Machine Design Blogs

There has been much in the news lately about counterfeit goods sold over the Internet, mostly through third party dealers. At first glance, these profiteers (I really can’t use the term marketers) claim either they’re supplying the exact item specified, or an item that matches its specifications.

L-com Inc. recently checked on one of these suppliers, and what they found very definitely leaves you in a “Buyer beware!” mode. They detail their findings in a posting to their web site that includes a link to a 14-page report from an independent testing lab detailing the exact characteristics and problems with a wire listed as “equivalent.”

In a nutshell, the 24 AWG copper Category 5e Ethernet cable turned out to be 26 AWG copper-clad aluminum that came no where near meeting the requirements for Category 5e service. And the problem isn’t limited to cables. Connectors were also found to be made using inferior materials or manufacturing techniques. One connecter tested used flashed gold for the contacts, which easily rubs off exposing the base metal to corrosion. The cable using that connector had an insertion loss of -12 dB. (For those not familiar with dB measurement, signal strength drops by half for every -3 dB. So a -12 dB loss means only one-sixteenth of the signal power was getting through.)

Other problems were found in cables rated for plenum or riser applications had little to no fire retarding capacity. The insulation on these cables burned readily with dense smoke, which would make egress from a burning building difficult due to poor visibility and toxic fumes. These cables also act like lit fuses, transmitting the fire from one part of the building to another — even floor to floor.

The key to not being a victim of these fake products is, of course, to know what it is you’re buying. As David Gallagher, L-com Product Manager states, “When buyers know and understand the consequences for buying just the cheapest cable without checking the actual construction, they are spared the enormous expenses and damages that could occur.”

Those crazy interns at Waterloo Labs show us a hot time using a Ruben’s Tube, a device using flames to illustrate standing waves. A National Instruments myDAQ connected with LabVIEW running an FFT module completes the feed to an amplified speaker at the end of the tube.

Those who attended the recently concluded SAE World Congress in Detroit could shop for a new job on their way onto the show floor: SAE held a job fair in the lobby of Cobo Hall. In light of our recent post about too few automotive engineers, we decided to ask some of the companies there about the kinds of engineers they were looking for.

There were plenty of companies looking for engineers. We interviewed about a half dozen before we ran out of time, and there were a few dozen more exhibiting in the lobby that we just couldn’t get to. The overall theme we heard was that experienced system integration engineers were the ones that are in short supply. But almost every company we talked to was also looking for test engineers.

You can get a feel for what we found by viewing the short video we produced at SAE with EngineeringTV.com:

For those that remember that remarkable little scanner/computer/recorder/analyzer from the Star Trek television series, it seemed that there was nothing you could point it at and not get an instant readout of anything and everything about the object in question — including what was inside. While the tricorder’s operation is clouded in TV effects gimmickry, it was obvious that its sensors spanned just about any and every electromagnetic frequency known to man in the 20th century, and a few new ones known to the 23rd.

In true-life-imitates-art style, researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) have designed an imager chip that could turn cameras and mobile phones into devices that can see through walls, wood, plastics, paper, and other objects. What makes this possible is the frequency of electromagnetic waves to which the imager is sensitive.

Dr. Kenneth O, professor of electrical engineering at UT Dallas and director of the Texas Analog Center of Excellence(TxACE), and his team created a new complimentary metallic-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor similar to the type used in cameras and cellular phones, except this sensor works in the terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The terahertz frequencies, or T-waves as they’re called, fall between the microwave frequencies and the infrared light spectrum. They exhibit characteristics similar to both radio and light waves, which makes developing an imaging sensor for those frequencies difficult. Like radio waves, T-waves can penetrate objects. The degree of penetration depends upon the material from which the object is made and the frequency of the terahertz light source. This lets the researchers use the safe, non-ionizing radiation of the terahertz wavelengths as a form of x-ray to see into and through objects.

Dr. O states, “We’ve created approaches that open a previously untapped portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for consumer use and life-saving medical applications. The terahertz range is full of unlimited potential that could benefit us all.”

The biggest problem plaguing THz use has been the development of an imaging sensor that didn’t need a laboratory full of equipment to work. Current CMOS imagers are sensitive to visible light, and are used as the “camera” element in many consumer devices including computers, smartphones, and game consoles. By using a new CMOS manufacturing technique, the UT group was able to create a CMOS imager sensitive to THz frequencies.

“CMOS is affordable and can be used to make lots of chips,” Dr. O said. “The combination of CMOS and terahertz means you could put this chip and receiver on the back of a cellphone, turning it into a device carried in your pocket that can see through objects.” Right now the focus is on distance ranges of four inches or less due to privacy concerns. But even that limited distance opens new doors for medical and health applications, industrial quality control, environmental monitoring, and high-speed communications.

“There are all kinds of things you could be able to do that we just haven’t yet thought about,” said Dr. O.

The article “Shine the Light Fantastic” in the March 18, 2010 edition of MACHINE DESIGN offers additional information on terahertz imaging technology.

