NIST researchers are using graphics like this one to better understand high tech processes for making fine metal powders in a machine called an atomizer. Such powders are pressed and sintered into complex forms, like turbine blades and prosthetic devices, with little or none of the machining required with traditional metal casting.

Generated with a NIST-developed computer model, the graphic shows a simulated temperature profile for the air in the wake of a speeding bullet. (Red represents the hottest air, followed by yellow, green, blue, and purple.)

Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory