Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from October 2003

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from October 2003

A clear vision.(editorial)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Two years ago, dad thought for sure that he was going blind. He was 80 then, and his blurred vision kept him from seeing whether his beloved New York Mets were on the field, or at bat. His eyesight problems had come on all of a sudden,...

Waterpowering the garden.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: Your article on new contraptions for the harvesting of energy from moving streams ("Current From Currents," February) was interesting from the viewpoint of an old man who has held a patent on far more efficient equipment for many...

Yen's tornado.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: You did it and I'm proud. The January issue acknowledges the need and the possibilities for sustainable energy. We've come a long way since ME published articles about higher smokestacks to eliminate acid rain. Who would have...

Do your math.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: A letter of common sense ("Where's the Thermodynamics?") from Carl S. Newman in January leads me to raise my concerns relating to your article in the same issue on wind power, "Winding Up." Nowhere have I seen all the...

A different challenge.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: The authors of "Fourteen Grand Challenges" (Mechanical Engineering Power) state their belief that global warming is a threat that requires drastic reduction of C[O.sub.2] emissions. They dismiss all who disagree as "some...

U.S. entry into WWII.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: Further to the very interesting article in the May issue, "The Remarkable Henry Ford," I offer a small editorial correction: When Congress assembled on Dec. 8, 1941, to respond to the attack of the Imperial Japanese Navy on the...

Intelligent evolution.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: The letter "Alternative Theory," in the March issue, attempts to make a case that the idea of intelligent design should be on equal footing with the theory of evolution. Intelligent design is the result of idealogues...

It's me, not PE or TE.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... To the Editor: I read Mechanical Engineering to read about mechanical engineering, not political engineering, social engineering, theological engineering, etc. The last letter in your May issue about the female thought process was particularly...

Californians seal water deal.(news & Notes)
October 1, 2003... After nearly a year, many failed attempts, and lots of political posturing, the four largest California water agencies have struck a deal on how to divide the state's share of Colorado River water. Officials from the U.S. Department of the...

Legal union.(news & Notes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Two law firms have formed an international joint venture specializing in representation fur engineering and infrastructure projects, including power plants and large civil construction. Masons in the United Kingdom and Thelen, Reid & Priest...

Only on M.E. magazine online: @ www.memagazine.org.(news & Notes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Responses to the September Question of the Month: Who deserves most of the blame for the Blackout of 2003? The Feds 19% Freak occurrence 15% Not sure 5% All of them 30% The...

Can permafrost give us gas?(news & Notes)
October 1, 2003... Some energy experts have been sold on the promise of gas hydrates--natural gas trapped in an ice-like solid on the deep ocean floor or under Arctic permafrost. The total energy trapped in these hydrates might surpass that of known fossil fuel...

Web searchers measure site's appeal in seconds.(news & Notes)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Web users are picky and impatient. At least that's what researchers at the Pennsylvania State University have found. Their studies indicate that Web users typically visit only the first three results shown from an online search, with one in...

MEMGen Corp.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MEMGen Corp., a company formed in Burbank, Calif., to market a CAD-oriented system for making microdevices, has changed its name to Microfabrica Inc. The company expects the new name to represent its fabricating capabilities more clearly.

National Instruments.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... National Instruments of Austin, Texas, has released the LabView State Diagram Toolkit, which is code-generating software for the developer's LabView 7 Express. Engineers can use the toolkit's state diagrams to build applications that perform at...

Altair Engineering Inc.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A maker of computer-aided engineering software, Altair Engineering Inc. of Troy, Mich., has released HyperWorks 6.0, which is a suite of engineering software applications for producing highly engineered products.

A consortium of private equity firms has signed a definitive agreement to acquire water treatment and process chemicals company Ondeo Nalco from Suez S.A. in a transaction valued at $4.2 billion.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A consortium of private equity firms has signed a definitive agreement to acquire water treatment and process chemicals company Ondeo Nalco from Suez S.A. in a transaction valued at $4.2 billion. The private equity firms involved include The...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing $2 million in funding to the Office of Waters Environmental Technology Verification program.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is providing $2 million in funding to the Office of Waters Environmental Technology Verification program to develop innovative protocols and testing technologies to monitor the safety and security of the...

