Materiały - nowości ze świata
Wiadomości ze świata o nowych materiałach.
| MOFs materials special review issue | New analyses of more than 4,000 scientific studies have concluded that a family of "miracle materials" called MOFs have a bright future in products and technologies — ranging from the fuel tanks in hydrogen-powered cars to muting the effects of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide — that are critical for solving some of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. The 18 articles examining 4,283 pieces of research on MOFs published in the past appear in a special edition of the ACS' journal Chemical Reviews. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 19:39 |
| FuelCell Energy Announces Cooperation With Fraunhofer IKTS to Develop ... | FuelCell Energy, Inc. , a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean, efficient and reliable fuel cell power plants, today announced a memorandum of understanding to form a German-based joint venture with Fraunhofer IKTS to develop the market in Europe for Direct FuelCell stationary power plants. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 19:39 |
| NASA's Spitzer finds solid buckyballs in space | Astronomers using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have, for the first time, discovered buckyballs in a solid form in space. Prior to this discovery, the microscopic carbon spheres had been found only in gas form in the cosmos. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 18:39 |
| A new twist on nanowires | Nanowires -- microscopic fibers that can be "grown" in the lab -- are a hot research topic today, with a variety of potential applications including light-emitting diodes and sensors. Now, researchers has found a way of precisely controlling the width and composition of these tiny strands as they grow, making it possible to grow complex structures that are optimally designed for particular applications. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 16:39 |
| Recharge your cell phone with a touch? New nanotechnology converts body heat into power | Never get stranded with a dead cell phone again. A promising new technology called Power Felt, a thermoelectric device that converts body heat into an electrical current, soon could create enough juice to make another call simply by touching it. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 17:39 |
| A Leap Forward for Plastic Solar Cells | A record-breaking polymer solar cell made by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, converts 10.6 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 15:38 |
| Umicore Strip | Umicore S.A Broekstraat 31 Rue du Marais B-1000 Brussels BELGIUM Tel.: +32-2-227 71 11 Fax: 32-2-227 79 00 E-mail: info@umicore.com Umicore is a global materials technology group. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 11:20 |
| Controlling the Shape and Content of Nanowires | Nanowires - microscopic fibers that can be "grown" in the lab - are a hot research topic today, with a variety of potential applications including light-emitting diodes and sensors. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 08:16 |
| Charging up the auto industry | This year's iconic North American International Auto Show featured a wave of new hybrid and electric cars that suggest the vehicles have truly come into their own. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 02:39 |
| How good cholesterol turns bad | Researchers have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high density lipoproteins (HDLs) to "bad" low density lipoproteins (LDLs). These findings point the way to the design of safer, more effective next generation CETP inhibitors that could help prevent the development of heart disease. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 03:41 |
| Technique creates piezoelectric ferroelectric nanostructures | Researchers have developed a “soft template infiltration” technique for fabricating free-standing piezoelectrically active ferroelectric nanotubes and other nanostructures from PZT – a material that is attractive because of its large piezoelectric response. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 02:39 |
| Educated U.S. Workforce & Government Support Will Fuel Materials & Manufacturing Innovation | Newswise - February 21, 2012 - Warrendale, PA -Computational materials engineering must continue to grow for American corporations to stay globally competitive. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/21 - 23:18 |
| ORNL finding has materials scientists entering new territory | Solar cells, light emitting diodes, displays and other electronic devices could get a bump in performance because of a discovery at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory that establishes new boundaries for controlling band gaps. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/21 - 21:18 |
| Gold coaxed into nanowires to allow inexpensive detection of poisonous industrial gases | Researchers have coaxed gold into nanowires as a way of creating an inexpensive material for detecting poisonous gases found in natural gas. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/21 - 23:18 |
| Plant toughness: Key to cracking biofuels? | Along with photosynthesis, the plant cell wall is one of the features that most set plants apart from animals. A structural molecule called cellulose is necessary for the manufacture of these walls. Cellulose is synthesized in a semi-crystalline state that is essential for its function in the cell wall function, but the mechanisms controlling its crystallinity are poorly understood. New research reveals key information about this process. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/22 - 01:34 |
| Welding nanowires using light | Currently, creating these meshes involve heating or pressing to unite the crisscross pattern of nanowires that form the mesh, damaging the structures in the process. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/21 - 18:15 |
| Robotic dinosaurs on the way for next-gen paleontology | Researchers are bringing the latest technological advancements in 3-D printing to the study of ancient life. Using scale models of real fossils, for the first time, they will be able to test hypotheses about how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals moved and lived in their environments. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/21 - 20:18 |
