The Engineer articles from February 2004

The Engineer archives from February 2004

Hindsight is a fine thing, but ...(This Week)
February 6, 2004... WHEN DR DAVID KELLY gave an interview to this magazine in the run-up to the Iraq war he made one very clear point on the subject of searching for weapons of mass destruction: there is no substitute far legwork. The only way the world would ever...

Aircraft need design 'step change'.(This Week)
February 6, 2004... PULSE DETONATION engines, blended wing bodies, fuel cells and multiple mini-engines are the future of aerospace engineering technology outlined by Dr Mike Howse in the 2004 Whittle Lecture on Tuesday. Dr Howse, director of engineering and...

Return of the Beagle.(This Week)
February 6, 2004... THIS EXCLUSIVE image (right) reveals the 'Mars train' design for the second voyage of Beagle 2, involving up to four Beagle-like Mars landers. The design is the brainchild of EADS-Astrium, which provided the propulsion for the Mars Express...

The deaf.(Good Week)
February 6, 2004... THE DEAF: Austrian surgeons have placed a 0.2mm artificial cochlea into a 63-year-old woman's ear. Let's ear it for technology.

Classic cars.(Good Week)
February 6, 2004... CLASSIC CARS: A modified 1959 Buick has been seen sailing towards Florida Two Cubans converted it after a similar attempt in a modified Chevvyy failed last year.

Trains.(Bad Week)
February 6, 2004... TRAINS: 4bn [pounds sterling] of new computerised rolling stock with automatic doors can't hack it, says a National Audit Office report. They break down more often than the old ones.

UK engineering.(Bad Week)
February 6, 2004... UK ENGINEERING: Only Latvia and Malta have fewer engineering students than the UK, says an EU report The percentage here is 9.9, In Sweden and Finland it's over 20.

The thin edge of the mobile.(This Week)
February 6, 2004... JAPANESE electronics giant NEC has announced the launch of a camera-equipped mobile phone that weighs just 70g, and is small and slim enough to fit in a wallet. Thought to be the smallest of its kind, the phone is a similar size to a credit...

Bush puts more cash into hydrogen.(This Week)
February 6, 2004... US BUDGET PLANS released this week include a 43 per cent rise in funding for the development of hydrogen-powered vehicles. The additional $69m will bring the federal support for fuel cell technology and refuelling stations to $228 for the 2005...

Bloods opens door to security.(This Week)
February 6, 2004... The WORLD'S first blood vessel pattern ID system will be installed in a Japanese apartment block, its developers have announced. Residents of the 156-unit condominium in Osaka will use the system to gain entry and pay for services and goods in...

Acid test: research consortium to test lead acid battery adapted for mass-market hybrid engines.(News)
February 6, 2004... UK ENGINEERS are poised to road test a lead acid battery designed to make hybrid electric vehicles more affordable for the mass market. Within the next few weeks the battery will be fitted to a Honda Insight hybrid car and put through its...

Road watch: car-mounted camera could improve route information.(News)
February 6, 2004... SATELLITE NAVIGATION systems could be combined with an image of the road ahead to provide drivers with more detailed route information, according to in-car electronics specialist Alpine. The company is investigating the idea of placing a...

New twist on encryption: photons spun on beam axis encode more data.(News)
February 6, 2004... A METHOD of encrypting information in beams of light will provide complete protection against eavesdroppers and provide a massive increase in bandwidth for optical communication, according to researchers in Scotland. Existing optical...

Many happy returns: re-usable landing craft could complete the final leg of NASA's return to the moon.(News)
February 6, 2004... A RE-USABLE lunar lander could be used for the Moon missions NASA plans to carry out from 2015 under President Bush's space plan. The lander would operate between the Moon's surface and an orbiting space station, eliminating the need for a...

Partners in flight: two top names in aviation combine forces to introduce metal matrix composites on aircraft.(News)
February 6, 2004... BOEING AND QINETIQ are to investigate the use of advanced composite materials to reduce the weight of civil and military aircraft, improving fuel efficiency. The US aircraft giant is to gain access to Qinetiq's research into techniques for...

