Machine design, tập 84, số 13, 2012

September 6, 2012
A Penton Media Publication
Tune in to EngineeringTV.com

Private
Enterprise
in

Space
page 44

NEW ROLE FOR CIRCUIT
INTERRUPTERS: PROTECTING
EQUIPMENT, page 54
DIY FABRICATION
IS HOT, page 62
COPPER ROTORS
BOOST MOTOR
EFFICIENCY,
page 70


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© COPYRIGHT 2012 OMEGA ENGINEERING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


VOLUME 84
ISSUE 13
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

MANUFACTURING

A sheet-metal class shows users how to operate
equipment. Members learn layout techniques, how to
use the hydraulic shear, how to make corner notchers,
and how to use the press brake. At the conclusion of
that class, these members will be authorized to set up
and use the equipment on their own projects.

MANUFACTURING
for the

masses

Key points:
• Areas such as machining, laser, electronics,
and industrial-painting sit off a large central
workspace.
• The studio has spring boarded several small
businesses.

Resources:

Juan Martinez shows off the prototype of his
cargo bike, which he built from the ground up with
TechShop software and equipment.

FEATURES
The holes in the
cards were cut

out on TechShop’s
Epilog laser cutter.
The cards are
used to program a
Jacquard loom.

truckin’ with SpaceX
44 Space
A private firm develops the first commercial
launch vehicle and transport capsule, then
proves they can carry payloads into space.

Ford Motor Co.
and TechShop

Studio layout
Detroit facility Director Will Brick says as the shops evolve, TechShop personnel are increasingly dialing-in their layout and design to let users work more
efficiently. A big central room features several large work tables. All the different
technology areas, such as the laser, electronics, and industrial-painting studios,
sit off the central room. “This arrangement encourages people to use the central room to work together on projects,” he says. “In fact, many entrepreneurial
partnerships have been made between people sitting next to each other at one
of these tables.”
The computers in the central room each feature more than $20,000 worth
of engineering-design software from Autodesk Inc., San Raphael, Calif. Programs include Inventor, AutoCAD, Maya, and Revit. The central room also
62

MACHINE DESIGN.com

TechShop member Richard Jeryan
is the weaver in the Weaving Shop

at The Henry Ford museum, just
down the street from the Detroit
TechShop.

Working with TechShop and other
organizations, Ford is helping entrepreneurs commercialize their creations. For
example, Ford’s Patent Incentive Program
provides Ford employee-inventors who
come up with potentially patentable ideas,
a three-month free membership to TechShop Detroit. And the company’s Motor
City Innovation Exchange will be an open
meeting place for inventors to showcase
what they create in TechShop. It will provide a way for inventors to negotiate, network, and sell their prototypes to manufacturers, suppliers, start-ups, and research
institutions in the automotive industry.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Auto Harvest, www.autoharvest.org
Autodesk, www.autodesk.com
Cable Arm, www.cablearm.com
Ford,
Ford Land,
Kickstarter, www.kickstarter.com
OpenROV, www.openrov.com
Square, www.squareup.com
TechShop, www.techshop.ws
MACHINE DESIGN, “DIY Manufacturing,” http://
tinyurl.com/26clol7
MACHINE DESIGN, “Rapid Prototyping ‘On the
Cheap,’” />MACHINE DESIGN, Fab it Now,

/>For more on rapid
prototyping, scan this
code or go to: http://
machinedesign.com/
article/rapid-prototypingfor-the-masses-0609

hosts a hotline to the U. S. Trademark and Patent Office through
which TechShop users can file a U. S. patent or find out the status of
one. The central room also features the now-iconic coffee maker and
popcorn popper.
The 17,000-sq-ft Detroit facility is clean, spacious, and airy. Many windows face both outside and internally to each of the technology areas, helping
make the TechShop a pleasant place to work.
The machine shop, one such area, houses a lathe, a vertical-milling machine, and a Tormach four-axis CNC mill that can be fitted with various
accessories such as a motorized rotary table or a mechanism which fits on
the table top to let users cut intricate forms, tapers, and cylindrical objects.
“People use the mill all sorts of ways,” says Brick. “For example, one designer
came in to make aftermarket car parts, which he modeled in Inventor. He
took a Tormach machine-tool class and then machined his first prototype.
We helped him make a fixture so he could produce four or five parts at once.
He now has a small business.”
Another technology area, the wood shop, features a three-phase table saw,
a big wood lathe, a router table, and a pair of CNC wood-router Shop Bots,
one with a large 4 × 8-ft work surface and one with a smaller work surface.
“The machines have the same spindle, same controls, and same interface,” says
Brick. “They just provide two different options for different project sizes.” One
of the machines is getting upgraded with a more-efficient vacuum pull-down
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

