Stratasys + MakerBot - Let the games commence
Published 19 June 2013
Posted by Al Dean
Bre Pettis, CEO, MakerBot. Imagine the same photo, but with a mahoosive pile of cash
It’s been expected for a while since the Wall Street Journal talked about how MakerBot was up for acquisition rather than further investment, but the news that Stratasys is looking to merge it’s operations with the entry level 3D printer manufacturer still came as a surprise.
According to the press release, the ‘bot will continue as a separate business unit with it’s own products, it’s own strategies and retain head honcho, Bre Pettis, running the show.
So the obvious question is “Does this make sense?”
3D printed cars racing at the Scalextric 4 Schools final
Published 17 June 2013
Posted by Tanya Weaver
Yesterday saw the final of the Scalextric 4 Schools challenge, a PTC initiative that challenges middle and high school children to design, make and race their own Scalextric cars.
Scalextric 4 Schools consists of six challenges that focus on different aspects of design and engineering.
Nottingham’s Westbury School’s students chose to enter into the F3 circuit race, where cars are raced around a twisting circuit and the Bloodhound SSC land speed record, where cars have to travel as fast as possible in a straight line.
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Greenpower racing back and booming
Published 17 June 2013
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Want to get young people racing? How about a few laps around Goodwood for starters?!
For hundreds of schools around the country the weekends of June and July mean one thing - race time! - as the small electric-powered Greenpower race cars hit famous race tracks.
There’s a massive interest this year - we got hooked at last year’s finale - with the race series powered by the sponsorship and enthusiastic support of Siemens PLM Solid Edge, which has included the first entry from the USA.
The team from Huntsville Technology Centre, Alabama, have arrived from the home of the American space program to race against teams from across the UK in a battle of race handling, electrical economy and aerodynamic design that is rather exciting to watch.
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Phynix Systems aquired by 3D Systems for metals printing
Published 13 June 2013
Posted by Stephen Holmes
3D Systems and its quest for world domination in the 3D printing spectrum had been a little quiet of late, so we’re happy to see they’re still spending the moolah on acquisitions - this time Phenix Systems.
The O-eschewing company designs, manufactures and sells proprietary ‘Direct Metal 3D Printers’ - laser sinterers - that are good for 6 to 9 micron-layer dense metal and ceramic parts from powder.
This opens up a whole new world of materials for 3D Systems - including stainless steel, tool steel, super alloys, non-ferrous alloys, precious metals and alumina - giving them a foothold in the fast-growing aerospace, automotive, defense and medical sectors.
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Sergio: Pininfarina’s latest concept work
Published 13 June 2013
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Legendary Italian design house Pininfarina has unveilled its designs for a new concept car - The Sergio - in honor of its honorary chairman, Sergio Pininfarina.
Created solely in Dassault Systemes Catia using innovative virtual clay modeling and 3D sketching features, Pininfarina designers got creative with the open-top sports car, experimenting in the earliest stages of development with a variety of different approaches, quickly converging on the most appropriate shape and configuration.
The resulting 3D virtual model is a detail rich, production-ready, with a class-A surface, generated using ICEM Surf.
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Microsoft Surface Pro: artists impression of a tool for design
Published 12 June 2013
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Building an art installation, called ‘Soft Array’, from 80 inter-connected Windows 8 devices might seem a little out of our purview, but it gave us a chance to view the credentials of Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet.
First the installation: The array links up, allowing developers in a short space of time to develop apps that operate across all the devices. Plonked into a Microsoft event today in Cannes, France, visitors will be able touch its screens that are all linked to work in real time together.
It’s a great deal of fun - such as viewing the solar system through the ‘Universe’ app, which uses distributed processing to control mass particle flow across the 80 Surface Pros.
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Sir Paul Smith: Workspace of the creative
Published 10 June 2013
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Sir Paul with one ofmany stacks of books, and a paper mache rabbit
This morning we were lucky enough to be squashed, shoulder to shoulder, with the British fashion legend Sir Paul Smith as the Design Museum announced the forthcoming exhibition about his life’s works to assembled journos.
What is most exciting about this November’s exhibition ‘Hello, My Name Is Sir Paul Smith’, is not only the retrospective of the distinctive fashion styles that have built this brand into a global operation, but the recreation of Paul’s personal office space.
This room is the subject of many legendary stories (some of which he hinted at today, including the deliveries of LOTS of random presents sent by fans across the globe - spinning tops or cow bells anyone?) and much of his inspiration.
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