Design Engineering articles from August 2001

Design Engineering archives from August 2001

Gaze into my crystal ball.(three-dimensional computer display monitor)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The crystal ball, for millennia the tool of choice for warlocks and wizards, may soon be making its mark in the world of design engineering. At the recent Annual Symposium of the Society for Information Display MIT spin-off Actuality...

Cake-stands in space.(coatings examined in space environment)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Want to find out how long that new coat of varnish is likely to last? The solution is simple if not expensive; send your freshly varnished Edwardian cake-stand where no cake-stand has gone before. Mounted on an airlock between the...

Lube oil burning car.(Cummins Engine Co. secures patent for new engine lubrication technique)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Changing the oil in a car is a time-consuming practice which also creates a large amount of toxic waste. Patent US6213080 from Cummins Engine Co. proposes a system which automatically and continuously removes an engine's used lubrication oil...

Car anti-theft device.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... Staying on the car theme...car alarms are all very well, but false alarms are all too frequent, and fairly ineffective if a car thief decides to just tow the car away. A novel variation is an anti-theft jack (DE20100547) which is built into the...

Digital business card.
August 1, 2001... Business cards are a pain. Anyone meeting new business associates regularly ends up with a thick clutch of cards which they have to carefully file and update When a job title or phone details change. A change in phone code can leave a company...

Contacting the molecular world.(Hewlett-Packard molecular computing research)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... A recent development at Hewlett-Packard has strengthened the popular scientific belief that silicon-based computing may soon be superceded by molecular computing. Although semiconductor manufacturers can now cram about 28 million...

A visionary spectacle.(optical scientist at the University of Arizona develop automatic-focussing lens for eyeglasses)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Optical scientists at the University of Arizona are developing automatically focussing glasses for people with poor eyesight. If successful, the project (a partnership with industry innovation experts The Egg Factory) will help sufferers of...

Half metal magnet.(research in non-volatile computer memory)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Researchers claim that a new material known as a half-metallic ferromagnet could revolutionise the way computer memory works. 'This type of material may eventually allow us to create non-volatile computer memory systems,' says Chia-Ling Chien,...

Steadicopter.(stabilization system for helicopters)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... A stabilisation system invented in Israel could make unmanned helicopters much easier to operate. Developed at the TechnionIsrael Institute of Technology in Haifa, the new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uses patented mathematical formulae to...

The science of splat.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are using experimental and computer-modelling capabilities to improve the world's fundamental scientific understanding of an emerging manufacturing technique called Cold Spray. Cold Spray involves...

Not so stealthy.(mobile phone base stations detect stealth aircraft)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... UK scientists have discovered an interesting application for mobile phone base stations: the detection of stealth aircraft. Peter Lloyd, from Roke Manor Research, explains how the technology would work: 'The mobile telephone base-stations...

Aircraft in a flap.(Ornithopters)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... From Icarus' doomed flight to da Vinci's abandoned sketches, aircraft with flapping wings, or omithopters, are largely seen as an amusing example of mankind taking a technological wrong turn. However, while early attempts to emulate the...

The car that runs on nitrogen.(non-polluting cars)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Electric vehicles are heralded as the most environmentally friendly alternative to gas-powered vehicles. But, claim researchers from the University of Washington, they offer poor performance and present pollution and safety problems of their...

Selling the UK's engineering short.(Colin Coulson-Thomas of the National Centre for Competitiveness)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... One of Britain's leading business experts on competitiveness has criticised engineering and manufacturing for weak sales skills. Colin Coulson-Thomas, professor of competitiveness at the National Centre for Competitiveness, says that the...

The new airborne sonic soother.(Boeing's planned Sonic Cruiser)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Boeing claims that its new planned Sonic Cruiser airplane will have fuel efficiency similar to today's long-range jets, and will offer several other environmentally friendly advantages as well. John Roundhill (Boeing Commercial Airplanes...

BRAIN TEASER.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... BOSCH Automation Brain Teaser Hit the bottle Imagine you are a chef in a medieval castle, where there are no clocks, watches or other mechanical time pieces. The king has a taste for hard boiled eggs, which must be cooked for exactly...

Dream design.(VisuaLABS's imaginary products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Apparently we're in recession. Aren't economists a smart lot? They need to see two consecutive quarters of shrinking economic activity before they can recognise a recession. All they had to do was ask two quarters ago how things were going. Yes...

http://online.abb.com/motors&drives.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... This new site from ABB's global motors and drives business allows customers to instantly place orders or track product inventory. ABE says that the site is tailored to the specific needs of individual users and provides a bespoke product...

www.dupont-dow.com.(DuPont Dow Elastomers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... DuPont Dow Elastomers' updated web site features a number of new tools including online data sheets, material safety data sheets, technical reports and product information. The site also has an interactive tool for material selection that...

www.netcomposites.com.(composite materials)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... This industry portal for composite materials gives the latest composites news, events and career opportunities alongside a forum for discussion on composites and a comprehensive guide for those new to the subject. The site also integrates six...

www.chindogu.com.(the art of useless inventions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Imagine a design concept that is completely useless, cannot be sold and must never be patented. If you can do this, you may have what it takes to master the Japanese art of Chindogu. Formalised in the 1980's by Japanese inventor-anarchist...

www.baddesigns.com.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Continuing the useless design theme, this site contains a number of amusing examples of genuinely poor product design. The site was created by Michael Darnell, a usability engineer at WebTV Networks, who claims that its purpose is to help...

The house that orange built.(the digital home)
August 1, 2001... Just outside London, obscured by trees, up a gravelled drive, is a family house like no other. JON EXCELL went to explore 'Orange at Home', the UK's first full-scale experimental digital home. Having spent the drive down to Orange's future...

