive, game-like experience. EE Staff Theme Parks Oct 7, 2025 Sports RPM Raceway, an immersive go-kart and entertainment destination with U.S. locations on the east coast, is merging go-kart racing with the familiar party video game experience of popular games such as Mario Kart. Kart Klash, which launched in September, is the first of its kind to do this type of interactive go-kart experience, according to RPM, which they call and “arcade-style battle where speed meets strategy.” Driving go-karts equipped with F1-inspired steering wheels and LED displays, racers collect and activate power-ups, including missiles, MPs, TNTs, boosts, and shields while navigating the track. Similar to the Mario Kart format, “mystery boxes” and “boost zones” add a layer of tactical gameplay, where each decision can make or break the race and give the edge needed to pass competitors on the track. “Kart Klash isn’t just about recording your fastest lap, it’s about outsmarting your opponents and crossing the finish line first,” said Andrew Farage, CEO and Co-Founder of RPM. “We’re rolling out a social reinvention of go-karting that blends the thrill of racing with the interactivity of gaming, appealing to a demographic that may prefer strategy over raw adrenaline.” In April, RPM was awarded the Guinness World Records for Longest Indoor Multi-Level Go-Kart Track in the World. The convergence of software and karting Built on RPM’s R-TECH platform and developed in partnership with SODIKART, each kart is equipped with an LED heads-up display that delivers real-time stats, sector data, and performance insights, streamed directly to each racer during the race. The technology includes projection mapping and elements such as power-ups and missiles which are displayed on the screen of the go-kart. For viewers, TV screens show what’s happening in real time. Kart Klash is $30 for members and $40 for non-members with designated race sessions where juniors, teens and adults can compete together. Live leaderboards and detailed performance tracking are available for participants and spectators. Kart Klash is launching at RPM Raceway’s Stamford, CT and Long Island, NY locations, with other locations to follow. Source: RPM Raceway Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

When you combine 2,700 LED panels, 42 processors, and 120 distribution units together for one event, you had better do it right. Massive Event Incorporates Over 2700 LED Panels When you combine 2,700 LED panels, 42 processors, and 120 distribution units together for one event, you had better do it right. Edited by EE Staff Stage Events Apr 20, 2026 Microsoft Ignite Keynote Event at the Chase Center in San Francisco delivered a high-profile experience to over 14,600 in-person attendees and over 200,000 live viewers. MeyerPro, a Pacific Northwest event production partner with experience supporting complex live events, is known for dependable execution and a collaborative approach when executing end-to-end services across LED, audio, video, broadcast, and show crew support. The keynote event used 2700 LED panels across multiple ROE Visual platforms including Vanish Solid Touring, Carbon, Topaz, and Graphite, which provided MeyerPro the ability to translate creative intent into flexible, broadcast-ready environments that support complex presentations and workflows at scale. Images courtesy of ROE Visual. For the Microsoft Ignite 2025 event, they were able to deliver a high-profile keynote experience across multiple platforms requiring a visual system capable of supporting live presentation, broadcast workflows, and rapid content transitions across a broad range of stage areas. Microsoft’s expectation was to deliver a stage that felt monumental while remaining highly readable. For the live audience, the displays needed presence, brightness, and a physical quality that felt architectural. For the broadcast audience, the priority shifted to detail, consistent exposure, and color fidelity that remained accurate across camera cuts. This combination was no easy task to complete. Images courtesy of ROE Visual. MeyerPro collaborated across both the design and execution phases, aligning LED and video systems within a broadcast-forward workflow. This approach ensured keynote moments maintained visual consistency regardless of where the content was displayed. The Visual Ecosystem Rather than relying on a single display solution, the design used multiple ROE platforms to support different spatial and storytelling requirements across the venue. Varied panels were used to balance large-scale presence, layout flexibility, and on-camera performance. Each screen served a distinct role within the keynote environment, allowing presentation zones to shift naturally between speaker moments, product demonstrations, and supporting visual content. Images courtesy of ROE Visual. In total, the setup featured more than 20 LED walls spanning a range of sizes, configurations, and curved applications. ROE V4ST and CB3 formed the backbone of the environment, with eight screens built from V4ST (684 panels) and another eight using CB3 (900 panels). Three additional screens used Topaz TP-C2.6 for curved elements (714 panels), while a large Graphite GP2.6 sidewall made up of 420 panels handled the primary wide-format display. All together, the system supported multiple keynote presentation zones while maintaining clarity for both in-room audiences and broadcast viewers—delivering nearly 130 million pixels overall. Processing was built around 42 Brompton 4K Tessera SX-40 LED processors and 120 Brompton Tessera XD data distribution units. The wider show system was centralized around a flypack that included a Ross FR12 and Ultra 60. In addition, the show included a pair of Analog Way RS4s as well as a number of Christie Spyder X80s. The large scale system had many recording options and playback routes via three EVS XT-VIA servers in addition to many PIXERA servers for high-resolution playback. Images courtesy of ROE Visual. The success of Microsoft Ignite continues to highlight an evolution across corporate events. LED is being selected over projection or traditional scenic more frequently when environments require brightness under ambient lighting, rapid content updates, hybrid broadcast workflows, or multi-day flexibility. Production teams can adapt layouts through content and configuration rather than physical rebuilds, maintaining visual impact while reducing disruption. For information: MeyerPro ROE Visual Brompton Technology Read more about events technology >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

