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| For design engineers and engineering management
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February 12, 2009
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From Detroit: Not all bad news
GM kicked off the recent North American International Auto Show in
Detroit by, among other things, introducing a new Cadillac. Once the
fanfare had died down, observers could hear a distinct creaking as the
turntable display supporting the Caddy labored to move its load. This
little anecdote seemed to set the tone for Detroit’s premier
automotive showcase event. But enough with the negativity. There were
positive trends at this less glitzy version of the auto-industry’s
confab. One was that ethanol and E85 have been removed from
automakers’ official vocabulary, at least as far as I could tell. This
was in marked contrast to last year, when even Ferrari showed a car able
to burn the stuff. Veteran show-goers could easily come away thinking
the ethanol love-fest of 2008 must have just been a bad dream.
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Better Machines, Faster
 Today's machine
builders are faced with designing increasingly complex mechanical and
electronic systems to stay competitive. NI programmable automation
controllers (PACs) are an ideal platform for machine builders that need
high-speed control, industrial connectivity, and breadth of I/O.
Download the Machine Design Guide to learn step-by-step best
practices for designing your next machine.
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Drivers, start your mowers
Any organization that decides to be founded on April Fool’s Day
must not take itself too seriously. The U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Assoc.
(USLMRA), for instance, was founded on April 1, 1992. But these folks
are serious about their mowers and truly enjoy tinkering and making them
faster, as well as racing them. Here’s a look at some of the
engineering that goes on behind the brights lights and glamor of BP
Class lawn mower racing. You can also see videos of these racing
machines in action here.
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Readers respond
"I found your editorial (“How legislators discourage manufacturing,” Dec.
11) most insightful. I have been in marketing since 1969 in the Chicago
area and have been watching the steady decline of manufacturing. The
local governments, including the city of Chicago, did not find the
manufacturing exodus from the area alarming. As a matter of fact,
manufacturers that stayed in the city were hit with an employee head
tax. It did not go over too well, as you can imagine, so it was dropped
in favor of a square-footage tax, which also went over like a lead
balloon. With each tax, the city lost more manufacturing. The message
from business analysts, most likely working in the financial sector, was
that the American economy was going to become a services economy. Let
third-world nations actually make stuff."
Read more letters from Machine Design readers.
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Featured video: A glimpse of the first
snowmobile concept
This is a 16-mm demo film of the Armstead Snow Motors Co. concept
snow vehicle. It was filmed in 1924. The concept is applied to a Fordson
tractor and a Chevrolet automobile. The original film is part of the
collections of the Archives of Michigan.
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Nonmetallic flat washers
Nonstandard, nonmetallic flat washers come in 5,000 sizes. The
difficult-to-find washers come with no tooling charges. Available
nonmetallic materials include ABS, acetal, PTFE, polyester, nylon,
nylon MD, polycarbonate, fiber, polyethylene, and various phenolics. The
washers come in 0.080 to 5.140-in. ODs and a wide variety of inside
diameters and thicknesses.
More Information:
Boker's Inc.
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Toggle clamps with safety locks
Latch-action toggle clamps with safety locks come in five sizes,
from 360 to 7,500-lb holding capacity, with a threaded U-bolt for
adjustability and a matching latch plate. Three sizes of vertical-handle
toggle clamps with 150 to 500-lb holding capacity and two sizes of
horizontal-handle toggle clamps with 500 to 750-lb holding capacity are
available.
These vertical-handle hold-down clamps have a finger-grip T-handle and
an open arm for adjustable spindle location. The low-profile
horizontal-handle hold-down clamps also feature the open arm for
adjustable spindle location. Also available are push/pull toggle clamps
with a 2,500-lb holding capacity.
All clamps are constructed of durable high-grade steel (stainless steel
also available) and have a comfortable handle grip.
More Information:
Carr Lane Mfg.
Co.
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IT'S SALARY SURVEY TIME!!
Find out how you stack up against your peers when it comes to income and
workload by taking a few minutes to fill out the 2009 Machine Design
salary survey. Your confidential response, and the replies of other
readers, will show where you fit in among other design professionals.
Results will be highlighted in our salary survey article in the April 23
issue. Respond to the survey at http://www.zoomerang.com by Friday, Feb 20 and
you're automatically entered into a prize drawing for a $100 American
Express gift card.
Energy Efficiency Web Conference & Expo –
May 14
Do you know you can get in-depth education on energy-efficiency and all
the benefits of an in-person trade show without ever leaving your desk
or spending a dime?
The intelligent use of energy is making headlines. Product designers and
manufacturers are striving to deliver products that consume less power,
extend battery life, generate less heat, or work from alternative energy
sources. Our Energy Efficiency Web Conference and Expo will
educate design engineers, product developers, and managers on how to
make the best use of energy-efficient product innovations and devices,
and on how to arrange them in systems to lower power consumption and
stay "green." This special one-day event will include sessions
on such areas as:
- Power-efficient drive techniques for lighting
- ROI for high-efficiency capital equipment
- Energy monitoring and energy standards
- Designing for SEMI S23 and the Energy Act of 2007
- Working with alternative power and battery technology
Make plans now to attend the Energy Efficiency Web Conference and Expo. The
event offers a full day of live webinars and interactive booths, along
with a Resource Center where visitors can download or link to additional
materials.
Register Now!
Machine Design Video Spotlight
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B&R Automation Remote
Machine Monitor |
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Mark Ostertag from B&R Automation
talks about B&R’s new remote machine monitor and control
software. |
Check Out the New Machinedesign.com
Our newly redesigned web site still features the best content and
information for engineers provided by engineers but with these new great
features.
Multiple Path Navigation
Find content your way. Improved site navigation creates multiple ways to
find the content you are looking for.
Supercharged Search
The search function has been highly improved and tested to provide the
most effective results for engineers.
Highlighted Resources
Looking for CAD drawings? Find them in our CAD Library.
Download whitepapers in the Whitepaper
Library. Valuable educational content is featured in the eBook
section. Check out the latest in editorial and sponsored video
in the Video
section.
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click
Here for a list of archived Machine Design webcasts.
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Minco Flexible Heaters Design Guide
Order a FREE Flexible Heaters Design Guide to learn how flexible heaters
can benefit your design. Also get tips on selecting the right heater for
prototyping. Get your copy today: www.minco.com/heaterguide
PTC & Pro/ENGINEER
Did you know Pro/ENGINEER is the ideal CAD for Small and Medium-sized
Businesses?
Find out why these SMB companies chose Pro/ENGINEER and why they are
happy with their decision. Get valuable advice for successful
state-of-the-art engineering!
www.ptc.com
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