Screw Grabber Grips Your Screw, Kills Your Frustration

 

Screw Dropping Screws

Phil Kaufman is the inventor of the Screw Grabber and only the 1 trillionth person in history who has slipped the screw off the tip of a driver. Phil, however, decided to put an end to that. He’s a Graphic Designer and Photographer by trade, but that didn’t stop him from designing and manufacturing a prototype in February of 2013, then launching the Screw Grabber kickstarter project a year later to bring it home to you.

I had that “aha” moment and thought (insert cheesy phrase) “there’s gotta be a better way!” I started researching to see if there was anything else out there on the market that would do what I was trying to do. To my surprise there was so I purchased every single one of them and tested them. All of them fell short of what I wanted to create and within the price point that would be affordable by the masses so I started sketching out ideas for the Screw Grabber.

He went through three different designs before coming up with something that would be the most universally functional device. His brother, completing a mechanical engineering degree at Cal Poly Pomona, churned out the first mold in their Grandpa’s shop. Using different durometers of silicone and urethane Smooth-On, they then created the prototypes.

We went through about five different materials before we found one that worked with the hardness and flexibility that we were looking for. We kept refining the design–adding a thinker lip and the interior ribbing–each time making a new mold with seven molds in total. We gave our friends the final design receiving great feedback to refine the design even further. My brother drew up the final design in SolidWorks to source manufacturers and go through the patent pending process, talk with lawyers and complete the business paperwork that goes with starting a new business.

The Screw Grabber packs start at $7 with three large and one small Screw Grabber. There’s also a ‘Fixer pack’ with eight and a ‘Contractor pack’ that will put 20 Screw Grabbers in your tool box. They’re looking at a June 2014 ship date, just in time to reduce the screw dropping frustrations on some of those Summer projects. Check out the project and grab a set of Screw Grabbers here.

Designing for the Internet of Things

Real good read about products the internet and where it is going - NPD...

 

In the first part of our series on designing for the Internet of Things, we mentioned that it’s estimated that by the year 2020, somewhere between 50 and 100 billion devices will be connected to the “Internet of Things”—the phrase used to collectively describe all of the non-computer devices actively linked to the Internet.
In order to maximize this potential, we need to take it upon ourselves to ease the introduction of these devices into the digital infrastructure. For a designer, the most important way to ensure that you are doing your part is to constantly remind yourself who you are designing for: the Individual, the Business, or the System (government agencies). Today we focus on designing for the Individual.
While the Internet might have been developed as a government network, it is really the Individual who made it a versatile tool for work and play. When you are designing an Internet-based device for the Individual, it is imperative to capitalize on his or her creativity:

• Create objects that are compatible with a broad range of lifestyles and technical aptitudes.
• Don’t add features that you think some people might use, or might learn to use in time.
• If you’re torn because you want to add a feature that you know is complicated, leave it on the back burner for a future iteration, optional downloadable content, or a future “deluxe” model.

Any first release model needs to be basic so that the Individual can master it quickly and know that he or she is in complete control. Few people want or need 100 percent control of any given device, but they do want the ability to change proprietary settings and close unnecessary programs. The Individual is more comfortable with technology when he or she  knows what a device is doing and has control over it. To this end,

• design devices that offer a clean slate of content so that the Individual can be creative and make it his or her own;
• start simple and give the user the ability to customize a device in a way that conforms to his or her unique lifestyle;
• do not overwhelm the user with a list of things that you think are good for him or her.

Your device will be more successful if it has fewer features than if it has too many, because the Individual will know what he or she is getting and what he or she will need to learn at the time of purchase. Remember, it is not the Individual’s job to learn how to use a device, and he or she will stop using it (or refrain from buying it altogether) if he or she thinks the learning curve is too steep. To help make your device a success, consider these factors:

• Design logical devices that are easy to operate and demonstrate very obvious potential for reward.
• The Individual must see the device as an upgrade over something already owned, or improvement to his or her quality of life without adding any hassle. The value add must be real and marketable.
• The device must be compatible with the most disparate set of networked devices possible.
• If the device is too proprietary and doesn’t work well with others in an ecosystem, it’s likely to gain a bad reputation quickly

In our next installment, we’ll discuss the approaches design teams should consider when developing connected devices for the Business.
In the meantime, visit our website to download our new feature article: Designing for the Internet of Things, as well as sign up for a February 25 webinar on the topic.You can also download our new infographic on The Internet of Things–Past, Present and Future.

