Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from March 2008

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from March 2008

Question of the month.(Only on M.E. MAGAZINE ONLINE)
March 1, 2008... When a crisis happens--a plant emergency, a fire, or a supply disruption--how does your company handle it? [GRAPHIC OMITTED] One reader who responded that his company wings it added, "Every project is optimistically scheduled to go...

Absurd or genius?(editorial)
March 1, 2008... In psychology it is called visualization and it is used as a simple performance-enhancing technique. You visualize yourself successfully completing a difficult task before you do it. For example, you're scared silly of speaking in...

Global decline.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... To the Editor: I don't give a bent bolt for your silly alligators and lions. How could you claim to focus an issue (January) on globalization without a word for the machinists and toolmakers who are stocking the marts with those imported goods,...

No preference.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2008... To the Editor: In response to the article "Widening the Pipeline" (January), I wish to take issue with the concept that active recruitment and promotion of females into the engineering field is necessary or even beneficial. Men and women are...

Wind capacity blows away records.(news & notes)
March 1, 2008... Wind energy had a breakout year in 2007, according to an annual survey by the American Wind Energy Association. Producers invested $9 billion to install a record 5,244 megawatts of electrical generating capacity in the United States last...

Tire plant for Georgia.(news & notes)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A Korean tire company has signed an agreement to build a $225 million manufacturing facility on a 127-acre site in Sofkee Industrial Park in Macon, Ga. Executives of the company, Kumho Tire Co. Inc., said the plant will be built in two...

Light sponge.(news & notes)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Ordinary black paint isn't all that black--some 5 to 10 percent of the light falling on a typical black surface is reflected. In January, researchers at Rice University in Houston and rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., announced...

Superconductor security.(news & notes)
March 1, 2008... Those exotic materials called superconductors--which carry electricity with no resistance at cryogenic temperatures--may be about to take on a new role as practical safety devices in U.S. electric transmission systems. Tests of surge-protection...

Sebring to run on cellulose.(news & notes)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... In a breakthrough for the renewable fuels arena and auto racing, KL Process Design Group of Rapid City, S.D., will supply the American Le Mans Series with cellulosic E85 racing ethanol for the 2008 season. The fuel, produced from waste wood,...

Kenworth Truck Co. has entered an agreement to use Westport Innovations Inc.'s.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Kenworth Truck Co. has entered an agreement to use Westport Innovations Inc.'s liquefied natural gas fuel system technology adapted for the Cummins ISX 15-liter engine in Kenworth TS00 LNG trucks to be built in Renton, Wash., beginning next...

Boeing.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Boeing mechanics have begun major assembly of the new 777 Freighter at the company's Everett, Wash., facility. The 777 Freighter will fly farther and provide more capacity than any other twin-engine cargo airplane, according to Boeing. The...

Lockheed Martin.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Lockheed Martin was awarded a $35 million contract to deliver advanced, open-architecture combat systems that will modernize four Tupi-class submarines, one Tikuna-class submarine, and one shore-based trainer system for the Brazilian Navy....

Too hot to handle.(computing)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... LET'S SAY A FUEL derived from biomass produces too much soot when it's burned in a combustion chamber designed for fossil fuels. How can an engineer find the source of the problem, which originates, after all, in the flame zone of a highly...

Design into repair.(computing)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... RATHER THAN CREATING DESIGNS and repair manuals separately, one aircraft maker plans to tie the process together. The manufacturer, Eclipse Aviation of Albuquerque N.M., will soon implement files to automatically create manufacturing and...

Find the price.(computing)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... WANT SOMETHING MADE FAST? Want to get it quoted even faster? Quickparts of Atlanta makes custom manufactured plastic and metal parts based on CAD data provided online by customers. The company was recently awarded a patent for a method by...

Hands-on formula.(computing)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... ENGINEERING STUDENTS AT Ohio State University in Columbus are learning by doing when it comes to auto racing. They're part of the Formula SAE program sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers in Troy, Mich., and by SAE International in...

Laptop orchestra.(computing)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... LAST NOVEMBER, 50 music students from the University of York in England played three orchestral pieces at concerts around the area. Nothing strange there, except that the Worldscape Laptop Orchestra performed new music written on and played...

