Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from February 2006

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from February 2006

Only on M.E. Magazine Online: @ www.memagazine.org.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Responses to the January Question of the Month: How would you rate the long-term health of manufacturing in the United States? Aging. 43% Terminal. 35% Strong. 15% Not sure. 7% Note: Table made...

Teaching engineering uniquely.(editorial)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... What prompted Olin College to become so innovative in its teaching practices? It comes down to two vital factors: great vision and loads of money. Traditional engineering schools teach first and then allow students to experiment. At the...

Safe engineering.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... To the Editor: I would like to commend the American car manufacturers for their success in the field, to be ahead of their counterparts from Japan, Italy, Germany, and elsewhere with the introduction of the latest designs in vehicles. It is a...

Will work for food.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... To the Editor: It has been gratifying to read a number of recent letters that acknowledge there is a sickness in the engineering world. I recently received my B.S. in mechanical engineering from an accredited school and I have been amazed by my...

No-fly won't fly.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... To the Editor: When I read the letter from Sidney Goodman in the July 2005 issue of Mechanical Engineering, I was astounded that a trained engineer in analytical thought would make a statement that no-fly zones should be put up around the...

Don't sweat it.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... To the Editor: In the Technology Focus article "Ducts Without Sweat" in the April 2005 issue, John Kluber of Kluber Skahan & Associates makes several claims regarding steam absorbers that deserve further clarification. His quotation "... steam...

Relatively hot wire.(news & notes)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... When the phrases "high temperature and liquid nitrogen" appear in the same sentence, it can only mean that the topic is superconductivity--the strange material property of losing all electrical resistance below a certain temperature....

Finite element rivals.(news & notes)
February 1, 2006... Going after a new market for its software, Algor Inc. of Pittsburgh has upgraded Nastran capabilities of its pre- and post-processing software, Fempro. The company says it expects the product to compete with a similar program, Femap from UGS...

New bet on wind.(news & notes)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Wind farms are often sited on rural hills and mountain crestlines. But a newly inaugurated set of turbines has some high-profile neighbors. The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, a five-turbine, 7.5 MW complex, is within eyeshot of some of the casinos...

Green diplomacy.(news & notes)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Geneva might not seem like a hotbed for solar energy. Tucked in the Alps, the city receives an average of only 3.25 kWh of sunshine per square meter each day. But the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva is going to make each watt of...

Alias merger a done deal.(news & notes)
February 1, 2006... Autodesk Inc. of San Rafael, Calif., has completed its acquisition of Alias for $197 million in cash, closing a deal that was struck last October. Current plans are for Alias to continue at its Toronto headquarters. Its branded products will...

Teamwork at Idaho.(news & notes)(Idaho National Laboratory in contract with Anna Inc.)
February 1, 2006... The Idaho National Laboratory has signed a seven-year, $30 million contract for architectural and engineering work with a team led by ANNA Inc., a company based in Annapolis, Md. The firm created a subsidiary, ANNA Idaho Inc., in Idaho Falls to...

DNP Global in Mumbai has become the representative in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka for photogrammetric coordinate measurement systems made by Geodetic Systems Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... DNP Global in Mumbai has become the representative in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka for photogrammetric coordinate measurement systems made by Geodetic Systems Inc. According to DNP Global, "Shipbuilding, automotive, and aerospace sectors in...

Lockheed Martin opened its Post Production Center of Excellence at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Lockheed Martin opened its Post Production Center of Excellence at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The 70,000-sq.-ft. center employs 185 people and consolidates the company's work performed in Florida for the Navy's Trident ballistic missile...

American Signal Corp.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... American Signal Corp. of Milwaukee, which makes alert and notification products for military, law enforcement, homeland security, and commercial markets, was invited to present and activate Thailand's first tsunami warning system during...

Johnson Controls of Milwaukee and Saft of Bagnolet, France, have launched a joint venture, to supply advanced-technology batteries for electric vehicles.(Briefly Noted)
February 1, 2006... Johnson Controls of Milwaukee and Saft of Bagnolet, France, have launched a joint venture, to supply advanced-technology batteries for electric vehicles. The new joint venture covers the development, production, and sale of nickel-metal-hydride...

The Timken Co.(Briefly Noted)(investment and job offers)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The Timken Co. said it will invest about $10 million and add 50 jobs at its plant in Altavista, Va., where it makes replacement wheel-hub bearing assemblies for light-duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

Digital safety.(computing)
February 1, 2006... THE ROAD IS A SAFER PLACE than it used to be. Traffic deaths in the United States have been reduced by more than two-thirds over the past 40 years. According to the federal government, there were 5.5 deaths per million vehicle miles...

