ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF

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                  ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF
                        E-Mail Newsletter

                               No.25
             Issued by the Asian TOP Panel, January 2004

           The Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES)
           The Institution of Engineers, Indonesia (PII)
           The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME)
           The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME)

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    According to the agreement made in the 2nd Asian TOP Panel Meeting,
the ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF (E-mail newsletter) has now been edited
by the KSME for the year 2004. This is the first issue of the year of
2004 and the 25th " Engineering News Brief".

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[Contents]

(1) China's Machinery Giant Reports Record Business Volume (Source:CMES)
(2) Beijing to Build the Largest Numerical Control Machine Base in China
    (Source: CMES)
(3) Toshiba Restructures Business in Mainland (Source: CMES)
(4) China's old industrial base eyes bright future with ambitious plan
    (Source: CMES)
(5) Smart Prototyping -- A Remote Modeling System (Source : JSME)
(6) Multifunctional Alloys "GUM METAL" (Source : JSME)
(7) New Thermal Control Functional Material: Variable Emittance
    Radiator (SRD) (Source : JSME)
(8) Minutes of the 2nd Asian TOP Panel (Source : KSME)
(9) Board Members for 2004 (Source: KSME)

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(1) China's Machinery Giant Reports Record Business Volume (Source:CMES)

China's biggest engineering machinery producer has become the country's
first corporation of its kind with annual business volume exceeding 10
billion yuan (1.2 billion US dollars).
With 26 wholly-owned companies, joint ventures, and companies with or
without controlling shares, the group company produced 418 varieties of
machinery and equipment, including cranes, road rollers and loading
machines.
The group employs about 3,000 researchers and developers.
The group has set a target of 20 billion yuan (2.4 billion US dollars)
in sales for 2004, 15 billion yuan (1.8 billion US dollars) in sales of
industrial goods for the year.
The group was founded in 1989 in Xuzhou City in east China's Jiangsu
Province, east China.

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(2) Beijing to Build the Largest Numerical Control Machine Base in China
    (Source: CMES)

Vice Beijing Mayor Lu Hao lately expressed, to be adaptable to the rapid
development of China's equipment manufacturing industry, Beijing will
vigorously develop the machine building industry, with focus on the
numerical control machines with high technical contents.
Lu Hao made this remark when attending the business opening ceremony of
the Chinese-Japanese joint venture - the Beijing No. 1 Okuma (Beijing)
Co., Ltd.
The Beijing No. 1 Okuma (Beijing) Co., Ltd. is so far the largest
numerical control machine production base in China, and can manufacture
the world's most advanced numerical control machines. At present, the
Company has an annual production capacity of some 1000 numerical control
machines.
Sources say, at present, top-grade numerical control machines used in
China were mainly imported, and the completion of the Beijing numerical
control machine production base will put and end to this pattern. As the
home-made numerical control machines are put into use, the cost of
China's equipment manufacturing industry will be further reduced, and as
a result, the international competitiveness of China's industrial
products will be improved.

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(3) Toshiba Restructures Business in Mainland (Source: CMES)

Toshiba (China) announced on Tuesday the establishment of a new company
in Shanghai in order to enhance the performance of its semiconductor
business in China.
By 2010, semiconductor sales from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and
Taiwan will account for more than 40 per cent of the world's total,
according to Toshiba.
The new company is scheduled to be put into operation in March, 2004.

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(4) China's old industrial base eyes bright future with ambitious plan
    (Source: CMES)

