Manufacturers around the world are increasingly challenged to make components that are becoming smaller, more precise, more complex, and comprised of many more features. When manufactured components require precision, when they are very complex, or when they have multiple features, especially three dimensional features, manufacturers must often resort to machining. Machining smaller parts, however, can be particularly challenging. In this thesis, the issues associated with machining small parts are examined and a brief overview of the equipment available to machine small parts is considered. A machine tool design is developed which addresses many of the limitations associated with the Swiss-type screw machine. The proposed design is then "virtually prototyped" as a solid model in SolidWorksTM, machining forces are calculated, and the effects of the machining forces on the machine tool design are analyzed utilizing COSMOSWORKSTM FEA software and standard industrial formulas for calculating machine tool component service lives and safety factors. Values for all of the design metrics as well as all of the component service lives were found to meet or exceed their target values, thus the machine tool, if manufactured, is expected to perform robustly and to function as desired.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / We analyze several telemetry data acquisition systems to gage the system impact of denser custom ICs being developed under the HSTSS-DAC project. Our baseline is a telemetry system recently developed at Eglin AFB to support 16 analog input channels, signal conditioning and encoding for Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) using Commercial Off-the- Shelf (COTS) ICs. The data acquisition portion of the system occupies three double-sided, round circuit cards, each 2.3" in diameter. A comparable system using HSTSS-DAC custom Ics will occupy only one side of one card - a factor of six-volume reduction compared to the COTS approach.

Η χρήση της προηγμένης τεχνολογίας για την παροχή υγειονομικής περίθαλψης από απόσταση έχει τη δυνατότητα να είναι μία από τις πιο καθοριστικές ιατρικές επαναστάσεις του 21ου αιώνα. Είναι κοινώς αποδεκτό ότι η σύγχρονη ασύρματη τεχνολογία θα διαδραματίσει σημαντικό ρόλο στην εξέλιξη της προηγμένης τηλεϊατρικής. Η ανάπτυξη των εμφυτεύσιμων ιατρικών συσκευών (IMDs) είναι μία από τις πιο σημαντικές πτυχές για την εγκαθίδρυση ενός τέτοιου προηγμένου συστήματος υγειονομικής περίθαλψης. Σημαντικό στοιχείο των εμφυτεύσιμων συσκευών είναι κεραίες που ενσωματώνονται σε τέτοια συστήματα και επιτρέπουν την ανταλλαγή δεδομένων μεταξύ των εμφυτεύσιμων συσκευών με το εξωτερικό περιβάλλον. Η εν λόγω εργασία έγινε σε συνεργασία με την ερευνητική ομάδα της MediWise Ltd. Η λύση που προτείνεται στην παρούσα εργασία είναι μια βελτιστοποιημένη εμφυτεύσιμη κεραία για ασύρματη δοσιμετρία ακτινοβολίας για χρήση σε ακτινοθεραπεία εξωτερικής δέσμης, που έχει ως στόχο να αναπτυχθεί περαιτέρω στο μέλλον, προκειμένου να παραχθεί ένα εμπορικά βιώσιμο προϊόν. Η διατριβή παρουσιάζει το σχεδιασμό των δύο τύπων των εμφυτεύσιμων δομών κεραίας που είναι πιο κατάλληλα για την ελαχιστοποίηση των διαστάσεων, και επικεντρώνεται στην ανάπτυξη ενός εμφυτεύσιμου σχεδιασμού της κεραίας που είναι μικρότερο από 5 x 5 χιλιοστά σε μέγεθος το οποίο λειτουργεί στα 402 - 405 MHz MICS μπάντα και στην βελτιστοποίηση της επιλεγμένης εμφυτεύσιμης κεραία για εύρος ζώνης, απώλεια επιστροφής, ακτινοβολία, κλπ. και αποσκοπεί στην περαιτέρω σμίκρυνση της κεραίας σε μέγεθος 1 x 1 χιλιοστά. / The use of advanced technology to deliver healthcare from a distance has the potential to be one of the defining medical revolutions of the 21st century. It is commonly recognized that modern wireless technology will play an important role in making advanced telemedicine possible. The development of implantable medical devices (IMDs) is one of the most important aspects towards establishing such an advanced healthcare system. Essential element of implantable devices are antennas embedded in such systems, which enable the exchange of data between implantable devices and external environment. The underlying project was ran in collaboration with MediWise Ltd. The solution proposed in this dissertation is an optimised implantable antenna, for wireless radiation dosimetry for usage within external-beam radiotherapy, which aims to be further developed in the future in order to produce a commercially viable product. The dissertation presents the design of two types of implantable antenna structures that are suitable for miniaturisation, and focuses on the development of an implantable antenna design that is smaller than 5 x 5 mm in size which operates at 402 - 405 MHz MICS band and on the optimization of the chosen implantable antenna for bandwidth, return loss, radiation, etc. and aim to miniaturise further the antenna at 1 x 1 mm in size.

