Automation & Motion Control

February 20, 1995

M ission: Demonstrate the use of thrust vectoring-coupled with advanced flight controls-to provide enhanced flight maneuverability at very high angles of attack. Mission accomplished: Flight tests yield an almost 10:1 kill ratio, far surpassing the optimistic 3:1 ratio predicted by simulation. The...

AutoCAD, Release 13

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

DN Staff

Considering R13 has been rewritten from the ground up, I was happy to find myself comfortable with it from the beginning. I loaded my old AutoLISP command shortcuts, and was immediately at home. Autodesk has taken pains to ease us into this next stage of AutoCAD. I'm slowly increasing my usage of...

Application Digest

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

Materials & Assembly

DN Staff

Saving energy through pump speed control Bruce Widell, Senior Applications Engineer, Danfoss Electronic Drives Division, Danfoss, Inc. Some of the most commonly used methods for controlling pump flow rely upon throttling and restrictive devices. All of these devices dissipate power by friction and...

Engineering News

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

DN Staff

Pentium flas could spark scramble for bug-coping strategies Experts advise cross-checking critical designs using different processors and software. The tradeoff? Time to market. Newton, MA-- By now, engineers worried about potential Pentium division errors have contacted Intel and swapped their...

Updating the duty to warn

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

Automotive

DN Staff

Traditionally, manufacturing and design defects served as the driving force behind strict product-liability lawsuits. However, design or manufacturing flaws have been reduced substantially in recent years. Computer-aided design and other modern tools have enabled manufacturers to design and...

Heat exchanger improves air conditioning efficiency

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

DN Staff

Racine, WI-- Boosting air conditioning efficiency is simple: Just enlarge the heat exchangers. Unfortunately, most residential condensers and evaporators are already too big. By using a new heat exchanger design, however, engineers say they can achieve greater efficiency without adding more bulk...

Washington Beat

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

DN Staff

NHTSA revising standard for car-brake systems The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is devising a new standard for car brakes. The agency plans to phase in the regulation over five years, eventually replacing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 135. The main purpose is to...

Thermopolymer-driven actuators challenge hydraulics

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

Aerospace

DN Staff

Eastlake, Ohio-- Although indispensable to aircraft, hydraulic systems are costly in a number of ways. To name just a few, they leak, make noise, vibrate, and require elaborate power development, distribution, and control systems. Worst of all, they add weight-an aircraft's biggest enemy. Seeking...

Programmable pins support PCBs during screen printing

February 20, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

DN Staff

Franklin, MA-- Electronics manufacturers create solder pads on PC boards using high-speed screen printers. In MPM Corp.'s new high-volume, Ultraprint-3000-Series precision printer, the downward force exerted on a board by the squeegee can range from 1 lb to 50 lbs. To keep boards from bowing under...

Electronic motion control comes of age

February 06, 1995

Automation & Motion Control

DN Staff

Gideon Argov, President and CEO, Kollmorgen Corp. , Waltham, MA Argov was elected to his present position in May 1991. Prior to joining Kollmorgen, he served as president and CEO of High Voltage Engineering Corp. of Boston. From 1982-1987, he was a manager and senior consultant with Bain and Co. of...