R & D articles from June 2008

R & D archives from June 2008

The leading edge.(EDITORIAL)
June 1, 2008... In this issue of R&D Magazine, we celebrate our 50th year of publication. Over the past half century, we've seen and published information on the dramatic changes in technologies like the development of desktop computing, the Internet, the...

Technology will continue to be the driver of change: from the late-1950s to now, R&D Magazine has been proud to provide you with new products and technologies. But, take a look at what's still to come.(R&D 50 YEARS)
June 1, 2008... This year we celebrate 50 years of publishing R&D Magazine, which has been dedicated throughout that past half century to providing scientists and engineers working in R&D labs with the technical information they need to do their jobs better....

Advances in experimentation for improving products and processes: computing has revolutionized our testing capacity, but efficient design of experimentation remains a valuable tool for success.(R&D 50 YEARS)
June 1, 2008... We have come a long way in harnessing the power of scientific experimentation, and many of the most important advances have come along in the last few years as computing power has enabled new ideas to emerge and become practical. Here is a...

Transforming technologies for biology and medicine in the 21 century.(R&D 50 YEARS)
June 1, 2008... New directions in science are launched by new tools much more often than by new concepts. The effect of a concept-driven revolution is to explain old things in new ways. The effect of a tool-driven revolution is to discover new things that have...

Into the looking glass: Battelle experts forecast future technologies: Battelle scientists periodically prognosticate about future developments in science and technology. A sampling of predictions was prepared for the 50th Anniversary issue of R&D.(R&D 50 YEARS)
June 1, 2008... Energy Increased use of renewable and sustainable fuels for electric power generation: Population growth and economic expansion will boost demand for electricity, which is frequently generated by non-clean fuels. Thus, expect a dramatic...

Parallel computing, parallel development: as software design adjusts to multicore processors, workforces are also aligning to a new distributed model.(R&D 50 YEARS)(Report)
June 1, 2008... R&D organizations are facing two significant challenges: maximizing the emerging mainstream computing model of parallel computing resources and getting the most out of parallel human resources located around the globe. Successful development...

Winning an R&D 100 Award--innovation meets entry submission: an R&D 100 Award pays dividends that go beyond the plaque on the wall.(R&D 50 YEARS)
June 1, 2008... Bryce Tappan and his brother grew up interested in science and were "partners in crime for all the backyard experiments," he recalls. So when Tappan, a technical staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, N.M., learned...

Collaborative research in the Heartland: Indiana University's Simon Hall creates an environment for current and future research in a setting that maintains one of the strongest architectural heritages in academia.(42nd Anniversary: 2008 LAB OF THE YEAR)
June 1, 2008... Indiana Univ., Bloomington, is considered one of the most beautiful college campuses in the nation, with its abundance of flowering plants and trees and cool Indiana limestone buildings. A 20-acre area in the southwest corner of this campus,...

An expression of solar research: built around a vision of sustainability, NREL's environmentally sound, high-performance Science & Technology Facility will be used to enhance the visibility of renewable technologies.(42nd Anniversary: 2008 LAB OF THE YEAR)(National Renewable Energy Laboratory)
June 1, 2008... The Science & Technology Facility at the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, Colo., was designed to accelerate development and commercialization of promising new renewable energy sources. It is a space...

R&D 2008 Lab of the Year.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... R&D Magazine would like to thank the judges of the 42nd Laboratory of the Year Competition: Boyd Black Director, Project Management Services Univ. of Illinois at Chicago Jim Contratto Director Business Development ...

Economic forces continue to drive up lab construction costs: new construction lab costs are expected to increase from 3% to 10% in the U.S. in 2008, depending upon local market conditions.(LABORATORY EQUIPMENT/DESIGN)(Table)
June 1, 2008... Research laboratory construction costs are expected to increase in 2008 due to the same combustible mix of forces seen over the past several years--rising oil prices, aggressive labor demands, spikes in commodity prices, and an active...

Mixed-flow exhaust systems cut vibration and noise: laboratory workstation fume exhaust systems based on mixed-flow impellers with direct drive motors provide silent, vibration-free operation needed for high measurement accuracy at the Univ. of Oregon's research laboratories.(LABORATORY EQUIPMENT/DESIGN)
June 1, 2008... Designing a world-class research facility requires careful planning, right down to the exhaust systems. The Integrative Science Complex (ISC) at the Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, is a unique approach to scientific research and technology problem...