62

shock: Sensing ground
54 Safety
faults in industrial applications

Senior Editor

Twitter @ LeslieGordon

• TechShop gives users access to high-end
manufacturing equipment and software.

DIY fabrication studios let
just about anyone make
just about anything.

Do you have a hankering to make something, but lack access to a laser cutter
or machine tool? You might want to check out a local TechShop. Founded in
October 2006, TechShop Inc. is a membership-based (about $100/month),
do-it-yourself (DIY) workshop and fabrication studio that provides access to
more than $1 million worth of high-quality machines, tools, and software, as
well as classes and workshops on the technologies. TechShop is open to people
of all ages and skill levels. It is based in Menlo Park, Calif., with locations in
San Francisco, San Jose, Raleigh, N. C., and Detroit. Locations in Arizona,
Pittsburgh, and D. C. are being planned.

Authored by:

Leslie Gordon



Originally designed to protect people,
ground-fault sensing now helps
extend equipment life.
ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC

Industry

Manufacturing for the masses

62 DIY fabrication studios let just about

could take a shine to

COPPERROTOR MOTORS
Authored by:

anyone make just about anything.

Trista Baldwin
Contributing Editor
Edited by Leland Teschler


Key points:
• Rotors made from copper conduct electrical
current better than aluminum, thus run cooler
with more efficiency.
• The process of die casting copper has become
economical thanks to recent advances in

modeling the casting process.

Resources:

could take a shine
70 Industry
to copper-rotor motors

International Copper Association,
www.copperalliance.org
For more on copper rotors,
scan this code or go to:
/>article/copper-shines-inmotor-rotors-0818

Better manufacturing techniques
may let rotors cast from copper
become a mainstay of superefficient
motor technology.
The stringent efficiency levels now spelled out in NEMA Premium tables
have fostered interest in motor architectures that can deliver high efficiency. One of those architectures uses a squirrel-cage rotor cast from
copper rather than the traditional aluminum. Copper cuts down on the I2R
losses by up to 40% and overall motor loss by 20%, though it increases the
weight of the rotor a bit. The motivation for a copper-rotor design stems
not only from efficiency considerations but also from a desire to minimize
the size of the motor.
But until recently, copper rotors were tough to cast because of copper’s higher melting point (1,083°C compared to 660°C for aluminum), and a tendency to oxidize. Now,
breakthroughs in copper die casting have made it more economical to mass pro-



Visible in this
cutaway view
of an induction
motor is its
copper rotor.
Use of copper
rotors can let
induction
motors run
efficiently
enough to
provide
the same
amount of
horsepower as
conventional
motors that sit
in larger frame
sizes.

New manufacturing techniques make it
possible to cast rotors in copper and bring
new levels of efficiency to induction motors.
70

MACHINE DESIGN.com

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

70

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ON THE COVER

DEPARTMENTS

The Dragon space capsule recently
traveled to the Space Station and back.
For customized article reprints and permissions
please contact: Penton Reprints, 1-888-858-8851,
e-mail at or visit
pentonreprints.com.

8 EDITORIAL
Where did ethics go?

10 EDITORIAL STAFF
12 LETTERS

16 SCANNING FOR IDEAS
Temperature sensors use Pt-100 technology for accuracy
Cyclonic action extends life of hydraulic filter

20 REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
30 LOOKING BACK
37 SENSOR SENSE
Sensor Sense: Automation light grids

38 COMMENTARY
It’s been a good summer for space exploration

40 VANTAGE POINT
Specialization helps machine builders
endure economic uncertainty

42 INVENTOR’S CORNER
Surgical dressing restores mastectomy patients’ figures

84 SOFTWARE REVIEW
Plug-in imports organic surfaces into CAD

86 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
Hose & fluid connectors

88
92
93
94
94

95

4

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POSTMASTER: Send change of address notice to
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The Truth About Compressed Air!
If you think compressed air is too expensive and noisy - read this. The facts will surprise you!
Compare these Blowoffs