Suited up for speed.(computing)(Sports Engineering Research Group contracted by British Olympic cycling team to study helmet aerodynamics )
February 1, 2006... TENTHS OF A SECOND can make the difference between a gold medal and fourth place in Olympic cycling. The rider with the better helmet has an edge. That's why the British cycling team has commissioned computational fluid dynamics of its gear for...

Sampling alliance.(computing)
February 1, 2006... DIGITAL SHAPE SAMPLING, the creation of computer renderings of physical objects, is like 3-D computer-assisted design and manufacturing in reverse. One process starts with a concept in the mind of an engineer, who renders it as an image...

In touch online.(computing)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... AN ONLINE SERVICE that puts engineers in touch with suppliers has added features so that buyers may share account information selectively on collaborative projects. MfgQuote.com, the service, said that buyers can work together securely...

Agile Software Corp.(Briefly Noted)(introduction of product lifecycle management software)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Agile Software Corp. has released Agile 9.2 product lifecycle management software. The company said the product has expanded compliance, product portfolio, product collaboration, and quality management modules, and will now operate on Linux.

Flexity LLC.(Briefly Noted)(introduces PowerSquid surge protector)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Flexity LLC of Santa Cruz, Calif., has introduced the PowerSquid surge protector. The company says it's the next step in the power strip's evolution. Its design uses flexible arms for the female outlets to fit transformer plugs without wasting...

Visiprise Inc.(Briefly Noted)
February 1, 2006... Visiprise Inc. of Atlanta has unveiled Visiprise Manufacturing 4.1. This integrated manufacturing platform provides increased performance and scalability while improving system security, the company says.

D-Cubed Ltd.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... D-Cubed Ltd. of Cambridge, England, has released version 34.0 of four software components--3D Dimensional Constraint Manager, Assembly Engineering Manager, Collision Detection Manager, and Hidden Line Manager.

Pick your plant.(software exchange)
February 1, 2006... Capability: The CADWorx 2006 suite for plant design has been upgraded with a feature that allows for real-time walkthroughs of your virtual plant. Users can distribute their models to other walkthrough users for markup or collaboration...

Automated publishing.(software exchange)
February 1, 2006... Capability: Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher is an automated publishing engine that produces professional, high-quality print and PDF documents with complex layout requirements. Version 9.0, the latest Arbortext solution, allows its users to...

Mechanisms at work.(software exchange)
February 1, 2006... Capability: Mechanism analysis software Sam, version 5.1, is used for design-, motion-, and force-analysis of planar mechanisms. Users design the mechanisms via design wizards--for common designs like four-bar or straight-line mechanisms. Or,...

Component thermal design.(software exchange)
February 1, 2006... Capability: The simulation software Flotherm 3-D is used for the thermal design of electronic components and systems. It enables engineers to create virtual models of electronic equipment, perform thermal analysis, and test design modifications...

See CAD files.(software exchange)
February 1, 2006... Capability: Slick! ViewPlus adds viewing and batch-printing support to Autodesk drawing files. There is support for AutoCAD revision 12 through AutoCAD 2006. Viewing can be done via a number of raster file formats, including tagged image file...

When Okhotsk freezes over.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)
February 1, 2006... The demand for energy is taking gas and oil production into increasingly challenging environments--into ever-deeper waters, for instance, and into seas that freeze--into places such as the Sea of Okhotsk. Sakhalin Island, which lies in the...

RFID identifies its business case.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)
February 1, 2006... For decades, radio frequency identification has been a solution in search of a problem. Then, in June 2003, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. asked its 100 top suppliers to affix RFID tags to pallets and cases. Others soon followed with RFID programs of...

MEMS sensor may track single cells.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)(microelectromechanical systems)
February 1, 2006... Sometimes, the best engineering solution comes after turning a problem on its head. That's just what University of Missouri-Columbia professor of electrical engineering Hui Tang and doctoral student Yuan-fang Gao did in developing a small...

Spill the wine, and take that data.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)
February 1, 2006... When earthquakes hit California, winery floors can end up looking like it's the first day of Prohibition. With 90 percent of the state's $45 billion wine industry within barrel-cracking distance of a fault line, it might be useful to know how...

Strong vibes.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)(Vibration and Shock Handbook)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... The mechanical engineering series of titles issued under the CRC Press imprint of Taylor & Francis Group is almost up to two dozen titles. The latest from the publisher in Boca Raton, Fla., is called Vibration and Shock Handbook, and is edited...

