April 23, 2008 Revamped Voluntary Specification, AAMA 1801-08 describes sound transmission loss measurement procedure for windows, doors, and glazed wall sections. Test Reports were added to 8-page document, addressing verification of manufacturer's statement, filler wall transmission loss, and items to include in detailed description of glazing material. In addition, reference to ASTM E 90 Standard was added, as well as diagram detailing test specimen installation.

April 22, 2008 According to survey conducted jointly by consulting firm Deloitte, NAM, manufacturing institute, and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, 49% of manufacturers in U.S., Canada, and Mexico have found that NAFTA agreement has enabled them to grow their business within and outside North America. Another 41% report that NAFTA has had neutral or slightly positive effect on their business. Only 10% of companies say that NAFTA has had negative impact on business activity.

April 22, 2008 According to API's year-end Monthly Statistical Report, U.S. first quarter fuel demand, as measured by deliveries of petroleum products, was 1.4% below year-ago levels. API statistics showed that gasoline deliveries rose 0.7% in quarter, more than offset by 1.8% drop in distillate deliveries, 0.5% decline in jet fuel deliveries, and 18.4% decline in residual fuel oil demand. U.S. gasoline output rose to 8.85 million barrels/day, a 1.5% increase compared to first quarter 2007.

April 22, 2008 At RMA's annual meeting, 53 tire and rubber manufacturing facilities were recognized for improvements in worker health and safety. Excellence award category goes to facilities that achieve lost workday incidence rate that is 75% better than average achieved by plants that provided data to RMA. Improvement award is for plants that achieve lost workday incidence rate that is both 10% better than previous year and same or better than RMA average.

April 22, 2008 With ACCA Networks, contractors and other HVACR professionals can connect with and learn from each other. Networks offer private online discussion and file sharing capabilities to members of association, combining email notifications and online archiving in flexible system. Participants can choose to receive messages from each network on daily, weekly, or per-message basis. Current networks are available for Residential Contractors, Commercial Contractors, and HVACR Educators.

April 22, 2008 Up until May 9, 2008, ACCA is accepting submissions for its Safety Masters Club recognition program, which recognizes ACCA contractors who have made significant impact on workplace safety by implementing programs that produce results. It also gives contractors opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to safety in the workplace. Contractors with best safety record in their size category will also be presented with ACCA Safety Award of Merit.

April 22, 2008 In historic agreement, NAM and EPA announced Memorandum of Understanding to help improve energy efficiency of U.S. manufacturers, who use nearly one third of energy in U.S. Under agreement, NAM will challenge its member companies to reduce energy use across all operations by 10% or more. If manufacturing industry reduced energy use by 10%, manufacturers would save nearly $10.4 billion and enough energy to power nearly 10 million American homes for one year.

April 21, 2008 Held in conjunction with a technical program and other activities, Turbo Expo 2008 - Gas Turbine Technical Congress and Exposition is set for June 9-13, in Berlin, Germany. Showcasing the products and services of engine manufacturers, software developers, and other organizations involved in research and experimentation for gas turbines, it will also include publishers as well as makers of diagnostics and control equipment.

April 21, 2008 Themed "Innovative Partnering: Interdisciplinary Challenges to Designing the Future," the conference will enable engineers and other technical professionals to learn how to apply critical skill sets, collaborations, and business strategies needed sustain a competitive engineering practice. Michael Rogers will moderate 3 plenary sessions that cover Envisioning the Future; Critical Skills Needed to Overcome 21st Century Challenges; and Partnering: Interdisciplinary Approaches are the Keys to Success.

April 21, 2008 The Elements of Mechanical Design from ASME Press covers the basic principles, rules, and practices of mechanical design. Written by James G. Skakoon, the 104-page book serves as a primer for the young professional or refresher for the experienced designer. It covers topics such as elastic constraints, friction, rotary motion, stiffness, and surface matching and contains 3 parts, including a section with advice and tips relating to 3D bracing, self-aligning assembly, and other basic topics.

