Improving pneumatics bottom line
Even though the largest single electrical appliance in a manufacturing plant is often the compressor motor, many industrial users of compressed air remain blissfully unaware of its true costs. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Reducing waste by design
There are several ways that design engineers can build waste-reducing steps into the design process. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Selecting Hydraulic Fluids - How it Impacts Operating Costs
The use of Maximum Efficiency Hydraulic Fluid (MEHF) offers an opportunity to reduce costs and improve hydraulic performance. Summary of article that appears in Machinery Lubrication.
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These crystals are the gems of turbine efficiency
Single-crystal turbine blades, with a much greater resistance to high-temperature creep and fatigue, are used in many applications requiring high performance and strength. Summary of article that appears in Machine Engineering Magazine.
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A new stepmotor design boosts efficiency and reduces noise and vibration.
A stepmotor divides a full rotation into a large number of steps instead of rotating continuously like a regular electric motor. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Smart cameras drive machine vision uptake
The miniaturization of machinery has created an increased demand for vision systems with higher accuracy. Summary of article that appears in Manufacturing Talk News.
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Workplace safety through machine design
Some recent studies have shown that the majority of workplace fatalities involving machinery are related in some way to machine design issues. Summary of article that appears on Ferret.com.au.
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Ultra low-power wireless medical devices
As a recent innovation in in-body diagnostic equipment, RF devices are now being used in swallowable cameras and monitoring systems. Full Summary of article that appears in Components in Electronics.
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Venture capital funding for medical devices on the rise
As the population ages, there has been a surge of venture-capital funding for companies in the business of medical devices. Summary of article that appears in Ledger-Enquirer.
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Innovation in Nanotechnology
A company called QuantumSphere has invented a machine that can convert metal wire or metal power into particles 10 nanometers wide. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering.
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Automatic for the factory
Present day automation in factories now extends beyond robots into the conveyor lines, work cells, inventory systems, self-diagnostic machines, and sophisticated networks that link critical aspects of production. Summary of article that appears in The Manufacturer.
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FPGAs put PLCs in motion
Machine automation systems today need to be advanced enough to provide predictive maintenance, intelligent fault handling, fast response time, and run custom designed algorithms. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Powerful water jet cutting systems are accurate
Water-jet cutting systems are powerful tools that can cut through almost any material. Summary of article that appears in Manufacturing Talk.
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High performance planetary gearboxes are compact
A new line of planetary gearboxes has recently been developed. Summary of article that appears in Manufacturing Talk.
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Harnessing the flow
Many frequent repairs and maintenance costs in a pumping system are related to the condition of the valves. Summary of article at that appears in Plant Services.
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In the US, the Manufacture of Medical Devices and Supplies Includes 12,000 Companies with Combined Annual Revenue of about $50 Billion
Manufacturing medical devices and supplies in this country is done by about 12,000 various companies and has a combined revenue of $50-billion annually. Summary of article that appears in Genetic Engineering.
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Switching CAD systems
Companies going through the upgrade process need to consider the cost of the new software, any new hardware requirements, user training and converting legacy documents. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Efficiency is its own reward
The manufacturing sector in this country has been diminishing due to a mixture of finding cheaper labor elsewhere and containerized shipping. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering.
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Getting the most out of Consultants
When hiring a consultant, organizations should look for the following attributes to guide their decision: a wide variety of experiences, an unbiased approach with a variety of techniques, first hand knowledge of what approaches do and do not work, and the ability to stay focused on solving the problem at hand. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Engineers could use a Union
Joining a union gives engineers more of a voice in corporate boardrooms where they might otherwise be ignored by management. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Tiny Pump has big Applications
Recent development of a minuscule pump has created a great deal of excitement. Summary of article that appears in NJ.com.
