September
21, 1998 Design News
Technology Bulletin
Late developments that shape
engineering
David J. Bak, Anna Kochan, and Gary
Chamberlain
Access E-mail, World Wide Web by telephone
Scientists at Siemens Corporate Research have developed
a prototype system that enables one to access e-mail
messages or World Wide Web pages using any touch-tone
telephone, including a cellular phone. For those away
from the office, or with no laptop readily available,
the system promises to fill one of the last communication
gaps. Called DICE (Delivering Information in a Cellular
Environment), it uses a computer algorithm and speech
synthesis tools to analyze e-mail and HTML documents,
and then play them back as audio. The algorithm not
only analyzes a document's text, but also its structure
for audio presentation. To use DICE, one simply dials
up a service provider and uses the telephone keypad
to access web pages; to respond, users key in a number
on the phone to record a voice message. "We're
working on converting the verbal response back into
an e-mail message at the other end, and should support
this feature soon," adds Arding Hsu, department
head, Multimedia/Video Technology. Contact Guy Pierce
at guy.pierce@sc.siemens.com.
'Ice' gripper handles micro-sized components
A gripper system for automatically handling tiny components,
developed in the context of a Eureka project, uses the
adhesive properties of ice to pick them up. The gripper
first sprays a drop of water onto the object to be handled.
It then closes in on the object. As soon as they touch,
it freezes the water. The component can then be picked
up and manipulated as necessary using the gripping strength
of ice. This is around 1N/sq mm which is 20-100 times
stronger than that obtained with vacuum grippers, says
Mario El-Khoury, manager, industrial control at CSEM,
the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology,
a partner in the European project. To release the object,
the tip of the gripper is simply warmed up to the phase-
change temperature of the liquid interface. The prototype
version of Microgrip is capable of handling components
measuring between 0.1 and 5 mm, with an accuracy of
1 micron, at a rate of 1,000 cycles per hour. The "ice"
gripper is now undergoing industrialization by AP Technologies
and Sysmelec, two other participants in the project.
Meanwhile, El-Khoury's group is developing applications
for the "ice" technology. A new Eureka project,
in which Siemens and Philips are participants, will
use Microgrip to manipulate micro-sized parts during
low-distortion welding operations. For more information,
call: Dr. Mario El-Khoury, at: +41-32- 720-55-96.
A 'fully extruded' internal combustion engine
Manufacturing an internal combustion engine from extruded
aluminum alloy rather than conventional casting offers
many benefits, including big size and cost savings.
So says Power Beat International Ltd., a research and
development company based in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Powerbeat's ALU-XTM engine employs interlocking
sectioned extruded profiles to form the engine block.
Replacing one-piece cast blocks, the company claims,
allows engines of different capacities, cylinder numbers,
and stroke lengths to be made from the same parts. Engine
assembly is quick and easy: Tie bolts hold stressed
components in compression, eliminating the need for
load bearing threaded holes within the block; tee slots
incorporated into the extrusion profile allow simple
attachment of auxiliary components. Other benefits include
superior grain structure for accurate bores and finishes;
lower capital costs, higher production capacity; high
power-to-weight ratio. Power Beat International is currently
developing 200-cc versions of the ALU-X to suit the
small engine market. Contact Evan Bydder at ebydder@powerbeat.com
or call +64-7-843-0011.
'Green' paint for all cars
A painting process developed for the Mercedes A-Class
passenger car is not only environmentally friendly but
also quick and cost-efficient. The process, which is
the result of a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz,
BASF Lacke + Farben, and Dürr Systems, involves new
materials as well as optimized production systems. Like
other state-of-the-art automotive paint systems, four
coats are involved. The composition of the first coat
on the Mercedes A-Class, however, is completely lead-free,
and the second coat is less than half the thickness
of conventional paint processes (15 micron instead of
40 micron). This, says Konrad Ortlieb, Dürr R&D
manager, "results from a special formulation of
primer and by maintaining extreme control of the spray
equipment to ensure an even application of paint."
The third color coat is conventional but the fourth
represents a world "first," according to Ortlieb.
Composed of a powder slurry, this fourth clear coat
is solvent-free. "Other companies have developed
water-based clear coats, but there is always a small
residue of solvent. Our slurry solution has none,"
he claims. An added advantage of the BASF/Dürr process
is that the three paint coats are applied wet-on-wet,
eliminating the need for an inter-coat baking stage,
thereby saving time. For more information call: Dr.
