- Email: [email protected]
Two US agencies join forces to coordinate research
International news
Pre-finished steel can resemble timber A pre-painted steel material which provides the appearance and feel of timber and can even be stained or overpainted using proprietary wood care products has been developed by British Steel Strip Products. Colorcoat Woodgrain Plastisol comprises galvanized strip steel which is coil coated with a 200 lam, plastisol paint formulation which accepts wood stains and paints designed for use on timber. Timber look-alike pre-finished steels in themselves are not new - they were originally developed around pvc laminated films in the 1960s for use as fire-resistant cladding in shir, interiors--but British Steel Strip Products says its new material is more convincing in both appearance and tactility. It is also said to be the first timber effect pre-painted steel that can be used in external environments. The first use s in security entrance doors for use in the public housing sector where the material is used with dense polyurethane injected foam to produce a
A prototype steel garden shed from British Steel's Product Development Centre high-strength composite door design. This manut:acturing process produces a door which is lighter than a comparable solid core hardwood door.
Two US agencies join forces to coordinate research
Neural computing club for industrial informationprocessing applications ERA Technology is launching an application demonstrator club in the UK directed at the development of industrial information-processing applications of neural computing technology. Neural computing technology has advanced rapidly in recent years and is now suitable for use in a wide range of industrial applications. The technology is modelled loosely on the processes thought to take place in the human brain and represents a significant departure from the principles of conventional computer systems. The main benefit of the new approach is that it is possible to avoid some of the fundamental limitations which exist in the application of conventional computer technology in many real-world applications. This applies particularly to those tasks which are performed efficiently by humans such as the recognition of patterns. Ihe learning of new skills and the analysis of data which may be noisy, corrupt or incomplete. After a gestation period in academia dating back 50 years, the technology is now at the stage where it can ofl;er attractive benefits to many industries. The ERA club will concentrate on the
Further information flom British Steel Strip Products, Market Communications Dept, PO Box 10. Newport, Gwent NP9 0NX, UK.
relatively general topic of industrial information processing, paying particular attention to industrial sensor systems, plant monitoring, image analysis and system control. In this way it is hoped to avoid artificial divisions between application areas, thus providing scope for the integrated application of neural computing. Typical examples of the need for integration are the combination of functions such as control and plant monitoring, plant monitoring and sensor processing, processing of sensor data and image data and the application of control algorithms using images as input data. The benefits of neural computing technology relate mainly to the potential for improved automation within industry. Other possible benefits include improvements in quality, improved safety, greater environmental protection, reduced down-time, reduced wastage of raw products and lower energy consumption. Dr A G Carr, ERA Technology Ltd, Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7SA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)372 374151, Ext. 2489. Fax: + 44 (0)372 374496.
NIST and the National Science Foundation have long histories of supporting and conducting a variety of research programmes in the USA. NIST's work is primarily directed toward industrial outreach, and NSF's activities are geared to academia. A new agreement between the two agencies links NSF and NIST in order to transfer basic technology discoveries from academic laboratories to the marketplace. The agreement will coordinate research common to the two agencies in four areas: advanced materials and processing: manufacturing technology: chemical science and engineering, including biotechnology; and high-performance computing and communications. The joint agreement is designed to help key industrial sectors of the US economy. For example, chemists and chemical engineers account for 51% of the US workforce in research and development. It is hoped that joint NIST and NSF programs in chemical sciences such as biotechnology, materials processing, health care, energy and petroleum refining will help enhance the competitive position of these industries in world markets.
Materials & Design Volume 14 Number 5 1993
309
Pre-finished steel can resemble timber A pre-painted steel material which provides the appearance and feel of timber and can even be stained or overpainted using proprietary wood care products has been developed by British Steel Strip Products. Colorcoat Woodgrain Plastisol comprises galvanized strip steel which is coil coated with a 200 lam, plastisol paint formulation which accepts wood stains and paints designed for use on timber. Timber look-alike pre-finished steels in themselves are not new - they were originally developed around pvc laminated films in the 1960s for use as fire-resistant cladding in shir, interiors--but British Steel Strip Products says its new material is more convincing in both appearance and tactility. It is also said to be the first timber effect pre-painted steel that can be used in external environments. The first use s in security entrance doors for use in the public housing sector where the material is used with dense polyurethane injected foam to produce a
A prototype steel garden shed from British Steel's Product Development Centre high-strength composite door design. This manut:acturing process produces a door which is lighter than a comparable solid core hardwood door.
Two US agencies join forces to coordinate research
Neural computing club for industrial informationprocessing applications ERA Technology is launching an application demonstrator club in the UK directed at the development of industrial information-processing applications of neural computing technology. Neural computing technology has advanced rapidly in recent years and is now suitable for use in a wide range of industrial applications. The technology is modelled loosely on the processes thought to take place in the human brain and represents a significant departure from the principles of conventional computer systems. The main benefit of the new approach is that it is possible to avoid some of the fundamental limitations which exist in the application of conventional computer technology in many real-world applications. This applies particularly to those tasks which are performed efficiently by humans such as the recognition of patterns. Ihe learning of new skills and the analysis of data which may be noisy, corrupt or incomplete. After a gestation period in academia dating back 50 years, the technology is now at the stage where it can ofl;er attractive benefits to many industries. The ERA club will concentrate on the
Further information flom British Steel Strip Products, Market Communications Dept, PO Box 10. Newport, Gwent NP9 0NX, UK.
relatively general topic of industrial information processing, paying particular attention to industrial sensor systems, plant monitoring, image analysis and system control. In this way it is hoped to avoid artificial divisions between application areas, thus providing scope for the integrated application of neural computing. Typical examples of the need for integration are the combination of functions such as control and plant monitoring, plant monitoring and sensor processing, processing of sensor data and image data and the application of control algorithms using images as input data. The benefits of neural computing technology relate mainly to the potential for improved automation within industry. Other possible benefits include improvements in quality, improved safety, greater environmental protection, reduced down-time, reduced wastage of raw products and lower energy consumption. Dr A G Carr, ERA Technology Ltd, Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7SA, UK. Tel: +44 (0)372 374151, Ext. 2489. Fax: + 44 (0)372 374496.
NIST and the National Science Foundation have long histories of supporting and conducting a variety of research programmes in the USA. NIST's work is primarily directed toward industrial outreach, and NSF's activities are geared to academia. A new agreement between the two agencies links NSF and NIST in order to transfer basic technology discoveries from academic laboratories to the marketplace. The agreement will coordinate research common to the two agencies in four areas: advanced materials and processing: manufacturing technology: chemical science and engineering, including biotechnology; and high-performance computing and communications. The joint agreement is designed to help key industrial sectors of the US economy. For example, chemists and chemical engineers account for 51% of the US workforce in research and development. It is hoped that joint NIST and NSF programs in chemical sciences such as biotechnology, materials processing, health care, energy and petroleum refining will help enhance the competitive position of these industries in world markets.
Materials & Design Volume 14 Number 5 1993
309