| Sandia seeks better neural control of prosthetics for amputees | Sandia National Laboratories researchers, using off-the-shelf equipment in a chemistry lab, have been working on ways to improve amputees’ control over prosthetics with direct help from their own nervous systems. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/20 - 17:00 |
| Single-atom transistor is end of Moore's Law; may be beginning of quantum computing | The smallest transistor ever built -- in fact, the smallest transistor that can be built -- has been created using a single phosphorus atom by an international team of researchers. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/20 - 02:22 |
| A step toward better electronics | Many experts think graphene could change the face of electronics -- especially if the scientific community can overcome a major challenge intrinsic to the material. Oxidation could be the answer. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/21 - 21:18 |
| Physicists create working transistor consisting of a single atom | In a remarkable feat of micro-engineering, physicists in Australia have created a working transistor consisting of a single atom placed precisely in a silicon crystal. The tiny electronic device uses as its active component an individual phosphorus atom. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/20 - 01:16 |
| Man-made photosynthesis to revolutionize food and energy production | Improving natural photosynthesis to make new fuels and boost crop production is the focus of new research presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting today. It could see us one step closer to bottling the sun's energy or turbocharging plants to produce bumper crops. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 21:24 |
| A robot sketches portraits | An industrial robot as artist? A painter made of metal really can sketch faces. Its artistic genius only emerges if someone takes a seat on the model’s stool positioned in front of the robot: first, its camera records an image of its model; then it whips out its pencil and traces a portrait of the individual on its easel. After around ten minutes have passed, it grabs the work and proudly presents it to its public. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 21:24 |
| Discovery Channel's Daily Planet to Visit Tucson to Film Segment on Kryron Technology | Bourque Industries today announced that the Discovery Channel Canada's popular daily scientific news magazine Daily Planet will visit Tucson to film a Kryron Terminator Armor demonstration on February 28. |
| Czytaj | Topix.com - Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 17:18 |
| Black arsenic: Fact or fiction? Synthesis and identification of metastable compounds | (PhysOrg.com) -- Phosphorus and arsenic are on top of each other in one group of the periodic table, so they have many similar properties. In addition to tubular forms, phosphorus is found in white, red, black, and purple structural forms. At room temperature, black phosphorus is the stable form; the others are metastable. According to textbooks, arsenic occurs in gray, yellow, and black forms. However, the existence of black arsenic, which should be analogous to black phosphorus, has never been indisputably proven. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, German researchers have now demonstrated that black arsenic is metastable in its pure form, and that it has thus far only been obtained in a form stabilized by atoms of other elements. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 16:17 |
| Researchers find the healing properties of a spider`s web | (PhysOrg.com) -- The study of spider webs has led to a discovery that will generate new kinds of medical sutures embedded with medication. The University of Akron scientists have developed a novel synthetic material similar to a specific kind of silk spun by an orb spider. The specific web design is known as BOAS because it looks like beads-on-a-string in a circular web. The beads are glue droplets. The replication of this design can potentially be used as strong and flexible sutures that contain medication embedded in these bead-like structures. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 15:11 |
| Research team develops better iron catalyst to help turn plant material into plastic | (PhysOrg.com) -- As most people know, modern plastics are made from crude oil derivatives, making them vulnerable to price and supply fluctuations, which in the end means an alternative must be found in order for the plastics industry to remain viable. One alternative is to use plant material, or biomass instead. Unfortunately, at least till now, the lack of a good catalyst has made the process both expensive and messy, at least for those that create plastics that are virtually identical to the ones based on petroleum. Now, researchers in The Netherlands have found an iron catalyst that appears to be both effective and doesn’t produce a messy byproduct. They describe their work in the journal Science. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 14:06 |
| Nanostructure of cellulose microfibrils in spruce wood | Scientists at Institut Laue-Langevin in Europe recently described in PNAS the first detailed structure of cellulose fibres from any higher plant. |
| Czytaj | PHYSorg.com: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 12:49 |
| Strange new nano-region can form in quasicrystals | Researchers have discovered a new type of structural anomaly, or defect, that can appear in quasicrystals, a unique material with some crystal-like properties but a more complex structure. The new defect type occurs under certain circumstances to help balance competing energetic issues. The defect's formation at those times enables higher-energy transition-metal-rich surfaces to be exposed rather than the expected lower-energy aluminum-rich surfaces. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/17 - 00:53 |
| Gecko feet inspire amazing glue that can hold 700 pounds on smooth wall | Biologists have long been amazed by gecko feet, which allow 5-ounce lizards to produce an adhesive force equivalent to carrying 9 lbs. up a wall without slipping. Now, a team of polymer scientists and a biologist have invented “Geckskin,” an adhesive device that can hold 700 pounds on a smooth wall. |
| Czytaj | ScienceDaily: Materials Science News, 2012/02/16 - 23:51 |
Strony
Automatyka i elektronika przemysłowa
Wybór wiadomości ze świata.
