Flow Science Schedules 2010 Flow-3D Conference

Flow Science has announced that this year's Flow-3D World Users Conference will take place on 23-24 September 2010 at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal in Montreal, Quebec. The conference will be open to Flow-3D users and those interested in learning about the software. The meeting will feature user presentations from a variety of industrial and research applications.

Flow Science staff will be on hand to present the development plans for Flow-3D and to engage attendees in detailed conversations and consultations. Advanced training sessions will be held on 22 September 2010. Dr C W Hirt, the founder of Flow Science, will deliver the keynote address. Abstracts, which should be 500 words or less, are now being accepted for the conference.

The due date for abstracts is 15 June 2010 and acceptances will be sent out on 1 July 2010. Final presentations are due on 2 September 2010. Presentation formats can be either a Powerpoint file or any file format that can be opened in Powerpoint. Speakers can anticipate a 30-minute speaking slot, including question-and-answer time. The registration fee will be waived for conference presenters.

Libelium To Attend Three Wireless Events In 2010

Libelium has announced it will exhibit at the Cebit 2010, Sensor and Test 2010 and Sensors Expo and Conference 2010 wireless technology industry events. Cebit 2010 will take place in Hannover, Germany from 2-6 March; Sensor and Test 2010 will take place in Nuremberg, Germany from 18-20 May; and Sensors Expo and Conference 2010 will take place in Rosemont, Illinois from 7-9 June.

At these events, Libelium will demonstrate the Waspmote wireless sensor platform and the Meshlium wireless, Linux-based, multiprotocol mesh router. The Waspmote wireless sensing platform is used for environmental monitoring, fire and flood detection and logistics. The platform includes a range of radio Zigbee modules with a choice of protocol versions, radio frequency and range (up to 40km) as well as a module for GPRS that can connect a sensor network to the outside world.

The Waspmote main board contains an in-built accelerometer and when combined with the GPS module, the device can be used to measure speed, direction and location of vehicles or containers. The platform has outstanding power management, allowing it to be deployed in remote locations and adverse conditions; an optional solar panel allows almost indefinite operation. Complementing Waspmote, the Meshlium multi-protocol Linux-based outdoor router enables mesh networks to be deployed in buildings, arenas, transport hubs (such as railway stations and airports), open spaces and by emergency services.

The router is extremely modular with a wide choice of radio modules and a choice of disk capacity. Meshlium supports five wireless standards - Wi-Fi, Zigbee, GPRS, Bluetooth and GPS - as well as wireline Ethernet. The wide choice of modules and disks enables the router to be configured into 177 possible variants, allowing it to be tailored to meet the needs of a specific network. With its sturdy IP65 briefcase and optional solar panel, car battery and car lighter adaptors, it can be deployed almost anywhere.

Esprit 2010 CAM Eases Pocket Milling

DP Technology is to exhibit its Esprit 2010 software at Industrie 2010 on 22-26 March in Paris France. Representatives of DP Technology will be available to discuss Esprit upgrades and demonstrate how those upgrades can be put to work for the customer. The company claimed that every Esprit user will benefit from a faster-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) used to define machining operations throughout Esprit.

The tree-style GUI is used to define machining parameters used for cutting parts in milling, turning and wire EDM programming. In addition to an array of upgrades, the machining of pockets is said to be easier with Esprit 2010 due to advancements in feature recognition. The upgraded advanced feature recognition automatically recognises pockets with any combination of open and closed walls, fillets, chamfers and tapered walls.

Including major upgrades to milling functions, Esprit 2010 features several three-axis milling cycles, improved five-axis cycles, feature-based machining for all Freeform cycles and the ability to define a third-party rotary axis for milling machines. Knitted surfaces for parametric machining and advanced pocket feature recognition are also among milling upgrades, as well as associativity with CAD models. Advances made to Esprit Wire EDM functions include a cycle for four-axis pocketing and new technology for EDM machines equipped with a rotary axis.

Icadsales Introduces ProgeCAD 2010 Professional

ProgeCAD and Icadsales have announced the release of the advanced ProgeCAD 2010 Professional, built using the IntelliCAD core. ProgeCAD 2010 Professional natively works with any drawing created with AutoCAD, including the earlier versions. The latest software release, DWG 2010, is now available and is DWG compatible. ProgeCAD 2010 Professional has other similar AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT features, such as an AutoCAD-like interface complete with duplicate menus, toolbars and commands and compatible support files that allow the user to move files such as fonts, hatch patterns and line types directly from AutoCAD to ProgeCAD with little or no modification.

Unlike most AutoCAD-compatible computer-aided-design (CAD) programs, ProgeCAD 2010 Professional offers a number of extra features, such as gradient hatch patterns controlled with a new AutoCAD-like hatch dialogue, a complete properties bar and time-saving DWG drawing. Hatching has been improved to ensure the reliable selection of objects to apply hatch patterns. ProgeCAD now has the capability to plot in greyscale and to apply screening to objects via the printer.

