So, a coworker related to me how his mother-in-law made an omelet by combining the raw ingredients in a plastic ziplock bag, sealing it, and boiling it in water for 14 minutes. I was a bit skeptical, but tried it last night, and it worked like a dream. It was so easy, didn't require any skill and there was absolutely no clean up required. I should add that it also tasted fantastic.

I posted on Facebook about it, and was surprised that many people hated on the idea. One of the…

Let…

I see my engineering degree every morning. It hangs above my dresser, a badge of honor for five of the toughest, yet most rewarding years of my life. It represents late nights studying, way too much calculus and thermodynamics, and likely an ulcer or two.



I was lucky to have chosen a public institution where even the out-of-state tuition was reasonable. And I was fortunate to have grandparents who were willing to help cover the cost of tuition. Many of my friends graduated with tens…

Here's a cool story about an engineer and his experience with Protomold to develop a new toy.  His choices deliver good info for other engineers.

When it comes to rapid prototyping, product design presents you with a series of choices involving the function and aesthetic of the product, the methods of manufacture to be used to realize the product, and physical, financial, timeline, and other constraints on the choices. This month’s tip…

Customers ordered more than 7 million cubic inches of materials from Z Corporation, maker of 3D printing, rapid prototyping, and 3D scanning technologies. This is a record sale for the company of the build materials used to print 3D models. In Q4 2010, Z Corp. sold more consumables than in any previous quarter in the company's 16-year history. Based on an average size model such as a coffee cup, this would be the equivalent of printing 25,000 new design ideas every…

Had a discussion  today and got a chance to help the Entrepreneur connect with some potential suppliers for a really cool consumer product - be interesting to see his plan come in....

The Medical Design & Manufacturing show, held at the Anaheim Convention Center last week, was really just a part of the overall action, with sister shows focusing on packaging, electronics, automation, plastics, aerospace/defense, and sustainable manufacturing. Attendance was decent and exhibitors were mostly pleased with the event.

Kevin Gingerich of Bosch Rexroth’s Linear…

Just wanted to share with you a program we're launching - would love your participation or share with other folks. We're working out some details on rules and regulations, but sneak peak at a news release tomorrow. Appreciate any feedback or comments here.

Cleveland Based B2B Media Company Launches “Live your Dream; Be An Entrepreneur” Contest with $25,000.00 for Winning Business Idea

Contest to foster business development in Cleveland,…

Bernie Graham, an inventor from North Bay Ontario, Canada, likes to read from a popular tablet. But some functions, such as typing and gaming, are more difficult to do on tablets than others, especially if you need to hold the tablet with at least one hand.

“Bernie had an idea for a hands-free stand that would sit on your lap, making tablets and e-readers more comfortable and…

The 2011 MD&M West is over, but the contacts and connections made there continue. If you weren’t able to visit the show, here are a few of the highlights pertaining to Make Parts Fast.

This year’s show was primarily about investigating the various offerings of vendors. Plenty of technical support people were on hand to answer questions and help designers solve rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing…

What is it about PCB's that make them such an interesting piece of engineering?



I'm asking myself this question as I sit here on a Friday evening after a week of fairly intensive work on PCB design documentation etc...  From my point of view I create a multitude of different board designs from single layer power supply application boards to multilayer test boards being used in instrumentation.  Each of these types of designs have their own frustrations…

I got shocked from the light switch last night. I saw the little arc from my finger to the light switch and felt the extra voltage behind it. It jump-started my memory of stories from customers about what static electricity has caused in their surroundings...

People tell me about seeing the arc hit someone from a foot away - OUCH! And then to have someone speak about getting hit anywhere unmentionable - that just adds to the ouch factor. They have seen holes burned in clothes…

What is DFMPro?

DFMPro is an easy-to-use design for manufacturability (DFM) tool for designers and manufacturing engineers that is seamlessly integrated into leading CAD platforms like SolidWorks® and Pro/ENGINEER®. It facilitates upstream manufacturability validation and identification of areas of a design that are difficult, expensive or impossible to…

While lower priced versions may entice some into the market who would have stayed on the sidelines, be aware of the tradeoffs…