Mini motors aim to help harpoon a comet
If you've heard about the European Space Agency's Rosetta space mission that launched in March 2004, you probably know that one of its most exciting objectives is to drop a harpoon-firing landing probe on a comet. What many engineering buffs probably don't know is that standard miniature drives with only minor modifications were employed in the anchoring/harpoon system.
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University experiments with "dirt cheap" 3D printing mix
University of Washington researchers are combining the ancient art of ceramics and the new technology of 3D printing. Along the way, they are making 3D printing dramatically cheaper for students. Their concoction certainly is not trying to compete with high-end plastics, for example, but this interesting home-brew approach demonstrates a great mix of necessity and ingenuity.
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Wheels: Ford gets the drift on electric steering
Drivers of Ford vehicles equipped with Electric Power Steering (EPS) are enjoying other subtle steering characteristics that enhance drive quality. Pull-drift compensation is a sophisticated sensor system that constantly measures the driver's steering torque, adapts to changing road conditions, and helps compensate for slight steering changes caused by factors such as crowned roads or steady crosswinds.
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5-Star Product: M-Type Shaftloc rotating component fastener
You may consider keyways and screws to be obsolete after trying the new M-Type Shaftloc rotating component fastening device from Stock Drive Products (SDP). It's perfect for rigidly mounting hubless gears, sprockets, pulleys, cams, or any thin-walled components onto an inch or metric shaft.
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Engineer's Toolbox: Engineering Stimulus Package includes free SolidWorks
If you've been itching to try out SolidWorks or just brush up on your 3D CAD skill set instead of getting sucked into daytime TV, now's your chance to do so without coughing up a cent. Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. is providing free SolidWorks 3D CAD software licenses, training videos and tutorials, networking, certification, and potential job leads to any job seeker living in the United States or Canada.
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Wheels: Scrubbing diesel NOx
Urea tanks will be standard equipment for most new diesel trucks, buses, cars, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) manufactured in the United States after Jan. 1, 2010. An automotive grade of urea, which is derived from the world's most widely used nitrogen fertilizer, will be injected into the vehicles' exhaust stream to "scrub" nitrogen oxide (NOx) from the diesel exhaust.
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