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Machine vision enforces zero-defect manufacturing of engine fans

Engine cooling fan failure in commercial vehicle applications can result in power unit overheating and catastrophic engine damage. To mitigate these risks, a leading manufacturer of engine components has deployed an advanced machine vision system based on SVS-Vistek cameras to enforce zero-defect quality standards. The implementation presented substantial technical challenges.
Read the full article.

Do-it-yourself board-level EMI shielding

ProtoShield sheets from Tech-Etch are depth-etched with a checkerboard pattern for folding, so they can be easily formed into many diverse configurations. In the product-development stage, fully functional shields can be created in minutes with just a pair of scissors and a straight edge for folding. Offered in two sizes: standard (.25-in. squares) and metric (5-mm squares). Both versions are solderable and corrosion resistant due to nickel silver material. Shield prototypes can be directly soldered to the board, or shield clips can be used for easy mounting. Samples available.
Learn more.

New angle sensors designed for rugged applications

Novotechnik's new Vert-X 26 Series of non-contacting magnetic angle sensors use the Hall effect to track the position of the shaft and are designed for rugged applications like automotive and off-highway equipment where high humidity, dampness, dust, and/or vibrations are expected. They are plug-in sensors using an AMP MQ5 6-pole connector, with a measurement range from 0 to 360 degrees. Both single and fully redundant versions are available.
Learn more.

Cool Tools: Mobile surface measuring solution

With its lightweight, compact design and the smallest skidless probe system available on the market, the MarSurf M 510 Series is an ideal solution for precise surface measurement across a wide range of applications. The series offers convenient mobile testing of P, R, and W parameters with just one instrument, and users can create up to 1,000 measuring programs. This instrument can cover a broad spectrum of applications in sectors such as mechanical engineering, automotive, medical, and aerospace.
Learn more from Mahr.

Code-free LIN LED driver rewrites the rules of automotive LED design

Melexis has unveiled the MLX80124, a highly configurable, code-free LIN LED driver. It is designed to radically simplify the development of dynamic RGB-LED automotive ambient lighting applications for engineers of all backgrounds. The MLX80124's unique innovation enables engineers to configure behavior without writing or compiling a single line of code. Instead, a GUI provides access to configurable parameters, delivering the full lighting functionality expected by tier 1 suppliers and OEMs.
Learn more.

EMI filters -- the first line of defense in military/aerospace electronics

When failure is not an option, high-reliability EMI filters deliver superior high-frequency EMI suppression for mission-critical applications in aerospace and defense. The experts at Johanson Technology run through your options and what makes each type beneficial for specific applications.
Read the full article.

Fastest workstation for SOLIDWORKS?

What's the fastest new workstation for SOLIDWORKS users? The experts at TriMech Group have done their testing and made their decision. It's the Dell Pro Max Tower T2. Dell's Precision Brand top-range PCs have a new name -- Pro Max -- and they are the only units certified for professional applications such as SOLIDWORKS and CATIA. Learn why TriMech thinks this PC, which replaces the best-selling Dell Precision 3680 model, is a winner.
View the video.

Cool Tools: HandySCAN BLACK Elite handheld 3D scanner

Optimized to meet the needs of design, manufacturing, and metrology professionals, FARO's HandySCAN BLACK Elite provides an effective and reliable way to acquire accurate 3D measurements of physical objects anywhere.
Read the full article.

Rotary sensor counts to 44 turns -- even when you lose power!

Novotechnik, U.S. introduces the MC-1 2800 Series of 44-Turn multi-turn sensors with several new output interfaces. These sensors feature patented, non-volatile technology that retains turn count even when power is lost and reports correct count when power is restored. In addition to the IO-Link interface, the MC-1 now features an analog ratiometric, CANopen, and CAN SAE J1939 interface options. Mechanical life is more than 50 million movements. Applications include automotive and off-highway vehicle steering and driveline, agricultural and construction machinery, medical equipment, and gate drives.
Learn more.

How to cut EMI gasket costs for military projects

Specialty Silicone Products (SSP) says it is enabling defense contractors to reduce EMI gasket costs without compromising quality or performance. In addition to cost-effective nickel-graphite materials, SSP provides molded or bonded EMI frame gaskets that maximize yields and reduce waste. SSP also makes continuous rolls that are less expensive to produce and faster to fabricate into finished parts.
Read the SSP blog.

Great Resources: Flexible circuit design guide

Tech-Etch uses advanced techniques to manufacture flex and rigid-flex circuits to exacting customer specs. Special processes include selective plating a single circuit with two different finishes, contoured circuits with variable metal thickness, semi-additive and subtractive techniques, open window or cantilevered contact leads, plus SMT for component assembly. Tech-Etch specializes in flexible circuits for medical, telecommunications, aerospace, semiconductor, and other high-reliability electronic applications.
Learn about flex circuits and get the guide (no registration required).

Real-World Applications: Automating escape room experiences

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain," the Wizard famously said in The Wizard of Oz. See how industrial automation products from AutomationDirect can be applied to unique applications, such as the advanced control needed to make a sophisticated escape room run.
Read the full article.

PFC capacitors for consumer electronics

TDK introduces the B3270xP, a series of ultra-small, metallized polypropylene (MKP) film capacitors tailored for power factor correction (PFC) stages in power supplies for consumer electronics. With their compact design and self-healing properties, these components are engineered for use in high-density circuit designs for devices such as laptops and gaming consoles.
Learn more.

Raspberry Pi releases 1-TB SSD for 70 bucks!

