Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from September 2005

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from September 2005

Only on M.E. Magazine online.
September 1, 2005... Responses to the August Question of the Month: Will there ever be an open source engineering environment? Readers say: A reader who replied "definitely" had this to say: "Corporations that do not at least evaluate the concept of...

Open to change.(editorial)
September 1, 2005... I've grown almost too accustomed to the innovations that have changed my life--for the good and sometimes also for the bad. The virtual meetings I hold routinely over e-mail work great, but they also show I've become too lazy to get up from my...

What will it stop?(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: The Technology Focus article "Truck Stop" in June describes an electronic stopping device, which could be activated by radio control to prevent a truck from entering a protected area, such as the Capitol building, a nuclear power...

Doubting the bounce.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: As a part of the excellent article in the March issue on manufacturing in China ("The China Road"), there is a section entitled "Still Waiting for the Bounce." If the advertisers in the magazine are appealing to a market...

No end in sight.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: "The End of the M.E.?" in the May issue was an interesting and thought-provoking article. It reflects many issues I have discussed with my students and colleagues over the years. However, as one who has participated directly in...

Diesel-electric lineage.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: Peter Huber and Mark Mills's article, "The End of the M.E.?" in May, cites the example of the General Electric Evolution diesel-electric locomotive as evidence of a shift away from mechanical drives and controls. The first...

Job and national security.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: I believe that unemployed Tom Luther ("Employment Realities," Letters, April 2004), unaware Steven Shultheis ("Staying in Droves," Letters, October 2004), and underemployed Frank Rampersad ("Half of Eighty," Letters, April 2005)...

The wrong message.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: I can't believe you published the picture on pages 26-27, in the June issue. I think the article is supposed to be about Chinese cars, but the prominent character in the picture is not the car. Interestingly, the article never...

The uses of experience.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... To the Editor: Re. "A Call to Activism" (Letters, May): There are ways to share 40 years of engineering experience. Tutor a child or adult through your school district. Run for elected office, such as on a school board. Sponsor a booth on...

Correction.(letters)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2005... Somehow, while we were handling the photo that we published on page 26 of the July issue, we turned a 1927 Model T into a Packard. We thank everyone who pointed out our error.

Fighting fire, saving cops.(news & notes)(Ford Motor Co. offers fire-suppression system for its Crown Victoria Police Interceptor)
September 1, 2005... Ford Motor Co. has begun to offer a fire-suppression system as an option for its Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The new option is an active system using sensors, a timer, and a manual override to prevent gas tank fires during rear-end...

Where the wind blows.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... As wind turbines become larger and more efficient, utilities may want to start erecting them everywhere. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as the case may be) not every site is suitable for these behemoths. Most modern wind turbines can produce...

Well, it's backs on the drawing board.(news & notes)
September 1, 2005... One of the most common treatments for a badly damaged spine is fusing together two or more vertebrae. That protects the spinal cord, but at the cost of limiting movement and creating the potential for future problems in surrounding areas of the...

Surfware Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Surfcam CAD/CAM Velocity system )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Surfware Inc. of Westlake Village, Calif., has released its Surfcam CAD/CAM Velocity system with TrueMill technology. That technology is a toolpath engine that manages the tool's engagement with the material to enable machining parameters.

In August, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., and Germanischer Lloyd of Hamburg, Germany, announced that two common American codes for estimating loads on turbines--FAST and ADAMS--were approved for use in Europe.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... In August, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., and Germanischer Lloyd of Hamburg, Germany, announced that two common American codes for estimating loads on turbines--FAST and ADAMS--were approved for use in Europe. In...

SuperPower Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... SuperPower Inc. of Latham, N.Y., achieved a record by running 100 amperes of electricity through a 676-foot length of superconducting wire. Later this year, the company plans to install a superconducting cable between two electrical substations...

American Science and Engineering Inc.(X-ray screening vans purchased by federal government )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Federal government has purchased eight portable X-ray screening vans from American Science and Engineering Inc. of Billerica, Mass. The vans are to be used to inspect vehicles passing by remote locations, such as border checkpoints.

Mexican manufacturer buys U.S. steelmaker.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A steel operation based in Mexico City has bought a U.S. producer on the rebound. The U.S company, Republic Engineered Products Inc., bills itself as the largest North American maker of special bar-quality steel. The Mexican company, Industrias...

