Do you want fries with your degree?
Just because we've fallen on economic hard times, don't start practicing your most persuasive "do you want to supersize it?" lines just yet. A pink slip or simply a need for a change is the perfect excuse to check out Design News' Career Center. At www.designnews.com, you can scan the links to engineering job sites listed, or view the DN classifieds. Perhaps you may be considering further education, in which case the educational resources link connects you to plenty of online engineering sites. The "100 ways to get ahead" link provides suggestions on improving your current career situation, no matter what industry. For instance, all you CAD engineers, have you given 3D solid modeling a try? DN will tell you that it saves time and money, and improves quality. It never hurts to keep options open.
Units galore
A useful tool for both the high school physics student and the seasoned engineer, www.mackcorp.com has a list of engineering conversion factors listed alphabetically to aid the failing memory. Perhaps, you may have forgotten the conversion of abcoulombs into statcoulombs (multiply by 2.998 × 1010). Mack Corporation's website also includes tech data and installation guidelines for short stroke and pneumatic cylinders, as well as catalogs, configurations, and a quotation request.
Getting to know machines
TecQuipment's site (www.youngiil.co.kr/tq/products/tm.htm) features a substantial list of machines, from a simple screw jack to a flywheel apparatus, with links to the basic operating principles. The links provide descriptions, specifications, dimensions, and weights of the machines, as well as explanations of the experiments.
Follow the standard
The Drafting Zone (www.genium.com/draftingzone), operated by Genium Publishing Corp., provides engineers with mechanical and electrical drafting standards. Users must register a Zone ID and password that will then allow access to PDF files of different types of drafting standards from symbols to metal casting practices.
3D for free
The Open Channel Foundation, in collaboration with The Johns Hopkins University, offers a free downloadable graphics software program from their website at www.openchannelfoundation.org. Under "graphics software," click on sLIB. The Surface Library software transforms Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline representations into specifically placed triangles, speeding up the 3D model display position changes.
Park the Benz in my garage
Mercedes-Benz USA (www.MBUSA.com) has created an exclusive owners-only area to their website to help owners manage the car's maintenance schedule, financing information, and service provisions. Called "My Mercedes Garage," it includes a Lease Mileage Tracker function, Tele Aid Web services, and online service appointment scheduling. For those still dreaming of owning a Mercedes, the site still offers a comprehensive tools and model selector, as well as future models section, to aid your search for the new vehicle.
For your shopping convenience
Two websites have now added an online "stock check" feature for shopping convenience. Advanced Interconnections Corp. uses its corporate website (www.advintcorp.com) and the BGA Socket Finder™ site (www.bgasockets.com) to search for interconnect solutions inventory. The company's e-catalog allows users to download CAD drawings or check stock from the Build-A-Part feature. Aries Electronics (www.arieselec.com) also offers an automated inventory availability feature that checks stock of interconnection and packaging technology. The new inventory search includes requests for quotes and direct online orders.
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