NIKKEI Monozukuri May 2006

Feature
Taking on the challenge of user-friendliness

Moving away from a standardless"universal design"

Part 1 : S t a n d a rds for user-friendliness ? Raising the bar by seeing user-friendliness as a necessity; the need for mechanisms to prevent loss of flexibility
Part 2 : How to achieve it ? A realistic approach requires clarifying the levels
Part 3 : The challenge of exploring the unknown ? Research with human subjects can reveal the causes of difficulties in use and ways to correct them
Part4 : User-friendliness in the workplace ? The flexibility of cell production can meet the various range of needs of workers at factories

Frank Opinion

We should find new frontiers in mature technologies

Kaleidoscope

Masters at fighting fakes do not allow themselves to be counterfeited

Detailed Reports

A new balance mechanism for parallel two-cylinder motorcycle engines
Genesis has developed SR motors with greater torque by incorporating rare earth magnets into them
Can GridASP, developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology,
be commercialized?
UGS’s solution for manufacturing process optimization allows users to verify movements at a fast
pace by using“JT”
Hamamatsu Photonics has developed a high-powered fiber laser

Introductory Course on Analysis for Designers

(Part 5)Coupled analysis of heat and structure

New Ideas

Folding umbrellas whose ribs are concentrated into two positions using thin rectangular parts, etc.

Search for Manufacturing

Speedy development: its effects on business performance and the burden it places on workers are both evident

Special Report

Risk assessment is becoming virtually obligatory
In a 3D modeling environment, there are jobs that designers should do and jobs they shouldn’

The Method

Seven tools for product planning (Part 2) Methods for inspections

Toyota Production System and Its New Developments

(Part 5) Automatization and standard operations

Documentary

A story about an SME whose shares were listed on a stock exchange (Part 3) One chance in a million

Material Dynamics Mandala

(Part 17) Precautions should be taken to minimize the effects of multiple stresses

How to Select and Buy Low-Priced Parts in China

(Part 5)The key to successful procurement of assembled products is understanding the assembly process

Outstanding SMEs

Kumakura Corporationn
Hikarikikai Seisakusho

The Master

(Part 24) If there is no stone bridge, jump

Accident Investigation

An RDF storage silo exploded twice, and the government and its manufacturer blame each other for the accidents

Interview

Makoto Kawamura: President, Kyocera Corporation

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NE Asia fulfills your needs by offering articles covering a wide spectrum of topics. In addition to the English edition, the local editions for Taiwan and Korea now offer editorial sections written by local editors. Magazine Subscription Information	You can subscribe to the magazines of NikkeiBP from outside Japan at the same price as in Japan! Magazine Subscription Information The NE ASIA News Update e-newsletter
Nikkei Electronics Asia (monthly) We are offering a magazine monthly to qualified engineers and managers free of charge. In-depth Articles from Nikkei Electronics Asia Cover Story SSDs Challenge HDDs, but Quality a Problem Solid-state drives (SSD) using NAND Flash memory are beginning to show up in a variety of equipment as storage devices. Prices are dropping as semiconductor technology continues to evolve, accelerating adoption of the drives, but manufacturers must also deal with eroding quality. Analysis Expanded Use of Silicon Tuners Transforms Tvs With analog television broadcasting slated for the axe in about two years in Japan, TV broadcast tuners are evolving rapidly, replacing old radio frequency (RF) analog circuits with new integrated circuits (IC) called silicon tuners. Signal demodulators are evolving with them, and by tracing the direction of their evolution it is possible to delineate the shape of tomorrow's TV. Convenience Stores Lead in Energy Conservation Convenience store franchises are moving to slash energy consumption following the revision of the Japanese Act on the Rational Use of Energy, and are rapidly becoming showcases for cutting-edge energy-conservation technology. The technologies honed here will spread to other firms in the distribution industry, office buildings and more, eventually worldwide.	Nikkei Electronics (biweekly) The magazine for electronics designers and managers. Cover Story Electronic Books: Opening the Door to Major Participants Nikkei Monozukuri (monthly) Design You Won't Regret - How to Reduce the Risk of Accidents Cover Story Time to Focus on Human-Resources Development Nikkei Microdevices (monthly) The most comprehensive technical journal for makers and users of LSIs and LCDs. Cover Story Optical interconnection on electronic equipment Nikkei Automotive Technology (bimonthly) The comprehensive automotive technology magazine. Cover Story Impact of Honda Insight

MAGAZINES IN ENGLISH

MAGAZINES IN JAPANESE

NE Asia fulfills your needs by offering articles covering a wide spectrum of topics. In addition to the English edition, the local editions for Taiwan and Korea now offer editorial sections written by local editors.
Magazine Subscription Information

You can subscribe to the magazines of NikkeiBP from outside Japan at the same price as in Japan!
Magazine Subscription Information
The NE ASIA News Update e-newsletter

Nikkei Electronics Asia (monthly)

We are offering a magazine monthly to qualified engineers and managers free of charge.

In-depth Articles from Nikkei Electronics Asia

Cover Story SSDs Challenge HDDs, but Quality a Problem

Solid-state drives (SSD) using NAND Flash memory are beginning to show up in a variety of equipment as storage devices. Prices are dropping as semiconductor technology continues to evolve, accelerating adoption of the drives, but manufacturers must also deal with eroding quality.

Analysis Expanded Use of Silicon Tuners Transforms Tvs

With analog television broadcasting slated for the axe in about two years in Japan, TV broadcast tuners are evolving rapidly, replacing old radio frequency (RF) analog circuits with new integrated circuits (IC) called silicon tuners. Signal demodulators are evolving with them, and by tracing the direction of their evolution it is possible to delineate the shape of tomorrow's TV.

Convenience Stores Lead in Energy Conservation

Convenience store franchises are moving to slash energy consumption following the revision of the Japanese Act on the Rational Use of Energy, and are rapidly becoming showcases for cutting-edge energy-conservation technology. The technologies honed here will spread to other firms in the distribution industry, office buildings and more, eventually worldwide.