How servos and steppers stack up

Jared Rader — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:54:23 -0600

Authored by:
Scott Carlberg
Yaskawa America Inc.
Waukegan, Ill.
Edited by Leland Teschler
leland.teschler@penton.com
Key points:
• There are some applications where servomotors can be swapped in for stepper motors one-for-one with no change required in the motor-drive electronics

More manufacturing jobs, but no renaissance

Jared Rader — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:50:00 -0600

More manufacturing jobs, but no renaissanceEmployment on the American factory floor is growing, up by 334,000 jobs over the past two years. Journalists have taken note of the trend. The tenor of the recent headlines on the subject echo that in the New York Times, which claimed that, “U. S. Manufacturing is a Bright Spot for the Economy.”

How to ace an engineering job interview

Jared Rader — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:30:36 -0600

The economic recession has abated somewhat, and hiring is on the upswing. Now you’re more likely to read about the travails of those interviewing for employment rather than people downsized out of jobs.

There’s an iPhone or Android control app for that

Jared Rader — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:58:15 -0600

Authored by:
Leland Teschler
Editor
leland.teschler@penton.com
Key points:
• Control systems can communicate with mobile devices either through a mobile-enabled Web site or through an app designed to communicate directly with the controls.
• If response time is important, apps can be a better bet than a mobile-enabled Web site.
Resources:

Tough engineering courses now make headlines

Jared Rader — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:34:08 -0600

The general public has finally noticed something engineers have long accepted as a fact of life: College engineering courses are more difficult than those for liberal arts. Engineering-course difficulty is now the topic of newspaper articles in the wake of Dept.

A first: UAV runs on biofuel

Jared Rader — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:28:46 -0600

A Northrop Grumman MQ-8B Fire Scout recently completed the first unmanned biofuel flight. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew from an airfield in Maryland on a combination of JP-5 aviation fuel and fuel made from camelliea, a flowering plant native to Asia.

Lasers key in on hazardous sand-blasted jean production

Jared Rader — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:24:50 -0600

Resources:
JK Lasers
Labour Behind the Label
Distressed denim jeans via laser, YouTube clip

Attack of the math software clones

Jared Rader — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:19:40 -0600

Authored by:
Leland Teschler
Editor
leland.teschler@penton.com
Key points:
• It is relatively easy to find math packages devised for college coursework and research that can be repurposed to do meaningful tasks in engineering.
• Some kinds of academic software is flexible enough to handle engineering simulations.
Resources:

Advice for Occupy Wall Streeters

Jared Rader — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:36:19 -0600

The recent series of public protests dubbed Occupy Wall Street seems to resonate with a lot of people. Protesters complain about social and economic inequality and a lack of jobs. Many protesters seem to be in the same fix as one interviewee I heard who stated she had a history degree and student loans to pay off, but no prospects.

Training that doesn’t train anyone

Jared Rader — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 08:42:45 -0500

Several vendors of CAD software have decided to do something about the high level of unemployment in this country. They have offered training in their software free of charge to anyone who has been downsized out of a job. My hat is off to these companies.

More articles by Leland E. Teschler