Design Engineering

MakerBot's New Brooklyn Factory

June 14, 2013 5:23 pm | by TechCrunch | Videos | Comments

Bre Pettis and his team have enjoyed phenomenal growth since fashioning MakerBots in 2009. So much so, that they've opened a new space at Sunset Park in Brooklyn to handle all the orders for the Replicator 2 and 2x. Not to mention the new Digitizer that will democratize 3D printing soon to begin shipping.

U.S. Prosecutors Want Smartphone 'Kill Switch'

June 14, 2013 5:23 pm | by Meghan Barr, Associated Press | News | Comments

U.S. law enforcement officials are demanding the creation of a "kill switch" that would render smartphones inoperable after they are stolen, New York's top prosecutor said in a clear warning to the world's smartphone manufacturers. The New York Attorney General said the formation of a coalition of law enforcement agencies devoted to stamping out what he called an "epidemic" of robberies.

CT Lawmakers Join Fight Over Who Was 1st To Fly

June 11, 2013 2:16 pm | by Stephen Singer, Associated Press | News | Comments

Connecticut's leading role in aviation has never been disputed, but legislators have passed a bill insisting that a Connecticut aviator flew two years before the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, N.C. The measure is the latest twist in an effort to credit the first successful airplane flight to German-born aviator and Bridgeport resident Gustave Whitehead.

Officials Wait To Judge Apple 'Kill Switch'

June 11, 2013 10:09 am | by Terry Collins, Associated Press | News | Comments

The top prosecutors in San Francisco and New York, seeking ways to curb thefts of mobile devices, said Monday they will reserve judgment of Apple's new security feature designed to make it harder to reactivate a stolen iPhone. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman have been asking the leading wireless device makers to create a "kill switch" that would render stolen phones useless.

Feds: Engineer Tried To Steal Firm's Trade Secrets

June 6, 2013 2:03 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Federal authorities say a Mahwah man was planning to go to India with a New Jersey company's stolen trade secrets for self-administered disposable pens. U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced Wednesday that 36-year-old Ketan Maniar, an Indian national, was charged with stealing trade secrets for his own economic benefit from a worldwide medical technology company headquartered in Franklin Lakes.

Balloons Set to Take Wind Power to New Heights

June 6, 2013 8:03 am | by ReutersVideo | Videos | Comments

Boston-based company Altaeros has developed a new wind power generator in the form of a giant balloon that they say will offer a cheap renewable energy alternative to communities that live off the grid. The inventors say this could be the future of wind power. Reuters' Ben Gruber has more.

Knock On Wood, This Car Works!

June 6, 2013 8:01 am | by AssociatedPress | Videos | Comments

First it was a bike, then a motorcycle. Now, a Hungarian man has created a car made almost entirely out of wood. Istvan Puskas toiled away for four months until all the pieces came together. The frame, axles, gearbox, and even the gas tank are made from wood.

The ‘mini’ Future Of Education

June 4, 2013 8:00 am | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Articles | Comments

Connected to a laptop I can’t afford, on the far end of a tangle of cords, is an exposed circuit board peppered with objects I can name — resistors, diodes — but not explain. The computer itself is running software that I’m not capable of programming myself. But none of that matters, and, in fact, is part of an educational plan from National Instruments’ Academic Program.

Wind Energy Company Touts Giant Blades

June 3, 2013 12:26 pm | by AssociatedPress | Videos | Comments

Vestas, a Danish wind power company, says its manufacturing facility in Colorado is making the biggest blade for wind power in the United States. Bjarne Nielsen, Vestas Blades Division, says the V117 blade is nearly 60 meters in length, longer than half a football field.

Boeing Announces Changes For Jet Design Centers

June 3, 2013 9:50 am | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Boeing Co. said Friday it will create new aircraft-design centers in Washington state, South Carolina and California. The company portrayed the new centers as a way to increase its engineering and propulsion capacity as demand rises for new aircraft and services. Boeing predicts that the world's airlines will need 34,000 new planes over the next 20 years, a potential $4.5 trillion market.

Building A Secure Manufacturing Infrastructure

June 3, 2013 8:00 am | by Grant McDonald, Product Marketing Manager for Symantec SMB & .cloud | Articles | Comments

Today’s manufacturing is a wonder of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. However, the same technology that makes it possible for smaller manufacturers to thrive in our global economy also presents security challenges. With every endpoint connected to the Internet, there is always a risk of a cybercriminal stealing this intellectual property or other sensitive information.

GM To Show Off Reworked Chevy Malibu

May 31, 2013 1:43 pm | by Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writer | News | Comments

The Chevrolet Malibu, an also-ran in the popular midsize car segment, shows off a quick makeover Friday that is expected to address criticism of its bland styling and so-so performance. General Motors will unveil the updates at a press event in Detroit. Experts are expecting to see a more modern-looking car, with some additional legroom in the back seat.

