Show Stoppers 2-2-98Show Stoppers 2-2-98

February 2, 1998

6 Min Read
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February 2, 1998

SHOW PREVIEW Noteworthy technology on display

SAE International Congress & Exposition '98

February 23-26, Cobo Convention Center, Detroit, Michigan


"Engineering the Product Development Revolution" is this year's SAE '98 theme. Leading the event is host organization Ford Motor Co., headed by Dr. William Powers, vice president of research. This event is targeted at automotive engineers and Tier I, II, and III supplier companies that provide components and systems to automakers.

"No other event on the planet has a global impact on the future of automotive technology like the SAE Congress," says Powers. The event attracts more than 48,000 attendees.

Twenty-one top global automotive suppliers will exhibit, and international participation is at an all-time high according to Pat Grandle, marketing manager for Tricon Industries Inc. and SAE '98's chairperson for exhibits.

The show will feature both an international and European pavilion. Groups from SAE China, Australia, and France; the Verband der Automobilindustrie of Germany; the Commercial Embassy of Spain; Taiwan Trade Center; Central Estero Camere Commercio of Italy; and the Lyon Chamber of Commerce for France will participate. Plus, companies from Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, SMMT/British Consulate, and Belgium will be represented.

In addition to this global presence, the state of Michigan, SAE International, the European Union, and the Automotive Strategic Assessment Team of Plant & Moran, LLP, have organized a Global Automotive Supplier Mission. This mission is designed to help facilitate the development of new joint ventures, strategic partnerships, exchanges of technology, and other commercial collaborations between Michigan-based suppliers and their counterparts from across the nation and around the world.

Understandably, safety is an important factor for OEM automobile engineers and manufacturers. To this effect, companies at The Technology Enhanced Safety Testing Group (TEST) pavilion in Oakland Hall will display the latest advancements in areas such as dummy instrumentation, data-acquisition systems, sensors and systems for visual recording and motion analysis.

SAE staff will be available to answer questions at booth 1000.


Cruise-control system

The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system automatically adjusts a vehicle's speed to maintain a constant headway between vehicles. A pre-set cruising speed is applied through the automatic adjustment of the throttle by downshifting and/or actuating "feather" braking. A radar headway sensor, hidden behind the grille, detects obstacles ahead and enables the vehicle to travel at a set speed or adapt to the speed of the vehicle in front. An on-board microcomputer processes the radar information and converts the electronic instructions into engine speed or brake pressure.
Lucas Varity Electronic Systems Div. Booth 2413 13873 Park Center Rd.Suite 65Herndon, VA 20171 FAX (703) 834-2648.

Fastener

Mag-FormTM thread-forming fastener is for fastening die-cast magnesium and other low-ductility materials. As the fastener is driven, the high-degree flank angle compresses the mating material rather than roll-forming the material. This type of action creates strong mating threads while minimizing debris generation and the potential for fracture of the application material. The formed mating threads also allow multiple removals and reinsertions. The fastener is available in sizes M2.5 to M8 in a through-hardened alloy and low carbon steels. Targeted for automotive applications, the fastener is useful for steering wheels, instrument panels, and powertrain components.
Textron Inc. Camcar Div. Booth 6023 516 Eighteenth Ave. Rockford, IL 61104 FAX (815) 961-5345.

Couplings

Swing couplings are interchangeable with most common plugs and allow unrestricted full flow. Every coupling is leakage-tested and made in accordance with ISO Standard 4414. Applications include compressed air supply for pneumatic tools and automation equipment, and supply lines carrying low viscosity fluids and gases.
Oetiker Ltd. Booth 119 Box 5500 Alliston, Ontario, Canada L9R 1W7 FAX (705) 4435-3155.

Bearings

Miniature and instrument ball bearings range in sizes from 0.1181 to 1 inch in outside diameter, in both inch and metric. Uses include throttle assemblies, ABS braking systems, alternators, windshield-wiper motors, electric-throttle controls, and other small-motor applications.
NMB Corp. Booth 442 9730 Independence Ave.Chatsworth, CA 91311 FAX (818) 709-0387.

Analysis/recording system

TRACERTM is a real-time thermal system for analyzing and recording temperature data. The system combines a high-resolution thermal-imaging camera with a Pentium PC, digital video recording system, and Windows-based analysis software. In a base configuration, TRACER can record 5+ minutes of thermal activity at a 60-Hz frame rate with 12-bit pixels, capturing 9.3 Mbytes of data per second for analysis. The system senses temperature differences of less than 0.1C at 30C, and can measure the temperature of objects from -10 to 2,000C with an accuracy of ±2% percent or 2C.
FLIR Systems Inc. Booth 3170 16505 Southwest 72nd Ave. Portland, OR 97224 FAX (503) 684-3207.

Caps/plugs/grips

Vinyl dip-molded and rubber injection-molded caps, plugs, and grips as well as custom-molded items are available for the automotive industry. Secondary options include punch, slicing, and printing. Also available is a complete line of high-temperature masking products including tapes, discs, and custom shapes produced from silicone, polyester, and kapton materials.
MOCAP Booth 5011 10964 Lin-Valle Dr. St. Louis, MO 63123 FAX (314) 487-8855.

Transfer case

The 2-shaft transfer case is flanged to the manual and automatic transmission of the Rover Freelander and distributes torque between the front-wheel drive and the prop shaft to the rear-wheel drive in the permanent 4-wheel drive system. A reduction gear for off-road driving is integrated in the transfer case. The arrangement of the ring gear on the auxiliary shaft results in a reduced torque load and dimensioning advantages.
Steyr-Daimler-Puch Fahrzeugtechnik Booth 3107 A-8041 GrazLiebenauer Hauptstrabe 317, Germany FAX +43 316 401322.

Controller

Cell-Stack is a self-contained controller based on Windows PCs. This controller can manage remote communication, control data-acquisition devices, perform remote analysis, and archive and transfer remote data. The Cell-Stack hardware box is built around a notebook PC enclosed in an aluminum box weighing 8.5 lbs and measuring 11 x 6.5 x 3 inches. Features include a Pentium processor with 16 Mbytes RAM, 700 Mbytes hard disk space, a cellular-phone modem, backup battery-charging circuit, and on/off circuitry.
SoMat Corp. Booth 852 1561 W. Hamlin Rd. Rochester Hills, MI 48309 FAX (248) 299-0614.

Transducers

DeltaPlus differential pressure transducers feature accuracies of ±0.1 or ±0.25% and a full-scale range as low as 10 inches H2O over an operating temperature from -40 to 225F. Standard output is 0-100 mV. Internally amplified voltage and current outputs, including intrinsically safe two-wire, are also available. These all-welded, stainless-steel units can be configured for either wet/wet or wet/dry applications and with either in-line or right-angled pressure ports.
Sensotec Inc. Booth 2081 2080 Arlingate Lane Columbus, OH 43228.

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