Total systems engineering, electromechanical systems, mechtronics — today's new products, machinery, and cars are replacing traditional mechanical components in designs with a new breed of software-driven components that function electronically and mechanically. Not only are the technical challenges complicated, but how are these components incorporated into a design using different computer-aided design software such as MCAD, EDA, and CASE? A recent article in COE NewsNet shows the blending of not only the components themselves, but the design process using a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) program to allow for an integrated end product.

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On Friday, July 14, the GlobalSpec Great Moments in Engineering Award was presented to the Jason Jr. engineering team (1986) in honor of the 20th anniversary of their first video survey of R.M.S. Titanic.

This small engineering team from the Deep Submergence Laboratory of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — whose behind-the-scenes technical accomplishments resulted in the design and prototyping of a tethered robotic "video vehicle" 12,000+ feet deep in the North Atlantic — helped open doors to undersea discovery, commerce, innovation, and a new understanding of the ocean's ecosystem through remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

Jason Jr. Principal Engineer Christopher J. von Alt accepted the award on the team's behalf at a ceremony held at the New England Aquarium in Boston. James Luyten, executive vice president and director of research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was on hand to recognize the team for their remarkable accomplishment. Read the full story.

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Conforce springs offer high force with small space requirements, provide long linear reach with minimal force buildup, and store power indefinitely when extended. They are ideal for a wide variety of applications where constant force is needed, including applications requiring smooth returning and retrieving, counterbalancing, tensioning, and loading applications.

CGI, Inc. is renowned for being able to provide complex precision machined component parts of high quality and hold tolerances as tight as 2.5 microns. These parts are machined from diverse metals, and involve a variety of hardness, surface treatment, heat-treating, and plating requirements. For your component needs, simple to complex, contact our applications engineers.

The SilverThin Bearing Series are manufactured to industry standard sizes. The bearing widths and sections (distance from bore to outside diameter) in each series remains constant regardless of the change in bore diameter. View our SA Series Thin Section Bearings here.

Hardened and ground balls, submerging balls, hardened and ground levitator for exposed ball height are all parts within a slide bushing. Read up on the fundamentals and view cutaways at this Engineering Fundamentals Design Guidelines for punch die presses, molds, and other tooling applications.

Mining equipment operates around the clock, but bearings made of various alloys keep equipment running. What are the keys to designing bearings for heavy equipment, what materials best match conditions, and what helps these vital mechanical components keep running smoothly however severe the conditions? Read this Machine Design article.

Static and dynamic seal gland design, considerations in incompressibility, viscoelasticity, and thermomechanical aspects, elastomers in plasma environments and in vacuum environments (including permeation, outgassing, and trapped gas) — are all part of this PSP, Inc. tutorial on Seal Design Theory. Review the three models for characterizing viscoelastic behavior as well.

Often by studying our engineering failures, we can learn new lessons and create even better products. Most failures involved a lack of design/implementation checks and a desire to save time and/or cost. The Engineer's Companion FAQ on Failures reviews famous examples of engineering failures, avoiding failures, and what to do when a failure happens.

Custom-engineered power springs, reels, assemblies, and specialized tooling, with over 60 years experience creating products meeting demanding specs and requirements. Experience, plus unmatched engineering know-how, means we can respond quickly to customer needs with quality solutions, from design to production and on-time delivery.

Improve your bearing's performance. Our Midas Touch line of bearing lubricants form a microscopically smooth molecular bond that permanently adheres to the entire contact area. It also fills in surface imperfections, pits, gaps, and even repairs the ravages of corrosion. All Boca Bearing lubricants come with a 30-day, money back guarantee.

Century Spring offers a PDF file that explains how to determine how many active coils a spring should have, what's a safe design stress for a compression spring, what are the best materials for corrosion and other known conditions, and how to calculate rate/loads for disc spring stacks among other topics.

What's the difference between the inside/outside diameters of a No. 2 and a No. 12 spring washer? Does a .875 or a .8125 washer have more thickness? Engineer's Edge offers this helpful Split Lock Washer Size Dimension chart that you'll want to bookmark. Also covered are other hardware types and fastener and screw/bolt design.

Who knew there were so many ways to identify screw threads — thread form, thread pitch, head of thread, major and minor diameters, pitch diameter, and number of starts? If you thought the only distinguishing features of screws were right-hand or left-hand threads, you'll want to check out this replacement part identification help.

Dean Lewis at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has developed an online annular snap calculator that allows engineers to select their choice of materials, units, and parameters, including two types of shaft and hub. The calculator can also review the calculated results and view a scaled drawing.

Pre-calibrated DC-LVDT's. Position Sensor applications in automated machinery and OEM applications. We offer a complete line of controllers and indicators for ease of setup and use. Call us for your tough applications. Robust custom engineered designs for extreme environments like high heat, high pressure, and subsea. More information...

The Ortlinghaus linear brake system can support or, as the case may be, reinforce the holding force of the linear motor or — in situations where the power is off — undertake the holding function whereby the holding position that has been taken up is maintained in a backlash-free manner. For further information please contact Orttech.

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

Cardinal Health is looking for a senior mechanical engineer for the department of Clinical Technologies and Services. You will be responsible for the design of new products as well as modifications and updates for an existing line of medication and medical supply equipment. Full position details can be found here.

From class notes and full texts (in PDF format) for several Design Methods classes, to Cool Designs, to a list of useful software tools to download, engineers can refresh their skills or learn new ones without ever stepping into a classroom. Check out the links for sources on designing better products.

When visiting that amusement park this summer, the engineer just might wonder about how those rides really work. What keeps that roller coaster safely on the track while flying around curves at 60 mph or faster? Or how about those loops, and the bumper cars? Ready to ride? Read this Glossary of Park Physics.

Remember the HP-35, the first slide rule pocket calculator or the HP-29C high-end programmable calculator? The first HP calculators hit the streets in 1968, and engineers fell in love with them. This HP museum site has a calculator timeline, collecting information, manuals on CD, and a software library.

Desktop Engineering covers design solutions from concept through manufacture. Each issue offers extensive product reviews, comparisons, tutorials, technology updates, application stories, and product resource guides. Get your complimentary subscription here.

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