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Fabrics Get Smart
Smart fabrics are textiles that can carry data and electrical power. By allowing the textiles to be conductive to electrical charges and data signals, they can then be used in applications such as flexible sensing systems, chemical detectors, or mobile power generators. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Medical Device Manufacturing Process Software Can Be Validated By Non-Experts
Software validation in the medical device industry is critical to the proper functioning of medical equipment. It is also FDA mandated that any software which automates any process that is part of a medical device must be validated. Summary of article from MCAD Cafe.
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Finding the Missing Links
This article explains how modern CAD systems can be used to design mechanical linkages quickly and easily. Summary of article from Machine Design.
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Higher step counts do not automatically mean better accuracy or more torque.
A common misconception is that stepmotors offer improved accuracy and better torque. Summary of article from Machine Design.
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No Mesh, No Fuss
In the past, software limitations required that design engineer’s layout their machine design and then wait for the analysis. Even in recent years with high speed computing, there was still a time lag between the design and analysis. Summary of article from Machine Engineering Magazine.
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Analog sensing
Standard linear inductive proximity sensors are not always adequate, especially for applications where the sensor must detect the shape and size of an object. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Polymer Castings take on metals
To build equipment such as lathes, milling-machines, coordinate-measuring machines, and pump-bases, the preferred material has been cast-iron or steel. Summary of article in Machine Design.
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Taking torque around corners
Frequently in machine design, it is critical to transfer torque between points that are not perfectly aligned. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Ants' Efficiency Inspires Supply Chain Experts
Some businesses are currently altering their policies to more closely match the bucket brigade pattern of getting work done. Organizing the bucket brigade based on each worker’s speed is the key to improving efficiency. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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Three Ways to Control a Single-Phase Induction Motor
Design engineers often use single-phase induction motors in their products. Ideally, designers like to control rotation speed, rotation direction, and microcontroller functions. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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FEA for the factory
Finite-element analysis (FEA) allows factory automation engineers to simulate specific elements of the manufacturing process in order to reduce waste and improve efficiency within the design process. Summary of aricle that appears in Machine Design.
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Analyze your close calls
Safety is always a priority in a manufacturing automation setting. A way to maintain good safety is by hazard analysis done by properly trained personnel. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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RFID: Beyond the Drive for Five
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags promise to revolutionize product tracking technology. However, the problem right now is that the id tags are still too expensive. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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How to make bearings last in electric motors
In machine design, a motor’s bearings are critical to keeping it operating smoothly and efficiently. Bearings are responsible for transferring loads from the shaft to the motor frame. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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More Than A Feeling
The atomic force microscope (AFM) allows scientists to see materials at the nanoscale in three dimensions. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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Software in the driver's seat
Software that works well has become essential to just about every industry such as aeronautics, factory automation systems, and medical devices, to name a few. Summary of article at Machine Design.
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Mitigation techniques for tin whiskers
Many industries are currently switching materials levels used in electrical and electronic equipment to meet various government required levels of hazardous substances. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Breakthrough Developments in Medical Design
Recent advances in polymer technology are creating breakthroughs in medical design. The excitement is about implanted medical devices made with biodegradable plastics, also sometimes called bioabsorbable or reabsorbable compounds. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Use of ring slides — The solution for rotational and indexing applications
Ring slides are a cost effective solution which can provide low-friction stability and smooth rotation to rotary and indexing applications. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Medical equipment has now joined the recycling movement
A movement to recycle used medical equipment is gaining popularity. Hospitals have been attempting to reduce their waste up to 50% by 2010. Summary of article that appears in News Medical.
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Modular Conveyor System Expedites Production Changeovers
A good way to avoid manufacturing problems in regard to material handling is through updating the modular conveyor system within the production line. Summary of full article that appears in eMediaWire.
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What the Robots See
Robots today are limited by their vision systems. Their vision systems lack the ability to accurately judge depth and determine the distance to an object. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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Maglev Goes to Work
The ability to levitate an object using high-temperature superconductors has fantastic capabilities. The most popular future application is a maglev train. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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Precision gears Cut Pump Noise
High-pressure hydraulic pumps are known to create a significant amount of noise within pumping systems. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Sorting out gearhead semantics
In machine design, engineers must often use precision gearheads especially when servo motors are used. Precision gearboxes allow the motors to operate much more economically. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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2nd LD: China vows to revive machine manufacturing sector
The Chinese government is about to begin plans to strengthen its machine manufacturing industry. Summary of full article that appears in People's Daily.