It's a steel zoo out there.(computing)(St. Louis Zoo)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A SOON-TO-BE TOWERING metal sculpture at the St. Louis Zoo started with hand drawings, which became CAD drawings, which were then turned into steel-cutting specifications and, eventually, art. Paley Studios Ltd. of Rochester, N.Y., used...

New parts for old cars.(computing)(UP Industries's products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... ENGINEERS AT UP INDUSTRIES sometimes think of themselves as plastic surgeons to the auto industry. They manufacture composite parts that make vehicles look good, says the company's director. UP Industries, located in Braeside in Victoria,...

Better-built yacht.(computing)(PEA software)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... WHEN ASKED TO CONSTRUCT a custom 98-foot yacht, Michael McClain, who works for Hodgdon Yachts of East Boothbay, Maine, turned to finite element analysis software in order to optimize vessel design, reduce hull weight, and save money. ...

Icona Solutions Ltd.(Aesthetica software upgraded to version 2.0)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Icona Solutions Ltd. of Manchester, England, has upgraded its Aesthetica software to version 2.0. The software simulates the effects of component variation, assembly variation and component deformation in automotive assemblies.

Moldflow Corp.(Moldflow Plastics Xpert 4.0 and Shotscope 4.0 released)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Moldflow Corp. of Framingham, Mass., which makes design and manufacturing software for the plastics injection molding industry, has released Moldflow Plastics Xpert 4.0 and Shotscope 4.0.

Kubotek.(KeyCreato upgraded)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Kubotek of Marlborough, Mass., is shipping a midyear upgrade to its KeyCreator design and manufacturing software.

Munro Software Services Inc.(Design Profit 5.0 released )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Munro Software Services Inc. of Troy, Mich., has released Design Profit 5.0, a software suite that allows manufacturers to quantify and map all aspects of product design.

Two makers of 3-D printers and color scanners for engineering markets.(Briefly Noted)(merger)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Two makers of 3-D printers and color scanners for engineering markets, Contex Scanning Technology of Allerod, Denmark, and Z Corp. of Burlington, Mass., are set to merge.

IntelliSense.(Briefly Noted)(released IntelliSuite version 8.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... IntelliSense of Boston has released IntelliSuite version 8. The software creates a design environment that allows program managers, system architects, electrical engineers, device and package designers, process engineers and operators, and test...

Wallingford Software.(Briefly Noted)(upgraded InfoNet, an asset-management system)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Wallingford Software has upgraded InfoNet, an asset-management system in which users store, integrate, and analyze their hydraulic network data. The company is located in Wallingford, England.

Cyco Software.(Briefly Noted)(two data management softwares released)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cyco Software of Atlanta has released Cyco AutoManager Meridian 2005 and Cyco AutoManager TeamWork 2005, two data management applications.

Dassault Systemes of Paris has acquired Paris-based Virtools SA.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Dassault Systemes of Paris has acquired Paris-based Virtools SA, which makes 3-D interactive Web applications that allow users who are unfamiliar with 3-D modeling to animate 3-D objects.

Cadig.(AutoTable 3.12 released)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Cadig of Eden Prairie, Minn., has released AutoTable 3.12 for AutoCAD, which imports Excel spreadsheet into AutoCAD.

Gibbs and Associates.(shipping GibbsCam 2005)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Gibbs and Associates in Moorpark, Calif., is shipping GibbsCam 2005, which is computer-aided manufacturing software for programming CNC machine tools.

Datranet Ltd.(released Fusion-DX version 2.4)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Datranet Ltd. of Leeds, England, has released Fusion-DX version 2.4, which automates, controls, and manages CAD data translation, communication, and collaboration within engineering supply chains.

A pipe dream comes true.(Computing)(Victaulic Co. installed CAD system )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... FOR A COMPANY THAT PRODUCES 16 million pipe couplings that connect 160 million feet of pipe every year, all efficiency gains, whether large or small, count a great deal. That's why Victaulic Co. of Easton, Pa., recently installed a new CAD...

