After Intel stepped forward to lead the development of the new-generation notebooks, the light-weight, slim, and high-performance ultrabooks hit the market shelves in just a few months and became the most inquired about products in the consumer market, prompting brand vendors to accelerate the pace of introducing new models. Mitac Precision Technology Co., Ltd, an affiliate of Getac Group - with its outstanding achievement in chassis component design and manufacturing, as well as its advanced rapid heat cycle molding (RHCM) process and its technology for making glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis - has received Intel's recognition and joined the ultrabook supply chain with the prospect of providing ultrabook brand vendors with more price-competitive chassis solutions.Ever since Apple released the MacBook Air and iPad, the direction of consumer electronics development has changed. Therefore, the Intel-led development of ultrabooks has strict standards over the device's weight and thickness. According to the standards, the device's thickness must be less than 20mm. And if the models are 12-inch or smaller, they need to be even thinner than 18mm. As for the weight, the device must be under 1.5kg to qualify as an ultrabook. To achieve the target of slimness, many ultrabook brand vendors have chosen metal chassis as their top priority because in terms of rigidity, weight and thickness, ordinary plastic chassis are no match to metal ones. However, the only drawback of the metal chassis is their high production cost, which is keeping the end-market prices of ultrabooks at high levels and preventing them from dropping to their originally intended price of US$1,000. Therefore, if brand vendors can adopt glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis, which is more price-competitive than metal ones but similar in sturdiness, ultrabooks' penetration will definitely grow fast.The glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis is highly sturdy; yield rates can be greatly enhanced by RHCM processAdding glass fibers to reinforce plastic and strength its sturdiness and rigidity has been a common practice for many years. But technological limitations have only allowed an average addition of about 5-30% of glass fibers. If the proportion of glass fibers has to be increased and at the same time good fluidity of the mixed materials has to be maintained, crystalline plastic materials have to be used. Since traditional reinforced plastic chassis makers are not very familiar with the process of handling crystalline materials, they have to achieve desirable hardness for reinforced plastic chassis by making them thicker. As a result, the plastic chassis of notebook models currently available on the market mostly have a thickness between 1.5mm and 1.8mm, making them not only much thicker but also 30 to 50% heavier than metal ones.Therefore, to produce reinforced plastic chassis with sturdiness similar to metal ones while still meeting ultrabooks' slimness requirements, makers can add high portions of glass fiber during the chassis production process. Mitac Precision's glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis materials for ultrabooks have a proportion of 50% glass fiber to strengthen the chassis' sturdiness and provide better protection than ordinary reinforced plastic ones. In terms of lightness and thinness, the glass fiber reinforced composite chassis also achieves excellent results. The thickness of a single piece, depending on the differences in structural design, can be reduced to as low as 1.0mm, similar to metal chassis' 0.9mm. As for weight, both the glass fiber reinforced composite chassis and metal ones are more acceptable to users. The smaller the size, the smaller the difference in weight. The weight difference for ultrathin models under 12 inches is only within 5%.In addition to the requirements of lightness and slimness, the appearance is also one of the crucial factors for consumer electronics products. Currently, conventional reinforced plastic chassis makers employ an injection molding technology where melted plastic materials are injected into a mold that has been heated up to 40 to 50 degrees and then are removed after cooling off and taking shape. Such a production method will often create floating fibers and welding lines on the surface, resulting in undesirable appearance that needs to be go through post-molding processes such as surface polishing and gloss-finish coating to improve the looks. The Rapid Heat Cycle Molding (RHCM) process adopted by Mitac Precision is a production process technology that enables molding through quick changes in temperatures. When the mold's has been heated to the high temperatures necessary for the materials, plastic material with a high portion of glass fiber will then be injected into the mold. After it takes shape, the mold's temperature will quickly reduce to around room temperature and the product will then be removed from the mold. Compared to the conventional plastic production process, products manufactured on the RHCM process technology not only