Design News TOC 3-2-98

March 2, 1998 Design News
Engineering Achievement Awards

Features

Cover Story

And the winners are...

Mr. Mission Impossible
Brian Muirhead, voted the 11th Design News Engineer of the Year, broke the mold at NASA with the widely acclaimed Mars Pathfinder mission.  By Lawrence D. Maloney

Red's rovers take the field
A crusader in sometimes hostile territory, Red Whittaker drives his robots to new lands and wind Design News' Special Achievement Award. By Michael Puttré

Master Craftsman
Horst Maack, this years winner of the Engineering Quality Award, spearheaded the design of the machine that is recapturing Cincinnati Milacron's centerless grinding market. By Charles J. Murray

VGX makes CAD more flexible
Product of the Year winner also enables 2D/3D integration.  By Christine M. Ferrara

Personal Area Network enables intrabody communication
Thomas Zimmerman's PAN devices use capacitive coupling to allow persons and machines to exchange digital information.  By Mark A. Gottschalk

A non-acoustic hearing aid?
Geoff Ball's Floating Mass Transducer bypasses the eardrum, stimulating the middle ear instead. By David J. Bak

Miniature lock safeguards future nuclear weapons
Steven Rodgers' 24-bit Stronglink is said to be the most complex microelectromechanical system ever designed.  By Mark A. Gottschalk

Skin & bones, but plenty tough
Cannondale combines CAD and composites for a breakthrough bike. By David J. Bak

Mobile pipe crawler removes asbestos safely, economically
A robot designed to inch its way along the outside of pipes makes mincemeat out of hazardous waste and works for no pay.  By Karen Auguston Field

New power switching revolutionizes medium-voltage drives
Faster switch with lower power losses leads to the development of reliable medium-voltage, variable-speed drives. By Charles J. Murray

Cone stack improves centrifuge efficiency
Encapsulated design solves servicing/disposal problems. By David J. Bak

Microwave technique takes telemetry to new heights
Microwave methods enable engineers to gather and send data from cramped, sealed components, such as torque converters.  By Charles J. Murray

Bernoulli effect improves label position accuracy
Kodak's positive-pressure label applicator precisely positions thin, flexible product labels.  By John Lewis

Vertical-rack design boosts power-window performance
Double-helix motor, dual rack-and-pinion drive address requirements for next-millennium automobiles. By John Lewis

Hollow screw simplifies assembly of ...anything!
The Tube Screw eliminates the problem of stripped heads, offers greater safety and integrity.  By Charles J. Murray

Show Introduction
This year's National Design Engineering Show promises to be one of the best ever.

Energized seal resists aggressive media
Combines best features of spring-energized seals and PTFE-based materials. By Charles J. Murray

Double helix takes the whine out of synchronous belts
Allows synchronous belt drives to operate at higher speeds without violating OSHA standards. By Charles J. Murray

Self-supporting drive simplifies multi-axis motion
Precision gearhead boosts acceleration, Profile Rail delivers accuracy, T-slots speed assembly.  By John Lewis

Hydraulics power a convertible top
A micro-hydraulic system saves space and cost on the Mercedes SLK Roadster. By Karen Auguston Field

Integral valve design simplifies clutch-brake installation
Clutch-brake/control-valve package reduces number of connections, locking key improves reliability. By John Lewis

Engineering News
Recycled plastics enter virgin territory
Street cleaner tackles tight spaces
Golf-cart top offers sun-protected view
Program seeks to puncture use of compressed air
Software selects most suitable machining operations
Plastic 'rolls out' skis and poles
3D CAD delivers disk-coating devices
Solid modeling helps automate insertion
Telescope pinpoints cosmos creations
Magnetic hybrid spingle combines axial, rotary motion
Mix in mysterious ways
Airlines jump start safety-avionics requirements

Designer's Corner
Polymer suppressor, bearing analyzer, and more

Tech Bulletin
Late developments that shape engineering

Washington Beat
Technical news from the nation's capital

1998 National Design Engineering Show Products

Editorial
How to get the best ideas
By Paul E. Teague

Hot Products
Associate Editor Deana Colucci picks noteworthy adhesive products.

Guest Commentary
Next CAE breakthrough: more engineering on CAD solid models

Managing Design
Parable of the worm, II

Legal Forum
Is it legal to resell?

Software Lab
AutoCAD Release 14

OEM Journal
A call to leadership

Letters to the Editor
Readers state their views

1998 National Design Engineering Show Exhibitors

1998 National Design Engineering Show Conferences

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