A new way to build cars: Divergent Microfactories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9odhgH24oA

PTC Freeform Design

http://www.ptc.com/video?id=1826236063001&account=PTC

 

 

Colin Rose | Design Engineer | FPG
p: +64 6 843 3249 I f: +64 6 843 2466 I www.fpgworld.com
Au: 1800 041 649 I Asia: 0086 21 3351 3390 | NZ: 0800 367 374 | UK: 0044 845 485 9300

 

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Disclaimer: The information in this e-mail message is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this internet electronic message by anyone other than the addressee is unauthorized. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any other action taken in reliance on it is prohibited.

Dyson Lighting

 

http://www.dyson.co.uk/lighting/ariel.aspx

 

Ariel™ suspended lights

Unprecedented LED longevity. 

Watch the video

Stay illuminated. Register for updates and technical information.

Register your interest

 

Ariel™ up-light
technical specification

Luminaire overall dimensions (mm) – 720(l) x 130(w) x 100(d)
Driver overall dimensions (mm) – 320(l) x 110(w) x 52(d)
Recommended drop height (mm) – 400

Ariel™ down-light
technical specification

Luminaire overall dimensions (mm) – 720(l) x 130(w) x 100(d)
Driver overall dimensions (mm) – 320(l) x 110(w) x 52(d)
Recommended drop height above table (mm) – 1700

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Disclaimer: The information in this e-mail message is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this internet electronic message by anyone other than the addressee is unauthorized. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any other action taken in reliance on it is prohibited.

Dyson's £400 lamp lasts for 37 years!

LED heat problems solved?

http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/news/dysons-£400-lamp-lasts-37-years

SOLIDWORKS - Designed Robots Are the New Face of Some Japanese Businesses

Interesting look at where robots are at today. Also behind the scenes look at a company designing them with Solidworks.

http://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2015/05/solidworks-designed-robots-are-the-new-face-of-some-japanese-businesses.html?scid=swexpress_0515_global_blog_robots_becoming_face_of_japanese_businesses

Makerbook

Makerbook is a hand-picked directory of the best free resources for creatives that is perhaps the best collection that exists online.


http://makerbook.net/

Distributed manufacturing: a 21st century renaissance?

         

Traditional manufacturing could one day morph into a distributed manufacturing model. Thanks to the latest advancements in additive manufacturing and online collaboration, today’s startups are embracing the concept for localized, customized, and decentralized manufacturing.

We’ve all been acclimated to post-industrial revolution manufacturing. Company A has a design they would like to produce and mass market. Company B just so happens to specialize in turning A’s design into a reality. Resources are accumulated, staff is trained, and machinery is re-tooled for new manufacturing. Company A and B now share a direct symbiotic relationship with one another. However, there are caveats.

The ebb and flow of production, distribution, and sales are now joined at the hip. Raw materials are purchased in bulk, guarantees are made, and risk factors increase. A given volume of product must be manufactured according to demand, forecasts are committed, and a given number of product must be sold in order for A or B to stay profitable.

Distributed manufacturing decentralizes traditional manufacturing and takes supply chain strategies to a new level like never before. Backed by the internet, we’re no longer bound by the geography of a single factory, designer, or distributor. A smaller volume of parts can be made on a cheaper scale when compared to traditional high-volume manufacturing. Apart from the benefits of working with localized specialty manufacturers, the real prize is extensive customization for products that was not economically feasible in the past for high-volume manufacturing. Whereas traditional manufacturing is usually bound to a linear approach in its design, tooling, and methods, a distributed model allows for specialized manufacturers, 21^st century craftsman, and sellers with particular talents to focus on what they do best while sustaining profitability in globally competitive markets.

In our brave new world, Company A can now design, produce, and assemble a new wristwatch line that offers a profound level of customization for their users. Leveraging the power of the internet, they hire local designers who focus on this industry and offer the talents necessary to create their vision. Those new designs are sent to local 3D printers, desktop CNC routers, or prototyping specialists that are not only geographically closer to home, but also offer various design and manufacturing capabilities. With the synchronicity of an orchestra, Company A acts as the conductor, bringing parts and supplies together for production like never before.

With online collaboration, the entire watch assembly can be procured and produced on a localized level. At one zip code, the watch bands are made to order. In another, the dial buttons are customized according to the end-user’s needs. The supply chain leads back to Company A for final assembly and customization, then shipped directly to customers, retailers, or distributors. With distributed manufacturing, there’s no need to anticipate a bulk volume shipment of watchbands arriving from a single-focused mass producer halfway around the world. Using decentralized services that focus on watchmaking, you’re leveraging a diverse range of custom bands from a defined network of specialty providers geographically closer to home.

In this brave new world, supply chains are redefined thanks to a combination of specialized additive manufacturing technologies, open source movements, and online collaboration. From small independent makers to enterprises, key advantages are taking shape:

Less capital investment risk

Since you now have a decentralized manufacturing base with multiple capabilities to choose from, you depend less on permanent investment for manufacturing equipment and tooling. Using online collaboration, easily search for and acquire the services of a low volume specialty producer to fabricate the parts you need according to your custom specifications. In addition, it helps your company insulate itself from the burden of unused equipment and employee costs should business slow or experience market downturns.

