Abstract: A blower includes a housing including an inlet and an outlet, a bearing-housing structure provided to the housing and adapted to rotatably support a rotor, a motor provided to the bearing-housing structure and adapted to drive the rotor, and an impeller provided to the rotor. The bearing-housing structure includes a bearing shaft having a bearing surface that rotatably supports the rotor. The bearing shaft provides only a single bearing of the non-ball bearing type for the rotor.

Abstract: Smoking articles, and methods for forming such smoking articles, such as an electronic smoking article, are provided. An exemplary smoking article comprises a control body portion having a control body engagement end, and having a first control component therein. A cartridge body portion includes a cartridge body engagement end configured to removably engage the control body engagement end of the control body portion. The cartridge body portion further includes a consumable arrangement comprising at least an aerosol precursor composition and at least one heating element operably engaged therewith, and a second control component. At least the consumable arrangement is configured to be in communication with the first control component upon engagement between the cartridge body and control body portions.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a cartridge for an aerosol delivery device such as a smoking article. The cartridge may include a base, a reservoir substrate, and an atomizer. The reservoir substrate may define a cavity therethrough. The atomizer may comprise a liquid transport element and a heating element extending at least partially about the liquid transport element. The atomizer may extend through the cavity through the reservoir substrate such that the heating element is positioned proximate an end of the reservoir substrate. Ends of the liquid transport element may extend to an opposing end of the reservoir substrate. A related method for assembling a cartridge for a smoking article is also provided.

Abstract: A wafer may be rotated while etching to displace bubbles that may form, for example, from a reaction between silicon and water. As a result, a hydrophobic layer, which would otherwise be created by the bubbles, cannot form, resulting in a more uniform etch rate in some embodiments.

Abstract: A low thermal inertia die (10) must be heated to a specific set temperature to cut/seal plastics material. As heat energy is dissipated during cutting/sealing it is replaced by an equivalent amount of thermal energy from an electrical heating element (26) embedded in the die, adjacent the profiled working face (22) which in use contacts plastics material. The element (26) is covered in electrically non-conductive tape (28) and encased in flattened steel tube (30). A thermocouple (32) is also embedded in the die (10), with its tip (34) located to sense the temperature of a central region of the working face (22). The electrical current supplied to the electrical resistance heating element (26) is controlled in dependence upon the temperature sensed.

Abstract: A low thermal inertia die (10) must be heated to a specific set temperature to cut/seal plastics material. As heat energy is dissipated during cutting/sealing it is replaced by an equivalent amount of thermal energy from an electrical heating element (26) embedded in the die, adjacent the profiled working face (22) which in use contacts plastics material. The element (26) is covered in electrically non-conductive tape (28) and encased in flattened steel tube (30). A thermocouple (32) is also embedded in the die (10), with its tip (34) located to sense the temperature of a central region of the working face (22). The electrical current supplied to the electrical resistance heating element (26) is controlled in dependence upon the temperature sensed.

Abstract: A ballistic optical camera trigger having an integrated circuit capable of onverting light to a proportional frequency, wherein the integrated circuit has a fast response time and a wide dynamic range which allows it to sense positive or negative changes in light fast enough to trigger without delay for high speed imaging without computational delays or jitter causing interference. The frequency output of the integrated circuit is tracked by a phase lock loop/voltage controlled oscillator to allow it to follow slow changes in light, but not fast changes in light caused by, for example, a projectile such as a bullet. The frequency output from the integrated circuit is provided to one input of a logic gate which receives at another input thereof, a shaped pulse from the phase lock loop/voltage controlled oscillator circuit, wherein the output of the logic gate is applied to a one-shot for outputting a trigger signal.