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Where would we be if the Wright brothers didn't act
on that small idea they had for an airplane? Where would
we be if Alexander Graham Bell never experimented with
his idea for the telephone? It is this kind of "I
will not limit myself" spirit that bolsters creativity
every year for our Best Products of the Year contest.
We asked vendors to submit their best products they
introduced between September 2002 and September 2003.
The editors at Design News then narrowed each of the
six categories to four entries that they thought were
the most innovative and ground-breaking in their category.
These four finalists in each category were then forwarded
to an independent panel of judges who chose one winner:
Power Transmission & Motion Control. ThinGap
won with its TG3300 Series Brush DC Motor. www.ThinGapmotors.com
www.ThinGapmotors.com
Brush dc motor, smoother operation
ThinGap's TG3300 Series Brush DC Motor uses
a motor coil that is made of precision-machined copper
sheet. The motor achieves higher copper-packing density
and a higher ratio of copper to total volume than that
of motors using copper wire, enabling the production
of motors with a higher power-to-weight ratio and greater
power efficiencies for twice the run time in battery-powered
applications. Judge Dick Miller, also says, "Most
notably, these scientific accomplishments translate
into quality-of-life benefits by making battery powered
products lighter and more powerful. Medical applications
alone, such as portable oxygen devices, wheelchairs,
and mechanical-assist equipment will improve the ambulatory
capabilities of disabled or medically impaired patients."
Fluid Power. The EVP Proportional
Control Valve from Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc.
took top honors in the fluid power category. www.clippard.com
www.clippard.com
Computer Productivity Tools. The
Alibre Design Professional from Alibre, Inc. won this
category. www.alibre.com
Electrical/Electronics. The Amulet
Technologies LCD takes it all for the Electrical/Electronics
category. www.amulettechnologies.com www.amulettechnologies.com
Fastening, Joining & Assembly, and Materials.
W.L. Gore & Associates scored highest for its Trackless
Cable AssembliesTM. www.gore.com www.gore.com
Test, Measurement & Control. National
Instruments' LabVIEWTM 7 Express wins the Test, Measurement,
& Control category. www.ni.com www.ni.com
From these six finalists, we need your help deciding
which one should reign supreme as the Best Product of
2003. On the following pages, read up on each contender,
and see what our judges had to say about its significance.
Choose the product that you think best exemplifies creativity,
innovation, and usefulness in design engineering and
send us your vote via e-mail at dnbestproduct@reedbusiness.com,
or fax to 617-558-4512 (see ballot, page 72). Voters
will be eligible to win a $100.00 American Express gift
certificate. All votes must be received by December
10, 2003, and only one vote per subscriber, please.
The overall winner of the Best Product of the Year contest
will be featured in the February 23, 2004 Engineering
Awards issue of Design News.
PANEL OF JUDGES
Dr. Raul G. Longoria, Associate Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University
of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Dick Miller, Technology Consultant,
North Andover, MA
Michael Ruane, Associate Professor
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Photonics Center,
Boston University, Boston, MA
Douglas Stamps, Ph.D., Associate
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Evansville,
Evansville, IN
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