Design Engineering articles from November 2002

Design Engineering archives from November 2002

Formula no fun.(change to Formula 1 auto racing rules will make it more an engineer's sport)
November 1, 2002... Engineers have always been Formula 1 fans. It's no surprise really as engineers have that technical insight that makes the layman sound like a backseat driver. But nobody would have guessed that Formula 1 would be reserved exclusively for...

Faster jet design. (Design News).(Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics develops engineering software)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... A software tool that helps engineers improve jet engine design is said to be 100 times faster than other programs used for the same job. Developed at Purdue University's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the software analyses engine...

All aboard the jet train. (Design News).(Bombardier introduces new non-electric passenger train)
November 1, 2002... Bombardier has unveiled the JetTrain locomotive, a non-electric 150mph passenger train that is said to be faster, quieter, lighter and more environmentally friendly than its high-speed diesel counterparts. The introduction of the train...

World-wide FEA survey. (Design News).(finite element practice)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... A world-wide survey on the state of finite element practice is being carried out by FE Net -- a network of 110 organisations dedicated to both building confidence in FEA results and improving the quality of FEA applications. FENet says...

Banishing barnacles.(new coatings to protect ships)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Boats and barnacles: forever bound together in briny bridal bliss. But the hardy crustacean's love affair with hulls is under threat from a young pretender; a new type of 'antifouling coating' based on a dolphin's skin. Barnacles and...

Long-life atomic battery.(Cornell University develop energy storage device)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Cornell University researchers have built a microscopic device that could supply power for decades to remote sensors or implantable medical devices by drawing energy from a radioactive isotope. The device converts the energy stored in the...

Letter from Japan.
November 1, 2002... DIY NETWORKS Mitsubishi Corporation is preparing to set up a company to commercialise an innovative relay technology that lets users create their own voice and data networks. The new technology, called Mobile Telecommunications Radio...

Fowl play improves cluck speed. (Design News).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
November 1, 2002... Some of our more avid readers may remember an article we ran a while ago about a UK engineer who proposed making circuit boards out of Pasta (the ability to boil off the components makes recycling simple). Well, in an interesting new take on...

Breakthrough process prints metal on paper. (Design News).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Technology that will enable manufacturers to precisely deposit and adhere conductive metals onto plastic or paper substrates has been jointly developed by Xennia Technology and Carclo plc. Based on direct printing methods the CIT...

Advanced visualisation. (Design News).(new method of generating digital images )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Resarchers from Glasgow School of Art's Digital Design Studio have developed a method of generating digital images that could change the way that cars are designed. The new system, dubbed the Advanced Visualisation Network, was recently...

Ballscrews beware: Linear motors are not new. Neither is it new for UK engineers to hesitate before applying innovative technologies. (Breakthrough).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... The linear motor has arguably been around since the 1850s with Frenchman Paul Fromont's invention. More recently, and more famously, Eric Laithwaite's designs in the 1960s formed the basis of Maglev trains. But, while widely accepted in Japan,...

Why use a linear motor? (Breakthrough).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Linear Electric Motors provide direct thrust for the positioning of a user's payload. They eliminate the need for a rotary to linear conversion mechanism. e.g. ball screw, rack and pinion, toothed belt. Here is a list of these generic...

We know about google, but what's PLM? (Business Digest).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Research carried out by the Business Advantage Group clearly demonstrates that in the search for product information, it is the path of least resistance that triumphs. The survey covered 190 engineering managers who use the web to search...

Cool for kids. (Business Digest).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... To promote the pursuit of science and technology subjects among UK secondary school pupils, PTC has rolled out a nationwide campaign, 'Engineering -- cool for kids', in conjunction with Steve Bennett, founder of Manchester's Starchaser...

Sick acquisition. (Business Digest).(Sick AG acquires Max Stegmann GmbH)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... In what represents a huge addition to its factory automation product portfolio, Sick Ag has taken over encoder and actuator specialist Max Stegmann GmbH. In addition to optical, inductive, magnetic and capacitive sensors, customers can now...

UK Purchasing Manager's Index. (Business Digest).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... [up arrow] 50.5 October's CIPS/Reuters Purchasing Manager's Index remained above the 50 no change mark for the third month running, and for the seventh time in the past eight months. Furthermore, October's data suggested a marginal...

