The Southco Honeoye Falls Facility is nurturing the next generation of engineers through the sponsorship of a team of local high-school students, who not only competed in this year’s regional FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), but took the top honor against 41 teams.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. FIRST sponsors events for K-12 students which are designed to help them discover and develop a passion for science, engineering, technology and math.
As the main focus of this year’s FRC, Honeoye’s team, the SUITS (Students Utilizing Ingenuity Technology and Science) created a robot that they used to participate in this year’s tournament, which required them to compete against other teams by executing a series of tasks for points.
The robot, which was designed and completely built within six weeks according to strict FIRST deadlines, also helped the team to secure the Rookie Highest Seed Award in addition to their victory at the Finger Lakes Regional Competition at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in March.
Building a robot in only six weeks was no easy task. However, when it comes to design, Southco’s engineers are always up for a challenge. It’s only natural that Honeoye Falls’ own Rick Langkamp, Manager of Manufacturing Technology and New Product Development, would jump at the opportunity to mentor the SUITS and help them design, execute and test a robot in such a short time.
“It’s a very aggressive timeframe,” said Langkamp, who has over 28 years of experience with Southco. “It would be a stretch even if I brought it in here as a regular project.”
Langkamp is no stranger to FIRST – his own son has participated in the FIRST LEGO-League, a category for kids grades 4-8. Langkamps’s main focus as a mentor for the SUITS team is assisting them in the programming for the control system of the robot.
Langkamp, who has been with Southco since he was an engineering co-op, works primarily with mechanical and electronic controls and sensors, focusing on new product development and new manufacturing processes. He was impressed with the quality and sophistication of the software and full kit of electronic parts available to his team, which are provided by FIRST sponsors and are available to them for a full 12 months.
“We never had access to this cool stuff when I was a kid,” said Langkamp. “Imagine the potential of kids who come up through the program and what they could contribute to the future of engineering,” he said.
Southco’s products played a key role in the development of the team’s robot, said Langkamp. Scrap metal from Southco’s production facility, fasteners, latching hardware and other machined parts from the Honeoye Falls facility were used in the robot’s construction. Southco’s Information Technology (IT) team even donated several old laptops for the team to use when programming the robot.
The SUITS’ robot has a variety of advanced features and is designed to be as close to a real engineering experience as possible. Langkamp said that the robot-building process offered by FIRST is unique in that:
- The frame is typically built from aluminum channel , similar to 80/20 aluminum.
- A programmable logic controller from National instruments is included in the control system (These are programmed in Labview, Java, or C++).
- A wireless network access point is incorporated, as all robots are required to run on a wireless network during the competition.
- Electronics includes variable speed motors , switches, solenoids, servomechanisms and lighting.
- Many robots incorporate a camera and vision system as well as ultrasonic sensors, gyros and accelerometers.
- Teams also have the option of using a pneumatic compressor and air cylinders.
- It is up to each FRC team to decide how they want to design their robot using Autocad, Pro- E (CREO) and other software.
- The teams are held to a budget of $3200, with a maximum allowed robot weight of 120 lbs.
In addition to the robot design, FRC teams are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand” and work together as a team. With the help of their team leader,
Mike Shaughnessy, the SUITS have raised over $21K to pay for their entry fees and travel costs. The SUITS also sell LED light bulbs to support their team.
“It’s just a great program,” said Langkamp. “There is something for everyone because kids involved can choose to do marketing, fundraising and finance, not just engineering.”
Look for the SUITS’ logo, a black shirt with white tie, at the FIRST Championship competition, which will be hosted at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri on April 25-28. The SUITS (Team #3951) will compete against other regional winners as they contend for the top spot in the national competition.
Data center engineers dedicate sizeable amounts of time to designing enclosures, which includes specifying cabinet storage that will ultimately house the complete system. Factors such as size, materials, rack dimensions, security, heating and cooling options and the costs associated are all considered by engineers throughout the design, but when it comes to accessibility, it sometimes isn’t approached until the very end of the design process. 
the enclosure door. When installed, the Swinghandle, which nests into its housing with minimal protrusion, sits on the outside of the cabinet door, and pops up to swing smoothly for easy latch actuation. The cam mechanism sits on the inside of the enclosure door, and a series of rods that run up the entire length of the door are activated by a linear actuator, releasing the latch when the Swinghandle is rotated.
Last week we discussed how strength is often one of the first considerations when choosing a 
We all know that safety and security are paramount concerns for the healthcare industry. Providers need to restrict access to patient records, medications and equipment. They need to ensure regulatory compliance. And they often need the ability to monitor systems remotely. It’s a challenge. And it’s one that Southco takes seriously.
compromised. Whether it’s quarter-turn locks or advanced compression and push-to-close latches, Southco’s mechanical access solutions ensure that information, medication and supplies stay protected. Locks are robust and vandal-resistant, and flexible Key Choice systems offer different locking options. Automatic locking, multipoint systems and stainless steel construction are all features of various mechanical solutions. 
But there are instances when managing physical keys is simply not practical or when dealing with HIPAA requirements. Electronic access solutions such as keypads, electronic keys and RF-based proximity card readers eliminate mechanical keys and work with existing networks. Providers can use these components for remote monitoring, electronic signature and audit trails. What’s also nice is that electronic locks offer programmability that enables automatic relocking, time delays and other unique requirements. 
Recently, Southco helped retrofit a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber that operates from the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in Cambridgeshire, UK with new Dzus Fasteners.
Wind Energy… Firmly entrenched in Europe wind energy is an exciting opportunity for North America and beyond. And boy, did the 2010 Wind Power Show in Dallas indicate that. Over 20,000 attendees and nearly 1400 exhibitors representing companies from countries all over the world including Germany, Spain, Italy, India, Canada, China, Korea and many others. And the diversity of the offerings was immense… from the largest wind turbines you have ever seen, to the ladders and hoists that allow access and service, to the components inside the turbine that control pitch, power conversion, etc, to the trucking and transport companies responsible for transporting these large turbines and blades across the country.
So let’s talk about the exhibitors. The turbines are unbelievably large. Anyone who has ever seen a wind turbine across a field has little idea of the magnitude of these structures. Or of a single blade. Or of the nacelle. These structures make people look like ants! All of the major manufacturers were there and it was impressive group.
shop regionally, and thus need local suppliers in each region.
Part 3 of a 3-part series on off-highway access components
For about five years now, we have been designing 
embedded computing— improving time to market, reducing development and material costs, and allowing OEMs to focus on their specialized components (special sauce!), while fitting in the bigger picture. 
other than telecom. Much like its predecessor CompactPCI, telecom was the original target market for ATCA (along with AMC and MicroTCA) and was expected to show the highest revenue and growth. According to VDC Research Group, telecom accounted for 70% of cPCI business in 2007. However, a funny thing happened on the way to adoption… other markets surpassed telecom, especially in AMC and MicroTCA applications. According to Crystal Cube Consulting, the MicroTCA vertical market breakdown in 2009 showed that Military/Aerospace market share was triple that of Telecom, with Medical and Industrial following closely behind. 
This week Design News announced its Annual 
If you'd like to get started on an electronic access solution integration, be sure to check out our new 
Make no mistake: The devil is, almost certainly, in the details. Today’s consumers notice everything about a product, including—and especially—the little things. One Wall Street Journal review of a luxury automobile obsessed on the poor performance of a cup holder representing a tiny fraction of the car’s overall cost.
Touchpoint Engineering holds tremendous promise by offering a methodical way to address the questions that likely are not at the forefront of a designer’s mind when he or she initially sets out to solve a mechanical problem.
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