Actuators solve baffling bagging application
In the diverse bulk-materials processing industries, systems must be designed to measure, fill, and seal bags containing anything from pet food to salt, sugar to dirt, and fertilizer to animal feed...
PTDA announces changing of the guard
At The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) 2008 Industry Summit held recently in Miami Beach, Fla., PTDA elected its 2009 Board of Directors and Manufacturer Council...
Danfoss to double Illinois facility
Danfoss Drives is doubling its Loves Park, Ill., facility that produces variable frequency drives, adding both production and office space...
President-elect Obama inspires nanoscale artwork
Whoever thinks nanotechnology is all work and no play hasn’t seen a nanobama. A University of Michigan professor has created 3-D portraits of the president-elect that are smaller than a grain of salt. ...
SERCOS vendor organizations announce packaging profile for SERCOS III
The SERCOS vendor organizations have announced the development of a Pack Profile for real-time Ethernet-based SERCOS III. ...
Seeing stars
The Effelsberg radio telescope gives astronomers a clearer view of neutron stars, black holes, and supernova explosions....
Clever conveyor keeps ceramics production moving
That’s why the length on the new QWIK Conveyor from Dorner Mfg., Hartland, Wis., can be easily extended or shortened to meet changing automation needs. ...
Linear dc drive dives deep
Checking on the condition of a pipe weld is not an easy task, especially hundreds of meters deep in the ocean. ...
Growing asparagus on Mars
Instead of fresh produce, scientists plan to reap informative lab results about the Red Planet's soil composition and whether its nutrients could sustain life. ...
California machine builder gets good vibrations
When a California-based manufacturer of produce and food handling equipment was in the process of designing a new produce dryer, the company was concerned that uneven, wet loads would emit vibrations that would transmit into the mounting frame assembly. ...
Hydraulic technology freshens up garbage collection
Bosch Rexroth Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., has been selected by CALSTART’s Hybrid Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Refuse Working Group to examine and test the use of hybrid vehicle technology in refuse trucks. ...
Motion components make guitar production sing
Making beautiful music not only depends on talented musicians, but also on the talents of instrument makers....
Custom drive shaft assemblies enhance military vehicles
Belden Inc., Broadview, Ill., was recently contracted to supply a complete universal joint drive shaft assembly for a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) multi-role armored military vehicle....
Sorting system minds peas and queues
From peas to plastics, modern high-speed sorting systems classify items of all kinds by color, shape, or size. ...
Drive belts light up the night
For entertainers, exceptional stage lighting is critical....
MEMS sensor/actuator growth forecast to double
Innovative motion-control user interfaces on consumer electronics and drop detection/protection features in portable systems are helping accelerate the growth of semiconductor devices built with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, according to a new market study from IC Insights Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz....
Aerospace, defense markets spur control demand
U.S. demand for industrial controls is forecast to rise 2.9% annually through 2011 to $15.4 billion, according to Industrial Controls, a new study from The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based market research firm....
Laser scanning helps decipher cuneiform tablets
Researchers are one step closer to understanding a culture and people that lived about 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, in the region of modern-day Iraq and Iran....
Giant seals protect tunnel-boring machinery
One of the world’s biggest tunnel construction projects now underway is the construction of a tunnel under the Yangtze River in Shanghai, China. ...
Garbage collection gets smart
When a machine's job is to pick up 1,000 bins of garbage a day, it helps to have some intelligence. ...
Galileo Wheel
Galileo is the innovator of a unique breakthrough technology, The Galileo Wheel, which combines a wheel and a track in a single component...
Call for presidential technology debate
A new poll shows that 85% of U.S. adults agree that the presidential candidates should participate in a debate specifically on how science can be used to tackle America’s major challenges. The poll found no difference between Democrats and Republicans on this question. ...
Software eliminates machinery’s “cyclic jitters”
Electronic commands passed from machine to machine over data networks can feature timing irregularities in their signals that can wreak havoc on a plant floor. These cyclic jitters can shake and damage products, but a new software from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers may solve that problem....
Lead screw assembly helps people relax
Aqua Massage International (AMI), Groton, Conn., manufactures hydrotherapy “dry water” massage machines, called the Aqua Massage Machine. ...
Student teams take on engineering challenges
Thousands of students from across the country and the globe recently participated in two events aimed at attracting them to science and technology fields. The first ever AEM Construction Challenge, held at ConExpo/IFPE in Las Vegas from March 11 to 13, encouraged students to use their skills to coordinate a construction project from design and development to finish, while the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship continued to grow with more than 1,500 teams from the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the U.K., participating in this well-established event....
