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The Future of Engineering and 3D Printing

July 24, 2017 by Adept Engineering Leave a Comment

At the risk of wearing out a phrase; “It’s a great time to be an Engineer!” Not only an Engineer but any person that is involved or interested in innovation in science and technology. I believe that we are in a perpetual state of revolution of technology. No matter what field of science and technology you choose to explore or contribute, the level of innovation is nothing short of astounding.

The Future of 3D Printing

One area of personal interest and that has received main stream attention is 3D printing. Recently I was asked, “what do you believe lies in the future of 3D printing?.” It was at that moment that I thought my mind would explode. I had no idea in which direction to lead the discussion. At first, I thought it important to clarify what we were speaking about. The term 3D printing has been adopted by the main stream due to its ease of understanding and its direct analogy. With the onslaught of availability and the technology in probably its simplest form, Fused Filament Fabrication or FFF, which has brought about a basic understanding and acceptance of “3D printing”. Where in actuality the broader term we should refer to is Additive Manu facture. Within the Additive Manufacture world, the future is bright and moving at light speed. There is no shortage of articles and references to the huge variety of places this technology is being applied. As soon as you research and list them, there are ten more. It’s fair to say that advances range from the Nano scale to Mega scale and I’d be hard pressed to mention a science that is not studying and applying additive manufacture to their arsenal of tools.

The Rapid Expansion of Computers into Engineering

Back to the initial question, “what is the future of Additive Manufacturing?”As with most questions regarding the future, they are often best answered by comparing them with the past. And with this subject, that past is not so long ago. So, I’ve decided to draw from my own personal experience. Despite still being 17 at heart, my own experience of over a half a century provides me some perspective. Even an adaptation of Moore’s Law, wouldn’t be appropriate because Additive Manufacture far exceeds that. I remember a time not so long ago entering a grand hall filled as far as the eyes could see with desks and drawing boards. Masters of Design and Engineering slouched over large drawings of objects most of us could not identify. It was the year 1983 and we found ourselves in the thick of an Aerospace Engineering company. A company that Engineered and built machines that beat mother-nature into submission, we’re speaking about Helicopters, but that’s not the point. The point being there were no computers, zero, zilch, nada. However, with the introduction of Windows about a year or so later my Engineering group received its’ first desktop computer, some 2 or 386 something or other. Located at the center of our 50 person Engineering group, where we all were allowed to take turns performing various tasks. Being awed by programs like Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Personal Computers had arrived. This computer had not replaced the mainframe, where real computing power resided. However, with the arrival of the PC, so did the buzz that someday this sea of drawing boards that lay before us would disappear and be replaced by PCs. Of course, it’s 1985 so we all chuckled and thought what sorcery are you preaching? Little did we realize that inside of 5 years it would happen, practically all drawing boards were gone. Programs like AutoCAD and CADRA permitted us to produce drawings electronically, no more electric erasers, eraser shields or templates. Although, all of this had to be performed in special environmentally controlled labs where these wondrous machines could survive. I remember being granted access to a special computer room beyond there, where there were a select group of Engineers staring at unique large flickering displays where they were creating 3D models on the computer, what?! Mind you it’s not even 1990. So inside of 5 years drawing boards are out and computers are in. Fast forward another 5 years we’re now out of the environmentally controlled rooms and designing in 3D on RISC workstations. Each Engineer at their own personal workstation Engineering and Designing in 3D at their desk. And with this came 3D files and all the wonders that came with them. We now had seamless communication with other computer programs and systems, directly using what we had created. Whether that be for Rendering, Finite Element Analysis, Stereolithography (SLA) or almost anything really. It was the early 1990’s when we were introduced to Stereolithography. I can remember having a ¼ scale SLA model made of a composite transmission housing I was working on, management was so elated with it that they wanted several more which we then made a dozen urethane castings. However, this technology in the early 90’s, was only available to very large, very well-funded Engineering firms. Push forward only about 3-4 years and a new player had emerged, DEC Alpha, an RISC (reduced instruction set computer) based PC running Windows NT, due to its 64-bit architecture capable of running the sophisticated 3D modeling software, and at a price mortals could afford, and so the march continues.

The Latest in Additive Manufacturing

Of course, things didn’t stop there, however, the next 10 to 15 years were filled with Moore’s Law and a lot of software and hardware evolution. Most of us are familiar with computer power exceedingly getting more powerful, smaller and affordable. And now the software is running on affordable laptops and heading towards the cloud! Here we are 12 years later and you can have your personal SLA machine on your desk for under $3500, Whaaaat?. And if that’s outside your budget, how about a proven, reliable FFF printer for well under $1,000. The Additive Manufacture industry is reflecting the computer and software industry, while just last month a Metal Additive Manufacture machine was released by Desktop Metal, priced at $120,000, which may sound pricey but in a field where other competitors are over $1M you better believe this group of MIT professors are making noise, so much noise they have recently secured $115M in investor funding…..Like I said “light speed”.