Shanghai Airlines.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Shanghai Airlines has placed an order for five Boeing 757-200s valued at approximately $410 million. The first three airplanes are scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2004, followed by two more in spring 2005.

Shipbuilder links sites to product lifecycle.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Yantai Raffles Shipyard of Yantai, China, has the engineering capacity and the facilities to make a variety of vessels at one time. With headquarters in Singapore, where the marketing and business development departments are housed, and...

A program that plays at many design stages.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... One Spanish automaker uses computer-aided industrial design software to design many of its models, such as the Salsa and the Tango. The company, Seat S.A., is part of the Volkswagen Group. The Seat Technical Center in Barcelona uses Studio...

CAD contributes to quicker takeoff.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... In 1998, George Adam and John Knudsen founded Adam Aircraft in Englewood, Colo., with the idea of bringing their A500 airplane to market. As they seek FAA certification, they're using a relatively inexpensive CAD package that allows them to...

Lower software piracy rates.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The Business Software Alliance of Washington, D.C., an international association that represents many software developers, has released names of the 10 states with the most improved software piracy rates, based on the results of a BSA...

Putting life into death.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Forensic reconstruction of dead people's faces from skeletal remains will soon become faster and more lifelike. Today, when police find a skeleton or skull, they turn to forensic artists to build a model that resembles what the person might...

Set up for snappier purchase decisions.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The cable assembly company ISC Engineering LLC of Pomona, Calif., has reduced its customers' purchasing times from days to minutes. It uses an online service that allows the company's customers to find and download three-dimensional mechanical...

Faster, safer car seats.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Car-seat manufacturer Concord Kinderautositze GmbH recently replaced its 2-D CAD system with a 3-D system from VX Corp. of Palm Bay, Fla. to better mix aesthetics, function, and rigorous safety standards to form a viable product. The...

They put the bite on mosquitoes.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Coil Master of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has reduced time to market by half for its machines with the use of new 3-D CAD software, according to executives there. The company makes mosquito-coil making machines for the Asian market. The coils...

Teaming up to handle information overload.(computing)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Researchers at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa., have developed new software that they say can help decision-making teams handle information overload. It does so by inferring the type of information the teams will need and...

CEI.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... CEI of Apex, N.C., has released version 7.6 of its EnSight and EnSight Gold visualization software for visualizing, analyzing, and communicating computational re suits for automotive, aerospace, chemical, and scientific visualization problems.

Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. of Herzlia, Israel, a maker of manufacturing process management software.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. of Herzlia, Israel, a maker of manufacturing process management software, has acquired USData Corp. of Richardson, Texas, a maker of supervisory-level control and manufacturing execution systems.

Safe Technology Ltd.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Safe Technology Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia, has released re-safe version 5, the latest version of the developer's suite of fatigue analysis software for finite element analysis models. The upgrade offers an increase in speed of...

FlowBuilder.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The maker of durability software and systems, FlowBuilder of Southfield, Mich., has released nCode International, a visual development application for multichannel data processing. The new module is included in the developer's ICEFlow...

CIMdata.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Consulting and research firm CIMdata of Aim Arbor, Mich., has made its 2002 PLM Market Analysis Report available for purchase. The report gives an analysis of the 2002 product lifecycle management market.

CD Adapco Group.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The CD Adapco Group of New York, a provider of computer-aided engineering software, has released Comet-Design, a new computational fluid dynamics program that is integrated with CAD software.

Virtalis.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A maker of virtual reality software, Virtalis of Cheshire, England, has released its software and hardware called Stereo Works, a range of systems that allow viewers to see CAD and other images as if the images were before them.

Integrated Technology Solutions Inc.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Integrated Technology Solutions Inc. of Chicago has released Mind-SharePDF for the CAD program Solid Edge. The portable document file application lets Solid Edge users automatically create, watermark, and apply date, time, and user stamps to...

Altair Engineering of Troy, Mich., a product design consulting service and engineering software provider, and Ansoft Corp. of Pittsburgh, a developer of electronic design automation software, have formed an agreement.(Briefly noted)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Altair Engineering of Troy, Mich., a product design consulting service and engineering software provider, and Ansoft Corp. of Pittsburgh, a developer of electronic design automation software, have formed an agreement. It will incorporate...