have excellent dimension uniformity, but also glossy surfaces without floating fiber or visible welding lines. The production cycle is also greatly reduced compared to the conventional method. Even when post-molding surface treatment is needed, the glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis do not have any limitations, leaving flexibility and room for notebook appearance designs.Dr. Peter Chu of Mitac Precision's Core Technology Department Center pointed out, "Every manufacturing process will rely on the perfect match between the equipment, molds and materials. Mitac Precision has already accumulated seven years of experience in the RHCM process and also has more than three years of experience in mass production of glass fiber reinforced plastic materials. Mitac Precision's glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis, enabled by the RHCM process technology, delivers a glossy and elegant feel without need of spray-painting, while allowing the company to maintain its leading position in terms of yield rates, quality and cost-competitiveness during mass production."Currently, Mitac Precision is already able to start supplying cost-competitive glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis that are almost as slim and tough as metal ones. The glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis can be applied not only to notebooks, but also to tablet PCs. Brand vendors' new ultrabooks with glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis are expected to hit the market shelves appear in the second quarter of 2012.Big investment in establishing a laboratory lays the foundation of the company's developmentThe reason Mitac Precision has been able to achieve a quick rise with its glass fiber reinforced composite chassis is mainly down to the company's persistence in developing innovative technologies. Unlike conventional chassis makers' operating strategy, Mitac Precision is committed to developing differentiating technologies. A few years ago we established a university-level laboratory internally, dedicated to research and development work to help enhance the company's RHCM process technology. The company has also been aggressive in investing in the R&D and testing of basic materials, new production processes and all kinds of new surface treatment technology to improve the chassis' appearance. The company's glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis and bio-material chassis have all been developed in this lab.The laboratory has a total floor area of approximately 2,000 square meters, and has all kinds of advanced R&D equipment and precision analysis instruments including the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic emission spectrometer (AES) and thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA). In addition, the company's laboratory also has a team of talented experts and engineers with strong scientific R&D capabilities, rich experience in testing work and professional expertise. They have long-term commitment to developing new technologies to help clients improve the competitiveness of their products.While many OEMs are being hit by drastic falls in profitability, Mitac Precision remains unscathed because of its enhanced competitiveness. In addition to its expertise in supplying chassis solutions, the company can also provide a full range of inspection and testing services to become the designated partner of most of the global PC brand vendors and play a key role in the ultrabook supply chain.Glass fiber reinforced plastic chassis fueling ultrabook wave
Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, and T-Global Technology, a leading supplier of advanced thermal management solutions, today announced the two companies have signed a global distribution agreement.T-Global Technology produces a wide product range for thermal management including interface materials, thermally conductive insulator materials, heat spreaders, thermal greases, thermally conductive gels, flexible absorbent materials, and high performance circuit boards."Thermal management is a key component of any engineer's design," said Jeff Shafer, Digi-Key's vice president of global interconnect, passive, and electromechanical product. "Digi-Key is pleased to add T-Global Technology's line of thermal management products to our line card. We are confident our global customers will look forward to using T-Global products in their designs.""Bringing our broad range of specialized thermal management products to Digi-Key's extensive customer base is an exciting proposition and we are convinced that this will be a mutually agreeable relationship," said Danbury Collins, T-Global Technology's general manager.Advanced thermal management solutions by T-Global Technology are available for purchase now on Digi-Key's global websites: www.digikey.com