Increased use of open source and/or free collaboration tools

Open source and/or free distributed manufacturing applications help link designers, inventors, micro-fabricators, and low-volume factories in revolutionizing their sourcing strategy. In addition, the world of licensing costs for applications and program interoperability become minimized. Open source tools provide the necessary infrastructure that can allow small or large scale manufacturers to compete with versatile and agile operation. Tools like SyncFAB and BOTQueue are already beginning to rise in popularity with open distributed manufacturing.

Environmental sustainability

Energy and raw material savings also play a substantial role. Traditional manufacturing (subtractive manufacturing) requires the removal of raw material during production. To achieve the desired part, multiple runs with different equipment is required. With 3D printing, that same object could be produced in a single production run with a single machine, resulting in near-net shape manufacturing. Near-net shape manufacturing is the production of a product without requiring substantial equipment operation, raw material removal, and finishing. Substantial savings in energy, material waste, and logistics make distributed manufacturing a compelling advantage in business.

Diverse choices in design and manufacturing talent

Online collaboration is a force multiplier for your existing talent base. With distributed manufacturing, easily choose the best designer, specialist, or craftsman to work with online. You’re no longer bound by the talent of one particular company that may only offer broad capabilities instead of specific specialties. You’ll be able to choose a local manufacturer with a niche, helping your design exceed in performance, reliability, and aesthetics.

For example, working with a localized manufacturer that specifically focuses on unique, “made-to-order”, rubber watch bands equates the necessary skillset and design experience for your target market. This is an enormous competitive advantage when compared to using a manufacturer half way around the world who produces a broad range of rubberized products. AtFAB, for example, is a furniture design shop that not only sells their own products, but also provides the plans to download for free. These designs can be sent to any CNC router for customization.

Lower costs of production and increased productivity

Since additive manufacturing means near-net shape objects with minimal raw materials expended, additional costs are observed. The energy costs, time, and output for running a single 3D printer or custom CNC machine compared to multiple manufacturing runs for a single object is dramatic. Working with geographically independent manufacturers also helps streamline distribution and production.

Enhanced logistics and time-savings

By working with local specialty manufacturers in a decentralized network of providers, transportation costs are lower when compared to working with a company overseas. By utilizing and combining local specialty manufacturers, easily speed up your product’s time to market.

Less need to anticipate production volume

Using distributed manufacturing also means having a better handle on anticipating your stock, raw materials, and inventory. Coupled with intelligent supply chain management, you have greater flexibility in producing products according to demand.

No middlemen or markups

Getting your product created using distributed manufacturing means you avoid middlemen and reduce the risk of markup costs for having your part originate in one end of the world and finally arriving at your door for assembly.

Economic development improvements for geographically difficult areas

In only a few years since the acceleration of 3D printing, designers across the globe have provided advancements for low income or economically devastated areas. For example, prosthetic limbs, once expensive to produce and transport to remote or war-torn areas, are now produced on the fly locally at dramatically less cost when compared to sourcing from a direct manufacturer thousands of miles away. This is also true for 3D-Ponics, a non-profit organization dedicated to distributed manufacturing for building efficient and affordable hydroponic gardens.

Strengthening local economies

Small towns and cities ravaged by the effects of globalization and outsourced manufacturing can now produce parts or assembles using the distributed manufacturing model using less capital than ever before. Local designers, entrepreneurs, micro-fabricators, and logistics companies will be able to enhance their bottom line and help job growth.

Increase time to market for your product

Utilize distributed manufacturing by working with lean, versatile, and local micro-fabricators for low volume production runs at greater speeds than ever before. Communication is streamlined via online collaboration, sudden design changes are flexible and insulated, and custom products are produced faster.

Let the enlightenment begin

Distributed manufacturing is already prominent in the areas of automotive production and some complex consumer goods used in enterprise businesses. For niche, custom, or low volume product runs, distributed manufacturing will certainly have a significant on impact traditional manufacturing. While additional hurdles remain, decentralization will become a key strategy moving forward, especially for 3D printer shops, low-volume micro-factories, and niche design studios. A new industrial renaissance is forming and it will certainly change the way we think about how we achieve perfect “Zen” in supply chain strategies.

Solidworks Industrial Designer

Not massively related to us but see now to very quickly design a product in Solidworks industrial designer, a fairly new SW product.   

http://blogs.solidworks.com/solidworksblog/2015/05/no-time-to-think-about-itjust-design-it.html

Identifying Plastics

http://www.modernplastics.com/how_to_identify_plastics.htm

 

How to Identify Plastics

Here is a preliminary guide that will help you to identify many of the basic types of plastics using simple techniques and readily available tools. Naturally, these tests should be used only for tentative identification because some complex plastic compounds require a rigorous analysis for identification.

To initially determine whether a material is thermoset or thermoplastic, heat a stirring rod (to about 500°F/260°C, the material is a thermoplastic; if not, it is probably a thermoset.

