Products: March 2005

By DE Editors

Alias Suite Accelerates Design

A revamped suite of product and automotive design software from Alias(Toronto, ONT; alias.com) is said to hold the promise to accelerate thedesign process and improve concept design, model evaluation, designreview, and production modeling. StudioTools 12, ImageStudio 2, andPortfolio Wall 2 make up a design suite aimed at helping industrialdesigners meet tighter deadlines and finalize concepts efficientlywithout compromising their goals.

Alias StudioTools 12 is a full digital design workflow in a singlepackage, from 2D sketching to production modeling. Enhancements includereal-time visualization features for collaboration. ImageStudio 2streamlines the process of preparing presentations by transforming 3Dmodels into sophisticated imagery, including interactive rendering andcompatibility with the STEP format.

New tools for Alias PortfolioWall 2enable design teams, executives, and managers to seamlessly share data,view, annotate, and obtain approval on 2D and 3D visual digital assets.

The StudioTools 12 suite from Alias received the most votes on ourDecember 2004 website ballot. Vote for your favorite product this month by scrollingto the bottom of this page.

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Headwall Photonics Launches Raman Explorer Spectrometer

Headwall Photonics (Fitchburg, MA; headwallpho tonics.com), a developerof nanophotonics manufacturing and spectrometry solutions, has launcheda multichannel, multispectral Raman spectrometer to meet industryrequirements for high spectral performance in a compact form. The RamanExplorer addresses application-specific requirements for laboratory andOEM instrument customers.
Headwall says its Raman Explorer introduces a new category ofapplication-specific products based on the company’s patentedretro-reflective, concentric design for Raman analysis. It allowscustomers to apply high-performance analytical Raman techniques in bothtraditional laboratory environments as well as in commercialapplication areas such as industrial process monitoring and control forwhich the multichannel, multisensor design is well-suited.
Headwall Photonics leverages its expertise in nanophotonics engineeringand high volume manufacturing to produce a portfolio of spectralengines and optical subsystems for the analytical, life sciences,pharmaceutical, and telecommunications industries. With designcapabilities in rapid prototyping, Headwall’s core technology is basedon the design and manufacture of application-specific spectral engineswith embedded original diffraction gratings. For more information,visit headwallpho tonics.com.

New Rugged Notebook Uses Swappable HDD

The MobileForce M220 from Getac Inc. (Lake Forest, CA; getac.com) is anew rugged portable notebook computer that complies with MIL-STD 810F,IP54 and IEC529, and IEC68 standards. Running on Intel’s 1.4GHz DothanLV Processor, the M220 is designed for sales, field service, utilities,construction, telecommunications, military, police, fire, and emergencyservices (EMS) use as well as data collection in science, oil and gasexploration, and other mobile applications.
The M220 features low power consumption, large storage capacity,lightweight design, and ease of use. It also features a versatile Bay 1to accommodate an optical drive or a second battery, and a removableHDD bay for a wide array of advantages such as safeguarding the HDDwhen the computer is used by another and for putting it into anotherlaptop regardless of the original laptop’s state.
The new notebook meets military standards, including 410E, and IEC’sextreme standards for durability in surviving three-foot drops,dust/dirt, moisture, vibration, cold/heat (-4/+130º F), altitude, andexplosive atmospheres. It features a large, bright 14.1-in. TFT XGA LCDscreen with 64MB of shared RAM. A touchscreen option is also availablefor in-vehicle users. Behind the display is the latest Intel Dothan LVprocessor (Pentium M) with Centrino Mobile Technology for true speedand wireless portability. The 1.4GHz processor is enhanced with up to2GB of DDR SDRAM, a 400MHz FSB, a selection of quick-swap hard diskdrives (40, 60, or 80GB) and optical drives (DVD, CD-ROM, and COMBODVD/Floppy or CD/Floppy).
The main battery powers the M220 for up to 4 hours of continuous use.The optional second battery adds two hours, and there’s an optionalvehicle recharger for continuous function. Price: $3,495. For moreinformation about volume discounts and available drive options, visitgetac.com/m220.htm.