Sensitive vibration damping. (Tech Need Challenge).
November 1, 2002... YET2.COM Low-frequency air suspension systems are limited by impact disturbances, moving loads, and the high centre of gravity in equipment These factors introduce excessive response motions. This organisation seeks an active damping...

How to measure wear on refractory vessels? (Tech Need Challenge).
November 1, 2002... YET2.COM Refractories in metallurgical vessels show continuous wear -- the slag zones of the vessels in particular show a high level of wear. How to measure that wear is the question: quickly, accurately, and in an environment typified by...

Food for thought. (Tech Need Challenge).
November 1, 2002... YET2.COM A multi-million dollar European organisation is seeking unique food ingredients scientifically capable of enhancing cognitive functions and mental performance. Their intention is to base solid and liquid food products, or dietary...

Servo selections. (Servo Motors).
November 1, 2002... IN TODAY'S FIERCE, MULTI-NATIONAL, COMPETITIVE MARKETS, INGENIOUS DESIGNERS OF MANUFACTURING MACHINERY ARE CREATING FASTER, MORE ACCURATE AND COMPACT EQUIPMENT TO PRODUCE A MYRIAD OF BETTER, LOWER COST GOODS, FROM TOILET ROLLS TO PAPER MILLS,...

Resins to be cheerful. (Prototyping).
November 1, 2002... THE HUGE DIVERSITY OF VACUUM CASTING RESINS NOW AVAILABLE HAS PROMPTED ONE RESIN MANUFACTURER TO LAUNCH A SPECIFICATION SERVICE TO ASSIST DESIGN ENGINEERS. USING THESE NEW MATERIALS DELIVERS ONE OF THE FASTEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL WAYS OF...

Bye bye butterfly. (Design Works).
November 1, 2002... OFFERING FUEL SAVINGS AND REDUCED EMISSIONS, BMW'S VALVETRONIC ENGINE HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS AN ADVANCE COMPARABLE TO THE CHANGEOVER FROM THE CARBURETTOR TO FUEL INJECTION. SO HOW WAS IT DESIGNED? The throttle butterfly, positioned inside...

Keeping the user friendly: The latest major release of solidworks 2003 has moved from being just about cad to claim some of the 'design automation' high ground. (SolidWorks 2003).
November 1, 2002... The main focus of SolidWorks 2003 has been to provide tools to allow engineers to work smarter not harder. There is built-in motion simulation and 'stress checking' analysis capability, there are web publishing tools and links to hosting...

Rtre shipping. (On Screen: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... London software company Cubicspace is shipping its Windows-based real time visualisation solution, rtre. rtre is a suite of plug-ins and stand-alone tools for Autodesk's VIZ and Discreet's 3ds max applications. Using Cubicspace's own...

Quality Analysis. (On Screen: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... The latest release of Northwest Analytical's Quality Analyst is now available in the UK from Adept Scientific. Quality Analyst 5.2 easily integrates into manufacturing data systems in any industry or business, from parts manufacture to...

Autodesk Inventor 6. (On Screen: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... Now shipping, the latest version of Autodesk's Inventor 6 is said to have more than 200 major productivity and drawing enhancements, adding industry-specific solutions such as routing tools and weldments to meet specific industrial machinery...

Linking CAD and CAE. (On Screen: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... Simulation software expert Applied Computing and Engineering and process automation specialist Phoenix Integration have teamed up to offer engineering companies a new way of integrating CAD and CAE processes to cut product development times....

Display Tester. (HMIs: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... The 3298 Multimedia Display Tester from Yokogawa Martron is a quality-of-display instrument designed to test the display screens in notebook computers, PDAs, games consoles and digital cameras. Suited for use in R&D departments or on...

Organic display. (HMIs: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... The Eastman Kodak Company and Sanyo Electric have unveiled a prototype fifteen-inch full-colour flat-panel display based on Kodak's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The active-matrix display features full-colour, 1280 x 720...

Two tough guys. (HMIs: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... Dolch has launched two new industrial touch screen displays: The RuggedTouch, a robust touchscreen, and the RuggedTouch Plus; which combines the display features of the RuggedTouch with a rear-mounted computer. This, says Dolch, makes it one of...

