A change to a manufacturing process enabled radio frequency screening cans for use on electronic products to be produced quicker and cheaper. Despite significant advances in prototyping techniques, laborious testing cycles and rigorous evaluations are often still needed before a new product can be brought to market. Rapid injection moulding can help to minimise delays by dramatically reducing time spent on this development phase. Matt Bailey reports. The Los Angeles Auto Show was the venue for the world premiere of Volkswagen’s latest concept vehicle. The two-seat, three-wheel GX3 is a radical departure from the ordinary. This crossover between sports car and motorcycle promises a special driving experience and lots of head turning. Martina Methner reports. Rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing technologies have revolutionised product development over the past 10 years, yet further advances continue to be announced by suppliers of both equipment and materials. Innovative domestic lighting has entered commercial production using plastic laser-sintering machines. Martina Methner reports. Philippe Christou looks at some of the latest rapid prototyping materials and production technologies now able to cater for all a manufacturer’s needs, from concept design to finished part, faster and more cost effectively than ever before. When rapid prototyping first started to emerge from research establishments and become a commercial reality, the cost, complexity and limitations of the various processes meant that their use was limited. Computational fluid dynamics modelling has come a long way since its entrance into engineering industry over 20 years ago. Increases in the power of computer hardware, in tandem with ever decreasing hardware costs, have allowed CFD software tools to be developed to offer the high-tech capabilities we see today. Fluent Inc is releasing Flowizard V2. Flowizard is a flexible approach to CFD simulation that allows for accurate and quick engineering design validation much earlier in the product development cycle. Highly flexible manufacturing techniques and application expertise lie at the heart of a screening can success story for Tecan Components. Photofabrication (Services) Ltd had a customer that was interested in creating prototypes with several modifications of the same component. When a design calls for metallic components, many of the most recent rapid prototyping technologies are, unfortunately, totally unsuitable. However, for thin, flat parts or three-dimensional parts formed from thin, flat sheet, there is a highly cost-effective, quick technology. Jon Severn explores photo-chemical etching and its distant relation, photo-electroforming. Pinion Software, a leader in the emerging market for Enterprise Rights Management, today announced the introduction of Technical Rights Management, a ‘first-of-its-kind’ tool that provides comprehensive and continuous in-use security for files created in leading CAD applications from Autodesk, Solidworks, Bentley, and others. Martina Methner examines how e-Manufacturing is especially suited for the direct manufacture of end-use parts in plastics and metal. The latest rapid modelling materials are helping automotive engineers design everything from super cars to city cars! Gino Ceccopieri reports on the latest material applications. prev    next