February 2007

Uncategorized News

Latest Resource

Uncategorized Resources

Latest News

FREE WEBINAR May 27: Addressing the Skilled Worker Shortage with Customized eLearning

America Makes’ Spring 2024 TRX Explores AM Advancements

ELEMENTS Version 4.2.0 Now Released

AMEXCI and Nikon SLM Solutions Collaborate in the Nordics

BMF Gets FDA OK for Ultra Thin Dental Veneer Material

Nexa3D and KVG Scale Defense Manufacturing Capabilities

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By DE Editors

February 1, 2007

By DE Editors

Editor’s Pick of the Week—February 28, 2007Get DA at the Point of Measurement Pair of devices extends your reach wirelessly.Measurement Computing Corp. (Norton, MA) has released the WLS-TC andthe WLS-TEMP, a pair of two wireless temperature input devices thatprovide the flexibility and convenience of installing data acquisitiondevices at the point of measurement. Based upon the company’s USB-TCand the USB-TEMP devices, the WLS-TC and the WLS-TEMP enable you toacquire and process temperature data for monitoring and controlapplications at distances up to 150 feet indoors or as much as 2460feet line-of-sight outdoors.Essentially identical to the USB devices, WLS-TC and the WLS-TEMP areequipped with an RF module that supports low-power wireless sensornetworks as well as meets the IEEE 802.15.4 standard fortelecommunications and information exchange between systems. Bothmodules require minimal power and operate within the ISM 2.4 GHzfrequency band.The WLS-TC and the WLS-TEMP leverage a small PC interface module(WLS-IFC) that you connect with your computer’s USB port. This, in urn,enables communications with a virtually limitless number of WLS-TCs andWLS-TEMPs, according to the manufacturer.The WLS-TC unit supports eight channels of J, K, R, S, T, N, E, and Btype thermocouples. The WLS-TEMP also supports eight channels of datafrom the same group of thermocouples as well as RTDs, thermistors, andsemiconductor temperature sensors.The WLS-TC and the WLS-TEMP come with all software drivers andTracerDAQ data management and analysis software. TracerDAQ converts andsaves temperature and alarm data to standard, comma-delimited .CSVfiles, and it also plots and analyzes real-time data or historicaltemperature files.The units also come with InstaCal, an all-in-one installation, loggersetup, calibration, and test application. InstaCal makes setting up andretrieving data from the logger as simple as a few mouse clicks. Clickhere for a small PDF that describes setting up the WLS-TC and theWLS-TEMP. Additionally, the WLS-TC and the WLS-TEMP come with UniversalLibrary and UL for LabVIEW, programming interfaces.A complete WLS-TC system including the WLS-IFC RF modules and softwarecosts $599. A similarly equipped WLS-TEMP is $799. The WLS-IFC modulealone is $149. All units are available immediately. For moreinformation, click here.

Editor’s Pick of the Week—February 21, 2007 3D Systems Plans New Desktop Modeler Compact digital printer is plug and play set up.3D Systems Corporation (Rock Hill, SC) recently announced its plans tointroduce a compact office modeler, the V-Flash desktop modeler, thissummer. The V-Flash will be able to build ready-to-use 3D models inoffices, the classroom, or in home offices.The V-Flash measures 25 x 26 x 27 inch or about the size of a compactrefrigerator. It weighs about 100 pounds and has a maximum build volumeof 7 x 9 x 8 inches. It will have standard power requirements and aplug-and-play set-up.A key component of the V-Flash is its compact material cartridge. TheV-Flash Cartridge provides integrated material metering and dispensing.This means that you can simply remove an old cartridge, toss it away,and install a new cartridge. The V-Cartridge also contains suchparts such as pumps, dispensers, re-coaters, transporters as well asroutine maintenance elements. As a consequence, V-Cartridgemaintenance means popping out and replacing a cartridge, not calling in a servicetechnician.

A pair of models produced with the V-Flash desktop modeler from 3D Systems. Click images to enlarge.

The V-Flash desktop modeler will be priced at $9,900. For more information on the V-Flash desktop modeler, click here.