Raspberry Pi, the incredibly popular and affordable single-board computer system, is getting a big bump up in the memory department. A 1-TB solid-state drive is now available for the Raspberry Pi 5 and other devices. Besides the huge storage space, it boasts super-fast startup and fast data transfer. Available directly from Raspberry Pi for right now. Should be hitting U.S. resellers soon. Requires Raspberry Pi 5-compatible M.2 adapter.
Read the Raspberry Pi blog with more specs. Other new add-ons available.

Advanced metrology accelerates performance for American race team

In motorsports, where aerodynamic efficiency and mechanical accuracy can mean the difference between a podium finish and a mid-pack result, precision isn't a luxury -- it's a necessity. As Brian Winters, Product Manager at Hexagon - Manufacturing Intelligence division, writes, Minnesota-based JDC-Miller MotorSports understands this better than most.
Read the full article.

Study says hybrids have lower injury odds than conventional cars

Hybrids have a safety edge over their conventional twins when it comes to shielding their occupants from injuries in crashes, new research by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows. On average, the odds of being injured in a crash are 25% lower for people in hybrids than people traveling in nonhybrid models.

A new HDLI study says that hybrid vehicles like the 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid have lower injury odds than nonhybrid models. [Image courtesy: Toyota USA]

 

 

 

 

"Weight is a big factor," says Matt Moore, HLDI vice president and an author of the report. "Hybrids on average are 10% heavier than their standard counterparts. This extra mass gives them an advantage in crashes that their conventional twins don't have." He notes that other factors, such as how, when, and by whom hybrids are driven, also may contribute. Researchers included controls to reduce the impact these differences may have had on the results.

The new finding is more good news for green-minded drivers who don't want to trade safety for fuel economy. Not so long ago, car buyers had to choose between the two because fuel-efficient cars tended to be smaller and lighter. Now, consumers have more options than ever when it comes to picking an environmentally friendly – and crashworthy – vehicle

"Saving at the pump no longer means you have to skimp on crash protection," Moore says.

In the study, HLDI estimated the odds that a crash would result in injuries if people were riding in a hybrid versus the conventional version of the same vehicle. The analysis included more than 25 hybrid-conventional vehicle pairs, all 2003-11 models, with at least one collision claim and at least one related injury claim filed under personal injury protection or medical payment coverage in 2002-10.

Collision coverage pays to repair or replace an at-fault driver's vehicle after a crash with an object or another vehicle. Personal injury protection, or PIP, pays medical expenses for injuries insured drivers and other people in their vehicles sustain in a crash, no matter who is at fault in the collision. Medical payment, or MedPay, covers treatment costs when insured drivers or their passengers are hurt in crashes when the driver is at fault. PIP coverage is sold in states with no-fault insurance systems, and MedPay coverage is sold in tort states.

Hybrids' injury odds were 27% lower than their standard counterparts for collision claims with a related PIP claim and 25% lower than their twins for collision claims with a related MedPay claim.

Source HDLI

 

 

Even with advances in occupant protection, larger vehicles still are safer choices than smaller ones. That's why downsizing vehicles to improve fuel efficiency has traditionally resulted in safety tradeoffs. The trend among automakers nowadays is to boost fuel economy by designing more efficient internal combustion engines and by adding hybrids to their fleets.

Although hybrids share the same footprint and structure as their conventional counterparts, they outweigh them because of the added heft of battery packs and other components used in dual-power systems. At about 3,600 lb, a hybrid Honda Accord midsize sedan, for example, can weigh as much as 480 lb more than a conventional Accord. A hybrid Toyota Highlander, a midsize SUV, weighs about 4,500 lb, compared with about 4,170 lb for the conventional Highlander.

The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight were excluded from the study because they are only sold as hybrids. The analysis controlled for calendar year, rated driver age and gender, marital status, vehicle density (number of registered vehicles per square mile), garaging state, vehicle series, and vehicle age.

Hybrids and pedestrians: A separate analysis by HLDI shows that hybrids may be as much as 20% more likely to be involved in pedestrian crashes with injuries than their conventional twins.

Analysts examined how frequently injury claims were filed for 17 hybrids and their nonhybrid counterparts when there was no related collision or property damage. Studied vehicles included 2002-10 full hybrid models and their standard twins during 2004-2010 calendar years, totaling 25,382 bodily injury liability claims and 2.9 million years of exposure.

Bodily injury liability coverage insures against medical, hospital, and other expenses for injuries that at-fault drivers inflict on occupants of other vehicles or others on the road.

Claim frequencies were defined as claims per 1,000 insured vehicle years (an insured vehicle year is one vehicle insured for one year or two for six months each, etc.). The analysis controlled for calendar year, rated driver age, rated driver gender, marital status, risk, registered vehicle density, garaging state, vehicle series, and vehicle age.

"When hybrids operate in electric-only mode, pedestrians can't hear them approaching," says Moore, "so they might step out into the roadway without checking first to see what's coming."

It's a problem that's cropped up as hybrids have become more common, and it's one the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working to address. Earlier this year, Congress gave the agency three years to come up with a requirement for equipping hybrids and electric models with sounds to alert unsuspecting pedestrians.

Moore points out that HLDI can't definitively tell from the claims data that a crash involved a pedestrian. Likewise, some pedestrian crashes may have been unintentionally excluded. For example, a crash in which a person was struck and injured and the vehicle also was damaged would have been omitted because a collision claim would have been filed for the damaged vehicle. However, a sample of the claims studied suggests that these are mostly pedestrian injury claims.

For more information go to www.iihs.org.

Source: Highway Loss Data Institute

Published December 2011

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