What do you want out of life? How Design Thinking Can Change Your Life What do you want out of life? Curated by EE Staff Mini Story Feb 2, 2026 Bill Burnett — the executive director of the Product Design program and an adjunct professor in Mechanical Engineering Design at Stanford — posits that anyone can change their outlook on life with a shift to "design thinking." We believe that, as engineers, our readership has a leg-up in this line of thinking already. What to you want out of life? Try his methodology and see how your vision clears and your mindset shifts. Listen to the talk or watch the full video on NPR.org . Lead photo credit: prottoy hasan on Unsplash. Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

Aixtreme Racing is reaching a new milestone for the 2025 season by developing their first-ever electric vehicle. Electric Race Car Uses 3D-Printed Components Aixtreme Racing is reaching a new milestone for the 2025 season by developing their first-ever electric vehicle. Terry Persun Sports Jun 17, 2025 Aixtreme Racing is a Formula Student team of 40 passionate engineers from the University of Applied Science Aachen that have been designing and building prototype race cars since 2007. The team is reaching a new milestone by developing their first-ever electric vehicle. This transition has opened the door to new technical challenges and innovative approaches, including the adoption of advanced 3D printing for lightweight custom parts, reliable housings, and rapid prototyping. It’s a pleasure to see how passionate, talented engineers are using 3D printing to push the boundaries of innovation. Also from Entertainment Engineering: According to Luis Do Carmo, Head of Powertrain & LV-Electronics, “We are very happy with our Raise3D printer. Our printed parts are quickly processed and easy to slice. The workflow integration is smooth, and the print quality consistently meets our needs.” Challenges Before 3D Printing Before integrating 3D printing into their workflow, Aixtreme Racing primarily relied on composite structures, as well as aluminum and steel milling, to manufacture their parts. While effective, these traditional methods had notable drawbacks such as long lead times, high production costs per part, and a dependence on machine availability and workshop capacity. Other concerns included the high material waste, especially for parts that didn’t require metal strength. But most of all, the team found very limited agility when iterative changes were required. The transition to an electric vehicle also introduced new demands, such as the need for flame-retardant and electrically insulating components—something that is very difficult to achieve cost-effectively while using conventional methods. Selecting a 3D Printer To meet these challenges, Aixtreme Racing turned to 3D printing for its rapid, flexible, and material-efficient production capabilities. Not only did the technology provide faster development of lightweight custom components but gave the team greater independence from external suppliers and workshop scheduling bottlenecks. This gave the team an improved ability to prototype and test complex geometries quickly and easily while providing reduced material waste compared to milling processes. After researching the alternatives available to them, the team chose to purchase Raise3D products specifically because their faculty advisor had experience with the Raise3D Pro2, and was impressed by the print quality, reliability, and seamless workflow capabilities it offered. Raise3D printed parts had been mounted on previous vehicles, though not as extensively as planned for the upcoming e-car. The Raise3D Pro3 was selected for its generous build volume, more than sufficient for the team’s relatively compact parts, and the option to upgrade to a Hyper Speed Extruder if faster print times were required in the future. Materials and Applications Aixtreme Racing primarily uses Polymaker’s PC-FR filament for their high-voltage tractive system enclosures, which demand flame-retardant, electrically non-conductive properties in compliance with Formula Student regulations. Additionally, the team has been experimenting with a UL94 V-0 rated TPU 95A, which delivers additionally flexible components such as vibration-dampening parts, seals, small molds. Besides producing high-voltage and low-voltage enclosures for PCBs and cell fixations, Aixtreme Racing also uses PETG, PLA, and PC materials to print tools, test fittings, small molds, and prototypes such us the Red Stack Enclosure below. Raise3D’s Open Material Program allowed the team to access pre-configured material templates for PC-FR, minimizing setup time and ensuring consistent print quality. “We really appreciate the consistency of the prints and the seamless integration between the Raise3D cloud platform and the ideaMaker slicer. So far, all our prints have worked out very well — even without deep prior knowledge in 3D printing,” Luis Do Carmo said. The team relies heavily on ideaMaker for slicing and RaiseCloud for managing print jobs remotely. Features they particularly value include pre-configured material profiles for reliable, out-of-the-box performance; centralized job management via RaiseCloud, which allows multiple team members to manage prints independently; and efficient printer queue management, with minimal downtime between jobs. For information: Raise3D: https://www.raise3d.com/ Raise3D Demo Videos: https://www.raise3d.com/demo-video/ University of Applied Sciences Aachen: https://www.fh-aachen.de/en/ Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