April 21, 2008 Society of Manufacturing Engineers has uploaded more than 60 short and informative SME videos to YouTube's "greatest video hits". Videos give brief snippets of manufacturing's most in-demand or need-to-know processes. Some videos available include: Lean Manufacturing in a Small Shop, Nanomanufacturing, Liquid Molding, Affordable Automation for Small and Medium Facilities, Composite Materials, and Mapping Your Value Stream. New selections are added monthly.

April 21, 2008 On May 12 at 2:00 pm EST, Air and Waste Management Association will present Webinar titled "Best Markets for U.S. Air Pollution Control Equipment." Webinar will cover process of exporting air pollution control equipment, leading markets that purchase exports, and promising markets of the future. Marc Lemmond and Todd DeLelle will lead Webinar and present their analysis on latest issues and trends surrounding exportation of air pollution control equipment.

April 21, 2008 In Shelby County, TN, Mid-South IEC association has joined area businesses and independent contractors to provide labor and some materials for much needed backup generator. Major donors include, but are not limited to, local companies Thomas and Betts, Graybar Electrical Contractors Supply, Anderson Electric, and ARC Electric. Manpower and materials were donated at reduced rates, making $230,000 project only half that cost.

April 21, 2008 OPC Foundation has created program to increase market share for system integrators and distributors and, at the same time, provide solid foundation for new members to provide highest quality services in deployment of products from different vendors. Original focus of OPC Foundation was targeted to vendors developing shrink-wrap products and providing specifications, technology, and certification to facilitate multivendor interoperability.

April 21, 2008 The PTO has appointed Victor Wolowec as the latest addition to the PTO Board of Directors. Replacing former PTO Board member Todd Hubbell, Wolowec is VP, Solutions Business at Endress+Hauser and joins board members Filomena Wardzel, Robb Black, Thad Frost, and Michael Bryant. Wolowec and his team will deliver the tools, information, and management required to support a variety of process engineering applications.

April 21, 2008 NEMA has published ANSI/NEMA OS 3-2007 Selection and Installation Guidelines for Electrical Outlet Boxes. The edition includes revisions to the summary table for support of luminaires, fixtures, and other products; a table of fan support weight ratings; and a list of weight classifications for ceiling-suspended fan boxes. There are also revisions to permitted markings on boxes for fan support; and it removes device boxes as being capable of supporting products weighing 6-49 lb in or on walls.

April 18, 2008 IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries has elected 10 directors and 3 officers, including chairman, Nilesh Naik, CEO of OneSource Group, for period of April 2008 to March 2010. Rex Rozario has worked in PCB industry from its inception, while Zhou Xin has 20 years of technical and research experience in electronics manufacturing. Co-founder of SMEMA, Robert Black Jr. has nearly 35 years of senior executive management experience in circuit board and semiconductor industries.

April 18, 2008 The 16th International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE 16) will take place May 11-15, 2008 at the Walt Disney World Contemporary Resort in Orlando, FL. Sponsored by ASME, Chinese Nuclear Society, and Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, its theme is Powering the Way to a Cleaner and Brighter Future. Keynote speakers will include Dale Klein, Dennis Spurgeon, Toshiaki Enomoto, Romana Jordan-Cizelj, Jianfeng Yu, and Ihor Ostash.

April 17, 2008 The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) at the NIST is launching a series of webcasts to inform interested parties about the new grants program designed to fund high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need. The first 2 will feature TIP Director Marc Stanley to discuss An Overview of TIP on Wednesday, April 23, 2008, from 2:00-3:30 pm EDT and Areas of Critical National Need from 2:00-3:30 pm EDT on Thursday, May 15, 2008.

April 17, 2008 On Thursday, April 17, "RFID in Casinos" will be examined at luncheon panel during IEEE RFID 2008. RFID can provide real-time visibility to casino management in tracking people and high-value products. John M. Kendall, president and CEO of CHIPCO International, will describe how to evaluate RFID technology, illustrate radio frequency choices based on applications, and provide guidance in developing ROI formula for new technology investments.