The FindLaw site says that when law-enforcement officials subpoenas Facebook, it gives them almost all the information you have posted online, your pictures, and your log-in and out times included. Well what is the big deal? Anything you post online is not private. People who publish compromising information and then complain that it is not kept private are idiots. For more information

A bank in Japan is doing away with cash cards. Oh, they still have ATMs. Just that now, instead of sliding a sheet of plastic into a slot, you’ll place your hand on a palm scanner. The Ogaki Kyoristu Bank is adopting the new machines because of the earthquake and tsunami on the country’s northeast coast last year. Many lost their homes, personal possessions, and all forms of identification, so they were unable to access their bank accounts until weeks or months after the disasters, not when they needed their funds the most.

Fujitsu developed the palm-scanning technology that uses vein patterns in the person’s hand to verify their identity. Fujitsu says its technology quickly differentiates between hundreds of thousands of people, though users will still need to enter their birthdate and a PIN for access.

Fujitsu has also incorporated the scanning technology into computer mice that recognizes the user when they grab the electronic rodent. The automatic ID can be used in place of passwords to log users into online systems.

Our sister publication Wards Auto recently ran a news item about the dearth of automotive engineers. Despite a 9% unemployment rate, automotive suppliers in the Detroit area are having trouble finding qualified engineers, but one of the big reasons why becomes clear from comments made by people working at automotive suppliers: The big down turn of recent years forced many engineers to leave the auto industry and companies now don’t want to train newbee engineers.

All I can say is, good luck with that policy.

There’s also an undercurrent behind many of the comments that would lead you to believe that automotive suppliers are trying to find engineers without paying competitive wages.

One passage in particular is revealing on this point:

“A source who asks not to be identified says there is another major reason suppliers in particular are having a tougher time hiring engineers compared with their auto maker customers: salaries.

Most suppliers chopped engineering wages and consolidated pay grades in 2009. Facing profit pressures and a fragile recovery, they have been reluctant to raise them. ‘OEMs have adjusted back up and are paying more. That’s why you don’t hear auto makers complaining too much,’ the source says.

And that’s why the ‘engineering shortage’ is more accurately described as a training and experience gap, saysKristin Dziczek, director-Labor and Industry Group at the Center for Automotive Research.

‘I don’t doubt there are niche areas where it is extremely difficult to find candidates, but (the shortage of engineers) is not as widespread as it sounds,’ she says.”

But don’t expect to hear about this nuance to the situation during the next round of hand-wringing about the U.S. “educating too few engineers.”

Here is the Wards story: http://wardsauto.com/supply-chain/auto-suppliers-can-t-find-enough-engineers-industry-recovery-takes-hold?

The results are in from the latest Rube Goldberg competition held at Purdue University. A team from St. Olaf college took first place with a machine that inflated and popped a balloon accompanied with music. The Purdue team came in second with a setup comprised of 300 steps, a new record. The videos appear at the link below, along with one depicting a visit to a U of M chemistry class by Zorro. I don’t remember stuff like this happening when I took chemistry:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/tweed/video-wednesday-69/29510?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

The Shapeoko from Inventables in Chicago is said to be the world’s first open-source CNC mill that can create precision parts from plastic, wood, and metal. The kits to build the machines cost from $199 to less than $999. “The machines’ affordability is helping usher in the age of desktop manufacturing,” says, Inventables CEO Zach Kaplan. In addition, the combination of free, easily accessible open-source software and online storefronts such as Amazon and eBay provide a marketplace for manufactured goods that is fueling the growth of U.S. manufacturing and entrepreneurism.”

The Mechanical Shapeoko kit costs $199 and is designed for experienced CNC machine builders that will add electronics and modify the machine to get it running to suit their needs. The Full kit, which costs $649, includes everything needed to create a working machine, including tools and electrical components. It is intended for those who are comfortable completing the build, but want to source their own materials and tool bits. The Premium kit includes everything, as well as materials and milling bits. It was designed for those with no problems rolling up their sleeves to complete the full build. This $999 kit includes card stock that can replace the milling bits while novice operators learn how to use the CNC mill without risk of injury.

Inventables is accepting pre-orders for the Shapeoko kits April 2 through April 22, 2012 at www.inventables.com/technologies/cnc-mill-kits-shapeoko. The kits are expected to ship by June 22, 2012. Full refunds will be issued if fewer than 150 orders are placed.

I just returned from San Francisco, where Autodesk held its Media Summit 2012. The point of the event was to hear about all the newest products from the company. The big news is that it recently introduced what it calls Autodesk 360° PLM, which resides on the cloud. This is Autodesk’s first PLM offering. Subscription customers get it as part of their subscription. Otherwise, you pay for the time you use, on-demand. According to Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, Autodesk 360° PLM already has two million unique users. He says it supports a fundamental shift in the way that most people will do their work. The computer platform today comprises “mobile, social, and cloud” — not so much client-server arrangements, says Bass. It is not the only cloud-based program that is showing success in measurable terms, says Bass. The company launched the cloud-based AutoCAD WS about two years ago and Bass says it has had seven million users since then. Some users access it on their Androids or iPhones (the “mobile” part of the above paradigm). And Sketchbook is being downloaded 150,000 times a week.

Why is cloud-based software so interesting? It is almost infinitely scaleable. Also, that high-tech programs are now easily available via the cloud or downloaded onto mobile devices has lead to the democratizing of design. Small firms working globally can now win large jobs. Everyone has access to technology.