Design News articles from January 2007

Design News archives from January 2007

If You Can't Beat IT, Join IT.
January 8, 2007... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control Industrial Ethernet and the growing hunger for factory floor data in the front office will continue to bring engineering and information technology functions together Ask any automation...

Engineering's Superstars Chart the Future.(Excerpt)
January 8, 2007... By Lawrence D. Maloney, Contributing Editor Design News turned to several of its past Engineers of the Year for their vision of tomorrow's technology -- and the tough challenges facing the profession Their accomplishments have dazzled...

Modeling: essential key to mechatronics design.
January 8, 2007... By Kevin Craig Fresh ideas on integrating mechanical systems, electronics, control systems and computers in design Ask six engineers what a model is and you may get six different answers. In mechatronics, the word model carries a...

It"s the luggage that flies at siemens" mock airport.
January 8, 2007... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor Siemens opens a mock airport in Germany to showcase the latest in automation systems for high-speed baggage handling, passenger screening and more Siemens operates this mock airport, which looks a lot...

The Case of the Decrepit Diesel.(Case overview)
January 8, 2007... By Myron J. Boyajian, President, Engineering Consultants Not all forensic engineering cases involve personal injury, but they almost always involve financial loss one way or the other, and engineering can help resolve technical issues to...

Artificial knee wirelessly communicates.
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Sensing, communication technology includes batteryless power Verifying theoretical calculations in real-world medical situations has always been a tricky proposition, especially in space-restricted...

Tunable MEMS Capacitor for Cell Phones.(Microelectromechanical System)(WiSpry Inc.'s multi-throw tunable capacitors )
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Impedance matching technique reduces front-end losses In today's cell phones, small improvements can make a big difference in battery life -- or cost. A Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) approach...

Tracking electronics" "killer app".
January 8, 2007... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics The electronics industry's next "killer app" is still a mystery. It might be lying quietly in a nondescript development lab in the Silicon Valley, or it might still be rattling...

Why size will matter.(importance of nanoparticles)
January 8, 2007... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor Nano materials will change the way engineers design mechanical parts, but progress will be slow Two automotive OEMs are developing aluminum engine blocks that use less than 5 lb of nanosteel coatings...

Packing on productivity.
January 8, 2007... By John H. Day, Contributing Editor Interdisciplinary collaboration will be key to better performance and lower cost Globalization, outsourcing and other relatively recent phenomena pose serious challenges for product development...

Best of the Engineering Marketplace.
January 8, 2007... Compiled by Elizabeth M. Taurasi and Sean Murphy AutomationDirect J, RK1, RK5 Edison fuses Elizabeth M. Taurasi, Sean Murphy Expanding company's fuse line These fast-acting and time-delay fuses come with either 250 or 600V ac...

Advanced Controls Working At the Car Wash.(National Car Wash's Tunnel Commander)(Joe Ward of International Carwash Association)
January 8, 2007... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control With its PLCs, variable speed drives, optical sensors and Ethernet connections, the Tunnel Commander isn't your grandfather's car wash Drive-in car washes may not seem like they need more...

CHOCOLATE PHONE.(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor LG Electronics' Chocolate Cell Phone (http://rbi.ims.ca/4946-519 ). This thin, multi-functional cell phone includes a 1.3 megapixel camera, as well as the ability to surf the Internet and listen to...

PLAYFUL PONY.
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Hasbro FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony (http://rbi.ims.ca/4946-520 ). Big enough to hold a youngster up to 80 lb and produce walking sounds during a pretend ride, this 3-ft tall pony has a number...

DOGGONE CUTE.
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor I Want One of Those Street Muttz (http://rbi.ims.ca/4946-521 ). These puppies do more than just sit there and look cute. Sensing a human presence, the interactive, battery-powered toys react with...

DIGITIZER/OSCILLOSCOPE.(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor National Instruments' PXI-5152 (http://rbi.ims.ca/4946-522 ). Getting down to business, National Instruments' general-purpose digitizer/oscilloscope offers a 1 giga-sample per second (GS/s) real-time...