Web pages with calculators.(software Exchange)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Capability: WebMathematica 2.0 enables users to build interactive Web applications that include calculation and visualization capabilities. The application includes the developer's Mathematica computation engine. It also includes a hypertext...

3-D strain plotting.(software Exchange)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Capability: Engineers can use the software program Vic3D to generate full-field strata plots of samples undergoing mechanical testing stresses. The program essentially turns digital camera pixels into small strain gauges. The software analyzes...

Rendered CAD images.(software Exchange)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Capability: The rendering application Alias ImageStudio is for the designer concerned mainly with concept modeling, but who also needs quality rendered images for making presentations. It allows designers to quickly transform 3-D files into a...

Unstructured grid CFD analysis.(software Exchange)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Capability: The Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System, or Tetruss, is an unstructured grid flow analysis and design computational fluid dynamic software application. The program was created by NASA to let nonexpert CFD users perform rapid...

Design for students.(software Exchange)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Capability: A third-party vendor has made available a student edition of the computer-aided design application Wildfire from PTC of Waltham, Mass. The student edition is available for personal or educational use. It includes interactive surface...

Interpreting ultrasound.(technology Focus: instrumentation and control)
October 1, 2003... The use of an ultrasound technique known as time-of flight diffraction to inspect steel structures for cracks and other flaws is an alternative to radiography, which has restrictions on radioisotopes and X-ray sources to protect operators. Yet...

Laying down gaskets.(technology Focus: instrumentation and control)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A challenge in dispensing liquid gaskets occurs at the knit line, where the gasket comes full circle, meeting the beginning of the bead. Manufacturers want the gasket to be as close to seamless as possible, to pro vide the best seal. ...

Where the fringe meets the mainstream.(technology focus: instrumentation and control)
October 1, 2003... If you train two beams split from the same laser on an object--say, a car body--the interfering light waves can give you an eerie pattern of stripes that follow the surface contours. The developer of a system using this phenomenon says...

Ordnance sensing from the air.(Technology focus: instrumentation and control)
October 1, 2003... Mining companies have long used airborne magnetic and electromagnetic sensing systems to support petroleum exploration and mineral prospecting. Now researchers at the Environmental Sciences division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory have adapted...

Wheelchair balancing act gets FDA nod.(technology focus: instrumentation and control)
October 1, 2003... Stairs, curbs, and difficult terrain could become more navigable to wheelchair risers, with the approval of the iBOT 3000 Mobility System in August by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The iBOT is a powered wheelchair that can climb...

Dazed and confused.(technology focus: instrumentation and control)(on-board navigation systems in cars may not reduce accidents finds research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... On-board navigation systems are fast becoming popular options for car buyers. In theory, the systems should provide an extra measure of safety, for motorists, since there ought to be fewer drivers navigating by the seats of their pants. "I...

New steps toward safer firefighting planes.(technology focus: instrumentation and control)
October 1, 2003... Following two accidents in the summer of 2002 involving firefighting air tankers, officials of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management pledged to keep the large air tankers out of service until an enhanced inspection program...

NIST test methods set MEMS standards.(technology focus: instrumentation and control)
October 1, 2003... Microelectromechanical systems have become commonplace in devices, but there's no guarantee that any two of these complex machines will be exactly the same. But, MEMS are getting closer to having the same sort of standardization as other...

Engineering societies shore up Iraq.(washington Window)
October 1, 2003... The headline on the Web site I saw read: 'Iraqis offer tips to U.S. on dealing with blackouts." This was, of course, the day after the biggest blackout in North American history, an event so much discussed precisely because blackouts are so...

Connector transmitter.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. The SPR TX Series of high-performance, low-cost, industrial RTD two-wire transmitters features a hermetically sealed miniature signal conditioner built into a connector housing. The SPR TX...

Coordinate measuring machines.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC., LAKE MARY, FLA. Two of the company's top portable coordinate measuring machines have been made available in a single package. The Combo Package unites the Platinum FaroArm Control Station and the Laser Tracker Si. The...

