Prime Cuts: All kitted out
Published 29 September 2011
Posted by Tanya Weaver
Hyphen, a London-based industrial design and development consultancy, was drafted in by global brand agency Fitch London and its client McLaren Automotive to help design and realise mobile customer configurator kits for the new McLaren MP4-12C supercar.
The unique kits include a full range of configurable options for the car – even down to the colours of the upholstery stitching and brake calipers.
Fitch developed the concept design of the case with McLaren, as part of a larger project to design the dealership experience and communication material. Hyphen was then tasked with taking Fitch’s loose concept design and turning it into reality: a robust, very high end product, and a perfect representation of the McLaren brand.
Prime Cuts: Ford E-Bike sparks future ideas
Published 22 September 2011
Posted by Stephen Holmes
According to a song by a pretty young lady who seems to sport George Clooney’s chin as a novelty facial addition, there are 9 million bicycles in Beijing.
The population of the said Chinese city would be clamouring to get its hands on one of these though – Ford’s entry into the electric bike market.
Designed to show how the company’s design language can translate to a bicycle, the Ford E-Bike Concept it’s meant to show the car manufacturer’s electric mobility competence.
Ford has no plans to produce the E-Bike, which is a shame as they seem to have made a big effort to use as many standard components as possible, but it is an example of all manufacturers researching future mobility solutions – especially where there’s money to be made.
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Objet launches new bio-compatible 3D printing material
Published 21 September 2011
Posted by Al Dean
In advance of the TCT Show next week, we’re expecting an influx of more 3D printing and rapid prototyping news. One piece that caught our eye was today’s news from Objet Geometries. The company has just launched a new bio-compatible 3D printing material - with the snappy name of MED610. According to Objet, “the material combines bio-compatibility with high dimensional stability and clear transparency. This makes it useful for PMMA simulation and a wide range of medical and dental applications - particularly the production of highly accurate, customized surgical guides.”
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Prime Cuts: Hozelock’s summer loving
Published 15 September 2011
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Summer in an English country idylll; a place for cream teas, a spot of croquet, and wistfully flicking through a novel while perched on a sun lounger.
The reality is, as any actual resident will tell you, a season of whinging about grey clouds, winds that remove roofs from buildings and torrential rain.
Which is where my fascination with the latest Hozelock 40 metre auto-reel model comes in.
Designed by Hozelock’s in-house team, the final prototype, built by prototyping specialists ARRK, had to be whisked away to South Africa to find a scene of a romanticised English garden.
Even gardening products are feeding us lies!
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Job of the week: Foster + Partners modelmakers
Published 14 September 2011
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Modelmakers, CAD Support and RP Technicians - Foster + Partners
Job Type: Permanent
Industry Sector: Product development and manufacturing
Software Packages: AutoCAD, Inventor, Solid Edge, NX, Pro/E, SolidWorks
Location: Central London
Foster + Partners is expanding its in-house model shop. They’re looking to recruit experienced model makers with the relevant qualifications, or trainees.
These positions will be responsible for producing high quality models, prototypes and mock-ups as well as being involved in the preparation of exhibitions and presentation material.
Sound like the job for you? Apply here
If you have a vacancy that you are wanting to fill, get in touch here
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“It’s Wacom, and that’s the way it is”
Published 13 September 2011
Posted by Stephen Holmes
Nothing screams designer one-upmanship than “my Wacom’s bigger than your Wacom”.
Frankly in the coming months I won’t be surprised to see young men walking around Shoreditch in East London, dressed like lumberjacks and sporting dubious facial hair, toting the new Wacom Cintiq 24 HD around the streets on their shoulders like a 1980s boom-box.
In fact, I might just join them.
The sheer size and quality of the 24inch screen is second to the utter bulk of the thing – at 30kg it is a monster that will dominate any desk space if it doesn’t break it – it is a product to inspire envy in all onlookers.
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Autodesk Sustainability Workshop: Making the seemingly complex accessible
Published 13 September 2011
Posted by Al Dean
Those that have been reading DEVELOP3D over the last few months will know that we’ve recently started introducing more content relating to sustainability into the magazine. If you haven’t, then its all available to read, digest and enjoy at the dedicated microsite, sustainability.develop3d.com.
As part of the preparation process, we spent a good ol’ chunk of time reading and learning ourselves and one resource which I personally found educational is Autodesk’s Sustainability Workshop. If you’ve not come across it before, this is a web-based resource that provides video tutorials to explain some pretty hefty concepts in a clear, digestible and yup, enjoyable manner. Backed up with case studies, a brief blog and if you’re registered for Autodesk’s Education materials, then you get data-sets to work with and try out.
The Workshop has just been updated with new content relating to materials selection as well as more Building design related content, so it seemed like a good idea to have a chat catch up with Dawn Danby, who leads the project at Autodesk.
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