Design Engineering articles from March 2003

Design Engineering archives from March 2003

PLM: we need convincing.(Product Lifecycle Management)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Having just returned to the office after the 'red eye' from the Daratech Summit 2003 in New York, it's a rather bleary eyed Roger Brownlie that writes this comment. Not bleary from tiredness, however, but bleary from boredom at the Summit. I...

Help at hand for white finger. (Design News).(Giovanni Bisutti to develop a system that could reduce the vibration experienced by pneumatic tool operators by about 60%)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Engineer Giovanni Bisutti has received a [pounds sterling]75,000 NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts) Invention & Innovation award to develop a system that could reduce the vibration experienced by pneumatic tool...

Letter from Japan.(news from japan)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS ABC reports on the Japanese government's plan to issue passports next year featuring personal physical data. The report says that the passports will will use microchips to store data on irises, fingerprints, palm...

Flat motor for shape shifters. (Design News).(low-cost, high-torque rotary motor, based on 'smart' materials developed at Penn State)
March 1, 2003... Engineers from Penn State University have developed a low-cost, high-torque rotary motor, based on 'smart' materials, that can be configured in a wide range of formats, including one as flat and thin as a CD case. The inventors say that,...

Bacterial conveyor belt. (Design News).(living motors made with bacteria)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... University of Arkansas researcher Steve Tung has incorporated living bacteria into microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to form living motors that could be used in systems for drug delivery or DNA sequencing. These tiny BioMEMS devices...

Christ fights fire with paper. (Design News).(Wolfgang Christ of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft develops fire-resistant material based on paper)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A scientist from German research organisation The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has developed a fire-resistant material based on a most unlikely fire-fighting substance: paper. With the use of asbestos as fire insulation for load-bearing...

Helical actuation. (Design News).(1 Ltd develops piezoelectric actuator )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... 1 Ltd, the UK inventor of an innovative piezoelectric actuator claims that its product offers designers numerous advantages over conventional electromagnetic transducers. The company's Helimorph actuator is made from PZT, a piezoelectric...

Ceramic improvements. (Design News).(zirconia being explored as an alternative to steel at the University of Sheffield )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Materials researchers at the University of Sheffield are looking into the use of zirconia as an alternative to steel. Zirconia, a ceramic with steel-like strength and hardness and high resistance to wear and chemical corrosion, is...

Fill her up please. (Design News).('Hydrofueler' to develop technology to connect petrol stations to the normal natural gas supply to fuel hydrogen powered vehicles)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Researchers at the University of Warwick's Warwick Process Technology Group are leading a programme called 'Hydrofueler' to develop technology to connect petrol stations to the normal natural gas supply to fuel hydrogen powered vehicles. The...

Black rod. (Breakthrough).
March 1, 2003... The problem with carbon fibre is it is too strong. The reason we ubiquitously don't use carbon fibre rods instead of steel cable is because the strength of the system is compromised by its weakest member -- the fastening system -- until now....

Recognition for IP assets. (Business Digest).(company directors see its value, according to survey)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... According to research carried out by UK patent attorney Marks & Clerk, company directors in the engineering sector are attaching growing importance to the value of intellectual property (IP). The survey reveals that and 75% of directors in this...

Aerospace given a lift. (Business Digest).(1.4 mil pound support programme has been launched in the West Midlands)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A [pounds sterling]1.4 million support programme has been launched in the West Midlands to help aerospace component manufacturers struggling to deal with the global downturn in the aerospace industry. The aim of the initiative, dubbed 'Lift...

An unlikely lifeline. (Business Digest).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Companies heading towards the 'brink' could be thrown a lifeline by the Inland Revenue claims Yvonne Redfern, a corporate tax partner with RSM Robson Rhodes. 'There may be an opportunity for some struggling businesses to generate cash by...

Electrostatic coating for food. (Tech Need Challenge).
March 1, 2003... This North American company wants a food-grade device capable of coating grains with particles. As an example, the coating apparatus would consistently apply seasonings and other particulates to grain electrostatically, to produce output of...

Aligning two tools on opposite sides. (Tech Need Challenge).
March 1, 2003... This company requires a sensor or method that can detect when two machine tools on opposite sides of a large aluminum panel-which may be up to 1" thick-are within .002" of each other in x-y alignment. http://www.yet2.com/demag/116

Optical fibre feedhorn. (Tech Need Challenge).
March 1, 2003... An "optical feedhorn" to concentrate the maximum amount of light entering a glass optical fibre is the aim of this European manufacturer. Applications include a video projector that uses LEDs as a light source, and high-precision laser culling....

