Design News articles from January 2008

Design News archives from January 2008

Top Blog Posts.
January 7, 2008... By Design News Staff Recent posts on the latest engineering technology trends designnews.com/blogs Bromine Group Fires Back at Greenpeace over BFRs According to an article in the Design News sister publication, Electronics...

Remote Monitoring and Networking 2007.
January 7, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Conference Delivers Solutions for Utility Operations and More Remote Monitoring and Networking 2007 held in Fountain Hills, AZ, brought together suppliers and users from water, electrical power, oil...

The Case of the Manic Motor.
January 7, 2008... By Myron J. Boyajian, President, Engineering Consultants At a medical supplies warehouse, the operator of a stand-up rider forklift complained her truck would abruptly stop and start during sharp turns, severely jostling her. The forklift...

Seeking Lower Power Consumption.(Editorial)
January 7, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor Under the right situations, a 32-bit can save power over an 8-bit MCU With the newest microcontrollers, engineers could face some interesting tradeoffs. In Freescale Semiconductor's Flexis products...

Sensing Flow Instead of Pressure.(Editorial)
January 7, 2008... By Randy Frank, Contributing Editor MEMS flow sensor provides alternative to pressure sensing in pick-and-place applications Mishandling detection in pick-and-place operations has historically been a good application for pressure...

A President in Every Pot.(Editorial)(Viewpoint essay)
January 7, 2008... By John Dodge, Editor-in-Chief Even if you live under a rock, it's hard to escape the presidential election news blitz. The Republican and Democratic races are fascinating as the polls shoot down the front-runners every other week. So I...

Best of the Engineering Marketplace.(Astrodyne Corp.)(Crystek Crystals Corp.)(Migatron Corp.)
January 7, 2008... Compiled by Elizabeth M. Taurasi and Sasha Brown-Worsham Astrodyne's Space-Saving Desktop Package Styles Elizabeth M. Taurasi, Sasha Brown-Worsham EMI/RFI meets CISPR/FCC Part 15/Level B Astrodyne Corp. introduces an expanded...

How to Cut Costs.(Editorial)
January 7, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Materials substitutions can yield huge savings in the face of soaring metals and plastics costs. GM adopts a new strategy. Strong demand from Asia has stretched supplies of...

The Future of Battle.(Editorial)
January 7, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics The U.S. military's Future Combat Systems links soldiers and robots in a vast wireless network The scenario is straight out of a science fiction movie: A flying saucer-like...

Virtual Reality Gets Real.
January 7, 2008... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Software/Hardware The military's use of virtual reality touches training, product development and command and control platforms The virtual world has long been a theatre for the war experience....

America's High-Tech Soldier.
January 7, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening The Iraq War is driving materials technology innovation that rivals the advances made during World War II The American soldier of the future will be garbed in an array of...

Robot Race.
January 7, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control DARPA's Urban Challenge and the military's other autonomous vehicle programs show how the progress in robotic technologies could improve driver assistance systems Does Uncle Sam need...

Boosting SUV Mileage.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor One of the longest-running automotive engineering contests is Challenge X, a four-year contest with the goal of boosting mileage in a production vehicle without sacrificing performance and comfort. Ohio...

Floating in Air.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor A great thing about college demonstration projects is they don't have to have any commercial prospects. That's a good thing for students at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, who call their model an...

Hiding Analog Technologies.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor The DARPA Urban Challenge is perhaps the world's most lucrative technology demonstration, offering a huge cash prize. Virginia Tech's entry in the autonomous vehicle race takes a different approach to...

The Largest NFL Player.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor When American football made its regular-season debut on the other side of the Atlantic, NFL executives wanted to make a big splash. Putting a 26 ft high animatronic figure of Miami Dolphins lineman...

Bright Ideas for Home Energy.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Terry Costlow, Contributing Editor Energy conservation is a hot topic on the nation's campuses. Competitions like the Dept. of Energy's Solar Decathlon are fostering ideas for reducing power consumption in homes. Georgia Tech's entry...

Case #114: Testing Parts 'til They're Toast.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Design News Staff Mark Thoren and Jim Williams needed to test the temperature compensation scheme of a circuit they were designing. The lab had several temperature chambers, but they were always in use. In frustration, Jim grabbed a...

The Six Sins of Greenwashing.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor A new study by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing of Reading, PA, finds a whopping 99 percent of consumer products are guilty of greenwashing - the PR equivalent of hawking green attributes...

Nextreme Turns Circuitry Heat into Power.(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Nextreme Inc., a maker of micro-scale thermal and power management products in Research Triangle, NC, has developed a novel way to cool chips while banking energy. The company runs the cooling process in...

