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Plastic Compounder’s PET Project: Recycling
Plastic water bottles can be “upcycled” into durable materials with properties equivalent to virgin polymer.
Want More Precise Assembly? Use Fewer Constraints
Too many constraints in a design can drive up assembly costs and diminish reliability
New From the Fab Labs: Lightweight but Superstrong Parts
A rapid-manufacturing technique fabricates 3D-lattice structures that can replace solid metals and even encourages bone ingrowth in medical implants.
Here’s Help With Solar-Cell Manufacturing
Solar cell makers can now go to Dow Corning Corp.’s Solar
Solutions Application Center in Freeland, Mich., for help
with materials used in making solar panels.
Industry Focus: Medical -- Rethinking the Wheelchair
Using aerospace design and manufacturing techniques, a small company hopes to make it big in the wheelchair business.
Staying Out of Court
Want to avoid litigation over product design? Develop “hindsight in advance.”
Leland Teschler's Editorial: The Engineering “Extremist” Mindset
Do engineers have a “mindset” that makes them prone to become Islamic terrorists?
At the Top of Their Game
Engineers aspire to change the world with their work. Here are some who did.
Dream Jobs - Who’s Got Them and How to Get One
As part of our annual salary survey, readers tell us what the ideal career looks like.
Materials: Controversy Brewing Over PVC in Toys
Toy designers find themselves trying to get ahead of public opinion despite an ongoing scientific discussion of PVC toy safety issues.
Berke on Safety: The Case of the Flaming Hair Dryer
Hair-dryer users have reported fire shooting out of the handle or the snout end of their hair dryers.
Leland Teschler's Editorial: How Not to Make Engineering Appeal to Kids
Programs that introduce engineering to school children make headlines today.
The Bonded-On Bearing
They are good enough for NASCAR engines. Bonded bearing surfaces are coatings made from high-performance polymers reinforced with hard nanosized particles.
Is Mechatronics Simulation Ready for Machine Builders?
A new study, “System Design: New Product Development for Mechatronics,” implies it’s make-or-break time to get on board with design simulation tools.
Leland Teschler's Editorial: The wrong message for Engineering Week
Last month’s Engineering Week was supposed to be a grand attempt at encouraging students to pursue careers in technical fields.
Berke on Safety: Nonflammable Tape Burns for Lack of a Hazard Analysis
In response to market demand, a tape manufacturer modified its most popular electrical tape to make it fire retardant.
Stronger and Lighter — Composites Make Their Mark
Think carbon-reinforcedepoxy composites are strictly for aerospace and sporting goods? These materials are surprisingly versatile and can solve a variety of weight and structural problems.
Leland Teschler's Editorial: Want to Compete Globally? Education isn’t Enough
You may not know Vivek Wadhwa, but you probably have heard about some of his research.
Berke On Safety: The Forgotten Part Of Design
I work with an ergonomics expert who has a Ph.D. in
experimental psychology and 20-years experience in
human factors.
Where Reticulated Polyurethane Foam’s a Fit
Reticulated polyurethane foam is more than just a synthetic sponge. It can stop explosions, carry catalysts, and keep static from killing circuits.
Leland Teschler's Editorial: Automakers are Now Officially in the Green Camp
Those of us who have attended the big Detroit auto show a few times have come to know the drill characterizing the typical introduction of a new model to the press.
Industrial Design: Research is More Than Asking, “What color do you like?”
The goal of research among users is to identify opportunities for innovation.
Materials Engineering: TPE-Sheathed Sensors Improve Pedestrian Safety
A thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) is the outer skin of a sensor strip that will help protect pedestrians if they step into the path of a moving car.