Tying IT systems.(computing)(information technology)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... A GERMAN AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER plans to get all its information technology systems communicating. Keiper GmbH & Co. of Kaisers-lautern, Germany, is hard at work integrating many of its IT systems. The company makes a range of seat components...

Verbal mouse commands.(computing)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... WITH A COMPUTER MICROPHONE and some special software, Richard Eldridge guided a computer's cursor across a screen. Like someone warming up his voice to sing, Eldridge said, "aaaaaa" for a couple of seconds as the cursor traveled up, then...

Map of a spill.(computing)(Oil Spill Emergency Response Center )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... LAST DECEMBER, THE OIL TANKER Hebei Spirit, anchored 60 miles south of Seoul, was pierced by a crane-carrying barge. The incident released 10,500 metric tons of crude oil into the sea. Applied Science Associates Inc., an environmental...

VX Corp.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... VX Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., which makes CAD and CAM software for consumer products and molds, has upgraded its offering to VX version 13.

Dassault Systemes.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... Dassault Systemes of Paris is shipping Simulia SLM, intended to help businesses perform and manage their simulation processes.

Catalog Data Solutions Inc.(Briefly Noted)(3DModelSpace)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... The 3DModelSpace for the Pro/Engineer CAD program has been released by Catalog Data Solutions Inc. of San Jose, Calif. The application is a search engine that scans Web pages for applicable 3-D CAD models to download.

Capvidia.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... Capvidia of Leuven, Belgium, has released FormatWorks 2008 Ultimate data translation products for SolidWorks 2008. The program translates Catia data for the SolidWorks system.

IMSI/Design.(Briefly Noted)(A/CAD Viewer )(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... IMSI/Design of Novato, Calif., has released a public beta version of its A/CAD Viewer for the Macintosh and Windows operating systems. It allows users to see Autodesk drawing files whether or not they run the application the file was created...

Maplesoft.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Maplesoft of Waterloo, Ontario, has founded a Physical Modeling Consortium, a forum in which organizations can share ideas and advance the development of rapid plant modeling methodology based on symbolic computation.

LightWork Design.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... LightWork Design of Sheffield, England, which makes rendering software for 3-D computer graphics, has upgraded its software to LightWorks 7.8.

QuadriSpace Corp.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... A maker of product communication and documentation software, QuadriSpace Corp. of Allen, Texas, is set to release its Document3D product line.

Delcam.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... Delcam of Birmingham, England, has added a number of new options specific to deep-draw press tool design to its Delcam Toolmaker CAD software.

BRL-CAD.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... BRL-CAD developers, located at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, have upgraded their BRL-CAD solid modeling system to release 7.10.4.

Altima Software.(Briefly Noted)
March 1, 2008... The new product Everest Professional from Altima Software of Cupertino, Calif., is used to manage design data in AutoCAD.

Mind mapping.(software exchange)
March 1, 2008... Capability: SmartDraw now includes project management features with which users can create project charts, Gantt charts, bar graphs, and pie charts as well as schedules and forms. No drawing is necessary to create charts. Users begin with a...

Depicting flow.(software exchange)
March 1, 2008... Capability: The updated Tecplot 360 2008 graphically simulates computational fluid dynamics and numerical simulation problems. One new feature, Python scripting, was added for engineers who require additional analysis--such as splines and...

Animate CAD.(software exchange)
March 1, 2008... Capability: Power Translators is now available for Maya from Autodesk. Maya is used to create digital images and animation. With the newly specialized Power Translators Maya software, users can import their NURBS CAD data into Maya and then...

Reusing engineering info.(software exchange)
March 1, 2008... Capability: Lattice3D Outliner creates 2-D technical illustrations directly from 3-D data. It's a stand-alone application based on the vendor's XVL Studio platform and offers the capability to create and publish technical illustrations with...

Share files.(software exchange)
March 1, 2008... Capability: Microspot DWG Viewer 1.6.6 is a universal version of the developer's 2-D AutoCAD file viewer. Apart from being Intel native, it also has updated support for the AutoCAD 2007 file format. Users can open layouts and models with the...

