It’s 350º F under the hood of a stockcar. Throw in high vibrations (up to 600 g) and high electrical current demands (up to 140 A) and it’s not surprising that the alternator is said to be one of the most problem-prone parts in NASCAR engines. So in an effort to improve alternator temperature cooling (they can’t do much to adjust the velocity forces nor the electrical requirements), NASCAR approved routing a 1-in duct from the side of the radiator shroud to the alternator in 2009. While that was a helpful move, it presented problems for packaging under the hood.

Earnhardt Childress Racing (ECR), the engine manufacturing joint venture between racing organizations Dale Earnhardt Inc. and Richard Childress Racing, attempted to achieve the cooling duct by putting a secondary rear cover with a hose attachment onto the alternator. But the cooling efficiency was reduced by maintaining the original Bosch alternator cover. So ECR engineers, having learned of a polyamide-based material reinforced with carbon fibers during attendance at a motorsports expo in Italy, began using it to develop prototype replacement covers. The material, Windform XT from CRP Technology, allowed them to create the covers via rapid prototyping. However, because the material is partially conductive and because the packaging considerations were so tight as to not permit any electrical isolation, it they determined it couldn’t used for the application.

However, the time investment wasn’t lost because CRP had recently developed a material that is reinforced with glass fibers, Windform LX, which also exhibits strength and thermal resistance. So six alternator covers were initially created and track tested, showing a 20º F reduction in stator motor temperature and excellent durability. Rapid prototyping then turned to rapid production as 50 covers were created for installation onto the alternators in ECR NASCAR Cup engines. In 12 races, not one alternator failed. That’s engineering for reliability in extreme conditions.

XCOR Aerospace made a leap into the space tourism industry with the development of its Lynx suborbital spacecraft, as you may recall from a previous edition of Time Compression. But that’s not all XCOR has done to accelerate out-of-this-world travel. Although less exotic than a spaceplane, perhaps, XCOR has worked for the past eight years in developing better piston pumps for space applications. Most recently, in association with United Launch Alliance (ULA), it developed a liquid hydrogen piston pump over a four-month period using rapid prototyping techniques.

So what’s the benefit of the piston pump vs. the more commonly used turbopumps? Longer life, lower costs, lighter weight and the ability to operate over a wider range of speeds, all of which are important for implementation into the private space sector.

What better way to distinguish your company from others than by developing innovative products? However, not all companies actually do that. So the government of Singapore has decided to do something about it. It’s offering tax incentives for innovative design projects in Singapore.

Yes, government has budgeted a tax incentive over a five-year period for innovative industrial and product design projects as a means to establish more competitive businesses. The incentive is good for up to 250% of total income. After approval of the project, companies must complete the design process and develop an end product resulting in new intellectual property within two years to qualify. After all, those tax breaks have to have some deliverable.

It pays to be innovative, especially in Singapore

King Tut has been dead since 1343 B.C., but soon his creepy, decayed, mummified corpse will be resurrected in New York City. Well, kind of. To make the Discovery Times Square Exposition unique, organizers decided to have a replica of the famed golden king’s mummy created for display. Here’s a look at how King Tut was created for his “Big Apple” debut using Materialise software and 3D printers:

Word is that Brendan Fraser isn’t allowed within 100 yards of the mummy replica.

Try saying that five times: “Quirky gets quicker. Quirky gets quicker. Quirky gets. . . . “

It’s true: With fast time-to-market as a key goal in its online collaborative platform, Quirky – a social networking site for product development – chose the Connex350 from Objet to speed up the prototype process.

According to Ben Kaufman, CEO and founder of quirky.com, Quirky has brought 13 products to market since June 2009. “Now with the Connex350, there is no telling what we can do,” he says. “Bring it on.”

Bring it on, indeed. The Connex350 uses its patented PolyJet Matrix technology – the first technology capable of simultaneously jetting different types of materials – to build materials in ultra-thin layers and then cure each layer with UV light, all in a matter of minutes. Now that’s quick. And now it’s at Quirky. So Quirky is. . .quicker.

