Jennifer Herron has been invited to represent the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at the Additive Manufacturing Standardization Forum at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, May 9, 2017. This special program will discuss the current state of standards needed to advance the use of additive manufacturing and explore identified gaps and priorities with particular focus […]
Gearing Up for MBD
I typically start my work day sitting on my butt, coffee in hand, reading emails, writing emails, determining where the cultural barriers lie to adopting Model-Based Definition. My thoughts today are on the family dynamic. Since we all know that your company is like a family (dysfunctional or highly functioning), consider how MBD (CAD model […]
Enterprise 3D Printing: All About That Communication
I recently co-authored “Towards Annotations and Product Definitions for Additive Manufacturing” with Dr. Paul Witherell and Dr. Gaurav Ameta. The title sounds official, as it should for a published paper, but perhaps, between you and me, we could give it a lighter name: All About That Communication. Cue Meghan Trainor. Forms of the word “communicate” appear 43 times in the paper! Yes, […]
The Model-Based Definition Ski Challenge
It’s the “high noon” of ski season, and I find myself comparing my challenges learning to ski with my work in model-based definition (MBD). Odd as it may sem, this confluence brings me to the conclusion that learning MBD is comparable to becoming a pretty good skier. It took me 20 years, two ski patrol […]
Why Aren't Architecture Firms 3D Printing Their Models?
I took this picture in the Denver International Airport (DIA) on my way to DC. It is a hand sculpted architecture model of the super hi-tech, globally forward thinking new hotel and entryway for the new light rail system that will very soon become a major thoroughfare between DIA airport and downtown Denver. Now, while […]
The Many Flavors of CAD Maintenance
Remember the Maytag guy? Remember how bored he was, sitting around twiddling his thumbs because a Maytag dishwasher was uber reliable? Yeah, well, that’s not the case for CAD administrators. CAD maintenance reminds me more of Dr. Who tumbling about the Tardis with one hand on the throttle (is that what that thing is?) and […]
3D Printing & Complex Geometry: Why the New Toy Doesn’t Play by Itself
It’s happened to all of us who have interacted with a 3D printer. It is very exciting, you know you want one, but who feeds the 3D printer? It does not work without human input. Read more about why at GrabCAD >>
Design for No Assembly: Rapid Prototyping Evolves to Digital Manufacturing
It is abundantly clear that additive manufacturing (AM), whether in plastic, metal, or human tissue, is a manufacturing game changer. But as with any manufacturing method, design for that method must be considered. In that case of digital manufacturing, we get to let down our hair and let go of having to consider those pesky […]