In keeping with its aggressive strategy for commercial products, Acer has advanced its server line with a new generation of server products featuring Intel's Xeon processor E3-1200 v2 product family.Acer F2 servers introduce improved performance with the new Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2 product family which is manufactured with a 22nm process using 3D Tri-Gate transistors. These smaller and more power-efficient transistors provide up to 37% performance increase at low voltage versus Intel's 32nm planar transistors, or a 50% reduction in power consumption when operating at the same performance, said Acer. By utilizing the new Xeon processors, Acer F2 servers offer a combination of performance and energy efficiency, Acer said.Equipped with higher clock and Turbo Boost speeds, Acer F2 generation servers allow businesses to protect, manage, process, and distribute data more efficiently.Acer offers the same set of standard management tools – Smart Setup, Smart Console, Smart Server Manager and Smart Integration Pack – for the AR320 F2, AT310 F2, and Smart Setup for the AT110 F2 server products. Acer enhances this toolset with features such as remote firmware updates and power monitoring and has also integrated a power management toolkit as an add-on expansion for its own Smart Server Manager. This optional feature enables Acer's AR320 F2 and AT310 F2 servers to run power capping commands via a uniform interface to ensure each machine is providing optimal power-performance needed for mission-critical applications.Acer AT110 F2 serverPhoto: Company
Taipei, Taiwan ‐ GlacialLight, a division of experienced technology manufacturer GlacialTech Inc., is pleased to announce that its environmentally-friendly LED lighting products are being used in many applications around the world and providing users with energy-saving light of the highest quality. In the Dominican Republic, chronic energy shortages and very high electricity prices are not uncommon due to an inadequate energy grid. Realizing that keeping energy usage and costs down is important for maintaining reliable business operations, two Dominican establishments, a branch of the Banco Popular Dominicano and a chain store of the supermarket, Supermercados Nacional, recently replaced their traditional interior lighting with GlacialLight's Capella Series 6‐inch LED Down Lights. Since installing these energy efficient down lights both the Banco Popular Dominicano and the Supermercados Nacional have seen a substantial reduction in their energy costs. Not only have these flush fit Capella Series down lights helped to reduce energy consumption, but also customers and staff have noticed improved visibility with GlacialLight's LEDs shining bright natural‐looking light with no perceptible flickering. And with their long life spans of over 30,000 hours,they will continue to illuminate the interiors of these businesses using very little electricity for a very long time. GlacialLight is excited to see its product lines being used to make businesses more successful and at the same time benefiting society by offering lighting products that have longer lifetimes and save more energy than traditional lighting, emit no harmful UV or IR radiation, and contain no hazardous materials such as mercury. For more information on how consumers are using GlacialLight's products visit:http://www.glaciallight.com/news/project.htm In the Dominican Republic, chronic energy shortages and very high electricity prices are not uncommon due to an inadequate energy grid.
Beijing IRTOUCH Systems Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen Stock Exchange - SZ 300282) successfully made technical breakthrough, will deliver new infrared multi-touch product with the most thin border in the world at COMPUTEX 2012.IRTOUCH, the world leading touchscreen provider, has been focus on research, development, and manufacturing of infrared and optical touch products for many years, provides customized solutions to different customers in various industries. IRTOUCH has made significant structural changes, developed super-thin boarder infrared touch screens, the width of boarder is reduced to 14mm, and the thickness of product is reduced to 4.1mm while height of touch side is lower than 1.6mm. This new design provides simplified view and better integration capacity with monitor manufacturer, increased end user experiences and touch responsiveness.Besides the structural changes, IRTOUCH implements multi-touch capacity on all product lines. The new large and super-large infrared touch screen with multi-touch, multi-people operation and multi-gestures will also be available in this COMPUTEX 2012. As the only large screen provider in China mainland, IRTOUCH build a solid foundation for those customers who need large amounts of products.IRTOUCH has the world leading infrared and optical touch technologies, provides high quality human-machine interactive touch solutions with rapid respond speed, high stability, long lifetime, free of maintenance and free of drift. IRTOUCH also provides different models for various industries to fit the different requirements. IRTOUCH's products have been globally used in education, finance, transportation, retail, entertainment, telecom, healthcare, public information and broadcasting industries and received high recognition by users.
