The Engineer
August 2004 Online
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NGT sells distribution networks for £5.8 billion
31 Aug 2004
National Grid Transco today announced that it has reached an agreement to sell four of its regional gas distribution networks for £5.8 billion.
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BASF expands polyurethane business
31 Aug 2004
BASF is expanding its polyurethanes activities in Asia with a planned investment in a new specialties site in Pudong, Shanghai.
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Manufacturers to increase production
31 Aug 2004
Manufacturers plan to increase production over the next three months despite rises in oil prices and increases in interest rates, according to the CBI's Monthly Industrial Trends survey.
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Enhancing aerogels
31 Aug 2004
Scientists in the US have recently demonstrated a novel method for chemically modifying and enhancing silica-based aerogels without sacrificing the their unique properties.
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High performance thermal imager
31 Aug 2004
The latest portable thermal imager from Land Instruments International is said to be the perfect instrument with which to identify and quantify thermally related problems around the plant.
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Better nanometre patterns
31 Aug 2004
Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the US Naval Research Laboratory have developed an improved method for directly writing nanometre-scale patterns onto a variety of surfaces.
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Turbo Genset fills first clean energy contract
27 Aug 2004
UK power technology developer Turbo Genset has unveiled the first commercial order for its 1.2MW generation system.
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Predicting pollutants in soil
27 Aug 2004
Building on an idea developed by medicinal chemists, Johns Hopkins researchers have devised a new mathematical tool that accurately predicts how long certain pollutants - including pesticides and pharmaceuticals - will remain in soil.
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Plug and play
26 Aug 2004
A new standard from the IEEE adds plug-and-play capability to analog transducers for use in networks designed for digital instruments and measurement systems.
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Mining for iron ore
26 Aug 2004
BHP Billiton is to form a joint venture with Japan's JFE Steel Corporation, a recently merged entity of Kawasaki Steel Corporation and NKK, to exploit 'pisolite' iron ore from its Yandi mine in Australia.
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Swap
26 Aug 2004
Akzo Nobel is to divest part of its liquid coatings activities to BASF. In a separate deal, Akzo Nobel will acquire BASF Coatings' wood construction business.
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ABB awarded automation technologies contract
26 Aug 2004
ABB has been awarded two orders worth $28 million to supply automation technologies to Norsk Hydro's Ormen Lange gas field off the coast of Norway.
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BAE Systems awarded $45 million aircraft protection contract
26 Aug 2004
The US Department of Homeland Security has awarded BAE Systems $45 million to develop, test and evaluate a system that protects commercial aircraft against attacks from infrared guided missiles.
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Dresser-Rand divested
26 Aug 2004
Ingersoll-Rand is to sell its Dresser-Rand business unit to a fund managed by First Reserve Corporation, a private-equity firm, for $1.2 billion.
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Atomic force microscopy improved
26 Aug 2004
A team of researchers has developed a method that could improve the ability of atomic force microscopes to "see" the chemical composition of a sample, follow variations of the sample, as well as map its topographic structure.
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Boeing receives $7.35 billion order
26 Aug 2004
Singapore Airlines has signed a letter of intent to purchase up to 31 Boeing B777-300 Extended Range aircraft for $7.35 billion.
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Cisco to acquire P-Cube
25 Aug 2004
Cisco Systems is to buy privately held P-Cube of Sunnyvale, CA, for $200 million in cash and options.
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Colloidal adsorbent removes water hazards
25 Aug 2004
Researchers in the US have developed a polymer-based colloidal adsorbent that is said to offer an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way of removing natural organic matter from water supplies.
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Putting the 'Phyz' into ultrasound
25 Aug 2004
Researchers at UK-based TWI have developed a bio-compatible coating that makes it possible to 'see' intrusive devices such as biopsy needles when they're used in ultrasound procedures.
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Stetsons and morphine
25 Aug 2004
Dave Wilson goes to Texas, buys a hat, learns a lot about technology and ends up in hospital.
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Plastics out, wireless in
25 Aug 2004
The UK-based Laird Group has sold its US-based Laird Plastics division and acquired Centurion Wireless in two separate multimillion dollar deals.
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Large funds for tiny technology
24 Aug 2004
The Department of Trade and Industry has today announced the release of £15 million in funding for 25 nanotechnology projects in the UK.
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Stopping seizures
24 Aug 2004
A small electronic device implanted in the skull that detects oncoming seizures then delivers a brief electrical stimulus to the brain to stop them is under study at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG).
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Synchronize your clocks
24 Aug 2004
The recently approved IEEE-1588 standard is a protocol to synchronize independent clocks running on separate nodes of a distributed measurement and control system to a high degree of accuracy and precision.
