Thanks, Beth, that's what I thought. It would be interesting to find out what, if any, upper limits there are on complexity for 3D printing. Does anyone know if there's some kind of gauge to use?
I think that was what I was getting at in my comments earlier. I think you're right Ann--I'm not so sure current 3D printing capabilities could produce an entire ship of this complexity. Even though it is a scaled model, it's still pretty complex in terms of components and integrated systems.
I'm not sure what the most complex 3D printed model/component has been. I do know we've reported on the Urbee EV vehicle from KOR Logic, which was 3D printed for the prototyping stage. But even with that example, it wasn't all the components of the vehicle that were 3D printed--just the main body components.
I think Jack's question is an interesting one. Beth, do you think 3D printing is capable of handling such a complex CAD model? For that matter, what is the most complex CAD model 3D printers can handle? In interviews for my December feature on AM
That might be a good marketing opportunity for the printer companies, to partner with somebody like this. The battleship model will probably get a lot cross-market media attention and they could demonstrate what their products can do.
That's definitely an interesting idea, Jack, and one that's likely viable. It would really depend on whether this crew has access to 3D printing technology, which you know is expensive. I don't think the size or the materials would preclude the use of 3D printers, although the intricacy of all the modules and interconnected components and systems might make it difficult.
To combine a couple of Design News articles.... I wonder if it would be useful, in this case to utilize a 3D printer? Depending upon the material that the printer makes (and the size capability), this might be a good application for it. Here he as the 3D model created and might be able to go directly from virtual to real with a push of a button.
Absolutely, CAD is playing a role in other historical explorations--ship building or otherwise. We've reported in the past on 3D tools like CAD and visualization packages being used to reconstruct archeological sites like the Great Pyramid of Kheops. Specifically, French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin tapped Dassault's 3D solutions to recreate the pyramid construction site in 3D.
Two battleships on one page is almost more than I can take, but that's for traffic reasons. As for the story, this is an excellent, fascinating, and valuable example of historical archaeology brought to life via CAD. Kudos to McKinney. I wonder if there's other work going on regarding ships built centuries earlier, where the CAD tools may help uncover/illuminate mysteries regarding their construction.
The actual battleship is anchored in Pearl Harbor next to the Arizona memorial. It is possible to take a tour of the inner workings of the ship which will let you see inside the gun turrents and engine room. Highly recommended!
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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