Portal to big business.(Computing)(planning to install product lifecycle management software)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... HUGE COMPANIES THAT MAKE A variety of products must be strictly organized when it comes to dealing with their suppliers. So many things need to be watched as a company solicits bids or tracks delivery dates. The Procter and Gamble Co. of...

Data at their fingertips.(Computing)(CAD and product data management system used by Deutsch Ltd. )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... ONE ENGLISH COMPANY HAS complemented its four-year-old CAD system with technology to store and organize CAD data. Deutsch Ltd. of St. Leonards on Sea, England, has turned to a combined CAD and product data management system from the same...

Data fed back fast.(software exchange)
September 1, 2005... Capability: Eight versions of USB-compatible data acquisition devices--the line is called USB 2.0 Hi-Speed--have quick sampling rates for fast data acquisition. Software is included for logging data and exporting it to spreadsheet applications...

Drawings over the web.(software exchange)
September 1, 2005... Capability: The AutoCAD-compatible 2-D design and 3-D viewing system PowerCAD Classic has been upgraded to version 6. The application offers functionality similar to AutoCAD LT, according to the developer. Results can be shared directly in the...

From paper to 3-D.(software exchange)
September 1, 2005... Capability: WiseImage 6.7 loads scanned raster data from drawings into the AutoCAD environment. Engineers scan their paper drawings into a scanner from Ideal Scanners & Systems Inc. of Rockville, Md., then use WiseImage to turn drawings into...

Designing with Linux.(software exchange)
September 1, 2005... Capability: VariCAD 2005 is now available for Linux. The CAD system with a new 3-D kernel features 3-D object display, 3-D positioning, and solid editing. Also featured is the capability to create 2-D drawings from 3-D views and 3-D object...

Quick-learn drafting.(software exchange)
September 1, 2005... Capability: Draft IT is a 2-D CAD system that can be used without training, according to the developer. Users have no limitations on the number of designs they create, print, and save. Visual aids complement all commands. The application aids...

Calculating designs.(software exchange)
September 1, 2005... Capability: GrafiCalc 2006 software for what-if engineering questions helps users pose, analyze, and solve geometry-based engineering questions. The software combines sketching and calculation capabilities so that users can tie geometry,...

Better chemistry.(technology focus: MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY)(Perpl-CPS plastic fasteners from Performance Plastic Fasteners)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Chemical environments, including chemical processing and plating operations, require fasteners whose characteristics go beyond mechanical strength. That's why Performance Plastic Fasteners, a unit of All-Pro Garage Inc. in Downingtown,...

DOE backs car research.(Department of Energy )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A consortium of the Big Three automakers has signed a deal with the U.S. Department of Energy to share the cost of research into batteries and materials for future automobiles. The agreement covers various projects under way and probably...

Reconfiguring everything.(technology focus: MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY)
September 1, 2005... When a global supplier of precision optical components wanted to increase its efficiency and flexibility, it decided to incorporate the agile manufacturing concept. To do so, Janos Technology Inc. moved from a 22,000-square-foot facility...

2005 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition: preview.
September 1, 2005... November 7-9, 2005 Orlando, Florida With more than 500 sessions and 2,000 presentations, the Technical Program of the 2005 ASME Congress offers depth and diversity. For details on this program, log onto:...

Third one is the charm.(technology focus: MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY)(Godfrey & Wing Inc.'s manufacturing facility at Ohio)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A metal finishing firm that uses a patented impregnation manufacturing system has opened its third manufacturing facility, this time in Dayton, Ohio. Godfrey & Wing Inc. is based in Cleveland, where it has a 68,000-square-foot facility....

Quest for polymer.(technology focus: MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY)
September 1, 2005... When Dow Chemical Co. told the marketplace late last year that it was dropping its Questra crystalline polymers, the company said that it would work with customers to find substitutes for the material. It wasn't the only one that offered to...

Ephemeral warehouse: as their software races toward obsolescence, how can companies archive their 3-D CAD files?(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... Today's complex 3-D engineering files definitely aren't your father's (or grandfather's) hand-drawn blueprints. It used to be that anybody could look at blueprints at any time, as long as you didn't lose or destroy them. Digital designs,...

