Design Engineering articles from December 2000

Design Engineering archives from December 2000

Alcoholic driving.(two new fuel cell vehicles from DaimlerChrysler)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... DaimlerChrysler recently demonstrated two new fuel cell vehicles: the Mercedes-Benz A NECAR 5 and the Jeep Commander 2. In the past six years, the fuel cell drive system on the cars has been shrunk to such an extent that it presently...

I like trucking.(researchers apply aircraft technology to trucks)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are taking air-craft technology and appying it to trucks. The 'circulation control' system currently under evaluation in wind tunnel tests is expected to both reduce fuel consumption and...

Flying in plasma.(engineers research use of plasma to increase speed of aircraft)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Centre are engaged in a project that uses plasma to reduce drag, repel shock waves and make jet fighters vanish. By injecting a few ions into the flow around a high-speed craft the drag it experiences can...

Turn, turn, turn again.(Prodrive develops steering system)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Drawing on the expertise of some of the world's leading rally drivers, UK automotive company Prodrive has developed a system which modulates the torque distribution to individual wheels to increase the rate at which a car or vehicle will turn....

Creating a cyberman.(a virtual model of the human body)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Today's designer has so many tools in his arsenal that be fore anything's even been built he can be reasonably certain that it'll work, and work well in a variety of scenarios. So why can't similar techniques be applied to arguably the greatest...

Planes without pilots.(Boeing, Air Force develop pilotless aircraft)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... 2025. War with America. Night after night, wave upon wave of fighters and bombers pour in from the desert sky, their speed, manoeuvrability and unremitting attacks bamboozling and decimating ground defences. However, wave goodbye to the...

Another nail in the floppy coffin.(M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers introduces new data storage device)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Data storage expert M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers Ltd, has introduced a plug and play storage device that it claims is perfect for 'on-the-go' computing users. M-Systems' DiskOnKey technology is a pen-shaped portable data storage device...

Nuclear cover-up.(Russian scientists develop silicon polymer coating that may prevent radioactive waste from leaking into the environment)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Radioactive waste could be prevented from leaking into the environment thanks to a silicon polymer coating developed by Russian scientists and marketed by Washington-based company Eurotech. It is claimed that the coating, known as EKOR, is...

Multi level recording.(TDK Electronics Corp. and Calimetrics Inc. to develop new optical disc format)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... TDK Electronics Corporation has announced an alliance with Calimetrics Inc., to apply Calimetrics' MultiLevel Recording technology to create a new recordable and rewritable optical disc format with three times the capacity and speed of...

Stairway to heaven.(Otis Elevator believes it can develop space elevator)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Following our March 2000 cover story 'Stairway to the stars', lift manufacturer Otis has announced that it could help NASA design and build a space elevator. Otis believes that the same technology it uses to design lifts for skyscrapers...

Linux steals the show.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Brian Smith, design director of PDD, reports from the annual Las Vegas computer show. This years Comdex Fall was smaller and quieter despite expanded floor space at Sands and the Las Vegas Convention Centre. 200,000 people tramped...

ULSAS steel a march on aluminium.(UltraLight Steel Auto Suspension)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... A recent 2020 Vision report by Corus and the AA found that seventy-five per cent of motorists see weight reduction as a major factor in the design of cars in the future. With this in mind UltraLight Steel Auto Suspensions (ULSAS) set about...

Hollow spheres.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Q Two spheres are exactly the same size and weight, but one is hollow. They are each made of a uniform material, though of course not the same material (otherwise their weight would be noticeably different). With the minimum of equipment, how...

Correction.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... As a result of a complaint to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, this publishing house makes it clear that all its engineering titles are 100% 1st year requested except What's New in Industry which circulates 4030 extra copies on top of the...

www.purpleyogi.com.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... We haven't tried this one out yet because it doesn't run on a mac, but PupleYogi claims that its Yogi Internet Discovery System 'effortlessly connects users to the information on the web that is most relevant to them'. The system works, it...

e4subcontracting.com.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The latest addition to the e4 network of engineering sites, E4 :Subcontracting, has recently gone live. Aimed at designers and production managers looking for specialist firms who can help manufacture your product, this on-line database...

www.modele.com.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Online car retailing currently amounts to little more than a snazzy front-end directing customers to their nearest dealer. However, California based Model E is aiming to upset this model, using the web to circumvent the dealer and offer souped...

www.partstream.net.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... CAD specialist SolidWorks recently introduced its 3D PartStream.NET service. Based on the Microsoft.NET framework, the service enables manufacturers to integrate live 3D models into web-based product catalogues and e-commerce systems. Unlike...

It's a gas, gas, gas.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The recent report by Corus and the AA (see p7), that finds weight reduction as a major design issue for new cars, probably confirms what is intuitive to any designer. One only has to look at the lengths automotive suppliers go to retain...

The Future of Simulation.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Future technologies will affect several aspects of simulation, including applications, user environments, and infrastructure. Simulation is the act of prediction. In mechanical design, simulation is comprised of FEA (finite element...

Suffering fuels gladly.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Whether you realised it or not, new and tighter European legislation came into force in October demanding reduced automotive and industrial engine emissions. New designs must already meet the standard while current production engines...