When you’re flying at up to 1,900 miles-per-hour in a fighter jet, you want to be confident that all of your equipment is working perfectly — particularly your face mask. Aircraft Oxygen Masks Are Essential Equipment — Here's How They're Tested for Safety When you’re flying at up to 1,900 miles-per-hour in a fighter jet, you want to be confident that all of your equipment is working perfectly — particularly your face mask. Edited by EE Staff Cool Stuff Apr 20, 2026 Manufacturers of products and equipment that will be used at different altitudes must perform testing so that the products meet or exceed customer performance expectations. These tests are often run through simulators that mirror the exact application. Whether we’re talking about an oxygen mask or oxygen regulator for an aircraft or vehicle or aircraft fuel components, altitude simulation is the easiest way to test the equipment in a controlled environment. Image courtesy of Proportion Air. Flight mask leak testing is a good example of the benefits of using a simulator. For the application shown in the drawing, the customer needed testing the design of aircraft mask components. The customer was looking for a means to make small changes in altitude inside their simulator while also achieving higher accuracy than they had been able to achieve with the device they were presently using. They turned to Proportion Air’s QPV high-resolution pressure regulator for the simulator. Image courtesy of Proportion Air. The QPV is an ultra-high resolution electro-pneumatic, closed-loop proportional pressure control valve designed and manufactured for very sensitive application. In this case, it was the perfect product for leak testing at low pressures. The customer found that they were able to achieve an unprecedented accuracy of ±5 feet at 50,000 feet—an accuracy of ±0.0013 PSI of vacuum. QPV pressure regulators use a variable orifice valve, which eliminates the digital steps of traditional ON/OFF solenoids. The QPV technology used in the altitude simulator is available for a broad range of chambers from small chambers to room-sized chambers. The company often designs and manufactures semi-custom and custom solutions for its customers. For information: Proportion Air QPV Series Lead image courtesy of DepositPhotos.com . Read more aerospace case studies >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

Brewing beer is a precise process that requires reliable motion feedback to ensure that each batch performs exactly as the brew master requires. Brewing Beer with High Precision Components Brewing beer is a precise process that requires reliable motion feedback to ensure that each batch performs exactly as the brew master requires. Edited by EE Staff Cool Stuff May 15, 2026 Community Beer Company in Dallas, TX is known for growing their own yeast in-house and for their top-notch equipment. They claim to have invested in the finest, most sophisticated brewing and packaging equipment made. This also meant that they focused on the best components as well—including encoders. Beer Making Process Part of beer-making involves mashing , where grains move through the mill, into the grist hopper, and are transferred via flex auger to the mash tun. Hot water is added at specific temperatures to convert the starches in the barley into simple sugars. Then there's lautering , which takes place in the lauter tun . It’s in this vessel where precise motion is needed to get the taste of the beer just right. The lautering process is where the liquid solution known as “wort” is separated from the solid grains, forming the foundation for the beer's flavor. The wort is then pumped into the boil kettle where the hops are added, contributing to the bitterness, flavor, and aroma of the finished product. From there, the liquid gets ready for fermentation , the final stage of the brewing process before bottling. Images courtesy of Encoder Products Company. Automating the Process Automating beer-making improves production efficiency and the quality of the beer, particularly during the lautering stage. Inside the lauter tun, a motorized rake gently breaks up the grain bed, allowing for the highest quality wort to be extracted. The grains are sprayed with hot water during this phase to recover all of the remaining sugars. On top of the lauter tun is the motor and gearbox which drive the screw jack, raising and lowering the rake inside as the liquid level changes. Community Beer found it challenging to properly position the rake inside the lauter tun, resulting in poor sweeping of the grains, slowing wort extraction, and inhibiting the entire brewing process. Images courtesy of Encoder Products Company. The team decided that they needed a reliable shaft encoder. Final specifications indicated that the encoder would need a quarter-inch shaft size, positive pulse polarity, and a resolution of 200 CPR. The interconnection would use a 6-pin MS connector. After some research, Community Beer reached out to Encoder Products Company (EPC) to help them better control the motion of the screw jack and rake inside the vessel. Working with EPC, Community Beer selected the company’s Model 716 Accu-Coder® encoder as their solution. The Model 716 is ideally suited for applications requiring a quadrature output. Designed for compatibility with most programmable controllers, electronic counters, motion controllers, and motor drives. The encoder comes in five versatile housing styles, quadrature output, and resolutions available up to 10,000 CPR It was discovered that putting the Model 716 on the gearbox driving the screw jack, was the best way to correctly raise and lower the rake inside the lauter tun, loosening the grains and effectively extracting the wort. With such a precise process, reliable motion feedback is a must to ensure the equipment functions efficiently so that each batch performs exactly as the brew master requires. After installation, Community Beer found that they had eliminating the bottleneck in the lauter tun. For information: Encoder Products Company Model 716 Accu-Coder Community Beer Company Read more about technology and food >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next

