Small and medium size manufacturers are facing more challenges that ever before. Great products are becoming more difficult to create due to increasing complexity. In order to stay competitive, you must continue to create great products faster and cheaper. Learn how to harness product development activities-- tasks that you do every day -- to make more money.

The power of RFID as a stand-alone application in supply chain management has garnered much attention in recent years. The story now is how RFID can be added as a feature to an almost unending list of products -- adding new functionality, increasing reliability and enhancing the user experience. Look ahead as recent security breaches make RFID security a critical consideration.

• Differences between RFID and existing autoID technologies.
• How embedded RFID expands beyond early Wal-Mart and DoD supply chain implementations for new applications in:
  • Disposable authentication
  • Smart-shelves & smart-cabinets
  • Asset tracking
  • Inventory restocking and controls
  • Management of field staff activity
  • Machine configuration
• Unique technical and business considerations for embedded RFID
  • RF Security algorithms designed to stay ahead of counterfeiters and hackers.
• Various ways real-world companies are presently using RFID in their products to drive revenue and differentiation

Who should attend: Designers, Engineers, Product Managers, Directors and Technical Executives from OEMs, finished product manufacturers and design firms. No RFID expertise required.

Bonus: All attendees will receive the white paper "Innovate with Embedded RFID"

What is a stepper motor based linear actuator? How does it work? How is it sized? These are questions that will be answered in HaydonKerk Motion Solutions technical webinar. Engineering managers Frank Morton and Ray LaChance explain linear actuators and how they are used to achieve precision linear motion.

• Basic stepper motor theory
• Components that make up a stepper motor-based linear actuator
• The selection of a linear actuator based on load, resolution, and travel requirements

• Electrical, Mechanical, and Electromechanical design/application engineers who are in the process of designing a motion application or would like a better understanding of linear actuators
• Equipment OEMs that desire an integrated solution for conversion of rotary to linear motion

Science and Engineering are boundless, but many workgroups are restrained by the limitations of their current computing infrastructure. Breakthroughs in the ability to affordably deploy scalable workgroup systems is about to have a big impact on scientific, design and engineering simulation. Today’s dual and quad-core processors are already solving complicated computer-based models with greater speed and higher accuracy, but engineers and IT professionals need to evaluate more than raw computing power before upgrading their workgroup computing environment. The speakers at this online event will help you understand the alternatives available so that you may decide which solution best fits your needs and will also work best in your company’s IT infrastructure.

Customers use electronics anytime and anywhere, so these products need to be able to withstand any situation. Yet designing a device to be used in harsh environments presents many unique challenges. The device must be sealed to protect its sensitive electronics against water, dirt, dust, and other contaminants. To create effective seals, many designers choose to increase wall width or use stronger o-rings; however, these solutions do not address the underlying issue – pressure variations caused by the environment. This presentation investigates the causes of product failure and how venting alleviates many of these issues.

Over the years there have been a number of motion control card implementations, mainly based on some version of a PC-bus.

Today the most common ones are based on PCI, ISA, and PC/104 formats. In that last couple of years a stand-alone card format with serial communication has become common, adding value by reducing the dependence on the PC chassis and saving space. There have also been a lot of improvements in motion control cards’ capabilities and performance that allow for much better system optimization. In this presentation we will explore these advances in card technology and how it affects motion control system architecture and design.

Thermal management using heat balance control can boost production line speed for a myriad of applications. Explore how this technology can work for your operation.

Your business is challenged every day to keep up with short lead times, last-minute changes, shifting market conditions, and design-to-order products. How can using 3D design effectively shorten each design cycle and get your product to market faster?

As products continue to pack more features into smaller packages, manufacturers need new ways to apply adhesives, coatings and other assembly fluids in smaller, more precise amounts. Jet dispensing systems combine high production speed with exceptional accuracy and process control. They are ideal for dispensing a wide variety of adhesives and other assembly fluids at speeds up to 150 dots per second in accurate, consistent volumes as small as 0.002 ∝l (2 nl).

By using piezoelectric technology to jet fluid onto the substrate, these non-contact systems eliminate the need for precise height positioning and time-consuming Z-axis movement, allowing production lines to run at maximum capacity.

DMLS is an additive technology that fabricates parts by sintering very fine layers of metal powders (layer-by-layer) from the bottom up. It presents unparalleled manufacturing advantages because it eliminates tooling, makes parts with complex internal and external geometries in a single operation, and can produce multiple parts at the same time.

Engineers are increasingly challenged with performance, efficiency and energy management issues in their projects, regardless of the application or the technologies being used. “Smart” control options need to be understood before key platform decisions are made and development direction taken. Learn how the IEC 61131-3 international standard for control programming is critical for effective implementation of electro-hydraulic systems and very efficient for the end users.

