September 28, 2006

An F-16 burns 28 gallons of fuel per minute — one reason the U.S. Air Force accounts for more than half of all the fuel the U.S. Government consumes.

Assembly Technology Expo, the nation's largest "all-assembly" trade event, will feature a keynote address by syndicated cartoonist Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert.

A team of Polytechnic Institute researchers aims to close the gap" in LED technology by doubling or tripling power output of LEDs in three years, an advance that could lead to the replacement of incandescent and fluorescent lamps.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers have demonstrated a more eco-friendly way to make iron. The method eliminates greenhouse gases typical of conventional iron production methods.

The latest version of Solid-Works 2007 sports more than 200 new capabilities, among them special facilities for managing the creation of model features.

First comes single-chip microphones in silicon. Next will come a variety of inexpensive sensors made with the same basic integrated circuit technology and in high volumes.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on the design of controls that fail in such a way as to not cause or increase a hazard.

Engineering cutbacks have forced companies to buy complete systems rather than assemble components themselves.

Researchers at Northeastern University have developed a magnetic material that will help U.S. military radar systems become smaller, lighter, and cheaper, without compromising performance.

Aeronautical engineer James DeLaurier's oneseat ornithopter recently flapped its way into the air (with a boost from a small jet engine), climbed about 3 ft above the ground, and sustained flight for 1,200 ft and 14 sec.

University of Wyoming researchers have developed a method to rapidly detect explosives such as the liquid compounds that were part of a recently-thwarted plot to detonate bombs on as many as 10 U.S.-bound airliners.

A new line of fingertip sensors measures pressures that are difficult to gauge by conventional means.

Driver Russ Wicks with American Challenge, Bellevue, Wash., set the world stock-car speed record in July by hitting 222.623 mph in a NASCAR Daytona Series Ford Taurus on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

A polyamide 46 called Stanyl TE250F6 from DSM Engineering Plastics is one of only a few high performance thermoplastics used in aerospace engines.

As aircraft reach or exceed their planned life spans, the U.S. Air Force is turning to advanced nondestructive evaluation methods to decide whether the planes are fit for continued service.

Radel R polyphenylsulfones withstand thousands of decontamination and steam-sterilization cycles without losing their mechanical properties or good looks.

Next time you find yourself mercilessly blasting away at an adversary with a paintball gun, thank Humphrey Products Co., for the gun's reliability and fast repeat rate.

A rapid-injection-molding process let Fasco, Eaton Rapids, Mich., a Tier 2 supplier, produce a redesigned actuator enclosure in only a few days.

Armor-plated steel and laminated composite panels sealed during assembly with a high-performance epoxy adhesive from Huntsman Advanced Materials protect the center/passenger portion of Cougar specialty armored vehicles from hostile fire, and improvised explosive devices.

The Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., recently recruited Touchstone Research Laboratory Ltd., Triadelphia, W.V., to continue development of its carbon-foam technology.