Reader Forum

Welcome to our annual Product of the Year issue. This issue showcases 150 of the finest products from the last year. You, the reader, get to be a part of the competition. By using the ballot in this issue, you can vote for the best new product in each of our 15 categories. Your votes determine the winners of our Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Grand Awards. Turn to p 40 and start voting for the best new products of 2001!

I really appreciate your including "How Things Work" in your magazine. After reading the article on torque, I went to the web site and was very impressed. I haven't had time to look at more than a couple of items, but after seeing the article on "How Work, Power, and Energy Work," I am definitely going to make time to visit the site again. The articles are so well-written that I intend to go there with my children. Please keep running this article, as it is short, well written, and very educational. I also enjoy "Human Side..."Management Side." Keep up the good work. —Michael R. Donn, Scientific Technologies Inc.

I was very impressed with your article on "The Basics of Belt Drives." On the other hand, I was very disappointed to see that you failed to mention the Goodyear Eagle PD drive system even though you pictured them on the cover. This is the only belt that I currently am using here at my plant, and the rules outlined in your article do not exactly apply to the Eagle PD belts. Having Kevlar built into the belt makes the installation stretching entirely different. I initially over-stretched the belt when installed and found myself with a few broken shafts. Lesson learned: Eagle PDs do not stretch like other drive belts. Plus, the alignment is even more critical than a standard V-belt. All this aside, I am most impressed by the low-level noise, cleanliness, and the preventive maintenance that will be cut in half. Thanks for letting me vent. Other than that, I loved the article and your magazine. Keep up the good work. —Russell Wilson

The editors of PLANT ENGINEERING apologize for failing to acknowledge the contribution The Gates Rubber Co. made to the September cover story on belt drives.

"HowStuffWorks" in the September issue of PLANT ENGINEERING contained an error. The text stated, "If we use 1 kWh of power, a kilowatt-hour of energy lasts 2 hr." The text should have stated, "If we use 1 kW of power, a kilowatt-hour of energy lasts 1 hr." Also, the text stated, "If we use 10 kW of power, we use the kilowatt-hour of energy for just 6 min." The text should have stated, "If we use 10 kW of power, the kilowatt-hour of energy will last for just 6 min."