UIOWA Engineering Student Makes Solar Cook Stove

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGoEMKnGNtY]

Video first uploaded to YouTube on 9 Feb 2015.

Below are a few excerpts from the IowaNow article, “The Student Experience: Allison Kindig.” (9 Feb 2015)

* * *

Allison Kindig did her homework before coming to the University of Iowa. Four years later, her preparation is still paying dividends.

The Cedar Rapids native and industrial engineering major recalls looking for a school that would offer her the opportunity to study a variety of subjects ranging from engineering to international business—and more.

During her first semester, she met with H.S. (Uday) Udaykumar, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering in the UI College of Engineering, enrolled in his class, and traveled to northwestern India. Once there, she and her classmates built a small solar cooker and demonstrated it to local villagers.

“Allison has been leading our efforts to develop low-cost, high efficiency solar cook stoves, particularly stored-energy solar cook stoves for the developing world,” Udaykumar says. “She has spent time in India and in Cameroon working on the project; in Cameroon she went on a Stanley Fellowship on her own initiative and trekked 30 miles into the bush to carry and demonstrate solar cookers in remote villages.

Kindig notes that the project requires teamwork, and no individual or profession acting alone can be effective.

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Advertisement

Metal Plated 3D Printing from Shapeways

On 6 February 2015, Shapeways announced metal plated 3D printing services.

“Precious Plated Metal is a great choice for all of your jewelry. The 18k Gold Plated will replace our existing Gold Plated Brass. If you were currently selling this material in your shop, we’ve gone ahead and updated the offering and carried over your markup on Shapeways. Be sure to enable your models in the new Rhodium, Rose & 14k Gold Premium Plated, too- they’re all the same price!”

“Products made in Precious Plated Metal are made the same way our Polished Brass is with a few bonus steps. Wax casts of your model are 3D printed, plaster is poured around the wax cast, and then the brass is poured in the cast. The brass cools and takes form before we carefully remove the cast. We then layer it with palladium, increasing strength and durability, before finishing your products with 0.5 microns of the precious alloy of your choice. The electroplating on our new upgraded offering is more durable and we are excited to delight even more designers and shoppers with these materials.”

Click here to read the full story.

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Precious Plated Metal 3D Printing from Shapeways: A Closer Look

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-6YsLG8MwQ]

Originally Published on 6 Feb 2015 to YouTube by Savannah Peterson, Global Community Manager at Shapeways.

Synopsis. “Shapeways has introduced 14k & 18k gold, Rose Gold, and Rhodium Plated. They’re beautiful and I had to show off our launch models in this video!”

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Charles Romans – 3D Printing Services

In this video, Charles Romans discusses 3D Printing Services at the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History. Learn more at:

http://art.uiowa.edu/3d-printing-facility

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Autodesk Fusion 360 CAD/CAM System

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaVb4NiVazM]

Synopsis. Autodesk Fusion 360 is an integrated 3D CAD/CAM tool for product development, merging industrial design, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing with the benefit of cloud collaboration. Co-developed with the community, it starts at just $25 a month. [More…]

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Autodesk Meshmixer

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m9SG9C_lUo]

The latest update for Meshmixer boasts an all-in-one 3D printing suite with new features!

Now you have all of the mixing, sculpting, healing, stamping, painting tools of Meshmixer you always had with a streamlined path direct to your 3D printer.

You can choose your printer and other settings for 3D printing your creation. You will also have access to all of the mixing and sculpting tools as well to effortlessly make adjustments within Meshmixer.

The powerful and easy features of Meshmixer make it a great companion application for anyone who is 3D printing, whether you are just beginning or a seasoned Maker.

More videos from Autodesk 123D.

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CREAFORM Handyscan3D EXAscan

The HandySCAN 3D™ handheld scanners of new generation have been optimized to meet the needs of product development and engineering professionals on the lookout for the most effective and reliable way to acquire 3D measurements of physical objects.