Castor war.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Engineers from the Revv Caster company in Christchurch have dug deep into the stores to supply authentic 1940s castors for a film about Britainis World War II code breakers The film's producer commissioned asylum Models to build six exact...

Free design.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Have you ever found that you can't locate the right spring for your requirements? Well Lee Spring Design Service is offering a free computer based spring design and checking service. Lee Spring is also release The Engineers Guide to Designing...

Getting tough on the elements.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... THK has just launched two linear motion products. One is designed to function for long periods under water and the other is intended for applications that involve exposure to intense heat. The Ml high temperature LM guides can, says THK,...

The new GS40 linear actuator.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The new GS40 linear actuator from INMOCO combines a brushless servomotor, an inverted roller screw and an encoder/resolver feedback source into a single assembly. A 9mm-frame size unit, the GS4O offers a range of strokes from 152mm to...

Protex keep a firm lid on it.(heavy duty panel latches)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Protex's heavy-duty panel latch, model 65-614, is the preferred solution for securing GRP cover of the side-mounted Perkins 1000 series engine on the new JCB Loadall series of telescopic lift-and-reach trucks. Protex says that a strong,...

Proton power.(the future of fuel cells and automobiles)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Almost all the major car producers have now dipped their toes into the small pool of available fuel cell technologies. Recent concept cars reveal an industry creeping ever closer to commercial production of a fuel cell driven car. But which...

New parts.(DuPont Engineering Polymers' Vespel TP injection mouldable polymer resins)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... DuPont Engineering Polymers has announced the introduction of a new family of Vespel parts and shapes that can be injection moulded from melt processable polyimide resins. Parts produced form these resins are said to demonstrate improved...

Adios HCFC.(Novec Engineered Fluids produce environmentally friendly electronics cleaning solvents)(hydrochlorofluorocarbons)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... The use of ozone depleting HCFC's will be severely curtailed in Europe come 2002, but 3M's Novec Engineered Fluids are one steps ahead of the game. Novec Engineered Fluids are said to be a high performance non-flammable low toxicity solvent...

Laid back bond.(Advanced Elastomer Systems L.P. introduces the Santoprene TPE B100 thermoplastic vulcanisates)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Advanced Elastomer Systems has introduced the Santoprene TPE B100 series of thermoplastic vulcanisates. AES believes the new range is the first that bonds to acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polycorbonate, ABS/PC blends,...

Tsubaki's Poly-Steel Chain.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Fans of the strong silent type will warm to the material used in Tsubaki's Poly-Steel Chain, an innovation said to give the performance advantages of stainless steel and engineering plastics whilst offering a load capacity close to 304...

Pyro-Putty can take the heat.(Aremco Products Inc.'s temperature resistant compound for brake pads)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Aremco's Pyro-Putty is a new high temperature compound that can be used in the assembly of extreme temperature brake pads used in racing cars, motorcycles and other high performance vehicles. This single part, black pigmented ceramic filled...

The rout of routing.(logic design made easy through Sequence Design Inc.'s chip layout methods)(Copernicus, the first interconnect-driven timing closure solution)
December 1, 2000... The logic designer's recurring nightmare -- rejection of post layout designs because of timing problems. PURNIMA GAUTHRON of Sequence Design looks at the latest method making chip layout a dream Today, miniaturisation is one of the most...

Fabrication.(ElectroTextiles unveils fabric keyboard)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... ElectroTextiles has unveriled the Worlds first fabric keyboard that has been designed to fold scrunch and wash without losing functionality. The keyboard is said to instantly enhance the flexibility and functionality of handheld devices...

Biomorph.(Murata's ENV-05F-03 Gyrostar angular velocity sensor)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Murata has introduced the ENV-05F-03 Gyrostar a new angular velocity sensor that can be used when positional control of a moving object requires high precision angular rate detection The Gyrostar uses a ceramic biomorph that enables the...

High speed link.(IDM Electronics' Velocity High Speed Data Link)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... IDM Electronics has introduced Velocity High Speed Data Link, a new slip ring technology developed for the transfer of high-speed digital data across rotating interfaces. The Velocity HSDL is said to support a wide variety of digital data...

Packing a punch.(Calex's Convir IL Series non-contact infrared temperature sensor)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Calex's new Convir IL Series non-contact infrared temperature sensor is a little like a champion lightweight boxer: small in stature -- 105mm long and 25mm in diameter -- but very tough and very intelligent in its field. Made with a...

Smaller, safer and better.(Antenova's mobile communications directional antenna)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... 'Smart' antenna start-up Antenova has introduced a directional antenna for mobile communications that is said to multiply the capacity of 3rd-generation networks. The directional and steerable antenna has been developed for applications like 3G...

Nine ratios.(Pittman's M14000)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Trident Engineering is offering Pittman's M14000 in either 73W or 183W versions with a supply voltage of 24V, although other voltages are available. Measuring 54mm n diameter the M14000 can be combined with both the Trident GP62 and R40...