Facts about Blowers

There are a variety of ways to blow the water from the bottles shown in the photo below, but
which method is best? To decide, we ran a comparison test on the same application using
four different blowoff methods: drilled pipe, flat air nozzles, Super Air Knife (each using
compressed air as a power source), and a blower supplied air knife (using an electric motor
as a power source). Each system consisted of two twelve inch long air knives. The following
comparison proves that the EXAIR Super Air Knife is the best choice for your blowoff,
cooling or drying application.

Energy conscious plants might think a
blower to be a better choice due to its slightly
lower electrical consumption compared
to a compressor. In reality, a blower is an
expensive capital expenditure that requires
frequent downtime and costly maintenance
of filters, belts and bearings. Here are some
important facts:

The goal for each of the blowoff choices was to use the least amount of air possible to get the
job done (lowest energy and noise level). The compressed air pressure required was 60 PSIG
which provided adequate velocity to blow the water off. The blower used had a ten horsepower
motor and was a centrifugal type blower at 18,000 RPM. The table at the bottom of the page
summarizes the overall performance. Since your actual part may have an odd configuration,
holes or sharp edges, we took sound level measurements in free air (no impinging surface).

Drilled Pipe

Blower Air Knife

This common blowoff is very inexpensive
and easy to make. For this test, we
used (2) drilled pipes, each with (25)
1/16" diameter holes on 1/2" centers.
As shown in the test results below, the
drilled pipe performed poorly. The initial
cost of the drilled pipe is overshadowed
by its high energy use. The holes are
easily blocked and the noise level is
excessive - both of which violate OSHA
requirements. Velocity across the entire
length was very inconsistent with spikes
of air and numerous dead spots.

The blower proved to be an expensive,
noisy option. As noted below, the
purchase price is high. Operating
cost was considerably lower than the

drilled pipe and flat air nozzle, but
was comparable to EXAIR’s Super
Air Knife. The large blower with its
two 3" (8cm) diameter hoses requires
significant mounting space compared
to the others. Noise level was high
at 90 dBA. There was no option for
cycling it on and off to conserve energy
like the other blowoffs. Costly bearing
and filter maintenance along with
downtime were also negative factors.

Flat Air Nozzles

EXAIR Super Air Knife

As shown below, this inexpensive air
nozzle was the worst performer. It is
available in plastic, aluminum and
stainless steel from several manufacturers.
The flat air nozzle provides some
entrainment, but suffers from many
of the same problems as the drilled
pipe. Operating cost and noise level are
both high. Some manufacturers offer
flat air nozzles where the holes can be
blocked - an OSHA violation. Velocity
was inconsistent with spikes of air.

The Super Air Knife did an exceptional

job of removing the moisture on one
pass due to the uniformity of the laminar
airflow. The sound level was extremely
low. For this application, energy use was
slightly higher than the blower but can be
less than the blower if cycling on and off
is possible. Safe operation is not an issue
since the Super Air Knife can not be deadended. Maintenance costs are low since
there are no moving parts to wear out.

Filters must be replaced every one
to three months.
Belts must be replaced every three to
six months.
Typical bearing replacement is at least once
a year at a cost near $1000.
G
Blower bearings wear out quickly due
to the high speeds (17-20,000 RPM)
required to generate effective airflows.
G
Poorly designed seals that allow dirt and
moisture infiltration and environments
above 125°F decrease the one year
bearing life.
G
Many bearings can not be replaced in the
field, resulting in downtime to send the
assembly back to the manufacturer.
Blowers take up a lot of space and often
produce sound levels that exceed OSHA
noise level exposure requirements. Air
volume and velocity are often difficult to

control since mechanical adjustments are
required.
To discuss an application, contact:
EXAIR Corporation
11510 Goldcoast Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249-1621
(800) 903-9247
Fax: (513) 671-3363
email:
www.exair.com/45/423c.htm

The Super Air Knife is the low cost way to blowoff, dry, clean and cool.

