Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from July 2004

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from July 2004

PDAs for the head.(personal digital assistant, engineers updating on skills beyond their schooling)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... Heading home on the shuttle from Washington, D.C., on the last leg of a hectic trip, I engaged in conversation with the pleasant white-haired fellow who sat beside me. We both were tinkering with similar PDAs as our plane idled at the gate, and...

Bend it like Didi.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... To the Editor: An avid soccer fan and I were discussing Jean Thilmany's well-written article on page 72 of the April issue on the trajectory of a soccer ball after it's kicked, and we offer the following comments. On behalf of all American...

Burning plastic.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... To the Editor: I read with interest the article "Changing Plastic Waste to Energy Nuggets" (May 2003) describing James W. Garthe's work on converting plastic waste into nuggets that can be burned in a variety of combustors to recover valuable...

Mistaken entitlement.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... To the Editor: ASME should be in the forefront of ensuring the legitimate use of the title "mechanical engineer." How could you have allowed the following ad to run on page 81 of your September 2003 issue? "Mechanical Engineer... for...

Efficient socks.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... To the Editor: The July 2003 article, "Twice Cleaned," dealing with coal-exhaust filtration caught my attention. We also have made occasional use of this dual filtration (electrostatic precipitators and filters). There is much to be said for...

Questions on Columbia.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... To the Editor: When I saw the film clip of the dust cloud leaving Columbia's trailing edge during launch, I feared the potential consequences. Apparently, many others feared the same. The news announcers that morning commented that the external...

Men, women, and mankind.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... To the Editor: Aren't we yet past the use of "manned/womaned," "he/she" terms to placate the politically correct? I'm referring to "'Unmanned' Leaves Women Out," the letter from James Andrew Smith (February). "Manned" or "unmanned" refers...

The friendly mouse.(gadget invention that works as a pointer, replacement for computer mouse used with computer-aided design programs)
July 1, 2004... There's a light at the end of the carpal tunnel for engineers who use computers for much of their workday, according to Abir Qamhiyah and Don Flugrad, assistant and associate professors, respectively, Oof mechanical engineering at Iowa State...

Re-Engineering the X factor.(news & notes)(Challenge X)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors have selected 17 teams that will participate in Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility competition. The three-year competition calls for university teams from the United States and Canada...

Only on M.E. magazine online: @ www.memagazine.org.(news & notes)
July 1, 2004... Responses to the June Question of the Month: Do you feel you know enough about latest computer-aided design (CAD) technologies to do your job? A new Question of the Month will appear on www.memagazine.org, July 1-12. Want to find out...

Tests of reliability.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division has issued a handbook and companion software for predicting the reliability of mechanical systems. There is no charge for the publication, Handbook of Reliability Prediction Procedures...

Dolphin dandruff.(news & notes)(Kyoto Institute of Technology )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Biologists have long wondered why the skin of dolphins was so, well, flaky. In what is an extreme instance of underwater eczema, the soft, outermost layer of skin is completely shed every two hours. Japanese engineers believe they now have...

Cornea for a laser in the sky.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Lockheed Martin has started building the flight turret assembly for the U.S. Air Force's airborne laser, a weapon in development that one day may detect and destroy ballistic missiles during their ascent before the separation of war heads. It's...

The U.S. Army has awarded up to $218 million in contracts to United Defense Industries of York, Pa.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The U.S. Army has awarded up to $218 million in contracts to United Defense Industries of York, Pa., for the remanufacturing and upgrading of Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

Water officials in Pinellas County, Fla., have started adding fluoride to the water supply.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Water officials in Pinellas County, Fla., have started adding fluoride to the water supply. Pinellas was the largest water supplier in the eastern United States not to fluoridate its water.

Advanced Visual Systems.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Advanced Visual Systems of Waltham, Mass., has released AVS/Express 6.3, an upgrade to the developer's AVS/Express software for the creation and deployment of advanced graphical applications in science, engineering, and business.

DP Technology of Camarillo, Calif., has released a new feature that allows its Esprit CAM software to read SolidWorks CAD features and their properties directly from part models.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... DP Technology of Camarillo, Calif., has released a new feature that allows its Esprit CAM software to read SolidWorks CAD features and their properties directly from part models. SolidWorks is in Concord, Mass.

Ford Motor Co.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Ford Motor Co. studied 32 drowsy drivers as part of its plans to introduce adaptive, intelligent lane departure warnings on its Volvo line later this decade. Study subjects stopped consuming caffeine at 6 p.m., stayed up all night, then went...