| Altium crosses ECAD-MCAD divide at SolidWorks World 2012 | Altium business development manager Lawrence Romine spoke with Manufacturing AUTOMATION sister publication, Design Product News, at SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego, Calif. Romine outlined how Altium product design software… |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/22 - 20:39 |
| Wago launches 2012 Innovation in Automation tour | Wago Corporation's 2012 Innovation in Automation Tour (IIAT) across Canada and the U.S. commences in March with vans in Mississippi and southern California. Essentially mobile tradeshows, Wago's IIAT vans have travelled nearly 340,000 miles throughout the U.S. and Canada over six years. This has enabled Wago to connect with industrial professionals unable to attend tradeshows, while providing entire engineering staffs with hands-on product demos. Featuring new exterior graphics, twin IIAT vans are equipped with pick-and-play displays carrying Wago's newest automation, electronic interface and interconnect solutions. Visits are co-ordinated by Wago representatives and field application engineers to address specific application issues. Free product samples and literature are available. View the IIAT interior and request a stop at http://www.wago.us/innovationtour.htm. Visit http://www.wago.us/products/10947.htm to find out when IIAT will be in your area. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/22 - 20:39 |
| Honeywell competition challenges engineering students to solve manufacturing issues | Honeywell's 2012 Americas student competition is challenging engineering students to use simulation software to create solutions to critical issues facing manufacturing companies. The UniSim Design Challenge is held in conjunction with the Honeywell Users Group (HUG) Americas symposium, the company's largest customer event, and is open to students pursuing engineering degrees at accredited universities in North and South America. Students must use Honeywell's UniSim Design Suite software to create ways to make plants safer, as well as more efficient, reliable and sustainable, while continuing to meet ever-growing production demands. The Americas competition is one of three held globally, and is one of several Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) initiatives designed to encourage engineering studies. Winners of this year's competition will be flown to Phoenix, Ariz., to attend HUG Americas, where they will present details of their entries and network with industry experts and potential employers. The conference will be held June 10-15 in Phoenix. Last year's winners, Pedro Amer and Nahir Torres from the Universidad de Oriente Venezuela, created a process simulation model of a high-pressure steam generation boiler. The pair demonstrated how simulation can train operators to evaluate different scenarios in production and design processes offline. "Student competitions such as this serve two critical purposes," said Norm Gilsdorf, president of Honeywell Process Solutions and an alumnus of Purdue University's School of Engineering. "First, they bring fresh thinking that help solve real problems faced by real manufacturing facilities. And second, they show the innovators of tomorrow how they can put their engineering skills to use in the real world, strengthening our future workforce." UniSim Design is used around the world to design and test processes before they are implemented in manufacturing plants. Doing this ultimately allows new plants to begin production faster, and also helps existing plants improve operations. Additionally, this makes processes safer and, in some cases, helps plants use less energy in production. Interested students must submit abstracts and presentations by April 20 to enter the HUG Americas student competition. For more information about the competition, visit Honeywell's Student Engineers Facebook page. www.honeywell.com |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/22 - 19:39 |
| Cloud ERP technology | Plex Systems Inc. has added increased functionality to its Plex Online Cloud ERP for manufacturers solution to support complex assembly processes at manufacturing facilities. The new options allow manufacturers to… |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/22 - 19:39 |
| Honda recalls more than 2,700 minivans in Canada | Honda is recalling 2,790 Honda Odyssey vans in Canada as part of a larger recall because the rear doors can fall on people unexpectedly — and have on at least… The problem affects minivans from the 2008 and 2009 model years that have power lift gates. The carmaker is recalling nearly 46,000 Odyssey minivans in the United States. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says on its website that gas can leak out of the struts that support the lift gates and the doors could close unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury. Honda says the problem has caused two minor injuries and that the company will replace both power lift gate struts for free. The company says it will send letters to van owners next month with instructions about the recall. - With files from The Canadian Press |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/22 - 19:39 |
| Solar inverters ready for the smart grid | POWER Protection has released the Growatt 2000-3000 high frequency, light weight, transformer-based solar inverters. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/22 - 03:41 |
| Microscope cameras with data sharing and LED touch screens | RUSSELL Fraser Sales has released the BestScope BLC series of microscope cameras. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/22 - 06:03 |
| Module board based on next-gen Intel Atom processors | BACKPLANE Systems Technology has announced Avalue’s EQM-CDV Qseven Intel Cedarview module based on the Intel Atom N2600/N2800 and Intel NM10 Express chipset. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/22 - 06:03 |
| Ferroelectric RAM distribution agreement | DIGI-KEY and Ramtron International have signed a global distribution agreement, giving Digi-Key customers access to non-volatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM). |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/22 - 08:16 |
