In manufacturing, fabricated jigs and tools help accelerate the speed of the production line. They help workers align parts, components and assemblies with precision.
"Be ready to revise any system, scrap any method, abandon any theory, if the success of the job requires it,” said Henry Ford in 1923.
The automotive industry requires it and 3D printing, by turning designs into solutions, is used for rapid tooling and jig and fixture design in remarkable ways. It may be fulfilling Ford's prophecy.
We already know that 3D printing is continuing to show excellent promise in a number of fields, but you might not be aware that it’s gaining traction in the world of automotive racing.
Perhaps the most famous example comes from a partnership between Stratasys and Team Penske. While there are others exploring the possibilities, what makes this case so phenomenal is the comprehensive approach. That, and it doesn’t hurt that Team Penske just wins constantly. When you’re the champ everyone wants to know your secrets.
Classroom education isn't just about textbooks and green boards anymore. There's so much more one can learn, understand and adapt to in a classroom, and that's why education is a much more fun and experiential process today. That being said, classroom learning doesn't always have to be boring or mundane either. There are several tools and gadgets that professors can use to enhance the experience and make it much more fun and engaging.
Going “green” is something most of us have been trying to do for a while now. Whether it’s cutting down the amount of plastic we use, recycling as much as possible, switching off the lights when we leave a room or eating less meat, there are so many ways in which we can and are doing our bit for the environment. Less topical, however, is the fact that 3D printing can lower our negative impact on the world around us.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle race to the summit of Pikes Peak, Colorado, but this year's race might be even more extraordinary than usual thanks to 3D printing.
Racers take on the 12.42-mile public toll road, which contains a whopping 156 turns. Total elevation climb is 4,720 feet. At the summit, the elevation is 14,115 feet above sea level.
There is lots of talk and written matter about the acceleration of technology, and even about acceleration of acceleration of technology.
Perusing articles about the upcoming singularity, it is easy to find charts showing the curves of attainable speeds of data transfer that extrapolate beyond the 5G networks into the terahertz range and beyond. It is a wonderful, and somewhat scary, to think that in less than 10 to 15 years, I will be on the wrong side of “singularity,” and my kid will not be able to explain to me the technology that he takes for granted. Even more fascinating is contemplating the fact that beyond not being able to comprehend technology, I might not be able to understand the society that is shaped by that new technology. It doesn’t seem possible that we, the generation that has the world at its fingertips, will be as lost as a misplaced 10th century farmer time traveling to the current Silicon Valley…Brave New World indeed.
Neurodegenerative diseases are increasingly becoming a global health problem and occur when nerve cells, or neurons, begin to deteriorate. Various conditions are associated with this degeneration, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 5 million Americans, Parkinson’s disease affecting 400,000, and multiple sclerosis, affecting 30,000. The total number of Americans affected annually by neurodegenerative diseases totals 55 million.
What goes into a “good” design?
That’s a very good question, and one we typically have to deal with in the additive manufacturing business on a daily basis. With 3D printing, a good design is more than its aesthetics, it must consider functionality, cost, time and repeatability.