I admire mechanical engineers. I really mean it. If the world ever implodes, then I want to be hanging out with you guys. You know how to build and fix things. I on the other hand can probably contribute to the betterment of future society by picking berries (so long as I don’t have to deal with any creepy crawlies) or by spreading good cheer – I can’t help it I’ve got a sunny disposition (that … Read More
Tags: Design Engineer, FloEFD, CFD
What a wonderful expression this is … putting feathers in our caps. I looked up the origins of this phrase and found that in the days gone by people used to put a new feather in the headgear of warriors for every enemy they defeated in battle. And the more feathers in the headdress, the more victories and the better the warrior.
Our CFD battlefield is symbolic in nature but it exists nonetheless. And … Read More
Tags: Shortcut field, Bottleneck field, CFD, Award, EDN Hot 100, Electronics Cooling, Design Engineer, Design News Golden Mousetrap
I’ve been on the road a lot lately. Aside from attending company meetings, I’ve been out meeting our customers. This is perhaps the most enjoyable part of my job – meeting engineers who’ve been using our products to solve real-life problems. In this day and age of tight budgets, we all have learned to do a lot remotely – we send email, speak on the phone, videoconference and watch demos via webex etc. … Read More
Tags: Design Engineer, FloEFD, CFD
I’m off to the States in a couple of days and in the 20 or so odd hours that will take me to get to my final destination (door to door), I will use all of the popular modes of transportation known in the 21st century. I will take a train to the airport, where we board a plane and upon arriving in the States we rent a car to drive 58 miles to the hotel.
During this period I will be sitting in lots of … Read More
Tags: Design Engineer, Passenger Comfort, CFD
No one really knows where the term “mind your P’s and Q’s” came from or what it really means. I always thought it had something to do with being polite and saying thank you. But in a recent article by Erich Buergel, our division General Manager, he talked about the 3 P’s of the business world and why we should mind them in our quest for greater productivity. They are (in no particular order) People, … Read More
Tags: Design Engineer, FloEFD, CFD, FloVENT
In a recent survey, 60% of mechanical engineers in electronics companies stated that thermal issues had forced board layout changes during the previous 12 months. While I can’t purport to know how much respins cost within every organization, I’m willing to bet it is not an insignificant amount – especially if the company has a large portfolio. But I know that thermal simulation can help minimize the … Read More
Tags: Respin, Thermal Design, board-level, Boardstation, Allegro, Expedition, FloTHERM PCB, CR5000, Design Engineer
I admit it. I’m a petrol-head and so are the guys around the office. We watch Top Gear and Fifth Gear and come to work abuzz about the latest car news (and the stunts). So when I heard about a new race car design that was completed in 8 weeks, I was pretty excited. I thought these things took much longer than that!
The CEEMO Engineering concept car in action. Image courtesy of Voxdale.
CEEMO Engineering … Read More
Tags: Automotive Design, car chassis, aerodynamic, FloEFD, What-If, concept car, Design Engineer
After a week of uncertainty, the skies above Europe have finally opened (albeit slowly) to air traffic. Thanks to this pesky plume of volcano ash from Iceland, all of Europe has come to a complete standstill. At a micro level, I have been enjoying the quiet — no jet engines screeching overhead every few minutes. At a macro level, this couldn’t have happened at a worst time for a recovering world economy. … Read More
Tags: CFD, Design Engineer, Airflow, FloEFD, Flow Field
I love gadgets but I hate cables – they make things so untidy. As a result, anything that can go wireless in our house has – even our light switches are on remote control. I used to think this was just plain silly when we were going through the retrofit until I realized I could turn off the kitchen lights from the comfort of our sofa. I’ve only used this “power” once but I tell you knowing that I can … Read More
Tags: Optimization, Physical Prototype, CFD, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Quality, EMI shielding, Medical, Design Engineer, Thermal, Electromagnetic Interference
I remember watching the first space shuttle launch back in 1981. And almost 29 years later I still remember the sense of awe I felt when watching it take off. It felt like the whole country collectively held its breath and exhaled when it landed safely a few days later. It was a sight to behold and for the first time in my life it made me realize that Sci-Fi in this case was not fiction anymore. Over … Read More
Tags: Processing Plant, Pressure, Valves, CFD, Design Engineer, Cavitation, Water Treatment Plan, Medical Equipment, Pipes, Flow, Fuel Delivery
Jim Martens
John Day
J VanDomelen
Michael Ford
Robin Bornoff
Dennis Brophy
Mike Jensen
Colin Walls
Tom Fitzpatrick
Max Clark
Patrick Carrier
Mark Laing
Travis Mikjaniec
Christopher Hallinan
Bernard Sutton