Punching above their weight: smaller companies are discovering that product management tools can help their small staffs get a global reach.(engineering management)(Sonnax Industries Inc.)
February 1, 2006... WHEN BEN WALLACE took over as engineering manager at Sonnax, a small manufacturer in Bellows Falls, Vt., in February 2004, it was a bit like stepping in for Lucy Ricardo at the chocolate factory. The products--in this case, automatic...

Supply and demand: to manage resources, first know your people and their skills; then how many hours the workload will take.(engineering management)
February 1, 2006... Engineering managers wear many hats on the job. And if the job is to head a product development department, the resource manager's hat is one of the most important to wear. You can think of it as a traffic cop's hat. After all, resource...

Disclosure vs. claim: a trap for the inventor arises when too much is said in the specification.
February 1, 2006... INVENTORS ARE OFTEN CASH poor at the beginning of their efforts to commercialize a new invention and sometimes resort to preparing a patent application for themselves. However, there are traps for unwary do-it-yourselfers, one of them being too...

Tally-Ho the vacuum: an idea whose time had not quite come.(atmospheric railway)
February 1, 2006... Victor Hugo coined the phrase, "The power of an idea whose time has come." The world has seen many ideas that were powerful, some earthshaking, some technological--democracy, the scientific method, the airplane, the Internet--but there have...

Crown jewels: these crystals are the gems of turbine efficiency.
February 1, 2006... The recent best seller by Tom Friedman, The World Is Flat, examines how companies are coping with the continuing evolution of globalization. The gas turbine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, for instance, outsources and offshores about 75 percent of...

Air velocity transducers.(new products)
February 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. The company's FM-900 air velocity transducers use a velocity and a temperature sensor to measure air velocity in standard feet per minute. Both sensors are rugged glass-coated platinum resistance...

Heavy-duty slide.(new products)
February 1, 2006... ACCURIDE INTERNATIONAL INC., SANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIF. Model 9328 is a heavy-duty slide designed to offer tool-less installation in a range of maintenance and vehicular applications. This product features a pocket and bayonet mounting method...

Integrated motor.(new products)
February 1, 2006... LIN ENGINEERING, SANTA CLARA, CALIF. The SilverPak 23DE is an integrated Nema 23, high-torque, 1.8-degree bipolar step motor, microstepping driver, and encoder. The unit helps reduce design time and system cost for an array of step motor...

Condensing boiler.(new products)
February 1, 2006... LOCHINVAR CORP., LEBANON, TENN. An extension of the residential boiler, the Knight boiler has a fully modulating burner with 5:1 turndown and a cascading feature that allows multiple boilers to be controlled by one central boiler. The 5:1...

Electric valve operators.(new products)
February 1, 2006... CR-TEC ENGINEERING INC., MADISON, CONN. High-performance electric operators are designed for the automation of ball, butterfly, and other types of valves. They come in sizes from 90 lbs.-in, to 2,700 lbs.-in., and are available in on/off or...

Dispensing lubrication precisely.(new products)
February 1, 2006... OIL-RITE CORP., MANITOWOC, WIS. The PurgeX infrared lubrication system combines the patented PurgeX positive displacement pump with programmable logic and infrared sensing. The result is an exact amount of lubrication dispensed with exceptional...

Control option.(new products)
February 1, 2006... WATLOW, ST. LOUIS, MO. Watlow has added Tru-Tune, an adaptive control option, to its PPC-2000 programmable multiloop process control system. This new option helps fine-tune PID control loops and adaptively tunes dynamic systems that would...

Airless cylinder.(new products)
February 1, 2006... IMI NORGREN INC., LITTLETON, COLO. As a complement to its pneumatic range of actuators, the multiposition airless cylinder is useful for inclusion in applications that require high speeds combined with multiple position operation. Such...

Thin-finger wire duct.(new products)
February 1, 2006... AUTOMATIONDIRECT, CUMMING, GA. The company now offers T1E series thin-finger wire duct for applications requiring compact wiring. Available in white or gray in sizes ranging from 1 x 1.5 in. to 4 x 4 in., the T1E series is made of rigid PVC and...

RO linear actuator.(new products)
February 1, 2006... ULTRA MOTION, MATTITUCK, N.Y. The compact RO-Bug is a remotely operated linear actuator system that integrates a 12 or 24 V dc servo motor with a 12 or 24 V dc amplifier for remotely operated applications. Each RO-Bug is tuned and configured...

High-temp measurement.(new products)
February 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. Super OmegacladXL probes are a useful choice for high-temperature measurement. They provide very low drift at high temperatures as compared with conventional Inconel and stainless steel sheathed probes....

Pancake motor.(new products)
February 1, 2006... HAYDON SWITCH & INSTRUMENT INC., WATERBURY, CONN. This customized hollow pancake stepper motor has a 2.5-in. hole in the center for a microwave tube and is designed for applications where accurate positioning and high torque are desirable...