Mighty mites: the future belongs to machines built at molecular scales--if we can develop the tools to engineer them.(FOCUS ON NANOTECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... We live in a world of machines. And the technical foundation for these machines lies in the steam engine developed during the 1780s by James Watt. The concept of deriving useful mechanical work from raw fuel such as wood, coal, oil, and now...

Venturing to the far reaches: to push deeper into space, we must try to account for all the risks.(FEATURE FOCUS: RISK MANAGEMENT)
September 1, 2005... Space flight is one of the riskiest human endeavors. The hardware and systems used by NASA and other space agencies are among the most complicated ever devised by humans, and with every added component or complexity comes the added chance of...

Efficient--and vulnerable: we recognize the danger posed by intruders to our control systems, but how about the well-intentioned insider?(FEATURE FOCUS: RISK MANAGEMENT)
September 1, 2005... Think of what happens when you buy a new PC, take it home, and plug it into your high-speed Internet line for the first time. You immediately enter a world where you can track down information in seconds, rather than in hours or days. Such a...

Reach for the sky: it's the effort that turned engineers into public heroes.(ASME: THE FIRST 125 YEARS)
September 1, 2005... Some generations create a system of law; other generations build cathedrals or pyramids. We today have had the good fortune to inherit a great body of scientific knowledge, and on this base we have created a technology such as the world has...

Rail signal conditioners.(new products)
September 1, 2005... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. DRF series DIN rail signal conditioners are designed to accept a range of input signals, such as ac and dc voltage and current, frequency, temperature (thermocouple and RTD), and process transducers, and...

Small-application combo.(new products)
September 1, 2005... LIN ENGINEERING. SANTA CLARA. CALIF. The company, in conjunction with Trinamic Motion Control, is introducing the MiniPak. This integrated product combines a Lin size 11 step motor and a drive/control board using the Trinamic TMC222 drive chip,...

Metal detection.(new products)
September 1, 2005... TURCK INC., PLYMOUTH. MINN. The uprox+ line of sensors is capable of precisely detecting materials, such as iron steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, and brass, at high sensing distances without a reduction in the rated sensing distance of...

Torque sensors.(new products)
September 1, 2005... PCB PIEZOTRONICS INC., DEPEW, N.Y. Small-capacity, strain-gauge reaction torque sensors are useful for torque measurements in applications such as lubricant studies, torsion testing, bearing friction, small motor dynamometers, stepping switch...

Floating cable.(new products)
September 1, 2005... C&M CORP., WAUREGAN, CONN. The company's customized floating power and control cable is suited for submersible equipment and scientific devices. The DuraFloat floating cable relies on C&M's proprietary foam core extrusion capabilities to...

High-speed machining.(new products)
September 1, 2005... COMMAND TOOLING SYSTEMS. RAMSEY, MINN. To meet the demand for solutions that improve cycle times and productivity, Command has expanded its line of Shrink Fit tool holders and balanceable boring heads. It also offers tool balancing equipment...

Pressure reducing valve.(new products)
September 1, 2005... TLV CORP., CHARLOTTE. N.C. A compact, lightweight valve, the DR20 is useful with any small to moderate steam requirement. Superior flow characteristics through the use of a flow-up design, as well as a flat valve and plug arrangement, promotes...

Sheet fanners.(new products)
September 1, 2005... ERIEZ, ERIE, PA. Strong Hi-Powr sheet fanners are designed to handle hard-to-handle steel sheets, eliminate doubles, increase production, and save man-hours. According to the manufacturer, with these sheet fanners, there is no need to worry...

Anti-microbial fabric duct.(new products)
September 1, 2005... DUCTSOX, DUBUQUE, IOWA. The Sedona-Xm offers a new aesthetic matte finish in its anti-microbial fabric duct for office buildings, schools, hospitals, athletic facilities, retail stores, and other public facilities. The active anti-microbial...

Rotary actuator.(new products)
September 1, 2005... PHD INC. FORT WAYNE. IND. A low-profile body design and high axial thrust loads are features of the Series RCC rotary actuator. The unit's compact size easily accommodates applications within confined areas. The rotary actuator comes in bore...

Stress is where you find it.(input output)
September 1, 2005... You'd think that the slow-roll jaunt the Space Shuttle Discovery made from the assembly building out to the launch pad in July would be the least stressful portion of its mission. And, you'd be right. The shuttle, its external tank, and...