Product News

CFD software

FLOTHERM Computation Fluid Dynamics software is intended to allow design and packaging engineers to build and test computer simulations of the thermal performance of proposed handheld electronic products quickly and accurately—thereby saving the time of building physical models. Heat transfer and airflow in and around electronic systems can reportedly be predicted.

Flomerics Inc. , 257 Turnpike Rd. Suite 100, Southborough, MA 01772; FAX (508) 357-2013; www.flomerics.com.

Industrial computer systems

These industrial computer systems are mainly used in the construction of automatic, standard, and special machines, such as visualization or open- and closed-loop control and communication solutions. They arrive ready to run with all hardware and software components pre-configured and pre-installed. The complete assembly, including the system rack, module assembly, and setting of module addresses can be customized and completed by the company.

Siemens AG ; 333 Old Milton Pkwy., Alpharetta, G A 30005; www.ad.siemens.de.

Ethernet CPU

VersaMax™CPUE05s with embedded Ethernet reportedly have the following capabilities: 10 BaseT Ethernet connections for faster data transfers; full-duplex communication, which is intended to eliminate collisions by using switches to simultaneously transmit and receive data; and Ethernet Global Data and Service Request Transfer protocols. The CPU's hardware includes 64K of user-configurable memory, a Run/Stop switch, and RS-232 and RS-485 ports—which allow extra serial connection points.

GE Fanuc Automation , Box 229, Whitehall, PA 18052; FAX (610) 437-5212; www.gefanuc.com.

Plastic part design

Moldflow Plastic Insight 2.0 is an integrated suite of analysis software tools products designed to make it possible for plastics part design, model design, and machine processing conditions to be optimized during the design stage. The software's "Fusion" function reportedly lets users run a complete fiber filling, packing, cooling, and warpage analysis directly on a CAD Fusion solid model without creating a midplane mesh.

Moldflow , 91 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02173; FAX (781) 674-0267; www.moldflow.com.

Touch panel PC

Touch Panel IPCs use high contrast 12- and 15-inch TFT displays, each with a reported lifetime of 50,000 to 70,000 hours. The panel has five keys—one acting as the mouse—but a 16-key keypad is also available. Power supplies included are monitored for temperature and load, and are designed to supply power to multiple expansion cards. Additional watchdog functions include the monitoring of fan speed and internal temperature.

Phoenix Contact. ; Box 4100, Harrisburg, PA 17111-0100; FAX (717) 944-1625; www.phoenixcontact.com .

Resistor networks

Mil-914 surface-mount chip resistor networks are available with standard resistance values from 10V to 2.2MV and standard tolerances of 10%, 5%, 2%, and 1%. Network termination consists of a high-adhesion conductive base layer covered by a nickel barrier to prevent solder joint degradation.

State of The Art Inc. , 2470 Fox Hill Rd., State College, PA 16803-1797; FAX (814) 355-2714; www.resistor.com

Project planning

SimVision 3.1 allows executives and consultants to "flight test" large-scale projects before they begin. The software models an organization's work processes to predict the project's outcome, and allow management to identify problems in resources, scheduling, and quality before they happen.

Vite Corp. , 1077C Independence Ave., Mountain View, CA 94043-1601; FAX (650) 428-0329; www.vite.com .

Electric motor design software

Motor-CAD is electric motor design software that simplifies thermal analysis, according to the company. It is designed to provide a link between conventional electromagnetic design and thermal analysis. Reportedly users don't have to carry out their own heat transfer calculations because the software includes heat transfer formulations. However, it also allows the user to override the default calculation to ensure that they can customize the calculation for unique constructions.

Motor Design Ltd. , 1 Eaton Court Tetchill, Ellesmere, Shropshire, UKSY12 - 9DA; FAX (610) 437-5212; www.motor-design.com .

CAD/CAM

VX VisionVersion 4 includes capabilities for image embossing, intelligent hole making, support for CAM-fixture assemblies, and multiple incremental surfacing, sheet metal, and mold design enhancements. For image embossing, an image file such as a JPEG or GIF is used as input and applied on the surface of a modeled product. As part of the model, the embossed image is automatically incorporated into mold design and machining operations.

Varimetrix Corp. , 2350 Commerce Park Dr., Suite No. 4, Palm Bay, FL 32905; FAX 407-723-4388; www.vx.com .