Purchasing Managers' Index.(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... PURCHASING MANAGERS' INDEX [down arrow] 48.6 For the second consecutive month, January's CIPS / Reuters Purchasing Manager's Index indicates further contraction in the manufacturing industry. January's index fell from a revised...

Convergence: combining sequential control with real-time control has long been an automation dilemma. Dr Thomas Christman explains how Bosch Rexroth has married motion and logic.
March 1, 2003... There are mobile phones, which make it possible to telephone while you're on the move and there are handy organisers for managing dates, addresses and e-mails. For a number of years now efforts have been made to combine the functions of these...

From PLC to PAC. (PLCs).
March 1, 2003... ACCORDING TO A REPORT CARRIED OUT BY ARC ADVISORY GROUP, A NEW CLASS OF PLC IS EMERGING. JON EXCELL LOOKS AT ARC'S FINDINGS AND ASKS PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE AUTOMATION WORLD FOR THEIR OPINIONS. A recent report by ARC claims that additional...

Backward fans? (Fans).(fan trays: do they really work efficiently in their multi-fan configurations)
March 1, 2003... Geoff Lockwood is technical manager at EBM-ZIEHL (UK) Ltd, one of the country's leading suppliers of fans, motors, drives and associated controls. Here he looks at fan trays and asks do they really work efficiently in their multi-fan...

Beckhoff introduces the world's first Windows CE embedded PLC and motion controller. (Advertorial).
March 1, 2003... Do you need flexible, real-time PLC and motion control in a compact, inexpensive DIN-rail mounted module? Does your control solution need to combine these features with reliability and ease of use? If so, Stephen Hayes, of Hayes Control...

The amazing low power no power display: Jon Excell reports on a UK display technology that can retain its image even when the power is disconnected. (Design Works).
March 1, 2003... From shop windows, to phones, from fridges to bus-stops, displays are everywhere. And as their ubiquity increases, so we demand more from them. Indeed, some of the latest mobile phones offer graphical interfaces that ten years ago PC users...

Models get bigger. (On Screen).(Flomerics)
March 1, 2003... ELECTROMAGNETIC (EM) SIMULATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BECOME EXTREMELY COMPLEX AS RADIO FREQUENCY AND MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGIES EXPAND AND EMC REGULATIONS BECOME FAR STRICTER. TO VIRTUALLY PROTOTYPE PRODUCTS WITH INCREASING COMPLEXITY AND DETAIL IS...

Supply chain. (On Screen: Select Products).
March 1, 2003... TI TranscenData has released DEXcenter 4.1, the latest version of its web based engineering supply chain data exchange solution. Version 4.1 introduces a new user interface, expanded support for AutoCAD and Solidworks, and the integration...

CAD to PDF. (On Screen: Select Products).
March 1, 2003... The latest offering from Softcover allows design engineers to convert CAD drawings into POF files that can be rapidly emailed to clients and colleagues. Plot2PDF converts CAD drawings saved as industry standard AutoCAD .DWG and .DXF, HP-GL...

Simulation inside. (On Screen: Select Products).
March 1, 2003... MSC has announced the expansion of the MSC.visualNastran V5i family with MSC.Generative Nonlinear and MSC.Marc Gateway. Based upon Dassault's V5 Component Application Architecture (CAA), the products are said to give CATIA V5 users...

CADKEY ships V21. (On Screen: Select Products).
March 1, 2003... Design and drafting software expert CADKEY is now shipping Version 21 of its CADKEY Workshop Modeling Software. This major enhancement of the company's flagship CAD solution adds the power of advanced surface modeling to its solid modeling...

Lotus CAE packages. (On Screen: Select Products).
March 1, 2003... Lotus Engineering has announced the release of the latest versions of its CAE packages. The simulation tools-have underpinned powertrain and vehicle projects at the Hethel-based engineering consultancy since the mid-1980s. There are three...

Rugged touch. (Select Products: Displays).
March 1, 2003... Dolch already offers an expandable rugged portable computer in the form of the FIexPAC, and now the company is launching an innovative lightweight, yet rugged, wireless handheld touch display that can used up to 50m from the FIexPAC PC. ...