The three northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning
have formulated plans to rejuvenate this traditional industrial base,
according to the governors of the three provinces on January 7, 2004.
Their plans include regrouping existing industrial enterprises,
bringing in advanced technologies, boosting research and development
of new products, and opening the doors of state-owned industrial
enterprises to private investment from both at home and abroad.
"Our goal is to turn Liaoning into China's major equipment
manufacturing base and raw and semi-finished materials industrial
base," said Bo Xilai, governor of Liaoning, at a press conference.
"Special efforts will be made to develop three major industries--
high and new technology, farm produce processing and modern
services," he said.
Hong Hu, governor of Jilin, said that Jilin's aim is to build the
province into one of the major updated industrial bases of the
country by 2010.
In August 2003, China's central government drew up a strategy to
resuscitate the old industrial base in the three northeastern
provinces, aiming to build the northeast region into a national
--and even world-class -- industrial base for equipment
manufacturing and the extraction of important raw materials.
The three provinces have a total population of 108 million and cover
an area of 789,000 square kilometers, Dubbed the "industrial cradle
of New China," the region played a major role in the early industrial
development of China.
The central government launched 150 state key heavy industrial
projects during the first few years after the founding of New China
in 1949, one-third of which were built in this region. These projects
were in the fields of iron and steel, chemicals, heavy machinery,
automobiles and defense.
However, many of the traditional industrial enterprises that were
established in the 1950s when China practiced a planned economy
system, became less competitive, and some have been losing money over
the past 20 years when the policies of reform and opening-up were
implemented for the development of a market economy.
As a consequence, the proportion of the region's industrial output
value to the national total dropped to 9 percent from the former 17
percent. Some loss-making state industrial enterprises were closed.
To fully rejuvenate this declining industrial base, the central
government has worked out preferential policies and offers financial
support for industrial rejuvenation in the region, such as lightening
the tax burden on mining enterprises and offering support in the
aspect of social security. These policies will bring golden
opportunities for better gains for investors from both at home and
abroad.

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(5) Smart Prototyping -- A Remote Modeling System (Source : JSME)

    Hitoshi KIHARA
    SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.

The rapid prototyping process in product development is generally done
not by the project designers, but by an in-house project leader and a
prototyping contractor outside the company. If it were possible for the
designers to easily do the prototyping themselves whenever they wished,
it would increase the efficiency and shorten the time required for
product development.
With this in mind, we have developed Smart Prototyping, a system that
enables 3D designers to create prototypes using a modeling machine
installed in a remote location. The system has the following features.
* The modeling machine can be controlled and monitored by using network
technologies.
* A modeling-knowledge-supply system based on knowledge-creating logic
enables the use of expert know-how.
As a result, designers who do not have a modeling machine in their
department, and who lack specialized modeling knowledge, can easily
create prototypes from a remote location, thus helping to shorten the
design time.

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(6) Multifunctional Alloys "GUM METAL" (Source : JSME)

    Kazuaki NISHINO
    TOYOTA Central R&D LABS.,INC.

A new titanium alloy group, named as GUM METAL, which exhibits
multi-functions, such as ultra low elastic modulus, ultra high strength,
super elasticity, super plasticity at room temperature, Elinvar and
Invar properties, has been developed.
GUM METAL belongs to the beta-type titanium alloy and is basically
expressed as Ti3(Ta+Nb+V)+(Zr,Hf)+O. The above properties are
attributable to an arcane feature in relation to plastic deformation
of the alloy. The combined properties may make it extremely useful.
In addition to those applications that have already been commercialized
including spectacles frame and precision screws, low elastic modulus and
high strength can make the alloy suitable for ultra lightweight springs.
And it is considered to be applicable in a wide range for automotive
parts, medical equipment, sporting goods and aerospace industry.

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(7) New Thermal Control Functional Material: Variable Emittance
    Radiator (SRD) (Source : JSME)

    Akira Okamoto
    NEC TOSHIBA Space Systems, Ltd.

Maintaining moderate internal temperature against large variation of
solar heat load is the one of the technical challenges for the
inter-planetary spacecraft. The authors have developed the Smart
Radiation Device (SRD), which easily provides such function without
aids of any electrical instruments or mechanical parts. SRD is a thin
and light ceramic tile easy to attach on the spacecraft's external
surfaces. The material undergoes a metal-insulator transition at room
temperature and this allows the infrared emissivity of the device to
change from low to high as the temperature increases. Its positive
temperature variance of emissivity automatically stabilizes spacecraft
temperature near room temperature. That is, its low emissivity
suppresses cooling when it is cold and its high emissivity enhances
cooling when it is hot. It eventually reduces the electrical heater
power for thermal control, and decreases the mass for the thermal
control subsystem. SRD is expected to be applicable not only for
spacecraft but also for wide variety of ground usage such as energy
conservation of buildings.

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(8) Minutes of the 2nd Asian TOP Panel (Source : KSME)

Presidents of the following three societies met at Muju resort, Korea
on November 5-7, 2003, to discuss the joint programs and cooperation
among the mechanical engineering-related societies in Asia.

The Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES)
The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME)
The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME)
(The list of attendants is given at the final page of this minutes.)

The three societies agreed on the agenda as follows,

1. Presidents' Meeting
The next Asian TOP Panel meeting is scheduled for 2005, and the
Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society accepted the host society.
Other societies in Asia should also be invited at next meeting and
the CMES will take care of inviting other societies.