Connex350 from Objet

If you thought the only way to clear a congested artery was through high-pressure angioplasty, think again. Medical tool developer Cardiovascular Systems has developed a “sanding” device that breaks up plaque from inside a blood vessel.

That’s right: A sanding device. The tool is the Diamondback 360, and it works as its crown rapidly rotates against plaque buildup inside a blood vessel to break it into particles smaller than red blood cells, restoring blood flow within minutes. It was designed using SolidWorks software—3DVIA Composer to formulate design and animation and Simulation Premium to optimize the performance of plastic components—in nine months, half the time compared to its previous design methods.

Now that’s giving the 10 million Americans that suffer from poor limb circulation a more convenient way to enjoy those little things in life again.

Open innovation can be lucrative.

As in the $250,000 that Owens Corning is putting up for its Composite App Challenge.

Yes, $250K.

As Ashish Diwanji, vp of innovation for the Owens Corning Composite Solutions Business, put it, “As a company, we continually invest millions of dollars globally in innovation to enhance existing products and develop new technologies and solutions. This competition is about joining forces with other great thinkers with great ideas, and driving the speed at which composites is transforming the future of the materials market even more quickly.”

They’re looking for composite applications that address

• Infrastructure Durability—from bridges to streets
• Fuel Efficiency—Planes, trains, automobiles, etc.
• Renewable Energy—Wind and beyond
• Protection from Harm—Personal or vehicle protection

You’ve got to act quickly. Applications or ideas have to be submitted to the Challenge’s website by July 15, 2010.

By GSV

When your slogan is “For the World’s Fastest Racers,” it’s not likely that you’re going to do anything slow. And when you’re known for providing fashion-forward gear, it’s not likely that you’re going to do anything dull.

So at Troy Lee Designs, they’re designing helmets that are both stylish and functional—after all, the heads of the racers wearing the lids depend on them—in as little as half the time as had been previously required thanks to the implementation of 3D digital prototyping software from Autodesk. Specifically: Alias Surface and Autodesk Showcase, the former for modeling and the latter for creating near-photorealistic renderings.

Faster is better.

While it is often the case that product designers try to get as high a resolution as possible after performing digital scans of models, that’s not that direction being followed by shoe and fashion design house United Nude for its line of Lo Res shoes.

To develop the shoes, the United Nude designers are using a digital scanner and Rapidform XOR software from INUS Technology.

As is the case with scanning, there is a point cloud generated. When the points are connected to describe the shape of an object, they form triangles. Generally, the resolution is made as high as possible so that the number of triangles is increased, thereby generating a smoother surface. The lower the resolution, the larger the triangles.

However, for the Lo Res shoe, the designers wanted to get the appearance of the larger triangles but, at the same time, maintain the overall shape of the shoe—after all, it is meant to be worn.

So the Rapidform polygon decimation function was called into play. It preserves the original shape and boundaries of the shoe while providing the angular look.

Rem Koolhaas, creative director and founder of United Nude said, “It is impressive to see how Rapidform’s 3D scanning technology can be applied to the fashion design field. The results from Rapidform inspire my designer’s instinct, which leads me to continuous creative art works.”

And, yes, you can buy the Lo Res shoes.

When you think “Honda” you might think “Accord” or “Civic,” but the company does a whole lot of other things in its pursuit of mobility and sustainability.

One of those developments, the Bodyweight Support Assist device, which was developed at the company's Fundamental Research Center, also the home of ASIMO the humanoid robot, will be on display at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York, from May 14 through January 9, 2011.

It is part of the National Design Triennial “Why Design Now?” exhibition, which is featuring the work of international designers who have focused on using design to help address such things as sustainability, accessibility, universality, fair trade, conservation, and other issues.

Check out the device here:

It is a far cry from an Accord.