Rack-Mount Monitor Adjusts Brightness Up to 1,000 Nits

A new 15-inch CyberResearch (Branford, CT; cyberresearch.com) monitorincludes an 8-level light sensor and circuits that adjust monitorbrightness up to 1,000 nits to compensate for changing ambient light.The sun-bright MRA 15SA monitor was designed for areas lit by windowsor skylights, where ambient light varies with weather and time of day.
The 1,000-nit maximum screen brightness is said to make images easy tosee, and the smart 8-level light sensor and controller automaticallycuts screen brightness when ambient light levels drop. MRA 15SAmonitors include a NEMA 4 seal between screen and aluminum front bezel.An optional analog-resistive touchscreen makes pointing easy for userswho are not trained as touch typists.
Connectors on the rear panel include DC power input, analog VGA, DVIinput, S-Video input, composite video input, and RS-232 (on touchscreenmodels only). An external power supply is included. For moreinformation, visit cyberresearch.com.

NASA Users Motivate Gridgen to Mesh with Mac

Pointwise Inc. (Fort Worth, TX; pointwise.com) reports that GridgenVersion 15.06, the latest release of its CFD (computational fluiddynamics) meshing software, features a port to the Mac OS X operatingsystem. The company candidly says that this development was stronglymotivated by NASA customers who have begun using Macs not only for CFDmeshing but for postprocessing and visualization. Mac OS X and Xserve,says Pointwise, provide a powerful and productive environment to handlecompute-intensive tasks and support workgroup data needs. Not onlythat, but people enjoy working with the Power Mac, adds Pointwise.
V15.06 also features what the company calls “a significant extension"of the Gridgen’s extrusion techniques for generating prism and hexlayers. Complex surface mesh topologies consisting of structured (quad)and unstructured (tri) surface meshes can now be extrudedsimultaneously into hexes and prisms. Also, existing surface grids canbe used as the boundary condition for a new extrusion. Adjacentextrusions can differ in height, but still match point-to-point alongtheir common boundary. Together, says Pointwise, these additionsgreatly expand the scope of geometries for which extruded layers can begenerated.
Further information on Gridgen is available on Pointwise’s website, pointwise.com.

Low-cost 16-bit, 200-kHzData Acquisition Boards

At the heart of the new DaqBoard/500 series of PCI-based dataacquisition boards is a multifunction 16-bit/200kHz DA board. Accordingto Iotech Inc. (Cleveland, OH; iotech.com), the new series sets aprice/performance benchmark at $199 in 5-piece quantities ($249single-unit price).
Currently, there are two new boards available. The DaqBoard/ 505 offers16 channels of 16-bit analog inputs, 24 digital I/O lines, and onecounter input. Additionally, the DaqBoard/500 provides twowaveform-capable 16-bit analog outputs. High-performance features foundon higher-costing PCI boards, including waveform-capable outputs andDMA bus mastering, come standard on the DaqBoard/500 series.
Other features include 16-bit, 200kHz A/D converter; 16 single ended or8 differential analog inputs (software selectable per channel); two16-bit analog outputs with 100kHz waveform capability; one counterinput, two timer outputs; DMA bus mastering for continuous, high-speeddata streaming without CPU intervention; no potentiometers, jumpers, orswitches; 100% digital calibration; free API library (WindowsNT/2000/XP) for Visual Basic and C++ and included DaqCOMActiveX/COM-based programming tools.
Included with each DaqBoard are comprehensive drivers for all popularWindows-based environments, including Visual Basic, C/C++, ActiveX/COM,and LabVIEW. This support is complemented by more than 100 ready-to-usesample program examples supporting rapid application development.Price: $249 (single unit); $199 (5 or more).

