News

Some 20,000 soldiers a year to train with simulation video game

New lean initiatives improve time to market by 30% for Kurt die cast facility

Zero-wear piezo flexure actuators replace classical leadscrew actuators

Gunshot localization technology gets high marks in combat testing

Plug-and-play speed sensors insensitive to EMF
New speed sensor technology for industrial electric vehicles has been developed by SKF to cope with the harsh environmental demands created by the switch to more powerful, compact AC motor designs. The growing trend toward replacing DC motors with AC designs is resulting in new challenges for designers of mechatronics solutions in control and sensing applications.
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Piezo Motors Electrify the OEM World A new family of linear and rotary piezo motors was announced by MicroMo Electronics, Inc. Piezo-electric material directly contacting the output drive allows backlash-free positioning to nanometer or microradian resolution and eliminates the need for fragile transmission components. The cost-effective, robust designs meet the needs of applications from consumer electronics to metrology instrumentation. Demo kits ship from stock within 48 hours. Visit MicroMo online.

Wireless sensor networks are taking over
For military surveillance, a self-organizing network of minute, autonomous wireless sensors is very attractive. Once a group of nodes has been deployed, perhaps dropped by air, troop and vehicular movements can be remotely monitored. The initial research on this application helped define the mesh concept and software operating systems used in wireless sensor networks (WSN). Although actual surveillance systems have been deployed and research continues, commercial WSN requirements are different. In many industrial applications, small size is not among the most important priorities. Instead, ease of use, the capability to provide a complete solution, and vendor support top the list.
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Explosives on a chip improve military detonators
Tiny copper structures with pores at both the nanometer and micron size scales could play a key role in the next generation of detonators used to improve the reliability, reduce the size, and lower the cost of certain military munitions. Developed by a team of scientists from the Georgia Tech Research Institute and the Indian Head Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, the highly uniform copper structures will be incorporated into integrated circuits — then chemically converted to millimeter-diameter explosives.
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Wheels: Powertrain simulators empower large Cats
Caterpillar proved the value of testing powertrain components in a full-scale, fully integrated simulator when the company developed the ultra class 797 mining truck in the late 1990s and the 793 mining truck before that. In fact, Caterpillar has been using powertrain simulators for truck development since 1971 when the 85-ton-capacity 777 was in its formative stages. The next generation of mechanical drive and new generation of AC electric drive Cat truck powertrains are benefiting from that long experience and are establishing industry firsts as they undergo rigorous simulator testing.
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