Mechanical Engineering-CIME back issues from December 2008:
35%.(www.memagazine.org)
Dec 01, 2008 ... 35% THE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS WHO SAY PRIVATE INVESTMENTS IN ...
Question of the month results.(www.memagazine.org)
Dec 01, 2008 ... <Pre> QUESTION OF THE MONTH: How will the current climate of global economic uncertainty impact investments in technology? QUESTION OF THE MONTH RESULTS 35% PUBLIC INVESTMENTS IN R&D WILL BE REDUCED. 36% PRIVATE INVESTMENTS IN DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS OR ...
Exclusive to Mechanical Engineering Online.(www.memagazine.org)
Dec 01, 2008 ... A robotic system for taking biopsy samples placed first in this year's Innovation Showcase, ASME's competition to foster innovative and entrepreneurial talents of young engineers. The system, ...
Innovation through inspiration.(Editorial)
Dec 01, 2008; ... ASSOCIATE EDITOR JEFFREY WINTERS LAST SUMMER VISITED LAS VEGAS TO GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT A NEW U.S. INSTALLATION BY THE AUSTRALIAN SOLAR POWER COMPANY AUSRA THAT IS FAR FROM RUN OF THE MILL. The plant challenges the notion of how to generate electricity. It is composed of ...
With complements.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: On page 10 of your September 2008 issue, John L. Hill's letter states that " ... the cosine of an angle is the reciprocal of the sine ..." This is incorrect, ...
Product vs. artifact.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: I have chided you before for the unremitting grayness of your publication. You know, the charts and graphs, articles extolling the joys of FEA, the eternal lack of respect we engineers tolerate. I always hoped for a remission, however brief or half-hearted. But, saints be ...
Freelance fallout.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: The article "Design Futures" in the September issue presents a wonderful world in which we are all freelance "independent contractors" working online from home. Of course, electronic tools make us more effective, and tasks really are done better and faster because ...
More than visual.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: The article "The Route That Forces Take" in the September issue presents an alternative to drawing free-body diagrams of components during design analysis era structure or mechanism. It urges the designer to draw the "lines of force" to visualize how forces are transmitted ...
Buy today, pay later.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: I read your editorial ("Tomorrowland Today," August) with interest. No amount of technology will save us from Wall*E unless we find a way to stabilize and reduce our population. Every new technology is a two-edged sword. It has ...
Nuclear options.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2008; ... To the Editor: I have several comments and suggestions regarding the piece I just read on the Department of Energy's Deep-Burn R&D program for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in a Generation IV very high temperature nuclear reactor. "Deep-Burn" sounds a lot like DOE's failed ...
Stimulating the brain.(NEWS & NOTES)(uses of ultrasound)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... In a new twist on the uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University in Tempe has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity. The techniques, they say, can help activate nonresponsive brain circuits. The ...
Not in the know.(NEWS & NOTES)(survey of Americans ragarding nanotechnology)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Nanotechnology and synthetic biology may be the big buzzwords for the scientific community, but they're mostly unknown to many Americans. A recent poll found that almost half the adults in the United States haven't heard of nanotechnology, while nearly nine in 10 Americans said ...
Signs of future engineers.(NEWS & NOTES)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... It all adds up: Early achievement in math may identify future scientists and engineers. New research published in the October issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that there may be a way to identify budding scientists ...
South Africa gets new power plant.(NEWS & NOTES)(SPX Corp's contract with Hitachi Power Africa (Pty.) Ltd.)
Dec 01, 2008; ... SPX Corp., an engineering solutions company based in Charlotte, N.C., reported that its thermal equipment and services affiliate has been awarded a $124 million contract with Hitachi Power Africa (Pty.) Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi Power Europe GmbH, to provide key products for the new ...
High productivity marks for superconductive induction.(NEWS & NOTES)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Often, the first thing heard about a new technology is the best thing about it. Only later do we learn that the new do-it-all phone drops people from the network or that the compact gear cannot handle high torques. It's understandable then that a manufacturer will want to ...
Palmer Instruments Inc. has received a major contract for a special thermometer for the F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole fighter aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Palmer Instruments Inc. has received a major contract for a special thermometer for the F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole fighter ...
SAS Gouda BV, a Dutch supplier to the oil and gas and maritime industries, has acquired 33.33 percent of a Norwegian company, AXTech AS.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008 ... SAS Gouda BV, a Dutch supplier to the oil and gas and maritime industries, has acquired 33.33 percent of a Norwegian company, AXTech ...
