Blogs
EV Batteries Need Thickness Gauging for Lower Costs and Higher Performance
EV batteries need to cost less and last longer. Until the e-mobility industry solves these challenges, electric vehicle (EV) adoption won’t match the hype that’s driven by Tesla, the established automakers, and a host of startups who are attracting investors. According to Axios, the expense of owning an electric vehicle will exceed that of owning a conventional one until EV batteries cost less than $100/KWh to produce. Unfortunately, the EV industry isn’t expected to hit that target for another ten years. Yet, there is some encouraging news. Less expensive and better performing EV batteries are just a few years [...]
How to Measure Dielectric Separator Thickness in EV Batteries
The International Energy Agency predicts that as many as 125 million electric vehicles (EVs) will be on the road by 2030. At the heart of these electric cars, trucks, and buses is the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a type of rechargeable battery with high energy density and low self-discharge. The plates in Li-ion batteries consist of lithium compounds that are applied to either a copper plate substrate (cathode) or an aluminum substrate (anode). In turn, these two plates are separated by a dielectric separator. All of the layers in an EV battery are extremely thin. In fact, the cathode and [...]
SEPTA Case Study: Major Metropolitan Transit System Uses Vitrek Power Analyzer to Monitor High-Power DC Feeders
- - - Challenges Personnel needed a reliable, portable instrument to accurately measure and record the current on each feeder over a selected time period. - Overview The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates the transit system throughout the city of Philadelphia, extending into the surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and across the Delaware River into New Jersey. A major component of this system is the network of subways and commuter trains. Power for the operation of these trains is provided by an array of substations distributed throughout the region. One [...]
White Paper: Cable & Connector Test System Facilitates Multi-Point High Voltage/Current Testing
White Paper: Cable & Connector Test System Facilitates Multi-Point High Voltage/Current Testing Introduction Hipot testing is critical in assuring compliance with a host of electrical safety standards and in confirming the assembled product is free from electrical or mechanical defects. Hipot testers are used to measure leakage current and insulation resistance between all components and connections, confirm solid ground connections and test ground bonds. All of these tests require the sequential application of precise and controlled high voltages or currents between pairs of elements then accurately measuring and recording the results. Products like the Vitrek 95x and V7x series [...]
How Aviation MROs Can Maximize Labor Efficiency and Asset Uptime
MTI Instruments is supplying the aviation industry with solutions to the skilled labor shortage and reduced equipment availability. No, our Albany, New York company isn’t providing aviation MROs with more flight line personnel, engine mechanics, or Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Instead, we’re delivering precision measurement solutions that can help MROs to maximize labor productivity and asset uptime. Solving the Skilled Labor Shortage Aviation MROs have a choice. They can wait for training programs to provide new workers, poach workers from competitors, invest in robots, or look for ways to gain greater efficiency from existing labor assets. About 18 months [...]
Microsoft Windows 7 Security Advisory and Impact on MTI PBS-4100+ Users
Learn about this important security advisory and its impact on MTI-PBS-4100+ users. What is the Microsoft Windows 7 Security Advisory? Microsoft will no longer provide maintenance on Windows Version 7 in January of this year after 10-years of supporting the product. Microsoft does this across their product lines (not just Windows) in order to continue to evolve their products and invest their resources on the more recent versions. This means that Microsoft will no longer release any updates for that version of Windows, including bug fixes or security updates. For details on this activity by Microsoft, please visit their [...]
Position, Displacement, and Vibration Measurement with Precision, High Resolution, and Flexibility
The MTI-2100 Fotonic™ sensor uses advanced fiber optics and electronics to precisely measure position, displacement, and vibration. This high-resolution, non-contact metrology system supports a wide range of interchangeable fiber-optic probes and works with almost any surface, including metallic, composite, plastic, glass, ceramic, or liquid. Made in the USA by MTI Instruments, the MTI-2100 Fotonic™ features a modular design and supports application-specific requirements in R&D, quality, and process control. With its dual channel capabilities, the MTI-2100 Fotonic™ sensor allows users to make simultaneous measurements, such as for structure dynamics and modal analysis. All probe modules have two distinct operating ranges [...]
How the Aviation Industry Solves Vibration and Balancing Challenges
The aviation industry spends significant amounts of time and money on problems caused by engine vibration. Imbalance, the most common cause of engine vibration, happens because of bird strikes and other impacts, but also because of natural wear and corrosion that redistribute mass. In turn, out-of-balance parts can result in cabin noise, metal fatigue, and cracked turbine, fan, or compressor components. In the most extreme cases, catastrophic engine failure may result MTI Instruments, a worldwide supplier of precision measurement solutions, makes equipment for monitoring vibration levels and balancing rotors. For maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) crews who want to [...]
Press Release: QT Enterprise Electrical Safety Software Manages and Records Test Procedures
Vitrek’s QT Enterprise Electrical Safety Software Manages and Records Test Procedures Platform facilitates electrical safety test sequence setup, report creation and data archiving; SQL database of test procedures and results accessible from multiple PCs, bar coding feature enables accurate application of production test sequences. […]
Measuring Brake Rotor Thickness Variation with Capacitive Sensing
Brake rotor thickness variation, or disc thickness variation (DTV), causes uneven wear to brake rotors, disc-shaped automotive parts that are squeezed between brake pads to slow or stop a vehicle’s wheels. When a brake rotor has areas of different thickness, the amount of clamping force that’s applied across the rotor’s surface varies. These differences in clamping force lead to difference in torque, and the results may include brake shuddering, pulsating, or vibration. Even under normal driving conditions, brake rotors are subjected to extreme conditions that can cause performance-related issues. To ensure that brake rotors can perform properly without problems such [...]