Konrad Ortlieb at +49-711-136-1631.
Drive chains dismiss abrasion and wear
Claiming a surface hardness of around 1,900 Vickers
(compared to 800 Vickers for standard case hardened
pin chains), Deltar-treated drive chains extend service
life in abrasive environments. Developed by the French
company SEDIS, the Delta thermochemical treatment process
resembles chrome hardening. Atomic chromium combines
with the steel in treated parts to create a surface
that is integral to the pin material. This prevents
the risk of flaking associated with electrolytic chrome
plating. In addition, the high-temperature diffusion
process produces surfaces of regular thickness adhering
to the substrate. After treatment, metal at the center
of the part remains unchanged, producing a highly resistant,
hardened and tempered steel. The surface is covered
with a complex chromized coating made up primarily of
extremely hard chrome carbide. Typical applications:
power transmission, conveyors, and lift equipment. Call
Jen-Georges Bernhard at +33-3-25-76-29-50.
New steels promote lighter construction
Featuring minimum tensile strength levels of between
1,000 and 1,400 MPa, a series of new cold-rolled ultra-high-strength
steels combine superior performance with low weight.
Named Docol UHS, the new steels are particularly applicable
to the automotive industry. Their high energy-absorbing
properties, for example, make them useful as structural
members and for components used in a car's crumple zone.
Jan-Olof Sperle, research manager for SSAB Swedish Steel,
points out that "the steel is hardened before leaving
the factory. Consequently, industries using these steels
no longer require their own warm-up plants and hardening
furnaces." Cutting, shaping, and welding, he adds,
are achieved with traditional methods. The Docol UHS
series consists of three standard steels: Docol 1000
DP, Docol 1200 DP, and Docol 1400 DP. Numbers relate
to maximum loads measured in megapascals, MPa. For further
information call Roy Johansson at +46-243-700-00
Solid-state battery exceeds expectations
As everyone knows, lack of a suitable battery prevents
the widespread use of electric cars. While lithium batteries
boast the highest energy density of any rechargeable,
cobalt in the cathode keeps cost high--a lithium battery
for an electric vehicle prices about $20,000. Computer
modeling, conducted by a research team at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts),
predicts a less expensive replacement material. Follow-on
tests verify that a cathode made from a mixture of lithium
aluminum oxide and lithium cobalt oxide could not only
decrease battery cost by a significant margin, but increase
cell voltage. In addition, related studies have revealed
a flexible solid-polymer electrolyte. Combined, these
materials offer new hope for the electric car. The research
is funded in part by Furnkawa Electric Company and the
U.S. Department of Energy. Pacific Lithium Ltd. has
licensed a number of the patent applications submitted
by the MIT inventors. For more details, e-mail Elizabeth
Thomson at the MIT News Office, thomson@mit.edu .
Camera captures 3-D at high speed
A laser range camera capable of providing high-speed
three-dimensional images has been developed by researchers
at Daimler-Benz Aerospace. "Due to the high-speed
electronic shutter system combined with an optical package
incorporating laser diodes, the system can provide seven
images per second, or ten per second at reduced resolution.
It means that it can be used for viewing very fast processes,"
says Wilfried Schroeder. Unlike other 3D imaging systems,
the Daimler-Benz one does not scan the scene being viewed.
Instead, it illuminates the complete area with a single
beam. This gives the advantage of requiring no moving
parts, thereby cutting down on cost and reducing sensitivity
to vibration. The camera is likely to find application
for object recognition in robotic cells. For more information,
call: Dr Wilfried Schroeder, Daimler-Benz Aerospace,
at +49-421-539-4942.
Sensitive air devices detect nuclear detonations
Nuclear detonations caught the world's attention this
summer when India and Pakistan tested their potential
strength. To monitor the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty,
scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory (Richland, WA) developed two devices
for detect nuclear detonations. The Automated Radioxenon
Sampler/Analyzer (ARSA) and the Radionuclide Aerosol
Sampler/Analyzer (RASA) inspect the atmosphere for traces
of radioactive material. Once activated, the systems
will be located around the globe as an international
monitoring system. ARSA analyzes air samples for radioactive
xenon or radioxenon that seeps from underground nuclear
explosions. The system collects air samples and processes
them to trap the radioactive xenon on cold
Tweet This
7 