Editor’s Pick of the Week—February 14, 2007 Collaborate on Projects Via PLM Project collaboration functionality and analytics extend Arena PLM.On-demand product lifecycle management solution provider ArenaSolutions (Foster City, CA) just deployed the Winter ‘07 release ofArena PLM. Key to this release is a new Project Collaboration modulethat, says the company, leverages the application’s product definitionand product management functionality to create a new layer of productanalytics. These analytics are said to provide “provide the visibilitythat manufacturers need to better launch new products on time and onbudget.“Project Collaboration in Arena PLM gives manufacturers a complete viewof the projects that comprise their projects from the top-levelportfolio view down to the individual item level. This all-encompassingview enables manufacturers to tie together project plans with theproduct record by linking tasks, milestones, and deadline data to eachindividual item in a project. These links automatically update asproduct information is updated, and, by means of the on-demand ArenaPLM platform, are readily available to your internal and extendedproduct team. Because of this team-wide access to all interrelateddata, all participants and managers can readily identify project risks,pinpoint issues, and react in real-time to avoid problems and preserveschedules. Project Collaboration also offers a framework for modeling processesand creating templates that can be used, re-used, duplicated andmodified as often as required. The new Project Collaboration featuresare included in the Enterprise Edition of Arena PLM and will beautomatically available, at no additional cost, to existing users.Click here to sign up for access to a video of the Arena Winter ‘07release announcement showing the Project Collaboration module in use.Click here to sign up for a demonstration as well as full access to whites papers, datasheets, and case studies. Click here to go to the Arena Solutions home page.

Editor’s Pick of the Week—February 7, 2007 COMSOL Multiphysics 3.3a Gets New Material LibraryProduct family now runs on Vista OS, Intel-based Macs, and accelerates CAD import.

February 7, 2007 — COMSOL(Burlington, MA) has introduced COMSOL Multiphysics 3.3a, itsmultiphysics simulation environment, with a new material library thatsimplifies the specification of properties for more than 2,500materials. There’s also a CHEMKIN file-import facility to enable thereading of data in the standard chemical industry format for gas-phasereactions, combustion, and atmospheric chemistry. A new repair anddefeaturing function makes it easy to refine geometry representationsduring the import of CAD files so users can model complex designsfaster, and the entire product family now runs on Microsoft’s Vistaoperating system as well as on Intel-based Macs.

>>The Material Library containsproperty functions for more than 2500 materials. Users can easily findthe desired material with a flexible search feature that lets them lookfor materials by name, UNS (Unified Numbering System) number, or DIN(German Institute for Standardization) number.

The new Material Library automates the process of specifyingmaterials in a complex model. This optional product containsinformation for 2,500 materials including the elements, minerals,rocks, soil, metal alloys, oxides, steels, thermal insulators,semiconductors, and optical materials. For each one it suppliesproperty functions for as many as 24 key properties. The properties canbe used in everything from structural analyses to quasi-staticsimulations in electromagnetics, and they automatically account forthermal effects on properties once coupled to a thermal analysis.Materials can be identified by name, UNS (Unified Numbering System)number, or DIN (German Institute for Standardization) number. Propertyfunctions can be modified by the user, and properties and materials canbe added.

< < This model, running under Microsoft’s Vista operating system, shows the deformation in a wheel rim.

The COMSOL Reaction Engineering Lab now reads kinetics,thermodynamic, and transport-description files in the widely usedCHEMKIN format. The Reaction Engineering Lab can use the imported datato set up and solve mass and energy balances for ideal reactor systemsand then turn to COMSOL Multiphysics to analyze them in real-worldreactor geometries.

CAD Import Module 3.3a has added repairing and defeaturing of 3D CADdata. The new repair feature makes it possible to remove imperfectionsto create solids and surfaces that are mathematically and physicallycorrect. The CAD Import Module makes imported CAD data suitable for FEAby repairing geometry objects, knitting faces, and filling gaps, eitherautomatically or interactively under user control. CAD files, however,can contain details that might not be of importance in FEA but that cancreate very dense meshes, resulting in extensive memory consumptionduring simulations. With the new defeaturing tools, users can removeirrelevant details and at the same time retain a model’s geometricintegrity. They can also detach details to create separate subdomainsthat represent separate parts in the finite-element model. To removeunnecessary details, users access tools that easily remove fillets,small faces, sliver faces, as well as spikes or short edges. The CADImport Module is based on Parasolid geometry kernel and includes ACISto support the SAT format.

>> In the connecting rod in the top image to the right,an engineer might model properties not affected by the grooves and holeon one of the faces. The CAD Import Module can defeature these and alsosave computational memory by reducing the mesh size (bottom image). Click to enlarge

Other COMSOL 3.3a highlights include a user interface in Spanish;support for MATLAB 2006b; the Chemical Engineering Module and MEMSModule feature predefined level set two-phase flow application modethat includes simulation of capillary flow and surface tension effects;the MEMS Module and Structural Mechanics Module add axisymmetriccontact; the Heat Transfer Module and Chemical Engineering Module getthe Wilcox k-w turbulence model; and the RF Module exports S-parametersin the Touchstone format.

COMSOL Multiphysics is available for $7,995 in a single-userlicense. The Material Library lists for $1,995. The COMSOL ReactionEngineering Lab sells for $3,495. The CAD Import Module sells for$1,995. For more information, visit comsol.com.