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Information
Technolgoy
Read
All About It! September Conference to Showcase E-Books
Electronic
books have made history during the past year as titles from authors
ranging from Stephen King to Michael Crichton became overnight
sensations on the Internet.
The
industry has matured a great deal since NIST sponsored the world's
first e-book conference in 1998. Preparations are now under way
for NIST’s third annual e-book conference, which will focus
on the latest trends, technologies and standards for the innovation.
This year’s conference will include sessions on topics ranging
from new e-book technologies to emerging business models such
as print-on-demand. An author’s forum will discuss the changing
roles of writers, agents and publishers resulting from the rising
popularity of e-books.
Other
sessions cover topics such as international e-book activities,
secure ways to transmit e-books, industry hardware and software
standards, and accessibility for the blind. NIST will present
the latest version of a prototype Braille reader that can transform
e-book text into Braille.
This
year’s conference also will include a public exhibit of the
latest e-book products.
The
Electronic
Book 2000 Conference and Show will take place Sept. 25-27,
2000, in Washington, D.C. The conference is co-sponsored by NIST
and the National Information Standards Organization.
Information
on “Electronic Book 2000: Changing the Fundamentals of Reading”
is available at www.nist.gov/ebook2000.
For registration information, contact Lori
Phillips Buckland, (301) 975-4513; or you may access the online
registration form via the Internet.
Media
Contact:
Philip
Bulman, (301) 975-5661
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Small Business
Kansas
Center Helps Entrepreneur Tee Off New Product
Golfers
get frustrated when they have to fumble around in the depths of
a golf bag just to find a tee or ball. To solve this common gripe,
James Voth, a Goessel, Kan., inventor and businessman, spent two
years designing and perfecting the ProPouch™, a canvas device
that hangs from a golfer’s belt or pants pocket. It can hold
up to three golf balls and four tees.
But
Voth knew it wouldn’t be a straight shot down the fairway
to get the ProPouch™ to market. So, he teamed up with the
Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center, an affiliate of the
nationwide NIST Manufacturing Extension
Partnership network.
MAMTC’s
field engineers first conducted a market survey to determine if
there was interest in a product like ProPouch™—and there
was. MAMTC also suggested that the device’s original name—the
“belt caddy”—might not appeal to a growing segment
of the market, women golfers.
With
a new name and a documented customer base, ProPouch™ was
ready to hit the links. With MAMTC assistance, Voth placed ads
in golf magazines and wrote to “What’s New” sections
of other publications. They also developed a web page and formed
strategic alliances with organizations that could help promote
his product.
The
early results? Sales are under way and Voth has frequently demonstrated
his golfer’s helper. And while there still may be some sand
traps and roughs in store for ProPouch™, Voth is confident
that MAMTC’s early guidance has put him on course for the
green (dollars, that is).
For
more information on MAMTC, contact Larry
Stephenson, (913) 967-1226. Small manufacturers in areas not
served by MAMTC can call (800) MEP-4MFG (637-4634) to reach the
nearest affiliate.
Media
Contact:
Jan
Kosko, (301) 975-2767
Standards
New
VAMAS Group Seeks Measurement Specs for Ceramic Powders
A
new technical working area on characterization methods for ceramic
powders and porous materials has been formed within the Versailles
Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (known by the acronym
VAMAS) to develop technical data on the size distribution and
surface area of particles and porosity of unfired (green) bodies
for use by standards-writing organizations. Standardized characterization
methods can lead to improved performance and higher reliability
of materials such as advanced ceramics by eliminating chemical
impurities and irregularly shaped or sized particles during raw
materials processing and the intermediate stages of ceramic manufacturing.
The group’s activity will focus on prestandardization research
and round-robin trials of test methods in three areas: powder
properties, suspension characteristics and characterization of
porous ceramics such as green bodies. The first project—scheduled
to start by October 2000—will develop the technical data
for a standard for porosity measurements.
VAMAS
was conceived in 1982 following an economic summit in Versailles,
France. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom,
the United States and the European Community are partners in the
effort. It supports trade in high-echnology products through international
collaborative research that leads to codes of practice and specifications
for advanced materials. The research embraces all aspects of science
and technology related to advanced materials required as a precursor
to the drafting of standards—materials technology, test methods,
design methods and materials databases.
