If the mass production of Ford and GM ushered in the first generation of auto manufacturing, and the lean Toyota Production System ushered in the second, Local Motors is advancing the third with mass customization and micro factories (local manufacturing cells). In this webcast, you’ll learn how Local Motors: • Engages a community of designers,…
MICO Complements Product Offering With Vimoter Braking Components
MICO, Incorporated is the sole supplier of Vimoter products in North America. Among the Vimoter products available through the company’s agreement with MICO are brake and throttle controls, parking brake levers, master cylinders, mechanical brake calipers, disc brakes, drum brakes and assorted fittings. The Vimoter product offering complements established MICO product lines, allowing MICO to…
Generator drives fuel efficiency for the Army
The U.S. Army is using a low voltage power generation system to deliver on board vehicle power (OBVP) generation to its Fuel-Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED). The system enables the FED Alpha vehicle to provide 30 kW of power at 28 Vdc over a wide engine-operating band. The FED Alpha is the first of two…
A New Look at an Old Motor
By Dan Jones, President, Incremotion, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Reprint Info >> One of the oldest motor technologies, brushed dc motors have been around since the beginning of the age of electricity. These low cost options with high peak torques driven by the simplest of variable speed controllers suit a variety of application needs. The…
“Unit and Hardness Converter” iPhone App from Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions (STKM: TREL-B) has released a new iPhone app, “Unit and Hardness Converter.” This new tool efficiently and conveniently converts frequently used units and currencies, as well as popular hardness scales for various material types based on ISO and ASTM standards. “Unit and Hardness Converter” is easy to use. Simply select the dimension…
Integrity Sealing for Hydrogen and CNG Fuel Systems
Seal-Lok™ fittings and adapters create reliable, leak-free connections for hydrogen and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel storage and delivery systems. They suit alternative fuel service cars, trucks, buses and filling stations. Seal-Lok with H2 technology is for highpressure hydrogen systems. The H2 stud and port is interchangeable with standard SAE J1926 fittings and allows full…
Electric vehicle barriers provide speed, reliability
If you’ve seen a Hollywood spy/thriller film in the past few years, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed a few vehicle security barriers in action. These barriers quickly rise out of the ground in the event of an attack or security risk, protecting buildings, installations, or other sensitive areas from speeding vehicles. The GS X40 actuator combines the…
Off-the-shelf computers ease design needs for military applications
The benefits of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products (they are low in cost, readily available, and take minimal effort to deploy) are why more companies are developing them. The latest is a family of rugged, off-the-shelf systems for a range of military vehicle platforms including UAVs, manned and unmanned ground vehicles and launch vehicles. The CRS-C2P-3CC1 and…
Is re-shoring the new green manufacturing buzzword?
We’ve heard the cry for years, especially from the hard-hit Midwestern states, that China is taking our manufacturing jobs. And there certainly has been a steady stream of U.S. manufacturers that have taken to off-shoring jobs over the past decade. Whether it’s been machining, assembly, plastic injection molding, castings, or another piece of the supply…
For Accurate Inspection, Vision Sensors See Clearly
By TJ Konieczke, Manufacturing Controls Engineer, Maclean Vehicle Systems, Royal Oak, Mich. Reprint Info >> While eddy current sensors are a common inspection choice, they were ill suited to this fastener inspection application; critical details were missed. Vision systems, with their ability to collect a lot of data, delivered the needed accuracy. Automotive wheel fasteners…
ABB chargers cut time to power up electric fleet at Geneva Motor Show
ABB is exhibiting its portfolio of charging solutions for electric cars at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show (March 3-13), including a fast charger that expands the range of electric vehicles by recharging them at more than 10 times the speed of a standard charger. Since the prototype fast charger presented at Geneva in 2010, ABB…
FLEETlog: High-Precision Data Logger
IPETRONIK, Inc has announced The North American market introduction of FLEETlog, a high-precision data logging device offering cost-effective mobile data recording capabilities. The logger is expressly designed for use within heavy vehicle fleet management applications, such as data acquisition and predictive maintenance; in-vehicle driver response and endurance tests; external vehicle measurements; statistical research; fuel efficiency…
3D Scanning Brings “Extinct” Parts Back
RavenWorks in Maple Grove, MN, is known for its automotive machining and testing business. Its employees, who are hot-rod enthusiasts, saw a need in the market for replacement parts for vintage vehicles. They decided to carefully select and manufacture “extinct” parts for which there was a large demand among the hot-rod restoration community. For hot-rod…