RS# 104

Blowoff Comparison
Comp. Air
Type of blowoff

Horsepower
Required

Sound
Annual Approx. Annual
Purchase
Level
Electrical
Maintenance
Price
dBA

Cost*
Cost

First
Year
Cost

PSIG

BAR

SCFM

SLPM

Drilled Pipes

60

4.1

174

4,924

35

91

$50

$4,508

$920

$5,478

Flat Air Nozzles

60

4.1

257

7,273

51

102

$208

$6,569

$1,450

$8,227

Blower Air Knife

3

0.2

N/A

N/A

10

90

$5,500

$1,288

$1,500

$8,288

Super Air Knife

60

4.1

55

1,557

11

69

$518

$1,417

$300

$2,235

*Based on national average electricity cost of 8.3 cents per kWh. Annual cost reflects 40 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.


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EDITOR’S WEB PICKS

Ethernet-cable white paper
Turck’s new white paper, “Ethernet
Cable: A Guideline to Implementing
Solid or Stranded Cables,” helps engineers select cables for industrial networks. Content includes understanding Ethernet-cable classifications, their
uses, and installation guidelines to
ensure reliable performance and best
efficiency. Download a copy at www.
askturck.com/docs/TURCK-EthernetCable-White-Paper.pdf.

6

Bearing App
Rexnord has launched Bearing Mobile
Pro, a new iPhone app that gives engineers quick access to technical data
on ball and cylindrical bearings. It also
offers interchange info for leading
manufacturers’ products and technical support via e-mail and phone. Get
more details at www.rexnord.com.
Threadlocker data
A new two-page, at-a-glance information sheet from Henkel provides data
on 21 Loctite threadlocker products.
A properties chart lists strengths and
viscosities of primerless and oil-tolerant formulas, temperature-resistant
grades, low-and medium-strength
products that disassemble with hand

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The chart highlights general use,
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PLC Programming courses conducted
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Piezo actuator catalog
PI Ceramic’s new 70-page Piezoelectric
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for more than 100 billion cycles, and
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A tutorial explains operating and application basics. Download a copy at
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55. Emit
56. Not new
57. A crazy person may be as loopy
as one
58. Mount Sinai School of Medicine
(abbr.)
59. Offensive or defensive in football
60. Aware of
61. Pitcher Young’s
62. At Microchip Technology, emphasis is focused on reducing costs
while developing products with
a strong mix of peripherals such
as liquid-crystal-display (abbr.)
drives, PWM, ADC, comparators,
timers and communication
63. 52 Down athlete









ACROSS
1. Sod
5. Microchip Technology-based
solutions can support any lightemitting-diode (abbr.) drive
methodology as well as add additional capabilities beyond that of

traditional lighting solutions
8. Long-time auto-racing sponsor
11. “Heat of the Moment” was its
best-selling song
12. Beast of burden
13. Eight, in Madrid
14. Huck Finn’s transport
15. ___, a plan, a canal, panama
16. Wood fastener
17. Microchip Technology’s lighting
solutions provide highly ___
power conversion
19. Otherwise
20. English author A.A.
21, Fed. aviation regulator
22. ___, be all
25. Traditional light shape
26. Through its ___®
microcontrollers, Microchip
Technology provides solutions
for the entire performance
range of 8-, 16- and 32-bit
microcontrollers, with a powerful
architecture, flexible memory
technologies, comprehensive
easy-to-use development
tools, complete technical
documentation and post
design-in support
27. Abate

30. Ritzy arena location
34. The latest info via the Internet
36. GA big city
37. Principle
38. Scary first name of famed
architect Saarinen?
39. Former First Lady of the
Philippines
41. Type of motive (abbr.)









Intelligent Lighting & Control solutions from
Microchip can meet the technical needs of lighting engineers
with a large array of 8-, 16-, 32-bit PIC® microcontrollers,
analog, wireless, and human interface products. Visit www.
microchip.com/lighting to learn more about our advanced
peripheral integration and support.


