American Superconductor Corp.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008 ... American Superconductor Corp., a leading energy technologies company, announced that it has received an order for four distribution voltage Static MAR Compensator systems from one of North America's largest energy ...
Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md., and Infinite Power Solutions, based in King Of Prussia, Pa., announced the signing of a cooperative agreement.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Lockheed Martin of Bethesda, Md., and Infinite Power Solutions, based in King Of Prussia, Pa., announced the signing of a cooperative agreement ...
General Dynamics Land Systems, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., has been awarded a $22 million work order from Force Protection Inc., to produce spare parts for the Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle program.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008 ... General Dynamics Land Systems, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., has been awarded a $22 million work order from Force Protection Inc., to produce spare parts for the Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle program. Force ...
PartMaker Inc.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008 ... PartMaker Inc. of Fort Washington, Pa., is now shipping PartMaker version 9, a computer-aided ...
Mechanical Simulation Corp.(NEWS & NOTES: briefly noted)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Mechanical Simulation Corp. of Ann Arbor, Mich., has released ...
Bullish on powertrains.(NEWS & NOTES)(BorgWarner Inc.)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Despite the contraction currently occurring within the global auto industry, BorgWarner Inc. said that it expected to get $2.1 billion in new powertrain business from 2009 through 2011. That would be an 8 percent increase over its previous three-year new business. Demand for the ...
New Web viewing feature.(NEWS & NOTES)(Quickparts)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008 ... An Internet-based parts supplier, Quickparts, has introduced a new feature on its Web site that permits review of submitted stereo-lithography files. The service, called MyQuote3D, permits users to view .stl files in 3-D, even if they do not have a CAD system installed on their desktop ...
To the moon.(COMPUTING)(Space Exploration Technologies Corp. uses a product lifecycle management system )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For a new company, doing a space launch is no easy matter. Design is a long and intricate process. Space-launch vehicle developer Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, of Hawthorne, Calif., now uses a product lifecycle management ...
Ramping up HDTV.(COMPUTING)(Redback Networks Inc.)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Today's televisions and video systems present challenge enough for us amateurs in our living rooms. So imagine the difficulties for those who design the delivery platforms. Take Redback Networks of San Jose, Calif., which makes broadband networking systems. Currently, 15 ...
Mission simulation theater.(COMPUTING)
Dec 01, 2008; ... A Baltimore-based aerospace and defense contractor is making it possible for its employees to review mission simulations and collaborate on engineering projects--no matter the user's location--thanks to a theater equipped with 3-D engineering and visualization software. The ...
You build it.(COMPUTING)(MathWorks Inc.)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... As a new feature of its Matlab and Simulink software, The MathWorks is giving customers access to an underlying modeling language so they can create their own models of components--individual valves, resistors, motors, wires, and the like--and solve simulations using differential algebraic ...
A smoother flight.(COMPUTING)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... It comes blasting out of the blue on your airplane flight: sudden bumpiness. It arrives without warning, and it can be quite frightening. It's called clear-air turbulence, and a new forecasting method developed by a researcher at the University of Georgia could help pilots chart ...
Working together virtually.(COMPUTING)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Virtual worlds can offer a new locale for problem solving. But not before users get up to speed on how to work that world, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University in State College. They recently looked at how virtual teams can ...
Xerox Corp.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)(Xerox 6279 Wide Format Printer)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Xerox Corp. of Rochester, N.Y., has introduced the Xerox 6279 Wide Format Printer, a ...
3D-Tool.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)
Dec 01, 2008; ... 3D-Tool of Heddesheim, Germany, has released 3D-Tool version ...
CADsmart.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... CADsmart of Bristol, England, has released version six of its CAD skills assessment software. The upgraded CADsmart uses live ...
The CAD program Solid Edge from Siemens PLM Software of Plano, Texas, now supports the line of 3-D mice from 3Dconnexion of Fremont, Calif.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The CAD program Solid Edge from Siemens PLM Software of Plano, Texas, now supports the line of 3-D mice from 3Dconnexion of ...
Proficiency.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Proficiency of Marlborough, Mass., which makes applications for CAD interoperability, has introduced upgrades to the Collaboration Gateway ...
CCE.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... CCE of Farmington Hills, Mich., has added the ability to transform and rotate components in assemblies ...
Flowmaster.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Flowmaster of Glenview, Ill., has released an upgrade to its Flowmaster ...
Pump-Flo Solutions.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Pump-Flo Solutions of Lacey, Wash., which makes pump selection software for ...