An experimental and analytical study of a microchannel ammonia-water desorber was conducted in this study. The desorber consists of 5 passes of 16 tube rows each with 27, 1.575 mm outside diameter x 140 mm long tubes per row for a total of 2160 tubes. The desorber is an extremely compact 178 mm x 178 mm x 0.508 m tall component, and is capable of transferring the required heat load (~17.5 kW) for a representative residential heat pump system. Experimental results indicate that the heat duty ranged from 5.37 kW to 17.46 kW and the overall heat transfer coefficient ranges from 388 to 617 W/m2-K. The analytical model predicts temperature, concentration and mass flow rate profiles through the desorber, as well as the effective wetted area of the heat transfer surface. Heat and mass transfer correlations as well as locally measured variations in the heating fluid temperature are used to predict the effective wetted area. The average wetted area of the heat and mass exchanger ranged from 0.25 to 0.69 over the range of conditions tested in this study. Local mass transfer results indicate that water vapor is absorbed into the solution in the upper stages of the desorber leading to higher concentration ammonia vapor and therefore reducing the rectifier cooling capacity required. These experimentally validated results indicate that the microchannel geometry is well suited for use as a desorber. Previous experimental and analytical research has demonstrated the performance of this microchannel geometry as an absorber. Together, these studies show that this compact geometry is suitable for all components in an absorption heat pump, which would enable the increased use of absorption technology in the small capacity heat pump market.

This work details the design and fabrication of an ultra-wideband periodic spiral antenna (PSA) with a notch filter embedded directly into the radiating aperture. Prototype fabrication of the PSA reveals long assembly time due to forming the antenna element, therefore modifications are made to allow fabricating the antenna elements on a thin, flexible, Polyimide substrate. A transmission line model is develop to support the updated configuration of the antenna elements. In addition, a symmetric spurline filter is integrated into the arms of the spiral antenna in order to address the common problem of interference in ultra-wideband systems. For the first time, a placement study is conducted to show the optimal location of the filter as a function of frequency. The presented transmission line model demonstrates the ability to decouple the design of the filter and antenna by being able to predict the resonant frequency and achieved rejection after integration of the two. Measured results show a gain rejection of 21 dB along with the ability to tune the resonance of the filter from 1.1 – 2.7 GHz using a lumped capacitor. For high power applications, thermal measurements are conducted, and for the first time, thermal profiles along the top of the antenna are used to show the radiation bands in a spiral antenna. Power tests are successfully conducted up to 40 W across the entire operational bandwidth and up to 60 W for 2 GHz and below. At these elevated power levels, a large voltage is generated across the lumped capacitor used to tune the resonance of the spurline filter; this issue is addressed through the development of a capacitive wedge that is overlapped on top of the spurline stub, which increases the voltage handling to 2,756 V. Measured results reveal a reduced tuning range compared to using lumped capacitors and a gain rejection of greater than 10 dB for all configurations.