New blue view. (HMIs: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... Operator Interfaces are used in a variety of locations and often the screen can be difficult to read due to bright ambient light conditions. Rockwell Automation says it has solved this problem with a new Blue-Mode screen for its popular...

Touching the door. (HMIs: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... A touch sensitive switch that can operate through 16mm-thick double-glazing has been launched by HMI expert EAO. Mounting the series 58 is said to be a simple drill-free process as it can be bonded directly to glass, and the absence of...

Treasure Island. (Fluid Power: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... The latest compact, lightweight, high-flow pneumatic valve island from Norgren - the VM10 - boasts an excellent flow rate of 430litres/m - the highest available for any valve with a 10mm width. This exceptional flow rate means, claims Norgren,...

AirLINE system. (Fluid Power: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... Burkert has introduced AirLINE, a valve island concept with integrated standard electronic I/O modules and fieldbus connectivity. The remote process actuation control system AirLine offers virtually any combination of valve island...

Cylinders. (Fluid Power: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... SMC Pneumatics has launched a new range of escapement cylinders, the MIW and MIS, for separating and feeding individual parts from vibratory feeders, magazines and hoppers. Supplied with one or two 'fingers' this product is the ideal choice for...

Tiny terminals. (Fluid Power: Select Products).
November 1, 2002... The compact new CPV-SC valve terminal is the worlds smallest for its flow rate says Festo. Featuring a profile cross section of just 40mm x 40mm and a grid of 10mm, but with flow rates up to 150 litres/min, the units are aimed directly at the...

Faster fastener inspection. (Buyers Guide).
November 1, 2002... EVERY DAY MILLIONS OF FASTENERS ARE INSTALLED IN APPLICATIONS AND MANY ARE AUTOMATICALLY INSERTED INTO THE COMPONENT. CONSISTENT CONTROL IS VITAL TO AVOID MACHINE STOPPAGES DUE TO ROGUE DEFECT ITEMS ENTERING THE SUPPLY CHAIN, SAYS SIMON COX OF...

Buyers Guide.(Directory)
November 1, 2002... Buyers Guide KEY Design Engineering is not responsible for any errors that may have occurred while compiling this data. METALLIC THREADED FASTENERS MTFST STUDDING MTFBO BOLTS MTFSC SCREWS MTFNU NUTS MTFIN INSERTS...

HBM's catman 4.0. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The latest version of HBM's data analysts software catman 4.0 features an ActiveX interface to link the software to external applications. ActiveX permits communication and data exchange between two PC applications to give measurement engineers...

Driving a Colossus. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Hansen Transmission is pleased to be associated with one of the most exciting developments in Theme Park Roller Coaster Ride history in many years -- Colossus. The heart of the gravity driven ride is powered by a bespoke Hansen drive package...

HBM's C18. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Accurate measurement of large compressive forces in areas where only confined mounting space is available is now possible with HBM's C18 compressive force transducer. Based on the ring torsion principle, the transducer has a low profile and a...

Gears for fitness. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The UK's leading manufacturer of exercise equipment tested a range of internationally made gearboxes that would provide guaranteed reliability the world over. With exports of toning systems spreading from Australia to America, Shapemaster...

Winter power. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... According to power quality expert Advance Galatrek, storms and general bad weather have a serious effect on power distribution systems, causing disruption through flooding, high winds and lightning. Companies have to take very seriously the...

KIP customers. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... KIP UK Ltd, one of the world's leading suppliers of wide-format digital reprographic systems, has announced continued growth of its service business in the UK with 25 major customer wins totalling more than [pounds sterling]250,000 in new...

Metal detection. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Jordan Cereals, has purchased two Eriez METALALARM Handytec Hand-held metal detectors for use in its QA HACCP system, specially as part of their CCP (Critical Control Point) corrective action procedure. The Handytec is a portable...

Office locking. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Lowe & Fletcher, has added new switchable espagnolette models to its range of office furniture lock systems. Designed for use with wooden and metal office furniture, the switchable espagnolette locks may be configured to operate as left or...