So, in a brief half century of time, we’ve gone from paper and pencil to fully computerized “Art to Part” (remember that cliché). And let’s remember in 1985 the World Wide Web did not exist, but that’s an entirely different subject for another day….So, let’s set 2014 as a date where Additive Manufacture has gone mainstream, coupled with the onset of the internet and the explosion in the adaptation of Additive Manufacturing, taking the square root of 50…, in 7 years and a couple months, Additive Manufacture will be a common tool in every Developers quiver.

Sorcery you say, I don’t think so…

To Prototype or not to Prototype?

May 2, 2016 by Adept Engineering Leave a Comment

Previously we spoke about 3D printers, their promise or lack thereof! I will admit I have been a bit cynical of their reliability, accuracy and actual usefulness. There is absolutely no doubt that 3D printers are here to stay and promise great things for our future. Sadly, for most of us, it still remains in the future. Despite the fact that Adept designs 100’s of parts per month we don’t own a 3D printer and don’t expect to purchase one anytime soon. That’s not to say we don’t utilize rapid manufacturing a great deal. However, by not bringing a single technology in house we are not bound or tempted to fit our process into the single technology we own. Prototyping companies put out a horde of advertising displaying complex assemblies that have been 3D printed in order to entice us towards their machines and services, but beware, (we’ll talk about that a little later). I don’t want to necessarily talk about 3D printers but more about prototyping as a whole. Specifically about when to prototype and when not to prototype, a sort of Shakespearean… “to Prototype or not to Prototype”.

After 30 years in Engineering and having lived the age of computerization within the engineering community, I remain awed by the capabilities and tools at our disposal. But like most facets of today’s technology, just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. What I’m referring to is the onslaught of decision making surrounding when and how to prototype. I’m not only addressing; Poly-jet, Stereo-lithography, ID Light, Laser sintering, Fused Deposition Modeling and Direct metal laser sintering, (I’m sure I may have missed a few), but one method that seems to have taken a back seat when discussing methods of prototyping. All these processes rely on the primary phase which they depend, 3D modeling. Even this is becoming easier, where there are freeware and online programs that help you create your ideas in 3D compatible formats enabling fabrication by one of these processes. However 3D modeling in of itself is a prototype. Which brings be back to the original question, when to prototype? Well, if you’ve already built a 3d model you already have.

Prototyping is a method of simulating an end result. In some instances these methods of prototyping are becoming methods of manufacture. As I wrote earlier about the GE

LEAP fuel nozzle being manufactured by Metal Laser Melting. Where a fuel nozzle of 17 parts was manufactured as a single assembled component or perhaps Solid Concepts fully functional 1911 semiautomatic pistol. I expect in our lifetime these methods of manufacture will become mainstream. But, as Solid Concepts points out, the fabrication of the pistol required experts using state-of-the-art equipment to produce it, not to mention countless man hours. So, the methods that are available to you and I will produce similar items, however they are still crude, inaccurate and unreliable. Simulation is a large part of Engineering, as is Prototyping. In essence all computer model simulations are prototypes. Prototypes that we don’t have to fabricate, can be easily modified, are incredibly accurate (often too accurate!) and can be destroyed repeatedly!

Computer models and simulations provide a perspective worth 100’s of prototypes. I remember hearing decades ago how Detroit used to make 100’s of prototypes of an automobile and now (20 years ago) they make 6. I expect that number has actually risen while the methods of engineering and manufacture have evolved and our tools are being used more effectively, efficiently and ingeniously put to use.

Prototype Development — Detailed Assembly

Computer simulations have come as far if not farther than rapid or additive manufacturing. An issue I take notice with, is the fact that rapid manufacturing has stolen the term rapid prototyping, because the fabrication process is only one piece of the puzzle and it happens to be a very costly one! Not to say that engineering hours are cheap, so there lies the quagmire! The cost to engineer and prototype is at the core of engineering decision making process. Assembling the correct engineering plan for the given project needs to be closely monitored and tailored to the projects near and long term objectives . Computer engineering/designing/modeling is at the forefront of the overall process. But the computer modeling element is not a one size fits all objective!? Because the rapid manufacture technologies available to the average machine or product developer are limited, your “prototyping” dollars must be carefully assessed and applied.