Creaform’s flagship metrology-grade scanners underwent a complete re-engineering, building on its core assets. They are now more portable and they are faster at delivering accurate and high resolution 3D scans while remaining overly simple to use. Yet, it is their true portability that has changed the rules and set a whole new trend in the 3D scanning market.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx8FSnVfQTM]

New Features

  • 25 times faster than the previous generation
  • 40% more accurate
  • Improved ergonomy:
    • 35% lighter
    • 50% smaller
    • Greater freedom of movement
    • Multi-function buttons for easier interaction with the software

TRUaccuracy: Accurate measurements in real life operating conditions

  • Metrology-grade measurements: accuracy of up to 0.030 mm (0.0012 in.), resolution of up to 0.050 mm (0.002 in.), high repeatability and traceable certificate.
  • Accuracy in real-life conditions: regardless of environment conditions, part set-up or user.
  • No rigid setup required: optical reflectors are used to create a reference system that is “locked” to the part itself, so users can move the object any way they want during scanning sessions (dynamic referencing). Changes in surrounding environment have no impact on data acquisition quality or accuracy.
  • Self-positioning: the HandySCAN 3D scanner is a data acquisition system and its own positioning system. This means that no external tracking or positioning devices is required. It uses triangulation to determine its relative position to the part in real time.
  • Reliable: consistent and repeatable results across all work conditions or environments.
  • On-demand user calibration: the scanner can be calibrated as often as necessary (day-to-day basis or before each new scanning session). Calibration takes about 2 minutes and guarantees optimal operation.

TRUportability: 3D scanning where you need to go

  • Stand-alone device: there is no need for an external positioning system, arms, tripod or fixture.
  • On-the-go scanning: you can take it from place to place or use it in-house or on site.
  • Lightweight: weights under 1 kg.
  • Small: Fits into a case the size of a carry-on.
  • Easy access to confined spaces: thanks to its small size and flexible stand-off distance.

Speed: Fastest path from physical objects to your design or inspection workflow

  • Fastest 3D scanner on the market: 25 times faster than the previous generation.
  • Highest measurement rate among all laser scanners: 480,000 measures/s.
  • Automatic mesh output: ready-to-use files, right as you complete acquisition.
  • Quick workflow integration: usable scan files can be imported into RE/CAD software without post-processing.

TRUsimplicity: Very simple 3D scanning process

  • User-friendly: very short learning curve, regardless of the user’s experience level.
  • Quick set-up: up and running in less than 2 minutes.
  • Direct mesh output: no complicated alignment or point cloud processing.
  • Real-time visualization: look at the computer screen to see what you are doing and what is left to be done.
  • Versatile: virtually limitless 3D scanning – no matter the part size, complexity, material or color.

3D Printed Fibonacci Zoetrope Animated Sculptures in Motion (Video)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB-xKZP2gMk]

Fibonacci Zoetrope Sculptures from Pier 9 on Vimeo.

These are 3-D printed sculptures designed to animate when spun under a strobe light. The placement of the appendages is determined by the same method nature uses in pinecones and sunflowers. The rotation speed is synchronized to the strobe so that one flash occurs every time the sculpture turns 137.5º—the golden angle. If you count the number of spirals on any of these sculptures you will find that they are always Fibonacci numbers.

For this video, rather than using a strobe, the camera was set to a very short shutter speed (1/4000 sec) in order to freeze the spinning sculpture.

John Edmark is an inventor/designer/artist. He teaches design at Stanford University.

Visit John’s website here: web.stanford.edu/~edmark/
and Vimeo site: vimeo.com/johnedmark/videos

Learn how he made these sculptures here: instructables.com/id/Blooming-Zoetrope-Sculptures/

And more about the Pier 9 Artist in Residence program here: autodesk.com/air

Music – “Plateau” by Lee Rosevere – freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Farrago_Zabriskie/Lee_Rosevere_-_Farrago_Zabriskie_-_03_-_Plateau

Cinematography and editing by Charlie Nordstrom

Mindful Media: Easton LaChappelle’s Great Project – Brain Controlled Prosthetics

Easton LaChappelle has developed a million-dollar brain-controlled artificial limb. Now he’s giving away the technology as an open source project.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofcdWe1vvMU]

“There’s been a fundamental shift in how we see technology. Science and engineering are no longer just industries. Technology is something we’re passionate about, whether we’re arguing over the iPhone or eagerly anticipating the next technology that will change everything. Just like every song has a story, the technology we most care about has a deeply personal journey behind it, from Steve Jobs’ decades-long obsession with changing how we use computers to Sergey Brin and Larry Page turning a fascination with the mathematics that underlie how we use the Internet into Google. Just like we care as much about the singer as we do the song, we care about the engineer behind the world-changing idea.” [More…]

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3D Systems ushers in the Home of the Now at CES 2015

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7riJ7Dr0AU]

From clothes to wearables to desserts and even virtual gaming, 3DS invites you to experience how 3D printing has the power to impact everyday life. First published to YouTube by 3D Systems on Jan 7, 2015.