Nitrogen generation system.(new products)
February 1, 2006... PARKER HANNIFIN CORP., HAVERHILL, MASS. Costly, inconvenient cylinders, Dewars, and bulk nitrogen supplies can be eliminated with a Balston nitrogen generation system, according to the company. The Balston DEB Series monobed and dualbed...

Flow control valves.(new products)
February 1, 2006... CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY INC., CINCINNATI, OHIO. Combination needle and check valve flow controls are typically used to control airflow from air cylinders. This controls the speed at which the piston strokes, either while extending or...

Micro-ohmmeter.(new products)
February 1, 2006... AEMC INSTRUMENTS, FOXBOROUGH, MASS. The 10A micro-ohmmeter Model 6250 is a rugged, low-resistance tester designed for plant maintenance and field use. Using a four-lead Kelvin method of testing, the 6250 has accuracy with results within 0.05...

Two-sided timing belts.(new products)
February 1, 2006... STOCK DRIVE PRODUCTS, NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. Designing compact serpentine drives is now easier, according to SDR with its selection of double-sided 0.080 pitch timing belts. These rugged, Kevlar-reinforced, endless belts, the A6B16-D Series, offer...

Timing belt actuator.(new products)
February 1, 2006... AMACOIL INC., ASTON, PA. The company has modified one of its five Uhing AZ timing belt drives to better resist buildup of dust, metal filings, and other airborne particles. The load carriage in the AZ-2000 timing belt drive now features plastic...

Three-way ball valves.(new products)
February 1, 2006... HAYWARD FLOW CONTROL SYSTEMS, CLEMMONS, N.C. Plastic, corrosion-resistant lateral three-way ball valves simplify piping system layouts by replacing conventional valve and tee connection combinations. This new valve can also be used to replace...

Equipment mover.(new products)
February 1, 2006... DJ PRODUCTS INC., PLYMOUTH, MINN. The TrailerCaddy is designed for moving equipment and products that are supported by their own wheels and generally have a tongue that needs to be raised from the ground. It eliminates the pains and strains...

Electronic pressure switch.(new products)
February 1, 2006... IFM EFECTOR INC., EXTON, PA. The PK Series pressure switch offers high performance and simple setup in a compact 72 mm long housing. It is designed for use in hydraulic and pneumatic applications, and has no moving part that can wear or break...

Strong air nozzle.(new products)
February 1, 2006... EXAIR CORP., CINCINNATI, OHIO. The 1/2 NPT Super Air Nozzle delivers 3.3 lbs. of strong blowing force when mounted 12 in. away from the target. The force is more than four times that of ordinary air nozzles, making it useful for blowing heavy...

Handling flow.(new products)
February 1, 2006... MERIAM PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES, CLEVELAND, OHIO. The Complete Flow Solution is a system used for the precise measurement of liquid, gas, and steam flows. It provides more accuracy, convenience, and flexibility than traditional orifice plates and...

Vibration transmitter.(new products)
February 1, 2006... COLUMBIA RESEARCH LABORATORIES INC., WOODLYN, PA. The Columbia Series 8072 solid-state, loop-powered vibration sensor is designed for industrial machinery monitoring. The sensor is designed to continuously measure vibration and transmit the...

Helping operators keep pace.(new products)
February 1, 2006... BDL AMERICA, WILMINGTON, N.C. Motorized pulleys with integrated shaft encoders allow conveyor system operators to accurately synchronize product movements. The encoders use either SKF or SNR pulse outputs to precisely monitor motorized pulley...

Thrust collar assembly.(new products)
February 1, 2006... STAFFORD MANUFACTURING CORP., NORTH READING, MASS. A new thrust collar assembly can be used to provide bidirectional axial adjustability and move heavy components along a shaft at a crawl. The assembly consists of a male-female connecting hub...

Abrasion resistance.(new products)
February 1, 2006... WELLINGTON ALLOYS, FRANKLIN, MICH. Wellbraze and Well-Clad are the names of alloy steel products developed to resist abrasion and impact in tough wear applications, such as asphalt or concrete plants, coal mines, sand/gravel/rock crushing...

Raised-gantry router.(new products)
February 1, 2006... TECHNO INC., NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. The company's new CNC router is designed for foam packaging and foam cutting applications. This machine is available in three sizes: 59 x 50 in., 59 x 96 in., and 59 x 120 in. The foam router comes standard with...