NEC LCD Range. (Select Products: Displays).
March 1, 2003... Sunrise Electronics now offers a broad range of NEC LCD panels targeted at industrial applications. The new introductions include digital thin film technology (TFT) modules in small 5.5 inch and a new 8.4 inch format, a new 1 0.4 inch...

A new twist. (Select Products: Displays).
March 1, 2003... The new E610 and E615 Graphic Touch Screen HMIs can put a new twist in your life! The two units both have a graphical 5.7" touch panel with a pixel resolution of 320 x 240. Each unit has the ability to be mounted in either landscape or portrait...

TFT panels from review. (Select Products: Displays).
March 1, 2003... With increasing demand for compact high resolution displays in mobile equipment such as hand held PCs, marine navigation and GPS systems, Review Display Systems has introduced both a 6.3 inch and 10.4 inch XGA (1024x768 pixels) TFT display...

Mutual compatability. (Select Products: Displays).
March 1, 2003... Trident Displays is offering an upgraded range of mono and colour STN LCD modules, featuring greatly improved, long life, low power backlights, and a wide operating temperature range. Ideal for instrumentation, ticket machines and hand held...

It's a wrap for ZF. (Select Products: Couplings, Brakes & Clutches).
March 1, 2003... Non-contact brakes from ZF Industrial have wrapped over 35,000 tons of paperboard in 6 months without wear or any need for maintenance. ZF's EBU series hysteresis brakes have been used to replace a friction based tension control system on a...

Couplings. (Select Products: Couplings, Brakes & Clutches).
March 1, 2003... Huco claims that the inclusion of a flexible and resilient polyurethane element between aluminium hubs allows its new range of flexible jaw couplings to transmit high torque with little or no backlash. This high performance is maintained even...

New lenze launch. (Select Products: Couplings, Brakes & Clutches).
March 1, 2003... Lenze has launched a new range of high-performance metal disc couplings, Rexnord's BSD Moduflex range. Providing a wide range of torque with high-speed capacity and a long-life backlash-free connection, the couplings are ideally suited to pump,...

UK innovation. (Select Products: Couplings, Brakes & Clutches).
March 1, 2003... A quick coupling developed by Cambridge company Cirocco that allows pipes to be disconnected and reconnected whilst in operation is said to result in less pressure loss than competing technologies as well as being cheaper and smaller. ...

Pressure on hydraulics. (Buyers Guide).
March 1, 2003... SARAH GARDNER, statistics manager for the british fluid power association, reports that despite consolidation recovery in the hydraulics sector is expected. Despite the constant threat to hydraulics from other forms of power transmission,...

Vehicle management. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Highlighting the breadth of application now employing wireless technology leading supplier of high performance cost effective 2.4GHz, spread spectrum wireless modules AeroComm has supplier transceivers for vehicle management application that...

AAVF. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Paul Caldwell has joined moulding and precision engineering specialists AAVF as Sales Manager and will represent the company's moulding solutions division. Mr Caldwell will service new and existing clients across the UK and has joined from CTP...

Customised caps. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Omnifit has customised its inert bottle caps to produce a system capable of sparging, filtering and transferring highly aggressive fluids from storage bottles to the inlets of an automated chromatography instrument. Omnifit designed a...

Circuit breakers. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... For manual motor controller applications requiring a motor disconnect feature, electrical component specialist, Schurter, has announced the AS168X series of circuit breakers. AC Versions with current ratings from 0.5 to 30A can be used, not...

Sarel. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Available in 15 standard colours, and in a wide variety of application specific versions, the new Spacial 3D product range from Sarel, a brand of Schneider Electric, sets new standards for convenience, ease of use, and value for money in steel...

Flexible conduit. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Even when exposed to fire, Icore's latest range of Lohal ultra-lightweight flexible conduit emits no toxic smoke or fumes, making it ideal for safety critical applications in rail and underground systems, public buildings, and industrial...

Pumping inks. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Akzo Nobel Inks uses over 100 VERDERAIR diaphragm pumps at its new ink production facility in Manchester. Pumps in the same range were used at the company's old site and performed so well that they were specified for thee new plant. ...

Sonotronic. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Sonotronic Nagel, one of the world's leading companies in the field of ultrasonic welding systems, is now represented in Great Britain and Northern Ireland by Sonotronic UK Ltd. Based in Edgware, Middlesex, the new company is headed by John...

