Teschler on Topic Leland Teschler • Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler One of my college classmates during my sophomore year was a guy who majored in aerospace engineering. He consistently got poor grades in his engineering classes mainly because he had trouble with the math that was involved. I later heard that he’d…

Teschler on Topic Leland Teschler • Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler I once worked at a company where the people in the HR department seemed to be fixated on justifying their jobs. One way their fixation manifested itself was in a complicated and time-consuming goal-setting exercise foisted upon everyone in the firm. As…

There’s value in searches led by attorneys capable of analyzing results … and guiding inventors before patent-application filings. By George Likourezos • Patent attorney and partner | Carter, DeLuca & Farrell LLP Technologists and thinkers can have eureka moments at any time: They see a problem and instead of just accepting that problem, they create…

Teschler on Topic Leland Teschler • Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler Long ago, the engineering magazine that employed me explored the idea of working with local universities on an educational program. Our concept involved instructing engineers on newly emerging technologies, but without requiring them to actually sit in a classroom. This was long…

How does it work? That was the question few people asked about the mythical supertechnology supposedly at the core of Theranos — a Silicon-Valley unicorn overvalued by some $9 billion during a 2013-2014 hype height. Not that it would’ve mattered anyway, as the fictional heart of secretive Theranos changed continuously over its 12 short years.…

Emerson is reminding U.S. engineering students that the deadline for its 2019 ASCO Engineering Scholarship program is rapidly approaching and that the program will continue to accept applications through April 23, 2019. The program rewards students who have the potential for leadership and contributions to the engineering profession. Two $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to two U.S.…

Teschler on Topic Leland Teschler • Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler Examine Silicon Valley and some of the other notorious high-tech hotspots and you can’t help notice the building boom in research labs. Researchers of yesteryear often referred to themselves as lab rats partly because their surroundings were usually dark and dank. In…

Conveyors are at the heart of an array of exciting changes in material handling — from the vast installations of automated warehousing to humbler stations only recently automated. Each conveyor installation has unique design requirements: Food and beverage conveyors might need to survive washdown settings; conveyors in airspace and defense operations may need to be […]

Axes on CNC machines to allow spindle movements are mission critical — requiring high accuracy. But doors and other linear axes have different design requirements — with forgiveness and ruggedness being priority instead. Now, linear bearings from Rollon Corp. help some CNC machine builders trim cost and improve reliability by satisfying these unique design requirements. […]

Demand for simple-to-install and pre-integrated linear-slide systems continues unabated … especially in applications only recently automated. Here’s the perspective of Matt Mowry, North American market manager for drylin products at igus: “We’ve supplied fully assembled and customized linear-slide tables … complete with motors and accessories. We’ve also supplied custom-extruded linear profiles and bearing liners to […]

This year’s survey of trends in electric motors for motion control and automation revealed several trends and emerging developments in the use of synchronous ac motors; stepper motors, especially in closed-loop offerings; brushless motors of various types; and a smattering of specialty direct-drive offerings just making inroads. Proliferation of synchronous ac motors With construction and […]

What key trends are driving the encoder market? We put the question to several of the top encoder manufacturers to get their perspective on trends in the encoder industry as well as how developments in other industries are impacting their business. Here’s what they told us. With respect to the IoT and IIoT, what kinds […]

The continuing development of IoT and IIoT is shaping trends in sensor design and implementation. Broader automation trends such as the continued digitalization of data and its use in more efficient control of processes and systems to the use of data for predictive maintenance purposes are big drivers. Sensors have added functions, are easier to […]

Taboos against cannabis continue to go up in smoke, which has meant the rapid ascent of an entirely new industry. It’s also meant proliferation of new automated systems and machine designs for all stages of cannabis production — including growing, harvesting, processing, testing, packaging, and distributing of marijuana and hemp-based goods to satisfy demand. Before…

Wider industry trends towards more customized offerings from component manufacturers are also driving gearmotor designs. Manufacturers are offering designers more customized solutions via more in-house engineering resources, simplifying the design process. More custom solutions also mean greater integration with other components in a design, better connectivity and fewer compatibility issues. For example, Gabriel Venzin, President […]

Improvements in lead screw designs have meant screws that are increasingly competitive with other types of drive screws, including ball screws. For instance, lead screws can offer shorter lead times and better performance, all at a lower cost than other screw technologies. Quite a few lead screw manufacturers offer a range of anti-backlash options, superior […]

Continued developments in manufacturing and materials have improved ball screw performance, with the most recent generation of ball screws having greater load densities than ever before, leading to higher load capacities. High-load ball screws are being integrated into electromechanical linear actuator systems for use in applications with higher loads and more demanding environmental conditions. In […]

Leland Teschler, Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler The N.Y. Times grabbed a lot of attention recently when it published an article about Apple’s travails trying to source a tiny screw in the U.S. for its Mac computer. According to the report Apple could get vast quantities of custom screws in China on short…

Leland Teschler • Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW—LeeTeschler The beginning of a new year is often seen as a time for fresh starts. So it may be appropriate that this new year could mark the first time in decades that engineering is considered a lucrative profession. The lament in recent years has been…

Leland Teschler Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler It has become trendy for scientists to try their hand at political office. The Huffington Post reports hundreds of scientists in the U.S. had their names on ballots in the recent midterm elections. The reason seems to be widespread worries about a downplaying of scientific conclusions…

Leland Teschler, Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler Engineers who do electrical work may be familiar with Mike Holt whose website (mikeholt.com) specializes in educational material mainly devoted to deciphering the National Electrical Code. Holt also hosts a forum where someone recently posted this query: Should I get my PE license? I meet all…

Leland Teschler, Executive Editor [email protected] On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler Engineers tend to have a dim view of managers, often with good reason. The comical scenarios depicted in Dilbert cartoons are popular precisely because they hit so close to home for the techies who make up much of the cartoon’s readership. But despite the impression you…

This article is part of Design World’s Women in Engineering series. Kristen (Robinson) Wegielewski is a CAPA Quality Engineer and Team Lead at Philips Healthcare at their operations in the Seattle area. For the uninitiated, CAPA stands for corrective action and preventive action — an approach for monitoring and improving organizational processes to eliminate anomalies…

My older son, Joshua, is a high school senior, and — without any pushing from me — has decided that he wants to pursue either biomedical engineering or robotic engineering. It’s been an interesting experience looking at colleges here at home and far away, everything from Case Western Reserve University to Georgia Tech, and Lawrence…

Smalley was presented with the 2017 General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award, marking the sixth consecutive year Smalley has achieved this prestigious honor. 175 suppliers were presented with this award in 2017 … but Smalley was just one of five who have received it six years in a row. GM has been recognizing its notable…