November 6, 2008

Anyone can mesh CFD for the masses, Modular controllers, simpler robots, Vibration isolation in the real world, New developments in high-pressure hose, Motion Reference Guide: Motion platforms simplify linearguide design, Machine Design’s Lit Express

November 6, 2008

Digital

Features

Shaking up vibration models

Here’s a better way to look at vibration-isolation systems.

More Controllers, Fewer Cables

The reliability of a stage system depends on the number of cables. electromagnetic interference between cables can cause cross talk, which makes it difficult to integrate systems.

Engineering in Germany

The engineering technology curricula in the U.S. stands weakly to the many and varied technical universities in Germany and their closeness to the industry

Shaking up vibration models

The idea is simple: Protect sensitive objects from vibration. An object, modeled as a solid block, sits on a low-stiffness vibration isolator that, in turn, mounts on the vibrating support surface.

Body Armor for Hydraulic Hose

Although a hose’s high-tensile wire-reinforcement structure bears the brunt of internal forces, the inner tube itself has to bridge gaps in the braid formed when the hose bends and stresses.

CFD Reveals Less Work

Traditionally, CFD analysis has simulated the flow of a fluid around obstacles and through hollow areas to control temperatures, reduce resistance to flow, or optimize phenomena such as lift

Motion Reference Guide: Software Keeps Linear-Stage Integration Straight

Software integration presented additional challenges. Complex application routines and custom configuration of individual components turned programming and debugging into a protracted and painstaking trial-and-error process

Sustainable Engineering: LED Light Strips Run Cool

The Lumifa Series of LED light strips last at least 40,000 hr and only use a third the energy of fluorescent lights, says Idec Corp. in Sunnyvale, Calif.

News

Software Review: PDM Software Handles Enterprise Engineering Data

PDMWorks Enterprise (PDMWE) 2008 lets users easily manage engineering documentation that includes specifications, supplier data, CAD models, and drawings.

The new Renscan5 coordinate-measuring machine uses a probe that consists of a tip mounted on a hollow, 500-mm low-mass tube

The new Renscan5 coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) from Renishaw Inc., Hoffman Estates uses a touch probe or stylus to make measurements at up to 500 mm/sec (or 4,000 data points/sec), which is up to 30 times faster than conventional CMM systems.

The Fire Scout UAV from Northrop Grumman Corp. has already flown 200 test flights and is currently in further test and evaluation.

Fire Scout carries radar, IR sensors, laser range finder and target designator, RFemission detector, mine, chemical, and radiological sensors, and a communication-relay suite. It also carries the military’s UAV Common Automatic Recovery System (UCARS).

Sustainable Engineering: Bail Out the Banks, Buck up the Recycling Industry

The Recycling Investment Saves Energy (RISE) provides a 50% accelerated depreciation allowance for purchased recycling equipment.

Sustainable Engineering: LED Indicator Lamp Cuts Power Consumption by 85%

A built-in shunt resistor eliminates transient current and keeps the LED from giving a false-positive indication, and has a life of up to 100k hr. Typical light output is 15 lm, comparable to the 120MB incandescent.

2008 Tahoe 2WD Hybrid

The Tahoe is an amazing buy for 50k.

Multiaxis Controller Teaches Water to Dance

WET Design, an L.A.-based company that creates world-famous water fountains, was looking for a flexible controller to use in its fountain fronting a new casino in Macau

Sustainable Engineering: Air Carriers Try to Make Biofuels Fly

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group first priority will be to complete thorough assessments of sustainable plant sources, harvesting and economic impacts, and processing technologies.

Bearings Make for a Killer Bot

Who would have thought something as ordinary as a bearing could spark a person’s imagination? DualVee bearings from Bishop-Wisecarver Corp., Pittsburg, Calif., did exactly that for Jamie Hyneman when he was building a fighting robot.

Hexapod Fits in Your Palm

What is billed as the world’s smallest high-force hexapod six-axis micropositioner was recently developed by Physik Instrumente L.P., Auburn, Mass.

Novel Dual-Axis Linear Motor Gives XY-Base Fast Moves

A line of dual-axis linear motors from Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, Ark., the HoneyComb Series, uses linear stepper motors to drive an XY base. The motor comprises two parts, a forcer that generates motion and a base or platen that performs two-axis moves.

Industrial Design: Designers, Engineers, and Manufacturers Talk Shape, Surface, and Structure

Industrial designers focus on free thinking. Engineers tend to focus on analytics. The two viewpoints make for diverse approaches to product design. Yet both are crucial to the development of sustainable, high-quality products.

Editorial Comment

Leland Teschler's Editorial: Manufacturing Woes in the News

Unemployment is on the rise, our economy is crawling, product and manufacture is weak,the real-estate bubble has collapsed, and there’s a huge loss of manufacturing jobs. No, I’m not talking about the U.S. This is China.

MPG squabbles, Pointing fingers, Oriental Motor URL correction

Letters on miles per gallon, the Vantage Point column on fake parts, and an Oriental Motor URL correction

Careers

Careers: Mechanical Engineers in the Year 2028

Faster processing and network speeds will let future engineers design entire products as a system rather than as separate pieces. This will expand the capacities of engineers and allow more complex designs to be completed anywhere.

Vantage Point

Vantage Point: Patent or Trade Secret?

Patenting demands significant time and typically costs more than maintaining trade secrets. But trade secrets aren’t free. While there are no governmental fees or formal filing processes, there typically are internal costs associated with properly maintaining a trade secret.

November 6, 2008

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