Mini Wireless pHand Temp Transmitter

The OM-CP-RFPH101A is a miniature, wireless, battery-powered,stand-alone pH and temperature transmitter from Omega (Stamford, CT;omega. com). This compact, portable device measures and transmits pHand temperature readings back to a host computer where the data can beanalyzed in real time. These readings are also logged to the device’smemory for added data security. A slide switch allows the transmitterto be turned on or off without affecting its operation. Numerousdevices may transmit data to the same receiving station. Windowssoftware converts your PC into a real-time strip chart recorder, anddata can be printed in graphical or tabular format as well as exportedto a text or Microsoft Excel file. Price:  $449.

Design Quality Verifier for SolidWorks

PDQWorks (Product Data Quality) is a real-time MCAD model qualityverification tool for SolidWorks users from Capvidia (Leuven,Belgium; capvidia.com). It offers verification and certificationto guarantee that data quality guidelines for topology, geometry, andmanufacturability are met.
PDQWorks verifies that models exported from SolidWorks will satisfy thequality requirements of the receiving MCAD system (SolidWorks, CATIA,Pro/E, UG, I-deas, etc). The model quality and conformity can beverified (dynamically or statically) at any stage of the design. Forexample, in a CATIA-SolidWorks-CATIA workflow, imported CATIA parts aremodified in SolidWorks and verified with PDQWorks before they areexported to CATIA. All quality guidelines and manufacturingrequirements required by CATIA are in the SolidWorks part.
PDQWorks supports model quality in accordance with the automotivestandard recommendations defined by the SASIG group (VDA 4955, AIAGD-15, GALIA, ODETTE, JAMA). You can also define your own qualitystandards to satisfy internal requirements and manufacturingcapabilities.

New Rugged DB9 A/B SwitchTakes the Heat and the Cold

Electro Standards Laboratories (ESL; Cranston, RI;electrostandards.com) has just announced its new 8100 DB9 Interface A/BData Switch designed to withstand extreme swings in temperature from-178C to 758C. This rugged switch has an all-aluminum enclosure to adddurability and provide superior shielding, and has self-wipingcontacts.
The Model 8100 has DB9 female connectors on the A and COM rear-panelports and one DB9 female connector on the B front-panel port. Rubberfeet prevent sliding. Mounting ears are available to adapt the Model8100 to a panel. No external power is required. For furtherinformation, visit electrostandards.com.

Partnership Delivers Point-Click Recovery for Windows Servers

Sonasoft Corp. (San Jose, CA; sonasoft.com), a provider ofbackup/recovery software, and St. Bernard Software (San Diego, CA; stbernard.com),a provider of security solutions, have teamed to deliverSonaSafe for File Systems, combining St. Bernard’s Open File Managerand Sonasoft’s SonaSafe point-and-click data-recoverysolution.SonaSafe’s Point-Click Recovery suite offers protectionthrough imagelevel backup and gives users the ability to get up and running quicklyin case of system failure or total disaster. Bare metal recovery andopen file backup/recovery capabilities will enable business operationsto continue to function with minimal interruption. The applicationenables rapid recovery of files. Also, one can go back to a point intime and recover data quickly. For more, visit sonasoft.com.

Problem-Solvingwith Greater Collaboration

Invention Machine Corp. (Boston, MA; invention-machine.com)hasreleased Goldfire Innovator 2.0, the latest version of its integratedenvironment to bring a structured process to inventive problem-solving.It provides engineers, researchers, and technical personnel witheasy-to-use problem definition and analysis capabilities, enablingusers to systematically tackle engineering problems across a product’slifecycle, thus reducing the delivery time for new productinnovations.Goldfire Innovator 2.0’s new Collaboration Repositoryenables greatercoordination and communication among team members via centralizedaccess to project files, reports, and workflows. It supportshierarchical device modeling, enabling users to analyze and representcomplex systems and to delegate design problems across a team. GoldfireInnovator 2.0 lets users browse the full content of corporate andpersonal knowledge bases by categories, and is said to furtheraccelerate productivity and “time-to-ideation” by enabling automaticsummarization of documents in personal knowledge bases.
For more, go to invention-machine.com.