This year's Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress and Exhibition will showcase technical innovation in the automotive industry. Conventiongoers can meet the engineers behind the new technology, and take examples of it out on the track.

Over 1,300 exhibitors will showcase their products and services over four days to an expected 50,000 attendees from all facets of the automotive industry. This year's theme is "Succeeding In The Alliance Game", and several of the symposia will focus on strategic partnering in an era of ever-changing markets and quickly-evolving technology.

Highlights of the show include the SAE Driving Experience, in which would-be race car drivers can test out a variety of automobiles on a professionally-prepared course, and the Women's Engineer Committee Reception, in which women engineers can meet and learn about the group's activities. The show ends with the annual banquet on Thursday, March 8, with a speech by Sun Microsystems Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy.

To learn more about the show, including dates, times, transportation, lodging, and other information, go to www.sae.org.

Wide angle LCD

F-51161 Series VGA color LCDs from this company are said to offer a wide left to right viewing angle for readability so that the viewer does not have to change position. The product has 240 RGB by 160 dot pixels, and has a single L-shaped CCT backlight which produces a surface luminance of a reported 120 candellas. Application include retail point of sale equipment, clinical monitoring environments, test laboratories, and process control centers.

Optrex America Inc.

Booth 127

44160 Plymouth Oaks Blvd.

Plymouth, MI 48170

FAX (734) 416-8520

www.optrex.com

For Information, enter 563

Encoder tester

Housed in an industry-standard DIN rail-mountable package, this encoder tester is said to accept inputs from any incremental optical encoder, and provides illuminated status indicators for each channel under test. The product can be mounted or used as a portable tester for applications such as field testing, troubleshooting, or incoming inspection.

BEI Sensors & Systems-Industrial Encoder Div.

Booth 1389

7230 Hollister Ave.

Goleta, CA 93117

FAX 805-968-3154

For Information, enter 564

Self-clinching studs

HFHD high-strength self-clinching dog point studs are said to provide reliable and secure attachment of vehicle components while reducing the number of parts needed, allowing for quicker assembly times and neater, lighter component designs. Designed for bumper supports, engine brackets, air bag assemblies, and fuse terminals, the studs come in steel, stainless steel, or bronze and can be installed in metal sheets as thin as 1.3 mm.

Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp.

Booth 2184

5190 Old Easton Rd.

Danboro, PA 18916-1000

FAX (215) 766-0143

www.pemnet.com

For Information, enter 565

Load measuring pins

Load Measuring Pins from this company are designed to measure loads and detect overloads when fitted with a strain gauge and mounted into machines in place of normal shafts. The products are made of high resistance stainless steel, and have a rated capacity of up to 250 tons. Uses include crane and lifting, machine, transportation, marine, nuclear, aviation, and chemical applications.

Magtrol Inc.

Booth 1173

70 Gardenville Pkwy.

Buffalo, NY 14224

FAX (716) 668-8705

www.magtrol.com

For Information, enter 566

Ceramic valves

Formulated for use in pneumatic and hydraulic valves in automotive suspensions, this company's alumina ceramic is said to feature exceptional hardness, wear resistance, and compressive strength. Valves made from this material are said to last for tens of millions of cycles without wear, and are said to be maintenance-free for their entire service life.

Morgan Advanced Ceramics

Booth 2281

Morgan House Madeira Walk

Windsor, Berkshire SL4-1EP

www.morganadvancedceramics.com

For Information, enter 567

Fluorinated lubricant

Uniflor oils and greases are said to provide excellent high temperature capability and material compatibility. Each product has a different pour point, low temperature capability, volatility, viscosity, viscosity index, vapor pressure, and wear-prevention ability. The products are also said to be thermooxidatively stable, chemically inert, and resistant to harsh chemicals, gases, fuels, oils, and fluids.

