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| The latest information on CAD/CAM software and
technology
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Dec 10, 2008
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The Intersection of Art and
Design
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3D CAD has is pushing the envelope of how artists create. For
example, the recent AU in Las Vegas showcased a Bruce Beasley sculpture
comprising intersecting circular forms that lay in many different axial
planes. He says he used 3D CAD to design the complex shape and then sent
the data to China where a shop carved out the granite form with a
waterjet. I doubt this kind of design would be possible without CAD.
Another interesting idea posed was that of algorithmic design. It is
said to be a form of design in which the computer expands the mind
instead of being merely a documentation device. Brainchild of Robert
Aish, formerly Bentley’s director of research and now with Autodesk,
GenerativeComponents (GC) lets users refine geometry by directly
manipulating it, by applying rules and capturing relationships, or by
defining complex forms through algorithms. An example of a CG design is
the Marina Bayfront pedestrian bridge in Singapore. The bridge features
a DNA-inspired double-helix support that is entirely different from
conventional structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge.
Questions? Comments? Send them in, and we might publish them
here!
— Leslie Gordon
leslie.gordon@penton.com
Second Life: Pez Balut
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A lot of headlines these days are devoted to the travails of U.S.
companies that once dominated the markets they serve. Detroit automakers
are probably the most visible example of firms that let success slip
through their fingers, but there are numerous others. Xerox, for one,
failed to exploit developments at its PARC think tank which fed the PC
revolution. Later its management began a near-fatal fascination with the
quality movement. Read the rest of the article
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As an engineer, I must often tailor designs for size, weight, power
consumption, and other factors. My employer had been using a
general-purpose electromagnetic- simulation package based on FEA
techniques. We used the software in making custom permanent-magnet
motors, as well as motors for consumer products such as hard-disk
drives, power tools, and digital cameras. We also manufacture automotive
sensors, and accessories such as seat-position motors. Read the rest of the article
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Bass electric-guitar player Jim Normandy once shopped around for an
archtop guitar — an acoustic guitar with a full body and
distinctive arched top. But the $3,000 price stopped him short.
“Manufacturers were making custom guitars from solid billeted
aluminum. I was still in graduate school and couldn’t afford such
instruments. So I decided to make a competitively priced guitar. Instead
of wood or plastic, I opted to use 0.080-in. aircraft-grade aluminum
sheet metal because of its quality and durability,” says the
then-future CEO of Normandy Guitars, Salem, Oreg. Read the rest of the article
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Free Online
Digital-Prototyping-Assessment Tool
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A new, free online digital-prototyping-assessment tool helps
companies identify their biggest product development challenges, compare
their design practices to industry benchmarks, and quantify potential
time and cost savings by adopting best-in-class capabilities. The simple
assessment, based on a special research method, steps users through the
product development process to determine where an individual company
excels and where it needs to improve. AberdeenGroup
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Put Digital Human Models into
CAD
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A human-centric approach to design is intended to help provide end
users with safer and more comfortable products. Two new modules,
Pro/Engineer Manikin Extension and Pro/Engineer Manikin Analysis
Extension, provide ergonomic and human-factors analysis capabilities.
The programs help designers create innovative, winning products with
faster time-to-market, improved quality, and reduced costs. PTC
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Mathematica Player 7 is a free, interactive player for Mathematica
notebook documents. Using Mathematica Player users can read or print any
converted Mathematica notebooks to view text, graphics, typeset math,
and animations. Thousands of Player-interactive documents are freely
available at the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, with more supplied
each day by researchers, educators, students, and professionals.
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Rev up your interdisciplinary design skills
What happens when a microcontroller turns on a power FET, sending a
current pulse to a motor coil that develops a magnetic field which turns
the rotor shaft, advancing a timing belt that drives a pair of nip rolls
suspended on bearings in a web-processing operation on a form, fill, and
seal machine installed on a potato chip line at a Frito Lay plant in
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intended? It's a lot to think about, and it only scratches the surface
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them, then the place for you — where you can find answers and meet
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Backed by some of engineering's top information sources including
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Find. Learn. Apply.
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Experience National Instruments Technologies From
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Begin your search here with a collection of
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ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
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Dimension Extreme Redesign
Contest
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The Dimension 3D Printing Group, a business unit of Stratasys, Inc.,
announces its fifth annual "Extreme Redesign: The Ultimate 3D Printing
Challenge," a global design and 3D-printing contest for high school and
college students that awards scholarships to the winners. Over the past
four years, more than 2,500 entries have been judged and 27 students
have been awarded $40,000 in scholarships. Submissions must be
postmarked by Feb. 1, 2009. For contest description and submission rules
For video,
photos, and last year's winners
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Microsoft and DS SolidWorks Enhance
Robotic Programming
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Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks)and Microsoft
announced that robotics programmers can now directly incorporate 3D CAD
models built in SolidWorks into Microsoft’s Visual Simulation
Environment. This lets robotics developers accurately simulate a robot's
operation, to ensure, for example, that its arm won't crash into another
machine.
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Christmas Tree Design
Contest
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TraceParts announces its second Christmas Tree Model Contest.
Contestants must build a Christmas tree using components downloaded from
the TraceParts
CAD library. Three winners will be selected and best rendered images
will be published on the developer's Web site. Prizes are one Navigation
System for first place, one iPod Nano for second place, and 200 download
credits for the use of licensed catalogs of www.tracepartsonline.net for the third place. The
Christmas trees should be designed in 3D, using any CAD or
picture-editing software, and using as many different components
available in the library as possible. Send a rendered image of your tree
before December 19 to info@traceparts.com.
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Contact Information
Editorial questions: Leslie Gordon
216-931-9242
Advertising/sponsorship opportunities: Virginia Goulding
216-931-9893
Machine Design
1300 E. 9th St.
Cleveland, OH 44114
©2008 Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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