Panels as Powerful as an Industrial PC
The Power Panel 500 generation, which is equipped with Intel Atom Z510, Z520 and Z530 processors, handles the performance range that was previously reserved for industrial PCs. With a modern Intel Atom architecture, users profit from a unique combination of low power dissipation and top performance at an attractive price. The Power Panel 500 can…
RLSS Series Rod Locks with Optional Embedded Engagement Sensor
Nexen Group Inc. announces the RLSS Series Rod Locks, Generation 2, now available with an optional embedded engagement sensor. The spring-engaged, air-released rod locks deliver reliable holding forces up to 5000 lbs with very low backlash. Now, generation 2 models are available with an optional magnetic inductive sensor that can improve the overall safety of…
Aston Martin to Use Siemens PLM Software to Standardize Its Global Sports Car Development
Siemens PLM Software announced that Aston Martin is standardizing its global sports car development process using NX™ software for integrated computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering analysis (CAD/CAM/CAE) and Teamcenter® software to manage their product and process knowledge. This company-wide commitment will enable Aston Martin to drive productivity improvements, common processes and enhanced global collaboration for…
Miniature Lightweight Sensor Featuring AHRS and GPS
The 3DM-GX3®-35 is a miniature, lightweight sensor (23 grams) featuring a high quality attitude heading reference system (AHRS) and an onboard global positioning system (GPS) receiver. The AHRS and the GPS can independently provide time correlated measurements ideally suited for applications where users are implementing their own host based GPS/INS Kalman Filter. The 3DM-GX3-35 is…
Join the first Design World Tweet Chat on Feb. 2
Join Design World on Wednesday, February 2nd, for the inaugural Design World Tweet Chat. Our entire editorial team will be tweeting with you on the topic of engineering education. To participate, just include #DesignWorld in your tweets that day, from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. Eastern time. You can comment, respond to other tweets, even…
CAM Tools
German tool maker Formenbau Kellermann GmbH reduced lead times by more than 20% after investing in VISI software and installing a palletized production process with a zero-point clamping system. The machines can automatically convert 3-axis to 5-axis continuous tool paths. The company is a supplier to the automotive industry providing complex single- and multiple-component tools…
CFD for Visualization
A Toyota Motorsport wind tunnel helps automotive engineers design faster high-performance cars with its built-in particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. Engineer Frank Michaux, a CFD/PIV researcher at Toyota Motorsport in Cologne, Germany uses analysis techniques to help the company achieve peak performance out of vehicles — from NASCAR, Sports Car, Formula One (F1) and other…
Moog Provides Motion System and Software to Daimler AG
Moog Inc. announced that the Company provided the high dynamic motion control system and software portion of the Daimler AG driving simulator, located at the Mercedes Benz Technology Center in Sindelfingen, Germany. Moog’s high-dynamic motion control system portion of the new Daimler AG driving simulator.(Photo Courtesy of Daimler) The new simulator center in Sindelfingen contains…
Endevco® High-Sensitivity Absolute Pressure Transducer Series
Meggitt Sensing Systems has introduced the Endevco® model 8530C series, a family of high-sensitivity piezoresistive absolute pressure transducers, offering high output and a non-linearity of 1% at 3x over-range in a highly compact (3.86 mm face diameter) package. The unique design and performance characteristics of this series make them ideal for use in hydraulic and…
Hydraulic Hybrid System Chosen for Bus Demonstrator
Altair Engineering has selected Parker Hannifin’s series hybrid hydraulic drive system for its BUSolutions project. The system will enable the new advanced bus platform to achieve 45-70% increased fuel economy over average diesel powertrains and more than double the fuel economy improvement of hybrid-electrics, contributing to an overall lower cost of ownership for transit authorities…
Kollmorgen Introduces the CVC600 Vehicle Controller
RADFORD, VA – Kollmorgen introduces the CVC600 Vehicle Controller. Just 125 x 50 x 195 mm in size, CVC600 vehicle controllers can fit where other vehicle controllers can’t. The compact controller also boasts a rugged IP65-classified design that is highly immune to vibrations, unstable power supplies, temperature variations, humidity and dust to deliver high-performance, 24/7…
Tools Automate Deburring of Chamfered Through-holes
Reprint Info >> In the aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, and medical sectors, it is vital that fastener through-holes are chamfered and free of metal burrs caused by the hole cutting process to ensure a flawless fit and durability when parts are assembled. However, some manufacturers continue to experience costly and time-consuming hand benching operations where components…