Minus K Continues Educational Giveaway

Minus K has launched their 2017 educational giveaway for their negative-stiffness vibration isolators for colleges/univerities within the United States.

Any college/university within the United States, that has an AFM, Electron Microscope, Interferometer, Laser Optical System, Micro Hardness Tester, or any other special equipment that would benefit from a low-frequency vibration isolator can apply.

Limited to one submission per college department. Submission deadline for applications is February 28, 2017. No purchase necessary.The submission forms will be judged by the Educational Giveaway Committee on multiple catagories.

The selected college departments will be notified by March 31, 2017 and posted on Minus K's website.
A new FREE Minus K vibration isolator will be shipped within one month of notification.

Minus K will conduct a brief interview with the selected departments six months after receiving their isolator. The interviews will be used to learn how vibration isolator helped with the application goals and interview may be used for articles in industry publications.

Full information available on our website at www.minusk.com/content/edgiveaway.html



Featured Application: Negative-stiffness vibration isolation is utilized to provide ultra-stability for multi-disciplined, nano-level research at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute.

Negative-stiffness vibration isolation is utilized to provide ultra-stability for multi-disciplined, nano-level research.

Developed in the early 1990s by Prof Paul Weiss, the nano-pioneering Director of the Weiss Group, a nanotechnology research unit of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, the ACSTM s single-molecule measurement techniques have illuminated unprecedented details of chemical behavior, including observations of the motion of a single molecule on a surface, and even the vibration of a single bond within a molecule. Such measurements are critical to understanding entities ranging from single atoms to the most complex protein assemblies.

"We use molecular design, tailored syntheses, inter molecular interactions and selective chemistry to direct molecules into desired positions to create nanostructures, to connect functional molecules to the outside world, and to serve as test structures for measuring single or bundled molecules" said David McMillan, lead technician at the Weiss Group. "Critical to understanding these variations has been developing the means to make tens- to hundreds-of-thousands of independent single-molecule measurements in order to develop sufficiently significant statistical distributions, while retaining the heterogeneity inherent in the measurements."

Having learned to measure the precise structures, environments, interactions and functions of molecules at the nanoscale, the group's researchers are now learning to direct molecules into desired positions to create nanostructures, to connect functional molecules to the outside world, and to serve as test structures for measurements of single or coupled molecules,

"The ACSTM enables interactions within and between molecules to be designed, directed, measured, understood, and exploited," added McMillan. "The group examines how these interactions influence chemistry, dynamics, structure, electronic function, and other properties. Such interactions can be used to form precise molecular assemblies, nanostructures and patterns, and to control and to stabilize function. By understanding interactions, function and dynamics at the smallest possible scales, the group hopes to improve synthetic systems at all scales. The Weiss Group is also using these strategies to control and to understand interactions, function, and structures of biological systems"

The full aricle can be found at: https://minusk.com/content/in-the-news/R&D_0616.html

JWST Update: Custom James Webb Space Telescope Vibration Isolators Working Well

Supported by six Negative-Stiffness vibration isolators the optical test equipment developed and installed by Harris (formerly ITT Exelis) in the Johnson Space Center (JSC) Chamber A, are “Working out great" said KJ Dziak, Harris Primary Analyst ,“The isolators are down to their 0.5 Hz normal behavior.” After recent adjustments with the assistance of Minus K, the isolators provided an improvement in vibration reduction on the two primary mirror segments of Pathfinder under test

The Pathfinder is a non-flight replica of the Webb telescope’s center section backplane, or “backbone,” that includes flight spare mirrors. The first and second cryogenic optical testing of the Pathfinder were conducted in Chamber A at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where the testing of the flight hardware will occur in 2017. "Now that the second test is done, it means that all optical test systems have been checked out," said Lee Feinberg, Webb telescope Optical Telescope Element Manager at NASA Goddard.

Dynamics testing will confirm the telescope and science instrument systems will perform properly together in the cold temperatures of space. So engineers can keep an eye on the Webb while it's being tested, additional test support equipment including mass spectrometers, infrared cameras and television cameras are also being supported by the Minus K’s vibration isolators.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Unlike Hubble’s single monolithic primary mirror, JWST’s primary mirror is made up of 18 individual, adjustable segments that will be aligned in space. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

One of Minus K's 10,000 lb JWST isolators pictured above

https://minusk.com/content/in-the-news/JWSTPress_0216.html



Featured Product: The CM-1 can now handle payloads up to 1000 lbs

Minus K has increased the range on our compact high capacity, low-frequency negative-stiffness isolator. The CM-1 isolator can now handle payloads up to 1000 lbs. So we are now proud to introduce our new CM-1 model, the 1000CM-1.

The CM-1 currently offers the smallest footprint for the 0.5 Hz horizontal natural frequency and our signature 0.5 Hz vertical natural frequency.

Specifications:
Weight: Approximately 26 lb (11.8 kg)
Dimensions: 7.875" W x 7.875" D x 8.5" H (200mm W x 200mm D x 216mm H)

Performance

• Horizontal frequencies are weight dependent.
  
• Horizontal frequency of 0.5 Hz is achieved at the upper limit of the payload range.
  
• Vertical frequency is tunable to 0.5 Hz throughout the payload range.

https://minusk.com/content/products/standard/cm1-low-frequency-cubic-vibration-isolation-isolators.html

Audiophile Interests: The Doehmann Helix 1 Turntable

Minus K has worked with Audio Union on their new Doehmann Helix 1 Turntable. The Helix 1 is the first manufactured production turntable with a fully working Minus K negative-stiffness vibration isolation built into it.

Audiophiles have been using Minus K isolators under their turn tables for over a decade to isolate the stylus from low frequency vibrations that feedback extra noise through their systems. See Positive Feedback review from 2002:
https://minusk.com/content/in-the-news/positivefeedback_0702.html

The Helix 1's vibration isolation is designed with 1.5 Hz horizontal and 0.5 Hz vertical natural frequencies.

Check out the Doehmann Helix 1 on the Audio Union website: http://audio-union.com/Helix.php

Comments/Suggestions: Applications in New Fields or Features of Interest to You in Our Next Newsletter:

Upcoming Meetings and Webinars:

Meeting: Sponsor: Dates: Location:   Photonics West 2017 SPIE, Visit the Minus K Booth #5143 at this exhibit Jan. 31, 2017 - Feb. 02, 2017 San Francisco , CA http://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/photonics-west?WT.svl=mddce6   Biophysical Society 60th Annual Meeting 2016 Biophysical Society Feb. 11, 2017 - Feb. 15, 2017 New Orleans, LA https://www.biophysics.org/2016meeting/Main/tabid/6230/Default.aspx   International Conference on Nanobiotechnology (ICNB'17) International ASET Inc Apr. 4, 2017 - Apr. 6, 2017 Barcelona, Spain http://nbconference.com/   Nanotech 2017 TechConnect May 14, 2017 - May 17, 2017 Washington, DC http://www.techconnectworld.com/Nanotech2017/   Optics and Photonics 2017 SPIE, Visit the Minus K Booth #TBD Aug. 6, 2017 - Aug. 10, 2017 San Diego, CA http://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/optics-and-photonics/exhibition

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