Shelby Developing WA Supercar Factory

May 30, 2013 2:17 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

Tri-City native Jerod Shelby is building a factory in West Richland for his SSC North America company that makes cars that can speed hundreds of miles per hour and sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Shelby broke ground Tuesday on the $5 million project, which will include a research and development section and museum, The Tri-City Herald reported. It could employ more than 50 people.

From Many Colors Comes One

May 30, 2013 8:03 am | by KYDEXsheet | Videos | Comments

Matching a color sounds simple. But what do you do when a customer shows you a tableau of colors to translate into one? KYDEX Global Creative David Scott and Color Development Specialist John English show both the creative and technical process in action.

Building A Home With A 3D Printer

May 30, 2013 8:02 am | by AssociatedPress | Videos | Comments

The relatively new technology known as '3D printing' has already been used to make prosthetic legs. Now, architects claim they'll soon be able to build a whole house using a 3D printer. The technology is still relatively new, but it's already being used in the medical world and in the arts.

Flying Car For The Masses Set For Take-Off

May 30, 2013 8:01 am | by ReutersVideo | Videos | Comments

New England aviation company Terrafugia has unveiled its latest conceptual version of a flying car. Unlike its current flying car, which is designed for pilots, the new design incorporates autonomous functionality, a move the company says will open up the skies to everybody. Reuters' Ben Gruber has more.

Kohler Ordered To Pay $9.6M In Patent Suit

May 21, 2013 2:20 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The Kohler Co. has been ordered in federal court to pay $9.6 million to a Massachusetts manufacturer for infringing on two of its patents for components that reduce exhaust emissions in marine generators. Jurors in U.S. District Court in Boston last week found Kohler willfully infringed on the patents issued in 2008 and 2010.

Is Apple Losing Its Cool?

May 21, 2013 1:22 pm | by CNN | Videos | Comments

Google has released a spate of new products, but tech giant Apple still leads—today—says business reporter Rocco Pendola. Now accused of losing it's innovative edge, Pendola says Apple needs to release the next new gadget within the next year and questions whether CEO Tim Cook is the right leader for the job.

Goff’s Enterprises Wins BizTimes “I.Q. Award” For Innovation

May 20, 2013 3:24 pm | News | Comments

Goff’s Enterprises, Inc. has received an I.Q. Award for Innovation from BizTimes Media LLC. The I.Q. Awards salute southeastern Wisconsin businesses for their innovations in products and services. The award was presented at the BizTimes Award luncheon on May 16th, in Milwaukee, WI.

Canada Trying To Lure Silicon Valley Tech Workers

May 20, 2013 2:35 pm | by The Associated Press | News | Comments

The Canadian government launched an aggressive campaign to lure Silicon Valley tech workers frustrated by U.S. visa policies northward, just as Congress wrestles with a long-sought overhaul of America's immigration system. Canada's minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism arrived in the San Francisco Bay area for a visit aimed at snapping up talent for Canada's high-tech economy by offering startup entrepreneurs a visa.

Manufacturing Gangnam Style

May 20, 2013 8:05 am | by Stacey Wagner, Manager, Workforce Systems Development, NIST MEP | Blogs | Comments

Baxter’s ability to work side by side with human counterparts has many people worried. What if he and his robotic buddies stop dancing and take over all the manufacturing jobs? What if people – and the wonderful human qualities they bring to manufacturing – become passé?

Flying Car Prototypes Grounded After Crash

May 17, 2013 12:47 pm | by The Canadian Press | News | Comments

The Transportation Safety Board says the U.S. manufacturer of flying cars has grounded all five of its prototypes until it can determine a cause for a recent crash in B.C. One of the Maverick flying cars crashed near a Vernon elementary school last week, leaving a pilot and a passenger with minor injuries.

Top 10 Coolest Things At AMUG 2013

May 16, 2013 8:01 am | by IMTSTV | Videos | Comments

iSpy Jake Ervin attended the AMUG (Additive Manufacturing Users Group) Conference in Jacksonville, Florida this year. Vendors displayed some very exciting parts manufacturing with additive technology. Jake shows us the top 10 coolest parts exhibited at the event.

Inside BMW's Design Lab

May 14, 2013 1:46 pm | by CNN Money | Videos | Comments

An inside look at BMW's North American design lab, where the company works on everything from cars to coffee makers. Designworks is an independent creative agency owned by BMW that is always working on the next generation of cars.

David Vs. Goliath – Stealing Innovation

May 10, 2013 4:06 pm | by Mike Collins, Author, Saving American Manufacturing | Blogs | Comments

The right thing to do is to enforce invention and innovation rights. These rights create jobs, economic benefits, and profits for our society, while our patent-piracy tolerance destroys the economic benefits we seek. If an American-made business model is destroyed by the cannibalistic capitalism of our marketplace, what products can survive to create jobs in our society?