Improving the wheelchair.(technology focus: POWER TRANSMISSION AND MOTION CONTROL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... The idea behind MagicWheels seems obvious: Build a mechanically powered wheelchair with gears so it takes less muscle power to roll up a ramp, come down a hill, or navigate uneven terrain. Yet it took Seattle inventor and ASME member Steve...

Servo, controller together at last.(technology focus: POWER TRANSMISSION AND MOTION CONTROL)
March 1, 2008... If anything is true about integrated servo drives, it is that users want them small, powerful, smart, and easy to wire. Thanks to advances in electronics and a slick design, Bosch Rexroth Corp.'s IndraDrive Mi servo motion control system goes a...

Air powers engine.(technology focus: POWER TRANSMISSION AND MOTION CONTROL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... Air has been powering torpedoes since 1866 and mine locomotives even earlier. Now, inventor Angelo Di Pietro of Engineair Pty. Ltd. of Melbourne, Australia, says he is developing an air motor efficient enough for wider practical use. ...

Drives in new areas.(technology focus: POWER TRANSMISSION AND MOTION CONTROL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... The ability of alternating current motor drives to match power with load promises a fast way to reduce energy use and emissions. Once reserved for large industrial pumps, fans, and conveyors, compact drives are now showing up in smaller...

Next-generation bearings.(technology focus: POWER TRANSMISSION AND MOTION CONTROL)
March 1, 2008... When NASA and the U.S. military launched the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engine program in 2003, they realized they needed better turbine shaft bearings. Since then, the program, known as VAATE, has funded one of the largest bearing...

Information aging: the data stored in computers can remain as valuable as ever, but retrieving it becomes a challenge over time.(Cover story)
March 1, 2008... Your company's most important data may also be its hardest to access. This information consists of the digital files created over the years by engineers. If companies don t have a plan in place to gain quick and easy access to this information,...

Managing the unpredictable: what can we learn from the Seattle Symphony and hospital pediatric emergency wards? For starters, they can teach us how to handle a crisis.(engineering management)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Like many people, I struggled to play an instrument as a child. Perhaps this helped me appreciate the Seattle Symphony Orchestra many years later. Yet listening to the orchestra also provided an important insight...

The efficient frontier: pushing the boundaries of what's possible as an engineer.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM." This short, declarative statement, tittered by astronaut Jim Lovell aboard the Saturn V rocket during the Apollo XIII mission to the moon, was a levelheaded call for help. The Saturn...

To a higher degree: how do you decide which advanced course of study is the best option for your career?
March 1, 2008... The phone rings once again. On the other end is an engineer confused about continuing his formal education. He has been in engineering for a few years. He sees his colleagues pursuing either an M.B.A. or an M.S. in engineering. While both...

Heat, work & the first law: from Savery at the mines to Joule's propeller, the understanding of thermodynamics proceeded step by thoughtful step.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] That energy can neither be created nor destroyed is the first law of thermodynamics and, as far as anyone can observe or theorize, the law is in force throughout the universe. Marks' Practical Handbook for Mechanical...

Sound weaving: making a fast loom even faster requires special handling of noise and vibration.(Picanol N.V.)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Weaving puts the clothes on our backs, but like so many things in life, if you're not in the business, you may not think often about looms or how they perform. Fabric is largely a commodity business, so speed is...

Patent Savvy for Managers: Spot and Protect Valuable Innovations in Your Company.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... Patent Savvy for Managers: Spot and Protect Valuable Innovations in Your Company. Kirk Teska. Nolo, 950 Parker St., Berkeley, CA 94710. 2007. Softcover. 296 pages. $29.99. ISBN 978-1-4133-0694-1. The author, Kirk Teska, is a partner in...

The Rise of the Project Workforce: Managing People and Projects in a Flat World.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... The Rise of the Project Workforce: Managing People and Projects in a Flat World. Rudolf Melik. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. 2007. 352 pages. $34.95. ISBN 978-0-470-12430-7. Economically speaking, the world is...

Statistical Thermodynamics: Fundamentals and Applications.(ME bookshelf)(Book review)(Brief review)
March 1, 2008... Statistical Thermodynamics: Fundamentals and Applications. Normand M. Laurendeau. Cambridge University Press, 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473. 2005. 448 pages. $90. ISBN 0-521-84635-8. Written by an ASME Fellow who is a...