10. North or South
12. Common Irish girl’s name

13. Former NBAer Shaquille
18. Shelves at foot of window, the
English way
21. Enjoyment
22. Fencing sword
23.Number of players in the field in
61 Across’ sport
24. Nation’s capital resident?
25. Actress Kristen
28. A particular Club for shoppers
29. Fr. Holy woman
31. Where George and Louise
Jefferson moved
32. Connects well with another
33. Feminine suffix
35. Lighting and control solutions
from Microchip Technology can
meet the technical needs of
lighting engineers with a large
array of 8-, 16- and 32-bit
PIC® microcontrollers as well
as analog, ___ and humaninterface products
37. Sharp claw
39. Cyclades isle
40. Determine
43. Beyond standard peripherals,
Microchip Technology is con-

stantly bringing additional value
to microcontrollers by developing

unique and exclusive peripherals
that allow embedded-lighting
engineers to simplify designs
and create evermore creative
applications and products. This
innovation is demonstrated by
microcontroller integrated peripherals such as high-resolution
pulse-wave modulators (abbr.)
45. Of or pertaining to a mechanism
that represents data by
measurement of a continuous
physical variable, as voltage
47. Melodious sound
48. Fix
49. Another state-of-the-art
microcontroller peripheral,
Microchip Technology’s
programmable switch mode
controller (abbr.) is an advanced,
customizable high-speed 16-bit
PWM module
50. ___-daisy
51. Break in the action
52. New Rochelle, New York, college
53. Repetitive teaching technique
54. Organic compound

The letters in the shaded boxes spell out the secret word that describes
lighting solutions from Microchip Technology Inc. The first 50 respondents
with the correct secret word will receive a USB Flash drive wristband. All

entries will be entered in a contest for a chance to win an Apple iPad. Contest
is open September 6, 2012 – October 31, 2012. Visit www.microchip.com/
lightingcontest to submit your secret code and for official contest rules.
For assistance with clues, visit the lighting section of the Microchip website and
look under Applications.

———————————
RS# 106

Microcontrollers 
Digital Signal Controllers 
Analog 
Memory 
Wireless


EDITORIAL
Where did ethics go?
When I was in engineering school, tests were never proctored. When we
took exams, the instructor never hung around in the room to watch over
students and guard against cheating. At the end of the exam, we all signed
an engineering honor-code statement saying we had completed the exam
honestly. There were only a few infractions of the code every year, and
they were dealt with by a jury of students who had the power to bounce
offenders out of engineering school.
The ethics displayed at my school were probably no different than
those at other engineering colleges. Practicing engineers, in general, tend
to be highly ethical. Civil engineers, for example, follow a Code of Ethics
spelled out by the American Society of Civil Engineers that, among other
things, directs them to put public safety and welfare above all other considerations.
There is a more-broad-based organization in the U. S. called the Order
of the Engineer, which promotes similar ethics. It sprang up in the 1970s
and is modeled after a Canadian organization having similar principles.
There are now local “links” on 278 U. S. campuses.

When someone joins the organization, they agree to be bound to a
code of ethics that, in part, says they will “participate in none but honest
enterprises” and “pledge to practice integrity and fair dealing, tolerance,
and respect.”
You might wonder whether these are just empty words to the largely
20-year olds who take the pledge. Do these kids just look at the whole
ceremony as a good excuse to go drinking afterwards?
Not according to Order of the Engineer Executive Director Paula Ostaff.
“They take it very seriously,” she says. Someone taking the obligation gets
awarded a ring, which they wear on the little finger of their dominant
hand. The ring is supposed to serve as a symbol of their obligation to the
engineering profession and to the public. “If they lose that ring, they order another immediately because it means so much to them,” says Ostaff.
Now contrast this serious treatment of ethics to the behavior that has
been on display in the financial industry. For that we turn to Charles
H. Ferguson, winner of an Academy Award for his documentary on the
financial crisis and author of a book called Predator Nation, in which Ferguson uses newly released court filings to show “the financial sector has
become increasingly corrupt, with the widespread fraud that caused the
housing bubble going completely unpunished.”
There is one particularly telling incident Ferguson details, which involves the investment bank Goldman Sachs. In late 2006 and 2007, financiers were increasingly waking up to the idea that housing could implode.
So the firm was trying to sell off its risky mortgage-related assets but was
having trouble finding customers. “Smart people were already out of the
question; only fools would do,” says Ferguson.
Citing information from the U. S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee
on Investigations report “Wall Street and the Financial Crisis,” he relates
that, “A salesman pushing one of Goldman’s most-toxic offerings to a
Korean client thought he could expand the sale, but wanted a better commission ‘as we are pushing on a personal relationship’ [i.e., I only screw
my friends if I am paid well for it].” Ferguson further relates that the salesman got the extra commission.
— Leland Teschler, Editor

