ITT Cannon Designers Rely On 'Invention Machine' DHL Opens Irvine Facility to Handle Spectrum Shipments

Orange County Business Journal, Jan 19, 1998 by Fried, Ian

The idea of an invention machine sounds like the stuff of movies, but ITT Cannon engineer Michael Slocum swears by his.

For those who expect a rickety machine, a la Willy Wonka, think again. The Invention Machine is a software company and its product, TechOptimizer, uses a Russian analytical process, and the inventions of others, to suggest ways to improve upon an idea or overcome an obstacle.

Slocum and his team at Santa Ana-based ITT Cannon most recently used the software to help design a gland to distribute nuclear power on a Navy submarine. In trying to design the product, engineers faced a problem: The glands need electrical contacts that can withstand high temperatures, but the metals that can handle the temperatures don't conduct electricity well.

The Invention Machine's answer: use temperature-resistant metal at the most crucial point, while using better-conducting metal in the areas where high temperatures were less of an issue.

Score one for the computer, says Slocum. The engineering change eliminated the conundrum while cutting the expected cost of the device by 63% and reducing the number of components needed by 30%.

ITT Cannon still uses traditional computer-aided-design software in later stages, Slocum said, but TechOptimizer is the first product that helps in the concept generation stage. Slocum said the $7,500-per-user software helps replace a process where engineers would have to put their heads together and wait for a breakthrough.

"It takes innovation, eliminates the 'Eureka' moments and reduces it to a very analytical process."

But the software does have limits: Because it is based on past designs and known solutions, it is most useful for incremental, not radical, solutions. And while Slocum admits to being a big fan of the Boston-based software company and its approach, he said humans need not wait for a computer to suggest a solution.

"We certainly can be innovative without using software," he said. Whew. * * *

Redwood City-based DHL Worldwide Express said increased shipments from the tech-heavy Irvine Spectrum prompted it to open a 10,000-square-foot service center in Irvine. DHL said the number of international shipments originating in southern Orange County is growing at a 21% annual rate. The new facility, at 12 Mason, serves the area from the Spectrum to San Clemente and offers a 6 p.m. drop-off time. * * *

Santa Ana-based technology distributor Ingram Micro Inc. debuted its Venture Tech Network. The 130-member, member-based alliance will link resellers who aim at the small-to-midsize business market. As part of the system, resellers will be assigned a geographic area by Ingram and have improved access to several sponsoring manufacturers, including Compaq, IBM, Intel and Microsoft. Ingram also will provide custom credit and marketing options to members, who must pay a quarterly fee and do half their business with small and midsize businesses. The network replaces the Business Technology Center that Ingram acquired last year when it bought the reseller network of Intelligent Electronics. * * *

Toshiba America Information Systems and AST Research Inc., both based in Irvine, have announced laptop models based on Intel's new Tillamook chip, a 266 MHz Pentium chip with MMX technology. However, PC Week Online reports that many businesses may pass, waiting for a Pentium II notebook processor to become available in the spring.

Many other customers, who recently upgraded, are unlikely to jump at the new offering, according to the report. * * *

More gore:

Irvine-based Interplay Productions announced an add-on pack for its Redneck Rampage game. The Suckin' Grits on Route 66 add-on offers 12 new levels including Big Bertha's Truck Haven and Shooting Range and "the world's smelliest flea market." No word on whether flea market operators are up in arms, but an Interplay spokeswoman said that the earliest holiday reports from a few retailers showed a good response from consumers. * * *

Bits:

Former AST CEO James Schraith resigned as general manager of North American sales for Compaq and will reportedly become CEO of a startup company backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen ... Also resigning recently: Keith Freadhoff, founder and CEO of Santa Ana-based Internet training firm Prosoft I-Net Solutions Inc.

Prosoft also has completed its acquisition of Net Guru Technologies Inc. of Oak Brook, Ill. ... A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court's injunction ordering Dallas-based Nu-Kote Holding Inc. not to sell printer cartridges that allegedly infringe on a patent held by Canon Inc., whose U.S. operations are based in Costa Mesa.