No content manager on planet Earth would let December 31st slide on by without compiling a list of the year's most-read blog posts. Why? Because it's really easy to do? Maybe. Because it affords a built-in opportunity to consider the posts that resonated with our readers and what that means for the year ahead? Absolutely. Please enjoy the most-read posts of 2015 as determined (and arranged) by a seat-of-the-pants combination of page views and average time spent on page.
1. Getting laser cutters out of the lab: an interview with Risha’s Moushira Elamrawy
To borrow a line from Nicholas Thompson: "I again realize something wonderful about the Internet: for the most part, the stuff that does the best is the best." That's exactly how I feel about this interview with Moushira.
Clockwise from left: Sherif, Sameh, & Moushira @ Risha
2. NASA Challenge seeks fresh ideas for the ISS
Had this not made the list I'd have been a little concerned. Designing something for NASA and the ISS? Yes, please.
Niki Werkheiser, In-space Manufacturing Project Manager at NASA
3. Engineering your own kick-ass CAD workstation build on a budget
I'll let you guys in on a little secret. I know you're googling "build CAD PC" and "fast CAD PC." I also know that GrabCAD's four-year-old opinion was wildly out of date. Ed fixed things with extreme prejudice.
Quit acting like you've never seen the CEO of Nvidia holding a graphics card in front of Castle Grayskull before
4. Capturing wind power with unconventional methods
Why wouldn't you click on this article? It's an inflatable wind turbine with a pretty sweet acronym.
The Buoyant Airborne Turbine system (BAT)
5. CAD modeling etiquette: Do your colleagues need a refresher?
It turns out that yes, they do.
6. Is getting a master’s degree in mechanical engineering worth it?
I noticed this post on Reddit and figured the world deserved a researched answer. Sometimes plans do come together.
It was either this or a picture of a new grad holding a degree
7. Are your CAD designers in a rock band or an orchestra?
Jennifer made an analogy that many of you thought was absolutely spot on. Check the comments.
If you look close and relax your eyes, the image will slowly become 3D. Probably.
8. Design for Assembly: taunting from the manufacturing floor
Ed at his finest, recounting his experience with an aircraft installer named "Bulldog, a grizzled old prospector crossed with a post-apocalyptic warlord. It was easy to imagine his time off involved casually punching bears, long walks through factories full of burning tires, and breaking lesser engineers over his bad knee."
Our most commented on post of the year, it seems there's more than one "Bulldog" out there.
There comes a time in every project to shoot the engineers and begin production
9. The small team advantage
In a series where Joe identifies the advantages inherent to large corporations, this post sided with the little guys.
This is an example of, presumably, a small team
10. Great news! GrabCAD Workbench is free
11. How far can metal additive manufacturing take aircraft engines?
Are you interested in metal 3D printing? Do you like aircraft engines? A combination of the two? If you like detail (and a great many of you do), this is your post.
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