Nvidia has launched the third GPU based on its next-generation Kepler graphics architecture, the GeForce GTX 670, which brings improved price-performance, power efficiency and quiet operation, starting at US$399.Engineered from the same DNA as the recently announced GTX 680, the GTX 670 outpaces the closest competitive product in gaming performance by upwards of 45%, while consuming approximately 18% less power, Nvidia claimed.The GTX 670 is built using Nvidia's 28nm Kepler architecture, as are the GTX 680 and dual-GPU GTX 690, which were introduced in March and April, respectively.The Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 GPU is available now from the add-in card suppliers worldwide, including ASL, Asustek Computer, Colorful, Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte Technology, Innovision 3D, Jetway, Leadtek, Micro-Star International (MSI), Palit, Point of View, PNY, Sparkle and Zotac.Zotac GeForce GTX 670-based graphics cardPhoto: Company
GIGABYTE Technology, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to introduce the world's fastest graphics cards - GV-N690D5-4GD-B. It combines the innovative new GeForce architecture with raw dual-GPU power to provide truly game-changing performance. GV-N690D5-4GD-B utilizes the latest 28nm fabrication process, GDDR5 memory and 3072 CUDA cores, and supports Microsoft DirectX 11, and PCI-Express 3.0. It not only improves the processing ability but provides gamers a faster, smoother and richer gaming experience. Supporting NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround, 3D Vision, PhysX, and 3-way SLI, GV-N690D5-4GD-B guarantees an ultimate extreme experience. Equipped with the innovative Kepler GPU Dynamic Clocking technology, GV-N690D5-4GD-B has different clock rate - Base clock and Boost Clock. Boost clock dynamically adjusts clock speeds to bring out the best performance.GV-N690D5-4GD-B has numerous features:FastestExperience the ultimate combination of dual-GPU power and advanced technologies like GPU Boost and the next-generation Quad SLI, GV-N690D5-4GD-B designed to deliver raw gaming performance. Push the breathtaking performance of the GV-N690D5-4GD-B to new levels with NVIDIA GPU Boost. This technology dynamically maximizes clock speeds to bring out the best performance in every game.SmoothestNVIDIA anti-aliasing FXAA is faster 60% than 4X MSAA. The Performance and quality of TXAA is better than 8X MSAA. Get ultra-smooth gaming with NVIDIA gaming innovations like Adaptive Vertical Sync. GV-N690D5-4GD-B dynamically adjusts vertical sync based on the current frame rates for maximum playability. Gamers can achieve a smoothly gaming performance and to have the best experience with realistic visuals.Richest GV-N690D5-4GD-B supports NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround. Users can experience broader, richer gaming environments with the latest technological advancements. Bring games to life with NVIDIA Surround multi-monitor gaming on a single card, supercharged PhysX and 3D Vision, plus the unbeatable power of SLI.For more details of GIGABYTE GV-N690D5-4GD-B, please visit the GIGABYTE VGA website at: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4205#ovGIGABYTE GV-N690D5-4GD-B graphics cards
Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, recently announced the signing of a global distribution agreement with Infinite Power Solutions, Inc. (IPS), a global leader in manufacturing solid-state, rechargeable, micro-energy storage devices for wireless sensors and other embedded applications.The THINERGY Micro-Energy Cell (MEC) product line of solid-state, rechargeable thin-film batteries from IPS serves to address an ever-increasing need for a maintenance-free, embeddable energy storage solution that lasts the life of the application. With near zero self-discharge, MECs provide extremely efficient storage of intermittent and low charge currents typical of ambient energy harvesting applications. Paper-thin and flexible, THINERGY MECs provide unrivaled cycle life and power performance, delivering a safe, permanent and clean power source for today's electronic devices and systems. Additionally, IPS offers evaluation kits to demonstrate the performance advantages of MECs while reducing development expenditure and speeding time to market."Energy harvesting is the wave of the future. Manufacturers are continually searching for alternative energy solutions as a means of reducing maintenance costs and increasing the useful life of their products," said Mark Zack, vice president for global semiconductor products. "Infinite Power Solutions offers leading-edge, permanently installed energy storage solutions that address the changing needs of the energy harvesting market, and we are pleased to offer their quality products to our customers.""We are very excited to work with Digi-Key to increase the reach of our global distribution network for our unique and award-winning THINERGY MEC products," stated Tim Bradow, VP of Marketing for IPS. "Conventional and often toxic organic wet chemistry batteries are being replaced by longer lasting, eco-friendly, solid-state batteries like our THINERGY MECs. As the industry has seen with other technologies, solid-state solutions always win. It's inevitable and happening now in the battery space."These innovative products from Infinite Power Solutions are currently available for purchase on Digi-Key's global websites: www.digikey.com
Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's largest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today launched its TechXchange forum on the following international Digi-Key websites: Australia, Austria, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korean, Mexico, New Zeland, Norway, Portugall, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and United Kingdom.TechXchange is an online community for the electronics industry and initially launched on Digi-Key's US website in April 2011. Design engineers, inventors, students, academics, and professionals use the forum to share ideas and receive free, expert electronics advice as part of the online community.TechXchange is comprised of six online communities segmented by technology category - energy harvesting, lighting, microcontroller, power, sensor, and wireless solutions. TechXchange forum members can find the support and answers they need to create electronics-based products by submitting questions to other users in addition to sharing their own research and findings. Digi-Key Design Specialists in each technology category are available online to provide advice and counsel.For the country-specific websites listed above, the TechXchange forum will have the same format and features as the US version. The only exception being that on the international TechXchange sites, users will have the option to translate content on the page to different languages through Google Translate. This will also apply to future international implementations of TechXchange.To access the international TechXchange forum, visit www.digikey.com/us/en/International/global.html and choose one of the country-specific websites listed above.