3D Printed Surfboards

New surfboard fin riding wave of 3D printing

Feb.5, 2014

In Putaruru, New Zealand, well-known surfboard maker Roy Stuart is among the first in the world to incorporate 3D printing technology into his surfboard designs. He took inspiration from the Humpback whale in creating the design for his hollow, Warp Drive BLEF foiled surfboard fin which was 3D printed with the help of specialists at Palmer Design and Manufacturing based in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Stuart holding a BLEF foiled fin

Stuart looked closely at the pectoral fins of Humpback whales in creating his surfboard fin design. The fin features a hollow core and surface tubercles – or BLEF (bumpy leading edge foil) – which mimic the skin of Humpbacks.

Normally, Stuart's handcrafted surfboard fins can take over 40 hours to make. Fiberglass fins can be especially troublesome as they are expensive, tricky to mold, and difficult to adhere to the surfboard.

This is where the wave of 3D printing ebbs into the story.

Late last year, Stuart brought his fin design to the 3D printing specialists at Palmer Design and Manufacturing. In a matter of a couple of months, they helped Stuart create a 3D CAD design for his surfboard fin and 3D print the fin using ABS filament and, finally, a polycarbonate material. The fin was put through rigorous strength tests like the one seen in this video.

Stuart is well-known as an innovator in wooden surfboard designs and is please to add 3D printing to his repertoire. He sees 3D printing as another way of bringing new designs to life and embraces the possibilities 3D printing offers for his work. "We can more of less do anything we want now," says Stuart.

Fins are 3D printed in vibrant, translucent colors ranging in size from 6.5 to 9 inches and in price from $82-$164. The fins are suitable for any boards with a standard fin box.

For an incredibly leisurely look at the 3D printed Warp Drive BLEF foiled surfboard fin in action, check out this video:

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

 

Colin Rose (M Eng) | Design Engineer | Future Products Group
www.fpgworld.com
p: +64 6 843 3249 f: +64 6 843 2466
Asia: 0086 21 3351 3390 | Au: 1800 041 649 | NZ: 0800 367 374 | UK: 0808 234 7922

 

The Man Who Prints Houses

The Man Who Prints Houses - Documentary about Enrico Dini and his heart and soul in 3D printing buildings

Feb.16, 2012

"The Man Who Prints Houses" is a upcoming film about a genius in the 3d printing world who intents on changing the world forever.

Enrico Dini is the man who prints houses. He is an Italian inventor who has developed a new construction technique based on the principle of 3D printing. His largest 3D printer in the world - can build 3D objects from sand and a binding agent.

The film follows Enrico from his ambitious business ideas, to financial problems and struggles in his family life. It shows some of his innovative projects: constructing the tallest printed sculpture in existence, working with Foster + Partners and the European Space Agency on a programme to colonise the moon, solidifying a sand dune in the desert, and printing the closest thing to an actual house: a small Italian dwelling known as a trullo.

Enrico Dini's D-shape 3D printer is a large aluminium gantry structure, which uses CAM software to drive a huge print head during the building process. It can print buildings - at least the most parts of it - on site with much less manpower needed for construction. It deposits sand followed by an inorganic binding material. Excess material acts as a support to the binded structure and when the print is finished the excess material can be removed and reused. This process has low maintenance costs and no water is used since the component parts are 'mixed' when they meet outside of the inkjet nozzles.

Enrico dreamt of building objects with impossible shapes. With his D-Shape 3D printer they could make previous impossible forms. His largest structure "the Radiolaria", is a 2m tall sculpture inspired by the architect Andrea Morgante. It took him ten days to print the structure. A full scale of 8.5m high version of the Radiolaria has been installed in Pontedera Italy.

Watch trailer of The Man Who Prints Houses after the jump.

image credit: Enrico Dini

Source: boingboing& develop3d

 

Colin Rose (M Eng) | Design Engineer | Future Products Group
www.fpgworld.com
p: +64 6 843 3249 f: +64 6 843 2466
Asia: 0086 21 3351 3390 | Au: 1800 041 649 | NZ: 0800 367 374 | UK: 0808 234 7922

 

Wire Splicing Article

http://www.assemblymag.com/articles/91832-the-splice-is-right

 

 

Can a bicycle be ridden at 112mph?

 

On August 13th 2013 Guy Martin reached 112.94mph on bicycle cycling behind a modified racing truck at Pendine Sands, South Wales and became Britain’s fastest cyclist. For the preceding eight months Guy Martin had been working with Dr. Jason Hill of Dynamiq Engineering Ltd (a Solid Solutions customer) to develop the aerodynamic and structural modifications for the racing truck necessary to make this record breaking speed possible.