Objects created with ProgeCAD 2010 Professional's solid-modelling commands can be used to profile their 2D representations to create sections and views to allow for detailing and dimensioning. Other developments include improved selection windows with dynamic entity highlighting and a new property palette with hide and fly-out. ProgeCAD 2010 now supports export to the following file formats: PDF, 3DS (Autodesk 3D Studio Max), Pov (Povray raytracer), Lightwave, ACIS .SAT, SVG (XML format), O2C, Google Earth KML, DWG and DXF, as well as raster image formats.

A number of other import and export tools are available, including Google Sketchup, Alias Wavefront, IGES, Step, stereolithography files and ESRI Arcinfo. Performance and stability improvements have been made to real-time pan, zoom, file save and open operation, printing, 3D shaded models in rotation, 3D operation and paper space operation. The command PDF import has been integrated with the Adobe PDF Layers. Drawings imported will negatively arrive with layers, dimensions, precise geospatial locations and metadata.

Users can start working with the imported drawings immediately without a major upfront cleanup of raster-to-vector shortcomings. When plotting to a PDF file, users can choose to include necessary information into the PDF files to allow collaboration and real knowledge to be delivered along with the files, while safeguarding their designs in house. AutoCAD LT users might be interested in true ACIS 3D modelling, Autolisp, VBA and SDS (C++) program extensions - features not supported by AutoCAD LT.

Current ProgeCAD users can upgrade to the latest version at a discount. Network NLM, USB mobile and corporate licensing options for the 2010 version are available. Progeadd-on vertical industry applications have been updated to work with ProgeCAD 2010 Professional. Users can choose from Progebilld, a line of building services modules including electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning/plumbing and mechanical/structural, along with an architectural design package, ProgeCAM, a link between part design and CNC machining, or Progeearth, a civil survey add-on.

Spirax Sarco Expands 2010 Steam Training Programme

Spirax Sarco has added four new courses to its 2010 training schedule and has extended another. Highlights include new modules on controls and heat exchanger applications, combustion efficiency and metering. The 2010 training programme comprises 79 courses, covering 13 different topics and encompassing all aspects of the design, operation and maintenance of steam systems, from water treatment to energy management.

A new addition to this year's schedule is the Boiler Operation Accreditation Scheme (BOAS) refresher course. To retain the BOAS accreditation, delegates are required to take a refresher course on the fifth anniversary of gaining the award and every five years thereafter. Spirax Sarco's first BOAS refresher course is due to be held on 8-9 June, with additional courses throughout the year.

Specialist training can help steam users to identify efficiency improvements and gain energy savings from their existing steam and condensate systems, according to the company.

GibbsCAM 2010 Includes Enhanced Productivity Tools

Gibbs and Associates has announced that it is now shipping GibbsCAM 2010, which includes a variety of new features, additions, enhancements and productivity tools. Bill Gibbs, founder and president of the company, said: 'We added many capabilities to make programming and machining easier and more efficient, especially with new features in five-axis and solids machining.

'We also implemented 64-bit operation to enable the faster processing of long programs and complex parts, added support for new tools and tool holders, extended functionality within various modules and extended and updated interoperability with various CAD [computer-aided-design] systems. 'All this is in addition to the recent integration of Volumill and making GibbsCAM compatible with the Windows 7 operating system,' he added.

GibbsCAM 2010 includes more spiral machining options, gouge check projection options, a lead-in/lead-out 'flip' option, an axial shift damp option for trimming applications and support for countersink and keyway cutters. A Surface Tools plug-in has been added to create surfaces for repairing or improving the machining of surfaces from solids. An Adaptive Cuts option enables the user to regulate the distance between paths based upon the angle of the surface to be machined to provide a consistent surface finish, regardless of surface angle.

The Impeller Roughing option has been enhanced with functionality that covers more contingencies, which is useful when roughing near and around splitter blades. A new option, called the Retract Through Tube Center, enables the user to retract cutting tools from angled pockets while avoiding walls, which is useful for machining cylinder head ports and similar geometry. A more capable Plunge Roughing option is no longer a plug-in but a tile in the computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) palette, with the ability to calculate material removal strategies that accommodate carbide-inserted drills, which require special motion for no-drag retractions, while avoiding collision in tight or narrow areas.

Enhancements to advanced 3D machining include the addition of Hit Flats with specified tools for pocketing, the ability to specify flatness tolerance in Flats Cut to ensure that all desired 'flat' areas are machined, a locking high feed rate for the Shortest Route and Minimal Vertical retract styles, the addition of Trim to Ramp Advance as a Contour option for waterline cuts, specifying surface finish with step-over distance or scallop height parameters and the use of the Stock Bounding Box as an additional machining boundary. Facet bodies, generated from a previous machining process, or brought in through a data file, can now be used as initial stock in solid pocketing.