Wieland's fasis MINI. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Wieland Electric introduces fasis MINI to the already established fasis range of DIN rail terminals. Basis MINI utilises the recognised spring clamp connection. The miniature fasis type WKFM has a conductor range for solid and finely stranded...

Ready to mount rails. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The Series 2000 rails from Naples Coombe are precision ready to mount components that offer excellent load bearing capacity, long travel, high accuracy, repeatability and economy. With travel ranges in excess of 500mm, the Series 2000 is...

Low cost enclosure. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Innovative and cost-effective wall-mounting enclosures in the new Spacial 3D range from Sarel, a brand of Schneider Electric, are now available in fully customised versions, ready for use as soon as they are delivered. This means big time and...

Tension fastener. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The use of Rotabolt tension fasteners has provided maintenance engineers at the Corus plant in Scunthorpe with an easier and more reliable way of ensuring joint integrity. This has reduced wear and the need for replacement parts for a drive...

The big O. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Finding that elusive 'O' ring or clamp is a thing of the past with Creative Group's new KF Fittings Kit. This handy kit has been designed for use by design and development engineers working on vacuum equipment in laboratory, process,...

Fastener web-site. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... SEAC, manufacturer and supplier of specialist fasteners to the construction and manufacturing industries, has re-launched its web site. Designed to be quick and easy to navigate, the site offers a host of new features. Full product information...

2-pole switch. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The UV45 appliance switch from Schurter is a 2-pole device with integrated under voltage release and restart protection. The compact, space saving design operates with a positive trip-free action. This innovative feature ensures that even after...

Miniature filters. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Miniature EMI filters lust got even smaller with the launch of the SBSP range of surface mount pi-filters from Syfer Technology. The UK multilayer chip capacitor specialist has applied its expertise to develop these high performance devices in...

Hip steel. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Sales of stainless steel, Furlong Modular Hip Replacement systems, produced by JRI Ltd, have increased significantly in the 12 months following a change from a standard vacuum melted stainless steel to Sandvik Steels' Bioline High nitrogen...

Kvaerner builds chamber. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Kvaemer Engineering and Construction has built an Interaction Chamber for a Central laser Facility at Sheffield's Rutherton Appleton laboratory Essentially allarge 2m by 2.2m by 5m steel rectangular box, the interaction chamber was built to...

Aircraft adhesion. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Boeing has used its Low Cost Tooling For Composites (LCTFC) process and a little help from RenShape Solutions to build a series of tools for prototyping exterior aircraft skins. The process uses RenShape's RenPaste RP 4040 syntactic epoxy...

Clever hinges. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Technology borrowed from the automotive industry offers a simple solution to the problems caused by freely moving hinges says Rencol. The key is a device called a tolerance ring which sits between the hinge pin and the butt. A series of...

Fluid sensors. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Air or liquid, pressure or flow -- IFM now offers a comprehensive family of sensors covering virtually every fluid monitoring requirement. As well as units with single digital outputs, the range now includes pressure and flow sensors with dual...

Assembly service. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Weidmuller's customers are now able to take advantage of its expert custom assembly services. These range from kitting and bagging of preselected parts to feed assembly lines, through part rail assemblies to full panels and complete wired-up...

Holding washer. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The latest addition to Bulte Plastics range, and one of the new products in its latest catalogue for 2002, is the 'holding washer'. This metric washer fits all standard screws with thread sizes of M3/4/5/6 and M8. Holding washers are ideal for...

Greater sensing. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The Balluff Series BOS 6K uses new laser emitter elements and improved receiver technology to improve the optical data. The laser diffuse sensors with HGA (background suppression) works up to a range of 110mm. Proven teach-in calibration makes...

Vertical boxes. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Camden Electronics has introduced a new range of two DIN rail mounting vertical boxes designed for use with its 5.0, 5.08, 7.5 and 7.62mm pitch plug-in terminal blocks. The boxes feature plates for covering unused terminal areas that are...

More seals. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... While maintaining its existing stock of more than 6000 standard components in a range of variations, oil seals specialist Blue Diamond is launching a number of new products to accompany the well established heavy duty seals for arduous...

Eco-Lock. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Wieland has extended its Stocko range of Eco-Lock connectors to include the new 1.0mm pitch connector. Using the zero insertion force concept and a simple press to lock cover that can be re-used enables the contacts to be re-opened without...

