Senior reporter Bill Bregar gathered these stories from the National Design Engineering Show, held March 5-8 in Chicago.
IQMS software aids managing functions
IQMS is expanding beyond its original focus on plastics processors for its systems that do enterprise resource planning, or ERP.
The firm developed its IQWin32 specifically to fill the gap faced by plastics processors with generic ERP systems. The software helps companies manage manufacturing, accounting, inventory and other functions.
"In recent years, we've found that our customers have been utilizing our IQWin32 for other repetitive-type operations such as die casting, metal stamping, decorating and assembly," said Terry Cline, vice president of operations at the Paso Robles, Calif., company. "Broadening our support to include additional manufacturing environments seemed like the next natural step."
IQMS also announced four personnel moves:
Steve Klipich was named West Coast sales manager. He had been with Syscon International Inc. of South Bend, Ind.
Liz Alflen, a five-year IQMS employee, was promoted to marketing director.
Glenn Nowak is now East Coast account manager.
Steve Monroe was hired for the new position of business development manager. He most recently was with Plastic Engineered Components of Lincolnshire, Ill.
BP Amoco features two new products
BP Amoco Polymers Inc. displayed two injection molded products at its booth.
Motorola Inc.'s Industrial Electronics Group will mold connectors for its new automotive control modules from Amodel AT-6115 HS resin, a high-temperature nylon reinforced with 15 percent glass fibers. Amodel can withstand the high temperatures of surface-mounted automotive parts. At the same time, it remains ductile enough to satisfy most assembly requirements.
On the second part, Rockwell Automation molds an overload relay from BP Amoco's Mindel B-430 modified polysulfone. Mindel offers low part warpage and low shrinkage and flows easily into thin walls of a part, BP Amoco said.
Mearthane Products offers custom films
Mearthane Products Corp. is offering custom polyurethane films that the company can custom formulate to meet a variety of chemical, physical and electrical conductivity needs.
Mearthane said thermoset PU films offer better tensile strength, tear strength and abrasion resistance than conventional thermoplastic films. Applications include coatings and transparent coverings for switches, self-adhesive tapes, furniture edging and gaskets. The company in Cranston, R.I., supplies the film in minimum quantities as low as 50 pounds.
Mearthane also introduced its Durethane line of solid and foam PUs, for rollers and other components for the business machine market.
MTS' new line of sensors at low price
MTS Systems Corp. introduced its new low-priced position sensors, the E Series Profile-style, or EP.
MTS said EP sensors are designed for external use in cost-sensitive applications such as injection molding. Like all MTS sensors, the EP uses a technology called magnetostriction, which measures the interaction between two magnetic fields via a strain pulse.