8

RS# 107
MACHINE DESIGN.com

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012


4ALK ABOUT A BUNDLE
OF ADVANTAGES

s%# TECHNOLOGY FROM EBM
PAPST
GIVES YOU MORE CONTROL OPTIONS
FOR ADVANCED APPLICATIONS
THAN !# TECHNOLOGY
AND
ITS HIGH EFlCIENCY ALSO
SAVES A WHOLE LOT OF
ENERGY
s&URTHERMORE
IT
PROLONGS THE SERVICE LIFE
OF AIR
CONDITIONING AND
REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS AND
MAKES THEIR OPERATION MUCH
QUIETER
s4HE ELECTRONICS ARE COMPLETELY INTEGRATED INTO
THE MOTOR
MAKING THESE TRULY hPLUG AND BLOWv FANS
s/NE MORE THING OUR %# TECHNOLOGY ENABLES YOU TO CREATE AN ENERGY

SAVING
BUNDLE OF SEVERAL HUNDRED FANS AND CONTROL THEM FROM A SINGLE WORKSTATION
&OR A WHOLE BUNDLE OF INFORMATION
VISIT www.ebmpapst.us/hyblade

The engineer’s choice
RS# 108


EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR
Leland E. Teschler


MANAGING EDITOR
Kenneth J. Korane


SENIOR EDITORS
Leslie Gordon

Stephen J. Mraz


ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Lindsey Frick

Robert J. Repas, Jr.

RS# 109

INDUSTRY COVERAGE:
AUTOMOTIVE, PACKAGING,
MEDICAL
Stephen J. Mraz

CAD/CAM, MANUFACTURING
Leslie Gordon

ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONICS
Robert J. Repas, Jr.

FASTENING & JOINING,
MATERIALS
Lindsey Frick

FLUID POWER
Kenneth J. Korane

MECHANICAL
Lindsey Frick
Kenneth J. Korane

EDITORIAL PRODUCTION
Denise Greco
Editorial Production Manager
Randall L. Rubenking
Art Director

1300 E. 9th St. Cleveland, OH 44114-1503
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RS# 110
SEPTEMBER 6, 2012


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www.moog.com/components
RS# 111

Aerospace Products:
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LETTERS
Power to PowerPoint
PowerPoint is a just a tool that
can be used well or badly (“PowerPoint Can Kill,” June 14). When a
mechanic does not correctly fix a
car, we don’t blame the tools; we
blame the mechanic. The same is
true for PowerPoint. If there are
any faults with a PPT presentation, the speaker is at fault, not
the software.
The audience for these presentations — other engineers, management, and customers — are
always short on time these days.
They don’t have time for disjointed
communication or streams of
conscience. The speaker should
concisely communicate his ideas

or project to the audience. Bullet points are one effective way
to communicate clearly and they
help keep meetings on topic. PowerPoint is just one way to create
bullet-point presentation. (Some
of us older engineers have even
used typewriters to create bulletpoint presentations.)
Brian Little
I got a good laugh when I read the
phrase “festival of bureaucratic
hyperrationalism” describing PowerPoint presentations for NASA.
It reminded me of a job I had on
a space program. But PowerPoint
wasn’t the problem. The real cause
of the difficulties was the customer’s insistence that report formats
were more important than technical content.
One of my tasks was to analyze
electronic circuits which were
poorly designed. I was not allowed
to suggest improvements in my
report. Instead, the report had to
show how good and reliable the
circuits were. And it was shocking to discover that “peer review”
consisted of a manager making
sure the paragraphs were lined
up in a rigid fashion. This meant
some technical details were deleted so that each page would
look “professional.” The result of all
this nonsense was that spacecraft
got delayed on the launch pad,
a situation which cost millions

12

MACHINE DESIGN.com

Don’t blame
the tool
Readers are still commenting on an editorial that talked
about PowerPoint software.
They blame the speakers for
less than compelling presentations, not the tool used to create them. Other readers commented on recent blog entries.