Integral Mechanical Attachment: A Resurgence of the Oldest Method of Joining.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... Integral Mechanical Attachment: A Resurgence of the Oldest Method of Joining. Robert W. Messier Jr. Butterworth-Heinemann, an Elsevier imprint, 30 Corporate Dr., Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803. 2006. 856 pages. $125. ISBN 978-0-7506-7965-7....

Nuclear Power in Canada and Beyond.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Nuclear Power in Canada and Beyond. Roger G. Steed. General Store Publishing House, 499 O'Brien Rd., Box 415, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada K7V4A6. 2007. Softcover. 409 pages. $40. ISBN 978-1-897113-51-6. This book, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches, is...

Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Better Be Running! Tools to Drive Design Success. Ronald L. Hollis. CLSI, 219 Perimeter Center Pkwy., Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30346. 2007. Softcover. 218 pages. $29.95. ISBN 978-0-9795760-2-7. According to author Ronald L. Hollis, P.E.,...

Change Management: Concepts and Practice.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... Change Management: Concepts and Practice. Marcus Goncalves, ASME Press, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990. 2007. Softcover. 136 pages, ASME members, $40; retail, $50. ISBN 0-7918-0264-7. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In this book,...

Machine Elements: Life and Design.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2008... Machine Elements: Life and Design. Boris M. Klebanov, David M. Barlain, and Frederic E. Nystrom. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Pkwy. NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 334872742. 2008. 442 pages. $129.95. ISBN...

Fluid Structure Interaction and Moving Boundary Problems IV.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... Fluid Structure interaction and Moving Boundary Problems IV. S.K. Chakrabarti, C.A. Brebbia, J.D. Baum, and M. Giltrud, Editors. WIT Press, c/o Computational Mechanics, 25 Bridge St., Billerica, MA 01821. 368 pages. 2007. $245. ISBN...

ASME publications.(Bibliography)
March 1, 2008... APPLIED MECHANICS REVIEWS ARTICLES Modeling and Analysis of Functionally Graded Materials and Services. V. Birman and L.W. Byrd. Vol. 60, No. 5, September 2007, pp. 195-216. Free-Edge Effects in Composite Laminates. C. Mittelstedt and...

ASME codes & standards.
March 1, 2008... 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...

Measurement arm.(new products)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC., LAKE MARY. FLA. Designed for manufacturers who want in-process measurement, reverse-engineering capabilities, and the ergonomics of the flagship Platinum FaroArm, the Fusion FaroArm's accuracy...

Discrete I/O module.(new products)
March 1, 2008... AXIOMATIC, MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO. The discrete I/O module reads 12 discrete inputs and sets 8 Form C relay outputs while providing a simple interface between an SAE J1939 CAN network and other electronic devices on a machine. The unit is an...

Data logger.(new products)
March 1, 2008... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. The OM-CP-SVR101 spectral vibration recorder is a self-contained device engineered to record acceleration data for spectral analysis of vibration and peaks. The unit will record and time-tag 3-axis...

Step motor drivers.(new products)
March 1, 2008... LIN ENGINEERING, SANTA CLARA, CALIF. Lin now has a RoHS compliant version of its R701 and R710 drivers. These bipolar step motor drivers operate from 24 to 80 V dc and supply phase currents ranging from 1 to 7 amps. The drivers also feature 10x...

Field sensor.(new products)
March 1, 2008... BANNER ENGINEERING CORP., MINNEAPOLIS. MINN. The latest addition to the company's World-Beam sensors is the QS18 adjustable-field sensor with a Class 2 laser. Identified as QS18LAF250, it provides increased sensing capabilities with a cutoff...

Linear encoder.(new products)
March 1, 2008... HEIDENHAIN CORP., SCHAUMBURG, ILL. In keeping with the conversion of linear encoders for manual machine tool applications to the more robust 1 Vpp interface, Heidenhain has introduced the LS 688C linear encoder. This full-size scale completes...

Positional accuracy.(new products)
March 1, 2008... KERK MOTION PRODUCTS INC., HOLLIS, N.H. The ZBX Series anti-backlash assembly is a linear actuator for design operations requiring precise positional accuracy and repeatability, at a minimum cost. The inherent damping qualities of the ZBX...

