Too often the signature, defining trait that distinguishes the engineer from the masses is a relentless self-autonomous drive to repair, fix, tweak, and file everything entirely under their own power, never yielding even a minute measure of control to anyone. It’s a vast mystery where exactly the engineer derives this... read more →
Oct
28
Oct
26
Additive manufacturing has been deservedly billed as one of the cornerstones of the next industrial revolution. Yet more traditional core subtractive manufacturing processes are largely responsible for, oh, say the entirety of modern civilization for one. But which manufacturing technology will dominate the autonomous cars, hyperloops (not to be confused... read more →
Oct
21
When I was 18 years old, I got my first job as an entry-level engineer. I started working for a point-of-purchase manufacturing company that specialized in sheet metal. While working there, I obtained a lot of valuable information about how sheet metal is manufactured, how to design around sheet metal,... read more →
Oct
21
With the concept of planned obsolescence embedded in just about every corner of product design, 3D printing is well on its way to redefining the status quo. How this will be achieved is always open to debate. (more…)
Oct
16
Regular readers (like, those of you who have been reading since 2011) will remember that we used to highlight interesting or unusual Community CAD models here on the blog. Well, today I've got great news. We're bringing it back. We'll aim to highlight 10 models every couple of weeks that... read more →
Oct
14
To be modern is to be current, and that, more than anything else is what engineers should be. And this is what engineering professors are, and should, be thinking about. Engineers have wrestled with how to stay current for at least 15 years, even though professors and academia are trying... read more →
Oct
07
As a CAD modeler, your practical sense can be easily lulled to rest by the graceful shapes bursting out of your imagination. And sure enough, when the rendering is complete, when you and or your customer are feeling pleased with numerical beauty, nobody is thinking much about compromise. (more…)
Oct
02
So perhaps you've mastered the often challenging and sometimes humbling task of presenting your engineering design to others, whether they be your peers, your metric-obsessed, but overall supportive manager, or even an inquisitive buyer. But now replace your design with something much larger, involving dozens or even hundreds of other... read more →
Sep
28
It's been about a year since we boldly declared drawings dead, and despite citing some major caveats about the accessibility of enabling tools, the conversation nonetheless sparked a wee bit of controversy. A strong theme in that conversation focused on how classically drafted information critical to the design (tolerances, material... read more →