This dissertation presents a new technique for miniaturization of printed RF circuits and antennas. The technique is based on lumped circuit elements and volumetric reactive pin loadings. The vertical arrangement of the pins is shown to provide a meandered current path within the device volume enhancing the miniaturization achieved with sole application of lumped circuit components. The technique is applied for antenna and filter size reduction. In antenna applications, it is shown that due to the presence of the reactive pin loading the overall size of a printed antenna can be miniaturized without affecting the radiation efficiency performance. One of the major advantages of this approach over the existing miniaturization techniques is that it allows reducing the overall size of the antenna (i.e. the substrate size) in addition to its metallization footprint area. Specifically, three antenna designs are presented for GPS and ISM applications. Firstly, a miniaturized wide-band CDL antenna has been introduced. The antenna consists of two loops which are loaded with lumped inductors and coupling capacitors. The design is shown to exhibits 49% smaller footprint size as compared to a traditional patch antenna without degrading the bandwidth performance. Secondly, a circular polarized compact dual-band CDL GPS antenna loaded with lumped capacitors and vertical pins is shown. The antenna operates with >50% lesser area as compared to a traditional L2 patch antenna without degrading its radiation performance. Thirdly, a patch antenna with its cavity loaded with CSRRs is presented. The novelty of the design is that it provides circularly symmetric arrangement of CSRRs thereby enabling the antenna to exhibit circular polarization (CP). Apart from CSRR, further size reduction is obtained by simultaneously reducing the substrate size and ground plane metallization around the CSRRs and loading it with pins. The antenna is 44% smaller than a traditional patch antenna without causing degradation in the antenna's radiation efficiency performance. To extend the volumetric loading to filter applications, the last chapter of the dissertation presents a detailed analysis to understand how geometrical factors (e.g. periodicity, radius, width of the host transmission line, etc) affect the miniaturization performance and quality factor. As a design example, a 2GHz pin loaded hairline filter with 17% -3dB |S21| bandwidth and 1.5dB insertion loss is demonstrated. The footprint size of the filter is ~λ0/16×λ0/9 @ 2GHz and is 45% smaller than its traditional counterpart.

Historical, well developed, procedures for RF design have minimal emphasis on exploring the third dimension due to the difficulty of fabrication. Recent material advancements applicable to 3D printing have brought about low-loss thermoplastics with excellent mechanical properties. Research into depositing conductive inks onto arbitrary 3D shapes has achieved resolutions better than 50 μm with conductivity values approaching that of copper cladding. The advancements in additive manufacturing have improved reliability and repeatability of three dimensional designs while decreasing fabrication time. With this design approach other considerations, such as stability and strength, can be concentrated on during the structure design to realize new shapes. The next step in the future of RF research will encompass designing and further understanding the benefits and consequences of using all three dimensions. This could include meandering an antenna element around other electronic components to make the overall package size smaller or integrating an antenna array into a wing. The design and analysis of the periodic spiral antenna (PSA) takes a look at a specific case of full volume utilization. In this application meandering in the z-dimension allowed the design to become smaller and more efficient than what is achievable with planar methods. This thesis will go into detail on the characterization of the periodic spiral antenna. To exemplify the benefits of meandering in the z-dimension a loop antenna is presented and benchmarked against other miniaturization techniques. Measured results of two different PSA models are presented and remarks on improving fabrication are given. When an antenna is used as a transmitter incident power will cause thermal generation so a study was conducted to understand how material properties can govern the amount of heat generated.

Nos últimos anos a eletroforese capilar tem substituído a eletroforese em gel e está sendo usada para uma ampla variedade de aplicações forenses, incluindo tipagem de DNA. A fim de superar as desvantagens com relação à análise simultânea de amostras que a eletroforese em gel oferece, equipamentos com arranjos de capilares foram idealizados, assim como a possibilidade de análises multiplexadas em um único capilar por meio da utilização de corantes intercaladores. Neste trabalho foi otimizada a metodologia para amplificação de DNA pela reação em cadeia da polimerase para sete primers correspondentes a sete regiões padronizadas e legalmente aceitas para testes de paternidade. Três casos foram avaliados por eletroforese em microchip, indicando que um método mais reprodutível e de maior resolução deveria ser utilizado, fato que levou ao desenvolvimento de um método para separação de um padrão de tamanho de DNA de 25 pares de base por eletroforese capilar em soluções poliméricas em um equipamento comercial. Este método foi aplicado à separação do mesmo padrão intercalado a um corante dimérico em um equipamento de eletroforese capilar lab-made miniaturizado, com detecção espectrofotométrica na região visível, sugerindo a possibilidade de o equipamento desenvolvido ser utilizado para análises genéticas multiplexadas com custo e tempo minimizados. / In recent years capillary electrophoresis has substituted slab gel electrophoresis and has been used in a variety of forensic applications, such as DNA typing. In order to overcome the disavantages regarding the simultaneous samples analysis that slab gel offers, equipments with capillary arrays were developed, as well as the possibility of multiplex analysis in a single capillary by using intercalating dyes. In this work the metodology to amplify DNA by polimerase chain reaction was studied to seven primers corresponding to seven standardized and legaly accepted regions in paternity tests. Three cases were evaluated by microchip electrophoresis, indicating the need for a more reproductive and with better resolution method has to be used. This fact lead to the development of a method to separate a 25 base pairs DNA ladder by gel capillary electrophoresis in a comercial equipment. In the sequence, this method was apllied to the separation of the same ladder intercalated to a dimeric dye in a lab-made miniaturized capillary electrophoresis system with spectrophotometric detection at visible region, suggesting that the developed equipment can be used for multiplexed genetic analysis with reduced cost and time.