Nye Lubricants

Booth 3630

12 Howland St

Fairhaven, MA 02719

FAX (508) 997-5285

www.nyelubricants.com

For Information, enter 568

Data acquisition

The Dash 18 is an 18-channel portable data acquisition device equipped with a 15.4 inch diagonal monitor for touch-screen control and real-time data viewing and analysis. The manufacturer says it is the first portable system which can capture digital video, audio, and waveform data. Video recorded by the product is time stamped and synchronized to the waveform for review and analysis.

Astro-Med

Booth 1141

Astro-Med Industrial Park

West Warwick, RI 02893

FAX (401) 822-2430

www.astro-med.com

For Information, enter 569

Load cell

SCAIME very low profile, high capacity, AP single-point load cells are designed for use in large platform scales, conveyors, and hopper weighers. The product is said to be a direct replacement for "brick" type load cells, with capacities from 75kg to 635 kg. The company's "multi-barrier" encapsulation technique is said to protect the sensing elements and ensure that no moisture enters the gauged area.

PTC Electronics

Booth 5447

Box 72

Wyckoff, NJ 07481

FAX (210) 847-1394

www.ptcelectronics.com

For Information, enter 570

Strain-gauge cells

Series 1400 fatigue-rated, strain-gauge type load cells are available in capacities from 250 to 5 million lbs., and are said to offer high accuracy and stiffness. Features include fatigue-resistant steel construction, low profile design, industry standard footprint, temperature compensation, barometric pressure compensation, 0.07% static error band, and NIST traceable calibration.

PCB Piezoelectronics

Booth 1115

3425 Walden Ave.

Depew, NY 14043-2495

FAX (716) 684-0987

www.pcb.com

For Information, enter 571

Automotive sensors

Sensors for automotive applications such as cam and crank position, transmission speed, and comfort, convenience, and motor control will be displayed by this company. Cam and crank position sensors are designed to help manufacturers improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, and reportedly offer zero-speed performance and "power-on" recognition. Active wheel speed sensors offer designers features such as direction sensing for traction control, navigation, and vehicle stability.

Honeywell

Booth 2521

11 W Spring St.

Freeport, IL 61032

FAX (815) 235-6545

www.honeywell.com/sensing

For Information, enter 572

Pressure transducer

Wet/Dry Differential Pressure Transducers from this company are designed to provide reliable performance in applications with temperature extremes. The product's housing and port are made of an aluminum alloy which is said to be compatible with air, oil, or gasoline media, and is available in pressure ranges from 0-25 to 0-150 PSID for engine monitoring and control in underhood environment applications.

Kavlico

Booth 427

14501 Los Angeles Ave

Moorpark, CA 93021

FAX (805) 523-7125

www.kavlico.com

For Information, enter 573

Starter generator

Designed to improve the fuel efficiency of sport utility vehicles, this company's Integrated Starter Generator technology is designed to replace the conventional starter, flywheel, and generator. The system is said to switch off the combustion engine at zero load when the vehicle is stopped, and then restarting it in a reported time of less than one tenth of a second when power is applied.

Siemens Automotive

Booth 2501

2400 Executive Hills Dr.

Auburn hills, MI 48326

FAX (248) 253-2700

For Information, enter 574

Dip molding

This company offers custom-shaped caps, grips, tabs, and plugs for applications such as parts protection, handling, and masking in automotive manufacturing, assembly, and finishing. Materials available include high-temperature, textured, foam, FDA-approved, and anti-static PVC. The manufacturer says its dip-molded parts costs are a fraction of those parts made by injection molding, and offers free samples by same-day shipment.

Harman Corp.

Booth 331

Box 80665, 360 South Street

Rochester, MI 48307

FAX 248-651-4495

www.harmancorp.com

For Information, enter 575

Metal molding

Thixomoldingfrom this company is said to produce complex, single piece components which can take the place of multiple-component assemblies. The process reportedly produces lightweight net or near-net shape engineered components from magnesium, which is said to reduce or eliminate the need for secondary machining of parts, and produces parts with reduced porosity, better surface finish, and tighter dimensional tolerances.

Thixomat Inc.

Booth 1386

620 Technology Dr.

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

www.thixomat.com

For Information, enter 577