Ram Inc. of Cisco, Texas, is using edge glow compounds from RTP Co. of Winona, Minn., for its new golf putter.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Ram Inc. of Cisco, Texas, is using edge glow compounds from RTP Co. of Winona, Minn., for its new golf putter. The compounds use dyes that absorb UV light and re-emit it in the visible spectrum. Embedded in the middle of the club's head, the UV...

Design like the wind.(designing by computing fluid dynamics and visualization technology)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... IN 1999 DAIMLERCHRYSLER'S DODGE division returned to stock car racing's most prestigious tour after a 25-year absence. But the automaker had fewer than 500 days to design and build its Dodge Intrepid race car for the Daytona 500 held in...

Clicks from configurable.(computing)(Colombo Filippetti)(3D models of cams)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... MANUFACTURER COLOMBO FILIPPETTI of Casirate d'Adda, Italy, has cut its customers' product development times as much as 75 percent through use of an interactive, online catalog. The catalog lets customers download and configure 3-D models of...

Light work for faster optical computers.(computing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A BLUEPRINT FOR CAPTURING LIGHT on a chip may boost prospects for smaller, faster optical computers in the future, according to researchers at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. Several years ago, physicists showed they could stop...

A quantum leap.(computing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... A NEW BREED OF FASTER, more powerful computers based on quantum mechanics may be a step closer to reality, say scientists from Purdue and Duke universities. Researchers there have made transistors that make use of quantum dots. Future...

Chopping building costs.(computing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... THE GENERAL MOTORS Worldwide Facilities Group plans to cut building costs 25 percent by 2005 and reduce factory design time through its virtual factory initiative. The worldwide facilities group constructs GM facilities to the tune of more...

College students work on the virtual navy.(computing)
July 1, 2004... IT HELPS TO KNOW SOMETHING the U.S. Navy wants to learn, especially if you're a college student looking for job experience. Engineering students at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., are using virtual reality to help the Naval Surface...

The right boat.(computing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... EVERYONE ON THE CREW pulls together when they row. It's much the same for the engineers who design the boats. As a manufacturer of racing-standard rowing boats, Filippi Boats of Donoratico, Italy, is using computational fluid dynamics to...

Hushing air traffic.(computing)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... IN THE NEAR FUTURE, earplugs might be just as necessary under airplanes as on them. But not if one group of researchers can help it. By 2020, experts predict that air traffic will increase by 300 percent over present-day levels. The number...

Pointwise.(Briefly Noted)(CFD meshing software Version 15.03 released)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The latest release of the CFD meshing software Gridgen, version 15.03, has been released by Pointwise of Fort Worth, Texas.

Autodesk Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... More than 50 members of its Autodesk Developer Network are now shipping products or add-on applications compatible with AutoCAD 2005 software, says Autodesk Inc. of San Rafael, Calif.

Acuitiv.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The provider of computational fluid dynamics software Acuitiv of Batavia, Ill., has released Acuitiv version 4.0.

PTC of Needham., Mass., has updated its Pro/Engineer Wildfire software to version 2.0.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... PTC of Needham., Mass., has updated its Pro/Engineer Wildfire software to version 2.0. The software includes 3-D drawing capability compliant with the industry-standard American Society of Mechanical Engineers Y14.41.

Think3.(Briefly Noted)(Think 3'S version 9.0 Released)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Think3 of Cincinnati has released version 9.0 of its suite of industrial and machine design offerings. The product line is also called Think3.

Cimatron.(Briefly Noted)(Cimatron E 5.1. Released)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Cimatron of Givat Shmuel, Israel, a developer of integrated CAD and computer-aided manufacturing software for the tooling industry, has released Cimatron E 5.1.

Geometric Software Solutions ... Version 5.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Geometric Software Solutions of Mumbai, India, has released eDrawings Professional for Catia Version 5 from Dassault Systemes of Paris.

Quickparts.com.(Briefly Noted)(MultiQuote technology Implemented)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The maker of custom-manufactured plastic and metal parts, Quickparts.com of Atlanta, has implemented its MultiQuote technology, a new option that lets customers quote and compare multiple prototyping processes on the same project worksheet. It...

Converting CAD to thermal.(software exchange)
July 1, 2004... Capability: Computer-aided design models typically must be converted to thermal models before they are suitable for thermal analysis. This software tool helps users convert any CAD model into a thermal model. Icepro 4.0 uses an automated...

