By Markus Back (Polyscope)

No other utensil is involved in as many adventurous tales as the Swiss Army Knife. A tracheotomy in an airplane, a motor repair in the wilderness or a daring escape from a burning elevator - the little red knife has proven itself to be a lifesaver time and time again. “A friend, not just a knife.” It wouldn’t be easy to write a more fitting description of Victorinox’s (www.vcorinox.com) products than the one given by this Swiss Army Knife fan from America. For decades, this quality product from Ibach, Switzerland has been placing tons of functionality in the smallest amount of space
When Karl Elsener founded the company in 1884, he surely did not dream that his pocket knife would someday be put to use in outer space. Especially since his manufacturing company was near bankruptcy before it became a success. Knifes that are industrially manufactured by a competitor in Solingen, Germany brought down the prices and ate up his entire savings. The cutler was only able to avoid bankruptcy because relatives helped him and allowed a deferral of estate funds. He did not forget that they helped him in his time of need. Later, after the success of the Swiss Army Knife, he paid back all of the estate creditors with compounded interest. But what makes the multitalented knife, 5,5 million of which are sold yearly all over the world, so successful? Company documents shed light on the secret. There it states, “The bright idea and actual recipe for success is the multiple usage of each spring”. This makes it possible to combine blades, tools and other important things for surviving in the wilderness and in the big city in a very small area. And the designers make good use of this characteristic. For mountain climbers, there is a model with altimeter, for world travelers, there is a model with an integrated alarm clock and a straight pin, and for multimedia junkies, there are models with MP3 player or a 2 GiB memory stick. And do not forget models for handymen, golfers and even for little pranksters with a saw and reamer for whittling. Imagination has no limits; nearly 100 models are now in the product line.
Special machine manufacturers
One of the most sought-after multi-tools is the Swiss Champ. It has over 30 functions with a weight of only 185 g. Combining its 64 individual parts into a whole requires 450 production steps. To remain profitable, a high level of automation is required. Special machine manufacturing employees are responsible for this high level of automation. These employees have decades of experience creating solutions, and in this way they preserve the required skills in Ibach. Because one thing is clear: Knives can be manufactured cheaper in other places.The process is basically the same all over the world. The raw materials are punched, hardened, tempered, honed, polished and then placed on a handle. Nothing special really, so there must be more to it than that. Special alloys and production processes result in versatile knives that are nearly indestructible. For example, a Victorinox that was recovered from a clarification tank four years after it fell in showed very little damage. The plastic was slightly corroded and there was a bit of oxidation on the aluminum spacers between the blades. Many other knives would have completely fallen apart after being in this highly corrosive environment for so long.
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Shift-by-wire actuator system integrated in automotive CAN network

Dura Automotive Systems (www.duraau to.com) has introduced a shift-by-wire (SBW) system for conventional automatic transmissions, featuring a mechatronic actuator. This system is featured on the Citroen C4 Picasso.
Designed as an add-on system, the shift-by-wire actuator system can be adapted for conventional automatic gearboxes. The system comprises an electronic control unit (ECU) and a mechatronic actuator. The ECU includes two micro-controllers with CAN interfaces. The ECU has been developed in accordance with requirements for on-board electronics, especially regarding the safety monitoring, and is integrated in the vehicle’s CAN network. Performance and safety are two key characteristics of the system, says the company. The system is capable of shifting in less than 250 ms from park to drive. The accuracy is within one-degree to the final shift position as a result of a self-learning gearbox positioning capability. Historically, the placement of shift levers in automobiles has been limited primarily to the space between the driver and passenger seats due to the mechanical cable linkage necessary to connect the lever to the vehicle’s gearbox. Shift-by-wire systems were developed to eliminate the need for the mechanical cable linkage by electronically controlling the shifting in a vehicle. The benefits resulting from shift-by-wire systems include increased flexibility in designing shifter interfaces (such as push buttons and joysticks) and improved interior space.  Shift-by-wire systems also inherently reduce noise in the cockpit, as the mechanical linkage is eliminated between the gearbox and the shifter.  
Dura Automotive Systems is a designer and manufacturer of driver control systems, seating control systems, glass systems, engineered assemblies, structural door modules and exterior trim systems for the global automotive industry. The company is also a supplier of similar products to the recreation vehicle (RV) and specialty vehicle industries.