The development of new materials and their end use continues to be driven by breakthroughs in software, testing, and materials science. "Additive fabrication technologies for applications such as rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing will benefit from materials containing nanoparticles for improved properties," observes Terry Wohlers, founder and president of Wohlers Associates. (For more, click here.)
Monica Schnitger, senior vp of market analysis at Daratech Inc, points to a migration of CAE "from a silo within the engineering organization to a broader audience -- through the growth of PLM, CAE is becoming an enterprise app." Companies now use simulation and visualization tools to "provide a communication and collaboration platform for design discussion between engineering, design, and supplier teams." (For more, click here.)
As manufacturers look to lighter materials, the number of testing regimes is daunting. In the aerospace sector, tests measure tension, compression, impact, fatigue, and other factors. Fatigue tests, for example, identify the behavior of a material "under continuously oscillating loads and are usually illustrated by an endurance curve, which separates acceptable from non-acceptable loading levels," notes Instron. (Instron''s Dynatup 9250HV, shown here, performs high velocity impact testing and analysis of materials and components.) (For more, click here.)
"Tight integration between MCAD and CAE programs and rapid prototyping machines will become more widely available in the next year," SolidWorks director of product management Aaron Kelly tells IEN. "Pushbutton analysis for thermo dynamics, fluid dynamics, kinetics, and other factors will be widely available in the next one to three years." (For more, click here.)
Building Quality Prototypes
Bell Helicopter''s Osprey, the hybrid aircraft that combines features of both airplane and helicopter, recently underwent an experimental tail-wiring upgrade. Technicians at RP lab at Bell Xworx used fused deposition modeling (FDM) to build polycarbonate (PC) wiring conduits, selecting Stratasys Inc''s FDM Titan system.
"We built the conduit for one stabilizer, and the development team installed it on the mockup," says RP lab technician Mike Storp. The team immediately asked for another, and after some minor variations, requested five more complete sets for a total of 42 conduit models. They were completed in two and a half days; the traditional cast aluminum process would have taken six weeks. (For more, click here.)
Combining Flexibility With Strength
Nilfisk Advance wanted to combine the design and manufacturing flexibility of plastics with the strength of metals in a new line of floor cleaning products. The company turned to Composite Products Inc''s Advantage direct long-fiber thermoplastic process, which involves in-line compounding of polypropylene resin and long fiber glass reinforcement, coupled directly with transfer molding to form the finished part in a continuous process.
CPI developed a glass fiber-reinforced PP that could accept self-tapping fasteners, eliminating the need for molded-in inserts. Nilfisk tested the part with an "apparatus that simulates a fall from the back of a truck," notes CPI vp of sales engineering Scott Ledebuhr. (For more, click here.)
Product Development Best Practices
Huber Engineered Materials, part of J.M. Huber Corp, chose Sopheon''s Accolade to automate its new product development process, integrating best practices and providing an easy-to-use interface for team members, process leaders, and executives.
As team members complete project work, collection of key metrics is built into process documentation. Huber has eliminated "about one man-month per year, per team member, in completing deliverables and project documentation," according to consumer products technology manager Mark Wozniak, along with increasing the number of innovative projects by 40%. (For more, click here.)
Streamlined Prototyping
At one time, toymaker Strottman made design prototypes "by sculpting them out of clay," according to Dave Duncan, a project engineer/new technologies specialist at Strottman. Then it moved to the SolidWorks 3D CAD system, sending stereolithography (STL) files to a local service bureau, for prototypes costing $3,000-$4,000 each.
Today Strottman uses Z-Corp''s Z406 full color 3D printing system. "We have not produced any prototypes on the Z Corp system that cost more than $20 in materials," Duncan notes. Two weeks after purchasing the equipment, Strottman used 3D prints of its concepts to win a Tonka-licensed sand toy contract. "We went from a napkin drawing to a color model in a couple of days," says Duncan. (For more, click here.)