Audi Seeks Optimized CO<EMPHASIS TYPE="SUBSCRIPT">2</EMPHASIS> Routes.(Audi of America Inc)(carbon dioxide)(Brief article)
January 7, 2008... By Rob Spiegel, Contributing Editor Soon drivers will be able to plot eco-friendly routes. Engineers from Audi of America Inc.'s California Research Labs are working with three California universities to reduce CO2 emissions through...

Choosing the Right Model.
January 7, 2008... By Kevin Craig In past columns, we've discussed the essential role of modeling in mechatronics. Now, let's look at your options in designing a flexible actuator suspension. This design involves a concept for a pick-and-place device for...

Stryker's Optical Viewer Goes Servo.
January 7, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control The military's increasing use of servo direct-drive motors in battlefield systems such as the Stryker armored vehicle show just how rugged these motion systems can be When it comes to...

Intel Rolls Out New Hafnium-Based Transistor Technology.
January 7, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Quad core chip packs 820 million transistors on single processor Intel Corp. has unveiled a new transistor dielectric material that it says will boost performance and...

Solar-Powered Manned Airplane Stretches Composites.(solar-powered plane)
January 7, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening Photovoltaic cells will be encapsulated in a composite sandwich structure developed by Swiss materials supplier Decision SA The most advanced project for lightweight aircraft...

Rockwell's Direct-Drive Motor Plans.(Rockwell Automation Inc.)
January 7, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control The company will launch a new line of direct-drive motors next year as part of its Kinetix portfolio Direct-drive motors have been around for years, but this still-underutilized motion...

Making Innovation More Hit Than Miss.
January 7, 2008... By Beth Stackpole, Contributing Editor, Software/Hardware Invention Machine upgrade offers 30+ enhancements, including industry-specific risk analysis templates Let's face it: Product innovation is often hit or miss. Yet Invention...

DDM Defies Predictions.(direct digital manufacturing)
January 7, 2008... By Scott Crump CEO, Stratasys Manufacturers are Adopting it Much Sooner than Expected Companies are using direct digital manufacturing (DDM) in substantial and growing numbers. Counter to experts' predictions, manufacturers have...

Rarely Asked Questions.
January 7, 2008... By James Bryant Strange but true stories from the call logs of Analog Devices Half Full or Half Empty? Thoughts on Capacity. Q. Are all components with just two wires as complicated as the resistors we discussed recently? A....

3-D Improvements.
January 7, 2008... By Mikel Janitz, Engineering Manager Delta Consolidated Industries Laboratory Inc. Simulation Tools Lead to Advancements in Quality and Safety 3-D simulation tools are helping design engineers and manufacturers ramp up all aspects of...

Microelectronics Adds Smarts to Inclinometers.
January 7, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics MEMS-based sensing opens up a new breed of applications Inclinometers are gaining popularity, mainly because a new breed of them are incorporating solid-state electronics....

Metal Switches Cut Weight.
January 7, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening The new Opel Agila features an aluminum cylinder block while medical imagers use magnesium die castings Innovative use of lighter metals is helping to reduce weight in two...

Halting Brake Problems.
January 7, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control Spring-applied brakes are putting a stop to noise and wear issues You might not give spring-applied brakes too much thought - until you really need them. These brakes form a vital part of...

DSP Makers Aim for More Speed, Lower Price.(digital signal processors)
January 7, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics Chip makers target the video and imaging markets The well-known number-crunching capabilities of digital signal processors (DSPs) are growing more popular these days, as...

New 3M Microspheres Boost Flow Characteristic.
January 7, 2008... By Doug Smock, Contributing Editor, Materials and Fastening New applications debut for thermoplastic elastomer and PEEK Applications of molded plastics continue to extend due to enhanced properties and moldability. New glass...

Three Styles of Motor Integration.
January 7, 2008... By Joseph Ogando, Senior Editor, Motion Control Motors that allow easier integration into the larger motion system are becoming more popular Electric motors never really work alone. They have to integrate with geartrains and other...

Put Lightning in the Ground.
January 7, 2008... By Jon Titus, Contributing Editor Unbelievably useful info on data measurement, collection and analysis from the test expert One afternoon I saw lightning strike a telephone pole about 50 ft away. The lightning split the top of the...

The Best and Worst Science Movies.
January 7, 2008... By Charles J. Murray, Senior Technical Editor, Electronics One of the best gave us the line 'Gort! Klaatu berada nikto!' In its November issue, Discover Magazine called on an Emory University physics professor, Sidney Perkowitz, to...