Schurter catalogue. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Front panel designers looking to choose from a range of switch options will welcome Schurter's latest catalogue dedicated to momentary and latching action switches for equipment front panels. The full color 48 page catalogue contains mechanical...

Burkert helps youngsters. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... In a move to highlight the importance of the fieldbus technology for young engineers Burkert Fluid Control Systems has supported two of the UK's main training centres by donating a selection of Profibus and As-I Products Manchester's...

Switches. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... IFM Electronic now offers one of Europe's largest ranges of inductive proximity switches for valve positioning monitoring applications, making it easy for users to benefit from cost-effective solid-state sensing for most valves. The range...

Premium panel. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Rittal's latest development in stainless steel operating housings for machinery and plant manufacture is thc Premium Panel, designed to offer maximum protection against extreme ambient conditions. Using a new sealing process, the housing and...

Cypress software. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Cypress MicroSystems has announced software capabilities that enable embedded designers to easily add modem connectivity to systems based on the Programmable System on Chip (PsoC) device family. PSoC products are based on a configurable...

Drive partner. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Danfoss has appointed Fraser & Macdonald of Glasgow and Livingston, as its sole Drive Solutions Partner for Scotland. Frasers will carry extensive stocks of Danfoss products including Bauer geared motor units. According to Fraser & Macdonald MD...

Welding. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Forward Technology Industries has introduced its new Omega Ill MCRI Positional Spin Welding System for the assembly of thermoplastic components. This sophisticated welding process ensures precise positioning, dependable hermetic seals and a...

Tough coating. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Aluzink AZ 185 from SSAB Swedish Steel is the only design steel in Europe to meet requirements for corrosivity class C4. This means that Swedish climate equipment manufacturer PM Luft has chosen to manufacture its products--which are exposed to...

Curtains. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Swedish company Frico AB is launching a new range of air curtains for large entrances and doorways. The AD300 / 400 range offers improved performance and substantially lower sound levels. When correctly installed, air curtains improve the...

Mini ion transducer. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... MKS Instruments has introduced a new high vacuum transducer the HPS Series 909 Mation Transducer. The product is an integrated for cathocle sensor and electronics control package its wide measurement range makes it an ideal measurement tool for...

Checking track life. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Checking the wear and life of rail track and movement whilst the track is in use is one of the most demanding applications specified for the data Taker D1800 This data logger is ideal for most motoring applications and was chosen for this...

Relays. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Matsushita Electric Works has introduced its new DQ power relay. Designed with power saving latching coils, the DQ now removes the limitation on applications such as battery backed timer switches of using relays with capacities of 10--15A, it...

Weighbridge. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Following its appointment as sole distributor in the UK and Ireland for Utilcell s.r.o., Spain's leading manufacturer of load cells, Thames Side May wood is now able to offer a range of large-capacity products for the weigh bridge industry. The...

Rotaflow. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Multiple products or control lines can now be handled through one axis of rotation. Rotaflow Multiports allow multiple products to be conveyed through one axis. Combining proven seal and bearing technology to produce bespoke designs to suit the...

Interlock. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Mistura Systems has introduced a safety interlock for large machines which acts directly on the main power isolator. Rather than a safety interlock as part of the control circuit of emergency stop, this consists of a trapped key, manufactured...

Modem module. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Alpha Micro has launched a compact GSM/GPRS wireless modem module that incorporates optional GPS functionality. The AMC1802GSXLA was developed using the RIM 1802G and RIM 1902G OEM radio modems for GSM/GPRS wireless networks It is ideally...

Duplex coating. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Cali-Coat, a new PVD duplex coating available from Tecvac Ltd, a Wall-work company, gives brass, copper, aluminium and steel tools and components a surface hardness of 2000 HV (twice the hardness of high quality chrome plate) to extend the...

Surface coating investment. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Surface coating expert Poeton industries Ltd has completed a [pounds sterling]120,000 Investment in its Gloucester Technology Centre creating a focal point of surface coating excellent within the Poeton Group The centre was officially opened on...

Tolerance rings. (What's new in Design).
March 1, 2003... Aluminium is increasingly used for a range of vehicle components. However when mounting bearings into aluminium components the issue of thermal expansion can become troublesome. Against this background Rencol reports tolerance rings are in...

Sarel. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... With the new Spacial 3D range of control arm products from Sarel, operator control stations--and even complete control systems--can be readily suspended above the equipment with which they are associated. Benefits include valuable space...

