SAE 2003 World Congress preview

It's time to make plans for the annual SAE World Congress (http://www.sae.org). This year, the show runs from Monday, March 3, to Friday, March 7, at Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI. As always, there will be plenty for auto engineers involved in testing to see and do.

Technical sessions are the heart of the World Congress. This year, SAE will present more than 190 technical sessions, including several specifically about testing:

Safety Test Methodology

Tuesday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Wednesday, 9:00 am to noon

Emission Measurement & Testing

Tuesday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Wednesday, 9:00 am to noon

Accelerated Testing and Vehicle Reliability Conference

Wednesday, 9:00 am to noon

Simulation

Wednesday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Thursday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Modeling and Testing of Welds

Wednesday, 9:00 am to noon

Testing and Instrumentation

Wednesday, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Automotive Electronic Systems Reliability & Maintainability

Thursday, 9:00 am to 11:00 am

Many of the technical sessions not devoted to test will still include papers on test technology. For example, the Software/Hardware Systems session that runs from 9 am to 5 pm on Monday includes the paper, "Methods of Testing Logical and Electrical Conformity of OBDII and EOBD Communication Bus Parameters Employed to Validate and Certify Diagnostic Scanner Tools." The Reliability & Robust Design session, which also runs from 9 am to 5 pm on Monday, includes a paper entitled, "Accelerated Testing in Structural Reliability Using CAE Models."

The 2003 technical program will also include the SAE Technology Theater. The 400-seat theater—located in the center of the exhibit floor—will host panels and presentations addressing technology and business issues, evolving trends, and the future of automotive engineering. Advanced electronics will be the topic for Monday's panels, propulsion and powertrain the topics for Tuesday, emissions and the environment the topics on Wednesday, and lightweight materials and safety/testing the topics for Thursday.

In the past, the SAE show has served as the launching pad for new test products and services. I would expect this year to be much the same. More than 120 companies offering test products and services are exhibiting at this year's show. You can find them at the following booth numbers:

Automotive Engineering International, 601

Agfa NDT, 662

Akron Rubber Development Laboratory, 1640

Amplifier Research, 2527

Analytical Process Systems, 3001

Anger Associates, 552

Applied Dynamics International, 2207

Aries Ingenieria Y Sistemas S A, 436

Atlas Material Testing Technology, 217

AVL North America, 701

BIA, 439

Bodycote Materials Testing, 1261

Bosch Automotive Proving Grounds, 513

Bruel & Kjaer, 433

CableTest Systems, 1569

Cambustion, 649

Campbell Scientific, 823

Ceramics, 2330

Chaw Khong Technology, 1572

C&H Die Casting, 872

Cincinnati Test Systems, 2945

Cincinnati Sub-Zero Products, 811

Climax Research Services, 2069

CMC Electronics Cincinnati, 252

Concept Technologies, 1427

ConocoPhillips, 1161

The Cooke Corp., 544

CSM Worldwide, 1746

D2T America, 2259

Dayton T. Brown, 226

Denton ATD, 417

Detroit Testing Laboratory, 2806

Druck, 636

dSPACE, 1601

DTS, 241

Dyne Systems, 501

ECO Physics AG, 2459

Electronic Concepts & Engineering, 1713

Epilogics, 1534

ESI Group, 2303

ESSC, 810

EST Testing Solutions, 353

FalCon, 325

Flir Systems, 2941

Flow Systems, 565

Fluent, 2517

Forberg Scientific, 746

Froude Consine 2307

Geotest—Marvin Test Systems, 936

GTR Tec, 3022

HBM, 2412

HEF USA, 1371

Heim Data Systems, 447

Horiba Instruments, 1701

Imtech Deutschland & Co., 537

Instron Structural Testing Systems, 233

IOtech, 260

Jacobs Vehicle Systems, 1338

J-TEC Associates, 1248

Kayser-Threde, 319

Kistler Instrument, 407

Kulite Semiconductor Products, 331

Lacks Enterprises Testing Lab, 364

LDS-Dactron, 253

Longkou Haimeng Machinery, 2801

Lumileds Lighting, 2268

Mar-Test, 650

Masiero Antonio, 1613

Maxwell Technologies, 2438

Measurement Instruments, 835

Messring Systembau MSG, 445

Metex, 742

Microsys Technologies, 340

Midtronics, 2115

MTS Systems, 617

Mustang Dynamometer, 857

NAC Image Technology, 306

National Instruments, 927

Nevada Automotive Test Center, 642

Nye Lubricants, 1844

OCAP, 1326

Optimum Power Technology, 1618

PerkinElmer Automotive Research, 2164

Photron USA, 316

Prosig USA, 327

Q-Panel Lab Products, 1341

Redlake MASD, 531

RENK, 916

Robert A. Denton, 516

SAI, 546

Schenck Pegasus, 917

Seattle Safety, 534

Select Industries, 1670

S Himmelstein & Co., 817

Soltec/Kyowa, 343

Soluciones Tecnologicas SA de CV, 415

Southwest Research Institute, 2227

TEAC America, 528

TEC, 747

Tektronix, 1717

Tenney Environmental/BlueM, 1236

Thermotron Industries, 1445 , B

Transportation Research Center, 307

US Army Yuma Proving Ground, 507

Vacuum Technology, 3301

Validyne Engineering, 452

Veridian Engineering, 517

V&F Instruments, 2375

VIA Systems, 414

VIA Test Labs, 315

Viatran, 864

Vibration Research, 659

V I Engineering, 1136

Vision Research, 523

Visual Instrumentation, 514

Wayne State University, 515

Weiss Umwelttechnik, 553

Xantrex Technology, 940

As you can see, it's shaping up to be yet another great show. I'm planning on being there the entire week, and I hope to see you there. Please stop by the Test & Measurement World booth (2946) and say hello.