Benches adjust at the press of a button.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Case Systems, Inc. now offers the new YMS Analytical Bench that has an electronic lift system. It can adjust from heights of 30 to 42 inches at the push of a button-in a matter of seconds. Its tandem, twin-drive...

Flow hoods resist chemicals.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Flow Sciences, Inc. has engineered a flow hood with framed polypropylene sides for improved chemical resistance. The unit features pass-thrus on either side to allow the customer to connect the unit to existing Flow Sciences vented enclosures....

Clamps install without damage and tangles.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Heyco Products, Inc., offers a new line of Push Lock Cable Clamps and Snap Lock Cable Clamps for clamping cable/wire/hose bundles securely in place. Push Lock Cable Clamps feature push in arrows for quick and easy installation with no...

Aquacounter is available in two channel configurations.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... JM Science announces their new AQUACOUNTER Karl Fischer Coulometric Titrator (AQ-2100S). The titrator is available in two channel configurations as well as a component of a semi-automated or fully automated KF system. The AQUACOUNTER has a...

Flask dancer shakes it up.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Boekel Scientific introduces the Flask Dancer Orbital Shaker. Designed to provide a smooth horizontal mixing motion with a smooth soft start, the microprocessor controlled Flask Dancer can be programmed to operate unattended for periods up to...

Modern materials--the details make the difference: small-angle x-ray scattering makes sense of nanoparticles.(CHROMATOGRAPHY/SPECTROSCOPY)
June 1, 2008... Modern materials technology goes "nano" because the presence, or the implementation of, nanostructures in a material can dramatically change its properties. It thus offers a huge potential to tailor synthetic materials. Self-assembled and...

Is there cyanide in your environment? The extensive use of cyanide in everyday industrial operations requires close monitoring with reliable methodologies and instrumentation.(CHROMATOGRAPHY/SPECTROSCOPY)
June 1, 2008... Mention cyanide and you almost always get an over-reaction due to its highly poisonous nature. And rightly so, the cyanide complex (CN-) binds with the enzyme cytochrome C oxidase to inhibit cellular respiration and energy production, resulting...

System uses low angle light scattering detector.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Viscotek's Triple Detector System features an integrated triple detector array, a low angle light scattering detector, four capillary viscometer detectors, autosampler, and degasser module specifically designed for G PC/SEC applications and...

New i-trometer series spectrometers available.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] B&W Tek, Inc. announces the i-trometer series CCD array spectrometers. Using a high UV-NIR response wide dynamic range back-thinned CCD array with a low stray light optical bench, the i-trometer products have wide...

New columns improve separation of samples.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Phenomenex Inc. announces the addition of a new 50 x 2.0 mm ID column to its Onyx monolith line. The 30% smaller dia column requires less sample volume and reduces solvent consumption. The Onyx columns, which contain...

Structural health monitoring--an opportunity for micronano?(MATERIALS SCIENCE/NANOTECHNOLOGY)
June 1, 2008... No, not our health! We are fine, thank you. We want to discuss the health monitoring of bridges, high rise buildings, dikes, etc. As one of the writers of this column is Dutch, we thought it fitting to start this article with an example from...

A factor of four: next-generation 40-Gbps networks are finally here.(TEST, MEASUREMENT & ANALYSIS)
June 1, 2008... We tend to take speed for granted, especially that of information. Ever higher rates of data transmission are fully expected, and with the petabyte becoming common, our need for faster networks clearly remains at hand. Accommodating this...

New ultra-compact pressure transmitters.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new Ashcroft GC51 and GC52 gauge and differential pressure transmitters offer an economical alternative to network process transmitters when a digital protocol is not required. The design features an...

High-pressure and seawater resistant LVDTs.(Tools of the Trade)(linear variable differential transformer)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Macro Sensors are specialists in the manufacture of LVDT-based linear position sensors with the capability to design high-pressure and seawater resistant LVDTs for incorporation into sub-sea measurement systems used...

Low cost, high performance, linear stepper motor.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A low cost, high performance, two-phase, linear stepper motor with 1 [micro]m resolution is designed for easy integration into new and existing applications. This compact, industry standard, 5 lb. linear stepper...

High performance rugged photoelectric sensors.(Tools of the Trade)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The Keyence PX Series Photoelectric Sensor heads carry an IP 69K environmental rating which allows them to be subjected to high pressure (1400psi) washdown applications, even at high temperatures (80[degrees]C). Stainless steel casing prevents...