Safety locks keep opera singing
As with all theater performances, the illusion of a reality on an opera stage must be preserved seamlessly and without visual distraction. Safety for the performers, of course, is never an illusion — and one opera house in Genoa, Italy, has taken positive steps to ensure that reality. The hydraulic stage lifts there, each capable of bearing loads to 100,000 lb, are all equipped with safety locks to prevent movement in the event of a catastrophic power loss.
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Unpaced production lines: Placing your operators to improve performance
Deciding where to place employees on an unpaced production line is often done on an ad hoc basis — for convenience or at random. However, if you place operators with different variability of work times with care, it could lead to considerable savings in both unproductive time and the amount of unfinished pieces held between stations — at no extra cost. This interesting study from French researchers begs the question, “How would you calculate the most efficient production line?”
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Micro honeycombs aim to muffle aircraft noise
Georgia Tech research engineer Jason Nadler has developed a new microchanneled material that reduces aircraft engine noise by wearing it down through a process called viscous shear. Nadler has found that honeycomb-like structures composed of many tiny tubes or channels can reduce sound more effectively than conventional methods.
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Wheels: Valve system for no-idling heating/cooling
Courtesy of a novel solenoid valve design, manufacturers of heavy-duty trucks and buses can keep drivers' cabs warm or cool without idling engines. A recently introduced Industrial Climate Control Solution offers an on/off valve with terminations that plug into trucks’ auxiliary equipment to regulate heating and cooling systems even after the engine has been turned off.
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5-Star Product: Rotary potentiometer is full of, well, potential
TT electronics BI Technologies' Model P270 27-mm rotary potentiometer has been specified for use by manufacturers in industrial, commercial, audio, and heavy-equipment markets. Since production began nearly a year ago, BI has been awarded four major design wins with this versatile rotary potentiometer.
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