Yes, good question, Beth. There are a number of forces that fall on the design engineer -- environmental compliance, collaboration, incorporating new technology, mobile access to design, design for outsourced manufacturing, increased time to market. So much for the contemplative work at the bench.
That's a really interesting point you raise, Rob. These developments are all positioned as helping the design engineer be more efficient in everything from actual design work to communication. But you're right in identifying that it definitely puts more responsiblity on their shoulders. I'm curious from our community out there what they think in terms of new tools, new responsibilities.
So many of these developments seem to put more pressure and responsibility on the design engineer: environmental compliance, collaboration sign-offs, you name it. Is this ultimately a time-saver for the design engineer or is it just one more level of responsibility?
I think that is their approach. That and the ability to test more continously throughout the design cycle as opposed to the typical method of a handoff at the end to testing, when if problems are encountered, turns out to be very costly.
This answers, or starts to answer, a question I've had for some time: as cars become increasingly dependent on processors doing tons of different tasks, how is all that code in all those subsystems being managed? Specifically, how is it all being developed and tested, and has the systems engineering approach arrived yet? This looks like an excellent start on breaking down the silos.
Nice article, Beth. If I understand this right, given this integration tool, the system being tested could be testing with other systems simultaneously so a problem between conflicting systems could be caught earlier?
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
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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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