Every simulation or prototype has it’s objective and must be designed for that objective. Components slated for plastic injection molding are perhaps the simplest because the additive manufacture processes offer components in an array of materials that closely approximate real materials and the process yields similar tolerances. And, if these parts are structural, provided you select the correct material, process and align the grain direction appropriately you can yield a good simulated part. But remember you will have only one configuration to evaluate and to reevaluate you’ll have to purchase another prototype. If you require components of greater strength or tighter tolerances then it often pays to work your computer simulations further because your methods of rapid manufacture get more costly and time consumin
g. Clearly we can’t cover even a small cross section of considerations when it comes to when and how to prototype. But before you prototype be sure to ask your designer or engineer; “what is the objective of this prototype?”, “what will this prototype tell us, that we don’t already know?” and “how will this prototype move us closer and faster to our final objective, that can’t be achieve other ways?”.

Deciding when to prototype and when not, is a complex decision. Like most engineering decisions there are a host of considerations. Sometimes vested interest just have to see and touch what is being done. However first and foremost listen to your engineer, no matter how glassy eyed you may get as you listen to the decision making process, it is a process of trade-offs, filled with reason and rationale. And as you evaluate which simulations to perform and which to forego be sure to ask, what the risk are if we go with intuition, do we perform the analysis and to what level do we need to analyze. But always remember it’s expensive to build and cheap to modify computer models.

Tools That Transform Concepts into a Physical Prototype

June 12, 2014 by Adept Engineering 7 Comments

“With great power comes great responsibility.” I’ve always expected a bit more from this quote. If Peter Parker is who claims it, so be it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Spiderman movies. What’s not to like about a good guy winning and getting the girl. Unfortunately, in the world of engineering, we are not always fortunate to have the same fate. We are given great power and responsibility, but without the girl (or guy, let’s stay on theme…Spiderman and all). The power to engineer and develop in the virtual world is fantastic and has granted us unimaginable vision and responsibility.

I remember when, here we go again, we worked with ink pens, eraser shields and imagination. The days of ink pens and eraser shields are gone; however, our imaginations are alive, well and running wild. In the late eighties, I recall discussing and arguing how much time (aka, money) 3D CAD was going to save. After all, if the exorbitant amount of money on hardware, software and support were to be justified, then there must be a tangible metric to substantiate the risk. That was the challenge. How do you calculate the reduced risk of greater insight with a bigger and better toolbox? I wasn’t the most popular guy in the room in those days because while everyone insisted that there would be time savings, I suggested the

The image above is an automated wake board towrope retriever prototype.

exact opposite. Looking back on that time, if I was armed with my last 25 years of experience and the hindsight that comes along with it, I would’ve made a much better argument. In effect, the time savings (and money) does not come from any one discipline. It is generated throughout the entire process, “from art to part”. I loved this phrase, “from art to part.” Like everything else in marketing and sales, I’m sure it will make its’ comeback. The reason I love this phrase is because it emphasizes the fact that engineers are artists.

As we look at the whole process, from a clean sheet of paper (or computer screen) to a virtual prototype and on to the physical prototype, the engineer has a quiver of tools at their disposal. Or, do they? We’re all familiar with the cliché, “the right tool for the job.” Like most clichés, they tend to point out the obvious. The fact of the matter is we don’t always have or can afford the right tool. And, there lies the quagmire, an extremely important decision of when and how to use these tools. The term tool is a very broad and involved topic for engineers. Not only are there an enormous number of tools, the methods in which we use them expand our capabilities, exponentially.

The image above is a Boeing 737 PSU Reading Light design utilizing the latest in LED technology.

Working for companies like Boeing, Sikorsky or NASA, these decisions are much simpler, (Friends, please don’t shoot me and hear me out). Not only are your company pockets deep, you also possess the responsibility of engineering systems for which human life is reliant, therefore giving you, the engineer, a tremendous amount of clout. However, for the other 90% of the engineering community (don’t quote me on that), we don’t have such clout, yet the responsibility is still very real and present. We work within much more modest budgets and ridiculously rapid schedules to create something from nothing, requiring creativity not only in our designs but in our engineering methods in which we bring them to fruition.

Creating something from nothing is what engineering is all about. Generating the physical prototype from virtual concept is both our friend and our foe. To create or not to create that is the question! Sorry had to do it… This brings me back to the process, the process of creating with powerful tools. These tools enhance our ability to create in a virtual world that is quite wonderful, yet empty. In the end, an engineer creates the physical prototype. This is the question I look to discuss and answer…When and how do you take a virtual concept to physical prototype? How do you resist the lures of remaining virtual or going physical? More to come soon!

CAD

The Future of 3D Printing

The Rapid Expansion of Computers into Engineering

The Latest in Additive Manufacturing

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