Clamping system.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... DE-STA-CO. INDUSTRIES, TROY, MICH. The StrongHold clamping system is a new line of hydraulic products for workholding problems. The line includes swing/pull clamps with holding capacities up to 4,500 lbs., including a family of live roller...

Vertical drawer adjustment.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... ACCURIDE INTERNATIONAL INC., SANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIF. Accuride has incorporated a new timesaving feature into both the 3832 and 3832 heavy-duty self-closing slide models. The CamDrawer Adjust offers installers a simple, yet precise mechanism...

Brushless motor.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... FAULHABER GROUP, MICROMO ELECTRONICS INC., CLEARWATER, FLA. With over 200 W output, the 4490 brushless dc servomotor is a prime mover, considering its relatively small size of 44 mm diameter and 90 mm length. This is made possible by combining...

Proportional Valves.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY INC., CINCINNATI, OHIO. The EVP Proportional Valve Series of electronic valve products combines the features of the existing EV Series valve--long life, low power, rugged design, and fast response. The EVP Series...

System combination.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... TRANSDUCER TECHNIQUES INC., TEMECULA, CALIF. This system combination is made up of the company's tension load cell and its PHM-100 portable handheld transducer indicator. This system is suitable for a variety of industrial and OEM force...

Steel spline shafts.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... KERK MOTION PRODUCTS INC., HOLLIS, N.H. Steel spline shafts have three times the stiffness of Kerk's aluminum spline shafts, according to the company. The steel spline shafts are designed for heavier side loads and applications with rough...

Motor with earth magnets.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MAXON PRECISION MOTORS, BURLINGAME, CALIF. The RE30 Series of motors uses powerful rare earth magnets to maximize torque available in a 30 mm (1.18-in.)-diameter package. The patented rhombic moving coil design provides for long life, low...

Torque motors.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... H2W TECHNOLOGIES INC., VALENCIA, CALIF. Limited angle torque motors are rotary actuators that are useful for applications that require quick, precise angular positioning (typically less than 170 degrees). High acceleration, high accuracy, and...

Height-adjustable actuated column.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... DANAHER MOTION, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OHIO. The Thomson Movoact is a self-supporting, height-adjustable, actuated column using anodized extruded aluminum profiles that slide into each other. Assured, precise motion is achieved through a built-in...

Neutral density filters.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... ROLYN OPTICS CO., COVINA, CALIF. Neutral density filters have numerous applications in the field of light measurement, such as microscopy, astronomy, and color imaging. They uniformly vary the intensity of light over a broad range of the...

Ceramic heater.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... CMC WIRELESS COMPONENTS, PHOENIX, ARIZ. This new AIN heater has a high thermal conductivity ceramic body with a tungsten metal heating element integrated onto the surface or buried within the ceramic structure. The heater has a uniform...

Small sensor connector.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... BALLUFF INC., FLORENCE, KY. The MS, according to the company, is the world's smallest sensor connector. This sensor/connector/cabling solution provides substantial new application flexibility to production lines and associated OEM production...

Rotary actuator solution.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... HELAC CORP., ENUMCLAW, WASH. The L30 Series is the latest addition to the company's line of rotary actuator solutions. The L30 Series, a replacement for Helac's large HP actuators, has a combination of features not found in other rotary...

Expansion alloys.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... OSPREY METALS LTD., MILLANDS, NEATH, U.K. This subsidiary of Sandvik AB of Sweden manufactures a range of aluminum/silicon controlled expansion alloys, tailored to a specific thermal expansion coefficient at any value in the range 7-23 ppm/C....

Heat exchanger.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... GEORGE FISCHER INC., TUSTIN, CALIF. The Calorplast flexible heat exchanger has a design that prevents solids buildup with fluids containing fibers or other particulates. The all-plastic, corrosion-resistant heat exchanger is suited for any...

Outdoor air handler.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MCQUAY INTERNATIONAL, MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. The Skyline outdoor air handler features a custom modular and variable dimensioning design, giving engineers the flexibility to meet project requirements for indoor air quality, operating efficiency, and...