| Electro-Motive strikes closeout deal with CAW, ratification vote Thursday | Electro-Motive Canada says it has reached a tentative closeout deal for the “safe and orderly” shutdown of its locomotive manufacturing plant in London, Ont. The unit of U.S. heavy equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. says the deal is subject to a ratification vote Thursday by members of the CAW. Details of the agreement, which covers severance and other financial issues, were unavailable. Electro-Motive shut down the southwestern Ontario plant earlier this month and is moving the work to a plant in Indiana after locking out 450 hourly workers in a pay dispute. The company had demanded wage cuts of nearly half so the plant could be in line with labour costs at its U.S. plants. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/21 - 21:18 |
| CAD/CAM software enhancements | Siemens PLM Software's NX software, the company's fully integrated computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering analysis (CAD/CAM/CAE) solution, now includes its widely used NX Nastran software for solving challenging simulation problems.… |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/21 - 21:18 |
| Cost management software | aPriori's 2011r2 offers new functionality and enhancements that expand the platform's cost optimization capabilities for companies with high tolerance machining requirements in the automotive, oil and gas, semi-conductor equipment manufacturing… |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/21 - 21:18 |
| New website aims to bridge skills gap dogging Canadian manufacturers | A new online tool connecting skilled workers with employers in Canada's industrial sector is tackling fears of a looming labour crisis that is expected to produce up to 500,000 vacant… Set to launch March 1, iCME.ca is the only national website of its kind, pairing candidate skill sets, education and practical experience with the specific needs of Canadian manufacturers and exporters. "Finding and retaining qualified employees is the most significant challenge companies will face going forward, both financially and operationally," explains Jayson Myers, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME), the group spearheading the initiative. "And the gap will not be limited to any one sector. So it's critical that we centralize our efforts to identify and promote these in-demand career opportunities to the next generation of Canada's workforce." While a majority of these jobs will rely upon skilled tradespeople, including 800,000 alone in Alberta's oil sands by 2030, the growth of global supply chains have created hundreds of new, innovative career paths in manufacturing - from environmental specialists and high-tech product engineers to logistics experts and international trade professionals. "People and skills are the currency of Canada's new economy," says Caroline Tompkins, president of the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). "We no longer can afford to do our own thing. We need to work together on developing long-term, tangible solutions, and translate good intentions into real benefits for Canadian companies." Job seekers and employers alike can create customized profiles for free. For more information, visit www.cme-mec.ca and register at icme.ca after February 29. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/21 - 20:18 |
| Seeing past the clouds: PLM and what's what | There is a lot of talk about cloud computing today, and its exponentially growing presence among enterprise technology, particularly product life cycle management (PLM). While PLM "in the cloud" is… PLM software is branching out from its traditional stronghold in engineering-intensive discrete manufacturing and moving aggressively into such process-oriented industries as energy, food and beverage and consumer goods, according to a new study released in November 2011 from the ARC Advisory Group. Due to this move, cloud-based PLM is receiving more support and higher adoption as these industries, new to PLM, start to deploy newer technology and more evolved IT computing environments. However, there is still quite a bit of education needed of cloud-based PLM in the market overall. PwC principal technology leader Tom Degarmo puts it best: "Cloud computing accelerates innovation and improves time-to-market successes, and offers added flexibility within PLM applications. Overall it can improve connections across a company's network of suppliers, time zones and cultures. It enables an extendable enterprise." Four cloud-based PLM strategies The easiest explanation of cloud computing is to view it as a grouping of remote computers whose resources you can harness on an as-needed basis regardless of where the computers reside, who owns them or can access them, etc. According to Chuck Cimalore, Omnify Software president and CEO, "Product life cycle management is a set of diverse business strategies, processes and applications. To identify the right projects, processes and problems that can be solved by introducing cloud-based PLM solutions can be a tall order when you factor in the importance of addressing ownership, location and privacy/security issues." Analysts agree and are working with PLM customers today that are grappling with the concept of cloud computing and how best to address these issues. Analyst firm Frost and Sullivan reports that most people refer to public clouds when they talk about cloud computing. There are four types of cloud strategies being deployed in PLM applications. "Public clouds" are typically systems that are shared by multiple people who use the system and have no control over who their fellow users can be. "Private clouds" infer systems available for the sole benefit of a single company/entity where cloud data is secure and protected. Then there are "community clouds" where only specially selected companies with common or related goals participate in the system (like partners, channels, supply/design chain, for instance). And lastly there are "hybrid clouds" where a private cloud can extend onto a public cloud for specific activities and on an as-need basis. The benefit of a hybrid approach that incorporates a public cloud is that it provides extra performance scalability for the private cloud that would be in use. Identifying cloud services: SaaS, PaaS and Iaas In addition to the four types of clouds, there are three segments of cloud-based technology called SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. The first, SaaS (software as a service), deploys over the Internet and is made available to users when requested. It is usually served as a payment per-usage or on subscription basis. According to