Dynamiq Engineering Ltd, were tasked by the production company to develop a suite of modifications to Dave Jenkin’s racing truck to create the largest possible slipstream, hence eliminating the aerodynamic drag that Guy would have to overcome and allowing him the reach the record breaking speed of 112.94mph. The modifications involved the design, simulation and testing of a screen canopy to create the strongest possible aerodynamic recirculation behind the truck. The objective of the aerodynamic design was not only to eliminate drag, but if possible to create a positive thrust on Guy to help overcome rolling resistance.

Numerous canopy designs were considered, including partial and full enclosures, deflectors and simple screens. 3D CAD models of the truck and the canopies was developed in Solidworks and extensive engineering simulation carried out. Initially the simulation focused on flow analysis to optimise the strength and scale of the wake generated by the truck. Transient flow simulations were carried out to capture the motion of the wake and help Guy visual the violently unsteady, chaotic and turbulent environment in which he was hoping to cycle at over 110mph.

It can be observed that the CFD gave good qualitative agreement between the wake shape and scale between the CFD flow visualisation and the images filmed by the aerial film crew capturing the record attempt for a TV series.

Theory & Practise:  CFD Simulations compared with the particle traces obtained by the sand becoming entrained in the wake of the vehicle.

Once the technical decision had been taken to adopt a simple screen canopy and the performance calculations had shown that the racing truck would have sufficient power to be able to attain record-breaking speed with the additional aerodynamic drag, then the mechanical design and simulation was undertaken.  It was vital that the structure supporting the screen could handle the structural loads and avoid any potential vibration arising from such unsteady aerodynamic excitation.

Again a detailed 3D model of the underlying structure was developed in Solidworks and a detailed static structural and vibration analysis undertaken.

(i) Static Structural Analysis	(ii) Modal Analysis

 The design was found to be strong and stiff enough to meet all of the required safety criteria and therefore fabrication of the prototype canopy was undertaken by the team at Jenkin’s Motorsport.

Once complete the canopy was subjected to a one-day test program from both an aerodynamic and structural perspective at a dis-used aerodrome in Staffordshire, UK.  Initially, the canopy was attached to the truck a series of runs made at progressively higher speeds along the two-mile run-way with structural inspections being carried out in between each run.

Once it had been determined that the canopy structure was adequate, ribbons were attached to the rear of the screen the help visualised the flow field behind the truck.  The CFD suggested that the flow on the face of the canopy would be directed forward in the direction of travel and then outwards along the board, therefore if the aerodynamics were working as planned the ribbons should have been extensive pinned to the back of the canopy.


Testing:  Ribbons were attached to the rear of the screen to help visualise the flow behind the screen.  At all speeds above 40mph the ribbons were seen to be pinned to the back of the canopy exactly as-designed and simulated.

With all of the testing complete and the truck working as designed the date for the record attempt was set for August 13th 2013 at Pendine Sands in South Wales, UK.

Originally it had been planned to attempt the record at a UK-based proving ground on an oval concrete track, but at the last minute this had to be abandoned due to safety concerns.  The only other location deemed suitable was Pendine Sands.  A hard tidal sand beach used as a weapons testing range and owned by the UK ministry of defence.  The beach was far from ideal from the point of view of the record attempt.  The higher rolling resistance and lower traction of the surface made attaining the record speed far more difficult and the stability of both vehicles was also substantially reduced.  Furthermore, as the beach dried out during the day, loose sand was entrained into the recirculating wake of the truck reducing visibility behind the canopy at times to around 1m.

However, despite all of these factors just after lunch Guy Martin rode his bespoke bicycle millimetres from the back of the truck and attained a maximum speed of 112.94mph, becoming Britain’s fastest ever cyclist.

When the telemetry data was analysed after the record breaking run, it showed that Guy had ridden his bike at over 100mph for well over a mile, in near zero visibility, on an extremely unstable surface, less than 500mm away from a 5 tonne racing truck.

This record attempts forms part of a 4-program series currently being shown in the UK on Channel 4, in which Guy Martin attempts to break four speed related records including, outright speed on a bicycle, hydroplaning a motorcycle, fastest human powered flight and downhill sledging.  These series can be viewed online at:  http://www.channel4.com/programmes/speed-with-guy-martin

While there is no doubt that the success of this record on the day was due to Guy’s skill and experience in handling the bike under incredibly difficult circumstances, the record itself was made possible and all of the risks minimised through the extensive use of 3D CAD, finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics by engineers with the expertise to use the technology correctly.

- See more at: http://blogs.solidworks.com/tech/2014/01/can-a-bicycle-be-ridden-at-112mph.html#sthash.NNycouy9.dpuf

Start stacking with Lego in your browser!

