AU 2011: TechShop, Part 1 – What They Do

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This year as I walked around the Autodesk University 2011 Exhibit Hall I smelled a unique odor that got my little ID heart pumping: Molten plastic. Amidst all of these computer hardware displays, someone was actually making something. I followed my nose and found TechShop’s booth, where they had ShopBots, laser cutters and an injection-molding machine happily spitting out poker chips.

The booth was absolutely mobbed, so I had to wait until after hours to come back and get Zack Johnson, TechShop Dream Consultant, to give Core77 a rundown on what they do. (And later we’ll show you the injection-molding machine in action.)

» Part 2: The ShopBot and Epilog Laser Engraver
» Part 3: Injection Molding Demo

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AU 2011: Because We Can, Part 2 – Projects Past & Present

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Here in Part 2 of our Because We Can interview, founders Jeff McGrew and Jillian Northrup explain how their RP habit organically went from being an interesting hobby to a full-time business. They also discuss the cool swiveling desk we posted on earlier this year and tell us about some of their projects both past and current:

» Part 1: Introduction
» Part 3: The Open-Source Desk Project
» Part 4: Advice for Design Students

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AU 2011: Interview with Design-Build Firm Because We Can, Part 1

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From residences to offices to furniture to Burning Man art projects, Oakland-based design-build firm Because We Can is capable of designing and making a lot of crazy stuff. “CNC machines don’t care how complex things are,” founder Jeff McGrew pointed out during his Autodesk University 2011 Mainstage event.

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By now you’ve probably read our transcript of that talk, and now we’re ready to post our video chat with both McGrew and co-founder Jillian Northrup, whom we caught up with in the AU 2011 Creative Studio. Here in Part 1, the duo tell us about their fortuitous discovery of ShopBot and how digital fabrication helped launch their firm.

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AU 2011: 123D Make Software for Quick, Real-Life 3D Models

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Autodesk’s 123D Make is a fantastic piece of software that, when paired with a laser cutter, enables you to quickly produce real-life 3D models. The user takes a virtual 3D model and imports it, then the software slices it up into panels that you can either laser cut or cut by hand. After that, assembly is easy peasy. Check it out:

The software, which is currently Mac only, is free from now until late February 2012. Download it here.

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Mantis Vision’s F5 Handheld 3D Scanner for the Field

f5-live.pngf5-render.pngThe F5 documenting a truck rollover on the street.

When was the last time you saw a Georges Seurat painting? The father of pointilism pioneered the technique of a canvas full of points to make a complete picture. Like Seurat, the new F5 from Mantis Vision gets the point. The 3D scanner boasts 50,000 points per video frame and sets a new standard for the industry by taking what might be thought as a traditional camcorder recording and translating data into 3D data points. Their tag line “The first 3D Camera for non-experts” seems like one of those marketing catch phrases that seem too good to be true, but rest assured, this product delivers.

Offering continual 1 hour use, the F5 is lightweight with the two pieces weighing in at 1.7 kg for the Camera and 1.0 kg for the UMPC/data storage and display (Camera-3.74lb; UMPC- 2.20 lb).

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Key features of the F5:
– MVP Software transfers the 2D coded video to 3D models and also offers the ability to stitch multiple frames together.
– Supplements hard to reach/see places that spherical 3D scanners can’t.
– Simultaneous Imaging range: 55 cm – 3.0 m with a Single frame Accuracy: up to 0.5 mm at a range ≤ 1m.
– The ability to capture reflective models.
– Very little, if any, prep worked required ahead of time to start scanning.

Over the past 5 years the accessibility, cost and ease of use of 3D scanners has improved as products appeared on the market with an affordable price tag (under $3k) with the ability to scan color. Designers, engineers and architects already make clay, foam and sketch models to flesh out ideas so it’s only a matter of time until a 3D scanner is added into the process to help bring the analog models into the digital world. With its portability, the F5 can be used in hard to reach places or help to supplement what other scanners might have missed. Take a look after the jump to see actual footage of the F5 in action.

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Ready Your NURBS: A Suite Update for Geomagic 2012

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If you’re serious about your 3D scanning then chances are good that you are already using the Geomagic suite of software to help clean up and translate scanned data into usable data needed for downstream applications. If not, welcome to one of the more robust point cloud, data crunching, file translation software packages on the market. Geomagic 2012 is the newest release and is packed in with some fresh enhancements just waiting to be unleashed.

Translating data collected from 3D scanning into something useful, no matter which scanner type or touch probe is used, needs some post-production work. It’s similar to using Photoshop to ‘touch up’ an image to give it that extra TLC to make it shine. Whether the intended downstream application is quality inspection, translation to any 3D software or 3D Printing, the Geomagic software suite covers a versatile range of options. Some of the new features and enhancements in 2012 that stand out the most include:

  • Sketching ability that will aid in the creation and editing of cross-section. This can come from either the actual point cloud data directly or from a polygonal model. This is useful especially when pushing the data down to your CAD program of choice.
  • Remeshing tool that adds the ability to quickly and accurately “shrink warp” or retriangulate the data. Where this adds a huge boost and is extremely useful is in applications such as 3D Printing which needs “water tight” geometry.
  • The new ‘Patch’ command offers a much needed functionality when it comes to fixing polygonal data.
  • Native import of file formats from: NX, Catia, CREO elements/Pro, Spaclaim, and Solidworks. This adds an much tighter integration into your current CAD package without the possibility of data loss that can sometimes occur when converting to a neutral format.
  • Quality Comparison is an aspect that’s used to compared scanned data against 3D CAD models for surface deviation. The addition of ‘Probe’ allows for the testing of as built parts for first article inspection. The measurements gained from probing the physical model can be immediately compared to the digital version.

So whether it’s the conversion of point cloud data to CAD or comparison and measurement to digital data the Geomagic suite—Studio, Wrap, Qualify and Probe—can be used in many various aspects of your process. You can download a free trial of the new Geomagic 2012 suite or see the patch command in action after the jump.

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Objet High Temperature Material for 3D Printing

objet_aircon.pngAir conditioning automotive part

When it comes to 3D Printing, Objet is continuing to set the standard when it comes to material options and flexibility. With the addition of a new High Temperature Material, this brings the choice to well over 60 different material options available for their line of 3D Printers—not to mention the transparent VeroClear, and ABS-like digital material, bio-compatible material and the rigid and opaque VeroWhitePlus. With this newest addition the actual possibility of functional testing and real world applications has broken through to an incredible new level.

High Temperature Material or (RGD525) combines two areas that are vital when it comes to testing prototypes thermal resistance and dimensional stability. As this new material is fully capable of simulating the thermal performance of engineering plastics it is ideal for testing of static parts. The High Temperature Material has an initial heat deflection temperature of 63-67 °C (145-153 °F) when removed from the printer but through some post processing it can be increased to 75-80 °C (167-176 °F).

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