Manufacturing

A new machine-learning system for analyzing materials “recipes” uses a variational autoencoder, which squeezes data (left-hand circles) down into a more compact form (center circles) before attempting to re-expand it into its original form (right-hand circles). If the autoencoder is successfully trained, the compact representation will capture the data’s most salient characteristics.

Can computers help us synthesize new materials?

Machine-learning system finds patterns in materials “recipes,” even when training data is lacking.

December 21, 2017

Dignitaries gather at the National Manufacturing Day event held earlier this fall: (l-r) UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, Lincoln Laboratory Microelectronics Laboratory Manager Daniel Pulver, Lincoln Laboratory Quantum Information and Integrated Nanosystems Group leader Paul Juodawlkis, and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker.

Advancing integrated photonics at Lincoln Laboratory

State award is funding a new germanium deposition reactor for building the next generation of photonic integrated circuits.

December 20, 2017

Collection of objects and test samples printed on the new 3-D printer, including a miniature chair, simplified model of Building 10 at MIT, eyeglasses frames, a spiral cup, and a helical bevel gear.

New 3-D printer is 10 times faster than commercial counterparts

New design may open new opportunities for 3-D-printing technology.

November 29, 2017

Graduate student Ingrid Guha holds a jar containing a clear liquid that looks like water to the naked eye, but it’s actually an emulsion of oil and water at the nanoscale.

A new way to mix oil and water

Condensation-based method developed at MIT could create stable nanoscale emulsions.

November 8, 2017

A team of researchers at MIT, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the University of California at Berkeley hope to close the materials-science automation gap, with a new artificial-intelligence system that would pore through research papers to deduce “recipes” for producing particular materials.

Artificial intelligence aids materials fabrication

System could pore through millions of research papers to extract “recipes” for producing materials.

November 5, 2017

A 3-D-printed manufacturing device can extrude fibers that are only 75 nanometers in diameter, or one-thousandth the width of a human hair.

3-D-printed device builds better nanofibers

Printed nozzle system could make uniform, versatile fibers at much lower cost.

October 30, 2017

A new analysis indicates that, without proper planning, there could be short-term bottlenecks in the supplies of some metals, particularly lithium and cobalt, that could cause temporary slowdowns in lithium-ion battery production. This map shows today’s trade flows of key ingredients for battery production, with exports from each country shown in red and imports in green.

Will metal supplies limit battery expansion?

Rise of electric vehicles and grid storage may cause bottlenecks, but no showstoppers, analysis suggests.

October 11, 2017

MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node finds permanent home

The 5,000-square-foot facility includes prototyping equipment, a makerspace, and multipurpose areas.

September 25, 2017

A new method produces a printable structure that begins to fold itself up as soon as it’s peeled off the printing platform.

“Peel-and-go” printable structures fold themselves

Expanding polymer enables self-folding without heating or immersion in water.

September 13, 2017

“We wanted to create a fabric that is as unique as you are,” Professor Yoel Fink explained to incoming freshman in a packed Kresge Auditorium.

Back to school special

Members of MIT’s class of 2021 get a free backpack — and a glimpse at the future of “smart” fabrics.

August 29, 2017

Interactive Robogami enables the fabrication of a wide range of robot designs.

Custom robots in a matter of minutes

CSAIL’s “Interactive Robogami” lets you design and 3-D print origami-inspired robots from 2-D designs.

August 23, 2017

A new study finds that industrial parks in China have led to the growth of nearby “edge cities” that are hubs of diverse economic activity and residential life. The researchers looked at 110 industrial parks near eight cities in China, including the city of Wuhan, pictured here.

Industrial “edge cities” have helped China grow

Study: Commercial parks have boosted growth, created new urban centers.

August 17, 2017

MIT researchers have developed a new design system that catalogues the physical properties of a huge number of tiny cube clusters. These clusters can then serve as building blocks for larger printable objects.

Designing the microstructure of printed objects

Software lets designers exploit the extremely high resolution of 3-D printers.

August 3, 2017

Adriana Schulz, an MIT PhD student in the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, demonstrates the InstantCAD computer-aided-design-optimizing interface.

Reshaping computer-aided design

CSAIL’s InstantCAD allows manufacturers to simulate, optimize CAD designs in real-time.

July 24, 2017

New research suggests that achieving smoother surfaces on a solid electrolyte could eliminate or greatly reduce the problem of dendrite formation.

Study suggests route to improving rechargeable lithium batteries

Smooth surfaces may prevent harmful deposits from working their way into a solid electrolyte.

July 12, 2017

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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