Forrester Research, SaaS is the oldest and most mature segment of cloud computing, citing examples like that of salesforce.com, Netsuite and Google Gmail, among others. PaaS, which stands for "Platform as a Service," is a combination of a development platform and solution stack that is delivered as a service on demand. Forrester Research describes it as an infrastructure that can be used to develop a new software app or extend existing ones without the initial cost of buying and implementing additional hardware and software. PaaS often can extend the capabilities of existing SaaS solutions, which Forrester Research sites as Force.com (from Salesforce.com); Google App Engine and Microsoft Azure. Lastly IaaS, which is "Infrastructure as a Service," provides an environment for running user-built virtualized systems, sometimes termed as a platform virtualization environment. It encompasses service, software, data centre and network equipment delivered as a single bundle. Forrester Research cites examples of IaaS environments as Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud), GoGrid and Flexiscale. Case in point: The ultimate hybrid cloud model What does cloud computing mean for business strategy? How will cloud computing impact any enterprise more broadly? For Mevion Medical Systems, Inc., a radiation therapy company dedicated to advancing the treatment of cancer, its workforce is distributed throughout the globe and requires its business solutions to be available 24/7 on all company-supported platforms (PC, Mac, Linux, Droid and IOS). According to Edward Quinn, Mevion Medical Systems IT manager, "To do this, Mevion is leveraging a 'hybrid cloud' in order to be able to scale quickly and efficiently to distributed cloud data centres at far less cost than purchasing expensive equipment or renting/building out corporate data centres. The IT department can leverage the advanced international infrastructure already in place by leading cloud computing companies and activate and pay only for the services that its business needs." Achieving agility is a key component to the company's business plan. As a pioneer in modern proton therapy systems, Mevion always tries to leverage technology and solutions that provide a distinct advantage. In this case, it is cloud computing because it will allow Mevion to expand quickly while providing a wide range of solutions. It also allows the company to decrease overall technology costs and provide a reliable, agile IT infrastructure. Integrating SaaS, PaaS and IaaS within one computing architecture The Mevion "hybrid cloud" computing architecture utilizes both internal and external cloud solutions that will provide SaaS, PaaS and IaaS solutions. The architecture will support a distributed workforce utilizing key security measures; integrate with the corporate data centre to ensure data integrity; and scale across multiple external solutions to ensure reliability and uptime. The Mevion IT department has begun deployment already, and will have a fully functioning cloud-based environment by the end of 2012. "IT has been researching this strategy since 2009, so it does not happen overnight. Our IT group needed to ensure that their 'hybrid cloud' computing strategy would ensure data security, integrity and reliability. Going forward, all business solutions must adhere to this architecture," said Quinn. "Our entire company will be on the Mevion 'hybrid cloud' architecture, depending on the employee's job function. All employees in the company utilize the Omnify Software Empower PLM Solution on a daily basis from their computers, smartphones and tablets; both within the company network and through remote secured VPN connections," Quinn continued. PLM harnesses the power of the cloud Omnify Empower PLM allows customers to decide which strategy is best for them. "We recognize that companies will have different deployment strategies, and that these strategies may, in time, change. In turn, we have designed our products and services to support cloud-based, on-premises and hybrid methodologies," said Cimalore. Organizations are starting to identify that they can really benefit from including outside suppliers on their cloud. The elastic nature of cloud platforms makes it possible to scale up when needed, which can greatly extend simulation, visualization and computation products. According to Quinn, Mevion anticipates that they will look to including their external partners within their cloud environment in the future. "When we move Omnify Empower PLM to a secured cloud platform, the usage may expand to support authorized company business providers/partners," said Quinn. The analysts sum it up Most industry analysts (Forrester, Gartner, Frost & Sullivan, ARC and The Yankee Group) covering IT agree that the power and potential of cloud computing, properly leveraged and deployed, can have a significant impact on the PLM industry. PLM customers are giving serious consideration and evaluating their PLM business processes in regard to how to run them seamlessly and securely connect them to cloud-based data sets. This is to say that today still few are fully deployed. It is still in the infancy stages of use, even if the technology has matured. However, accessing data, processes and business intelligence in the cloud from a PLM platform could, if done correctly, enable global companies a way to leverage critical information sources, maximize expert resources and manage complex analytics - all from within their PLM system. Forrester states that the overall objective for most companies implementing PLM in a cloud is to optimize productivity and achieve an actual ROI from their cloud deployment. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/21 - 19:15 |