Who doesn’t love Lego? Sure, it can get messy and you can run out of bricks (plus it hurts when you step on a piece), but what if you could build your dream designs from the comfort of your web browser? Well, Google and Lego have thought exactly that and have come up with a new app that lets you build almost anything you can think of straight on the web. It’s called Build With Chrome, and it lets you build up on a map of the world, so you can create classic life-like structures if you wanted to. You can also share your masterpieces via Google+, while it also works on your mobile web browser too – did you just say goodbye to your productivity? Who needs Minecraft now?

http://www.buildwithchrome.com/getchrome

Oven running an Android tablet

Interesting 'brain' on this oven....

 

 

Dacor Discover IQ Dual Fuel Range

 

The 48″ range comes  with a 7″ Android powered tablet built into the control panel complete with the ability to run apps. The Wi-Fi connected range comes with Dacor’s iQ Cooking App which provides the user “with tools they require for precision cooking.” It allows home chefs to control the range with their tablet or smartphone to do such things as conveniently preheat the oven, change a cooking setting or receive a text message when the meal is complete.

“The new range combines the cooking precision our customers have enjoyed for nearly 50 years with a first-of-its-kind Dacor Cooking App and iQ Controller, providing a convenient, connected cooking experience.”

The Dacor Discovery iQ range does has  built-in safety features. For instance, whenever someone is using the range via the built-in tablet, all users connected from other rooms will be kicked off the controls. The oven also cannot exceed a certain temperature when controlled from the app. The top burners also can’t be controlled via the mobile app.

 The Discovery iQ 48″ Dual-Fuel Range is priced at $11,999 MSRP and will be available nationwide in June 2014. A 36″ range is supposed to be released next for $4,299.

Meet the 3D printer that can make your own shoes

 

3D printers have been around for a few years now, steadily improving, capable of using more and more materials to crank out almost any physical object that you desire (even food), but now it looks like you’ll be able to pop out a brand new pair of shoes too. Thanks to Stratasys’ new Objet500 Connex3 3D printer, which uses rubber and plastic as materials, you can print off almost anything that needs to be flexible – that means you could be seeing some interesting designs down the catwalk soon!

Stratasys’ Objet500 Connex3 3D printer has been dubbed the world’s first multi-material full-colour 3D printer, which means you’ll be able to print all sorts of malleable objects from helmets to shoes, and even potentially a pair of brightly coloured wellies in any hue you can think of. That’s thanks to the printer’s use of cyan, magenta and yellow colours, just like in your inkjet printer at home, and it can combine the base materials of rubber and plastic to make its printed goods varied in flexibility and rigidity – and even transparency and opacity if needed. The printer also features “triple-jetting” tech, which combines droplets of three base materials, and reduces the need for separate print runs and painting.

How 3D printers will change your life
The company, which now also owns the MakerBot range of printers, has said that the printer would benefit designers and manufacturers as a huge timer saver – but it does come at a hefty price. The printer itself rings up around $330,000 (£200,000) – so you might want to wait for companies to start printing their own shoes instead of making your own. The printer launches today, but the flexible colour printed materials won’t be available to buy until further in the year – your multi-coloured wellies might have to wait until the summer for festival season.

New Sunglass Design from Alessi Uses Magnets Instead of Screws to Hold Assembly Together

From the future-forward aesthetic and unique manufacturing processes of Mykita eyewear to the sustainable ‘buy-one-give-one’ business model that is Warby Parker, we’ve seen quite the gamut of what’s possible for eyewear design and manufacturing in the past few years. Belgian industrial designer Frédéric Gooris has expanded that bubble by a few more breaths with his Kompas Sunglass Collection for the iconic Alessi brand that uses magnets rather than screws or clever material folds to create a ‘floating hinge’.

‘The Floating Hinge’

Consisting of eight frame styles and a wide range of color options, the Kompas collection was inspired by the ‘simplicity and brilliance of a compass’ according to designer Frédéric Gooris. The thin embedded magnets located at the hinges aren’t just for looks either; these floating hinges also allow you to unfold the frame one-handed with a simple gesture using the magnetic orientation the same way a compass needle always points North. Additionally, the floating hinge allows much more flexibility in adjusting frames for different face sizes and the absence of screws means less maintenance-related problems. The frames themselves are made from both handmade acetate and hypo-allergenic titanium:







Having graduated from Hogeschool Antwerpen in 1998, designer Frédéric Gooris spent the next 5 years working for Philippe Starck and Stefano Giovannoni on a wide range of projects for companies ranging from Target to Lavazza and Nissan to Siemens. In 2004 he founded Studio Gooris in Milan doing product design and concept design work for companies ranging from Alessi to Ferrero and Levis to JCPenny. Currently, he is residing in Hong Kong where he describes his new home as “one of the most dynamic cities in the world and located at the doorstep of the factory of the world”.