The 64-bit implementation allows the user to take advantage of the more powerful multi-processor PCs equipped with 4Gb or more of RAM. This provides tighter interoperability with 64-bit CAD systems that are co-resident with GibbsCAM on a PC. Also, 64-bit operation reduces computation time when processing long programs or working with complex geometry. It will also enable users to take advantage of system enhancements when running under the Windows 7 operating system.

GibbsCAM 2010 includes features to extend functionality, including enhancements to the user interface and for the milling, multi-task machining and wire EDM modules, as well as new add-ins for data exchange to support Inventor 2010 and Solidworks 2010 and additional CAD file import and translation. The Macros menu has been enhanced with changes to facilitate access, to allow for uninterrupted operation and to support five-axis and advanced 3D processes and calls to plug-ins.

TAP To Premier Cell-IQ At Labautomation 2010

The Automation Partnership (TAP) has announced the US release of Cell-IQ - a live cell observation and analysis system. The automated system has applications in drug discovery and stem-cell research and will make its debut at Labautomation 2010 in Palm Springs, California. Cell-IQ, developed by Finnish company Chip-Man Technologies, is already being successfully employed in universities and institutes across Europe and Asia and is now exclusively available via TAP in the US and Canada.

It consists of a cell-culture incubator, microscope, light source and high-resolution camera integrated to intelligent image-analysis software that automatically monitors, records and quantifies changes in cell morphology and distribution, without the need for labels or dyes.

The system allows cells grown in plates to be maintained under optimal growth conditions for days or weeks, maintaining imaging settings even when the plates are removed to change media. Cell-IQ enables long-term walk-away observation and analysis, ensuring data of consistent quality with minimal user intervention.

Mar-Kov Releases Recipe Manager Pro 2010

Mar-Kov Computer Systems has released Recipe Manager Pro 2010: a low-cost version of its formulations and batching software. Recipe Manager Pro 2010 includes a number of new features compared with the previous year's release. Users can now create and track manufacturing orders in Recipe Manager and record actual ingredient consumption and bulk production against these orders. They can also track the ingredient lot numbers used.

Users can print batch sheets for their manufacturing orders and scan them in once they have been completed so that all of the information about a batch is accessible from Recipe Manager. Recipe Manager Pro now interfaces to Quickbooks; users can import items from Quickbooks for use while developing and costing recipes. Completed orders can also be exported to Quickbooks.

This will result in more accurate Quickbooks inventory and costing, because Recipe Manager tracks the actual creation and consumption rather than assuming that the quantities consumed were exactly as specified in the bill of materials. With Recipe Manager, users can specify processing instructions (such as mixing and heating) for their operators to follow and sign off on. These instructions are displayed on an automatically generated batch sheet. Other modules from Mar-Kov Computer Systems include Inventory Control, Laboratory Information Management, Manufacturing Execution and Order Fulfillment.

E2I 2010 R1 Manages Cost And Quotations

Planit Software has introduced the 2010 R1 release of E2I, its manufacturing management system. E2I tracks and manages cost and quotations throughout the design and manufacturing process. Included in 2010 R1's developments is stock control, which has been redesigned to make management more intuitive.

Users can manage the total quantity of a stock item in relation to real-time supply and demand, rather than individual allocations. Stock control has been enhanced to enable users to record the consumption of raw materials at the point of use. E2I 2010 R1 also benefits from enhancements to the Sybase Powerbuilder and Infomaker tools, according to Planit Software. These upgrades are said to give customers an improved environment to create reports - for example, the development tools have allowed the addition of calendar controls to help users set date fields.

In addition, these developments have enabled users to benefit from reporting tools, which allow the creation of new tree-style reports. The latest release of E2I supports both Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7. E2I will now also benefit from CLS - Planit's licensing system. This provides users with additional functionality including licence management, where users can 'reserve' licences so they are always available to them.

Advanced Manufacturing Announces Medtec 2010

With focused display areas for high-tech manufacturing, packaging, materials, automation and design, Medtec UK will present all the latest technologies and tools for medical device manufacturing. Staged at the Birmingham NEC on 27-28 April 2010, exhibitors at this annual event will be complementing the Medtec Conference Education and Innovation platform with targeted displays within several special feature areas.

Precisiontec will display multi-axis CNC technology, micro-machining, EDM technology, lasers and ultrasonic technology for the manufacture of surgical devices, implants and interventional cardio devices from speciality medical alloys. Medipack offers materials, outsourcers and machinery for the packaging of medical devices and manufacture of pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. The Biomaterials platform will exhibit high-performance plastics, injection moulding and extrusion techniques for medical manufacturing.

The Automation, Assembly and Robotics area will showcase the integrators and latest technology for automated production and assembly techniques. Medidesign will feature design companies that are specialised in the medical device market.

Everything from raw materials, manufacturing equipment and techniques through to automation technology and outsourcing will be on display, demonstrating how bottom-line savings through the use of up-to-date equipment and strategies can be achieved to meet current and future demands of even the most complex products and processes. Medtec UK is part of Advanced Manufacturing UK.