(The media always report this as a
“computer glitch” at launch.).
I suspect PowerPoint isn’t the
problem at NASA, it’s the bureaucracy.
Darrell Hambley
If you are conducting a meeting
using Powerpoint (or any other
software) please, please, PLEASE
don’t read your powerpoint slides
to me. I already know how to read.
Use PowerPoint to illustrate your
ideas, and layout the details behind your ideas on handout notes
attached to each slide.
Chris Gordon
I have never attended a PowerPoint presentation where the
speaker didn’t read verbatim every slide. It seems to be a constitutional weakness among those
creating PPT shows. If that’s how
it’s being used, printed handouts
of the same views would save time,

eyestrain, and sleepiness.
John Olstand

Grounding the GFCI
Don Heim pointed out in a letter
(May 24) that a ground connection might not trigger a GFCI even
if there is a ground fault in plumbing that uses nonconductive plastic water and drain pipes. As you
pointed out in your comment on
that letter, if there’s no ground
connection, then there’s no electrocution and the GFCI doesn’t
trip. While this is probably true,
GFCIs are rather sensitive. And
although tap water is not generally considered to be a good con-

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

ductor, it’s likely to have enough
conductivity to trip a GFCI even
though it might not be enough to
cause a shock. It would, at least,
tell you that your appliance or
some other electric device had a
ground fault. Other readers have
commented on a couple blog entries.
Brooks Lyman

Everyone loves L. A.
In a recent blog (“Suppliers Look
for Engineers in Detroit,” May 9
in the blog “From the Editor ’s

Desk”), the video shows a Nissan
spokesperson talking about the
company’s need for engineers.
Well, it ’s no surprise they are
looking for any and all types of
engineers. They recently moved
their headquarters from Los Angeles to Franklin, Tenn. Only 42%
of Nissan’s L. A. workforce made
the move with them. That’s because smart, prosperous people
like engineers don’t want to live
in second-rate locations. That’s
why California has the sixth largest economy in the world even
though it has some of the highest
corporate tax rates in the U. S.
What was the latest innovative
breakthrough that came out of
Tennessee? Has there ever been
one? What was the latest breakthrough that came out of California? Ever heard of an iPod, iPad,
or iPhone? Two lessons here: If
you’re an engineer and willing to
move to Franklin, Tenn., there’s
probably a job for you there. But
if you want to hire the best peo-


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RS# 112

©2012 National Instruments. All rights reserved. CompactRIO, LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments.
Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 05312


LETTERS
ple in the business, don’t locate
your headquarters where people
don’t want to live.
Mitchell Bosler

how they can legally go about it.
You shouldn’t trash the lawyers. Everybody already hates them.
Paul Ryan

Is your view of Tennessee base on
a bad experience or simply anecdotal evidence? Costs were obviously a factor in Nissan’s decision.
California, which certainly has
many positives, is simply becoming a place too expensive for heavy
manufacturing.
Richard Gianotti

At one company I worked at, job
postings for U. S. engineers to replace foreign hires were posted on
an inside wall of the CEO’s office.
That way, hardly anyone other than
the CEO would see them.
Keith Frantz

Lawyers aren’t the
problem
I’d blame the CEOs more than
the lawyers (“Why We Hate Lawyers: Reason #16,258,” in the
blog A Skeptical Engineer, March
9). They’re the ones hungry for
cheaper imported engineers and
technicians. Management just asks
the lawyers to fill in the details for

The video just shows a case of legal

arbitrage and the CEO or management just assigned a workforce (in
this case, lawyers) to find a way for
the company to work within the
law while sidestepping the intent
or spirit of the law for financial
gain. Or as the blog stated “It may
be legal, but it’s certainly slimy.”
John Lamber
CEOs have a fiduciary duty, not to
mention a self-interest, to reduce

RS# 113
14

MACHINE DESIGN.com

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

costs. So why be shocked when
they do things like this?
Laws should be written to prevent or at least make it difficult to
evade the intent of the law. Doing
otherwise is a sign of incompetent
or collusive legislators.
John Linstrom

Correction
In the July 29 issue, the Web address for Nanometrics (pg. 28)
was incorrect. It should read www.
nanometrics.ca

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Please include your name, address, and
daytime phone number. Letters may
be edited for brevity and to focus on
essential points.
Mail: Letters, MACHINE DESIGN,
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