Backpane.(LaMonde Research's IEC 61131-3 ProConOS run-time engine)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... LaMonde Research has added the IEC 61131-3 ProConOS run-time engine for WinPLC CPU modules to its range. The WinPLC is said to integrate direct backplane access to I/O non-volatile program and data memories, and in-built Ethernet and serial...

Input made easy.(FKI Industr RD 1000 Data Streamer range)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The new compact RD 1000 range from FKI Industrial Drives offers users the facility of Data Streamer, a hand-held, infrared programming unit for AC inverter drive control. Data Streamer is said to give users of the FID 1000 drives the...

Zen servomotor.(Alphastep motor)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Oriental Motor cleared its mind of previous design principles when developing a new, high-response control motor capable of combining the benefits of selective closed-loop control with a stepping motor to give improved synchro accuracy. ...

CoBox that likes to talk.(MAC Solutions' CoBox serial to Ethernet converter)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... MAC Solutions has launched the latest version of the CoBox serial to Ethernet converters with embedded Web-server capability. CoBox can be set to communicate with almost any serial device -- including Modbus devices -- through its...

Way to pneuvana.(Online ProPneu Tron-X sizing tool)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Festo is confident that its Online ProPneu sizing tool can eliminate the expense of manual testing. An 'electronic expert', the mysteriously monickered Tron-X, takes the user through a six-stage process that includes selection and...

Linde's electronic control.(Hydrostatic Transmission controller)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Linde believes that electronic control of hydraulics leads to dramatic improvements in system efficiency and has released 4 digital electronic CANBUS controllers. The Hydrostatic Transmission controller can be programmed to suit specific...

Too much pressure.(transducer pressure transformer)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Monitran Ltd is launching a new range of linear variable differential transformers designed to allow pressures of up to 6000 psi to exist between the core of a transducer and internal assembly. The new LVDT's are said to offer superior...

Indecisive material makes big step forward.(Lord Corporation in development contract with Biedermann Motech)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... US company, Lord Corporation, has joined forces with Biedermann Motech, a German manufacturer of spinal implants and prosthetic components, to produce a device that improves the mobility of leg amputees by recreating a natural gait. The...

Rexroth comes to eagle's aid.(Rexroth Hydraulics in development contract with Eagle Precision)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... In an effort to improve the repeatability and reduce the set-up time of its tube endforming machines, Eagle Precision turned to Rexroth Hydraulics to provide advanced proportional control technology on its latest machine. The new Eagle NC...

Cylinders rise to Challenge.(Norgren Co.'s telescopic cylinder)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Norgren has developed a new telescopic cylinder for Aeromatic-Fielder, one of the world's leading manufacturers of advanced solids processing systems for granulation, pelletisation, coating and drying. Aeromatic-Fielder required a cylinder to...

Closing the bahn doors.(automated train door systems by Hoerbiger-Origa)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Originally developed and built by Siemens, the design of Germany's Intercity Express (ICE) is constantly being updated, and a leading manufacturer of train door systems turned to Hoerbiger-Origa to provide an intelligent solution for the...

Fluid help at hand.(expert system development by Dr. Jonny Silva)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... You probably didn't make it to the Chicago International Fluid Power Exposition, or the Hanover 2000 Exposition. Not to worry because they did not escape the attention of Design Engineering. An 'expert system' developed by Dr. Jonny Silva...

Simply wizard.(CADfix 4.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... FEGS has launched version 4.0 of CADfix. Enhancements are broadly focused in three areas. FEGS 4.0 has streamlined systems of Wizards which lead users through the geometry healing process. CADfix's internal core geometry engine has also been...

Translate and manage.(Data Exchange Manager version 3.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... The latest Data Exchange Manager, version 3.0, allowing one application to automate, manage and control CAD data translation, is now available. Widely used in the automotive and aerospace sectors, the main benefit of using DXM is being able to...

Money for old rope.(GTX Raster CAD V6.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... Specialist in providing paper to CAD solutions, GTX Corporation now has GTX Raster CAD V6.0 which is compatible with AutoCAD 2000i. This software can use your scanned paper drawings in your current engineering workflow providing a solution for...

A new dimension.(Femlab 2.0, statistical/mathematical software)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... With version 2.0 of Femlab, Comsol has added a new dimension to it's partial differential equation solver. Users can create and analyse models in 3D, and by employing the software's dynamic solvers, time dimensions can also be added. ...

The finer points.(new version of 3D Lightyear)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... 3D Systems has released a new version of its 3D Lightyear software for use with the company's SLA (stereo lithography apparatus) solid imaging systems. 3D Lightyear software converts 3D digital designs into operating commands for SLA...

Releasing the unrealised.(ray tracer from Advanced Rendering Technology)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 1, 2000... A dedicated hardware-accelerated photorealistic ray tracer for professional 3D design and animation, Advanced Rendering Technology's RD3000, is now available. Particularly useful for industrial design applications, virtual photography can be...

Soot gets clean sweep.(controlling diesel emissions)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Diesel particulates are known to aggravate respiratory and cardiovascular health problems. The ultrafine carbon particles produced by diesel engines are particularly damaging because they become lodged deep inside the lungs. 'The diesel engine...