October 9, 2008

The "How-to" Issue: Size Pneumatics Correctly; Develop the right products fast; Work well with rapid-prototype service bureaus; Design with prox sensors that can take a beating; Keep vibrations out of stepmotors

October 9, 2008

Digital

News

How to Deal with “Rapid” Service Bureaus

The best RP firms educate customers, turn parts around fast, and have a solid business history.

FE Update: CFD Builds a Better Elevator

Heat sink cools a system’s electronic and electrical components by absorbing and dissipating heat. Good example comes from a recent thermal simulation for an elevator with linear synchronous motors (LSM).

Sustainable Engineering

Tests of two high-performance pleasure craft from Campion Boats showcased a new use for a bio-based resin technology called Envirez.

Looking Back

10, 30 and 50 years ago this October in Machine Design. Lockheed wants a new version of the U-2. Solid fuel rocket balancing and quick clean fuel systems.

Vantage Point: Design for costing

Perhaps as much as any discipline, engineering has undergone radical changes in the last century. Design for Costing (DFC) is an example of an extremely effective but underappreciated engineering development.

Industrial Design: Only High-Class Coffee Beans Need Apply

BMW Group DesignworksUSA took two years to develop a high-end espresso machine

Editorial Comment

Leland Teschler's Editorial: Not that hard to learn

Direct instruction centers on brief sessions of learning in small steps. Precision teaching comes into play after a direct-instruction session.

Orr on Engineering: Time: The Undiscovered Country

Keep a time log for a day or two. You’ll need a timer that alerts you every so often

Features

How to Develop Products like Toyota

One conclusion increasingly drawn from Toyota’s system is that many U.S. manufacturers have gone off track with their own development efforts. In fact, some of the processes they’ve adopted in the name of speed and quality have actually had the opposite effect.

How to: Sensing against the elements

Here are just a few examples of how you can minimize downtime from sensor failures and lengthen the time between replacements by taking advantage of the latest proximity sensor designs.

How to Take Vibration out of Stepmotors

Stepmotors are one of the most robust yet intricate motion-control products available. Although these motors are an engineering marvel, there are times when their performance just can’t cut it.

Scanning the Field

Scanning for Ideas: Thermostat Update Relies on Lighting

Carrier Corp. recently redesigned their thermostat with the help Global Lighting Technologies, who redesigned the backlighting.

Software Review

Software Review: Software Fosters Mechatronic Research

Georgia Tech Savannah conducted cutting-edge research in the integration of ECAD and MCAD using Eplan Electric P8, a system architecture that supports the philosophy of object-oriented engineering across disciplines.

Software Review: Software Fosters Mechatronic Research

We use Eplan Electric P8, a system architecture that supports the philosophy of object-oriented engineering across disciplines.

October 9, 2008

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