A presença de antibióticos no ambiente evidencia o problema do descarte inadequado de resíduos farmacêuticos e da ineficiência dos atuais sistemas de tratamento de resíduos. Como consequência a essa contaminação há a possibilidade de resistência microbiana e de outros efeitos nocivos, ainda não completamente compreendidos, sobre a fauna e flora aquática. O presente trabalho teve como um dos objetivos desenvolver métodos de preparo de amostra e análise para avaliar o potencial de um reator anaeróbio de leito fixo para a remoção de sulfonamidas de matrizes complexas, além de investigar possíveis resíduos dessa classe em diversos compartimentos ambientais da cidade de São Carlos. Para isso, métodos utilizando extração em fase sólida (SPE) e cromatografia líquida (LC) foram desenvolvidos em associação à análise por espectrometria de massas. Os resultados mostraram que o reator utilizado consegue remover satisfatoriamente o composto investigado, podendo ser, futuramente, uma alternativa aos tratamentos convencionais. Tais resultados foram obtidos a partir do desenvolvimento e validação de um método utilizando detecção por um analisador híbrido do tipo quadrupolo-tempo de voo (SPE-LC-QTOF). Outro método, baseado em SPE-LC-QTRAP (analisador híbrido quadrupolo-aprisionador de íons linear), foi validado visando mostrar que existe contaminação por sulfonamidas e trimetoprima em águas de córregos coletadas em algumas regiões da cidade. Tal objetivo foi atingindo, permitindo inclusive a comparação entre as figuras de mérito obtidas durante a validação dos métodos, que indicou que os analisadores (e os sistemas utilizados, em geral) possuem diferenças significativas que influem em parâmetros como o efeito de matriz, os limites de quantificação e a sensibilidade.<br/> Paralelamente aos métodos convencionais, alternativas de preparo e análise que reduziam a necessidade de grandes volumes de amostra e solventes também foram desenvolvidos. A associação de técnicas miniaturizadas de preparo de amostra e análise permitiu que limites de detecção comparáveis aos dos métodos utilizando SPE fossem atingidos, utilizando, inclusive, o analisador do tipo tempo de voo. Dessa forma, um novo escopo de aplicações usufruindo das características deste último analisador poderá ser desenvolvido a partir da melhor pré-concentração proporcionada pelas estratégias de miniaturização estudadas. / The presence of antibiotics in the environment demonstrates the problem of improper drug disposal and inefficiency of the current water treatment systems. As a result of this contamination, there is the possibility of microbial resistance and other harmful effects, not totally understood, on the aquatic flora and fauna. The present study aimed to develop methods for sample preparation and analysis in order to evaluate the potential of an anaerobic fixed bed reactor for removing sulfonamides from complex matrices and, in addiction, to investigate the presence of this class of contaminants in various environmental compartments of São Carlos. For this, methods using solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography (LC), were developed in association with the analysis by mass spectrometry . The results showed that the reactor used can satisfactorily remove the compound investigated and may be, in future, an alternative to conventional treatments. These results were obtained from the development and validation of a method based on solid phase extraction associated with liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry using a hybrid quadrupole-time of flight (SPE-LC-QTOF) analyzer. Another method that was also developed and validated, based on SPE-LC-QTRAP (hybrid quadrupole-linear ion trap), was useful to show that there is contamination by sulfonamides and trimethoprim in water collected from rivers in some areas of the town. This objective was achieved, inclusive allowing the comparison between the figures of merit obtained during the methods validation, which indicated that the analyzers (and the systems used, in general) have significant differences which that affect parameters as matrix effect and quantification limits.<br/> In parallel with the conventional methods, alternatives of sample preparation and analysis that reduced the need of large volumes of sample and solvent were also developed.<br/> The association of miniaturized techniques of sample preparation and analysis allowed detection limits comparable to that of methods using SPE, even using small volumes of sample and solvent and a less sensitive mass analyzer. Thus, a new scope of applications, taking advantage of the characteristics of the QTOF, can be developed from the higher pre-concentration provided by the strategies studied in this work.

