May 22, 2008

The U.S. is the new place to go for low-cost manufacturing. As unlikely as it might seem, companies overseas are starting to get that image as they begin sending work to U.S. job shops.

The 26th annual Medical Design & Manufacturing East show will run from June 3 to 5 in the Javits Convention Center in New York City, with conferences beginning June 2.

The electronic monorail from Sew-Eurodrive, Lyman, S.C. (seweurodrive.com), uses contactless power supplies, bar codes, drive-based controls, and wireless Ethernet to transfer data, power, control, and diagnostics over air gaps.

A digital camera would be useful for examining competitor’s parts, inspecting hard-to-reach installations, or documenting the scene of an accident.

The WT Series of sealed toggle switches from NKK Switches, Scottsdale, Ariz.(nkkswitches.com), have front panels with an IP67 rating and sealed back panels with an IP60 rating.

Before PTC rolls out a new version of Pro/Engineer, it usually tests the release with several preproduction versions. Pro/E Wildfire 4.0 is no exception.

Manufacturers See Upside

GMC redesigned the Yukon Denali for 2007, so this year’s changes are minimal.

Wisconsin entrepreneur Ben Hobbins worked with University of Wisconsin- Madison engineering and business school faculty and students to devise a fiber-reinforced fishing lure that may prevent millions of pounds of plastics from polluting waters nationwide.

Not all medical innovation comes from the West.

The largest machine in the world, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), covers parts of France and Switzerland and will cost a staggering $3.5 billion U.S. to design and build.

Dodge MagnaGear XTR gear reducers from Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, Ark. (baldor.com), provide torque up to 920,000 lb-in. in parallel-shaft or right-angle configurations.

An important part of engine maintenance is changing your car’s motor oil.

The second-generation Cadillac sport sedan is Motor Trend’s Car of the Year for a number of reasons, one of them being its exceptional looks.

The host of PBS’s Design Squad show talks about his start-up, his degree from MIT, and getting kids interested in engineering.

After 31 years as an engineer, mostly at one large company, I urged my kids not to pursue engineering as a profession.