| Searching For ERP-related business value? Look at planning activities | All business leaders want to take their organizations to the next level. In an effort to do so, many have invested heavily in ERP implementations and have suffered through associated… To me, it's not a question of capability. I believe that all businesses have the potential to achieve significant post-implementation value. Rather, I think it's a question of understanding and commitment - an understanding that business value comes from business change, not systems; and a commitment to executing a good plan. This article will discuss an area that - for most businesses - provides a great opportunity to extract meaningful post-implementation value. Without hyperbole, this area represents an organization's central logistics hub. It touches all corners of a business' operations, including sales forecasting, supply chain, production, distribution and purchasing. I'm speaking, of course, about replenishment planning and shop scheduling. This is where an organization's supply meets its demand. It's where forecasts are converted into purchase and/or production orders. Planning activities influence inventory levels and, by extension, cash flow. They influence production and distribution schedules and, by extension, sales turnover and on-time delivery rates. In short, companies that plan and schedule well are more likely to: anticipate demand and respond nimbly to unforeseen market shifts; have higher customer satisfaction rates; and have less cash tied up in obsolescing inventory. The sad truth is that most companies' ERP systems issue poor planning recommendations - ones that, if acted upon, would lead to a huge mismatch between supply and demand. Because those system-generated recommendations don't reflect true operating realities, planners, purchasers, materials managers, production managers and others often ignore system-generated planning signals and advice. Almost always, however, poor planning advice has little to do with the software itself. Software is made up of a bunch of zeros and ones, and simply generates outputs from formulae and rules. In all likelihood, the formulae and rules were programmed just fine. Rather, poor recommendations are usually the result of inaccurate and untimely base data. The good news is that any company can significantly improve its planning and scheduling activities. And, if it does, it'll go a long way to generating that seemingly elusive ERP-related business value. From a high level, there are three key success factors to planning. They are: • Accurate item and movement data - The system needs accurate data to simulate a company's operating reality. Key data requirements include item-level order modifiers, bill of materials and routings. • Accurate inventory data - If inventory counts and movements are not accurately reflected in the system, the planning engine will either make recommendations that cause the company to 1) prematurely order inventory or 2) deliver items beyond the due date. The former case constrains cash flow and unnecessarily increases the value of a depreciating asset class. The latter case leads to higher rates of customer dissatisfaction and turnover. In our experience, a planning engine will only be capable of issuing meaningful planning recommendations when a company has accuracy rates of 95 percent for its on-hand inventory; maintains accurate demand and supply forecasts; and knows its minimum inventory level requirements (safety stock). • Timely recording of material movements - The status of purchase orders and production orders varies over time, as materials flow through supply chains and production. To ensure that planning signals and recommendations are meaningful, the company needs to update the system promptly. Businesses can choose to do this a couple of ways - through manual input or in an automated fashion. Before relying on an ERP system to manage planning and scheduling activities, businesses should first make sure that the right processes are in place. Sound processes will allow the company to generate accurate and timely data. Only then will a company be in a position to use an ERP system to improve planning and scheduling activities. Jonathan Gross is vice-president of Pemeco, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in ERP selection and implementation. He can be reached at jonathang@pemeco.com. This article originally appeared on Pemeco's website - www.pemeco.com. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/21 - 19:15 |
| VIDEO: Canadian manufacturers confident about 2012 | More than half of Canadian manufacturers surveyed in PwC's fourth-quarter 2011 manufacturing barometer study feel optimistic about the prospects for the Canadian economy over the next 12 months. Watch the… |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/17 - 16:17 |
| Eaton opens satellite office in Saskatchewan | Eaton’s electrical sector (Canada) has opened a new regional quick-ship manufacturing satellite operation in Saskatoon, Sask. The new operation will begin production starting in April 2012, and will manufacture multiple… The Saskatoon satellite will become a critical member of Eaton’s current network of Canadian satellite manufacturing locations. Eaton’s nine quick-ship satellite loations service regional markets with electrical distribution, packaged control products, solutions and support to customers in Canada. Leading Eaton’s efforts in this initiative is Jo-Lynne Stein. Stein has been with Eaton for 15 years serving in various roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, she was senior sales representative for Eaton in the province of Saskatchewan.www.eatoncanada.ca |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/16 - 22:40 |
| U.S. manufacturing output jumped last month on big gains in production of autos, machinery | U.S. factories boosted output last month, while December ended up being their best month of growth in five years. Strong auto sales and growing business investment in machinery and other equipment are keeping factories busy and helping the economy grow. The Federal Reserve said that manufacturing production increased 0.7 percent in January. And output soared 1.5 percent in December, according to an upward revision. That was the biggest gain since December 2006. Overall industrial production, which includes output by mines and utilities as well as factories, was unchanged in January. The flat reading was mostly because Americans are using less energy to heat their homes during the unseasonably warm winter. Factory output has risen 16.7 percent from its low point during the recession, in June 2009. It is still 7.1 percent below its December 2007 peak. Jonathan Basile, an economist at Credit Suisse, said December and January marked the best two months of growth for manufacturing since the summer of 2009, when the recession ended. “The manufacturing sector is on a tear,” Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics, said in a note to clients. Auto production rose 6.8 percent in January, the biggest gain since July 2010, according to the Fed report. Car sales rose by the most in more than two years in January, after posting