Superconducting motors come of age.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Nearly one hundred years after Heike Onnes discovered superconductivity American Superconductor has demonstrated the world's first 5000hp superconducting motor. American Superconductor has been involved in a programme to develop the 5000hp...

A Super Sandwich.(research on composite motor vehicle bodies)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The relative strengths of carbon fibre composites have been talked about for years. It was to be a revolution, a Space Age material to finally see-off the Iron Age. But it's turned out to be the Superman of materials, stronger than steel and...

Meet the relatives.(examines Granta Design's entry into the materials information industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) from Granta Design allows design engineers to relate material properties to their clients' requirements in a systematic and quantifiable manner. CES is the latest offering from the materials...

A lasting bond.(innovation in tapes and adhesives)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... When the UK's Welding Institute (TWI) rebranded itself as a world centre for materials joining technology, it acknowledged a sea change in fastening methods. And probably the greatest change has come in the use of tapes and adhesives to replace...

Adhering to safety.(DaimlerChrysler AG develops adhesives for motor vehicle manufacture)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... DaimlerChrysler has developed a new generation of adhesives for automotive manufacture A bove-average crash performance and high connective strength: these are the qualities of a new generation of adhesives developed by DaimlerChrysler....

A crush on composites.(article examines energy absorption and crush prediction in metal structures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Composites, unlike metals have a very mysterious crush mechanism. Metal, as seen in the above example, absorbs energy through the formation of plastic hinges producing a highly folded material. Metal typically has lower strength than composites...

You keep it all in.(REO UK introduces modular system for frequency drives)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... REO UK has released a modular system for frequency drives that is said to lower costs and simplify life for panel builders. The new Reounity is said to incorporate all ancillary drive equipment into a standardised unit to provide a...

Clever cover-up.(enclosures)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... PU specialist Beechcraft Ltd is offering custom designed PU enclosures that feature complex shapes including side cores and under-cut sections not normally acceptable in other processes. In a unit manufactured for Aquamatic, dozens of...

Dictate to the enclosure.(BVN Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... BVM has released the cPCI000, a modular CompactPCI enclosure, which is available in different user-defined configurations. Fully Hot-Swap compliant to Rev3.0, the cPC1000 is fitted with either a Four Slot back-plane and a choice of floppy,...

Beautiful.(Hammond Electronics Inc. introduced instrument housings)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Hammond Electronics has introduced Ice Blue translucent versions of its stylish 1591 Series small instrument housings. The enclosures are sealed to IP54 with a lap joint to exclude dust and water. The 1591 range has PCb mounting slots moulded...

Converted.(SRS Products develops extended desktop range conversion equipment)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... SRS Products has extended the Netcase desktop range to accept component that convert the case to a cased subrack The range is designed to accept a limited number of plug in PCBs or a slide-in chassis plate that carries all components and...

Take to the sea.(Spelsberg UK enclosures helps luxury powerboats wiring system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Spelsberg UK's IP67 enclosures are providing component housing for a new style of DC wiring system on some luxury powerboals. The 'ROMEC' system from Axon components is said to cut down wiring complexity and provides remote monitoring and...

A lot more cable.(Schroff Development Corp. introduces enclosure system for fiber optic cable)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Schroff is offering a new wall-mount modular enclosure system for accommodating fibre optic cables and telephone lines. Compared with conventional systems, these enclosures are said to enable users to handle more optical fibres within the...

Extending user levels.(Rittal Corp. develops enclosure system)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... The TS8 enclosure system from Rittal now features a modular front designed to facilitate more flexible assembly of user levels. Sub-divisions can be made on the function or different access authorisation levels, for example where PC...

Web savvy.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... Custom enclosure specialist Bafbox is demonstrating the merits of a one stop shop approach to custom designed enclosures and membrane keypads at the ECIF 2001 exhibition which will be held in September. The company's website at...

Shielded.(Chomerics Inc. introduces elastomer gaskets)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Chomerics has introduced CLIP-SHIELD clip-on EMI shielding gaskets to provide secure mechanical attachment of conductive elastomer gaskets for EMI shielding on electronic enclosures Standard CLIP-SHIELD gaskets feature a Chomerics CHO-SEAL...

Fix and finish in one easy step.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... SEAC has extended its Polytop screw range by introducing a series of socket-dive fasteners designed to fix and finish in one easy step. A one-piece fastener with an injection-moulded, self-coloured head, Polytop screws can be used in...

No place to hide.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... Unbrako's coding system for improved traceability is now available in the UK on all socket head cap screws over M5 diameter. Called 'E-Code', the traceability system has been progressively introduced in the UK market since 1999 and is now...

No fit too tight for TFC.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... The new Wavo Spring Series from TFC is designed to fit into tight radial and axial spaces and is said to compliment the established range of Smalley Edge Coiled Wave Springs. An alternative to standard Belleville springs, the new Wavo...

Fastening on the nose.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... Textron Fastening Systems is offering the option of preloaded disposable mandrels with its Speed Fastening hand-held installation tools. With a quick assembly time, the Speed Fastening Systems are said to provide rapid blind-sided assembly...

The nut that Jack built.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
August 1, 2001... Torque Control has added to its range with the introduction of the Jacknut, a new blind bolt that is available in M8 to M24 threads. The Jacknut's insert is designed so that if can accommodate a wide range of material thicknesses is not...

Life after LabVIEW.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2001... Q What are the main changes you have seen in the remote measurement and automation industry? A The internet has made access to data and distributed control possible for everyone in the organisation. The roles of design engineers around the...