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Fighting flames
24 Aug 2004
PVC could be on the verge of becoming more fire retardant and environmentally friendly, thanks to the work of researchers at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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Centrica exercises Langage option
23 Aug 2004
Centrica has recently exercised its option to acquire a subsidiary of Carlton Power Limited, which owns land and consents for developing a gas fired power station at Langage, Devon.
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Taking charge of molecular wires
23 Aug 2004
Scientists in the US have uncovered information that may help "molecular wires" replace silicon in micro-electronic circuits and components in solar energy storage systems.
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A better catalyst
20 Aug 2004
Research by scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory may help lead to a more efficient catalyst for ammonia production, one of the USA's largest industries.
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BAE Systems awarded $12 million PRISM contract
20 Aug 2004
BAE Systems Australia has been awarded over $12 million to deliver an Australian designed and developed radar identification system to the Royal Australian Navy.
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New advance for artificial joints
20 Aug 2004
A new type of artificial hip, more robust and longer lasting than conventional artificial joints, is to undergo clinical trials and could be available for patients within five years.
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Northrop awarded $1.04 billion X-47B contract
20 Aug 2004
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract worth up to $1.04 billion over five years to continue work on the X-47B portion of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems program.
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Strong resistance in a little package
19 Aug 2004
Two new common-drain, chipscale power MOSFETs that are the industry's first such p-channel and 30-V n-channel devices were announced today by Siliconix.
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Delphi and Parlex form interconnect alliance
19 Aug 2004
Delphi Corporation and Parlex Corporation have entered into a strategic alliance in order to improve both companies' prospects in the military and aerospace interconnect market.
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Boom time for batteries
19 Aug 2004
According to a soon-to-be-released report, the US market for large and advanced batteries was worth $2.9 billion in 2003 and is set to reach $4.5 billion in 2008.
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Siemens awarded drive technology contract
19 Aug 2004
Siemens has landed an order from Voest Alpine Industrieanlagenbau to supply the drive technology for hot-galvanising plants in the new cold rolling mill of Benxi Iron&Steel in China.
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Sticky self-assembly
19 Aug 2004
University of Michigan researchers have discovered a way to self-assemble nanoparticles using sticky patches that make the particles group themselves together in programmed ways.
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Luna introduces Optical Backscatter Reflectometer
19 Aug 2004
Luna Technologies has introduced what it describes as the industry's most sensitive frequency-domain reflectometer, the Optical Backscatter Reflectometer (OBR).
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Driving changes on the grid
18 Aug 2004
Researchers in the US believe that electric-drive cars will be capable of supplying up to 20 percent of the power required by the electricity grid in North America by 2050.
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Darkness on the edge of town
18 Aug 2004
Dave Wilson discusses how changes in technology can make winners out of us all - as long as we have the right attitude.
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$14 million for solar cell development
18 Aug 2004
Nanosys has today been awarded a contract worth up to $14 million over five years to support the development of flexible low cost solar cells.
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Boeing signs MD-11 order
18 Aug 2004
Boeing has announced an order to convert four additional MD-11 passenger airplanes to freighters for Bermuda-based Central Air Leasing.
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Light-activated glue clamps workpieces in a flash
17 Aug 2004
An engineer at Penn State University has developed a new technology that uses light-activated glue to hold workpieces in position for machining, grinding and other manufacturing processes.
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Carbon nanotubes go with the flow
17 Aug 2004
Researchers in the US have discovered that adding carbon nanotubes to a common commercial polymer leads to dramatic changes in how the molten polymer flows.
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Low-cost CFII-IDE adapter
17 Aug 2004
Parvus has announced the expected release of its CFII-IDE remote CompactFlash to IDE adapter, flexibly designed with both 40-pin (0.10") and 44-pin (2mm) IDE connectors.
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$25 million for toxin detectors
17 Aug 2004
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has been awarded an initial $25 million by the US Army for the production of Joint Biological Point Detection Systems.
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Intelsat bought for $5 billion
17 Aug 2004
Intelsat, a global satellite communications provider, announced yesterday that it is to be acquired by Zeus Holdings for approximately $5 billion.
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A pause in recovery
16 Aug 2004
Smaller manufacturers have seen the pace of recovery slow since the start of the summer, according to the latest CBI quarterly survey of small and medium-sized companies.
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Goodrich contract could exceed $100 million
16 Aug 2004
Goodrich has been selected by Sikorsky to provide the Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) for the US Army's UH-60M Black Hawk program.