Reverse osmosis controller.(new products)
February 1, 2006... FCI WATERMAKERS, SANTA ANA, CALIF. The company has upgraded its universal reverse osmosis controller with several features. For various applications and installations, the controller is included on the Neptune, MaxQ and Poseidon watermakers....

Strip recorders.(new products)
February 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. The RD-87 series consists of six strip chart recorders for monitoring thermocouple readings, temperature, temperature/humidity, voltage, current, or 4 to 20 mA input. All have an LCD display and record on...

System combination.(new products)
February 1, 2006... TRANSDUCER TECHNIQUES, TEMECULA, CALIF. This economically priced system combination is made up of the TRT (low-capacity, general purpose reaction torque sensor) and the PHM-100 portable handheld transducer indicator. This system is suitable for...

Torque control.(new products)
February 1, 2006... ASG. CLEVELAND, OHIO. The Smart Torq II controller provides economical error-proof fastener assembly by controlling and monitoring dc brushless electric screwdrivers from ASG. The Smart Torq II is easy to set up and use, according to the...

Heavy-duty grippers.(new products)
February 1, 2006... PHD INC., FORT WAYNE, IND. The Series GRR Guardian grippers provide high grip force and come in long jaw travels of 150, 200, 250, and 350 mm. The rugged design and jaw construction can withstand high impact and shock loads. These heavy-duty...

Motor controller.(new products)
February 1, 2006... AMPFLOW INC., BELMONT, CALIF. The high-performance microcontroller-based motor controller supplies up to 180 amps per channel at 12 to 40 V. It features multiple command input modes for use with either radio control receivers or analog devices...

Custom prototyping.(new products)
February 1, 2006... INNOVATIVE LIGHTING INC., ROLAND, IOWA. The Sintersation 2500 can create a fully finished, fully functional prototype in five hours. The machine produces 3-D objects directly from CAD files. Using nylon materials, and shaped by a laser, the...

Diverter valves.(product information)
February 1, 2006... KICE INDUSTRIES INC., WICHITA, KAN. The company's full-color brochure introduces Kice diverter valves by model, and shows the features that are standard on all models. Available in multiple models and designs, the Kice diverter valve body is...

Aircraft quality materials.(product information)
February 1, 2006... BENEDICT-MILLER LLC, KENILWORTH, N.J. Aircraft quality materials and services offered by Benedict-Miller are detailed in a brochure that addresses the fast-turnaround supply needs of product designers, manufacturers, and purchasers involved in...

Marking equipment.(product information)
February 1, 2006... COLUMBIA MARKING TOOLS INC., CHESTERFIELD TWP., MICH. This brochure describes the components that make up the UID/Matrix 2D marking system. Included are the CNC marking head, controller, software, and vision verification system. The brochure...

Plastic ball valves.(product information)
February 1, 2006... HAYWARD FLOW CONTROL, CLEMMONS, N.C. A new color catalog describes the company's line of Cepex by Hayward all-plastic, corrosion-resistant ball valves. This line of valves was developed especially for cost-sensitive applications that require a...

Metal detectors.(product information)
February 1, 2006... ERIEZ MANUFACTURING CO., ERIE. PA. How to Choose & Use Metal Detectors is an updated 28-page catalog. It covers the company's metal detectors that are used primarily in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, packaging, textile,...

Vacuum technology.(product information)
February 1, 2006... PFEIFFER VACUUM INC., NASHUA, N.H. Pfeiffer's 2005-2007 catalog is a four-color, hardcover volume covering vacuum technology. It includes equipment for producing, controlling, and measuring vacuum, as well as accessories and components. For...

ASME codes & standards.
February 1, 2006... ASME International, Codes & Standards, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990 (212) 591-8500 Fax: (212) 591-8501 e-mail: cs@asme.org We invite you to visit our Web site: www.asme.org/codes. If you are looking for information...

Linear and Nonlinear Structural Mechanics.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Linear and Nonlinear Structural Mechanics. Ali H. Nayfeh and P. Frank Pai. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. 2004. 746 pages. $95. ISBN 0-471-59356-7. Nonlinear modeling and analysis of structures is a complex but...

Structural Shear Joints: Analyses, properties and design for repeated loading.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Structural Shear Joints: Analyses, properties and design for repeated loading. George T. Hahn, Kaushik A. Iyer, and Carol A. Rubin. ASME Press, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990. 2005. 280 pages. ASME members, $95; list. $119. ISBN...

Instability of Flows.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... Instability of Flows. M. Rahman, Editor. Computational Mechanics Inc., 25 Bridge St., Billerica, MA 01821. Published by WIT Press, Southampton, to,, U.K. 2005. 233 pages. $142. ISBN 1-85312-785-X. This analysis of studies in the field of...