May 2012 – GlacialLight, a division of experienced global technology leader, GlacialTech Inc., has launched the GL‐PL0312 LED Panel Light, another outstanding addition to the popular GlacialLight's range of LED lighting products.This high efficiency 58W LED panel is an ideal replacement for older, less‐efficient light sources. Its key advantages are surprisingly low energy and maintenance costs, thanks to LED technology which brings greatly reduced power costs, long life, and low heat. The GL‐PL0312 panel is the simple choice for any location that requires area illumination and could benefit from lower energy costs and more satisfied employees, visitors, customers, and guests.The GL‐PL0312 panels bring area illumination on demand with their broad 120-degree beam angle. Their pleasant natural illumination is great for all interior lighting applications. Typical applications for the 1195mm long by 295mm wide panels include hospitals, airports, offices, supermarkets, stores, and most other commercial, and retail locations. Each compact panel is only 13mm deep, minimizing architectural and interior design impact, and uses sturdy but lightweight materials toachieve a weight of just 4.1kg.The GL‐PL0312's long lifetime LED technology slashes maintenance and replacement costs, with a rated service life of 30,000 hours. Saving money for customers has been a key goal in the design of this product. LEDs are much more energy efficient than traditional light sources, so the GL‐PL0312 panels offer a luminous efficacy of up to 66, even as they reduce power usage. This efficient energy conversion also cuts waste heat, keeping indoor temperatures under control to deliver noticeable reductions in cooling and air conditioning costs.Three color variants are available. The warm white GL‐PL0312‐WW panel fills internal spaces with warm bright illumination with a color temperature of 3000K and a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 80. The natural white GL‐PL0312‐NW provides balanced natural illumination at 4000K with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 80. The cool white GL‐PL0312‐CW achieves maximum luminous efficiencyof 66 lumens per watt with its cool 5700K illumination and a CRI of 70 or higher.The GL‐PL0312 panels accept a wide range of AC voltages – from 100 volts to 240 volts – making them suitable for a variety of operating environments worldwide.This product does not contain mercury or other hazardous chemicals. GlacialLight protects customers and the environment by making the GL‐PL0312 completely RoHS compliant. The GL‐PL0312 does not emit harmful UV or IR radiation, making it far more eco‐friendly than traditional lighting fixtures and technologies. Even product packaging is recyclable.GlacialLight's Pollux Series of Panel Light is a well‐designed for a very wide range of interior lighting applications. GlacialLight supports the GL‐PL0312 with a full two year warranty.Features of GLPL0312 panelsDBright, energy saving and eco‐friendly LEDsDLuminous Efficacy of up to 66DEfficiency and thermal design controls indoor temperatureDVery long service life of 30,000 hoursDRoHS compliant, No Mercury, No IR or UV light radiationDExtremely durable and robustDHigh compatibilityD2 year warrantyCompact, efficient, long life LED panels for lower cost interior lighting