Dual tracking dc power supply.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... EXTECH INSTRUMENTS CORP., WALTHAM, MASS. Extech's dual tracking dc power supply, Model 382285, provides the capabilities of two units combined into one. The voltage (0 to 60 V dc) and current (0 to 1.5 A dc) outputs are simultaneously or...

Right angle measuring.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... PINPOINT LASER, SYSTEMS, NEW-BURYPORT, MASS. The Laser Microgage 2000 provides the ability to measure and align precise right angles and check parallelism. The right angle measuring is useful for aligning machine shop equipment, milling...

Accelerometers.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... PCB PIEZOTRONICS INC., VIBRATION DIV., DEPEW, N.Y. The company's new accelerometers feature a built-in electrical filter to prevent high-frequency overload encountered in HALT/ HASS/ESS testing with pneumatically actuated vibration tables....

Compact slides.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... PHD INC., FORT WAYNE, IND. Series SxL/SxH slides feature a compact design and provide high load capacities, making them suitable for many applications. The slides are available in two bearing types and five sizes (8, 10, 14, 20, and 32 mm),...

Rotary paddle bin monitors.(new Products)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... MONITOR TECHNOLOGIES LLC, ELBURN, ILL. Rotary paddle level monitors have versatile, economical point level sensors for the detection of dry bulk materials. The monitors have a feature that automatically shuts off the mother of the unit when the...

Miniature fittings.(product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... ARK-PLAS PRODUCTS INC., FLIPPIN, ARK. The company specializes in manufacturing miniature fittings and tubing as solutions for fluid or pneumatic control and routing. A 68 page catalog, Precision Molded Fittings, Tubing and Accessories, includes...

Precision fasteners.(product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... PRECISION SCREW & BOLT, ELGIN FASTENER GROUP, CLEVELAND, OHIO. The company's brochure describes its fastener and other cold formed product line, manufacturing operations, and customized services. Precision Screw & Bolt specializes in medium to...

Worm gear reducers.(product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... EMERSON POWER TRANSMISSION, ITHACA, N.Y. This catalog highlights Emerson's Morse brand of worm gear products. It introduces the new Raider line of stainless steel C-Face reducers and paint-free wash-down motors. The product line features...

Dampening technology.(product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... RINGFEDER CORP., WESTWOOD, N.J. The new Ringfeder dampening technology brochure includes information on its line of friction springs, marketed in North America as Ring-springs, as well as the reusable and non-reusable shock absorbing elements...

Torque and force transducers.(product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... LEBOW PRODUCTS INC., TROY, MICH. The Load Call and Torque Sensor Handbook introduces its 116 pages with a 19-page section on transducer structures and design, and discussions that revolve around torque and force transducers. The company makes a...

Switch controls.(product Information)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... EAO SWITCH CORP., MILFORD, CONN. A 180-page catalog includes new switch control products for machinery, transportation, and process control applications; multifunction pushbutton switches; a line of touch-sensitive switches, robust door...

New retinas for old: after years of research, scientists are one step closer to restoring vision to people suffering from certain types of blindness.(Feature focus: BioMEMS)
October 1, 2003... for roughly 1.3 million Americans who have lost their sight to age related macular degeneration or to retinitis pigmentosa, there is a research project under way that may help them see again. According to some members of the project, these...

Eye engineer: a surgeon takes a biomechanical approach to the retina.
October 1, 2003... PERHAPS 30,000 PEOPLE in the United States suffer retinal detachments every year from just one of the leading causes. According to a 1995 report by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, one in 10,000 people has a retina detach because of a...

A little knowledge: uninvestigated factors govern the reliability of micro devices. What needs to be done to address them?
October 1, 2003... Microelectromechanical systems are continuing to replace other technologies for a wide variety of applications, including inertial sensing, signal conditioning, switching, sensing, and biomedicine. MEMS provide numerous performance advantages....

Birth of a new product: Bob Montgomery didn't think he'd need a computer to design his motorized surfboard. Boy, was he wrong.
October 1, 2003... When Bob Montgomery brought his motorized surfboard to market, he expected engineering challenges-but maybe not as many as he eventually met. He didn't think, for example, that he'd have to become an expert in choosing and integrating...