We have the technology ... UK space industry ready to join ESA's Aurora programme if government provides cash backing.(News)
February 6, 2004... THE UK SPACE INDUSTRY could provide life support technology, propulsion, remotely-operated robots and autonomous software systems for a future European-manned Mars mission, experts claimed this week. Speaking at a public meeting held by the...

Shedding light on metal fatigue: a fusion research laser is helping strengthen Rolls-Royce components.(News)
February 6, 2004... A LASER originally developed for fusion power research is being used by Rolls-Royce to strengthen aerospace components. The laser is powerful enough to send a shockwave through the first 1-2rom of a metal surface, causing compressive...

Digital enhancement brings reel improvement.(News)
February 6, 2004... RESEARCHERS in the UK are developing a digital image restoration tool, which could be distributed free on the internet. A great deal of old film is slowly rotting due to chemical processes inherent to celluloid, and historic events captured on...

Getting less precious over power: nanotechnology will pave way to more efficient fuel cell catalyst for hydrogen cars.(News)
February 6, 2004... CAR FUEL CELLS could benefit from a method of forming platinum nanostructures at room temperature. The structures could be used as improved polymer electrolyte catalysts thanks to their huge surface areas. Existing methods of forming...

Future spaceflights could literally be bristling with energy.(News)
February 6, 2004... THE NEXT GENERATION of spacecraft could be powered by materials whose structures are halfway between a centipede and a fastening material--but thousands of times smaller. Teams from the Universities of Michigan and Purdue in the US, and the...

Office monitor: PCs could soon analyse and report on workers' team performance.(News)
February 6, 2004... PERSONAL COMPUTERS could soon advise workers in meetings that they are talking too much, drinking too much coffee or have slept too little--and tell your boss at the same time--according to researchers in the US. The research project,...

Legislation gives backbone to human tissue engineering.(News)
February 6, 2004... THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION is proposing to harmonise legislation governing the sophisticated manufacturing processes involved in human tissue engineering. The first products being developed in this growing field include artificial skin,...

ARM boosts sales despite weak US dollar: microprocessor designer forecasts a better year, as it announces another acquisition and shareholder dividend.
February 6, 2004... FURTHER SIGNALS that the slump-stricken semiconductor industry is hauling itself off the floor came when ARM, the UK microprocessor designer, predicted a better year ahead. The company, which licenses its processor technology to chip...

Alba: Germany's Grundig is set to join the list of consumer electronics brand names owned by the Essex group.(Company Profile)
February 6, 2004... RATHER LIKE the car industry, there are few UK-based consumer electronics companies that can hold their own against the Germans and the Japanese when it comes to mass-market brand names. Alba is proving to be something of an exception. The...

Roll up for a vision of the future: Philips division will bring thin-film screens to the market.
February 6, 2004... PHILIPS is setting up a new division to bring thin, roll-up display screens to the mass market. The Dutch group is one of the world's biggest investors in polymer electronics technology, which has the potential to create a new generation...

ITIS fits sat-nav on Ford Mondeo.(The Week In Business)
February 6, 2004... UK telematics specialist ITIS Holdings claimed mass-market installation of satellite navigation technology in new cars had moved a step closer following a deal with Ford The car giant will factory-fit ITIS's RDS-TMC traffic information service...

Stock market flotation for Bluetooth specialist.(The Week In Business)
February 6, 2004... Cambridge Silicon Radio the UK specialist in Bluetooth short-range wireless technology, has unveiled plans to float on the stock market. CSR, which designs Bluetooth-enabled microphips for use in devices such as mobile phone handsfree kits is...

Healthy year end for Renishaw.(The Week In Business)
February 6, 2004... Precision engineering group Renishaw enjoyed an upbeat, end to 2003. The Gloucestershire company boosted Sales by 14 per cent in the second half of fast year, and enjoyed strong growth from newly established Subsidiaries in emerging economies,...