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Medical Outsourcing Balloons
The medical field is currently one of the most dynamic industries. In the past, large companies would outsource both manufacturing and development to one contract house. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Internet access to the factory floor
Factory automation equipment may be remotely controlled and monitored from a website if a PLC (programmable logic controller) is used. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Industry group fights reusing medical devices
Some local Massachusetts hospitals are reusing medical devices in an effort to save money and reduce medical waste. Summary of article that appears in the Boston Herald.
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Determining PRECISE POSITION
Dispensing systems must always fill the correct medication orders and surgical tools must provide the correct measurements. A new surgical tool was developed to be used in the procedure known as Dascor Disc Arthroplasty. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Outgrowing the Factory, Automation Evolves from Craft To Science; Influential New IEEE Journal Charts Future of Automation Science
This article discusses a new journal, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE). Summary of article that appears in Business Wire.
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Improved Two-Stage Pressure Regulator
Beswick Engineering recently improved their two-stage non-relieving diaphragm regulator. The new regulator features an improved valve design, higher flow, and easier system integration. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Air casters 101
This article describes a solution to eliminating floor damage and making maneuvering much easier. The solution is to use compressed air to float the machinery on a number of donut-shaped balloons called air casters. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Covering New Ground with Intelligent Fasteners
A new intelligent fastener described in this article uses interconnects, a power supply, a controller, and a remote control transponder which gives users new tools to develop their products. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Hip new world
The article describes the history and evolution of the modern artificial hip. Many of the early hips were unstable and unable to adequately withstand the forces of an active patient. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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Management vs. Luck
This article discusses some current management trends in mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineers are familiar with the problems that can occur when trying to update design plans. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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No lube, no problem
Self-lubricating bearings are a good choice when relubrication is not possible or when liquid lubricants cannot be used in the operating environment. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Machines that blog
A blog, or web log, is a popular means of distributing news or sharing opinions on the internet. However, as this article points out, blogging can extend beyond the realm of amateur journalist into the machine automation world. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Monitoring parts on the machine?
Many machine tools are equipped with probing devices that calculate the positions of various components and establish a work-coordinate system. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Pinpointing assembly Variation
When it comes to designing an assembly, a common problem with CAD programs is that they focus exclusively on parts and ignore how the assembly functions as a whole. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Advice for DFMA Users
DFMA is basically a process that investigates product designs and explores how those designs can be improved and simplified for the purpose of cost-savings. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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FDA Approves the First Fully Implantable Artificial Heart
The first fully implantable artificial heart has recently been approved for use with patients who are too sick to receive a transplant. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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Automating reverse engineering
Reverse engineering is a common process engineers use to determine how existing products can be improved. Unfortunately, it is a long and often difficult process that involves manually scanning the products with different orientations. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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High-Speed Locking Cylinder
This article discusses a new product known as a locking cylinder, which is used to hold loads stationary when a machine is shutdown, as well as a fail safe for counterbalance applications. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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Tough Enough
In designing machines, structures, electronics or any other products, engineers must carefully choose their materials. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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Background suppression sensors
Typical vision systems that use standard diffused-mode sensors operate by detecting reflections directly from the target. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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No small risk
Although nanotechnology has long been in the research community, it is only now beginning to enter the everyday market place. Summary of article that appears in Mechanical Engineering Magazine.
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New drive system for molding machines
The machine design process in the past necessitated molding machines with hydraulics. Now the process uses mainly electric components, ball screws, and timing belts. Summary of article that appears in Design News.
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The X's and O's of Linear Guides
When a machine requires precise linear motion, designers typically use linear-rail and runner-block systems. Summary of article that appears in Machine Design.
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