healthy sales gains in November and December. Industrial machinery production increased 2.2 percent, after an even larger gain in December. Computer and electronics production moved up 1.4 percent. Two strong months of manufacturing growth are among other encouraging signs that show the U.S. economy could grow at a steady pace this year. Five straight months of solid job growth has lowered the unemployment rate to 8.3 percent, the lowest level in nearly three years. Several factors could weigh on growth this year. Gas prices are rising again. Europe's financial turmoil could weaken demand for U.S. exports. And another year of weak pay increases could force consumers to cut back on spending. Still, the economy is growing and manufacturing is accelerating. That has helped drive the slow but steady recovery. Manufacturing companies have strongly boosted their efficiency in recent years, automating many plants and processes. That's allowed them to produce more with fewer workers. Still, many are hiring. The government said factories added a net 50,000 workers in January, the most in a year. And manufacturers added a net 235,000 jobs in 2011, the biggest annual rise since 1997. Another positive sign: the average workweek for manufacturing employees increased last month. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/16 - 21:35 |
| Manufacturing sales up again in December, nearing pre-recession levels | Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 0.6 percent to $49.9 billion in December, the fifth increase in six months. The agency says manufacturing now has rebounded close to the $50.2 billion recorded in October 2008, when the economic downturn began. Monthly sales for seven of 21 manufacturing industries have reached or surpassed levels recorded in 2008. Sales in December increased in 12 of 21 industries representing about two-thirds of manufacturing, with gains coming primarily in durable goods industries, where sales rose 2.1 percent. Sales of non-durable goods fell 0.9 percent. For 2011 as a whole, manufacturing sales amounted to $571 billion, up 7.8 percent from 2010, with higher sales in the petroleum and coal products, primary metal, machinery and transportation equipment industries. Sales by motor vehicle manufacturers rose 2.9 percent in December to $4.3 billion, the highest monthly total since November 2007. Sales in the motor vehicle parts industry rose 5.5 percent to $1.9 billion. The transportation equipment industry as a whole had the largest dollar gains of any industry, with a 3.7 percent increase in sales to $8.5 billion. This was the seventh consecutive monthly increase. Plastics and rubber products sales increased 7.5 percent to $2.1 billion, their highest level since August 2007. The rise reflected higher sales volumes. Greater sales volumes were responsible for a 2.7 percent increase in the primary metal industry to $4.2 billion, the third consecutive monthly gain. The overall December sales increase was partly offset by a 5.6 percent decline among petroleum and coal product manufacturers to $6.9 billion. Manufacturing sales rose in four provinces in December, with most of the increase located in Central Canada. Combined sales in Ontario and Quebec were up $741 million, while sales declined $445 million in the rest of Canada. With the gains in December, Ontario, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan surpassed their sales levels recorded in October 2008. www.statscan.gc.ca |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/16 - 16:06 |
| AMOLED power supply chip simplifies circuits | STMICROELECTRONICS has released the STOD13AS power supply chip for advanced smartphone displays using AMOLED technology. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/16 - 03:03 |
| Cost-effective thermal imaging cameras | FLIR Systems has released a new range of entry-level i-Series thermal imaging cameras with the i3, i5 and i7. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/16 - 03:03 |
| Radar design boost with new MATLAB toolbox | MATHWORKS has expanded radar system design capabilities in MATLAB with the Phased Array System Toolbox. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/16 - 05:05 |
| Bosch Rexroth Canada names new head of marketing | David Lopes has been named national marketing manager for Bosch Rexroth Canada. Lopes has more than 28 years of industrial, business-to-business marketing experience in Canada and Germany, working for such companies as Siemens, Samuel Strapping Group, Rittal Systems and Kraken Automation. In his new position, he is responsible for the strategic marketing plans and activities to support Bosch Rexroth Canada's key business growth objectives in its marketplace. In addition, Lopes is the face to Bosch Rexroth Canada's marketing activities within the company's global marketing organization. www.boschrexroth.ca |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/14 - 16:44 |
| Better power units with power supply controller | STMICROELECTRONICS has released the L6699D power supply controller which combines anti-capacitive protection, auto-adaptive dead-time and enhanced safe-start operation. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/14 - 01:27 |
| Automotive part manufacturer fined following assembly line accident | Gates Canada Inc., an Alberta automotive part manufacturer, was fined $55,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured. On April 12, 2010, at the company's workplace in Hamilton, Ont., workers were clearing pallets that had jammed on an assembly line. One worker had a hand on the conveyor of a machine when part of the machine cycled down, crushing the worker's hand and causing muscle damage. A Ministry of Labour investigation found that the power to that part of the assembly line had been disconnected, but there was still residual energy in one of the machine's cylinders, causing it to cycle. Gates Canada Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that the machine was blocked to prevent movement while it was being maintained. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/13 - 17:46 |
| Kontron to support Cavium OCTEON III | Kontron has announced support for the new OCTEON III MIPS64 family of 1 to 48 core multicore processors from Cavium. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/13 - 04:04 |
| Wireless access point with M12 protected connections | MADISON Connective Technologies has released the Moxa AKW-3131-M12 wireless access point, with M12 connectors to protect wired connections. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/13 - 07:13 |