Maritime glue. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Araldite 2015 has been awarded the internationally recognised Germanischer Lloyd and Det Norske Veritas Type Approvals for the construction of commercial and military marine craft and aluminium fast ferries. Specifically, the Type Approvals...

New air motor. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Quadrant Engineering and Dynatork have developed a non-lubricated Air Motor for operation in harsh and hazardous environmental conditions. The Dynatork motors use an air supply of up to 100psi (6.5 bar) which is controlled through an integral...

ABB's compact drive. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... ABB has launched a DC drive with drastically reduced space requirements. The DCS 500-AS is 25% smaller than its predecessor, with a compact design that makes it the market's smallest product in the 1000-2000A range. This enables system...

Design kit. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Now available from Murata Electronics, leading supplier of EMI suppression components, is a design kit containing a wide range of chip ferrite beads. With more than 600 devices and 30 different types, the kit is worth 160 Euros and is ideal for...

Murata invests. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... With the pressure on 'time to market' and miniaturisation in the competitive and merging communications and consumer markets, chip capacitor leader, Murata, has responded with significant investment in new products and production capacity. The...

Spider. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... HBM has launched the Spider8-30 system with 600 Hz carrier frequency technology to give high stability and low noise sensitivity for experimental stress analysis. Spider 8-30 is the latest version of HBM's Spider8 universal digital...

Capacitive switch. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... The new 1297/1897 capacitive switch from Wimbledon-based CTL Components features programmable sensitivity levels that enable it to be actuated by a light touch or even by the mere proximity of an object. Manufactured in Germany by Mentor GmbH...

Routeco website. (Who's Who in Design).
March 1, 2003... Routeco one of the UK's leading distributors of industrial automation anti control products, is pleased to announce the redevelopment of its website www.routeco.com designed to keep you up to date with the latest industry developments new...

Conduit deal. (Who's Who in Design).
March 1, 2003... Worcester-based InteliFlex, is appointed the Southern region distributor for automotive conduit system manufacturer Harnessflex Ltd. Manufacturers of specialist conduit systems for vehicle wiring applications, Harnessflex systems route and...

Heyco fasteners. (Who's Who in Design).
March 1, 2003... Heyco, long a distributor of plastic fasteners in its own right, has been appointed an approved UK distributor for the full range of ITW Fastex fastening products. ITW is a world-class manufacturing organization with products such as plastic...

Invensys. (Who's Who in Design).(Calvin B. Cobb named division president)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Invensys has announced that Dr. Calvin B. Cobb has been appointed vice president and general manager of the company's global Hydrocarbon Industries business unit. In this capacity, Cobb will direct efforts to help Invensys' Hydrocarbon...

Coating contract. (Who's Who in Design).
March 1, 2003... Poeton Industries Ltd, a world leader in surface coating technology has been awarded a contract to apply its Apticote 100 hard chromium plating to high--performance damper tubes used on the suspension of the Mitsubishi Ralliart World Rally...

New facility. (Who's Who in Design).
March 1, 2003... Saint-Gobain Abrasives has opened a new manufacturing facility at its site in Stafford, formerly the Unicorn Abrasives Factory. Representing [pounds sterling]6 million investment, the new factory offers the most technologically advanced...

PowerJacks website. (Who's Who in Design).
March 1, 2003... In October 2002 the PowerJack Group acquired youngs lifting. As part of a program to integrate the Youngs Lifting product portfolio a new web site has been created. The web site is called www.youngslifting.com and provides an overview of youngs...

Differential level monitoring. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... A new differential level monitoring system from Solartion Mobrey has saved Thames Water thousands of pounds on a flow meter refurbishment project at London's Beckton Sewage Treatment works. Ultrasonic level meters MSP900s and new dual input...

Guide. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... PC Control, a new guide from Hayes Control Systems, provides information about dozens of automation applications based on the use of PCs and open fieldbus technology. Topics covered include temperature measurement via fleldbus and miniature...

Weidmuller. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Weidmuller's Minimate S2L/B2L PCB connectors and Telephone RTU system are being used for critical telemetry control and signalling functions on remote drinking water reservoirs in Canada. The Minimate connectors are required to eliminate signal...

Icore solutions. (What's New in Design).
March 1, 2003... Designers seeking compact, convenient and cost-effective solutions to electrical interconnection problems involving currents from 50A to over 10,000A need look no further than Icore's custom design and manufacturing capability for high-current...