Technology & Industry blog

Modern manufacturing is largely the result of Henry Ford’s innovation, assembly line mass production. The goal of which was primarily to make cars available to large numbers of people due to significantly lowered costs. No other single innovation has contributed as much to increase the quality of living conditions throughout the world. Mass production has…

For many years I have criticized the excesses of government spending in the United States. What may have begun as a means of honoring those who serve the public interest, salaries and benefits, has led to a group that sets it’s own pay scale far beyond the average pay of its constituents and a work…

I have posted that the solar power industry has some serious problems and isn’t going to save the US economy. Certainly the Solyndra failure should be evidence of that. The solar industry is built on Federal incentive programs that are scheduled to end this year. The Federal subsidies are unlikely to continue given the current…

As we approach the end of the year and contemplate the coming year, it is a natural point in time to reflect on our accomplishments and consider our goals for the future. So forgive me if I wax philosophical. But I would like to offer the opinion that engineering is about changing the world. If…

Linear actuators are a combination of several different technologies. As a result there are trade-offs built into each design concept that are simply part of the product. There are systems based on fluid power, such as pneumatics and hydraulics, and there are electromechanical solutions based on screw drives or belt and pulley. The fluid power…

I have written a number of blogs on the Project Mechatronics website about a term I have coined “The Absolute Value of Technology”. It is simply the idea that we must always evaluate the economic merit of technology. Does technology offer an improved cost performance point, or is making a technology commitment going to cost…

The electric motor uses more electricity than any other technology. In the industrial world, it is estimated that 62% of all electricity is used to turn an electric motor. So it is not surprising that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by the Department of Energy and by private companies, in the quest…