Developments

Why CAD must evolve to support it By Jon Hirschtick The wide-bodied Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long-range passenger plane designed for comfort. The celebrated aircraft’s unique features include: more headroom (higher ceilings and overhead luggage bins), more legroom, a “comfier recline,” 21% more fuel efficiency, bigger windows and “infinity mood lighting.” When the first Dreamliner came off the production line on July 8, 2007 (not coincidentally “07-08-07”), there was much industry fanfare. Boeing hired former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw to host a red carpet affair for 15,000 employees and even commissioned a Dreamliner theme song. Chief rival Airbus graciously sent a congratulatory letter to Boeing, declaring it “a great day in aviation history.” But beyond the funky mood lighting and more comfortable coach experience, the Dreamliner represented a landmark moment in distributed design. Instead of building a complete aircraft under one roof, the 787 would have its major components designed and built in many different factories spread across the globe. The cargo doors, for example, would come from Saab in Sweden; engine parts from Rolls-Royce in England; and wing sections from Mitsubishi in Japan. In total, 17 design teams in 10 countries would play a major role. See “Birthday Girl,” a Boeing 787-9, be assembled quickly in a time lapse video. (Source: Virgin Atlantic/YouTube) Embed link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKQQHfquBa8#t=32 On a varying scale, Boeing’s distributed design and manufacturing chain shift has become the norm rather than the exception. As the lead founder of SolidWorks and now as the lead founder of Onshape, I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time visiting CAD customers and have witnessed some dramatic changes in the way product ideas become a reality. Three profound things have happened to design teams, most noticeably over the past decade: Teams have become highly fragmented. There used to be a […]

   SINGAPORE – 30 March 2016 – Today, IoT Asia 2016, the region’s leading platform in the Internet of Things (IoT) returns with its third and largest edition from 30-31 March 2016 at the Singapore EXPO Convention and Exhibition Centre. Themed Closing the gap: From vision to reality, this edition will reveal new insights on emerging trends, new key technologies and directions for IoT’s proliferation in the region. It will also stimulate in-depth discussions to drive business collaborations in the region and undertake the real nuts and bolts of IoT implementation to make it a reality. Jointly organised by the Singapore Industrial Automation Association (SIAA) and SingEx Exhibitions (SingEx), the event was officially opened by Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-Charge of the country’s Smart Nation Initiative. Aloysius Arlando, Chief Executive Officer of SingEx Holdings, emphasised the significance of the event to the region, “We are entering an era dominated by smart and connected devices, and IoT is fast becoming a reality in our everyday lives. Not only is this causing a paradigm shift in how we go about our daily activities, it’s also changing and challenging traditional business models. “IoT Asia 2016 provides a rich and diverse knowledge-sharing platform for industry players and stakeholders – from the private and public sectors – to share their challenges and solutions. It continues to be the principal event for governments, businesses and communities in the IoT ecosystem to convene and discuss real outcomes, and enhance the design of effective business solutions that could impact the wider communities across the region.”  Smarter technologies for Smarter Cities and Communities  Asia’s urban population is growing on an average of 44 million every year[1]. As a result, there is growing pressure on the infrastructure of Asia’s cities, from transportation to communications and […]

In the picture: At the inauguration ceremony, (from left)  Mayor Ki-hyun Kim of Ulsan, UNIST President Mooyoung Jung.. The advancement of 3D printing and its impact on manufacturing have already been acknowledged by many industrialized countries. Indeed, a number of industries have been applying 3D printing technology to manufacture a wide array of items, from auto parts and prototypes to human skin and living organs. With the official launch of 3D Advanced Additive Manufacturing Center at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, 3D printing will become the city of Ulsan’s new future growth engine, following the bioindustry. An inauguration ceremony for the 3D Advanced Additive Manufacturing Center was held in the morning of Friday, February 26th, 2016. The ceremony was attended by key officials affiliated with the center, including Mayor Ki-hyun Kim of Ulsan, President Mooyoung Jung of UNIST, Vice President Jae Sung Lee, and Prof. Jeong Beom Kim (School of Life Sciences). The mission of the center is to promotes quality and innovative research in the area of 3D printing and to educate a new generation of manufacturing engineers and innovators skilled in their use. In recent years, the center has undertaken an important R&BD project, led by Professor Namhun Kim (School of Design & Human Engineering) under the suprvision of the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of Korea to produce eco-friendly 3D printed automotive parts. Moreover, it has also been working on the 3D printing project of patient-specific implants, led by Professor Jeong Beom Kim under the supervision of the Korean Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP). The ceremony was followed by a symposium on 3D printing technologies and applications to share knowledge about the future of additive manufacturing in different branches. UNIST President Mooyoung Jung states, “3D printing technology has an infinite amount […]