April_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 2 0 1 5 STRESS RELIEF FLUXTROL MAN: AN INDUCTION HEATING SUPERHERO The world of induction heating has a newman in town. Enter Fluxtrol Man, a new comic superhero who is educating audiences of all ages through a series of adventure-based comic books. In 2018, Robert Ruffini, president of Fluxtrol Inc., started brainstorming with Stephen Sadler, pro- ducer/writer, as to how to tell Fluxtrol’s story. “It has always been difficult for our company to articulate what we do (soft magnetic composite materials), especially when many of our application case studies are confidential. So last year, in a brain storming session, Stephen suggested making a comic book superhero who could fend off evil using Fluxtrol’s magnetic flux materials. At first it seemed way out-of-the-box. But it quickly became apparent that this comic book method would be perfect for explaining highly technical subject matter while engaging any audience,” explains Ruffini. After engaging the help of accomplished author, Josef Bastian, and Marvel artist, Patrick McEvoy, the “Fluxtrol Man” was born. The team worked then with Fluxtrol scientists to build six educational and entertaining stories. The result was a simple and effective way to communicate and share complex product information in a compelling and meaningful way. The first six episodes of “The Adventures of Fluxtrol Man” are available on the company’s website. fluxtrol.com/adventures-of-fluxtrol-man. MATERIALS SLEUTHS SOLVE HAIR-RAISING PROBLEM For years, scientists have been unable to fully explain the hair-raising effect that results from rubbing a balloon on a head of hair. An equally vexing mystery is why shocks happen when socked feet are dragged across a carpet. But a team from Northwestern University has possibly cracked the case. They developed a new model that shows rubbing two objects together produces static electricity, or triboelec- tricity, by bending the tiny protrusions on the surface of materials. Their findings could have important implications for existing electrostatic applications, such as energy harvesting and printing, as well as for avoiding potential dangers, such as fires started by sparks from static electricity. The research was published in Physical Review Letters in the article “Does Flexoelectric- ity Drive Triboelectricity.” Laurence Marks, professor of materials science and engineering in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, led the study. Christopher Mizzi and Alex Lin, doctoral students in Marks’s laboratory, were first authors of the paper. northwestern.edu. 3D MINI ME Those looking for new ways to capture their essence can have a 3D figurine created in their likeness. The company, MiMe, in Niles, Ohio, creates and prints high quality, full color miniatures using photogram- metry and 3D printing technology. The process takes about an hour and a half. First, a subject’s picture is taken in a 3D photo booth, which captures 200 shots from every angle within one quarter of a second. The images are then processed through propriety software to create a 3D model. As a final step, a graphic artist completes a few touch ups. The equipment prints one inch roughly per hour and can produce 21 figurines at a time. Prices range from $50 to $500. Customers use the figurines as keepsakes or gifts, wedding top- pers, or to chart a child’s growth. mime-global-llc.business.site. Fluxtrol Man, the new comic superhero and spokesman for his name- sake company, explains technical information in an engaging way. New research tackles the age-old mystery of why a balloon can make hair stand on end. Courtesy of Northwestern University. MiMe uses photog- rammetry to 3D print full-color miniatures.