Bundled CAD license.(software exchange)
July 1, 2004... Capability: The developer of Alibre Design Professional now offers that application in a five-license bundle, useful for small- and medium-size companies. The CAD program includes solid-modeling and 2-D drafting capabilities. Hardware: PC...

Sharing designs.(software exchange)
July 1, 2004... Capability: The 3-D CAD application OneSpace Designer is now available integrated with the mySAP product lifecycle management system. That PLM application is a group of business software applications that integrates product design into...

Analysis early on.(software exchange)
July 1, 2004... Capability: Based on independent research that shows engineers benefit from simulating real-world conditions and testing multiple scenarios early in the design process, the developer has created CosmosWorks Designer. The tool lets engineers...

TIFF viewer.(software exchange)
July 1, 2004... Capability: Brava! Reader 2.0 software lets users view and print images created in the tagged image file format. The program can be used as a TIFF viewer for multiple-page documents, color images, and oversize scanned drawing files. It can also...

Modeling and animation.(software exchange)
July 1, 2004... Capability: The 3-D animation program Maya Complete 6 includes modeling, rendering, and animation capabilities. It also includes a paint-effects feature and an open interface for programming and scripting. The application is useful to engineers...

Thin is ... on.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)(Product information)
July 1, 2004... Finally, engineers have something to put on roof racks besides those insipid sporting goods. Middletown, R.I.-based KVH Industries makes a low profile antenna that turns your minivan or sport utility vehicle into a mobile satellite TV receiver....

Long line.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)
July 1, 2004... Ninety-three belt conveyors make up CertainTeed Corp.'s quarter-mile-long insulation production line in Kansas City, Mo. Along that stretch, molten glass spins into fibers and eventually winds up in unitized packages of faced and unfaced...

Broom clean.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The dual-purpose sweeper from Elgin Sweeper Co. of Elgin, Ill., can swiftly tidy up runways at 15 mph, then clean tarmac and ancillary roads at a more leisurely pace without needing a change of equipment. A magnet sits ahead of the sweeper's...

Bearing up to the long haul.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Even at their highest speeds of 330 kilometers per hour, new Spanish Talgo trains will take a while to run through the 1.2 million-kilometer interval between scheduled stops for wheel bearing maintenance. To reach that service interval,...

Birds' nests are for soup.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)(Tak Enterprises)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Wire users have to be careful when paying extremely thin filaments off a spool. If tension should surge on the receiving machine, the resulting spring back can make bird's nest of the wire on the spool and quickly scramble any production...

Under constant tension.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Constellation Energy's H.A. Wagner coal-fired plant in Baltimore replaced its sliding base system for V-belt tensioning with a heavy duty tensioner from Lovejoy Inc. of Downers Grove, Ill. The Lovejoy Rosta tensioner is designed for large...

Staying put.(Power Transmission And Motion Control)(friction hinges)
July 1, 2004... There are any number of ways to build a hinge to provide a constant holding torque over its operating range, according to Rob Jack son, vice president and general manager at Reell Precision Manufacturing Corp. of Saint Paul, Minn. Reell uses a...

Inside outsourcing.(Washington window)
July 1, 2004... Every American town seems to have a similar story to tell--that of a factory (or a mill, or a mine) that once was the backbone of the local economy, where men worked alongside their sons and fathers, and which now sits shuttered, the victim of...

Two if by sea: the latest thinking on LNG says to locate new terminals far beyond the backyards.(offshore drilling, Liquified Natural Gas, terrorism threats)
July 1, 2004... Ever since the Methane Pioneer sailed a cargo of liquefied natural gas from the United States to England in 1959, LNG trading in the U.S. has been a business of fits and starts. A chart plotting the growth of seaborne LNG depicts a flat first...

Bad vibrations: currents pluck the strings, and drillers try to stop the music.(offshore drilling snags)
July 1, 2004... If you stop to think about it, offshore drilling ought to be impossible. The depths are so great, and the pipes are so relatively insubstantial, that it seems a miracle anyone can get it to work. Imagine poking holes in the ground with a...

Picture this: scientist? Businessman? The inventor who popularized photography spent his fortune well.(George Eastman)
July 1, 2004... The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words is a flawed understatement. Our memories, knowledge, and opinions rely heavily on pictures. Words can only provide an explanation to information contained in a good picture. Time always moves...

One step at a time: research suggests that this approach can provide a real benefit in engineering experimentation.
July 1, 2004... Almost every engineer is involved in some way in the planning of experiments, whether they are laboratory experiments, field tests, or computer simulations. A set of techniques called Design of Experiments, or DOE, has proved to be an extremely...