3D Systems Corp.(COMPUTING: briefly noted)(introduction of Pro Jet CPX 3000 3-D Production System)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... 3D Systems Corp. of Rock Hill, S.C., which makes 3-D printing, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing solutions, has released its Pro Jet CPX 3000 ...
Right on the page.(COMPUTING)(Rimpull Corp. is using QuadriSpace Corp's Pages3D Professional software)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Rimpull Corp. of Olathe, Kan., which makes earth-moving vehicles for the mining and construction industries, has sped up the time it takes to create service manuals by nearly 90 percent. The trick: installing a software program that helps create the manuals automatically. The ...
Animated models.(SOFTWARE EXCHANGE)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Capability: Bongo brings animation into the 3-D surface modeling tool Rhino 3.0 and 4.0, using familiar tools found in most animation packages. It can be used to show clients how a design works by demonstrating moving objects in real time. Bongo users can animate the moving, scaling, and ...
See technical data.(SOFTWARE EXCHANGE)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Capability: The data visualization software Tecplot 360 2008 has been upgraded to release two. The application offers a range of plotting capabilities and a multiframe workspace for effective analysis, presentation, and publication of analysis results. Features include two-dimensional and ...
Rotorcraft analysis.(SOFTWARE EXCHANGE)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Capability: The developer of the Charm rotorcraft analysis has made reduced-cost academic licenses available for educational purposes. Charm models the complete aerodynamics and dynamics of rotorcraft in general flight conditions. As such, it can be used to perform rotorcraft aerodynamic ...
Examining statistics.(SOFTWARE EXCHANGE)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Capability: The statistical analysis and technical plotting program ProStat has been upgraded to version 4.8. The application includes a range of basic statistical methods and advanced multivariate statistical methods, such as descriptive statistics, t-test, f-test, nonparametric test, ...
Remixing shapes.(SOFTWARE EXCHANGE)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Capability: 3DVIA Shape has been upgraded to version 2.0. The 3-D modeling software features 3-D remix capability that allows users to construct or remix 3-D scenes using models contributed by other users on the 3DVia. com content library. The 3-D remix functionality is accessed through a ...
A new idea in valves.(TECH FOCUS: fluid handling and fluid power)(Hemiwedge Valve Corp.)
Dec 01, 2008; ... A COMPANY FORMED LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO IS INTRODUCING VARIOUS INDUSTRIES TO A UNIQUE VALVE DESIGN. The company is Hemiwedge Valve Corp., and the name refers to the key feature of its signature product, the Hemiwedge cartridge valve. The valve contains a hemispherical wedge ....
Cheap sensors spot leaks.(TECH FOCUS: fluid handling and fluid power)
Dec 01, 2008; ... It's not surprising that up to 40 percent of the fresh water that flows into city water systems never comes out the taps at the other end. The pipes that carry it have been subjected to a century of wear, freeze-thaw cycles, ground movement, vibrations caused by nearby construction, and ...
Hydraulics and wind.(TECH FOCUS: fluid handling and fluid power)(HAWE Hydraulics )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... A manufacturer of hydraulic control systems, HAWE Hydraulics in Charlotte, N.C., has a compact power unit that it is pitching for the brakes in wind turbines. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company calls the hydraulic power unit type KA and says it is a tank with an ...
Pump smarts.(TECH FOCUS: fluid handling and fluid power)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... WHEN A MACHINE CAN TELL YOU SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT, IT CAN SAVE YOU HEADACHES LATER ON. That's why ITT Goulds earlier this year made onboard intelligence a standard feature on its most popular process pump, the Model 3196. Now, the company has extended the feature, which it calls i-Alert, ...
Coal-fired control.(TECH FOCUS)(Emerson Process Management Inc.)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Developers of a new coal-fired power plant being constructed in Louisiana have contracted with Emerson Process Management to provide 10 Rosemount Analytical PowerVue fan and damper actuators to control fans. "The end customer is already heavily invested in Emerson's Fieldvue ...
Granular start-ups.(TECH FOCUS)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A STUDY AT PENN STATE HAS DISCOVERED THAT LIFTING A PLATE THROUGH GRANULAR MATERIAL REQUIRES INCREASING FORCE TO INITIATE MOVEMENT AS THE SIZE OF THE GRAINS INCREASES. The university said the finding may one day prove useful to engineers who design ...
The sunshine solution: what does it take to power the country? If the physicist and engineers behind a start-up manufacturer are right, all we need is blue skies and big mirrors.(POWER & energy)(Cover story)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was probably an impossible task: infusing a sense of accomplishment and excitement into the start of an automated sequence of tasks. And when Harry Reid, Senator from Nevada, pushed a button, there was no fanfare, no chords from Also Sprach Zarathustra, ...