FUNKY FISH.(Hasbro Tiger Electronics)(Brief article)
January 8, 2007... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Hasbro Tiger Electronics' I-FISH (http://rbi.ims.ca/4946-523 ). This dry-land fish swims to the music of connected, hand-held MP3 or iPod players and has a built-in speaker for operation without a...

Case #96: Nick Has an Illuminating Flashback.
January 8, 2007... By Design News Staff Photography enthusiast Nick Pagazani was hindered by the range and fixed location of his camera's flash. Since his camera has no connector for an external flash, he needed a light-activated slave trigger to fire a...

Environmental news engineers can use.(fuel use by Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars)(Sun Microsystems Inc.'s partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Co.)(increase in agricultural production due to agricultural biotechnology)
January 8, 2007... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Cars Complete Eco-Drive from Paris to Beijing Rob Spiegel Thirty-six standard diesel-consuming Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars completed a 9,000-mile drive from Paris to Beijing while averaging more...

Readers Sound Off.(Letter to the editor)
January 8, 2007... By Design News Staff FIX THE DRIVER FIRST Your article suggested three methods for reducing traffic fatalities ("Slamming the Brakes on Highway Fatalities," DN 10.09.06, http://rbi.ims.ca/4946-508 ). You missed the quickest and most...

<EMPHASIS TYPE="ITALIC">Design News</EMPHASIS> Celebrates a Milestone: 60 Years.
January 8, 2007... By Karen Auguston Field, Editor-at-Large Time flies when you're having fun -- and that's clearly always the case for the editorial team here at Design News . Of course we love reporting on the latest technologies and trends. But the best...

Electronic Ink Promises to Put Indelible Stamp on Newspapers.
January 8, 2007... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief New medium aims to make its mark on publications, watches Wracked by advertiser defections to the Web and double-digit circulation declines, print newspapers would gladly embrace a magic bullet, were such...

Processor Family Aims to 'Future-Proof' Autos.(Analog Devices Inc.)
January 8, 2007... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Incorporates peripherals to plug-in of external handheld devices such as cameras, MP3 players and digital radios in autos A new processor family could help automakers and...

New Plastic Takes the Heat.
January 8, 2007... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor Extem polymers, a new kind of thermoplastic polyimide from GE Plastics, withstands continuous use temperatures up to 230C GE Plastics has upped the ante on the temperature performance of its plastics'...

Testing Positions to 4 Millionths of An Inch.
January 8, 2007... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Air-bearing stages and high-resolution scales drive extreme accuracy and repeatability Five air-bearing stages working in concert with high-resolution scales provide the extreme accuracies required...

Exa Upgrades CFD Software, Adds Two Tools.
January 8, 2007... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Heat transfer, conduction simulation tools provide more functions in a single environment Exa Corp. is upgrading its PowerFLOW computational fluid dynamics simulation software, unveiling version 4....

Rapid Tooling Has Benefits.
January 8, 2007... By Daniel L. Twarog, President, North American Die Casting Assoc. Dispelling myths about die casting opens up a range of apps A number of designers, engineers and purchasing decision-makers still labor under several misconceptions about...

Motor 'System' Solutions.(JVL introduced servo motor)(MICOS USA introduced motion controller)(Oriental Motor U.S.A. Corp.'s AlphaStep motor system)
January 8, 2007... By Al Presher, Contributing Editor Added features for communications and advanced control Integration and system solutions are key words when it comes to innovation in motor packages as manufacturers target higher performance,...

Platinum Takes the Gold.(platinum resistor usage)
January 8, 2007... By Jon Titus, Contributing Editor Thermistors and thermocouples serve well in many applications, but when you need high-accuracy temperature measurements, platinum resistor-temperature detectors (RTDs) get the top prize. These detectors...

I Killed the Electric Car.
January 8, 2007... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor Movie blames consumers, among others, for demise of the EV How much would you pay for a car with a 70-mile range and a six-hour refueling time? I ask that question because I just...