| Gyroscope enhances car navigation accuracy | STMICROELECTRONICS has unveiled the world’s first three-axis gyroscope for automotive applications. |
| Czytaj | Electronics News, 2012/02/13 - 08:15 |
| Canadian manufacturers kick-start 2012 with confidence and plans for capital investment | More than half of Canadian manufacturers surveyed in PwC's fourth-quarter 2011 manufacturing barometer study feel optimistic about the prospects for the Canadian economy over the next 12 months. With a… "Industrial manufacturing CEOs are now focusing on the upside rather than the downside," said Calum Semple, consulting partner, PwC. "Across the board we're seeing Canadian manufacturers with positive projections associated with company growth, international sales and spending trends. One area of concentration is operational spending. Eighty percent of Canadian respondents are hoping to increase spending in this area over the next year." Leading areas of increased spending are information technology (47 percent), research and development (47 percent), and new product or service introductions (37 percent). "Manufacturing CEOs plan to change their company's research and development innovation capacity in the next year. CEOs are using innovation to make their products more sustainable," explained Semple. "Also, with signs of global manufacturing activities on the rise and U.S. manufacturers showing signs of resilience, there is a need to upgrade existing systems, associated business intelligence and introduce mobility as a source of success for firms of all sizes." Manufacturing Barometer panelists expect international sales to contribute to 66 percent of their total revenue over the next 12 months. Corroborating the data from Canadian companies, PwC's report titled Delivering results - Key findings in the industrial manufacturing industry shows that manufacturing peers around the world are thinking the same. Nearly three-fifths of industrial manufacturing CEOs said they would like to develop operations outside of their home markets. The four BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are cited as potential opportunities. "Manufacturing companies looking to explore outside of Canada can experience a reduction in inventory, support local manufacturing and there may be foreign exchange advantages for the company," said Semple. "Simultaneously, manufacturers must adhere to enterprise risk management protocols that meet quality and delivery standards, while staying aware of foreign corruption activities and social responsibility practices." At the same time, foreign market competition is cited by 43 percent of Canadian manufacturers surveyed as a barrier to growth. To reduce this barrier, initiatives such as new strategic alliances and joint ventures in markets abroad are on the minds of companies this year. "An example of this is Canada's Magna International Inc.'s application to produce 300,000 vehicles annually in Russia," said Semple. "Its current Magna Steyr operation in Austria is the largest contract manufacturer in the world, assembling vehicles for Mercedes-Benz, PSA Peugeot, Minis for BMW AG, and others." Other barriers to business growth highlighted by manufacturing companies include concerns over oil and energy prices (53 percent) and monetary exchange rate (47 percent). "Similar to last quarter, Canadian manufacturers are looking to hire, and the lack of qualified workers remains a concern," said Semple. "Among the respondents planning to hire within the next year, the most sought-after employees will be production workers (30 percent), skilled labour (27 percent), and professionals and technicians (23 percent)." One way the manufacturing industry is responding to the labour barrier is through workforce development. According to the report, Delivering results - Key findings in the industrial manufacturing industry, a majority of CEOs think business has a responsibility in this area, and many say they are already making investments to ensure a future supply of employees. As well, more than half of the respondents indicate skill development should be a key priority for the government. For more information, visit www.pwc.com/ca/industrial-manufacturing. _ |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/10 - 16:36 |
| Worldwide SCADA market for electric utilities expected to grow over five years: ARC | The Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) market is among the most rapidly growing control systems markets in the world. SCADA for electric utilities is forecasted to grow at a… SCADA Systems for Electric Power Industry is a five-year analysis and technology forecast through 2016 that was released in December 2011 by ARC Advisory Group. The report, written by ARC's Steve Clouther, identifies strategic issues that need to be addressed for SCADA to be successful in this market, including enhancing the SCADA system to deter cyber attacks; getting more involved with distributed SCADA; preparing for energy integration; developing migration roadmap solutions; expanding service capabilities; and establishing a presence in Asia. The worldwide SCADA market reflects the impact of new technology on SCADA components and cost-effective communications for knowledge transfer. SCADA components are easier to integrate and provide vastly improved capabilities and functionalities, and communications are no longer limited, the report states. End users are using SCADA technology for a range of operational improvement applications and linking these to business processes for a variety of purposes, both internal and external to the enterprise. The underlying technology that facilitates traditional SCADA functionality has changed dramatically, according to ARC. Emerging technology is enabling SCADA to be tightly integrated to business processes, creating an improved value proposition. SCADA systems bring improved performance to geographically dispersed assets and provide a framework for real-time performance management on a regional, or even global, basis. Markets in mature and developed regions, including Western Europe and North America, are set to continue expanding over the next few years, says ARC, due to the increasing demand to modernize electric power infrastructures. For more information, click here. |
| Czytaj | MA News (Machinery Automation & Advanced Manufacturing), 2012/02/09 - 23:11 |