Este trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento de microchips para eletroforese a partir dos processos de impressão direta e fotolitográfico. A estrutura dos microcanais fabricados pelo processo de impressão direta são definidos por filmes de poliéster (base e tampa) e por uma camada de toner (paredes). A caracterização da superfície e da composição do toner foram necessárias para um melhor entendimento da composição química da estrutura dos microcanais e para este propósito foram utilizadas diferentes técnicas como análise elementar de CHN-O, AFM, EDX e MEV. Além da química do toner as dimensões limites para os canais, como largura e altura, também foram estudadas. A aplicação de um efeito de cinza nos microcanais foi avaliado de modo a desenvolver um dispositivo de pré-concentração usando as partículas de toner como obstáculos para o fluxo. Os microdispositivos fabricados em poliéster-toner foram integrados com detecção amperométrica no final do canal de separação usando eletrodos produzidos a partir da combinação das tecnologias da produção de máscaras de toner e CDs, como fonte de ouro. O desempenho destes microchips foi avaliado com detecção amperométrica da separação eletroforética de iodeto e ascorbato. Os limites de detecção obtidos foram de 500 nmol L-1 (135 amol) e 1,2 mmol L-1 (486 amol) para o iodeto e ascorbato, respectivamente. Além do processo de impressão direta, o processo fotolitográfico também foi utilizado para a mesma finalidade. Neste processo foi utilizado o fotorresiste negativo SU-8 e microdispositivos com área de 1 cm2 foram fabricados usando diferentes substratos como vidro, silício e alumina. A alumina apresentou muitas irregularidades para os microdispositivos fabricados. Problemas com a absorção e dispersão da radiação ultravioleta foram observados. No entanto, a alumina foi um excelente material para as etapas de produção de dois moldes metálicos para a rápida produção de dispositivos poliméricos. Um molde com uma geometria complexa foi obtido para estudar um novo sistema de injeção e um segundo molde foi preparado para avaliar o uso de uma borracha de silicone como material moldante. Além disso, este trabalho também apresenta o desenvolvimento de um dispositivo microfabricado com eletrodos completamente integrados para separação e detecção eletroquímica. Eletrodos de ouro ou de titânio/platina foram obtidos através da técnica lift-off. As máscaras para a fabricação de moldes metálicos e dos dispositivos integrados foram preparadas em fotolito de alta resolução. / This work describes the development of electrophoresis microchip fabricated by direct-printing and photolithographic processes. The channel structures of the devices fabricated by direct-printing process are defined by polyester films (base and cover) and by a toner layer (walls). The characterization of toner surface and composition were necessary for a better understanding of the chemistry composition and for this purpose we have used different techniques such as CHN-O elemental analysis, AFM, EDX and SEM. Besides the chemistry of toner, the possible dimensions for the channels as the depth and the width were also studied. The application of a gray-scale effect in the channels was evaluated in order to create a preconcentration device using the toner particles as obstacles for the flow. The polyester-toner microdevices were coupled with end-channel amperometric detection using electrodes produced by combination of the toner masks laser-printing and compact discs as a gold source. The performance of this electrophoresis microchip was evaluated by amperometric detection of iodide and ascorbate. The detection limits found were 500 nmol L-1 (135 amol) and 1.2 mmol L-1 (486 amol) for iodide and ascorbate, respectively. Besides the direct-printing process, the photolithographic process was also used for this purpose. In this process it was used the SU-8 negative photoresist and microdevices with 1-cm2 area were fabricated using different substrates such as glass, silicon and alumina. The alumina presented several irregularities for the microdevices fabricated. Problems with the absorption and dispersion of ultraviolet radiation were observed. However, the alumina was an excellent material for the steps in the production of two metallic molds for fast production of PDMS devices. One mold with complex geometry was obtained in order to study a new injection system and a second mold was prepared to evaluate the use of silicon rubber as molding material. Furthermore, in this work it was also reported the development of a microfabricated device with fully integrated electrodes for separation and electrochemical detection. The gold or titanium/platinum electrodes were obtained by lift-off technique. The masks for fabrication of the metallic molds and of the integrated microdevices were prepared in transparency films with high resolution.