The power of RFID as a stand-alone application to increase accuracy and efficiency in supply chain management has garnered much attention in recent years. Embedding RFID readers and software into existing and yet-to-be released products can transform them on the inside offering manufacturers, OEMs and product designers new opportunities for competitive advantage through increased efficiency, accuracy and product differentiation.

Analysts agree that raw materials and labor are the two largest cost centers for most manufacturers. Production inefficiency can come from just about anywhere - parts from a supplier that don't fit into your finished assembly, a physical prototype you've used and then discarded, or even a delivered product that doesn't meet customer requirements. Learn how successful companies are implementing new product-development initiatives to significantly reduce production scrap and design rework, and their associated costs.

Levels of motion component integration often require serious design consideration during machine and equipment development. A lack of integration can impact equipment size, assembly costs, and reliability. Yet expanded integration often affects the costs of components, manufacturing, and maintenance. It also raises design questions regarding the selection of motion system components. Obviously, what the design tries to achieve determines the compromises made. This presentation investigates and compares the differences between motion control systems based on chips, boards, or drives; evaluates how each fits into desired design parameters; and provides a quick understanding of the factors used to select a level of motion system integration.

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is an additive technology that can turn 3-D CAD designs with complex geometries into production-quality metal parts in hours. Applications include inserts for plastic injection molding and die casting, as well as direct parts for a variety of applications and industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics and many others. Experts share how DMLS is shattering the traditional limitations of part design, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing.

Developing a wireless sensor network can be an awesome challenge or a simple matter of picking the right module, depending on who you ask. Off-the-shelf solutions have certain advantages, but may not be the best overall solution to your problem. Home grown or custom solutions can be designed to overcome specific challenges, so they can be critical for certain projects. Learn more about the technical pros #26; cons of both options in this live course set for April 30th at 2pm eastern.

Multiphysics capable simulation tools are revitalizing FEA, offering smarter solutions to today's engineering problems. Sponsored by COMSOL, this webinar introduces you to applying multiphysics modeling techniques to solve design and production analysis problems.

How do you select a motor and a gearbox (speed reducer) separately, then perfectly match them for your OEM application? Is it better to specify a pre-engineered gearmotor? Does it make a difference? Groschopp engineers Matt Decker and Loren Kamstra share tips, tricks and techniques for specifying the most efficient and cost-effective choices given a variety of application considerations. Review Case Studies to bring reinforce your new motor/gearbox/gearmotor knowledge.

PTC's Director of MCAD Product Management, John Buchowski, will discuss how Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0's integrated solutions and advanced functionality ensures improved design reuse, resulting in reduced design cycle times and accelerated time-to-market. In a special PTC customer feature segment, Pat Hodgins, Chief Engineer of Callaway Cars, shares how Pro/ENGINEER's capabilities have enabled him to achieve rapid design and development cycles, ensuring their competitive advantage in the design, development, and manufacture of high-performance vehicles, systems, and components.

Today's buyers – whether for power tools or agricultural machines - are looking for customized products. To stay competitive, industrial manufacturers must create multiple versions of products, with options and features tailored to different markets or customers. But many companies find that with more design options, comes more strain on engineering resources, and less profit. The best way around this dilemma is with what we call "modular product design." This webinar will introduce registrants to best practices in modular design, explain the concept of modular product architecture — what it is, how it applies to different industrial products, how it reduces re-engineering, shortens testing time, and speeds time-to-market.

With increasing demands to optimize systems for efficiency, noise, package size and low maintenance, choosing the right power transmission technology for the job is a challenge. Brent Oman, who has over 20 years of drive design experience with Gates Corporation, shares his knowledge about selecting power transmission solutions. This presentation reviews the pros and cons of different technologies and demonstrate the various capabilities of belt drive systems in particular.

Invention of the gear hobbing process about 150 years ago revolutionized not only gear fabrication, but also gear design. Times have changed. There is a clear trend to gear customization. This webcast presents the Direct Gear Design method – an alternative approach to traditional analysis and design of involute gears. It has successfully been implemented in many gear transmissions for aerospace, military, automotive, medical, agricultural, and other industries.

Designers face difficult design challenges every day and each issue has different technological options for a solution, but no one technology works every where, every time. RedEye RPM, a business unit of Stratasys, Inc. has invited Todd Grimm, a well known rapid prototyping consultant, to discuss different technologies, leading to a closer look at where DDM (Direct Digital Manufacturing) technology works and why. The presentation will cut through the confusion to provide designers and manufacturing engineers the data they need to move in the right direction for their projects.