Next, hold the sample to the edge of a flame until it ignites. (Hold in the flame for about 10 seconds if no flame is produced immediately.) If the material burns, note the nature of the smoke, the presence of soot in the air and, if while burning, the sample drips.

Next, extinguish the flame and cautiously smell the fumes. (In identifying the odor, a known sample is most helpful for comparison.) Finally, check your observations against the known characteristics of each plastic given on page 93. Once you have made a tentative identification, it is usually desirable to make one additional test to confirm the results of the original identification. Remember additives may affect results; for example, flame retardants would mask the polymer's normal burning characteristics.

 

Materials	No Flame	Burns, but Extinguishes on Removal of Flame Source			Continues to Burn after removal of Flame Source				Remarks
	Odor	Odor	Color of Flame	Drips	Odor	Color of Flame	Drips	Speed of Burning
THERMOPLASTICS
ABS		Acrid	Yellow, blue edges	No	Acrid	Yellow, blue edges	Yes	Slow	Black smoke with soot in air
Acetals	-	-	-	-	Formaldehyde	Blue, no smoke	Yes	Slow
Acrylics	-	-	-	-	Fruity	Blue, yellow tip	No (cast) Yes (molded)	Slow	Flame may spurt if rubber modified
Cellulosics
Acetate	-	Vinegar	Yellow with sparks	No	Vinegar	Yellow	Yes	Slow	Flame may spark
Acetate Butyrate	-	-	-	-	Rancid butter	Blue, yellow tip	Yes	Slow	Flame may spark
Ethyl Cellulose	-	-	-	-	Burnt sugar	Yellow, blue edges	Yes	Rapid	-
Nitrate	-	-	-	-	camphor	White	No	Rapid	-
Propionate	-	-	-	-	Burnt sugar	Blue, yellow tip	Yes	Rapid	-
Chlorinated Polyether	-		Green, yellow tip	No	-	-	-	-	Black smoke with soot in air
Fluorocarbons
FEP	Faint odor of burnt hair	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Deforms; no combustion, but drips
PRTFE	Faint odor of burnt hair	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Deforms; does not drip
CTFE	faint odor of acetic acid	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Deforms; no combustion, but drips
PVF	acidic	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Deforms
Nylons
Type 6	-	-	-	-	Burnt wool	Blue, yellow tip	Yes	Slow	-
Type 6/6	-	Burnt wool or hair	Blue, yellow tip	Yes	-	-	-	Slow	More rigid than Type 6 nulon
Phenoxies	-	Acridd	Yellowc	Noc	Acridd	Yellowd	Yesd	Slowd	Black smoke with soot in air
Polycarbonates	-	Faint, sweet aromatic ester	Orange	Yes	-	-	-	-	Black smoke with soot in air
Polyethylenes	-	-	-	-	Paraffin	Blue, yellow tip	Yes	Slow	Floats in water
Polyphenylene
Oxides (PPO)	-	Phenol	Yellow-orange	No	-	-	-	-	Flame spurts; very difficult to ignite
Modified Grade	-	Phenol	Yellow-orange	No	-	-	-	-	flame spurts; difficult to ignite, soot in air
Polyimides	b	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Chars; material very rigid
Polypropylenes	-	Acrida	Yellowa	Yellowa	Sweet	Blue, yellow tip	Yes	Slow	Floats in water; more difficult to scratch than polyethylene
Polystyrenes	-	-	-	-	Illuminating Gas	Yellow	Yes	Rapid	Dense black smoke with soot in air
Polysulfones	-	b	Orange	Orange	-	-	-	-	Black smoke
Polyurethanes	-	-	-	-	b	Yellow	No	Slow	Black smoke
Vinyls   Flexible	-	Hydrochloric acid	Yellow with green spurts	No	-	-	-	-	Chars, melts
Rigid	-	Hydrochloric acid	Yellow with green spurts	No	-	-	-	-	Chars, melts
Polyblends
ABS/Polycarbonate	-	-	-	-	b	Yellow, blue edges	No	-	Black smoke with soot in air
ABS/PVC	-	Acrid	Yellow, blue edges	No	-	-	-	-	Black smoke with soot in air
PVC/Acrylic	-	Fruity	Blue, yellow tip	No	-	-	-	-
THERMOSETS
Alkyds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Diallyl Phthalates	-	-	-	-	Phenolic	Yellow	No	Slow	Black smoke, cracks
Diglycol Carbonate	-	-	-	-	Acrid	Yellow	No	Slow	Black smoke with soot
Epoxies	-	-	-	-	Phenol	Black smoke	No	Slow	Black smoke with soot in air
Melamines	Formaldehyde and fish		-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Phenolics	Formaldehyde and phenolc	Phenol and wood or paperd	Yellowd	No	-	-	-	-	May crack
Polyesters	-	Hydrochloric acida	Yellowa	Noa	b	Yellow, blue edges	No	Slow	Cracks and breaks
Silicones	b	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Deforms
Ureas	Formaldehyde	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

 

a Flame retardant   b Nondescript   c Inorganic filler   d Organic filler

Ref: Materials Engineering, Penton/IPC, Cleveland, Ohio