Sometimes the simplicity
of a design can mask its benefits and applicability for the intended
audience. That's the case with IBM's Hinged Platform Tool, a patented
technology that helps packaging engineers more effectively configure heavy
electrical components.
Many heavy electrical components - for
example, the processor and memory nodes for a mainframe computer - are shipped
to sites in horizontal packaging so that the longest side of the component can
rest flat on a shipping pallet, ensuring optimal stability. The problem comes
when it's time to install that component, which typically needs to be
reoriented to a vertical position. A single design engineer in charge of the
configuration may not be able to switch the position of the component without
exposing himself or herself to injury or without causing damage to the
electronics. IBM's Hinged Platform tool is designed so a single individual can
manually upright a very heavy component easily, without the use of electricity,
hydraulics or excessive manpower.
"We took a combination of packaging
specialists, human factors ergonomics specialists, development guys and service
people and came together to figure out a design that, for the least amount of
money and with no special hydraulics or equipment person, could perform the uprighting
process," says Sharon Spaulding,
packaging engineer at IBM. "It looks very simple when you look at
it, but to get to the actual design was very complex."
The IBM Hinged Platform Tool, made out
of high density polyethylene, has a unique frame and hinged base design that
allows the heavy electrical component to be easily slid into place within the
tooling and reoriented to the proper position by a single individual. The
design incorporates spacing to accommodate an individual's foot to ensure optimal
stability during the process. The choice of the light, high-density
polyethylene material also contributes to its high functionality as it's
allowable in data centers - unlike wood or other plastic materials, Spaulding
says, and the Hinged Platform Tool design supports the transport of multiple
components, not just those affiliated with one specific IBM mainframe.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
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Sometimes the simplicity
of a design can mask its benefits and applicability for the intended
audience. That's the case with 
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