Submarine trackerball. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... A new patented optical trackerball that operates fully immersed in liquid is now available from Micromark C&CD. The device from Cursor Control was developed in response to demands from industrial, military and marine markets and not only works...

Pressure control. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The latest Belgas direct acting high pressure regulators now available from Marsh Bellofram Europe Ltd have been designed for reducing high inlet pressures down to lower supply pressures suitable for precision regulator control. Typical...

Mader and Weber. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The Mader range of high performance manual presses has been added to the workshop equipment available from Weber Automatic Assembly Systems Ltd. These are economically priced presses designed for precision operations with an initial capacity...

Safe acceleration. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Monitran has launched its latest IS family of intrinsically safe accelerometers, or vibration sensors, for use in a wide range of applications in Group I and Group II hazardous areas. Designed, developed and manufactured by the company in the...

Expansion. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Farnell has expanded its range of motion control products with the addition of a range of German-built encoders from Wimbledon-based CTL Components, the exclusive UK agent for renowned encoder manufacturer IVO GmbH. The IVO range of incremental...

Braking in the USA. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Stephenson Gobin Ltd can now provide a range of six different sizes of permanent magnet fail-safe brakes designed to meet the needs of niche markets. The UK's leading designers of permanent magnet fail-safe brakes are establishing a reputation...

Festo trains. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Festo Didactic, the training arm of automation specialist Festo Ltd, has launched a new concept in structured training that links together individual process and programme elements into a unique five-stage training plan. The new Festo 5-stage...

Hold me. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Brownell has introduced a range of Tie-Down Shelving providing a highly flexible, adjustable and secure method of mounting all shapes and sizes of standard equipment such as computers, data recorders and test systems into vehicles used for...

Linear motion for PLCs. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Linak UK has added a new model, the LA12 PLC, to its Techline range of electric linear actuators. The actuator is designed for factory automation, ventilation plants and other equipment controlled by PLCs. The key lies in the fact that the...

SSF at Valve World. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... At this year's Valve World exhibition, Stainless Steel Fasteners (SSF) will be demonstrating its expertise in producing bespoke components for valves used in the oil & gas energy minerals chemical and related industries worldwide. Also present...

Steel homes. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... A new concept in house design that involves the use of steel frames and floor cassettes has been developed by Corus Building Systems and Redrow Homes. Norfolk-based WT Atkin and West Midlands company Formit have won the contract to develop the...

Fine display. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Matsushita's Cimrex 67 and 69 combine the benefits of a fully graphic display with the user friendliness of a touch screen. Both terminals have a 5.7in graphic touch screen and backlight. A resolution of 320 x 240 pixels means pictures are...

Premix expand. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Until recently, Premix technology -- which allows gas appliance output to be modulated to match demand -- has largely been used on gas boilers for domestic installations. Applications are now expanding rapidly to include commercial boilers,...

Euchner award. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Systems and security specialist Euchner has been nominated for the prestigious Germany Design Award 2002. The company's manual control units were selected for the award, which marks major achievements in two categories: product design together...

Druck for pressure. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Following the development and introduction of both fixed range and rangeable pressure transmitters for a variety of industrial applications, GE Druck now offers a comprehensive product portfolio with a wide choice of specifications and price /...

Design. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Gateshead-based Composite Design Support (CDS), which provides design supporl along with training and consultancy advice for the engineering sector, has appointed Michael Eccles as technical manager within the company. Michael has been...

Nice but DIMM. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Smart Modular Technologies has introduced a new line-up of small-form factor DDR DIMMs. The 100pin DIMMs, available in densities from 64MB to 5 12MB, feature a x32 bus. The modules are specifically designed for lower-end computing applications...

Hand-held humidity. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... The Vaisala HM70 is designed for measuring relative humidity and temperature in chambers and other demanding applications where accuracy is important. The hand-held meter is robust, has a graphical "CD display for trend monitoring and functions...

Customised elements. (What's New in Design).
November 1, 2002... Designed for use at very high temperatures; five new grades of Super heating elements from Kanthal AB, work directly in the furnace atmosphere without muffles to protect them. No other heating element currently available has the same...