Tar on tap: the easiest oil is gone. But companies are finding ways to make extracting oil from the sands of northern Alberta a little easier.(POWER & energy)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FINDING OIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN HARD WORK. The contentious arguments over drilling on the continental shelf and in an Alaskan wildlife refuge highlight just how strapped the United States is today for conventional oil. But geologists estimate that beneath the ...
Power window: distilled infrastructure.(POWER & energy)
Dec 01, 2008; ... One of the most underreported stories of the year was the gasoline shortage that hit the southeastern United States in September and October. The scenes that played out in metropolitan Atlanta and Nashville were like something from the 1970s, with gas stations running dry, cars lined up ...
Growing a new crop of engineers: 4-H, which has been associated with agricultural education for decades, is expanding its science and technology curriculum.(Organization overview)
Dec 01, 2008; ... There was a time not long ago when providing children with strong analytical, creative, and communication skills was enough to give them the tools they needed to be fully functional citizens. In the 21st century, however, that skill set now must also include a firm grasp of science, ...
Way to grow: ERP systems help small engineering firms manage their business.
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ten years ago, the Schumacher Elevator Co. had entered into a kind of stagnancy, according to Jeff Schumacher, chief financial officer of the company. The business wasn't growing, mainly because of the small rifts experienced when business ...
Pipeline Geo-Environmental Design and Geohazard Management.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Pipeline Geo-Environmental Design and Geohazard Management. Edited by Moness Rizkalla. ASME Press, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990. 2008. 360 pages. ASME members, $112; list, $140. ISBN 978-0-7918-0281-6. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This book is intended as a ...
Environmentally Conscious Alternative Energy Production.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Brief article)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PRODUCTION. Myer Kutz. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. 2008. 336 pages. $120. ISBN 978-0-471-73911-1. As the fourth installment of the Environmentally Conscious series, this volume describes and compares the ...
U.S. Energy Independence: A Plan for Energy Independence By 2020.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Brief article)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... U.S. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE: A PLAN FOR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE BY 2020. Walter R. May, Ph.D. SFA International Inc., 6143 Sienna Arbor Lane, Houston, TX 77041-6038. 2008. 154 pages. Softcover. $20. ISBN 978-0-615-22327-8. Author Walter R. May, who has worked in the petroleum industry ...
Career Development In Bioengineering and Biotechnology.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Brief article)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. Guruprasad Madhavan, Barbara Oakley, and Luis Kun, Editors. Springer Science+Business Media LLC, 233 Spring St., New York, NY 10013. 2008. 486 pages. Softcover. $39.95. ISBN 978-0-387-76494-8. Bioengineering and ...
Lean Production: Implementing A World-Class System.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Brief article)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... LEAN PRODUCTION: IMPLEMENTING A WORLD-CLASS SYSTEM. John R. Black. Industrial Press Inc., 989 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10018. 2008. 202 pages. $44.95. ISBN 978-0-8311-3351-1. While the concept of lean production is not new, the challenges of dramatic change management ...
Structural Dynamics and Vibration In Practice.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Brief article)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS AND VIBRATION IN PRACTICE. Douglas Thorby. Butterworth-Heinemann, an imprint of Elsevier, 30 Corporate Dr., Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803. 2008. Softcover. 420 pages. $49.95. ISBN 978-0-7506-8002-8. The purpose of this book is to introduce the theoretical, ...
Reporting Results: A Practical Guide for Engineers and Scientists.(ASME BOOKSHELF)(Brief article)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2008 ... REPORTING RESULTS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS. David C. Van Aken and William S. Hosford. Cambridge University Press, 32 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10013. 2008. Softcover. 168 pages. $19.99. ISBN 978-0-521-72348-0. This book aims to be useful as a ...
ASME codes & standards.(American Society Of Mechanical Engineers )
Dec 01, 2008 ... ASME International., Codes & Standards, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990 (212) 591-8500 ~ Fax: (212) 591-8501 e-mail: cs@asme.org We invite you to visit our Web site: www. asme.org/codes. If you are looking for information regarding an ASME code or ...
Gas flow calibrator.(NEW PRODUCTS)
Dec 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SIERRA INSTRUMENTS, MONTEREY, CALIF. The Cal=Trak XL primary standard gas flow calibrator is for high flows up to 500 slpm. Useful for calibration of gas measuring instruments, including mass flow meters and controllers, it offers accuracy of [+ or -] 0.25 ...