The mechanics of woods: a U.S. lab is trying to design economic incentives for removing some of the tinder from the country's forests.(Forest Products Laboratory)
July 1, 2004... ANALYSIS TOOLS DEVELOPED for working with metals and machine assemblies are getting a tryout in the deep woods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Products Laboratory is using engineering software to see if a liability in the wild can...

Color scanner.(new products)
July 1, 2004... CONTEX SCANNING TECHNOLOGY. ONTARIO. CALIF. The Cougar Sx 25 color scanner now incorporates enhanced scanning speed and image quality for high-impact monochrome and color scanning for scan-to-print applications. It uses a new camera technology...

Wireless transmitter.(new products)
July 1, 2004... WILCOXON RESEARCH. GAITHERSBURG. MD. A self-calibrating wireless sensor link features greater accuracy, smaller size, wider temperature range, and longer life than the company's previous models. Called the BlueLynx BLM-TX, the wireless sensor...

Focus heads.(new products)
July 1, 2004... GSI LUMONICS, FARMINGTON HILLS. MICH. Luminator focus beads provide a flexible solution for many industrial applications, including welding and heat treatment. Based on a one-piece machined body, these rugged welding heads are sealed to...

Power controller.(new products)
July 1, 2004... CHR0MALOX INC., PITTSBURGH, PA. The Max VI multizone SCR power controller takes up less space than other units with similar ratings, according to the company. It is easy to mount, increases heater life due to fast cycling, and is a reliable...

Miniature linear guide.(new products)
July 1, 2004... DANAHER MOTION, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS. OHIO. The company's Thomson MicroGuide, a miniature linear guide, meets the high accuracy, quality, and longevity requirements of the semi-conductor, medical, laboratory, and testing industries. Each MicroGuide...

Combination model.(new products)
July 1, 2004... EXTECH INSTRUMENTS CORP.. WALTHAM. MASS. The MultiScope, Model 381285, combines a handheld graphical storage oscilloscope with a true RMS multimeter. The graphical mode display with EL backlighting allows the observation of actual voltage...

Expanded metal foil.(new products)
July 1, 2004... DEXMET CORP., BRANFORD, CONN. Exmet MicroGrid precision-expanded metal foils meet precise design requirements for superior conductivity, shielding, and heat transfer properties in a variety of applications. They are particularly suited as...

Moisture measurement.(new products)
July 1, 2004... KAHN INSTRUMENTS INC., WETHERSFIELD, CONN. The Pura high purity gas dewpoint transmitter is a highly accurate, fast responding dewpoint transmitter. It incorporates the company's advanced ceramic moisture sensor, and is equipped with VCR...

Gas monitor.(new products)
July 1, 2004... MSA INSTRUMENT DIVISION. PITTSBURGH. PA. The Ultima IR gas monitor is available for 0-5 percent carbon dioxide detection. With this expanded capability, the Ultima is useful in a variety of C[O.sub.2] monitoring applications in breweries,...

System combination.(new products)
July 1, 2004... TRANSDUCER TECHNIQUES INC., TEMECULA. CALIF. This system combination comprises the mini low-profile load cell, or MLP, and the DPM-3 panel mount meter. The system is suitable for a variety of industrial and OEM force measurement and weighing...

Pressure transducer.(new products)
July 1, 2004... DRESSER INSTRUMENTS. STRATFORD, CONN. The Ashcroft KM10 pressure transducer mates a welded 17 PH stainless steel sensor and a heavy industrial circuit. With an ingress protection rating of IP67, the device can resist the effects of weather,...

Motor housings.(new products)
July 1, 2004... LIN ENGINEERING, SANTA CLARA, CALIF. The company designs and manufactures motors that are specific to various environmental, mechanical, and dimensional requirements. Many medical and military applications require custom housings. Some examples...

High-pressure solutions.(new products)
July 1, 2004... ENGINEERED PRESSURE SYSTEMS INC., HAVERHILL, MASS. The company, known as EPSI, has introduced its Cold Isostatic Press production unit, or CIP. Designed for high productivity and low maintenance, the unit is suitable for the ceramic, carbon,...

Complement more than compliment.(editorial)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... Whether you're managing an engineering enterprise, a baseball team, or a magazine, there's a time and place for telling people what to do. There's also a good way to do it, and a lousy way. Some managers can't tell the difference. And while...