I/O stations.(new products)
March 1, 2008... TURCK INC., MINNEAPOLIS. MINN. FDN20 high-density I/O stations for IP 20 applications can support up to 32 inputs or 16 dedicated inputs and 16 input/outputs on a DeviceNet network. FDN20 devices separate the I/O into three isolated groups that...

Big-headed pushbuttons.(new products)
March 1, 2008... EAO SWITCH CORP., MILFORD, CONN. These pushbuttons address the hazards associated with an industrial task, enabling operators to work in easier and safer conditions. The large surface area can be activated either by palm or fist, and...

Prewired strain gauges.(new products)
March 1, 2008... OMEGA ENGINEERIN6 INC., STAMFORD, CONN. KFG Series prewired strain gauges are available in a variety of different models to cover most strain measurement applications. Encapsulated for added durability, the measuring grid is formed by etching...

Compact electronic display.(new products)
March 1, 2008... KOBOLD INSTRUMENTS INC., PITTSBURGH, PA. The AUF is a universal display unit usable in all 4-20 mA transmission circuits. Sandwiched directly between a standard DIN 43650 (Hirschmann-style) plug and socket assembly, the AUF is an easy display...

Hookup wire.(new products)
March 1, 2008... AUTOMATIONDIRECT, CUNNING, GA. Building/hookup wire is intended for general purpose applications. THHN building wire is 19-strand 600 V uncoated copper wire available in 4-14 gauge sizes, making it useful for new construction or rewiring 600 V...

Self-aligning nuts.(new products)
March 1, 2008... SPS TECHNOLOGIES. JENKINTOWN, PA. This manufacturer of high-strength fasteners offers a large selection of self-aligning nuts. These nuts, which have a 6[degrees] to 8[degrees] maximum float, are used in applications where there are no flat...

Machine tools.(product information)
March 1, 2008... ENCO, FARMINGDALE. N.Y. Enco's 2007 Master Catalog contains over 40,000 items, including 5,000 new products that focus on the areas of cutting tools, abrasives, raw materials, measuring, and machine tools. The catalog also offers 20 new...

Linear bearings.(product information)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PACIFIC BEARING CO., ROCKFORD, ILL. The company's latest catalog is twice the size of its predecessor because of an increase in products, six of them demonstrated at the Hanover Fair trade show in Germany last...

Motor actuators.(product information)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PHYSIK INSTRUMENTE L.P., AUBURN, MASS. The company's new free brochure covers ultrasonic piezo linear motors, actuators, and precision positioning stages. The brochure presents PI's state-of-the-art piezo motor...

Rod ends.(product information)
March 1, 2008... HIRSCHMANN ENGINEERING U.S.A. INC., ELGIN. ILL. A new catalog covers heavy-duty rod ends and spherical bearings, which are built to EN 9100 quality assurances. The four-color, 28-page publication shows the complete product line, including...

Automation products.(product information)
March 1, 2008... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD. CONN. The New Horizons in Automation special supplement No. 2 features 80 full-color pages of automation products. They include programmable logic controllers, pushbuttons, intelligent relays, wireless devices,...

Power generation.(product information)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PCB PIEZOTRONICS DEPEW. N.Y. A four-page, full-color brochure, Sensors for Power Generation and Reciprocating Equip-merit Monitoring, provides an overview of sensors to address the requirements of the power...

Superalloys aid fasteners.(product information)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SPS TECHNOLOGIES AEROSPACE FASTENERS GROUP. JENKINTOWN, PA. A 14-page, full-color brochure describes SPS superalloys designed for use in aerospace fasteners. Physical and mechanical properties, performance data, and...

Flux-cored wires.(product information)
March 1, 2008... LINCOLN ELECTRIC CO., CLEVELAND. OHIO. The company's Outershield Wire Product Catalog profiles its Outershield gas-shielded flux-cored wires for the automatic and semi-automatic welding of mild steel and low alloy steels. These wires are useful...

PV antennas.(input output)
March 1, 2008... A square mile of Nevada desert receives 5 trillion watt-hours of radiation over an average 12 months, the equivalent of a continuous 570 MW. No one has yet turned solar's great potential into a competitive power source. But researchers at the...