Digital camera sales spell hope for Japanese electronics industry.(The Week In Business)
February 6, 2004... Financial results from several of Japan's biggest electronics groups suggest that demand for items such as digital cameras could bring some much-needed cheer to the country's beleaguered hi-tech sector. Fujitsu NEE Canon and Toshiba all offered...

BOC sells off some US concerns.(The Week In Business)
February 6, 2004... UK industrial gases group BOC has sold part of its US operations co a rival, BOC will sell its US-packaged gas business to Airgas, the US's largest distributor of industrial and speciality gases for $200m [110m [pounds sterling]) The deal,...

Timely buy for Osmetech.(The Week In Business)
February 6, 2004... Medical technology group Osmetech said its purchase of Opti, a specialist in blood gas analysers, had proved to be a winner. Osmetech bought Opti from healthcare behemoth Roche last April, and--confirming the old adage about an iii...

You don't have to be a bright spark to get energy efficient: renewables are not the only answer to achieving the government's targets for reducing emissions. Wasted energy needs to be the next thing we address.(Comment)
February 6, 2004... THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT loves targets--health service waiting lists, youth justice, student numbers, the list is almost endless. Policy for the electricity industry is no exception. The push for renewable electricity has long been visible....

Powerful argument.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 6, 2004... In contrast to your correspondent Dr David Lowry (Letters, 23 January) I wish to highlight the very well established, high levels of safety and low environmental impact of fusion power. The assessments of the environmental impact of a...

Hogging the middle.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 6, 2004... In response to Karl Smith's pledge to continue blocking the motorway middle lane (Letters, 9 November), I suggest that he and others who do this show some responsibility and give up the driving licences to which they are clearly not entitled....

Fruitless project?(Talking Point)
February 6, 2004... In answer to Geoff Chamberlain's memories of hydraulic wheel motors being fitted to a Triumph Herald (Letters. 23 January), I recollect an article in the national press in the 1960s extolling the virtues of hydraulic motors the 'size of a...

A crashworthy diet: car makers are running out of ways of shedding weight off their models to meet new EU emissions targets. Drivers just want too many advanced features.(Car Design)
February 6, 2004... CAR MANUFACTURERS are losing the race to make their vehicles lighter in time to meet new EU emissions targets as they reach the limits of available weight savings on body structures. While major car companies and their suppliers attempt to shed...

Houise with a view: Physicist Dr Carl Masens is domesticating nanotechnology. Forget blue-sky ideas and self-replicating robots, his showcase house shows how big a difference nanomaterials can make to everyday life.(Interview)
February 6, 2004... COME HOME TO nanotechnology may seem an unlikely marketing slogan for one of the world's most controversial areas of technological research. But Australian researcher Dr Carl Masens believes home is precisely where nanotechnology could begin...

Cool calipers: an innovative approach to cooling brake systems on high-performance cars developed by a UK company makes its debut in this season's US NASCAR series.(Mechanical Components)
February 6, 2004... THE DISC BRAKE has a tough enough time at the hands of the everyday motorist--listen to them click and pop after a long journey. However, the transformation of kinetic energy to heat is perhaps at its most dramatic in motorsport, where the...

Blowing bubbles: metal foams are finally beginning to come of age. Jon Excell reports on a group of materials that stand on the brink of industry-wide acceptance.(Materials)
February 6, 2004... IMAGINE A MATERIAL that's as strong as steel yet light enough to float on water. A material that can damp sound or help amplify it, that can dissipate or repel heat, has fantastic electrical properties and can even be used to improve your golf...

Switched on thinking: lighthouse automation reaches new heights thanks to the application of industrial computers which are usually more at home on the factory floor.(Drives And Controls)
February 6, 2004... THE SO-CALLED 'dark factory', a windowless factory facility in which robots have replaced humans is said to be the inevitable outcome of industrial automation. But one exception to this trend is the UK lighthouse network--an entirely...