A guiding light.(editorial)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... You can't please everyone, but that doesn't stop engineering managers from trying. Managers do just that: manage. They're leaders who spend each day tending to employee needs, assessing budgets, and overseeing projects. In this second...

Linking up: successfully combining project and product management spells marketability.
July 1, 2004... HERE ARE TWO PHRASES ENGINEERING MANAGERS become familiar with fast: product management and project management. Understanding the guts of those concepts and implementing them well make for the difference between a successful product launch or a...

One powerful team: product manager, project manager--although two letters make a big difference, everyone works for a common goal.
July 1, 2004... TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS functions are project management and product management. In most organizations, these functions work in a symbiotic manner, yet their purpose is distinctly different. Moreover, the definitions of these...

Why to make your manager look good: invaluable career advice: it's not the money or the work that makes the big difference on the job.
July 1, 2004... WHETHER YOU MANAGE PEOPLE OR you're one of the employees managed, you'll probably want to move up in the organization or in your chosen field of science or engineering. How can you ensure success in your career path? As a former Jet Propulsion...

New skill sets: a growing area of graduate education mixes the art of management with the technology of engineering.
July 1, 2004... THESE DAYS, MORE AND MORE ENGINEERS ARE continuing their postgraduate education. To aid their climb up the management ladder, they re going on to earn master's degrees in engineering management. They may go back to school after they've worked...

'Control' means what? A recent court decision brings some traditional patent claim language into doubt.
July 1, 2004... EVER WONDER EXACTLY WHAT YOUR own or a competitor's patent really covers? Certain long-held assumptions regarding patents are now being called into question. In a recent case, Toro held three patents for a soil-aerating machine that delivers...

Intelligent implementation: bringing a new technology system on board is never easy for any manager. Here are some things to make the process smoother.
July 1, 2004... DURING THE LAST 10 YEARS, REVOLUTIONary advances in computers and networks have brought about an unparalleled explosion in technology solutions, completely changing the way we create, process, manage, store, and communicate information. ...

Leak detector.(new products)
July 1, 2004... E INSTRUMENTS GROUP, LANGHORNE, PA. The Mini Gas Sniffer is a handheld natural gas leak detector that can pinpoint methane, propane, butane, LPG, and other gases. The unit is equipped with an 8 in. long flexible probe for inaccessible places....

Small laser.(new products)
July 1, 2004... SYNRAD INC., MUKILTEO, WASH. The finestar t100 is a small-footprint 100-watt laser available in both air and water cooled versions. The finestar t100's combination of power and performance in a cost-effective package makes it useful for...

Needle valves.(new products)
July 1, 2004... SWAGELOK CO., SOLON, OHIO. The new F10 series forged-body needle valves handle working pressures up to 10,000 psig (690 bar). They are available in straight, 90-degree, and oblique angle configurations. A non-rotating hardened needle provides...

Building at 127 [micro]m resolution.(new products)
July 1, 2004... STRATASYS INC., EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. The company has added a 5 mil resolution--down to 0.005 in. or 0.127 mm--to its T-Class rapid prototyping machines, the FDM Titan and FDM Vantage. The feature is for use with ABS plastic. The finest...

Quick changes.(new products)
July 1, 2004... DRESSER INSTRUMENTS, STRATFORD, CONN. Replacing the batteries in the 4 1/2-in. Ashcroft digital industrial gauge requires no tools. The gauge opens with a twist of the front ring. When the C cell batteries are installed, the gauge can be closed...

Cantilever slides.(new products)
July 1, 2004... PHD INC., FORT WAYNE, IND. The company is offering its Series SxH cantilever slides with extended travel ranges up to 8 in. The maximum available had been 3 in. of travel. They are available in five bore sizes: 8, 10, 14, 20, and 32 mm. The...

Dust-free electronics.(new products)
July 1, 2004... UNIVERSAL AIR FILTER CO., SAUGET, ILL. MagnaFlex air filters are designed to fit tight spaces in electronics that must be protected from dust. Applications could range from maintaining the cleanliness required of medical electronics to...

Data cables.(new products)
July 1, 2004... IGUS INC., EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. Chainflex continuous-flex data cables are designed to follow the motion of automated machinery on the factory floor. Cables are available expressly designed for each of the different factory automation...

Bushings in inches.(new products)
July 1, 2004... ZERO-MAX INC., PLYMOUTH, MINN. ETP-Express R shaft locking bushings are being offered in inch sizes and a couple of new metric sizes, as well. The bushings are made of stainless steel and recommended for use in food processing because they will...