Representing the public and private sectors, U.S. members of the
new technical working area include NIST, other government laboratories,
universities and ceramic companies. International representatives
come from Germany, Japan and Sweden.
For more information about the new technical working area, contact
Vice Chairman Said Jahanmir,
(301) 975-3671.
Media
Contact:
Pamela
A. Houghtaling, (301) 975-5745
Optoelectronics
New
Paper Explains Calibration Service for Excimer Lasers
Last
year, NIST announced it had developed a new service to calibrate
argon-fluoride excimer lasers for power and energy. ArF
lasers, which produce pulsed, ultraviolet radiation at a wavelength
of 193 nanometers, are commonly used to correct vision impairments.
These corneal sculpting techniques are known as photorefractive
keratectomy and in situ keratomileusis (PRK and LASIK respectively).
The lasers also are used in the computer industry for high-resolution
photolithography to manufacture faster microprocessors and larger
memory chips. A new technical paper from NIST goes into detail
on the design of the 193 nm primary standard, complete with schematics
and graphs. At the present time, NIST is the only national laboratory
in the world to offer excimer laser power and energy calibration
services.
To obtain a copy of paper no. 36, “Calibration Service for
Excimer Lasers,” contact Sarabeth
Harris, NIST, MC 104, Boulder, Colo. 80305-3328; (303) 497-3237.
Media
Contact:
Fred
McGehan, Boulder (303) 497-3246
Manufacturing
International
Agreement Keeps Partners True to Their MISSION
MISSION—an
international research project to develop and test “modeling
and simulation environments for design, planning and operation
of globally distributed enterprises”—moved a step closer
to success when the three participating regions recently signed
their first cooperative agreement.
Approved by the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Program in 1998,
MISSION involves partners from the United States, Japan and the
European Union in the building of the software equivalent of a
docking station, a generic modeling platform with interfaces that
link and integrate distributed models and user-selected simulation
tools, such as those for evaluating production scenarios. The
platform will support simulations over a range of vantage points,
from individual factories to entire supply chains. A distributed
supply chain prototype is being built to demonstrate the generic
platform.
Under the new pact, the MISSION partners have agreed that any
intellectual property created during the course of work will be
placed into the public domain. Signing for the United States along
with NIST—the regional coordinator of the U.S. team—were
seven major U.S. simulation software vendors, two companies, five
universities and the Department of Defense’s Defense Modeling
and Simulation Office.
The next inter-regional meeting is planned for Oct. 16-19, 2000,
in Bilbao, Spain. Chuck McLean, leader of NIST’s Modeling
and Simulation Group, is serving as the U.S. regional coordinator
for MISSION. The group has established a simulation technology
testbed to support the NIST-led research efforts on manufacturing
simulation and the United States Maritech Program.
The IMS Program was initiated by Japan to foster international
cooperation on manufacturing research and development. Twenty
projects are currently under way, involving over 250 companies
and more than 200 research institutes from Australia, Canada,
the European Union, Japan and the United States.
U.S. companies interested in participating in MISSION
should contact NIST’s Swee
Leong, (301) 975-5426. The terms of reference for participating
in IMS projects are available at the IMS site on the World Wide
Web at www.ims.org.
Media
Contact:
Michael
E. Newman, (301)
975-3025
Materials
New
Publication Discusses Computer Technology in Welding
Persons
interested in the use of computer technology in welding will want
to get a new publication from NIST.
Included in Ninth International Conference on Computer Technology
in Welding are 39 printed manuscripts that were submitted
to the conference held in September 1999 in Detroit. The papers
are divided into two tracks: modeling and weld sensing/control.
Under modeling, there are papers on simulation of resistance welding,
simulation of gas metal arc welding, weld shape and distortion
modeling, solidification/weld composition modeling, general modeling
and welding documentation. Under weld sensing and control, there
are papers on monitoring of gas metal arc quality, gas metal arc
droplet control, weld process automation,
communication and interfaces, and database applications.
The visuals from two tutorials at the conference also are included
in the document. These are developing an effective web page and
networking of welding applications. The proceedings also contains
an appendix with the names and addresses of all the speakers and
attendees at the conference.
Copies of Ninth International Conference on Computer Technology
in Welding (NIST Special Publication 949) are available from
the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402. Use GPO stock number 003-003-03649-8.
Media
Contact:
Fred
McGehan, Boulder
(303) 497-3246
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