Physician, reshape me: rapid prototyping technology could soon be making its debut in dentistry and hospital surgery.(Rapid Prototyping)
February 6, 2004... RAPID PROTOTYPING technology could soon be used to produce medical implant-quality components if the German authorities approve their use in humans. The fast-developing technology is on the cusp of spawning a new age in industrial manufacturing...

A brake with tradition: a totally different approach to analysing and tackling the problem of car brake squeal could be applied in most industrial situations.(Analysis)
February 6, 2004... WHETHER you're on a crowded train or sitting in a motorway traffic jam, few things are more likely to finally tip you over the edge than the banshee-like squeal of dodgy brakes. Thankfully, a recent EU study into the causes of brake noise...

Coming in from the cold: Cambridge engineers have imported a technique from Siberia to achieve a breakthrough in measuring high-frequency electronic systems.(Measurement)
February 6, 2004... UK RESEARCHERS have drawn on cold war era Russian military technology to develop a groundbreaking measurement technique for next-generation electronic systems. The technique will be invaluable in the design of much anticipated high-frequency...

Intelligence test: artificial intelligence is unlikely to replace engineers, says Charles Clarke, but knowledge-based tools are already playing an important part in testing and 'genetically engineering' complex design processes.(Software)
February 6, 2004... BUYING THE right software package could, in future, turn you into the requisite type of engineer, it is claimed--which is almost like saying that buying a set of spanners turns you into a qualified mechanic. Artificial intelligence is not an...

MTEC04: sensors & measurements: NEC 11-12 February.(MTEC)
February 6, 2004... The sensors, measurement and technology show, MTec, will be held on 11 and 12 February at the NEC. The show will feature over 200 exhibitors from across industry showcasing the latest developments in sensor, measurement and instrumentation...

Sensor.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Sensor City Teohnology's CAP06-NF CITY TECH- 201 mixed metal oxide semiconduc- NOLOGY tor (MMOS) ammonia sensor is ...

Handling robot.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Hand- A new heavy payload handling FANUC ROB- 202 ling robot, added to Fanuc's i OTICS Robot series robot range, provides ...

Testing machine.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Testing Lloyd Instruments have laun- LLOYD 203 Machine ched a universal testing ma- INSTRUMENTS chine aimed at mid-range force ...

Robot.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Robot Rexroth has launched the tur- BOSCH 204 boscara SR4/6/8 plus series REXROTH swivel arm robot. The robot is ...

Shot peening.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Shot A special shot peening mac- VACU-BLAST 205 Peening hine has been developed by INTERNATIO- Vacu-Blast International--part NAL...

Power controller.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Power E-T-A Circuit Breakers have E-T-A Cir- 206 Contro- introduced a revolutionary cuit Brea ller remote power controller, com- kers...

Web server.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Web Compulogic has released a COMPULOGIC 207 Server miniature web server product aimed at web enabling both new and...

Machine safety.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Machine Machine safety specialist SCHMERSAL 208 Safety Schmersal is offering a free CD-ROM to help engineers de- sign and...

Welding machine.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Welding Thompson has been chosen to to THOMPSON 209 Machine supply a friction welding ma- FRICTION chine to car manufacturer, ...

SLM technology.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO SLM Liverpool University is the MCP TOOL- 210 Techno- first UK-based institution to OING logy purchase and install Selecti- TECHNOLO-...

Surface preparation.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Surface Leicester-based Stevenson ABRASIVE 211 Prepa- Textile Machines, a leading DEVELOPMENTS ration specialist in the reconditio- ...

Testing systems.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Testing REO produces systems under REO 212 Systems the REOLAB 340 banner that provide a variable voltage supply for...

Sensors.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Sensors A series of flanage mount Hall HAMLIN 213 effect sensors is available ELECTRONICS from Hamlin Electronic Europe....

Water treatment.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Water ELGA Process Water has opened ELGA PRO- 214 Treatment its new Media Conditioning CESS WATER Centre and production facility ...

