In the early days of the pandemic, 3D-printed face shields and ventilator components grabbed the spotlight in the media, revealing the technology’s potential to swiftly respond to unforeseen disasters. But this isn’t necessarily a new use case of additive manufacturing (AM). Over the course of the technology’s adoption, 3D printing hardware and materials have gained traction in regions of earthquakes, conflict and a variety of natural disasters. A carry-on printer Eric James, executive director of Field Ready, occasionally flew with a 3D printer as part of his allowable carry-on luggage. Over the years, he had to figure out how to…
What was previously called SolidWorks World is now 3DEXPERIENCE World, a name change that will take some time for SolidWorks devotees to adjust to. (SolidWorks World was last held in 2019.) 3DEX World 2021 came online last week as a three-day virtual conference, offering a mix of keynotes, technical sessions, and customer stories. In rebranding of the conference to 3DEX World, Dassault Systèmes signaled a desire to transform SOLIDWORKS from a largely independent subsidiary revolving around a single product into an integrated part of the larger ecosystem. This began with the introduction of 3DEXPERIENCE Works, a suite of ancillary products…
3D Control Systems has just launched a new AM (additive manufacturing) workflow management software, dubbed ZAP, powered by AI and ML (machine learning). “The automated workflow platform integrates disparate 3D printer systems, frees users of risk for future technology integrations, and eliminates costs for system migration, deployment, and upgrades. This makes the new ZAP platform the ideal solution for advanced manufacturing factories that are looking to address requests that range from automating internal 3D printers to managing external production more efficiently,” according to the company's announcement. 3D Control Systems launches ZAP, an AI-powered 3D printing workflow manager. Image courtesy of…
Normally in January, people flew into Las Vegas, NV, for the annual the CES (consumer electronics show). However, this year, with traveling restrictions from the pandemic, the show turns completely virtual. The show’s keynote speakers include Intel’s Executive VP Gregory Bryant, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su, Microsoft President Brad Smith, and other big names in the telecom, entertainment, retail, and high-tech sectors. AMD Keynote at CES 2021 “For all of us the tech industry, although we have had our challenges, 2020 was perhaps our most productive year. From how we work to how our kids learn to our entertainment, we’re…
This March, as coronavirus-induced travel restrictions and supply chain disruptions wreaked havoc around the world, additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing found itself in an envious position—a position of advantage. Particularly in personal protective equipment (PPE) production, 3D printing attracted headlines and media spotlights. Without the need to set up tooling or create molds, 3D printers, from hobbyists to professional houses, were able to swiftly make and deliver PPEs to hospitals and clinics facing short supply. (For more, read the related stories listed at the end.) “There was the recognition that 3D printing is a viable manufacturing technology for medical…
According to World Economic Forum, over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom, propelling a rapid move to online learning. A similar change is also happening among the professional adult learners, The pandemic is changing how engineers learn the tools of the trade, according to two leading CAD training and education providers. The shift from in-person classes to remote learning was incremental before the Coronavirus, but the shutdown and travel restrictions are accelerating it. “We started transitioning a few of our courses to online instructor-led delivery, but [the pandemic] brought it to the forefront,” said Kevin Kuker, VP of…
In early 2000, Dr. Karthik Ramani experimented with a shape-based search system that allows engineers to use visual references to identify and search for mechanical objects, but it soon became clear to him the computing power was insufficient. Twenty years later, with far more computing power at his disposal, he revived the project, applying machine learning (ML) to crawl through a database of gearboxes, bearings, brakes, clutches, motors, nuts, bolts, and washers. The outcome is an open-source annotated database of more than 58,000 3D mechanical parts. Using machine learning to sort mechanical parts Ramani, a Distinguished Professor in Mechanical Engineering…
In September, the analyst firm Tech-Clarity published the outcomes of its survey, titled “Business Sustainability and Survival Strategies 2020.” Though the pandemic is certainly on most respondents’ minds, the survey points out “disruption could also apply to other world events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, hurricanes, and human-created events like terrorism or armed conflict.” The survey reveals “almost one-half of businesses (46%) have increased focus and/or accelerated digital transformation due to the pandemic.” “I’ve spoken to a few companies that modeled their factories to figure out how to put people back to work safely—specifically, to figure out how to…
This morning, AMD announced its intent to buy programmable chipmaker Xilinx in an all-stock transaction valued at $35 billion. “The combination will create the industry’s leading high performance computing (HPC) company, significantly expanding the breadth of AMD’s product portfolio and customer set across diverse growth markets where Xilinx is an established leader,” according to AMD. AMD's product portfolio is primarily made up of CPUs and GPUs. With the acquisition of Xilinx, the company is posed to add a healthy collection FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) and Adaptive SoCs (systems on chips) to its offerings. This morning, AMD also reported strong…
SOLIDWORKS 2021 The popular mechanical program SOLIDWORKS is now in version 2021. Among the highlights are the ability to save defeatured or simplified components as a configuration, so you can toggle between the defeatured version and the original detailed version. It also comes with better handling of small gaps in mesh models in simulation, and fillet along nonplanar surfaces in sheetmetal design. If you have a GPU, you can expect to see better performance, specifically in assembly rotation, and in displaying models with silhouetted edges and occlusion culling. When you export an interference report, you can now include thumbnails of…
At CES 2020 in Las Vegas (one of the last big in-person tech shows before the COVID-19 shutdowns began), BMW Group tickled the automotive enthusiasts’ fancy with a demo of the BMW i Interaction EASE, a concept car for the future. Part of the “wow” factor was its use of the panoramic windshield as an augmented reality (AR) display. “It can show additional information on the windscreen that is tailored to the situation at hand and the vehicle’s surroundings. Thanks to 5G connectivity the vehicle knows exactly where it is and can offer the user information on the surrounding buildings,…
A year ago, NVIDIA paid $6.9 billion to buy Mellanox, an interconnect solutions provider. This week, the company announced it's ready to pay roughly six times that amount—$40 billion—to buy the UK-based Arm, known for its energy-efficient microprocessor technology. Both acquisitions point to the GPU maker's ambitious plans and aggressive moves to dominate the emerging AI (artificial intelligence) market. NVIDIA to purchase UK-based Arm for $40 billion. Image courtesy of NVIDIA. An AI School Run by NVIDIA UK-based Arm is owned by the Japanese telecommunication giant SoftBank. SoftBank paid $32 billion to purchase it in 2016. In June, news emerged…