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BAE Systems to supply autopilot controls
16 Aug 2004
The US Navy has awarded BAE Systems $41.9 million for the purchase of Digital Autopilot Systems that will be used to upgrade 120 P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
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Darkness on the edge of town
16 Aug 2004
Dave Wilson discusses how changes in technology can make winners out of us all - as long as we have the right attitude.
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Rolls-Royce to power new spy plane
16 Aug 2004
Rolls-Royce has been selected to provide engines for the five Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft recently selected for the US Army's next-generation Aerial Common Sensor reconnaissance aircraft.
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Industry's fastest write and rewrite speeds
16 Aug 2004
National Semiconductor Corporation has today launched the LMH6533, its newest laser diode driver (LDD) for use in optical pickup units (OPUs).
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Alcatel expands in Laos
16 Aug 2004
Alcatel announced today that it has been awarded $24 million by Enterprise of Telecommunications Laos (ETL) to upgrade its nationwide telecom network.
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Shedding new light on biology
13 Aug 2004
Physicists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have developed a microscope that gives scientists a much deeper look into living organisms than before.
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Emerson awarded $27 million
13 Aug 2004
Emerson Process Management has won a $27 million contract to serve as general automation contractor for a $2.6 billion oil sands extraction project in Canada.
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America West confirms Airbus order
13 Aug 2004
America West has placed a new order for ten A320s and seven A319s, confirming a commitment announced by the airline in May 2004.
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Fine forecast for freight
13 Aug 2004
Boeing's latest market forecast predicts the world freighter airplane fleet will nearly double during the next 20 years, from 1,766 to 3,456 airplanes.
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New ESD protection array
12 Aug 2004
Vishay has recently released a new ESD protection array that integrates an EMI filter in a leadless LLP75 package optimised for space-critical applications.
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$57 million for Fluor
12 Aug 2004
Fluor Corporation has today been awarded $57 million by Statoil to implement the Export Capacity Upgrading Project at the Kollsnes Gas Terminal, Norway.
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Improving interfaces
12 Aug 2004
Researchers in the US have patented a method that creates smooth and strong interfaces between metals and metal oxides without high-temperature brazing.
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Network could operate 100 times faster
12 Aug 2004
Canadian researchers have shown that nanotechnology can be used to pave the way to a supercharged Internet based entirely on light. The discovery could lead to a network 100 times faster than today's.
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Forming building blocks for nanomachines
12 Aug 2004
Microscopic scaffolding to house the tiny components of nanotech devices could be built from RNA, the same substance that shuttles messages around a cell's nucleus.
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The parable of the lost son found
11 Aug 2004
Dave Wilson found himself in a local hostelry discussing the impact of new technological developments with his colleagues.
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Chilling in China
11 Aug 2004
Honeywell today announced plans to build a manufacturing plant for non-ozone depleting refrigerant products in Qingpu, China. The new facility is expected to be operational in November 2004.
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Better insight for stars of track and field
11 Aug 2004
Cambridge Consultants has created Technospecs, a head-mounted monitoring and display device that could help athletes optimise their training and performance without the need for sensors and cumbersome wrist displays.
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Stiff tissue
11 Aug 2004
Researchers at Rensselaer are working to develop a new medical imaging technique designed to determine the relative stiffness of soft tissue for the diagnosis of injury and disease.
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Electron in a spin
11 Aug 2004
Scientists in the US have demonstrated the ability to detect the spin of a single electron in a standard silicon transistor.
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Listen to your heart
11 Aug 2004
Researchers in the US have developed an implantable electronic device that could send early-warning signals to doctors before heart rhythm problems arise.
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Terra expands with $268 million acquisition
10 Aug 2004
Terra Industries announced recently that it has reached an agreement to purchase the troubled Mississippi Chemical Corporation for approximately $268 million.
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Handheld spectrum analyser
10 Aug 2004
Anritsu's MS2721A is a handheld spectrum analyser developed to allow users to analyse wireless signals, including 802.11a, 3G, ultra-wideband, and WiMAX, up to 7 GHz.
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Motoring toward greater efficiency
10 Aug 2004
GE Global Research, Sensicast Systems and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are to collaborate on a three-year, $6 million project to improve the efficiency of electric motors.
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Making maps
10 Aug 2004
A new tool that allows interactive maps to be published quickly and cost effectively on the web has been launched by QinetiQ.
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Slow improvement
10 Aug 2004
Manufacturing output growth slowed in the three months to July after a surprisingly strong upturn in the previous six months, but the overall position continues to improve in most regions of the UK.