Not only do the toys require a close likeness to the licensed character, they need to be interactive. Here's how one renowned US manufacturer pushed toy design to an all-new level. How Licensed Toys Are Made, From Artistic Freedom to Engineering Control Not only do the toys require a close likeness to the licensed character, they need to be interactive. Here's how one renowned US manufacturer pushed toy design to an all-new level. Edited by EE Staff Cool Stuff Jun 4, 2026 Games, Film and TV Toys. They’re so much more than a piece of plastic. They help parents bond with their kids. They build childhood memories. They spark creativity. Many iconic characters, whether from Disney, the Simpsons, Super Mario™ or SEGA, have had their plastic counterpart made by the same team: the designers at Jakks Pacific, a major US toy manufacturer. Leading the Sculpting department is Eleazar Kim-Carmeli, director of 3D design and sculpting as well as of the creative resources team. Not a day goes by without him using Geomagic Freeform. It’s the most efficient way to design licensed toys that meet the high standards of quality that today’s customers have come to expect. Images courtesy of Hexagon and Jakks Pacific. “Nowadays people want a good product, not just pushing out plastic, whether it’s a 2-inch or a 10-inch figure. What that means for toy manufacturers is that you need the software that allows you to do that—not just easily, but effortlessly,” Kim-Carmeli says. High Quality Licensed Toys The first element that goes into making a high-quality licensed toy is likeness. The toy must look like the character from the film, series, or video game that it represents. Every design has to be approved by the brand that owns the franchise before it goes into production. And, in order for customers to be intrigued enough by the design to enjoy playing with it, moving elements are often incorporated. That can include hands, legs, paws, tails, heads, etc. How these elements come together is key. Images courtesy of Hexagon and Jakks Pacific. “I enjoy working on these because of the challenge to make something that not only looks right to the license, but is also playable, interactive, and has great articulation,” Kim-Carmeli says. Making great toys hinges on having both artistic freedom and engineering control. Plastic toys are essentially small sculptures with intricate details. They’re also mass-produced items that must meet specific requirements defined by manufacturing methods. The first type of design work requires organic modelling and the second the precision of CAD operations. Toy designers need both. Geomagic Freeform brings together the tools for digital sculpting with CAD, which enables designers to carry out a complete toy design workflow—from brief to prototype—in the same environment, and to ensure manufacturability Real-World Measurements The first thing a designer considers when looking at a brief is how to scale. Simply increasing a two-inch figure to six feet or vice versa is not going to cut it. Details can easily be lost or overblown. In addition, if an element is too thin or too small, it won’t come out right in manufacturing. These errors can be corrected in a further iteration, but not without delaying the delivery. Because Geomagic Freeform gives real-world measurements and dimensions, it’s easy to get features exactly right. Using the software, Jakks was able to create articulated toys that work perfectly once produced. They can set rotational pivots, check clearances for manufacturing, and create a toy that’s fun to play with. While these designs are often very complex, the software itself is easy to use. Kim-Carmeli explains, “When you’re using Geomagic Freeform, you don’t really think about the ins and outs of the program—you’re just working. That’s something that I’ve always loved about it.” The learning curve for Geomagic Freeform is low. Designers master it in a few days. “I’ve been working in toy design long enough to have seen toys done by hand, with early-stage digital sculpting tools that were very difficult, and with Geomagic Freeform. Other tools that have an esoteric interface or a linear method of working. Freeform is a tool that your designers simply pick up and make things,” Kim-Carmeli says. Below is a video of the latest new features for Geomagic Freeform 2026.1. Ease of use is particularly important today, especially in the toy industry which is moving surprisingly fast. Designers are asked to produce hundreds of designs a year. Creating high quality designs that work right is what makes the difference, and Jakks creates designs that look right and are manufacturable immediately. With a comprehensive toolkit for design and manufacture, Jakks creative team will continue to shape memorable creatures and characters, bringing joy to households across the globe. *Images courtesy of Hexagon and Jakks Pacific. For information: Hexagon Geomagic Freeform Jakks Pacific Read more about consumer designs >>> Previous Facebook LinkedIn Copy link Next