<Comments by the President-elect of the JSME>
"It should be discussed that some delegates continuously attend the
Asian TOP Panel Meetings for continuous promotion of the proposed
agenda at the Meetings."

2. Continuing issue of E-mail Newsletter
The monthly newsletter by E-mail will be issued continuously by
participating societies. Each society will provide several technical
news for every issue, and the host society will edit the news and
distribute to all participating societies by E-mail as before.
The KSME accepted the second host society of issuing E-mail Newsletter
for one year (2004), and the third host society will be determined by
the end of 2004.

3. Joint International Symposium
The participating society will continue to collaborate in organizing
joint international symposium. The second symposium was made as
invited special lectures during the 2nd Asian TOP Panel Meeting, 2003,
under the topic of "Mechanical Engineering Education in Each Country".
The third one will be planned by the CMES. Several themes for the next
symposium were considered including "Continuing Education &
Qualification of Engineering", and "Industry-Academia Cooperation" and
etc. The subject and scope of the next symposium will be proposed by
the CMES within two months after the 2nd Asian TOP Panel.

4. Joint Publication of Journal in English
The participating societies understood the significance of joint
publication of journal in English. Prof. Im, the editor of the KSME
International Journal has proposed one way of joint publication of
Journal in English. However, it was pointed out that there are many
complicated factors to be cleared for further consideration. Each
society will send its idea to the KSME after the 2nd Asian TOP Panel
Meeting.

Attendees of Asian TOP Panel
The Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES)
Mr. Qiang Zhang, Deputy General Secretary of the CMES
The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME)
Mr. Shigeho Tanaka, President of the JSME
    Chairman of the board of directors at Nagasaki Institute of Applied
    Science
Dr. Akira Nagashima, President-elect of the JSME
    Prof. of Mechanical Engineering Dept., Keio University
Mr. Masahiko Takahashi, Assistant Manager of JSME
    Staff Officer of Engineering Activities and International Affairs
The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME)
Prof. Kang Yong Lee, President of the KSME
Prof. Jung Yul Yoo, President-elect of the KSME
Prof. Soo-Won Chae, Executive Board Director,
    International Affairs, KSME
Prof. Seyoung Im, Editor, KSME International Journal

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(9) Board Members for 2004 (Source: KSME)

New board members of Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers have been
elected for the year of 2004.

President
Jung Yul Yoo, Ph.D., Seoul Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Vice Presidents
Jung Kyu Kim, Ph.D., Hanyang Univ. (Prof.)
Hyun Dong Shin, Ph.D., KAIST(Korea Advanced Institute of Science and
Technology) (Prof.)
Ho Young Kim, Ph.D., Korea Univ. (Prof.)
Pyung-Sam Ji, Ph.D., Korea South-East Power Co., LTD.
    (Senior Vice President)
Keyung Dong Park, Ph.D., Pukyong Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Directors for General Affairs
Soo-Won Chae, Ph.D., Korea Univ. (Prof.)
Mansoo Choi, Ph.D., Seoul Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Won-Gu Joo, Ph.D., Yonsei Univ. (Prof.)
Directors for Treasury
Yong Hoon Cha, Ph.D., Chosun Univ. (Prof.)
Woo-Seung Kim, Ph.D., Hanyang Univ. (Prof.)
Directors for Activities
Keumnam Cho, Ph.D., Sungkyunkwan Univ. (Prof.)
Jai-sug Hawong , Ph.D., Yeungnam Univ. (Prof.)
Sang-Ho Suh, Ph.D., Soongsil Univ. (Prof.)
Bo-Suk Yang, Ph.D., Pukyong Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Directors for Publications
Joon-Ki Chung, Ph.D., Hong Ik Univ. (Prof.)
Kyung-Chun Kim, Ph.D., Pusan Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Sung-Kie Youn, Ph.D., KAIST (Prof.)
Gun-Myung Lee, Ph.D., Gyeongsang Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Byung Joon Baek, Ph.D., Chunbuk Nat'l Univ. (Prof.)
Auditors
Kang-Rae Cho, Ph.D., Yonsei Univ. (An emeritus professor)
Chang Ho Kim, Ph.D., Festo Korea Co., LTD. (Chairman)

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Editor : Professor Mansoo Choi of Seoul National University,
         Director of General Affairs, KSME
         ksme@ksme.or.kr