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$75.6 million cueing system
10 Aug 2004
Vision Systems International, Elbit Systems' joint venture with Rockwell Collins, has been awarded a $75.6 million contract for over 300 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS) from Boeing.
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Scientists help police bust forgers
10 Aug 2004
Forging wills and bank cheques could now be near impossible thanks to a team of physicists in Rome in Italy who have developed a new technique that can detect forged handwriting better than ever before.
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Fast1394 for high-speed data acquisition
9 Aug 2004
Parvus will soon release its Fast1394 card, a three-port IEEE-1394b controller module designed for high-speed data acquisition across the FireWire bus for audio, video and storage peripherals in embedded computer systems.
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Optimised for industrial control
9 Aug 2004
Vishay Intertechnology recently released the new MP series of precision thin film resistor divider networks, the first devices to offer 0.05% resistance ratio tolerance in the SC-70 package.
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Making dots
9 Aug 2004
A University at Buffalo research team has invented a new way to synthesise quantum dots - luminescent nanocrystals made from semiconductor material.
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Reading TEDS
5 Aug 2004
Endevco's new TEDS Reader is a portable engineering tool that enables users to quickly review the full contents of any embedded IEEE P1451.4 TEDS (Transducer Electronic Data Sheet) via a PDA.
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PCB inspection and verification
5 Aug 2004
Orbotech's new automatic verification-in-parallel (AVIP) technology enables both inspection and verification of a PCB to be conducted simultaneously, on one system and using only one operator.
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Virgin places $5.5 billion Airbus order
5 Aug 2004
In a deal worth more than $5.5 billion, Virgin Atlantic Airways is to take delivery of thirteen new A340-600 aircraft with options for a further thirteen.
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RFID goes to hospital
5 Aug 2004
As part of a pilot project at the Jacobi Medical Center in New York, more than 200 patients are wearing RFID enabled wristbands that allow their patient records to be accessed wherever they might be in the hospital.
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No batteries required
4 Aug 2004
Dave Wilson explains how a 'potato powered' LCD clock excited some young children a long long time ago.
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Alstom to keep Madrid moving
4 Aug 2004
Mintra, the public company responsible for transport infrastructure in Madrid, has chosen Alstom to build 70 CITADIS vehicles for the city's new light rail network.
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From Spitfire to surgery
4 Aug 2004
Researchers are using a test devised in the 1930s, and used to gauge the stress on Spitfire superchargers, to model the stress that surgical procedures put on an aortic aneurysm.
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Surging semiconductor sales
4 Aug 2004
Global semiconductor sales hit $17.8 billion in June, a sequential increase of 2.8 percent from the $17.3 billion reported in May and a 40.3 percent increase from June of 2003.
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Improving GPS/AGPS receivers
4 Aug 2004
Fujitsu has introduced a new chipset to help designers develop high-sensitivity GPS/AGPS receivers. The chipset support telematics and navigation applications for mobile location, tracking and monitoring.
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CRM market to surpass $11 Billion by 2008
3 Aug 2004
According to IDC, the worldwide CRM software applications market will reach $11.4 billion in revenues by 2008.
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BAE Systems awarded $80 million
3 Aug 2004
BAE Systems has been awarded contracts worth more than $80 million related to the Republic of Korea's production of the T-50 Golden Eagle military aircraft.
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Power from plankton
3 Aug 2004
Scientists have tapped the chemical reactions from decomposing organic matter on the ocean floor to create fuel cells that can provide low levels of electrical power.
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Air pollution: a global issue
3 Aug 2004
Efforts to improve air quality across the European Union are failing because of pollution created elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, particularly Asia and North America, and by international shipping, according to an EASAC report.
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$30 million for particulate pollution study
2 Aug 2004
Researchers at the University of Washington have been awarded $30 million by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to explore the connection between air pollution and cardiovascular disease.
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Generating and analyzing waveforms
2 Aug 2004
National Instruments has announced two new PXI digital waveform generator/analyzers for common logic families.
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£50 million renewables boost
2 Aug 2004
Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, today announced a £50 million fund to develop wave and tidal stream power as a potential source of renewable energy.
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One hour lab
2 Aug 2004
A biomedical engineer has created palm-sized "laboratories" that require no assembly, contain no electronics and are powerful enough to detect botulinum neurotoxin in a tiny drop of blood.
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A new way of seeing
2 Aug 2004
A prototype microscope that uses neutrons instead of light to 'see' magnified images has been demonstrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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New advance in gallium nitride nanowires
2 Aug 2004
A team of scientists has made a significant breakthrough in the development of the semiconductor gallium nitride as a building block for nanotechnology.