Single-board computer.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Single- The MAT 1040 PICMG single- MICROBUS 215 board board computer from Microbus Computer combines Pentium 4 processing power...

Plastic fabrications.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Plastic Plasflow have recently relo- PLASFLOW 216 Fabri- cated and appointed a new cations sales and marketing team as part of its...

Control cables.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Control Lapp has extended its Olflex- LAPP 217 Cables Servo range of control cables with a new low-capacitance, ...

Electronic components.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Elec- Farnell InOne, the interna- FARNELL 218 tronic tional marketer and distri- INONE Compo- butor of electronic and main- nents...

Humidity transmitters.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Humi- Instrumentation specialist LEE-DICKENS 219 dity Lee-Dickens, has releases its Trans- first range of ATEX approved mitters ...

Power supplies.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Power Vxl have launched the Oracle VXI 220 Supp- 14848 battery-backed switch- lies mode power supply, which has been...

Sensor.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Sensor Risk is being driven out of SENSOR 221 the use of heavy-duty diamond TECHNOLOGY cutting tools with a 800,000 ...

Chip capacitors.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Chip The CQM/GJM ranges of monoli- MURATA 222 Capaci- thic chip capacitors from tors Murata are particularly suited to high...

Fans.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Fans John Crane has created a new JOHN CRANE 224 cartridge seal family, the 4600 series, by introducing its new 4620P...

Seals.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Seals John Crane has created a new JOHN CRANE 224 cartridge seal family, the 4600 series, by introducing its new 4620P...

Power supplies.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Power The use of smaller, more SCHURTER 225 Sup- sophisticated switching power ELECTRONIC plies supplies in new electronic ...

Training courses.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Train- To learn about the latest METTLER TOLEDO 226 ing workshops and seminars on Courses offer from Mettler Toledo, request the new...

Slip rings.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Slip The Enduratrac range of mo- IDM ELEC- 227 Rings dular industrial slip rings TRONICS has been successfully used in ...

Reducing valve.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Redu- Honeywell's D04 is a pressure HONEYWELL 228 cing reducing valve, featuring a CONTROL Valve simple construction and out- SYSTEMS...

Compressed Air.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Com- Global compressed air spe- COMPAIR 229 pressed cialist CompAir has intro- Air duced a new compressor and dryer unit...

Displays.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Dis- Global Display Solutions has GLOBAL DI- 230 plays introduced a range of Indus- SPLAY trial TFT (thin film transi- SOLUTIONS...

Switches.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Swit- EAO has added a compact illu- EAO 231 ches minated emergency-stop for space restrictive equipment into its...

Air Technology.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Air Airflow Developments, desig- AIRFLOW 232 Techno- ners and manufacturers of air DEVELOP- logy measuring instrumentation and MENTS...

Computers.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Compu- When a three-year research DOLCH 233 ters project called for a rugge- dised laptop computer that could be...

Sensors.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Sensors The ready-to-install piezo- KISTLER 234 electric force sensors from Kistler complement the exis- ting range...

DC motors.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO DC The latest pioneering deve- MAXON 235 Motors lopment to make use of maxon MOTORS motor's drive systems is the ...

Forklift trucks.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Fork- Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks is MITSUBISHI 236 lift set to unveil a series of LP FORKLIFT Trucks gas and diesel counterbalance TRUCKS...

Materials handling.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Mate- Tracted (UK) has produced a TRACTEL 237 rials comprehensive range of Topal (UK) Hand- lifting and pulling products. ling ...

Precision tooling.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Preci- Two further Correa CNC machi- BROOKHOUSE 238 sion ning centres have been ordered HOLDINGS Tooling by Brookhouse Holding, of ...

Band saws.(Update)
February 6, 2004... SUBJECT DESCRIPTION CONTACT ENQUIRY NO Band The advances in band saw LS STARRETT 238 saws technology over recent years make the latest publication from the LS...